Recreating Fred Reed’s Iconic Howling Griffons Army: With Jonny Watson Gaming

Recreating Fred Reed’s Iconic Howling Griffons Army: With Jonny Watson Gaming

Author: Bedroom Battlefields January 12, 2026 Duration: 55:28

White Dwarf readers of a certain vintage will undoubtedly remember Fred Reed’s iconic Howling Griffons space marine army. Then-Games Workshop store worker Fred showcased the stunning force in issue 179 (November 94), and it had a runout in the mag’s battle report a month later.

Fred’s army was a source of inspiration to many young hobbyists in the mid-90s and is still talked about more than 30 years later. One man who’s gone above and beyond in his nostalgia, however, is Jonny Watson of the Jonny Watson Gaming YouTube channel. Jonny did the ultimate homage to Fred’s Howling Griffons by assembling and painting his own tribute act.

I had the pleasure of chatting to Jonny about this project and the opportunities it brought him, from interviewing Fred Reed himself to being featured on the hallowed pages of White Dwarf. We covered his origin story, returning after the inevitable deep freeze, and how running a YouTube channel can supplement and enhance your hobby when you’re not playing the algorithm game.


Remember those afternoons spent hunched over a desk, a tiny brush in hand, trying to get the eyes just right on a Citadel miniature? Maybe your gateway was the grim darkness of Warhammer 40k, the dungeon-crawling of HeroQuest, or the claustrophobic corridors of Space Hulk. For many, life eventually pulled them away from those bedroom battlefields, only to draw them back decades later with a newfound appreciation and a whole new world of games to explore. That’s the shared journey at the heart of Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast. Hosted by Bedroom Battlefields, these conversations feel like catching up with old friends who never stopped thinking about the hobby. You’ll hear genuine discussions that dig into the tactile joy of painting an army, the strategic nuances of games like Frostgrave or Kings of War, and the simple pleasure of collecting miniatures that spark your imagination. It’s a space for those who understand that this pastime is more than a game; it’s a creative outlet, a historical deep-dive, and a social connector. Each episode explores the layers of the hobby, from brush techniques and kitbashing to campaign stories and rule debates, all with the warmth of shared nostalgia and a keen eye on the exciting present and future of tabletop gaming. This podcast is for the returning veteran and the curious newcomer alike, offering a welcoming audio companion for your next painting session or drive to the game store.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Introducing 40k/AoS Players to non-GW Games [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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The question of the month for April 2024 was around introducing Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar players to non-Games Workshop games. How did you do it, what did you play, and what was the response?And, the question of the…
Being Raised in a Wargaming Family [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:39
Father and son duo Rob and Norman join me for a chat about wargaming in the family, their local wargaming club, and their imagi-nations campaign.HAWKS wargaming clubRob's blogNorman's blog
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If you’ve come across 28 Magazine before, you’ll know about its striking aesthetic, stunning artwork, and incredible photography. On this episode of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, I’m joined by editor Sampsa Nylun…
Burning Armies, Sculpting for TV Sets, & Making a Boglin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:35
Our guest this week is Kevin from our Discord community, who talks about his hobby origins going up in smoke and then returning years later via his young son. He also enjoyed a career sculpting for TV sets and designing…
What Hobby-Related Thing Have You Recently Changed Your Mind About? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:58
Let's hear your answers to the question of the month for March 2024. Also, you can now get your answers in for the April QotM. Have you ever introduced a Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar player to a non-GW game?How did you…
Josh (Crown of Command/Eavy Lead) on Paint Tutoring & Commissions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:25
Josh—a former Eavy Metal painter from the Goblin Green bases/Red period—started the Crown of Command podcast early on in the pandemic. It has since become one of the best podcasts for the HeroQuest generation, and he's a…
Carl Brown on Open Combat, Lucrum, & Creative Inspiration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:26
Open Combat is one of my original and favourite miniature agnostic skirmish games. On this episode, I'm joined by Carl Brown who created it along with a cool little medieval strategy board game called Lucrum. You can fin…
Will YOU Be Playing Warhammer: The Old World? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:53
It's vox populi time, our question of the month for February 2024 was: Warhammer: The Old World - Will you be playing it? (If so, why? If not, why not?) Thank you so much to everyone who submitted. The new question of th…