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You're coming at the question all wrong.

You are a human being, and human beings contain multitudes. You aren't a nerd or a geek because you think warhammer is cool as feth, and you don't need to pigeonhole yourself into an identity based off a single activity you enjoy.

For example, I paint models, I work out 4 days a week and have a physique like micheal phelps, I'm an introvert who works in an extrovert's job and beats them at it 98 times out of 100, I have a degree in English Lit but can box and grapple. I write 250,000 words or more a year, and read 3 books a week, and play 3 instruments and have a reasonable tenor to boot. I can kick down a door and yard someone out of a pool of blood without batting an eye, but the smell of dead bodies still grosses me out. I can verbally solve almost any person to person issue. I can build a bookshelf or write a sonnet. Am I a geek? I'm sure as shootin' not ashamed of who and what I am because all the things I am come from what I do.

A single person can be a fething cosmos waiting to be explored. Recognize that in others, and in yourself.

Think about this: you're asking how to respond to a question that makes the answer more appealing to the questioner. Which implies you've already judged the answer to be negative, which means in your mind you've decided that you're trying to answer the question to people who you think will disapprove, and to that, I say this: you don't owe people who will disapprove gak, including any answer at all.

You're under no obligation to earn the approval of people who will disapprove of things you enjoy. You don't have to explain yourself. I'll say that again for emphasis.

You don't have to explain yourself.

BUT!

If someone asks what you do, and they seem genuinely interested, tell them what you're into. Don't qualify it ("well, it's super geeky but..."), don't sugar coat it, or try to deceive the person because if they're interested, they'll ask more questions and then they'll wonder why you feel like you have to be ashamed of what you enjoy. Be honest and share your passion for it with them and why you love it (it's relaxing, i enjoy the feeling of focusing on tiny details, whatever) .

Birds of a feather flock together. Be yourself and you'll find your kind. Trust me.

Changed a quote slightly:

Tyrion: Let me give you some advice nerd.
Never forget what you are.
The rest of the world will not.
Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.

Jon: What the hell do you know about being a nerd?

Tyrion: All gamers are nerds in their father's eyes.

 Matthew wrote:
I know, I know, stand up for yourself blabla. I'm a 14-yearold, I can't go around telling everyone I paint little plastic guys and then use them in fights. That would sound ridiculous. What is the best way to say that I play warhammer (preferably with the painting part in focus) without making me sound like a total nerd?

Basicly I see two options.

1) You own it. Comes straight out and say it is a really nerdy hobby that sounds boring but is really fun.
Or
2) You hide it in words that mean other things for non-gamers. Like: I paint. Or maybe something more confusing like: I practice my artistic talents both with paint and with analog 3D modelling. Both at a small scale.

Anyway you do it remember. That all of us are standing behind you, you are not alone in this.

/Farstrand

"I play boardgames. The wargame type. It's less straining on the eyes than playstation. I paint models too"

Keep it to yourself in any way. If people first see that you are a normal guy, and not a niche hobby on two legs, they will treat you like a human and not define you by your hobby.

I sometimes mention an origin story about building scale model planes first, then gravitating towards more "challenging 28mm models". Most people think they understand how that happened.