Category: Update

This may only be a little shorter than the other updates but it is coming out at the start of the next month rather than at a random time.

Project 365

First up, this month’s count is standing at:

I’m aiming for 31 models painted every month so I managed to hit it. I am a little bit down on the running total for the year (January missed it by a chunk) so I’m going to have to slightly increase my numbers coming up. However, having a lot of models ready to be painted, it should be much easier to hit those goals.

As for the purchased – well technically not all of it was purchased… I’ll get to that.

Project Database

Not much more on the web plugin but I have managed to do some database wrangling to turn data into visuals. I’ve set up a page on the blog with all the graphs I’m to all my graphs, as you can see above. I’ll sit down and do some analysis at some point (because I find it fun) but it’s interesting to see how the shift in my collection is going, as I throw off that idea that I’m “just a Moderns wargamer” and actually start collecting what I want to and what excites me.

Project Modern

The Delta Operators are now all painted and based. I’m really happy with how they turned out – it’s been a while since I painted Multi-cam and then painting 12 of the buggers in it was a bit of a shock to the system. That said, it’s neat to get them all done and relatively quickly, managing blocks of four roughly every three days (base colours, details, camo).

I still need to do the writeup on them, but I’m waiting on a lightbox – the large one is good but it’s not really suitable for only a few figures.

Project WW2

Project WW2 is now the focus project. After the first section was finished earlier this month, I have also finished off the Warlord Sniper pair and have started on the bulk of the Empress guys with the first section. There was a little bit of relearning the paint scheme, mostly due to the different equipment worn by the Empress figures and the finer details that the sculptor brought to them. As you can see above, it’s definitely worth it. The camo jackets and helmets covered in scrim were really fun to paint and I adore their poses.

Perhaps the biggest thing is finally getting my hands on some snow powder. I got it from the same place I have picked up the rest of my scenic supplies from, Geek Gaming Scenics after waiting a little bit for it to come back into stock. It actually works incredibly well, requiring a few blobs of glue to get this semi-melted snow effect on the guys. These aren’t in the depths of winter – it’s January/February and so it should be started to melt, mixing with the mud and forest floor.

One thing I have decided is that I’m not going to focus on the WW2 guys in a single big block of painting. I did notice the Enforcers definitely reached a point of “oh god they are finally done” – with the WW2 guys being a full platoon, that’s a lot of green and brown to paint.

Project Fantasy

So I’m going to be writing some more stuff about my fantasy gaming. It’s an idea that has really captured my mind, and has some potentially very exciting elements to play around with.

Remember how I mentioned the sudden jump in purchases? Well, that’s because I had a nice surprise when my pre-order of the new Sigvald figure and some Chaos Warriors arrived. At first, I thought I might have been an incorrect order but nope, I’d managed to win the lucky draw from Leodis Games and ended up with a special prize… and a lollipop.

Now, this box is great. It’s a pair of really rather nice armies. However, despite having just bought the new Slaanesh model, I actually don’t have any plans for a Slaanesh force. Luckily my Creative Opponent up North, in his slow decline to Chaos, decided he wanted to give in to temptation and leap in. I’m really happy it went to someone I know – I feel a little funny about just selling off a prize. Instead, it will be going North, while I will be keeping the Dark Elves to add to my force.

Speaking of Dark Elves, I also managed to assemble both of the Warbands from the War Cry Catacombs box I got for Christmas. Like all of the GW figures, these are beautiful to look at, with carefully designed pieces fitting together. They were also complete bastards to assemble, especially figures with multiple part cloaks that fit together. However, I think they are well worth the swearing and fingers covered in glue.

But what of the Sigvald I purchased? Well, remember last update when I mentioned the idea I had for him? Well I’ve managed to work out the basics. In my head, this guy is a cursed ancient king skilled at the art of war and perfecting his skills in it. However, despite having attracted an army of Chaos Knights and Warriors, he is no simple follower of the Chaos gods. Instead, he spites them, breaking his horns to reject the gifts. Of course, anyone who recognises the spear and shield I’ve given him might work out where this story arc might be going. Lets just say, he has a patron who I might need to purchase in the future for when she has to enter the fray…

Story aside, I’m happy with the first assemble of this conversion. There needs to be a little bit of greenstuff work on his spear hand, and the painting will be the proof of the design. A lot of this design came from playing Hades and the basic model having some very greek style armour, and I think the giant spear and shield nail that image that came into my head. It’s going well, so the next step is actually painting and putting him together fully.

That’s it for this month’s update, I’ll see you in a month!

Ah. So this was supposed to be a post I was doing at the start of each month but I’ve been a little distracted by actually doing the hobby rather than simply talking about it. Which is a positive I think!

But for now, here is a quick check-in for what I did in January and the first half of February.

Project Enforcers

Project Enforcers is done! All the models I purchased have been built, painted and based. The figures are now living in my display cabinet and I’m really happy with how they turned out.

Project WW2

Project WW2 has properly begun. I’ve already completed my first Infantry section, as you can see above, and a pair of Snipers. These are both from Warlord and have functioned as a very good testbed. The next step will be working on the main platoon.

I’ve also assembled all the tanks to go with my main force, with three Churchill gun tanks, a Crocodile, an AVRE and a Comet all assembled and ready to be undercoated.

Project Modern

With the release and then the arrival of the Delta Force guys from Spectre at the end of January, I decided to interrupt my planned project to try and get them painted up. At time of writing, I have done two of the three batches with the aim of finishing the third this week. They are some nice models, which I’ll cover some more details on once they are done, and were a nice step back into the Moderns Painting.

I also managed to get a new game in, having a battle report of Spectre Operations set in Bazistan again. It was a nice step back into playing, and I’ll be trying to get some more in.

Project Fantasy

Nothing to update for Project Fantasy. I’ve come up with a cool idea using the new Sigvald model and the Chaos Warriors (including the underworld box I picked up last month) so I’ve got my hands on them but I haven’t started actually working on them. I’ll probably do a fantasy project after WW2.

Project 3D Printing

Oh boy, this is the big one. Since the last update, I’ve managed to get my 3d Printer up and running, learnt a few of the ins and out of it and then managed to print off some stuff. I’m really impressed with just the quality you can get out of an entry level resin printer.

Above are just a few things I’ve printed using it after my initial burst of “Test all the things!”. I’ll be going into more details of the process in an upcoming post sat in my draft pile but as a preview – I don’t think 3d Printing is quite at the stage that everyone needs to get one (they are still a little finicky) but it’s a really interesting tool to have.

Project Database

My figure tracking has now shifted from an excel spreadsheet into a database on my webserver. I’m still not 100% finished with the data (I still need to do some detective work to find purchase dates) but every model I have is now tracked in there. You can see the count of the various stages of models up above.

The next stage of this project (aside from keeping it up to date) is going to be surfacing the data. I’m already planning a widget to appear in the sidebar of the blog, showing off the most recent figures I’ve painted up/projects I’ll be working on. This won’t be up for a while but it’s a fun learning project.

Project 365

After having got all the data and getting into a hobby streak, I’m actually feeling pretty motivated to keep painting. I’ve been doing roughly four figures every 2-3 days, especially when working on actual projects such as the WW2 section and the deltas. Which got me thinking…

My Creative Opponent has decided to attempt to paint 365 models in 2021. Although I may have originally laughed at this concept, especially after last year’s lacklustre numbers, I’m starting to think that it might be something worth trying out. Not sure I’ll hit it by the end of the year but aim high and all that.

That’s it for this update, see you in a few weeks for the next update post.

Well that was a year. I’m sure 2020 wasn’t quite what people had planned going into it but hopefully it worked out okay. Looking back at where I was last year, I’m definitely in a different place but still got a fair few things to work on. This time last year I was starting to try and get a proper rhythm of painting before moving location… and then the everyday of the world sort of fell apart. I have definitely taken a long time

As a tradition, the end of the year means it’s time for the dreaded count of how much I got painted this year and my total (worked out from going back and checking the blog) was….

69 models.

You may insert whatever jokes/memes you’d like to here.

Maybe not as much as I would have liked but still nice. I’m yet to actually double-check how many I purchased but I already know I bought more than that. One goal for next year I think will be trying to make sure the buy to painted ratio is at least 1:1, if not tilted more in favour of the painting side. This is especially important once Project 3D Printing is up and running.

So with the basics out of the way, lets talk projects

Project ENFORCERS

Project Enforcers is my current focus. So far, I have 6 of the 18 models painted – I would have been faster but Christmas took its toll (mostly through playing other games, trying to relax and then massively oversleeping) and so I didn’t get it finished this month. That said, I’m really happy with the colour scheme I’ve settled on – the little cosmetic tweaks I made to the enforcer models being brought out with the Anvil Industry parts.

This is my number 1 project right now – I really want to get it all wrapped up before I move onto anything else.

Project WW2

Project WW2 has been sat waiting for far too long and is the next focused push in the stack. It’s one of those projects I’m so ready to do – I have the basic paintjob planned out, ideas for the story of the figures I’m painting, and a group of opponents to go up against (once we can meet up). The aim now is just the final push of beginning and sitting down with paint brush in hand.

Of course, I should also add that my Brits have been expanded with the addition of enough Churchill tanks to assemble a full platoon of gun tanks, an AVRE for building destruction and a Christmas/Birthday present from the Dastardly Opponent in the form of a Churchill Croc to burn it’s way through the opposition.

Of course, the other reason why I need to get on with my WW2 project is this wonderful gift that my Creative Opponent gave me for Christmas (a socially distanced deployment as he drove back home with a car full of IKEA). This wonderful box, inscribed with a fictional regiment that he created for me based on some rough ideas I had, is full of tokens for Chain of Command complete with wording and details of the regimental logo. You can tell he has a laser cutter can’t you? I’ll honestly admit, opening it up definitely made me physically pause with my mouth open as it was such an unexpected gift.

Project Fantasy

Warcry Catacombs has arrived. I have pulled the rules out and taken a read, and I’m very excited for them. However, I’m going to save assembling it until I have finished the Necromunda guys at least.

There is also the matter of a few additions to my collection that Warcry has prompted. With the two scenery packs on hand to add some battlefield difference, I also picked up a few Witch Elves to back up the Khanite Shadowstalkers including some special models which I’m very intimidated about trying to paint. More details once they arrive (and I stop freaking out about the concept of subassemblies).

Project 3D Printing

Oh boy okay. I should currently be showing off my 3D printer and some of the stuff I have managed to make during my time off.

You may notice I am not doing that. The reason for this is due to the fact that my 3D printer (an Elegoo Mars Pro) started off with a fault (the UV lamp that causes the resin to set seemed to be misfiring) and then got worse when I attempted to fix it. By the time I’d finished digging around the front panel connection had been broken off, leading to me being unable to control the device to even test for the original flaw. The reason for this? Well, its what comes when you attempt to rush a repair job to play with a new present and an unfamiliarity with the exact mechanics of 3d printing. At the first issue, I should have boxed it up and sent it back to Amazon.

Instead, I am now waiting for parts to arrive from China to let me turn it on before we can then attempt to get the original fault checked (which may require more parts). On the one hand, the device shouldn’t have failed, on the other hand, I screwed up and am now paying the price. However looking on the positive side, I now understand a lot more about what’s going on inside the metal box which will be handy for any future issues. There is a lot of learning to do outside of the printing (such as preparing supports and handling the resin) so as disappointing as this delay is, I’m fine with it – it will be what it will be.

Project Database

This is a new project technically, but I have been considering this concept for the last couple of years. To keep track of my painting, I mostly have been a Google Sheet and… well it feels a bit lacking. It’s only really good for basic tracking – anything greater such as specific queries or keeping an eye on purchases/completion requires a lot of extra work. So for a long time, I had been eyeing up the idea of making a database for it, delving into some of the web design work I had done at university to give me a lot more control over it (and let me run stupid queries like “whats the oldest model I haven’t painted yet”). This is also an excuse to get a bit more use out of my web hosting which I love heaving but offt I am paying a chunk for it.

So far, I’ve already done the hard part – deciding which columns will be in the table. The next stage is converting my Google Sheet document into a format I can add it to the database. This is made harder by the fact my current document is focused on a type with a number in it as opposed to rows for each figure. This is going to require some work but once it is done I can then start adding the fun bit such as taking pictures of each model, checking what’s in my collection matches whats in the database and then setting up the blog to have more details on it all.

So that’s my update. My aim for the future is to keep going and slowly improve. I’m not giving it a hard number but I just want to keep rolling, keep positing, keep painting and collecting. And One day maybe we’ll

New month, time for a little update. Seeing as last month was really the intro to all the projects on my plate, this month is a bit more of a check in.

Monday evening painting sessions are going ahead, and forming a nice bit of routine in my week (even if I’m struggling to maintain it the rest of the time). It’s also been nice as a hangout/chat-the-shit time, especially important as I live by myself. It’s very easy to start disappearing into the box.

Project ENFORCERS

So November plan was to get the Enforcers assembled which is done! They are also undercoated and ready to start painting… which is where I hit the problem. I’m still not 100% on the scheme, and not quite ready to put paint to plastic. Perhaps this will be what I end up painting over Christmas. But all the models are ready to go, sitting in my “to-do pile”.

Project Fantasy

Fantasy ended up being the thing I spent most of my time this month. Mostly this was due to finishing off assembly on several kits (Godsworn Hunt to back up my Warqueen, the Tree Revanaents and my Dark Elf Corsairs) but there was also some rebasing work (as you can see above) and even painting the new figures. They are always a nice change from other projects.

With this month being deal month, I was really excited to see these two boxes on eBay at a heavy discount. If you remove the outright Age of Sigmar elements, then there are plenty of pieces to use for generic fantasy gaming. It also includes a baseboard in each box, ideal for setting up a quick game. I’m saving the full game for Christmas but this is a nice start. However, it’s reminding me I definitely need to get a spray booth set up for the airbrush.

Project WW2

So speaking of “deal month”, there as an accident at Warlord Games during their Tanksgiving promotion. My love of Churchills is well known, so the concept of having a full platoon of them (as well as an additional one to set up as an AVRE) is something I’m very excited for. One of the things I was looking forward to by being in Yorkshire was getting a chance to play more Big Chain of Command games – Having a tank AND infantry platoon for this is a good step. Also a trio of Churchills is a pretty horrifying proposition to see rolling across the board if you’re a German player in 1945.

I’ve also started doing another piece of the work on the platoon – setting up the details of the various officers and NCOs that are in my forces. I’m leaning towards realistically fictional, so I can do all the details for each character (as well as setting up excuses for them to be in a whole host of engagements from Normandy to Hamburg). After reading several WW2 accounts and rewatches of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, as well as looking at the excellent and characterful figures from Paul Hicks, I’m already having the fun of setting up the personalities.

There is also another project, coming later this month, that I’m looking forward to. It’s going to require a lot of experimenting and tinkering (as well as lots of new skills and tools to learn) but the sheer possibilities from it are very exciting. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make something good using it!

It’s time for a new month! And with the UK about to re-enter national lockdown (not that I’ve noticed much different), there is probably going to be a little more hobby time. As you’ve seen, I’ve really enjoyed posting my little updates, helped especially by the Monday painting sessions with my Dastardly Regular Opponent among others. But one thing I have missed is talking about ongoing projects, using a post as a sort of summary/catch up/reminder of how things are going.

Project Space Marines

The big boys first – I actually painted a squad worth of dudes last month. These guys (and girls) have been waiting around for a while so it was really good to get them cleared off my to-do list. It was also a nice change to paint, with big chunks of smooth armour and detail to be painted over.

The next step is to finish off my character figure (Cypher from GW range) in a paint scheme that matches his allies but is also a touch more dramatic to mark him out as a character. I’m planning on getting him painted up this month, and then I’ll turn to look at rest of the Marines I have. These guys don’t have quite as fancy armour, so I’ll need to work out what I’m doing with the silver shoulder pad. I’m also going to try and resist the urge to buy any more marines, but the Heavy Intercessors would be really cool. The downside is I would need to buy a chunk of Deathwatch Conversion packs to get enough armoured shoulders for the heavy armour, meaning I’ll have a load of normal power armour shoulders left over…

Oh dear.

Project Enforcers

The main project I think is next is getting my Enforcers/Space Mercs assembled. I’ve worked out a few rough lists, now I just have to nail down and assemble the remaining guys. I’ve still got plenty of heads and plenty of bodies to do, but I am really enjoying the assembly stage. The Enforcers are definitely designed to fit together in one specific way but you can do a few tweaks if you try hard enough.

Ideally, I’d love to have all these guys painted up by the end of the month but it’s not a hard and fast timeline. The scheme I’m thinking for them is a little more military than the yellow scheme GW uses. In part, it’s inspired by the classic 8th Cadian colour scheme, with a bit of extra grime.

Project Fantasy

Urrgh okay. So Fantasy has been on the backburner for a good while. I had a really good start in the beginning of the year, getting a good few of Northstar’s excellent Frostgrave/Ghost Archpelgio models painted. I also grabbed a few classic GW figures and then… well I moved and the world went to shit and my motivation disappeared through the floor.

But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. As I have fallen hard into GW’s embrace, I have repeatedly been tempted by Warcry, Games Workshop’s most innovative game for a while (in no small part to a friend up in Edinburgh talking about it). What sealed the deal for me was the release of a new box including my favourite type of Elf (shadowy and stabby). Coming with two forces and a ton of scenery, it looked like a pretty good deal (and perfect to given as a combined christmas/birthday gift in the new year). So that will be waiting for me under a Christmas tree.

But of course, if I have a new ruleset and figures then I can just use all my current stuff right? Yes (after I make up some profiles with the help of a friend’s tool). However, there is an issues with bases. All my old figures are on the Frostgrave standard totally-not-a-2p – anything new will be on GW bases. I have also moved some GW figures to the thinner bases and… man they look bad. So, during a bout of insomnia/mental fatigue, I decided to rebase all my figures onto the correct size of GW base, flared out bottoms and all. For the metal figures this was an easy job of just popping the super glue and pulling. For the plastic… there is a little more work. I’ve done off the metal, so the next step is sitting down and doing all the various troops and zombies.

One part of this however was seeing my painted minis (whose bases have been swapped and rextured) up close again. I really like the paint jobs I’ve given them so far, and the impulse to paint more leather and steel is slowly returning.

Project WW2

Ah my offt loved, sadly forgotten project. It was going so well – the groundswell of support for it coupled with playing a campaign of it over in York was getting me slowly ready to sitting down and painting up my British Platoon. But then York and Leeds both got Tier 2 status and so that idea came to a screeching halt.

However, I have not been idle on it. I have now reached the point where I have enough metal Empress figures to make a full platoon plus 2x Vickers supports (very useful against an entrenched foe with MG42s). I have also been hard at work (as you can see above) doing a few conversions to prevent my army looking too much like a group of clones. Some are pretty minor – covering up a shovelhead with a bugle, or swapping a grenade hand with a revolver to make an NCO. Others have been the classic head swap, requiring some green stuff work to cover the gaps and a steady hand to do the deed in the first place. The set I’m happiest with are the tweaks where I’ve removed the helmet and replaced it with some crude greenstuff work to make some cap comforters. These guys are additional to the main platoon and so will probably end up as engineers or other support – however, I think they will do very good work in scouting pair, sneaking through the mud to find the enemy during the patrol phase.

Project WW2 is ongoing but not currently a priority – this is mostly because I can’t really do anything with it (and therefore lack the motivation to finish it) until I can return to fight my friends t’up north (such as the wonderful christmas game) or I get my hands on enough Jerry to make a rival platoon.

Project Modern

Moderns are kind of the old standby for me. There is always plenty to work on (far too much to work on) and with Spectre releasing new stuff, it’s very easy to add to the pile. I’ve picked up the new additions and will (along with the old militia on my shelf) get them undercoated and based to match the rest. I’ll probably then get the new Tier 1 guy done and in the display case with his buddies, mostly because I quite like them as a group.

Moderns is on the low simmer, so I’ll paint what I fancy. I do want to get a solo game in though – the Sangin rules need testing, and I quite fancy using the Germans I painted up ages ago…

Project Murder Elves

I continue to be intimated by my tiny collection of Dark Eldar figures and will get them at some point. Mainly because I haven’t decided on a paint scheme for the little devils.

Project adalet

Okay, so I may have mentioned that I have been suffering bouts of depressive episodes on and off for the past year or two. Well deep in the midst of one last week, I finally pushed the button on a project I’ve had in the works for a while. To put it mildly, I love the new Battle Sisters squad. The models are incredibly strong visually, and GW plastic kits are really well designed. I’ve wanted a squad of my own for ages (not a full army!) but really wanted to do something special for them.

I am also a massive fan of the game Overwatch and one of my favourite heroes is Pharah, the Egyptian lady in flying power armour. I’ve had quite a few thoughts about making some sisters different from the typical Catholic nun and the skin above (labelled as Bedouin in the game) has given me several ideas for the mix of armour and cloth. I’ll write more details in a proper post once I begin work on it (which won’t be until after I finish the enforcers) but I’m really looking forward to what this project will be like.

That’s the project update for the start of November. As you can see, I have a fair amount I can pick at when I have time (and I haven’t even mentioned the MDF yet) but I’m slowly getting back to a place where I have time/energy to put into hobby stuff. I will say, having a fixed hobby time and friends to do it with has really helped my mojo, so I’m very tempted to keep it even when things go back to ‘normal’.

I’ll be back next month with another project update post but until then, keep your eyes open for more SITREP posts.