Preparing for Christmas

Don't worry, this is not going to be the first sign that Christmas is coming in the shops (if you can even get to the shops at the moment).

No - I have decided to spend the next three months in the lead up to Christmas finishing off the various painting tasks that I have started and not completed over the past few years.

They sit on trays and shelves around my desk - cluttering up, occasionally falling and breaking something and generally staring at me and causing great anxiety :)

I spent last night moving various 'unstarted' ideas back down into the basement and cleaning up the desk.  Then I went around the room and made a list of all of the groups of things that I have started but not completed.  The list is comprised of 48 mini projects - ranging from two 10mm buildings through to 36 Italian Wars pikemen.  A few more ideas on the variety:

• scales / sizes - 6mm, 10mm, 20mm and 28mm
• terrain, vehicles, aircraft and figures
• Napoleonics, Italian Wars, WW2, Ancients, WSS

First up will be making the last touches on the first four buildings of Kleinstadt. 

What to expect over the year (perhaps...maybe)

The first thing for you to know is that I am so easily distracted that anything I say here may be complete fantasy by the end of the week - so as to render this as just another blog post - useful only to increase my post count.

So in no order (because that is even more fanciful if you believe I could be held to an order or priority):

• Punic Wars - I'll continue with the build up of forces for the 28mm Punic Wars.  With the exception of some additional Spanish and a few extras special pieces, I have all the lead that I will need.  I'm about 30% of the way through this project and expect the coming year will see Numidian, additional Carthaginians and Gauls done.  Perhaps a Roman cohort may also see the light of day.
• Seven Years War - as I said last year, John Ray's AMG book and forum have led to a significant change in how I spend my hobby time.  For those of you who aren't familiar here is a link to John's Blog so you get a taste.  A lot of my reading time has given over to the SYW, I am searching Abebooks and similar places for old manuscripts and my time on-line has shifted almost completely from WWII and the Guild over to the AMG forum.  Building up the armies will be a multi year project and will see me busy hopefully long into retirement.  This year I will continue recruiting for my Saxon army with the wonderful figures from Nic at Eureka.
• Italian Wars - I will keep going but not sure yet whether they will be more Landschnechts or if I will get some Swiss on to the scene.
• 6mm - Work has contnued and will continue on finishing my 6mm WWII armies and the Adler Napoleonics.  Terrain will also finally see the light of day.
• 20mm WWII - I have done nothing on this for a few years.  I really enjoy the period and the games, and I still pick up the odd piece here and there.  Some notable purchases over the last year were from the great ranges that Simon Ford has been getting sculpted and which are then cast by Mathew at Wartime - especially the late war US and the British Commandos in smock which you can see Here.  One thing I can say for certain that I will do this year is purchase the new Russians that Tony Barton at AB has sculpted and which will be available from Eureka around April.  I have seen the first few in the flesh as well as the entire list that is planned.  Out go my PSC plastics and in come the ABs is all I can say.
• Lastly, I expect to commence and perhaps finish a small playable force for Baroque of the great Totentanz 15(ish)mm Thirty Years War.  These are amazing sculpts and are superbly cast - as good as the 15 and 20mm AB in my opinion.

One thing I am sure of is that what will occur over the year will include things that are not in the list above .... it is a wonderful hobby.

Plans for 2016

As my last post will attest, I have many interests and in many scales and I have a constant dilemma on what to paint next and where to concentrate. 

In response to the occasional 'painters block' post on forums, people say paint what takes your fancy - but to me that means indecision and concerns that projects will never be finished.  On the other hand, I admire and am inspired by the work of James on his Olincanalad blog and how he is able to focus on a project for a period and then get it done.

While I do have many interests, I think the bedrock that I will come back to time and time again is the 6mm Adler Napoleonics.  I love the heroic endeavour that goes with Napoleonics and the Adlers allow me to field large formations but still identify specific units. 

Following this, the three other key periods that most interest me are:

• 20mm WWII - primarily the ETO but I the last two years have seen a gradual slide into the Eastern Front as well. 
• 28mm Renaissance - the colour and pageantry with large pike blocks, numerous flags, the punch of heavy cavalry and effectiveness of light cavalary.
• 28mm Seven Years War - following the acquisition of John Ray's wonderful "A Military Gentlemen" book, I have become enthralled by the period.  John's forum has given me more enjoyment and inspiration than just about anything (Olincanalad's Renaissance aside) over the past five years in the hobby.  it has absolutely become my first stop when it comes to forums.  As I am just starting out here this will be a many year long project.

Which brings me to a decision on what to work on in the coming year. 

To resurrect a quote from a gaming mate a few years ago "Aim for the stars, because if you aim for the streetlight, you may just shoot yourself in the foot!”

6mm Napoleonics
Finish the French and British (and Allies) so I can play Quatre Bras with terrain.  Along the way keep going on my Prussians.

28mm Renaissance
A heavy focus - but not by just doing one faction.  I will cycle through the armies and troop types with an intention of having this finished in two years.

28mm Seven Years War
As noted above a slow burn - I will continue work on my Eureka Saxons - two of seven units are done.

20mm WWII
While I may paint some vehicles and troops, I have decided to focus on terrain so that I can get more games on my table and not have to rely going to the club for games.  Besides, an atmospheric table is a strong motivator for me to paint more figures to get on the table.

Baroque
Last in the list and perhaps the greatest threat to plans will come with the likely release of Baroque in the first half of the year.  An easy and sensible response would be to paint a Covenantor army from the ECW to use.  A slightly more threatening development would be to get drawn into the Anglo-Dutch armies of the late 17th century for which I have no figures at the moment.

Ancients
I haven't mentioned ancients yet - but I have figures for a few more Impetus armies.  My aim will be to get one Impetus army a year done.

Reflecting on the review of 2015, It is hard not to notice the amazing throughput in 2010 and 2011.  Both years I had participated in the year long group builds on the Guild forum.  These were builds where you lay out what you are going to paint over the year with various targets for four or five tasks.  I have not participated over the last two years as I found it very frustrating to feel compelled to paint something that I had set out earlier in the year when my tastes has changed.  But there is no denying the impact on production.  Perhaps if I align the targets to the goals it may be time to participate again.