IT'S been about six months give-or-take since I've attacked a fantasy miniature with the old bristly rod (and attack is a spot-on verb with which to characterise my painting 'style'), a deficit I recently thought should better be remedied (more later). Returning to and looking back over this blog I am disconcerted by the trail of unfinished projects which it catalogues. Admittedly my record in this regard is not nearly as hopeless as that of some gamers/bloggers I know/follow (names withheld!), but for a completist it is irksome to say the least. So what is to be done? I noticed and read with interest the proliferation of new year 'to do' lists across the wargaming blogosphere over the preceding fortnight and, although I am somewhat late to the party (or, rather, have missed it altogether), I shall set my own itinerary down here for posterity; it will be interesting to look back in a year's time and assess my level of achievement if nothing else!
- Continue collecting vintage and comparable 28mm fantasy miniatures for both dungeon crawling and skirmish gaming. I have got reasonably far building both a small Chaos and greenskin force, however I need to crack-on with painting and give some thought to the final composition of these hordes. On the horizon are a human warband mostly using Foundry ex-Citadel Feudals and a Dwarf force using ex-Grenadier sculpts (now sold by Forlorn Hope Games). I have, incidentally, already purchased a few miniatures for the latter.
- Collect a 15mm fantasy human army to oppose my 15mm greenskins, which I finished back in 2013! This will probably be made up of miniatures from Legio Heroica's Feudal Age and Holy Land: Crusader Kingdoms ranges, which look damn nice (readers are naturally welcome to suggest alternatives). If I knuckle-down this shouldn't take me more than two months, but I need to buy the models first! Selecting and costing up the army is obviously something I need to sit down and do beforehand.
- Finish off my 15mm Conan project. I need to paint up some stands of Pictish archers and wolves, which I already have the models for. I would also like to add to this project a mammoth and a couple of coelodonta/woolly rhinoceros from Primaeval Designs. Could all be done in a month or less, so there's no excuse to not get this one 'in the can' before summer comes along.
- Play more games! I need to hook up with the Oldhammer Exeter guys (a FB group) and have a stab at some regular gaming. One of the reasons I virtually abandoned this blog was chronic boredom/exasperation with the hobby engendered by a lack of actual gaming, so fulfilling this target is rather important (as I'm sure readers will concur). Anyone who has seen my painting knows I ain't doing this for art's sake! As I currently work afternoons/evenings mon-fri changing my job might also help in this regard (I'm only a lowly FLT operative, so this wouldn't prove too much of an upheaval).
On reflection it's not insurmountable, really. Currently I'm casually painting models for '1', but in February or March I will probably focus on getting project '3' finished, as it is the closest to completion. Hopefully I won't be eating a big slice of humble pie when I look back over these words in half-a-year's time...
With that out of the way, here are some miniatures I've painted over the last fortnight (actually the ogre was done last summer, but hey-ho):
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| Jes Goodwin Chaos Ogre. Niiice. |
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| Orcs. |
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| More Orcs. |
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| Grashak Kra! The defining orc model from this period in my modest view. |
Not wishing to break with established tradition, the shields obviously aren't done. I have no meaningful excuse for this omission as I have managed to amass a decent-sized pile of ye olde Citadel shields over the last year and instead solemnly promise that I will sit down soon and make good this shortcoming.
Oh yeah, did I mention that I recently vanity published a set of dungeon crawl rules? No? Well here you go, you lucky beggars:
