Thursday 28 August 2014

To Do List 2014/15

How have we done this last year? Well a damn sight better than any other year. If I haven't done everything on my list, and I haven't, it's not for want of doing nothing at all. But I'm getting ahead of myself, lets just get on with what I did from the list:

A Dark Angels tactical squad!!! Actual Dark Angels that were on my To Do List actually got painted! Forget the rest of the achievements, lets not actually there's loads of them, but this is monumental. Brother Cask, my Dreadnought also joined the fight after three years in the fabricatorium and I also got my Dark Vengeance Librarian completed too. So I have a HQ, two troops [if I combat squad the Tacticals] and two Elites in my Dark Angel force [including the already complete AoBR Deathwing squad].


I even managed to get Avro Vulcan to publish the plans to the Vent Tower and finished painting it.


I prepared an extra set of Tyranid defence walls but never got round to learning how to make a mould and cast some spares :(


I also got the Capillary Towers completed and that obviously led onto bigger and better things.


And stop press! - Dark Angels Devastator Squad!


More importantly what of the things not on that list:
  • Project Y - The Skyshield Landing Pad
  • A whole slew of extra Termagants [and some Spore Mines too!]
  • A Tervigon! Something I said I would never paint again and enjoyed doing it too
  • The four Horsemen of the Ferron Apocalypse:
    • A Lictor
    • A Zoanthrope
    • A Venomthrope
    • A Carnifex, with enough magnetized bits to run it as a Dakkafex, or use those bits on the Great Maw as a Tyrannofex and run the Carnifex as Old One Eye - so many options it was worth the effort.
  • 11 Genestealers too!
  • A 'not a Pyrovore', where the hell did that come from?
  • An Epic Reaver Titan
  • 10 Dark Vengeance Chaos Cultists
  • All my Print & Play terrain, which I think more than makes up for the lack of progress on the Inqusitorial Vault
  • I also finished off the metal Hive Tyrant's spare weapons and wings [a hangover from 2012/13 but still a tick]
  • A lickle baby Watcher in the Dark!
  • And many, many other bits and pieces that were started this year:
    • 10 Dark Vengeance Chaos Cultists converted to Genestealer Cultists
    • Dark Angel Aegis Defence Line
    • Battle for Macragge crashed Aquila Lander
    • Two new Ferron Fire Fir trees
Not too shabby, I think I can live with that kind of trade off against planned targets not met. I also won my local Armies on Parade [just missing last years To Do List deadline] and best painted army at the Scythe and Teacup Tournament, Blog Wars 6 and Throne of Skulls [did I mention that], so going 'off piste' wasn't exactly without reward, of which some was actually cold, hard cash!


I also managed to overcome a lack of hobby mojo and develop strategies to motivate myself. In particular my Hobby Matrix post task. It may not have set the 40k blogosphere alight but it was a concept I had to get out of my head and down on the blog. It's not a cure-all and there have still been moments of lacklustre motivation in the hobby over the year, but it has helped. Not to mention the many comments left by those faithful followers of the blog, your support has been a massive motivation to keep going and has contributed directly to my most sustained period of hobby activity. Even in those periods where I wasn't feeling productive I was building a model here, magnetizing a model there. It all adds to the end result.
 
So, where do I go now? I'll be still trying to tackle some of my hangovers but I will be mothballing some, putting them away as right now they are not a priority at all
  1. Bloodbowl Elves [I only have a little to finish off so they stay, but I need to do a tree man too]
  2. Dark Angel - Drop Pod
  3. Dark Angel - Land Speeder Typhoons
  4. Dark Angel - Dark Vengeance Tactical Squad
  5. Dark Angel - Dark Vengeance Deathwing
  6. Dark Angel - Chaplain
  7. Dark Angel - Azrael
  8. Dark Angel - Ravenwing bike squad
  9. 60mm Dreadnought crater
But with these new ones added/expanded:
  1. Project Z?! Another mystery project ;)
  2. Try to get a fully functioning Dark Angel force [1500pts]
  3. Battle for Macragge crashed Aquila Lander [finish off]
  4. Tyranid Bastion Crater
  5. Genestealer Cultists.
  6. Armies on Parade board - Project X?
  7. Project Ω??!! And yet another mystery project ;)
Mothballed:
  1. Complete pot pourri vegetation [and blog posts for that matter!]
  2. STC Inquisitorial Vault
  3. STC Athena plateau
So a much reduced list, originally when I first started compiling this post there were only six new items but I've since made inroads on both new and old lists so it was only right I think bigger. There are some quick wins alongside some very broad targets and big projects, not to mention the - 'what the flip'? mystery projects Z and Ω [to be revealed after AoP]. No doubt there'll also be many ad-hoc projects added that aren't on the list, as I've done so this year.

Of course my new number 6 is a massive undertaking, one I've been reluctant to get going but clearly something popular amongst those who read the blog. However, as I recently pointed out with our loft conversion going ahead sooner than we thought it means I'll really struggle to fit in doing this, with the garage where I hoped to work being used for storage and access. We'll see how things go, there's a lot involved, it will pay so many dividends, thanks to the modular nature, but still a lot of unfamiliar ground to tread which is always slow going. Fingers crossed I get to do it but it's very much in the balance and home life obviously has to take priority for the immediate future.


Hopefully some of you will join me today at the start of the new 2014/15 hobby season with your own To Do List. Good luck with it, remember it's a guide, not a directive. It gives you something to aspire to and aim for, a simple measure to see if you've succeeded in doing something. When the hobby funk settles in it can help shine light on your malaise. When you're in the zone and painting something 'off-list' who cares, it's something hobby related. Good luck.


I'll be utilising both Big Red Stamps, the 40k Addict one for the items on list and the generic for off list but feel free to use them and if you're taking part put a link in the comments section and I'll make a post up tomorrow with them all in so can see who's game :)

12 comments:

  1. You had me at "Genestealer Cultists". I have a few of those guys and a Magus floating around somewhere. Maybe they'll make my list next year... Here's a link to my 2014/15 to-do list: http://oldschoolg4m1ng.blogspot.com.au/ Thanks for the added shot (to the eyeball) of motivation and best wishes with that home/life balance.

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    1. I love your list too, really interesting stuff that we have in common. Personally I think the Cultists will be a bit throwaway, certainly way down on my list but it's all fluid and if I've learned anything from this upheaval at home is that anything can happen at a moment's notice when it comes to fitting your hobby into your home/life situation. That's code for Project Z got started today ;)

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  2. Hey Dave.trying this from a cell phone. On my way to nova open right now.

    That's quite a list! Really like the terrain pieces so many of us skimp on that. Yours help bring the entire army together on the table!

    My list for 2014/2015

    1. Attend a tabletop event. (Doing right this second)
    2. Enter a painting competition even if I don't have a chance of winning (capital palette tommorrow!)
    3. Paint my mega dread
    4. Paint my gorkanaught
    5. Paint my warboss biker
    6. Paint the mek and painboy
    7. Paint ten sternguard and a drop pod (black templars)
    8. Paint and magnetize 10 vanguard vets which will double as assault marines or honor guard.
    9. Paint a sicaran battle tank (templars)
    10. Finish painting my half painted crusaders.
    11. Paint and build another stormtalon.
    12. Rehighlight my other Templar tanks!

    That should be sufficient for now. If I complete this all I may reward myself with a nurgle army. :)

    Did a link to your blog as well. Feel free to link back to yours if you please!
    http://www.feedyournerd.com/greggles-tabletop

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    1. Hey Gregg, thanks for taking the time to send your link in, I know how difficult it can be to keep in touch with home, let alone blogging, when on a gaming road trip. And this is your first so I hope it lives up to expectations and it'll be great to see you get two Red Stamps of Approval upon your return.

      I'll be posting up links to everyone's lists on Saturday, maybe we'll have a couple more join in, my mate Liam hasn't posted yet and I got a message from PeteB saying he's traded all his Eldar in for Space Wolves but he paints like a fiend so I expect his new force to be done in a week or two ;)

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  3. Your certainly taking on a lot Dave & good luck with it all mate, I would imagine if you do as much as you got done last year you'll be happy.

    Been my first time out at this I didn't go to heavy but tbh if I get it all done I'll be happy enough, so thanks for getting me into this & here's hopping.

    Link to what I hope to get done (http://ifitwasntforone.blogspot.ie/2014/08/a-year-in-hobby-challenge.html0

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    1. But I only ever complete around half of what I set out to do, so I aim high. Amazingly everything else I did this year eclipsed everything I failed to achieve so I'm really pleased.

      No worries about your list, because it's your list and I can see there are quite significant things on there anyway so when you include items that could take three to six months to complete it makes sense to only commit to a few as there just wouldn't be time to do them.

      Anyway, I'll post a couple of links on your To Do List that may help and inspire, if you're not already aware of them that is. All the ebst and good luck.

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  4. Great to see so many people on board. I look forward to following everyone's progress. Here is my list: http://madmekworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/08/201415-hobby-season-orkz-rool.html?m=1

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    1. Absolutely fantastic, 100s of miniatures a massive undertaking, I think I'd be happy with a quarter of that ;) Looking forward to seeing your first Red Stamp of Approval!

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  5. Battle-brothers.blogspot.com reporting in! Eager to finally do a list, I've never planned out a full year. I'll probably have to add some stuff tomorrow as I think about it. So much foresight required!

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    1. I'm already thinking of things I want to add and already going off list, as you'll see in a few days ;)

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  6. Hello Dave !

    Here's my TO DO LIST participation for this season on : http://blackycreationsandpainting.blogspot.fr/2014/08/to-do-list-season-20142015.html

    Sorry to be late ;)

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    1. No problems, there's no official closing date and I'm happy for anyone to join in further down the line it's just nice to all start at roughly the same time so we can see what folk are hoping to achieve.

      I've been really pleased to see the variety of the lists and how everyone has interpreted their list to suit not just their painting/modelling needs but going to tournaments, meeting new people to game with and that's the spirit of the hobby. I can't be more pleased that like minded individuals have entered into the spirit of this. It makes me excited to see how everyone's done this time next year and hopefully see more people join in and how they interpret their lists.

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