Develop a more healthy hobby/life balance - go to bed at a decent hour[ish]
I tend to go to bed around midnight and get up at 7:30-8:00 but I've recently been getting later and later to bed though, so it's still something I have to work on. My average sleep time continues to increase though so I think I'm doing OK on this.
Continue to play games, they bring me so much joy and fun...
Fun has been on the agenda, whether it be MESBG, role-playing via Zoom or even Middle Earth Bolt Action, I've had a lot of fun.
First on my list of TO DONES, is Durbûrz & a Blackshield. He was a gift from Otty, to repurpose as my Warband leader, who currently is rather diminutive alongside all the Blackshields I have. Here you can see he stands tall as a worthy leader.
Second, are some Moria Goblin Prowlers. I thought they were a bargain on ebay, but was mistaken. I've found a use for them in my warband at least, so they weren't a complete waste.
At this point it's worth noting that although when I initially published my TO DO LIST August last year I mentioned the Death Guard as a primary focus I did not list what was needed. I've since added them back in so you can see they were completed, these
4 Plague Marines were the start of that effort this Season. Chronologically on the blog it doesn't look that way, but that's because I had to focus on my #DreadTober posts when these were all boxed off.
And
the Lord Of Contagion would be the leader of this rotting force of evil that my Ravenwing would hunt down.
It's difficult to describe the sense of satisfaction I get from them.
It's nowhere near the months of afterglow I felt for my Tyranid Void Shield Generator.
But what I managed to achieve and how I feel about them, flaws and all, is a sense of peace with the result that I'm unsure I've ever felt before.
I reached zen enlightenment with them, the question will be if I can be just as satisfied in the future.
And I finished off my
Ravenwing Attack Bikes. Bought these in 2017 and hanging around unbuilt and unpainted for years - I was just glad to get them done for Armies On Parade.
I had to make some sacrifices in what I could achieve in the time before Parade day. 3 Black Knights and 3 bikers became
1 biker alongside the essential attack bikes.
Having used the Death Guard and Ravenwing to avoid finishing off
my Adeptus Titanicus models I could swerve it no longer. The results were great, despite both less than and more than my expectations. I immediately wanted to paint more of them
The Warhounds were also pretty cool but there is so much more scope to play with the heraldic patterns that I would love to add to this small force. In progress for 3 years I do worry if that would be played out again or I could get them done quicker.
Tyranid Zoanthrope had been hovering around for a while but having completed it and it fit well with my 2nd Zoanthrope it really highlighted how old my first looked. So, updating the original suddenly became a new task.
Munitorum Containers - terrain so that counts more 😉 A long time painting [aren't they all] but done and they look great, nothing that can't be buffed out!
Adeptus Titanicus Cerastus Knight Lancer - the last of my AT models. Chuffed with them, still want to paint more but have found the whole experience far more challenging than I would have liked -
what's that about?
Having varnished it, I went back and added some more red inbetween the scales on
my Blood Bowl Troll - 17.63% happier as a result.
My Orc Blood Bowl Team and Varag Ghoul-Chewer - another 17 models [in Orcs and markers]. I did around 49-50 last year. 67 at this stage and some of these figures have been really complex and tough to get done [even if a lot of the work was put in in previous seasons] but it was just 8 months in, what could I do in the remaining 4 months?
My birthday gift -
the Parasite of Mortrex. Who knew it was an indicator in a shift in Tyranid design aesthetics as some of the new Tyranids follow some of these design queues.
One extreme to another - I'd put some effort into my Deathwing Terminators, but this
Haemotrope Reactor took my fancy and I had to finish it off. It's also terrain so I'm winning at life!
I couldn't help myself, with the Reactor TO DONE! I had to throw the
Thermic Plasma Conduits into the mix. It was on my TO DO LIST and is terrain so no guilt at all for it suddenly appearing out of nowhere. AND - it looks cool!
By those arguments I should feel guilty about t
hese three Treemen for my Halfling Blood Bowl Team. They too have come out of nowhere and were not on my list. BUT - they'll be part of my Armies on parade display so I'm cool with them. They may not look quite as cohesive as Y'lthari's Guardians [that they were inspired by] - their team colours are mighty garish but they work when they're with the rest of the team.
91 models, which is a significant amount for me, but it doesn't quite cover the sheer scale and effort in some of these figures. Nor does it cover ticking off models that have long been on my table. How do you measure the worth of completing something 5 years in progress, versus something done in a few months start to finish? Although, scrolling through the gallery above I flip-flop between being astounded by all I achieved and thinking it's not actually that much - there doesn't seem to be anything 'big'. Although arguably Munitorum Containers, Titans, Attack Bikes, Bloat Drones and a parade board aren't exactly small. And as said, these took a huge amount of effort.
Regardless, I think my 'satisfied' point would have been with the completion of the Attack Bikes [which makes their move to Legends somewhat disheartening] - everything after that was a bonus [and there's a LOT of that!]. Although, I was a little disappointed I didn't get all the Ravenwing done for Armies On Parade, so maybe I was only 'truly' satisfied when they got completed too. Of course I started making a Sammael afterward, so maybe not 🤣 And I finished my Adeptus Titanicus Titans inbetween...
As I take stock one final time before publishing I think 'astounded' sum's up what I've done. It may not quite feel like one of the best Hobby Season's I ever had, but on paper it could well be. So much variety, so much output and all to a standard higher than I've ever done before. Ranging from the clean highlights of the Ravenwing to the grunge and weathered Munitorum Containers and Orc Blood Bowl team, I can scarcely believe all this got TO DONE! It doesn't even include the many other items that are still WiPs, that will no doubt be finished next season, or the huge amount of BIG BUILD items that we'll get onto next.
The 2022/23 season is over, the
2023/24 Season of Blood starts now, what will I achieve next?
The Big Build is my 'self-help' initiative to build miniatures. Building isn't always my favourite thing but without a construction phase I can't have a painting phase. So I recognise the special effort this challenge is to me, so I can progress through to the painting stage.
I built a Munitorum Container, but I built it with working hinged doors, which is pretty cool!
I thought I was getting a real bargain with these Prowlers, I didn't, but it didn't stop me getting them built quick smart.
I forgot to take build pics of Durbûrz and my Blackshield, so this will have to do. Durbûrz in particular was challenging as he's a metal model and his arm required pinning!
I got the Crimson Court as they were on sale at Game and they're amazing models. It's been so long since I got an Underworlds warband I'd forgotten/unaware the build instructions were sealed in with the card deck. So I had to build these without instructions. Slightly hard to d, but
I followed Nick Bayton's online guide and having done one it made it a lot easier to figure out what to do with the rest.
My 'enabler' Pete got me Varag Ghoul-Chewer for Christmas. Getting him built was enough to motivate me for #NewYearNewArmy and crack on with my Orc Blood Bowl team for #ArmiesOnParade2023
I've had the Canis Rex Sir Hekthur model for a while but wanted it to be a female pilot. Luckily I got the introductory Age of Sigmar Stormbringer magazine which has an option of 2 heads on the miniature it comes with. I think it works, although I see now the pose is with both feet on the ground, not front foot down as I thought. Still, explains why she looks like she's off balance 🤦♂️
I got sent a Moria Cave Troll from
Marc at Old School Gaming. He was going to be added to my Moria warband so some hefty pinning and gluing was required for this metal monstrosity. I've some models to send in return, just ned to get round to it.
I've had my second sprueof Deathwing Knights for years alongside a second lot of Dark Vengeance Deathwing and a sprue of vanilla Terminators.
Building them had stalled as I couldn't decide their loadout [try telling my
Dark Angel Veterans about that - 8 years!]. In the end I went for rule of cool, even if they're sup-optimal in weapon choices.
Some cool builds with an Apothecary, Champion and Heavy Flamer [for Space Hulk missions should I ever be so inclined].
And lastly, whatever command role this guy is. Now obviously I couldn't tolerate #SwordsAsWalkingSticks and so had to fix it as Carl Frederiksen would have done. Green stuffing that tennis ball was not great and it looks woeful but it's a stupid joke so the fact it looks rubbish - I just don't care! I did the best I could.
After doing all these I still had plenty of bits, but this was the only extra Terminator I could cobble together, using Space Wolf Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield.
My mate Pete continues to feed my addiction, when it's my birthday and Christmas and here he got me the Parasite of Mortrex. The supplied base was a bit lacklustre but this piece of slate had been waiting in my basing box for years [and probably millennia before that] just to be turned into something that literally and figuratively elevates this model!
I don't know what is wrong with me, £26 for two tiny figures! WarhammerFest made me giddy, but they're casting was exceptional - Puggy Baconbreath and Cindy Piewhistle for my Armies On Parade.
Followed this up with 3 Kurnoth Hunters to use as Treemen. Just some minor kit bashing and adjustment of poses to make some dynamic big guys to join my stunty halflings.
I'd had these Thermic Plasma Conduits for ages and couldn't decided how to build them, but I was really frustrated not to have done so with my Haemotrope Reactor nearing completion. So I bit the bullet and made them up hoping I could keep some momentum going from the reactor, by using the same scheme/process.
Leviathan arrived and after doing all my jobs I treated myself to 3 hours of pure hobby time building all the [cool] nids [and the Ballistus Dreadnought]. I'd subsequently build the Termagants and Neurogaunts.
But also made this guy, although he still needs some blinging.
But for them to count in the BIG BUILD, they need their bases doing. I loved building the Screamer Killer [even if I was a little on the fence when I first saw the model]
So I got a second one and reposed it slightly. As it was about £10 cheaper than your average Carnifex on ebay, it was rude not to, even if I never field it.
Psychophage also got based, with some old Genestealer nodes for decoration.
Neurotyrant and Neuroloids.
Winged Prime
Half the Termagants
And the other half.
Barbgaunts
Neurogaunts
Von Ryan's Leapers
And an old Lictor that had been knocking around [I've still got 3 more unbuilt]
54 models built, 19 of which went on to be painted to completion and the rest mostly got primed and based, if not actively in progress. Just a few ended up back on hiatus.
