Hobby Season 2022/23 Review

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity The 2022/23 Hobby Season (the Season of Rust) draws to a close, and how did I do? So lets start with my first task:

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.

The Tally Man was also part of the force that would make up my Armies on Parade display.

And the Lord Of Contagion would be the leader of this rotting force of evil that my Ravenwing would hunt down.

The Poxwalkers were an amazing achievement.

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.

The Foetid Bloat Drone was my #DreadTober effort, which was far too easy to paint. This scheme practically paints itself sometimes with only the anxious decision on the damned Verdigris challenging to overcome.

Throwing these ancient Space Crusade Chaos Space Marines into the mix with the same Death Guard colour scheme was fun too. 33 years in my collection, so pretty cool to finally get them done.

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.

But I also got this Primaris Chaplain biker done too as a centrepiece for my Ravenwing hunter force. 

And this was the culmination of my effort for my #ArmiesOnParade2022 display

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.

Ravenwing Bikers and Black Knights

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.

This is my 50th model of the season - Moria Cave Troll

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?

I finished this 100mm base for something big.

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.

I know there's 3 Zoanthropes here, but the picture was better than just the 1 [blue] Zoie that I updated to today's standard of painting. With the green and orange one looking fresh, it was only fair I gave the full trio a glow-up.

Cindy Piewhistle and Puggy Baconbreath slipped into the mix, making my Porkbelly Stuffers Halfling Blood Bowl team almost complete, just some Treemen to do.

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 these 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.

As I discovered my goal of finishing my Terminators wasn't feasible I randomly decided that the Leviathan Psychophage was worth painting. It was always going to be the first model I painted from the box and was finished within 12 days of doing the first basecoats! #DreadTober looks promising...

My #ArmiesOnParade2023 mega bowl pitch was also done this season, but the WiP and TO DONE! pics will come next month - just haven't had time to fit them all in.

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.

'nids part 350 - Tyranid Leviathan - Psychophage first and second highlights

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer on my Psychophage. When I realised the Deathwing were not achievable there was genuine comfort in not having to fit all the WiP posts before the end of the hobby season.

Now I do the Psychophage and suddenly I'm going to miss that deadline.

Anyway, all bone highlights are done and more Bloodletter Glaze on the abdomen, with some additional definition.

Still no idea about the smoke plume.

First set of chitin highlights.

Suddenly I remember how tedious this is.

It's such a strange set of emotions - satisfaction for the progress but genuine boredom.

It does help to do it in sections though, to identify edge striations, middle ones, then the middle between those and then fill in all the other 'tweens'. It makes it easier as the first set of middle tend to be longer and so deciding on sizes becomes easier the more you go through it.

Then the second set of highlights is easier still, because you only have to match what's there.

Naturally you try to be smaller, inside the previous mark but I probably cover far too much of the previous stroke than I should.

Not that I mind - it's all looking pretty standard for my nids nowadays.

So, although I feel a little exhausted with all the turquoise the results are exactly on point. Black talons next, tentacles and the smoke plume...

And the decision is going to be yellow! Didn't see that one coming did you?!

'nids part 349 - Tyranid Leviathan - Psychophage basecoats and washes

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer on my Psychophage. I knew I couldn't get my Deathwing done, but I was sure I could get basecoats on this beast.

The eye-popping Bahama Blue art acrylic and then AP Skeleton Bone on all the bone bits.

I wanted the abdomen to be VGC Pale Flesh colour - trying to replicate the emitter folds on my Tyranid Void Shield Generator. Thin coats to add a mottled effect and just a touch of Bloodletter Glaze for some variety.

It's less dramatic than if I'd gone with a red abdomen but the front end with all the tentacles will be where the danger is at, so hopefully I'm making the right choice even if it already seems a little diminished.

Washes next - sepia wash first and then a strong wash.

It's a mess at this stage, always is, but hopefully I can bring it around.

Not sure about the noxious fumes, what colour to do them - either follow the simplicity from my Halflings, or Nihilakh Oxide - although there will already be turquoise in the chitin striations so not convinced on that point.

I added more highlight to the abdomen to make it paler and more grotesque. 

Also added some red and purple washes to make it more raw and angry looking.

Darkened all the orifices on the side too.

Really enjoying cracking on with this. I may have missed the deadline on my Terminators but this is a great alternative to succeed at.

The 2023/24 Hobby Season starts soon, join me!

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #warhammercommunity the 2023/24 hobby season will be starting soon so for those alumni who joined in last season it's time to start looking back at your TO DO lists - at what you've TO DONE!, what might have slipped and those lovely unexpected successes that happened despite life getting in the way and loss of mojo - I speak from experience [yet again].

The original plan when I started with 'great big stamps of approval' was that I wouldn't do multi-coloured stamps, just alternate between red and green, but who was I kidding? I absolutely loved the Great Big RUSTY Stamp of Approval, and my own upcoming review of the 'season of rust' feels so satisfying. But what of the official 40kaddict 2023/24 Great Big Stamp of Approval? Well, feel like I've come full circle and it's back to red... blood red! That's right folks, the Season of Blood is upon us and Bloody Great Big Bloody Stamps of Bloody Approval all round. Now to fit all the splatter and such in they're technically smaller [inside the same dimensions] but I just wanted to try it for once. Feel free to download and use them on your blog as and when you get stuff  'TO DONE!'

Or you can record your achievements with an 'unbranded' version - which I can't decide if the old blood looks better?

And should you feel inclined to differentiate your efforts yet further here's the major goal stamps

And minor goals [which I occasionally find a use for].

And I also got the Big Build...

 and Base [and obviously Prime] Stamps done too. I heartily recommend this video from Tabletop Minions to understand where I was going with the 'Big Build' concept, he's touched on and expanded exactly why I created this a few years back.

Just a reminder of what it's about, in 2011 I made my first To Do List, amusingly it now looks like this:

• AoBR Tactical Squad
• AoBR Dreadnought
• AoBR Terminators
• Scout Squad
• Ravenwing bike squad
• Dark Angel Drop Pod
• Purity Seal all of my son's Tyranids
• Gloss Varnish all of my son's Tyranids
• Tyranid Prime
• Mycetic Spore
• Paint Vent Tower
• Paint defence platforms x4
• Complete pot pourri vegetation
• Complete future containers
• Complete 40k Cathedral tower
• STC Single story ruin
• STC Hex Defence platforms
• STC Targus Assault Blockade
• STC Vent tower
• STC Athena plateau
• STC Mercury plateau
• STC 40k Cathedral tower
• 60mm Dreadnought crater

So 4 things still haven't been done and quite frankly never will 😉. The purpose was to try to focus my efforts to outline a list of things I'd love to do over a twelve month period and if I achieved any of them - great, all of them, so much better. But more importantly I needed a structure to cling to when my efforts became aimless. That's not to say deviations from the list were forbidden it was more for when I went 'well what's next?'

It became an annual blog post to review what I'd done and set new tasks. Throughout the season I would reveal my 'To Dones!' as completed items both on and off the list. Showcase posts are nothing new to hobby blogs but again it was a structure to help build the identity of this blog. Then, in 2014 I invited readers and passers-by of the blog to join in. Well, when you have a good idea why not share it around? I got about 10 people joining in and it looked like we were quite a supportive little bunch. I think over time steam ran out a little bit, but folk continue to join in each season and hopefully the same will ring true for 2023/24.

To help things out a bit I've created a Hobby Season Facebook group, it's here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/278747245819138/

So, if you're joining in just ask and I'll add you into the group, that way you can share your blog posts or any efforts to those also joining in. I hope this platform will allow more interaction for those taking part and keep us all motivated.

I guess the last question is why 28th August as the start/end date, why not January 1st?

I think back in 2011 it was at that time I thought a structure needed to be in place and it was as good a time as any to post a To Do List, afterall the footy season starts around this time too, no one complains about that, do they?

Anyway, 28th August join me for the new Hobby Season :)