Progress.

Introduction

Last week, I showed some pictures of my cluttered workbench (here).  Even if you didn't realise it, I noticed from this article how many of the models present were "blockers"; they had sat around waiting for attention for weeks, months or even years.

This thought shamed me so much that I decided to try to finish some of these stalled projects, or at least put more paint on such models.  Often, the inactivity is self-reinforcing - when I finally started to work on the pieces below, I found that often they weren't so difficult (or so far from completion) as I had imagined after all!

The Strathclyde Welsh

Some time ago, I started to build a SAGA "Strathclyde Welsh" warband.  Where I live, these are the local boys (at least, the Strathclyde part of their lands is local, not so much the Welsh part).

I started this warband so long ago that I daren't even look it up in the blog; I'd probably be horrified at just how long these have taken.  Anyway, these are the last 6 of the 16 warriors, 8 hearthguard and a warlord, thus completing a basic 4pt SAGA force - hurrah!

Of course, I've got another 8 Strathclyde foot warriors that are still mint-in-blister...

The Steam Launch

Progress has been made on the MDF launch; it turns out that only a few colours are needed to paint this model.  I've still to dirty it up a bit, since I'm aiming more for a working boat "African Queen" look rather than a modern-day cherished & polished Victorian heirloom.  When the painting is done, I intend to add some rope - probably a coil on the foredeck and some mast stays.

The Missionary's/Trader's House

My other "colonial" project at the moment is this house.  The basic building was almost finished anyway; I've added the interior floor since last week.  Mind you, that hasn't gone very well as the paper on which the flooring is printed has wrinkled terribly.  I might have to think again about how to do this...

Behind the house is the tiled roof which came with the model.  I've base-coated it, but haven't detailed or weathered any of the tiles.

Having considered it a little, I thought that it would be nice to have a thatched roof for the bungalow; I could then use it in slightly less "civilised" parts of the world.  Initially, I thought of just covering the already-built, tiled roof with teddy bear fur, but in the end I cut out new pieces of MDF to make a scratch-built, second roof.  This is the first time I've ever worked with fur fabric - it seems to be going well so far.

The Generator

Finally, the generator got a little love.  I have almost finished a new "hoop"; this will fit in the middle of the existing piece.

After that, I'll need to build some platforms and handrails in the gaps on either side.  At this stage, I have no idea how I'll do this!  It sounds like a job for which the old "Platformer" kits would have worked well - but I don't have such a thing in my spares box.  Oh, well - I'm sure I'll have an idea sooner or later...

The Workbench, November 2017

Introduction

It's been a while since I did a workbench post (June 2016, to be precise), so I thought it might be time for another.  Have I completed all the models which were present then?  Is the area less cluttered than 17 months ago?  Let's find out...

The Workbench

Nope, it's even less tidy than before, if that's possible.  I even have the leaves of the desk extended and covered with models, as well as piles of boxes and other stuff down the sides.

Let's take a closer look at some of these ongoing projects...

On the left are a couple of boats (a steam launch and a sampan) for Pulp and/or colonial games.  On the right you can see the ponies for my final six Strathclyde Welsh warriors.  After I've completed them, I'll have a basic 4 point Strathclyde warband for SAGA and will therefore be able to play them in a game.

The paint station is covered in a huge mix of different models, all part-completed.  Amongst other things, you can see:

• A ducking stool (and Puritans to man it); this will be used in witch-hunting games.
• Some members of my Frostgrave "red" warband.
• Various figures for my Hordes of the Things "Barbarian" army, including more foot warriors and a wooly rhino (in the small, black box).
• Some of my son's Warhammer 40K Tau models: a missile turret and a battle suit.
• Part of a relic/mecha from Relic Knights (also in the black box).  The large circular base for this is partly visible in the bottom right of the picture.

To the right of the paint station, but still on the desk, is a box of Relic Knights figures.  These are Star Corsairs and are a mixture of very nice and quite awful poses!

On the right-hand leaf of the desk you can see my long-promised generator model.  I'm thinking that this is more 20th century (so, Pulp or Spy-Fi) rather than futuristic, but who knows?

Behind that is another of my son's Tau models, plus a cardboard space fighter and another cardboard model (a refuse truck) on which the glue has failed; the components are all falling apart and I haven't yet decided whether it's worth trying to rescue it.

Moving on, here is a pile of 3 sci-fi "colony" buildings, partly painted.  I really must make more progress on these.

Finally, this is an MDF building (minus the roof, which hasn't yet been worked).  It's going to be a colonial trader's or missionary's house.  I've ordered some fur fabric with which to "thatch" the roof; hopefully that won't take too long once I have the material.

Conclusion

I really need to finish some of these models, if only so that they can be put away and not take up so much room on my desk!  The thought of having so much incomplete stuff was so depressing that recently I couldn't face painting.  Instead, I spent much of last weekend building some Saracen heavy cavalry to start a new SAGA warband...

The Workbench: June 2016

Introduction

I'm still finding it difficult to make progress on most of my ever-growing range of projects.  Partly this is because I've been playing a bit of Race for the Galaxy with my sons (which is an excellent card game; I recommend it highly).  Of course, the fact that I've just whipped them in 2 successive games is a bonus; such victories are anything but certain now that the boys are growing up a bit!

Anyway, the main reason/excuse for not doing much model-making is the increasingly-cluttered workbench (yet again!):

The Overloaded Workbench

OK, so once again I have boxes and trays balanced on each other, 2 or 3 layers deep.  For the record, I really hate that, yet it just keeps happening.  I can't figure it out...

Focussing in on the central portion only, here are some of the works in progress:

Super Dungeon Explore

I haven't made much progress on my Kodama warband (intelligent plants).  In part this is because I'm not happy with the paint I've applied to the (blue/green) Wisps so far and that dissatisfaction has halted further work until I decide what to do about it.

On the other hand, Mr. Bitey (the zombie rabbit pet with the rotten carrot strapped to his back!) is coming along nicely.

Kroot

These aren't my models, but rather are the work of my younger son.  They're still cluttering up my workbench, though!  As well as taking space, he also uses my bench for some of the time that I would otherwise spend painting my own models.  Still, I regard any interest from my children as something to be nurtured, not discouraged.

The Cameraman

I bought this fellow from Crooked Dice at the Carronade show this year.  As you can see, I've needed to add a bit of filler to the top of the camera; there was a bad hollow in the casting.  Most surprising, given this company's otherwise excellent record.

The cameraman is now just about ready to be undercoated.  I'm hoping that Crooked Dice will follow up with other members of the production crew: a sound-boom operator and makeup artist would be excellent.  Perhaps also a scriptwriter rushing forwards with a last-minute rewrite of the current scene!  I can hope...

Frostgrave

My blue Frostgrave squad are still languishing at the back of the bench.  I really should just get on and finish them; there can't be much left to do on them now!  That would be quite a weight off my mind as these guys have been quite a millstone around my neck.  Hmm, perhaps I'll get a cup of tea first and think about it some more...

6 Projects: part 3

<== Part 2 is this way

Introduction

Last week, in part 2 of this series, I had completed 2 of the 6 projects, some of the other 4 had progressed and some hadn't moved at all.  Let's see what I've been up to over the past 7 days, then...

6 Projects, Part 3

Still finished!

The horse herd is finished, but not packed away.  I reckon that still counts as completed, even though there have been a few comments against this position!  I even wrote an article about how I paint horses for wargames, using these to illustrate my simple (but fast) equine model colour recipe.

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Finished!  I finally plucked up enough courage to attempt the marble plinths and it wasn't as bad as I had thought it might be.  Consequently, these are done; I'm not planning any further work on them.

These statues ended up a totally different colour from my first idea.  Initially, I had planned to do bronze statues on a white marble plinth.  After a while I changed my mind though; I decided against the metal colour because stone statues just seemed more likely in a pseudo-medieval setting and therefore more appropriate for Frostgrave or similar games.  Once I had painted the statues grey/white, I wanted a contrasting plinth, hence the black/green marble.

Pyramids not changed, but top details started

I've not make any updates to the step pyramids themselves, though I have thought about doing it often.  It just keeps falling off the bottom of the "to do" list...

At least I've started work on the large stone bowls that will be used (optionally) as the top details for the pyramids.  These might have held wood & oil and been beacons, or perhaps they were used to store blood during sacrifices to the Sun God.  Who knows?  Whatever their original purpose, the bowls are somewhat broken and obviously haven't been used in quite some time.  They come as a set of 4 from Fenris Games.

Still Finished!

The Rock Top Gang have now been boxed, though I haven't yet found anywhere to store the box!  At least I now have my "Forgotten King Upgrade Deck", which will make it easier to use these in version 2 games of Super Dungeon Explore.  That deck took some effort to find, I can tell you!

No change

Once again, the Frostgrave miniatures haven't had any attention.  Perhaps now that my workbench is a bit clearer (because of the completion of other projects) I'll be able to work on these figures?

=>

Finished!  The 15 cannibals are complete and can now be added to the 16th tribesman whom I painted up as a plot point a few weeks ago.  These were great fun to paint and although I probably have enough for any conceivable need in Pulp Alley, I'm tempted to get some more.  This is not so much to threaten Tarzan in my jungle-based games, but rather because I'm eagerly looking forward to Studio Tomahawk's upcoming "Congo" rules.

Since Darkest Africa has been one of my oldest interests in literature, though somewhat latent in gaming terms, I'm thinking of collecting a force of 30 or 40 jungle cannibals.  Of course, I'll then need a force of Arab slavers and perhaps a rather larger expedition of white men & native guides than I have already.  Hmm, what else might I need, I wonder?

Conclusion

Last week, I suggested that I might be able to complete all 6 projects by the end of week 4 (i.e. 7 days from now).  4 of the 6 are finished, but can I progress enough on the other 2 in just 7 days?  I guess that is still possible, though as always the amount of model-making time can vary from one week to another as work, family and other demands on my time fluctuate.  We'll see - not long to go now!

Part 4 is this way ==>

6 Projects: part 2

<==  Part 1 is this way

Introduction

In part 1 of this series, I showed how I was progressing on 6 concurrent model-making projects.  As it turned out, I made no progress at all on 3 of the 6 projects by the time of that post (though I did manage to complete one of the others).  I thought when I started this series of articles that I might force myself to make progress, if only to avoid disappointing my readers.  Let's see how well (or badly) I've done in the 7 days since part 1.

6 Projects, Part 2

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Once again, the herd of horses is first to be reviewed.  Well, I'm pleased to announce that these are finished (if only just!)  They're maybe not the best paint jobs I've ever done for horses - I think I'd call them "decent wargames standard" - but I'm pleased to have completed them anyway.

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The statues are progressing in fits and starts.  They ought to be quite simple to paint, however I just can't get the right technique for painting marble.  I've read several tutorials, but my first attempts were so dismal that I gave up and overpainted them.  I'm still hoping to achieve a dark green stone effect on the plinths though, else they might look a bit barren & sterile.

=>

Some limited progress has been made on the pyramids.  I've finished the scribing of the blockwork and have added stairs to each one.  Yet to come: some filling, painting/covering and the still-to-be-seen top details!

Still Finished!

I'm glad to report that the Rock Top Gang which were completed last week are still complete!  They haven't been put away yet, as I haven't found a nice, safe box in which to store them.  That doesn't disqualify them, right?

No change

The Frostgrave miniatures remain untouched.  I'll need to do something with them soon; this is becoming embarrassing...

=>

My Congo tribesmen have moved on quite a bit.  They've had their eyes, bases and loincloths painted and I've started on the shields as well.  There's plenty more work needed, mostly on the more exotic figures with masks and headdresses.  Still, I'm pleased with the progress on these so far.

Conclusion

How many weeks will it take to complete all of these 6 projects?  At the moment, I'm thinking I might be done after 4 weeks (i.e. "Part 4"), though I'm prepared to eat my words in a fortnight from now if not everything is finished.  Surely it won't be more than 5 weeks, though?  It can't take that long...

Part 3 is this way ==>

6 Projects: part 1

Introduction

My last post (here) provided a snapshot of many of the projects I've started recently, but not made much progress towards completing.  Comments made on that post were sympathetic, encouraging and (possibly) slightly shocked by the scale of my undertakings.

That being so, I thought it would be worth using further posts to track my progress on all of these builds over the next few weeks.  It'll allow all of my readers (and myself also!) to verify that none of the models have been sidelined, forgotten about, pushed to the back of the bench or otherwise neglected.  Of course, it'll be thoroughly embarrassing if I lose motivation and then fail to complete some or all of them in the next month or so.

So (deep breath), here is part 1 of the 6 Projects meta-project!  Or should that be part 2, regarding last week's post as part 1?  Aw, heck - I don't know!  Anyway, see what you think...

6 Projects, Part 1

=>

First up: my horses.  These have been primed and then painted with their base colours (a mixture of browns; yellowish, reddish, pale and dark).  I'm not planning to do any of the more complex horse colours here, such as dapple grey, but I will have a mixture of browns, bays and American Paint horses!

No change

I've not done any painting on the statues, though I have looked up colours for marble on the Internet.  Sadly, that's just left me confused; there are too many options!  Does anyone have a good recipe for painting marble in 28mm?

No change

The step pyramids have been completely neglected over the past 3 days.  I suppose I can't quite figure out how to finish them: does the polystyrene need to be coated, with white glue or something like that, to make it stronger?  Will paint hide the polystyrene's "bubble" texture?  Will the paint also hide the scribed stone block pattern?!  And so on...

=> Finished!

The Rock Top Gang are now painted and sealed, ready to be put away.  Just when you thought that I hadn't actually achieved much after all, right?  Hah!

Mind you, the painting on these models is fairly crude; it's basically block colours and then a wash for the whole model.  Apart from the eyes.  Those mad, staring eyes will haunt me forever...

No change

I've not done anything with the Frostgrave miniatures either.  It will happen, but I just need to get some of these other things off my workbench first...

=>

The jungle cannibals have moved from a box of primed figures to the workbench.  They've had skin and hair painted; so far, so good.  I'll probably do eyes & loincloths next, then it's a simple matter of shields, spears, bases, masks, bows, ornaments and so on!

Conclusion

I don't know whether you think that this is significant progress or not, but I'm quite pleased with what I've achieved so far, especially since it really represents just over 1 day's solid painting.  Part 1 ends with 1 of the 6 projects completed and 2 others advanced somewhat.

Work in Progress

Introduction

I have completed almost no models over the last 2 weeks or so.  This is in part to my son asking if he can use my workbench pretty much every evening during that period and partly because I've started a large number of fresh builds.  Hopefully these will all bear fruit in a month or so; I'm becoming buried under part-finished figures yet again!

By the way, I'm absolutely delighted that one of my children is enthusiastic about what I do in my spare time.  I just wish we had enough space for him to have a desk of his own!

Work in Progress

In no particular order, here are some of the new models that I've started in the last few weeks.  I'm not going to say a whole lot about any of them, since I might do that in any future, more detailed articles.  Still, a brief description of each picture will be included.

These are horses from Wargames Factory.  They're made for their ancient Persian cavalry, but can (could?) also be obtained as separate sprues.  Importantly, for my purposes, they don't have any harness or saddles on them; I plan to paint this lot up as loose animals for my Old West setting.  They could be milling about in a corral or they might be used as a herd of wild mustangs.

I've had these sprues for some time and I wasn't in any hurry to build & finish them.  However, during the recent school half-term holiday my daughter came up to me one day and said "I'm bored!".  I replied "Would you like to help me build some ponies?" and she was thrilled by the idea.  She clipped all the parts out; I finished them off and glued them together.  However, my thoughts of further daddy/daughter time were dashed when I asked if she'd like to help paint them on another night.  "No, you do it" was her response.  So now I have a dozen horses cluttering up my table, in addition to everything else...

6 statues are required for one of the scenarios in the Frostgrave rule book.  I'd been planning to make some for a while, but was always held back by the lack of pillars that I liked (more specifically, by the lack of materials from which to make such pillars).  However, I recently found just the right type on eBay, so here we are...

Obviously, these are step pyramids, in various stages of construction.  I had originally intended to make 4, but I ran out of blue polystyrene sheet.  I can't quite decide whether to finish them all for Frostgrave (snowy ruins) or for Tarzan (jungle ruins), or a mixture of both.  Either way, they'll be awkward to store; they're much larger than I had anticipated!

These strange creatures are part of the Rock Top Gang; a bunch of ferocious Chibi tortoises (!) for the Super Dungeon Explore game.  The rest of the gang are in various other stages of painting from completely finished to raw undercoat.  And then there are all the other miniatures from the game; they'll need to be painted too...

Some official Frostgrave miniatures.  I decided that I wanted a more homogeneous bunch of followers for Mysterio, my Soothsayer.  They all have some blue (his colour) in their clothing, but the rest of their outfits will be a mixture of wools, leathers and other materials.

Finally, the above is a box of undercoated Jungle Cannibals.  I'm expecting that most of these will be very simple to paint as they don't have a whole lot of clothing or equipment, though some of them have ritual masks or more significant headdresses.  We'll see.

So, tell me straight: am I overdoing it?