End Of The Week - The Crusaders Are Ready

The New Cruelty is content with my output for the week. It has been a week with a project that should have felt like a bit of a slog. I've put some effort in but it has felt easier than I might have feared. Some of it has even been quite pleasurable. There are now 40+ Quar Crusaders ready to go. Enough for a basic force and really enough for most purposes. I am still thinking in terms of what's next?

A Clash of Rhyfles is apparently doing fairly solid business. I have felt like it might be me judging by the money I have already put into it. The thoughts in my head are already moving towards the next move. This will be adding more to both forces. I can see the need for some more support weapons and another infantry squad for each army.

Having had a few weeks of painting on a colour primer, this is the first time it felt it really worked. The Damned wasn't bad but this felt like it worked well. My guess is that I will try it a bit more often. If nothing else it has spread the process up significantly. I don't often get forty four figures done in a week.

I have to look to what to do next. I have a lot of Soviets to do. These will probably use an identical paint plan. The Crusaders usually appear as something closer to Vietnam Americans but I hear Soviets in the lore. I haven't got what I needed to finish the force yet, of the seventy ish minis ready to go, so maybe I need to look for something else. That said this has not caused me a problem with any other project. This is a project that seems to want to grow. I got some more minis this week but my order had some stuff missing, so a step or two away from completion.

Then there are some more bits for Traitor's Toll. I have a the peasants ready to go. I have some armed peasants that have also failed to arrive. I also have some more military minis for the project that need to be built and based. This will slow things down a bit. I could see me building this up to about forty minis again.

I am feeling the urge to return to a couple of older projects. Somewhere along the line I was expecting I would do a few more units. A cavalry unit is one thing I have missed out. This would be twelve mounted figures. I need another batch of mages and clerics alongside some specialists. Not got a plan that I would describe as concrete here.

Another project from last year was Atomfallish / sUnderDground.  I got a frame of Japanese WW2 infantry. This project does call for these but there are plenty of parts on the frame that would certainly work with the cobbled together look of the force. There are plenty of minis available for this project. The WW2 Soviets work with the project and there are a whole range of stuff I can use. I have some more Germans for the British Fascists in the undercity. I have a couple of frames of Americans. There is an idea that there is a massive bunker under the American Embassy which could be used as one of the players in the rubble that London becomes in the game. As it's a nuclear winter scenario, I liked the idea of some civilians in great coats as well.

My brain needs to settle on a plan.

This has been a good weekend and since the car got sorted, things have not been too bad. I got to spend some time with my daughter. These are always the best days. I've also spent a bit of time with some good friends. There is also the prospect of spending time with some other friends. I currently feel like I am in pain almost everywhere. Its not a good feeling.

Quar Crusaders - Now In Colour

It would appear that I am making some progress. The three main uniform colours are now on and I have painted the weapons. I still need to paint the shirts and the collar studs and a few more bits and I want a very Soviet type green for the helmets. After that there are a few colours on a few models to do. To even out the colours I am planning a heavy wash at this stage, before I start doing the flesh.  Then there is the skin to do. This will be a mix of fairly vibrant colours for the skin tones. This will include. pink, bright blue, lime green, orange, yellow and purple. This will involve putting them into groups for batch painting. 

To get roughly equal forces for both sides the basic plan calls for another ten man rifle squad which I should probably have ordered already.  It makes sense to get a tank as well. I can see there is some cavalry on the way so I will probably end up buying the three together at some point.

More vehicles and some artillery crews are further down the pipe. There are some heavy machine guns in the game but I want something a little more traditionally, but chunky. I kind of like the idea of pushing the envelope a bit. So more vehicles seem like a must. This probably means some 3D files. 

There will be the need to add a bit more to The Coftyr army including the cavalry and another squad of infantry.

For both sides there are things like flame throwers. It crosses my mind to do some heroes/special characters, for both side. These are not a thing in the game. As a game it is far to genteel for such weapons.  I also have an urge for priests, medics political officers and the like. I am thinking these can mostly be kit bashed. Not to mention even more vehicles.

There is another box set due out this year with two new forces. I don't actually have a starter set or an actual copy of the rules. I also already have a few Fidwogs which are a bit quickly to paint (no obvious legs). This might be a bit too far.

The grand plan was to write this up for Savage Worlds Showdown. Whilst Savage Worlds is really an RPG, Showdown is about bigger battles which can be integrated with special characters. This is a project for another date.

Quar Crusaders: Lots And Lots

I can't help thinking I should have made this a Star Wars week.

This is mainly because I had forgotten how much fun it is to paint an army. That said I am getting there. Not to mention the fact that I am resisting the urge to play Star Wars Outlaws. If I can get the webbing done I might just give myself a break. It might also be down to the fact that I might have my mojo back and there is a lot of plastic to get through.

Start Of The Week - May The Fourth Be With You

The start of another week. Sat with my daughter as i who is playing horse riding games. Never thought I could be so content watching Barbie ride a horse.

Normally I would do something better than use last year's graphic. There is never enough time even if I don't have anything to do. My daughter got me a BB-8 companion in one of her games. I am supposed to use this one instead of R2D2. So I feel touched and appalled at the same time 😂

So here we are.

Back to the real world. I have pulled out the Quar Crusaders. Dirty Marxists. 😱 There are a few vehicles on the back side of this as well. All primed in a basecoat so only details to do really. With a few squirrels, or something like them. I'm going to call this a tots of 47 figures equivalents. If I find the time, there are three vehicles. These are also primed so should only really need details and a wash. Kind of saw these as working for Sludge too.

With their counterparts I did them a bit at a time.  This time it should be the whole army. Well the first bit of it. I can see me needing some more grunts for both sides. Then some specialists. A few vehicles. Then there is cavalry coming. This might be a big project.

This is looking like a busy week. My guess is that I can get all of these, the vehicles and finish some other stuff too. But if it takes two weeks I won't be too downhearted.

End Of A Bumper Week (79)

I'm terms of a total count, a depending on my self imposed and highly subjective rules, this is my best ever week. Highly detailed and larger minis count as double and I have finished a lot of stuff over the last seven days. So...Go Me.

It is of course on the back of months not really finishing anything off. Not great. I am not even sure if I have my mojo back yet either. But it doesn't feel bad at all.

If I think about it I have got a lot of stuff done over the last fortnight. At least for me. 

I've posted most of the stuff I have finished already. These are the Carnevale miniatures. I like them but would love them if I hadn't lost one of them and another one one hadn't broken off at the ankles when I picked it up by the head. 

Then there are my mystery men. These are minis from The Damned. Love them but don't have much use for them now. So they have become a team of baddies for sUnderDground, a background that can always use more chaos. There are a few conversions here to fit the background which is kind of a cobble together of anything WW2 to the 1980. It seems to work. I might need to find a few filters for some of the respirators.

Not sure what to do next. It was going to be some aTrench Crusade stuff but I appear to have missed the window for that. I have a big stash of WW2 Soviets to paint. Not really feeling that at the moment. There are peasants and such for Traitor's Toll which seems to be up there. I'd like to do some more sUnderDground stuff. Right now I can't imagine why anyone would want to nuke London but I might be in the minority.

That leaves me with a whole load of Quar Crusaders. The artwork gives them a very Vietnam War American vibe. The lore makes them sound more like communists. Given that I have Soviets to paint and the paint to do it..... Well you get the idea.

I have one more order in. No idea when that is due to arrive. My guess is that will be the last for a while. Partly this down 

Not A Good Week

Nothing much is going right this week. Car stuff mainly. Still that's good news for the painting queue. This is a good chunk of the Fallout Wasteland Warfare box set that I got for something less than half price.

Still got some more to do. Think there are four left but not sure I will ever need a Reticulun. The power armour and a couple of settlers should be good fun though.

In terms of numbers it is looking like a good week. There are a few more details to do on the Carnevale stuff but they should be finished later today.

I am getting an Atomfallish and sUnderDground urge. There are some of The Damned prepped and primed and ready to go. These should be a quick win.

Job Done

For a while there has been a lot of minis on the bench gathering dust. There has been at least three projects on the go and I guess there are five, ISH at the moment. So it feels good to finish one.

These are mostly Traitor's Toll Guards from Wargames Atlantic. My new favourite miniatures company. I appear to have lost a couple of them on the way and there are another four someway down the pipe.

On to finishing the next project.

Start Of The Week - Mixed Bag

It's looking like a busy week again. All good fun. There is plenty to do. Having cleaned the desk I have already crowded it out with three plus projects that three plus projects on the bench. That might actually be five. Plus some randoms. I get confused. 🤔 

The current front runner are the guards. I was thinking Traitor's Toll but I have after some for ages. They don't fit in with any of the RPG stuff I have planned but, you know, they are just so shiny. Hopefully they will be complete tomorrow.

I have some Fallout stuff and Carnevale minis that are all but done. Both of these projects have vexed me. The Carnevale stuff has been a pain. The Fallout minis are all from the box set and unlike everything else, they are soft plastic. With soft detail. Although they are shaping up all of my projects seem to have stayed in the blobby stage for far to long.

It's good to be posting again. It's even better to see some progress.

The Quiet

I went to take the rubbish out earlier. Busy week ahead and I am just trying to get ahead. I live relatively close to a motorway. Close enough to be able to hear it, far enough away that it fades into the background if you are not specifically listening. It's always there when I tune in.

When I was outside putting the bin lid down I noticed something or rather the absence of it. There was some noticeable peace. Not a car to be heard, not even in the distance. Maybe it's the weather causing the sound not to carry from the motorway. Maybe not.

When I was doing my shopping earlier I saw my first queue at a petrol station. Not just any one, the one that is always empty. It's empty because it's always at least ten pence more expensive than every other one in the area. It's not like it was peak time, it was about three PM. 

Today feels like it was the calm before the storm. 

Start Of The Week

Mondays are always days full of possibilities. There is a whole new week. This is looking like a week with extra time built in. This is good for gaming but not so good for me and the real world. 

There has been a real attempt to slay the grey. Mainly by turning stuff into another shade of grey or in some cases beige. I am reminded of the time that I had enough primed and based minis to fill two long window sills. I currently feel the urge to prep the Guards of Traitor's Toll stuff I have, which currently looks like another sixty minis and the two sets of Fallout stuff I have. 

So I have made some progress. Tired but happy. There is a solid footing for some future progress. Easter is upon me. The next few weeks look like I might not have a large amount of free time. I think I will get some time and make some progress.

The Damned And Matters Arising

I rarely back Kickstarters or anything like them. I've had enough bad experiences to convince me that whatever I might gain I lose in the ones that don't show up. 

Despite this, when I saw The Damned campaign I backed it anyway. I mean it's Wargames Atlantic, what could go wrong? And the offer was really good. So many plastic frames. I think I was looking at over twenty extra frames. A kitbasher's dream.

If I look at my purchases of plastic kits, well over half on them are from WA. I like their stuff. I have a lot of Quar, Traitors Toll, their modern stuff, Trench Crusade, WW2 stuff and a few dozen separate frames of their stuff currently in queue.

So I got this box.

Not much packaging so it is almost full of frames. Lots and lots of goodies. I am really happy with the quantity and the quality is top notch. But...

It's three years later. I don't have a project for them now. I can shoehorn some of these into other projects. The only major project is sUnderDground. At most this is going used up about a third of the kits. If I push it. There is a little bit of buyer's remorse. I can bitch and moan about WA. The reality is I am unhappy enough to give them a Paddington Bear stare. The minis are nice, I just need to find a project. Given the size of the box, I guess I will have to trim them from the frame and put them in the bits box. I have another box of figures coming, again mostly WA, so I will need to get them in the bits box as soon as possible.

When I looked at their release schedule I can see me buying another fifteen to twenty boxes. So other than the Paddington Bear stare, I am still looking at being a good customer. 

Boots On The Bench

I have completely failed to finish anything on the bench so far this year. It's not completely true but I am a long way from where I want to be. There are good reasons but there has been some prevarication too.

There is a lot of stuff that is almost done. I have started a Trench Crusade Force. Much of what is on the bench needs a nudge to get it over the line. I've had a hard time finding the focus to paint. So slow that paint is drying up on the brush.

This is a good time for me to glue stuff together. It's a lot easier and maybe things will get better. There are about sixty Quar, probably eighty Soviet WW2, eleven Trench Crusade, twenty of The Damned (more about that in another post) and some more besides.

I want to do some more of The Damned. One of the reasons why things are going slow is there have been a few conversions. The reasons for buying The Damned are now lost to me so I need a reason to get any use out of them. Trench Crusade had been one of the reasons but now everyone i know has gone for super chunky minis, this is now a little redundant. So I am going to use some of them for the very British post apocalyptic background I am planning. sUnderDground. So it's chopping off some of the big guns and replacing them with much smaller ones. I guess some of the funds look a little like AK 47s, which would be fine but they are about five times the volume so it's worth it to me to make the changes.

#BringBackFirefly

Not much going on at the moment. My bench is now awash with minis that I have glued together waiting for priming. No big target this year. There is something going on.

Whilst I am a devotee of Red Dwarf, if there is a number two it would be Firefly. There is a real possibility of an animated TV series arriving. To whatever channel brings this back I want you to know I will become a subscriber.

Bring it back. Now!!!!!

The same goes for Blake's Seven and The Expanse. 

Some Actual Painting

My world has been a bit busier than normal just of late. I've had a few days of involuntary down time. The kind that really benefits being very close to a toilet. The nearest place I can sit down that's close to a toilet is my work bench. So thanks to The Noro, I have been able to sit next to the bench for a bit 

It started with some terrain. It usually does. I am working through some more hexes. Still kind of in progress but at least it's progress. 

Then I dared myself to paint just one mini. So I got to thinking what would be the easiest mini to paint. What do you know but I have a Grogu mini. Let's face it, it would be hard to turn this into a masterpiece. The actual character has green skin and a one colour outfit. So two colours for the base and another two for some definition.

My cat brain would let it go. Which is actually a good thing. I got distracted by the eight plus projects on the bench. And what do you know, I am actually painting again. The first time this year. I got more done in four hours than I have done in over four weeks. And some terrain. 

I am using the time I am experiencing my latest bout of "explosive decompression" to write this up. So not the best day. Need some rest now.

Effective Procrastination

It's time to tidy up. I think I promised myself I would do this around Black Friday. (Insert eye roll here). There are at least five projects on the bench. There are really another two and a load of bits. The oldest project, which is mostly out of sight, is now three years old.

I still haven't picked up a brush. Unless you count putting them in a mug. So probably time to start doing something. Beyond having a tidier looking work bench.

End Of The Week - Nothing Special

I am starting to think that this is not going to be my most productive year. The real world is getting in the way. Currently it appears that this is not going to change and that this is probably going to stay this way for a few months. Painting minis is a process for me. I have to be in flow for it to work. Being knackered and harried is not helping.

Despite my whining, this has been a relatively productive week. Well compared to the last couple of months. Prep is a much easier thing to do. As is some elements of terrain. I have finished / abandoned some small scatter. Post apocalypse stuff is easier than some other types. It just has to look grubby. So I am calling this finished.

For some reason I got a frame of wild west scatter. It's almost Fallout and will do for any number of purposes. Mostly I got it because it was cheap and looked good. This should get primed in the next few days.

I've also been working on some Quar. I don't really see me using the rules but I can see me going nuts about the figures. There is just about enough figures for a starter force with plans for a bigger one. I am thinking in terms of buying another force soon and possibly a third one, which may be smaller. This year is probably going to see another two new armies and cavalry for the existing forces. Then I am looking at 3D printable files and some third party stuff for vehicles but only because they are cheaper. What I have put together are also in the queue for next week. These are enough to finish a couple of ten men units and a few spares.

Like I said, I am not really getting down to painting but I can see me putting stuff together, basing and priming a good amount of minis. Hopefully not to this stage.

Part of my plan was to do some more terrain hexes. This was really to provide a solution to keeping the things together during play. So I now have another huge pile of hexes. I have just managed to put away a big pile of hexes, so why not.

Just for funsies, I got a couple of frames of Stargrave Automaton. They come with these little mechanical bugs. So I am working on a couple of bases of these.

Start Of The Week, I Mean Year

So where are we? The 8th of January?  And it's a Thursday? Time is definitely an issue for me at the moment. I should have worked that out already. With almost a week of daddy daughter days, I am a happy man. But not one who has been painting. My work area, even parts of my house are showing signs of post Christmas malaise. The decorations are now down and mostly packed away.

Time to sort out my desk and my storage areas. I need to do something. I got some more boxes and I need to put some stuff in the attic and the shed. My storage for bits has been sorted out. The 18l box with spillover is now a 48l box with some space. I even have space under the bench for the first time in forever. I am absolutely knackered now.

Tomorrow I may even get round to doing something practical and maybe even productive. Maybe. I am kind of expecting/hoping I will get snowed in.