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.