End Of The Week, Schadenfreude, And The Power Of Weather Induced Irony (20)+(9ish)

August Bank Holiday weekend is usually my least favourite one of the year. Setting aside it's the end of the summer holidays and I will be seeing less of her, there is a four day music festival going on. Traffic chaos and struggling to sleep are the main issues.

It has been difficult to hear any signs of the music today. I mean it might be going on but the torrential rain and the thunder are drowning it out. I suspect that is is also drowning the festival. I do feel bad. For the security guards mainly. If the rain continues, which it looks like it will, I think they will be needing gondoliers.

I got to my target for the week and made of twenty figures. So not a bad week for me. Not quite half way through the infantry now and there is a T34 to paint. But more on that next week.

On the subject of armour I have some more vehicles on the bench. I got a Fidwog Quar infantry box, not because I wanted the Fidwogs (although I can see the ten of them becoming an optional unit) but because I wanted the two Fynrydhad light tractor to use for the Coftyrans. Whilst I like the fluff, this was the cheapest way to get two vehicles. I figured that they would also work for Sludge. These need some bases. So I am calling this the equivalent of four minis.

Then I accidentally started working on the big tank, I mean tractor. This one is called a Chyweethl. This is actually a Coftyran tractor. For the sake of putting a number on it, I'm calling this the equivalent of five mins.

For various reasons it's not been an easy few weeks. This seems to have resolved itself. So I feel happier now. If anything I am in a better place than I thought. I've also got some bigger stuff done. A bit of a clean out and some work on the lawn too. I feel like I have been doing some proper adulting.

Forgive me father for I have spent some money on minis. The important one was XCOM. I have been waiting to do this. Not gone for the full hit but enough to get me started. I've also got a few frames for the Quar Crusaders. A frame of specialists and enough infantry and cavalry to finish that part of the plan. I've also added some plastic cargo containers.

I need to start working on a plan for the winter. So building some more minis is on the cards. I had a bit of a blitz on putting stuff together a few months ago. I am not through that pile yet but I will be soon. So need to get a wiggle on. Some crew for the tanks at least.

Getting On With It

A short one today. The struggle continues. It's not quite 1984 yet. I am trying to keep to my new rules. Not perfect. I never was. But I am doing better. 

I have made some progress on the bench. My Soviet.forces are looking a lot less beige. For the bodies I need to do the skin, the helmets and a wash. A couple of highlight colours as well. This should be done by tomorrow.

Hump Day - RIP Tim Curry

It's been a long day and I got to the bench late. But I did get there. Although I didn't get a huge amount of surface coverage done, I got three more colours done. So I. Terms of painting the plastic, about a third of the way through. There are probably four or more colours on the base but these will take a little less finesse. Everything is still on track 

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Tim Curry. A local lad for me and he grew up down the road from my dad although I suspect the two moved in different circles. I noticed some posters of him in town yesterday. Frank n' Further has caused me a few problems over the years. I may explain it to you if you know me. Don't get freaked out by the an.....tici....pation. Quoting the character has gotten me into trouble more than once. Using the phrase "you got caught with a flat, how about that" sounded innocent enough when I said it his portrayal of Darkness was amazing. I've evoked that character many times.

It's been a good day. Having my daughter around makes me smile and she is apparently happy about it too. I will get back to work proper after she goes tomorrow. I've managed all of my targets for the day. So a win all round.

My thoughts about the future are all over the place. I see some changes in the next year or so. I am also looking at the bench. There is a new English Civil War era wargame from Osprey coming. I've had various ideas about Witchfnder type games over the years. Not least of which is using The Silver Bayonet and replacing the men of Wellington for those of Cromwell. I mean a musket is a musket right? I might also get drawn back into Sludge as I have a few units missing from the roll.

Bigfred Jacks' Diary

This morning I experienced something I haven't done for some time. I was sat in the house and felt cold. Well cool. Maybe the series of heatwaves that have been the British summer is now over.

I have been doing a thing lately. It started here really. A while back I started setting myself a target again. In all honesty the bar has been pretty low. Back in the day I was painting thirty figures a week. When I was painting anyway. Despite an increase in available time, this total has dropped significantly. Yes I know I tried to put that number up yesterday.

So I started using this in day to day life. With the little things. You, like food. Reading has also been a bigger part of my life recently. I managed two books last year and I am up to four. Reading has been given me headaches if I do it for too long. Reading is something I have always loved. I used to read two or three books a week so about temwrnty five times what I read at the moment. That's at a minimum. So whilst not approaching the heights, if I could get it to a book a month I would be happy. That's a much greater page count than I can manage.

An ex made me read High Fidelity and more pertinently, Bridget Jones's Diary. Whilst I have no plans to own big pants, the character does try to keep track of things like cigarettes smoked and alcohol consumed. As I don't smoke and I know ten year olds who drink more than me, keeping track and setting goals helps. I've seen it help me. Maybe it can help you.

Today has been pretty full on. I don't normally get to the bench until late but tonight was especially late. I have just got to finish the one colour on the figures for the week. So definitely some progress.

Tomorrow is looking even more full on. I should probably be in bed by now. It is looking like it's going to be a fun day. Maybe I get to the bench and maybe I don't. The end of the week is looking clearer. Ish. So I remain confident that I am on target.

Start Of The Week - The Soviets Advance

Back to the start again. I've put twenty Soviets on the bench this week. Last week I thought I had a bigger window. Rather than painting, I did a lot of farting around at the end of the week. So I rationalised and decided to go against recent policy and put up twenty figures as a form of aspiration, rather than the ten I have been managing recently.

It would be nice if I could manage it. Even if I get close and say maybe manage thirty over this week and next. So far, and it's only Monday, I haven't made that much progress. 

Still it's been a great day in other respects. I feel like I am doing a bit better of late. Things are on the up.

End Of The Weekend (25)

It has been a busy week and weekend. Throw in visitors, family and most importantly a daddy daughter time, I've not really had time at the bench. Not a Greek tragedy to be honest. Fun actually. But I have found more time than expected. Admittedly a low bar. I did try to make the most of what time I had. A bit of gaming, a cleaner house and a cleaner work bench.

Not that much of a problem.  Less about finishing and more about the plan. A fair chunk of stuff is now complete. So another ten were completed start to finish this week, the first of the Soviets. Then there are some dark age minis I picked up partly painted from a car boot. The guy who paints them like a silver blue metallic which I think would work really well for magic items. It just doesn't fit the vibe of everything else I have done. I wouldn't call it repainting but maybe everything has had a second coat. Seven Infantry and four cavalry makes a total of 15 minis in my mind. Not my best work but good enough for a mass battle line. I then went round trying to finish off anything on the bench. These Star Wars Legion Rebels have been hanging around for a little over two years.

I've had a quick reorganisation. I say quick, but I mean a fatigue bomb and putting stuff in boxes. The immediate plans are at least a little easier to access and everything in boxed together. The prepped and ready to go queue is looking a little light. I had some more stuff to put away after another trip to a car boot.

The Quar cavalry is now kinda, sorta on the bench. This is the excuse to "finish" the Quar project. I need a box of infantry and a frame of specialists for both sides (and that presumes I don't look at another of the three other forces available). I think I need to be looking at an order to Zombiesmith. There are plenty of options. Not to mention a vast array of STLs and vehicles.

The money is there I am wondering what to spend it on. I like the Quar, so much so I am almost a fanboy. In terms of queue, I have about three months that is either prepped or purchased and ready to go. This is on top of another three months of stuff still in kit form. Throw in the fact that I will probably overthink and over commit to XCOM next month, my paint queue is not a short one at the moment. 

This put me on a spectrum like odyssey. I am picking figures (not miniatures) out of the air here. So this is looking like the plan. If I give myself a target, it might help right? There are a few plans I would like to put in play. Hobbits and celtic dwarves have been in the mental backroom for a few years now. No pressing need, but I wanna. 

Added to this is the Trench Crusade stuff. This is the current background project but is getting a little bit of love every week. I can see some of the Star Wars Legion stuff and the BattleTech mechs taking over this role. It currently sits behind a box on the bench, just far enough out of sight that I don't feel too guilty about it. There is probably more Legion stuff to do. I can see a few of the newer kits making it into the plan. Maybe I should finish what I have first. The drawer full of stuff, the mercenary box sets and the snow speeders. 

XCOM is on the horizon. It's top of my personal Hotness list. This is likely to jump the queue when it arrives. So I should probably order it. I am waiting for the money to fall right at the beginning of September. 

No Quite Done

I had almost forgotten how easy it is to paint WW2 infantry. Especially those without camouflage. I don't know why. Always has been the case. So after about nine hours of painting and about three hours of prep, this week's task is done, bar a bit of detail on the helmets, weapons and boots.

As well as the details I have some other bits to do. I'd like to look at some terrain and maybe put some minis together. There is a hope that I might get a headstart on next week and look at twenty more Soviet minis. Maybe then I can get the army done in a month.

Today has been a daddy daughter day and now it isn't. Missing her already. It's been a good day.