2022 Hobby Goals

Making the rounds on Instagram is something called an “ovelist.” Apparently it’s a sort of way to chart your hobby goals that got its start last year. Again, I’m all about jumping onto bandwagons and made one for 2022.

Some people are listing nine or more, but I’m keeping it simple at 6 (I know myself a bit too well). I pretty much have all the figures I need for these…got to whittle down the Pile of Shame! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Art vs Artist 2021

I've been seeing the hashtags #artvsartist and #artvsartist2021 making the rounds on Instagram lately, and I'm always willing to jump on a good bandwagon! These are just a few of the figures I've done over the last year between my time in Virginia, Washington, and New Mexico.

Given all the chaos of this year, I confess to finding it hard sometimes to sit down and work on stuff. Sometimes months went by without me picking up a paintbrush. I'm striving to be better at this in the New Year, as I really do enjoy the sense of accomplishment in finishing a figure (let alone an entire project). Let's see where the hobby takes me in 2022!

O (Miniature) Christmas Tree, O (Miniature) Christmas Tree!

As we get closer to the holidays, I finally did something I've been wanting to do for a long time: set up a miniature Christmas tree for my hobby space. I actually ordered it last year, but it was backordered and didn't arrive until mid-January 2021. 

But this year, after finding some miniature glass ornaments and tinsel from Target (the lights are built into the tree), I finally got a chance to set it up! Shortly afterwards, I found a set of four Dept56 pewter toy soldier ornaments from their Tiny Trimmings line. I immediately snatched them up. As you can see in the photo below, they're not very tall....maybe 1.5" at most. 

I also found some artificial poinsettias at Michaels for 40% off...

The set consists of four toy soldiers, of which three are distinctly British: a Grenadier Guard, a Life Guard, and a Yeoman Warder (popularly known as a Beefeater). The last figure appears to be George Washington holding a musket. It's an interesting choice, but I'm not complaining.  

They came in plastic boxes that say "Made in Taiwan." I don't know exactly how old they are, but I estimate them to have been made in the 1970s-1980s based on that fact alone.

The paint jobs are a little sloppy in places, but I still appreciate the fact that these are nonetheless hand-painted. They're unique because of that. I'm still in search of appropriately-themed miniature ornaments for the War Room but I feel that this is the start of a nice little collection.

Greetings from Santa Fe!

Image courtesy of Flickr.

Long time no see, folks! 

Apologies that my posts stopped somewhat abruptly back in September: Moving Day came a lot quicker than expected and it's been a flurry of activity since then. I started my new job in late-September, and we moved in to our new house shortly thereafter. We still can't quite believe that we're homeowners. 😲

As with our last places, I have my own hobby space. The War Room is still being unpacked (yes, even after 3 months) but I'm determined to keep it in order this time. 

Thankfully it's not quite this bad anymore...

But as you can see from photos taken before the moving truck came, it's actually a fairly spacious room. And it's already been approved by Jimmy and Gizmo too (the latter of whom loves to curl up in the window). 

Unfortunately my desk didn't quite survive the move, so I've had to get a new one. I actually think I like this one a bit better due to all the storage allotted by the cubby holes. Many thanks to Teresa for doing the bulk of the des assembly....I absolutely hate putting furniture together.

I've also bought a few new desk accessories as well: a large cutting mat that covers most of the desktop, LED lights with magnifying glasses built in (seen above), and a 10" portable DVD player that I've already tested with Kelly's Heroes. Now I'm looking into shelving for the closets for even more storage space. 

It's a work-in-progress, but I'm really happy with how the War Room is shaping up. This isn't even mentioning the home improvement projects Teresa has planned (of which there are several). Her most recent project was replacing a recessed light in our entryway with something that better fits the Southwest. 

In terms of projects, I'm currently working on stuff for The Silver Bayonet, a game of gothic horror set during the Napoleonic Wars. I'm hooked...and the figures from North Star Military Figures are absolutely fantastic! But more on them in a later post. 

Eagle and Empire: Into the Sunset

Here's some unexpected news about my FLGS, Eagle and Empire.

It was announced on Facebook yesterday that the store's owner will be retiring on October 1st. It's certainly well earned! The shop has been serving Northern Virginia gamers and hobbyists since 1987...a good run to be sure. While Doug (the owner) is working with someone to reopen the store elsewhere, it seems like the shop as it is now will cease to be.

A screenshot of the announcement on Eagle and Empire's Facebook page.

I know I'm leaving for New Mexico next week, but I'm not going to lie: I feel pretty sad about this.

The storefront today.

I started going to Eagle and Empire shortly after I moved to the DC area in early 2013. My friend suggested we check it out one day and I've been coming ever sense. When we moved to our current place in 2017, it was just 10 minutes away from the shop (much to Teresa's chagrin at times). 

The storefront before the 2019 six-alarm fire.

Eagle and Empire has been my most-frequented FLGS of all time and holds a very special place in my heart. I've spent countless hours (and countless dollars as well) here over the years. I'm going to miss it dearly.

But, all of my sentimentality aside, I wish Doug a very happy retirement! He's absolutely earned it after 34 years in the business. 

Big Move 2021: Curb Alert!

It's become a common sight over the last couple weeks to see boxes of discards sitting outside our house. Pretty much all of this stuff has been coming from the basement, and I'm pleased that so far everything has been taken (I really hate throwing away perfectly good things). Even an unopened, rolled mat of model grass was snatched up within hours; I was really convinced that no one would want that. Thanks for proving me wrong, Jefferson Manor! It also really helps that we live on a fairly busy street too.

The big thing now is the mini fridge. It's served more as an extra table in recent years and I don't feel that I'm going to need it in our new place. It might take a while for this to find a home....but if my old, slightly used set of Mount Vernon Christmas cards can find a new home, I'm pretty certain that this will too. 

Look at that...I have space now!

And hey, it's cleared out some more space in the basement! That's particularly good since the movers are coming next Monday. So we have about a week to finish sorting, organizing, and purging stuff before it gets packed up and shipped to New Mexico. 

UPDATE

So yeah….the mini fridge got picked up in the middle of the night. 😂 That’s dedication.

Sludge: A Grimdark Game of Fantasy Black Powder

I mentioned in my previous post that I've been working on some figures for a new game called Sludge. It's been a nice little creative outlet between cleaning, packing, work, etc. during this time. 

But what is Sludge about?

In short, it's an ahistorical game set in a doom age of black powder. It's all about "gore, horror, brutality, and faith" as the official website states. It's all very grimdark. There's a heavy emphasis on kitbashing to create unique armies using historical and/or fantasy miniatures. It really doesn't matter what figures you use for Sludge. For me, it's been a nice way to use up bits from my pile(s) of shame and bit boxes. I've been wanting to make up my own nations for wargaming for a while anyway, so this certainly scratches that itch!

The Kingdom of Marconia is made up of Victrix Napoleonic French Old Guard bodies and Perry Foot Knight heads (except for my lookalike leading the center infantry unit...I found that one in the bits box at Island Games years ago). The rules call for infantry units to be based in groups of three of a 40mm base, and Jägers and Shock Troopers to be placed on a 25mm base. To distinguish the various roles, I took a cue from the historic Grand Armée and gave them different colored epaulettes: orange for line infantry, green for Jägers, and red for Shock Troops. I feel that these guys look pretty cool with their purple coats and verdigris-covered bronze helmets. 

The Duchy of Lürren is made of Perry Napoleonic Austrian bodies and more Foot Knight heads. I was initially unsure of their colors, but I tried the yellow and green look on a whim and was pretty pleasantly surprised by how it turned out. Their steel helmets are slightly rusted, in contrast to the verdigris of the Marconians. My wife says that these guys have a look reminiscent of the Rebel Alliance in A New Hope and Rogue One and I have to agree. 

All told, I had a lot of fun working on these guys! They were also really simple to paint up too: just an undercoat of GW Dryad Bark over a black primer, the respective basic colors, a generous drybrush of GW Zandri Dust, and then a bath of GW Agrax Earthshade all over. After a few additional details, that was it! 

It always amazes me what a simple drybrush and wash can do!

The rules for Sludge are found in Blaster Volume 3, which is made to order and takes a little bit to ship. Considering that we're leaving for New Mexico late next week, it just makes sense to wait (yes, I could get a PDF version....but I like having something physical to look through).

And so, I've finished my last-ever figures in the DC area. I'll pick up this project again once we're settled in the Land of Enchantment, and also start working on terrain as well. But for now it's time to finally pack away the paints, brushes, bits, and whatnot for the next few weeks. I just hope none of these guys break in transit (the wargamer's ultimate fear!). 

Here's hoping that everyone (and everything) arrives to the new place intact!

UPDATE

Shortly after publishing this post, Guerilla Miniature Games posted a YouTube video on the basic gameplay and mechanics of Sludge. You can check it out below!

Yeah, I'm pretty excited about giving this game a try!

Big Move 2021: Work Continues

We’re less than 2 weeks away from our packing date, and work continues on clearing out. By this point I’ve filled several bags of trash, put two full boxes of things on the curb for my neighbors, broken down countless boxes, and started going through stuff in two corners of the basement. Progress is slow going…but I think it’s happening slowly but surely.

I feel like most of the time, though, I’m just moving stuff from one area to another. It’s a little disheartening to see my pile of sprues growing taller and taller. 😬

But I'm still doing a little bit here and there. I also think I’ve found a way to work on getting that pile smaller though. I’ll post about it more in a little bit, but I’ve found a new project that will help me use up some of those spare parts and bits that I’ve been accumulating over the years. It’s also quick, easy, and has been a welcome creative outlet in these anxiety-wracked times. 

I’m talking about Sludge. 

More on that next time though. You can head over to my Instagram and see what I’ve been working on for the game though. They’re proving to be my most popular posts in that platform ever for some reason! 

My next big task, though, is to clear off my workbench....

Oooof. 

Star Wars: The Edge of the Empire and the Crew of the Infinium

Since May 2020, I've been part of a D&D-style Star Wars RPG group playing a game called Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. This particular campaign has been running for 3 years over 50 sessions, and follows the crew of a ship called the Infinium. Last night was our final session. 

This was the first time I've ever participated in an RPG campaign, and it's been some of the best fun I've ever had! A lot of care went into the crafting of our "episodes," which even got an opening crawl a day or so before we met up. The stories and plots crafted by our DM were amazing and felt very much like an extension of the Star Wars universe. Mad props, Josh! 

In-game, I was constantly amazed at the twists, turns, and predicaments the crew got themselves in to....and out of as well. The banter was great fun too. I'm really going to miss these sessions, but I'm very glad to have been a part of this group and make such good friends. 

The crew of the Infinium.

My next RPG is going has a very, very tough act to follow. Joshua, Alex, Josh, Kyle, and Jacob....thanks for all the fun memories, guys!

Big Move 2021: Clearing the Clutter, Part I

This past weekend, I tackled the mess in the basement. It's something that I've been dreading for a long time but I couldn't really put it off any longer. Each day I had a simple goal: Saturday's was to clear off the folding table, and Sunday's was to clear up the floor in the center of the room. Baby steps. 

One of my hobby friends came over once and said, "I love it! I wish my space could look like this!"

I've always been a messy person (as if it wasn't obvious). I can wax poetic about how having a messy desk can mean I'm "creative and full of new ideas," or how a "disordered or chaotic workspace may be enhancing [my] creativity." And then there's that famous Albert Einstein quote that I'm personally very fond of...

Regardless, I think I might be a little too creative? 😬 

I've been coming to the realization that I need to do a better job of keeping things organized...and I'll do a better job of that in the new space. But for now, it's time to clean up and go through what I have now.

And yes, as several people have pointed out, my wife is an absolute saint. 

Saturday dawned, and I admittedly wasn't thrilled one bit at the prospect of starting to clean out the basement. But my goal was simple: clean off the folding table. 

But this was the result after about 3.5 hours. I used the 20/10 method on this, which is to say 20 minutes of cleaning followed by a 10 minute break. I was amazed at how quickly things went! Rachel Hoffman promotes the 20/10 method in her awesome (and irreverent) book, Unf*ck Your Habitat. I created a playlist (called "Get Crap Done!") and went to work. 

Most things were sorted and put into bins, while others were simply thrown away. I'll never know why I decided to keep so many shipping boxes or opened blister packs, but that's another matter entirely.

Sunday's goal was to clean up the remaining clutter in the center of the room. This one took a bit longer to do, as I got distracted with ideas for the new space (you can see my Pinterest board here if you're so inclined). But it was worth it once I finished for the day!

There's still a long way to go, but I'd say it's a pretty good start. I think the key will be to keep chipping away at it until the movers come. My big goal is to sort everything out by type (sprues, bits, bases, etc.) and put them in a respective bin for later organization once we get to New Mexico. I've got a few ideas in mind for what I want to do.

Until then, the cleaning continues!

Image courtesy of Hyperbole and a Half.

Big Move 2021: So It Begins

We're about three weeks away from our big move to New Mexico. I figured it might be fun (and self-motivational) to document hobby-related things during this whole process. In short, packing and sorting through all my miniature stuff. I started that process today.

Since this is a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move,  the movers will come by and pack just about everything for us. Some things they can't take on the truck, though, are things like liquids, aerosol cans, and cleaning chemicals. So...pretty much all of my paint, primer, and Simple Green. 

I spent some of this afternoon packing up my model paints. I've been working on some WWII Soviet test figures over the last few days, and now that they're done I reckoned it was time. I'd previously brought all my paints to Vancouver in four small totes as this was easier to fit into my 2012 Volkswagen Jetta. 

The trunk of my Jetta in February as I went out to Vancouver, WA.

A few weeks ago I traded it in for a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. I hated to do it, but I really need something with AWD for New Mexico (especially since I'll be driving into the mountains daily). But I do have a bit more cargo space now. As such, all of my paints went into a single box.

Umm...woah. 😲

For whatever reason, it didn't seem like I had this much paint when I was in Vancouver. I certainly didn't think I had this much when we last moved 4 years ago. I think I'll be good on paint for a while!

I also spent some time gathering specific forces and getting my new Chessex figure cases ready. While the bulk of my unpainted collection will be going with the movers, I'll be taking my finished and primed figures with me for safekeeping. I've always been somewhat lacking on carrying cases but I think this move will finally fix that for me! Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), though, I have significantly fewer painted figures than unpainted.

My Bolt Action pile for Stalingrad.

Over the weekend, I'll be tackling the mess warzone that is the basement. It's going to be quite the job: the bulk of my miniature collection is scattered throughout in multiple piles on nearly every available surface....including the floor. The words "tripping" and "hazard" come to mind here. 😬

The Great Wargaming Survey 2021

 

The time is once again upon us, ladies and gentlemen! The Great Wargaming Survey 2021 is open and the folks over at Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy want to hear YOUR thoughts on the current state of the hobby. As always, you get a gift voucher and a raffle entry for taking part.

But why else should you do it?

You should do it to help make sure that YOU are reflected in the hobby. Not everyone meets the "textbook definition of a...wargamer," as Annie from Bad Squiddo Games said recently, and this survey will help capture that diversity. 

You can take the survey here!

* NOTE: I am not affiliated with the Great Wargaming Survey or WSS in any way, shape or form.

Moving to the Land of Enchantment

Greetings everyone! 

I know I've been pretty quiet on here for the last few months, and I apologize for that. The temporary assignment in Vancouver, Washington was a lot busier than I expected. I've been home since mid-June but this is really the first chance I've had to sit down...and as it turns out, I'm getting ready to head back out.

After 8.5 years in the Washington, DC area (15.5 years for my wife), we're moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico!

Between packing, cleaning, purging, tying up loose ends at my current job, and finding a house, this will likely be my last blog post for a while. We move in mid-September...which is coming up quickly. I'll be back once everything has settled down. 

The only drawback to all this? I realize that I've been really spoiled these last few years to have three separate stores about 15 minutes away. The closest game shops appear to be about an hour away in Albuquerque. And speaking of Albuquerque, it'll be wild to live so (relatively) close to a place immortalized by the great "Weird Al" Yankovic. 

On the Road with Hell Dorado

Taking a quick break from packing for my upcoming trip (see this post if you don't know what I'm talking about) to share something that I find absolutely hilarious. 

I hate cleaning. I always have and chances are that I always will. My basement War Room looks like an actual warzone for this very reason. When I do finally get around to cleaning, I invariably find something cool that makes me remember, "Oh yeah! I'd forgotten about this! I should totally paint this up." I rarely do actually paint them up...but that's another story.

It usually happens that I find these figures in my hobby space. But not yesterday. Yesterday I found some from the Hell Dorado game in a bag in the trunk of my car. As soon as I saw them, I remembered picking them up at my FLGS because I thought they looked super cool (I mean...there's a Spanish conquistador with a blunderbuss!) and would be fun to paint. 

Then I looked at the sales receipt.

Rescued from their automotive prison!

I bought them on December 11, 2014.

Yup. These figures have been riding around in my trunk for over six years. That's a grand total of 2,251 days. I looked and they don't even appear to make figures for this game anymore. I didn't even have a permanent park ranger job yet. I feel that this eclipses nearly everything else in my unpainted Pile of Shame. 

So I'm taking them with me to Washington State. I plan on having them be the first figures that I complete out there.  

It looks like there are a few figures on eBay, and since this is a skirmish game I don't think it'll be too hard (or expensive) to build an adequate force for playing. The few battle videos I've found on YouTube were entertaining, so I think Hell Dorado might be a fun game to try eventually. Essentially, the premise that 17th Century nations have begun invading Hell itself to try and conquer territory in the Underworld. 

I guess the other big thing is to find someone else who plays...but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. 

"Go West (again), young man..."

So I'm still working out the final details, but it looks like I'm heading back to the West Coast for a few months. I've just accepted a temporary assignment at Fort Vancouver NHS in Vancouver, WA  starting in mid-February. I'm super excited and can't wait! 

For those who may not know, I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and only moved to Washington, DC in 2013. After 8 years, it'll be super nice to at least be in the same time zone as the rest of my family. 

Given the relatively short turnaround time (just over two weeks) I'm understandably a little stressed. There are so many things to get sorted out! Thankfully, this is only going to be a for 3-4 months so I can pack relatively light. Really the biggest things I'm taking are my painting supplies (you know, the priorities), work clothes, and maybe a few books (I'm thinking maybe the A Song of Ice and Fire series). And cat supplies.

Because yes, you can bet that Jimmy is coming with me too. I'll be sad to be away from Teresa and Gizmo for so long, but it'll be nice to at least have my painting buddy with me. 

Why yes, Jimmy does have a little ranger hat.

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing everyone a safe and healthy 2021!