Hobby Weekender 19/10/2018 – The Directors Cut Limited Edition Box Set

[evilstu 15298xp 7]

Hi All and welcome to the weekend! And by extension, another edition of the Hobby Weekender!

Invoking my spell of Ctrl+C…

This is a collaborative, chatty thread. Not an exclusive thing or elitist. Please join in and enjoy a friendly welcome. Make a hobby pledge, post some tunes, let us all know how you are getting on. No religion or politics but otherwise discussion and chatting is encouraged. Points awarded for entertaining posts, being engaged or getting hobby done and there is a winner declared at the end.

Please post tunes and hobby pledges (aspirational pledges are fine) and if you haven’t joined in on the thread before please do feel welcome and jump on in..

Also there are bonuses for the following ‘Achievements’:
· Most Valuable Player (most engaged with topic)
· Fire Starter (topic starter, encourages the member circulation)
· Hobby Champ (most hobby over the weekend)
· Meme Lord (ryhmes, funnies & memes)
· Pun-Tertainment (best pun)
· Brush Licker (painting & terrain)
· Headliner DJ (most eclectic music)
· Armchair Commander (weekend battle reports)
· Community Usher (helpful & engaged)
· Storyteller (weekly discussion & story)

 

Points will be awarded by me for posts based on the secret harmonic number resonance hidden within your post. Don’t worry, I hired a unicorn to do the calculations for me, and his resume seems totally legit…

Questions! Questions that need answering!

1.      Do you have a successful, tried and true, plan or approach to tackle hobby projects? If so, how do you go about it?

2.      Props in gaming – do you use any bolt-on game hacks like customised or scratch-made turn counters, objective markers, condition markers, tokens, deployment points, dice towers, or visual aids? If so please post pics and info on how you use them and how they assist in gaming

3.      What part of hobby gives you the biggest uplift? I.e., does playing a game give you the endorphin hit or are you happier building and painting? Any elements of the hobby that you don’t enjoy or that feel like a grind or a chore?

 

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

First?!

[mageParticipant 20596xp 4]

Also I made a healing potion

 

Off to the gym now

[a27cromwell 3188xp 4]

1. Plan or approach to new projects ? – As I mostly build WW II vehicles  I usually get inspired by a photograph . It also helps if the subject of the photo is sitting unbuilt on my shelf , as by the time I order a kit and it arrives , I’ve usually been inspired by something new . Example –

2.NA – don’t play

3. Hobby high ? – I think it’s managing to modify and kit bash your basic plastic kit into something that’s unique , that no one else has . Most plastic kits give you a minimal choice of options , built version  1 or version 2 out of the box sort of thing . Where as with a little research , some bits and pieces from the parts box , and a little skill , you can build pretty much whatever catches your fancy ( within reason ) Example – knocked out KV I

Its your basic Warlord plastic KV with some resin bits ( GasoLine 1/48 cable ends  ) . I scratched the open fender box adding bits from the parts box  . And played around with the track to make  it look battle damaged .

[mageParticipant 20596xp 3]

1. Do you have a successful, tried and true, plan or approach to tackle hobby projects? If so, how do you go about it?

No not really. I assemble my models, clean and gap fill them, prime them and start painting. I try to do a project from start to finish. If it pans out it does. If the grind gets too bad I persevere until it becomes painfully boring. Depending on the project I will butterfly back and forth between a few things.

After the last year, I want to have a big and little project each year. The big project can take a year to do, the little one is like a side story so I do not get bored. Also the little one can be shorter and I could get several done in a year.

Last year it was my AoS project but I also compelted an entire Dark Elf army too. Along with various other stuff for various other game systems.

Next up is Arcworlde starter set, Star Wars Legion and Frostgrave. I may try and squeeze in Batman and something else before Christmas (Konflikt 47 Americans or Necromunda).

2. Props in gaming – do you use any bolt-on game hacks like customised or scratch-made turn counters, objective markers, condition markers, tokens, deployment points, dice towers, or visual aids? If so please post pics and info on how you use them and how they assist in gaming

Haha, never read that and posted up my Healing Potion for Dungeons and Dragons! Im going to start making stuff for d and d as a side hobby. Adam Savages Tested youtube channel has really inspired me. Im going to make d and d props from now on. It might be fun to take up metal work. Also my left thumb feels a bit crappy.

We have a set of red d6s we use for the burning hands spell. A container for it may be fun.

I might take an open challenge for a d and d prop, that isnt TOO complicated.

3. What part of hobby gives you the biggest uplift? I.e., does playing a game give you the endorphin hit or are you happier building and painting? Any elements of the hobby that you don’t enjoy or that feel like a grind or a chore?

Finishing something and playing and doing it all with painted models, and looking BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME!!! Im done with tournaments and club play (unless it is a nice or awesome club). Its better with close friends at someones home and doing it at a nice pace without randomers around. Then again, my outlook may change down the line too.

My Pledge:
***********

Do photography for my AoS log. I might take a break from painting with the thumb feeling weird. Or keep going on my Night Goblins and Arcworlde Bayourks.

[rickabod41Participant 9259xp 3]

Just finished my last big project, which I think I started back in early August.

 

Well next I am torn between finishing off all of the Monolith Conan stuff, or the Monolith Mythic Battles stuff.

 

I am also hovering over buying the Warlord Games Strontium Dog miniatures game.

 

Essentially I have ADHD when it comes to projects!

My Chaos All Star BB team has been one of the only things I have stuck with.

 

But saying that I am still keeping an eye out for other minis I can add to it!

[evilstu 15298xp 3]

@mage yes first blood goes to you 🙂 So your preferred approach is to grind through projects with iron determination – well played 🙂 I do know that switching things up a little does tend to help me, although the output I get through isn’t anywhere near as much as you seem to complete. Interesting idea having a main project and dedicated mini projects to switch to. I did the hobby pledges thing in 2017 and got a tonne of stuff done as a consequence. My only issue was that by the end of the year I was painting stuff I didn’t really want to do then as it was stuff I thought I might need 10 months ago rather than my current priority. Anyhow, this is what I managed to burn through in 12 months using the ‘hoby pledge’ approach:

So it does work from a ‘volume’ perspective but the focus tends to waver a little. Maybe I could look at some sort of compromise approach and make pledges in 3 month blocks? Actually that sort of makes sense as projects could be tailored to prevailing weather conditions (even with a wet palette you just can’t paint in 40 degree heat…).

Doing anything fancy with theming your Frostgrave warbands? Do you have a miniatures range decided on? Ha, nice coincidence re the prop. I’ll post some photos of my healing potion props later on. Yes gaming just seems a lot more fun with well painted forces on a nicely presented tabletop. I have heard that the dice gods always favour the prettiest painted army, but in my experience it’s my nicest painted units that tend to fail morale checks and flee of the board or get shot to ribbons by turn 2… Maybe I need to do something to appease the deities of dice?… Hope the thumb starts to behave itself soon 🙂 30 points for question responses, and a bonus 5 for first post.

@a27cromwell nice to hear you have an inventory/stockpile of stuff on hand for when the inspiration strikes. I have to confess I’m somewhat similar – I see a kickstarter for half a dozen fantastic minis and see the possibility for a group of dungeon delvers, a warband, ships crew etc but by the time they arrive they tend to get shelved as I’m busy with whatever else I happen to be in the middle of doing. Still, I suppose it’s better than living right next to a well stocked hobby shop – not sure I would have enough self control not to just grab stuff as inspiration struck me.. Yes can definitely see where inspiration struck there with your tank riders 🙂 Ah yes can see how customisation would give that sort of buzz. As I’m not really well versed in wielding greenstuff etc most of my conversions are just straight up parts swaps, with the occasional ‘heat and reshape’ at a knee or elbow joint. Customising really is an aspect of the hobby that I should focus on more. Really like the track damage on your KV-1, in my mind I can almost hear the thing flying off and hitting the ground 🙂 30 points for question responses.

@rickabod41 welcome! Wow, that’s a nice dilema to have re projects. If it was me I’d probably do the conan one first as it seems a lot less intimidating 😉 I haven’t had a really good look at Strontium Dog yet, which is probably for the best – any time I start thinking about getting involved in a new gaming genre I tend to get heavily distracted making terrain for it and never quite get stuck into the game proper. Yes I think we all have project ADHD – in our collective defence though there are that many amazing games and minis rolling out every month that it could possibly be argued that we are all showing a great deal of restraint in collecting as little as we do. Is anybody else buying this line of reasoning? Nah, didn’t think so but it was worth a shot… 😛 Do you have photos of the BB team you can share or link to? 15 points.

[evilstu 15298xp 1]

So far this weekend I have started cooking soup, got a few things knocked over in the garden, installed an approach light at the front door and done a stack of cleaning so figure I’m probably due for some hobby time 🙂 Am kind of toying with jumping in on the Fireforge Forgotten world KS that finishes up soon. The humans would look great for Frostgrave given the padding/thick layers they seem to have on their armour, and I really love the idea of a peasant plastic kit – I’m baffled nobody has done these before – I was considering runinig a KS just to get something similar off the ground… I mean think about it, instant ‘angry mob’ for the fantasy gamers, populace for medieval towns for the scenery builders, scenic extras or objectives for the historical gamers… Anyhow… I also need to find some suppliers of smaller scale minis – thinking of picking up a few bits and pieces of 10mm fantasy and 6mm Napoleonics to see how they are to paint.

Back later on, hope everyone’s weekend is going well 🙂

[oriskany 60771xp 3]

Good evening, one and all.

Okay, the Boot Camp and all supporting material … done.

The last-minute scramble to build some front-page content to mark the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the end of the Great War … done … finally.

First “SitRep” Modern War Podcast with Gianna @stvitusdancern and Chris (apologies, don’t know his BoW / OTT tag) … done.

SITREP PODCAST EPISODE 9: Talking Skirmish Sangin & Upcoming Kickstarter.

It’s been a helluva two months, let’s leave it at that.  This weekend I literally fled the house, fled the office, staying at a Fort Lauderdale beachside hotel.  No work, no writing, no graphics, no videos, no hobby (well, maybe play a little Valor & Victory) … seriously time to decompress a little.

So, question and answer time:

1. Approach for hobby projects?

100%, full speed, full attention, 2:00 AM in the morning for as many nights as it takes, go.  Just GO.  I do not take on more than one project at a time.  I do not get distracted.  That said, a project more or less has to get done in a week, two tops.  If it will be more than that, I typically do not attempt it unless it is an article series.  Even then, I crush it out literally as fast as humanly possible.

I guess I just think and work “vertically” instead of “horizontally” if that makes sense.  If I have three things I want to get done, I absolute cannot tinker with all three at once, switching back and forth.  I HAVE to drill away at one and only one and nothing else in the world even exists until that ONE thing is completely finished, never to be touched again.  Then on to the next …

One trick I’ve found is to attach a given hobby project to an “external” deadline – like an article series or a Boot Camp.  Time is a merciless mistress, if you let her make you “her bitch,” she’ll definitely help you get more work accomplished. 😀

 

2. Props in gaming – do you use any bolt-on game hacks like customised or scratch-made turn counters, objective markers, condition markers, tokens, deployment points …

That’s literally all I do use.  I do not buy games designed by other people, or even gaming supplies until I started miniature gaming, and that was quite recently and only part-time.  The games are usually my own design or at least my own modification, all the maps are mine, all the pieces are mine, etc …

 

3.  What part of hobby gives you the biggest uplift?  – My work as Historical Editor, and once in a while seeing a real effect on other people’s hobby or gaming or just general appreciation for military history.

People will read one of my articles and a month later a new project will pop up on the thread, someone on another continent was prompted into reading a book or checking out some YouTube documentaries and next thing you know they’ve bought a new Flames of War or Bolt Action or Black Powder army for a given period or conflict.  My name comes up in the description and it always makes me smile.

People find out that a relative of theirs or a local figure from their town or a regiment raised in their part of the country fought well in a particular conflict, they reach out to me for some information.  I do what I can, and next thing you know their campaigns (and my name) are popping up on YouTube, Twitch, or other online media.

Probably the best are the people who find boxes of memorabilia left by a late relative.  They have a shoulder patch, a medal, a document, but otherwise know nothing about what great-grandpa did in France or Italy or what have you.  I can’t find any personal records, but I can usually find the unit that person belonged to and provide a pretty detailed history on that unit, allowing the family to understand some small part of what their relative might have experienced.

Grind or a chore?  Sometimes painting, I won’t lie.  At least the first half of it.  Once you reach that tipping point where the model starts to look good or the army really starts to gel and come together … that’s when things start to get better for me.

[oriskany 60771xp 1]

And what the hell?  I’m the first person to  give @evilstu a +1 for hosting the thread this weekend?  😀

[rickabod41Participant 9259xp 3]

@evilstu yeah I have a project up cunningly entitled The Chaos All Stars 2018, but for quickness I will just add a few pics here.

Yeah I probably stick to painting some of the existing hundreds of figures I already have, well at least until payday…

[evilstu 15298xp 1]

@oriskany have the SitRep podcast on my list of things to check out – keen to see what modern can offer as far as gaming experiences. I’m guessing a truckload (or perhaps freighter-load/building-load/embassy-load/compound-load/convoy-load etc etc…) of ‘what if’ scenarios for starters. 🙂 Hope the downtime has recharged you, seems like you have been pushing hard of late. Interesting approach to hobby projects – taking a manageable chunk and just powering through full -speed. I suppose using that approach you could quite easily tackle mammoth tasks by partitioning into smaller segments and knocking them off that way. Have used tournaments as deadlines to get armies ready before but I have personally always felt burned out by the tie the actual gaming kicked off – there was a running joke years ago that it wasn’t a ‘real’ Cancon (our local big gaming festival) tournament army unless the paint was still wet on the first day. Making hobby pledges on these here weekender forums has worked for me before though and wilt a lot less pressure so if there is something i ‘need’ to get done I might have to impose on you all to heckle and jeer me if I don’t hit my future self-imposed deadlines 🙂 I like the idea of DIY gaming, or at least heavily modifying other’s rules sets to meet your own requirements. I’m only just starting to work this into my own gaming. One of my regular opponents with whom I still play 8th edition Warhammer Fantasy is fortunately very amenable to rules modifications, especially where they make sense or add realism, so I’m pretty lucky in that regard. A ‘Rules As Written’ approach to things can be a little stifling at times… I’m glad that you get a buzz out of genuine feedback on your article series. I for one do read and enjoy them but don’t usually jump in on the comments as I’m still finding my feet as it were with regard to historicals and don’t presently have the depth of knowledge that some of our esteemed community members possess, so I’m just happy to read along and pick up bits of info. On a completely unrelated note, my GF is kindly giving me a bunch of AWI (and ACW) Perry minis for my birthday – care to guess what article series piqued my interest there? 😛 30 points for responses.

@rickabod41 nice work on the BB minis! Especially the skin tones (and there are a few shades to get to grips with on those minis). Thanks for sharing 10 points.

[evilstu 15298xp 1]

My hobby progress for today – fished my ‘potions’ props out of storage only to find all the water had dissipated through the cork at the top of the jars. So refilled a couple and coated with superglue to form a seal. Small craft jars form a ‘pound shop’ or your local equivalent, with water and food colouring. Obviously blue for mana and red for a healing potion, but you could add or mix other food colouring for more complex potions (green for poison, yellow for an antidote, purple for a strength boost, orange for a resistance boost etc etc…). @warzan something worth considering for your fighting fantasy escapades?

Also (finally) made a tiny bit of progress on my Orktober ‘Long range Dakka Group’ – some base colours on my custom Kommandos and a few of the vehicles. Feeling better as at least I have a start made.

And finally some more of the base colours down on my Perry Dragoons.

Hoping to get a bit more progress done tomorrow.

[warzanKeymaster 31125xp 2]

Exellent idea mate

wonder if i could make them drinkable? mmmm

vodka ones for andrea lol

[querionParticipant 2196xp 3]

Aaaaah … my two weeks of hell on earth at work are finally over! And i’m still alive … somewhat.

Hobby Pledges this time around:

– Put some more work into my Idoneth Deepkin, those guys are waiting for more paint for far to long now …

– Mash Wanderers Glade Guard and Eternal Guard together to form something that Looks a bit more like high elven archers. (Got both sets from a friend who wanted to get rid of them 2 for the price of 1)

– Work on another Dreadfleet ship for a friend.

We will see how much of this my life will let me do 😉

 

Questions:

1.) i wish i had one of those, i could really Need one! really really need one!

2.) nope so far i haven’t but thats because i’m more of a painter than a player. i wish i could play more games, but well it’s hard to get my timetable and those of some friends to fit together for long enough that we could get some games in.

3.) the only part of the Hobby that i really don’t like is that my Money is leaving me so damn fast 😉 And there’s the Problem …. it feels soooo nice to buy some new shiny 😉 But i like painting and playing almost the same, i just have more time for painting than for actual gaming.

 

on to some Music:

 

read you guys later, time to crack out the brushes and paints!

 

 

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