The Miniatures Pledge 2016 - April - With Decent Photos!
My pledge for the year is to limit my miniatures buying to any of the new Ral Partha figures coming from the Chaos Wars Wave 2 Kickstarter, and any figures in the future to support specific things in my campaigns, if needed. So that might mean some elves in 15mm. And possibly some levies/peasants in 15mm. But I'm keeping it as minimal as possible. I want to paint everything in my backlog, which at the beginning of January was at 415 to paint.
So how did I do in April?
I started April with 332 figures in the pile.
I painted 24 figures:
2 - 25mm D&D Monsters
9 - 25mm D&D PCs/NPCs
7 - 25mm wargames figures - Humans
4 - Battlemechs
2 - Fantasy terrain "tiles"
I also found that I miscounted one of my Grenadier box sets by 1 figure, so I had 9 instead of 10.
And "no purchases"! Three months in a row and counting...
I ended the month with 307 figures in the pile. For the year, I have a net of: +108 figures.
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But why the quotes around "no purchases"? Because the Ral Partha Chaos Wars 2 Kickstarter is in full swing now!
Right now, budget is the biggest factor in how many figures I can purchase from this Kickstarter, which is only a measly 17 figures (including 2 freebies from stretch goals). But if you want to get ahold of some really cool Ral Partha classic goodness and see a reinvigorated wargame - try out the Chaos Wars! It's really a cool game!
Why so few figures painted this month though? Beyond having most of my weekends spoken for with traveling, a huge reason is because I've done something pretty interesting and scary, I've went to a completely new way of painting. I mentioned this in a previous blog post - I'm experimenting with the Foundry/Dallimore method of painting minis.
I used the 2 color method for the PCs/NPCs and monsters, and the 1 color method (with selective highlights) for the "grunt/unit" troops. I managed to complete 4 25mm spear men in one day - from first touch of the brush to finished basing! That's pretty fast for me and now that I'm starting to get better with this method, I can see where I'll be able to knock out lots of troops this way. I going to save the 3 color method for when I get really good, and I have a command or important figure to paint.
I like the results!
And... as promised, I finally figured out my photography issues (MOAHR LIGHT, IDIOT!) so here you go! Part of what I've painted up in the past 3 months...
So how did I do in April?
I started April with 332 figures in the pile.
I painted 24 figures:
2 - 25mm D&D Monsters
9 - 25mm D&D PCs/NPCs
7 - 25mm wargames figures - Humans
4 - Battlemechs
2 - Fantasy terrain "tiles"
I also found that I miscounted one of my Grenadier box sets by 1 figure, so I had 9 instead of 10.
And "no purchases"! Three months in a row and counting...
I ended the month with 307 figures in the pile. For the year, I have a net of: +108 figures.
------
But why the quotes around "no purchases"? Because the Ral Partha Chaos Wars 2 Kickstarter is in full swing now!
Why so few figures painted this month though? Beyond having most of my weekends spoken for with traveling, a huge reason is because I've done something pretty interesting and scary, I've went to a completely new way of painting. I mentioned this in a previous blog post - I'm experimenting with the Foundry/Dallimore method of painting minis.
I used the 2 color method for the PCs/NPCs and monsters, and the 1 color method (with selective highlights) for the "grunt/unit" troops. I managed to complete 4 25mm spear men in one day - from first touch of the brush to finished basing! That's pretty fast for me and now that I'm starting to get better with this method, I can see where I'll be able to knock out lots of troops this way. I going to save the 3 color method for when I get really good, and I have a command or important figure to paint.
I like the results!
And... as promised, I finally figured out my photography issues (MOAHR LIGHT, IDIOT!) so here you go! Part of what I've painted up in the past 3 months...
Awesome! You're bases look way better than mine. Don't tell the U.S. Government, I mount all of mine on quarters, paint them green and call it a day!
ReplyDelete@RipperX - thank you! The wood bases are 1" Litko bases - I mount all my 25mm on 1" wide bases to keep them the same, and then just adjust my wargames rules accordingly.
ReplyDeleteThe dungeon bases - the thinner ones are Sculpy clay bases, homemade. The thicker dungeon bases are Hirst Arts flagstone floor tiles. They're "OK"... I am not sure I like the thickness, but I have 100 of them, and I use what I buy so ...
You can go cheaper than quarters and buy some washers from your local hardware store. Usually cheaper than quarters and just as sturdy.
Looking good, Michael!
ReplyDeleteI like your "reduce the pile!" painting pledge vs. buying more minis. I should really dig more into my pile too, before buying any more!
Allan.
I applaud your diligence.
ReplyDeleteNow I need to get started on my 250 or so minis... and I haven't painted any since I was in grade school.
So intimidated...
@grodog - thank you. Hope you enjoy the old chunky classical Grenadier. I love the look, except for those darn baggy clothes! Don't murderhoboes dress any better? ;)
ReplyDelete@Wieg - don't be intimidated! Trust me when I say that some of the paint jobs I've done last month, up close, look terrible! But I paint for the tabletop. At 3 feet, they look great, especially as "grunts". That's what I'm doing for learning the new technique, sharpen my skills on grunt and NPC/monster minis (like these) and get good enough to do PC and command/special figures.
Here's a great one coat tutorial on the Foundry painting method - http://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/pages/quick-dirty-basic-15mm-painting-guide
You can skip Step 4 - the highlights - and have a great figure! And this works for 25/28mm as well as 15mm.