4697

Well, that was certainly an interesting experience....

Welcome to 2021, and my eighth annual hobby update on the blog.  So how did it go?

  • 4697 Points overall (-166)
  • 1152 Individual Castings (-2253)
  • 157 Line Items (units) (-67)\
  • 64 Total Posts (-43)
so... pretty much a massive downward trend especially compared to productivity from 2016-18.  I will save the typical itemized breakdown for my 2021 goal.  Here I will focus on my original 2020 Objectives

Overall Objectives
Looking at my project catalog I have 111 planned units already in the queue ranging from 1/6000 scale warships to 28mm tanks.  This amounts to roughly 3600 equivalent painting points.  My annual totals average around 5000 points and   150 entries, so it is within the realm of the possible to clear the backlog.


 Well, I managed to knock out 67 of those line items and about 2000 points from the objectives list, so not as bad as expected.  

 I would like to focus more on building up my terrain and skirmish collection, so I plan setting my point goal to a more modest 4500 points (for me at least). 

O.K. not as bad as expected.  I managed to maintain focus on my skirmish models and definitely expanded the terrain collection, especially in terms of WWII and near future ruins.  

 

I actually exceeded my modest 4500 point goal, which does lessen the blow of being my lowest production year since I started blogging.


So looking at my goals by project, how did they come out?

28mm Dark Ages:  I had a bit of a revival in painting my 28mm viking collection in 2019 that will continue into 2020.  I plan on replacing all of my old plastic models with metal ones that are more conducive to skirmish gaming.  I have most of the models on-hand, and the re-base of the older models is now complete.  I expect to do about 8 units overall with another 9-12 personalities for the vikings.  In addition, I want to expand the Skraelings to a full five units with 2-3 more command figures in the coming year. 


Winter 2020 saw the completion of over a 100 Vikings and Natives with all the plastics essentially moved into retirement (as well as a large proportion gifted to other gamers).

28mm Renaissance:  I had a large number of figures from a successful kickstarter come in in 2018 that has left me with another 12 units to go.  I want to add another unit of Gendarmes to the collection as well as some missile troops.  That and three artillery pieces that need to get beyond the primer phase. 


Significantly less success here, as I managed to only eke out another block of Pikemen and a handful of camp followers.  I have several sitting on the paint shelf looking for some finishing touches, so all is not lost. 

28mm Samurai Era:  A success story from 2019, the only remaining pieces are some personality figures and skirmish models.  I want to finish Takeda Shingen (finally) and then a loose collection of Sohei skirmishers.  If I can clear enough stuff from the Queue, then Warlord's new Ona Bugeisha and Sohei packs look very promising.  (as well as Footsore's Ashigaru Scouts) 

 

 A few successes in terms of specific personalities here including the last of my unpainted Generals. 

28mm WWII:  I need to finish the last units for my US Airborne force (a section of LMGs) as well as a US Half-Track and Sherman Tank.  I managed to pick up a 28mm British Airborne command and specialty pack at a steep discount when the Warstore ended business, that will serve as the seed for a planned platoon for Chain of Command at some point



Another success for the year.  Not only did I manage to collect and complete the Para platoon, but I actually decided to collect and paint a platoon of Commandoes as well.  

28mm Ancients:  Still working on finishing off my Kushite Egyptian force, though I seem easily distracted.  I have the models to finish five more chariots, three stands of light cavalry and a horde of archers. 


Another success, as I managed to complete the last 15 units and then deliver the whole group as a retirement gift to my long-time gaming partner- in -crime.


18mm Seven Years War:  I already managed to get another unit of Curassiers added to the collection this month.  I have enough models to do three units of Cossacks and 4 stands of combined grenadiers.  That should be enough to call it done for anything after Kunersdorf



um yeah, moving on....

10mm Seven Years War:  Just four light infantry regiments to go.  You'd think I would have just done it by now. You would be wrong. 


A little more successful here as all of the available models have now been completed.  

10mm American Civil War:  Another collection that has not hit the table in awhile and thus suffers for it.  10 units await completion, I need to at least finish the bands and the ambulance stands as they are long overdue from being the last of the Secret Santa minis in the collection.



 

I managed to complete everything save the Ambulances.. perhaps 2021 will be their year?


6mm SciFi:  I love the old Battletech minis (my first real wargame following GHQ micro armor back in the 80's), and so I threw in on the Clan Invasion Kickstarter which will deliver sometime in 2020 (maybe...)  I still want to give them a try using the Polyversal rule system, so I plan to finish off a couple regiments of mechs, infantry and armor.  Overall about 20 mechs, and 100 suits of body armor/infantry in all.


I managed to finish off several minis that have been sitting around for the last 20-30 years, so overall not too bad.  I also managed to finish off the last of the Polyversal minis as well


of course, neither the Polyversal boxed rules, nor my Battletech pledges arrived this year.  Both have blamed it on 'the current global crisis' which I can understand for Battletech, but Polyversal is now over three years overdue.  I am sure in 2021 they will need to blame it on sunspots activity or Climate Change. 

3mm Moderns:  Another nearly complete collection.  There are still a large number of Helos awaiting completion as well as some CAS aircraft.

...and they are still awaiting completion.  Moving on.

1/6000 Naval:  Going on 15 years without completing the US capitol ships from the Leyte Gulf boxed set.  I want to at least get the Battleships and Aircraft carriers done this year.


 A big success here as I managed to finish the entire backlog.  Only 20 years too late for when I was playing micronaughts regularly.  Oh well, these things are cyclical.


New and Unexpected Projects





The unceasing grind of the lame-pocolyspe rekindled my interest in the post Soviet conflicts of of the former USSR as well as post nuclear apocolyptic science fiction.  This lead to an interest in rounding out my Chechnya/Cold war collections with more belligerents as well as a small delve into skirmish wargames like Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, This is Not a Test and Zona Alfa.  They had the added incentive to adding interest in getting games with my solely available opponent for almost the entire year: my teenage son.  It allowed me to stretch my painting skills a little bit, and significantly expand my urban ruin terrain.  

Overall, not as bad as expected.  My gaming has obviously dwindled away to nearly nothing, but I did manage to meet my primary painting goals this year of expanding my terrain and finishing off the small skirmish projects.  What will 2021 bring?  I suppose that will have to wait for another update.  



 

Comments

  1. 2020 looked like a very successful year on the painting front. With painting point totals not much changed from 2019, you must have focused on the larger figures rather than your 10s or 6s.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a massive shift towards 28mm for the most part.

      Delete
  2. While the gaming clearly suffered from the need for "social distancing", the productivity and goal completion was very solid!

    ReplyDelete

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