Monday 1 March 2010

Friend Computer, Communist Mutant Traitors Have Caused Errors!

Greetings, citizens!

I have written before about the scale of the task ahead of me, but over the weekend, instead of sorting out the problem(s) with power cables and other such non- and semi-fun things, I took the first steps in quantifying what I have to do to finish off my unpainted pile at home.

It looks much like my guess, actually. I have 134 (132 after today's session) unpainted figures at home, including the following 'large' figures:

4x 54mm scale Inquisitor figures (each 4 OPP),
2x 28mm scale Minotaurs (each 2 OPP);
3x 28mm scale Space Marine Bikers (each 2 OPP).

Not bad, actually. It totals something in the region of 153 OPP. At my current rate of about 10 figures a week, I should finish my to-paint-pile in about 13 weeks. In order to make sure I do actually do this, I've taken a drastic step:

I won't be going to Salute 2010.

Nor will I be buying any more toy soldiers until I've finished everything I have at home. I want to have a concrete goal to reach, and I think this is it - it also fits nicely into the Plan - Purchase - Paint framework.

In terms of reaching that goal, today I painted two Dire Avengers for my wife's Biel-Tan army. I really like the simple style I've acheived with them, and hope to have finished the remaining two Dire Avengers and the Farseer by Wednesday, leaving Thursday and Friday free to work on the CPGB types for my VBCW collection.

I also glued together, and based, 8 of the 10 Romans I got the other week. This gives me a 1:1 Contubernium of the Legio IX Hispana*. Four are advancing with gladius, four standing with pilum. I've still not decided how many to get, but I think I'll probably settle for a vexillation, which varied in size so I can get a force I feel happy with. It'll almost certainly include about 20-30 Auxiliaries plus some cavalry and maybe a Ballista of some sort. Eventually.

More from my WFB Undead (The Nachtarmija of Tyrka):Skellies 1
Skellies 2
The two 'big block' skeleton regiments. Shield and hand weapon, shield and spear. Note the Skeleton Champion I need to paint!

Olley Painting Points:

This Week: 2
2010 Total: 52
2009 Total: 58
Grand Total: 110

* The Legion of the Ninth did not, as was once popularly supposed, disappear in the year 117AD during its period in Britain. References to it, and its officers, appear from 121AD onwards, and it is now thought that the Hispana was destroyed during the Bar Kochba Revolt of 132-135AD as there are no references to it at all during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. However, I don't care about the reality, and my Legion of the Ninth are hopelessly doomed and will be set against Picts, Celts, and other inhabitants of Brittania.