I'm a miniatures addict, but I have a plan!

[grant]

http://soldatetain.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/i-am-a-miniatures-addict-but-i-now-have-a-plan/

A blog post. Referencing one of the best articles I've read in some time, I admit my weakness and find strength in the Mighty Brush!

[Captain Blood]

'NO MORE BUYING UNTIL MY PROJECTS ARE DONE! '

 

Good luck with that! 

[Cubs]

I had a big clear-out of unpainted stuff a year or two ago. It was tough, but not as tough as I thought it would be.

I've now told myself not to buy the new Warlord Gurkhas until I've painted all of my Chindits.

I've also found that poverty helps to keep the impulse-purchasing down. Anyone who has too much money for this approach, I am willing to help them out by accepting their excess money.

[former user]

I've also found that poverty helps to keep the impulse-purchasing down.

that....

[von Lucky]

Wise words.

I have bought very little in the last year. I decided to stop saying "this is the year I'm going to complete projects" and actually do that. Part of that is not buying more to add to the pile. Strength of will is required!

Each month I have been pushing myself (but keeping it fun) to get one set done - be it a whole army, platoon, squad or just a vehicle or two. We're all different in our speeds - so there's no right or wrong way to go about the hobby. But I do agree the sake for buying only and not completing (painting, maybe gaming) seems ridiculous at times.

Also, like many I have done the clear out. Ask yourself a simple question when doing it, "Will I paint this in 5 years time?" If the answer is no, then sell it!

[Cubs]

I remember with shame when GW first released their Skaven. There was a comic strip of sorts which appeared in some of the Citadel Journals in the mid to late 80's, called Kaleb Daark. The stories were written by those comicbook giants, Alan Grant and John Wagner and I think the artist was Brett Ewins (but I may be wrong).

Kaleb Daark was a renegade Chaos Champion of 'The Fifth Chaos God', Malal, and the stories were really just a vehicle to introduce GW products of course, but they were still pretty good for all that. I remember the Kaleb Daark models (foot and mounted) as well as a pair of Chaos Champion brothers (Jaek and Helwood ... yes ...) and it was these stories that introduced Skaven for the first time.

In the comicstrip they were small, about half human size, and infiltrated a castle through the sewers, overwhelming the guards and flinging little harpoons and poison darts all over the place. Anyhoo, I obviously fell head first in love with the idea of the little fellas and sat cooing over the pictures of the minituares for hours on end.

My brother, in a fit of ridiculous generosity, bought me the full starter set of Skaven for my birthday - dozens of models - and I was so happy with them.

And they sat in their box ... and they sat in their box ... and twenty years later they were still sat in their box. There were just too many models and I would half-heartedly begin a model or two every now and then, but the sheer weight of numbers of the unpainted ones left would just crush my resolve and I'd give up.

Eventually I sold them all, feeling immensely guilty. I've never allowed myself to buy a big haul of stuff since, because that experience was like an emotional innoculation.

[Cubs]

Pics -

[janner]

Seem to be following a similar general route to Trebian, but without the spreadsheet etc. 

I'm mixing finishing off old projects, like my Caesarian Romans and Imperial Germans, with enjoying frothing over new ones, generally Forge World loveliness.

I'm aiming to have the first two armies cracked by the end of the year, which earns me an entirely new Horus Heresy army to paint over the course of next year 

That just leaves the HYW French to finish off, as well as the second Sammy army and many boxes of WotR stuff. But this is a hobby after all, if it becomes a chore then it defeats the purpose of it all 

[grant]

When I first started with GW, I would buy a unit, build and paint it, and then get a new one. So sensible in hindsight. The odd mini would be unpainted. There was nothing like the feeling of getting home, and starting into it right away! Clean, prime (by hand with smelly primer), and then into painting. Only later did I start buying by the army, abs it was an awful idea.

I was really torn about selling my 28s recently, but I now feel surprisingly free. I think the oppression of a 100 years worth of painting was killing some of my enjoyment! I can see everything I have now, there are now surprise boxes and piles.

There was renewal in selling off my stuff! And only one chunk didn't go, a small box of ECW scots that some guy said he wanted (from here, no less!!!) and then hasn't had the courtesy to even respond to PMs. Odd. Oh well, it could be fun to paint tartan, right?

And I lived my blog post yesterday. First thing I do when I sell something is go shopping. Stupid! Yesterday, I was briefly talking about getting some Foundry Germans on bikes. The price was great! But I did the right thing and stopped myself. Day one; success.

I'm going to commit to spending far less time on here and more painting too. It's time to get my hobby back.

[Tomsche]

A completely smashed 'paint hand' that took a few months to recover, a game group that virtually dissolved and due to those things a total motivation dump had me on an 'all time hobby low' the past year.

But now I've started painting again, slowly and calmly, and with a greatly reduced pile of lead and plastic.  And I didn't buy a single figure in 2013 yet 

[FramFramson]

A complete lack of any game groups at all tends to put a damper on things. But I slowly plod my way through.

These threads are periodic though - every month or two there must be some hand-wringing over the volume of unpainted figures one owns.

[Onebigriver]

Wise words.

I have bought very little in the last year. I decided to stop saying "this is the year I'm going to complete projects" and actually do that. Part of that is not buying more to add to the pile. Strength of will is required!

Can identify with that. I pledged not to buy any mini's this year (ok, I weakened on that score, but not too badly, and 1/72 figures aren't really miniatures, are they?  ) and focus on getting my 28mm Sharp Practice project finished. I took two months off in the summer but otherwise I managed to stick to my goal and now all the figures are painted. Now I'm relaxing to the end of the year, painting fantasy figures for dungeon crawling, the 9 members of the Fellowship of the Ring & resin Balin's tomb base, a small collection of wild west figures, an Inquisitor and retinue for ITEN and some figures as Xmas presents.

I think I've got enough figures & projects to pledge not to buy any figures in 2014 too. 

[redeaston]

I am doing a similar thing as well. There will be a bit of buying to bring the armies I have up to scratch though. The plan is to cut things back to three main projects and sell off all the odds and ends I have picked up. For me it’s going to be the following.

1/ 28mm WW2 – Already have a decent amount painted but I have a back log of infantry of various types to do. These are for bolt action/Chain of Command. The good thing here will be that once I have the basic forces painted up it will be easy to expand the forces cheaply by just adding support options here and there.

2/ 28mm Zulu war – Again I have a decent amount painted but still a load of stuff to do. I am looking forward to the Black powder Zulu war supplement.

3/ 15mm sci-fi – Only recently got into this via my son and the critical mass kickstarter. All of this is painted which is great. There are a few bits I would like to add to my force but I can wait until I have some more of the first two done.

[joroas]

Like most folks here, I have a lead mountain, much of it sitting around for up to 20 years, but at the time, essential.

After much hand-wringing and soul-searching my GW armies are being sold off, I can no longer keep up, mentally or financially, with their changes.  If I get the right monies back I will treat myself to PAINTED stuff!!!!

[maxxon]

I remember the Kaleb Daark models (foot and mounted)

Here's mine:
http://www.smallcuts.net/photo/?id=2627