Hi folks,

Last entry was about managing the almost daily/weekly organization of my painting backlog. It led me to comment about the dynamic underneath my approach of model stacking into the painting queues. Conclusion was that as far as I am concerned, I work better if I run multiple projects in parallel and if I feed the pipe in a revolving way. It is all about number, type and variety of color schemes. And it has impacts on my mood and assiduity.

But interestingly enough, this short-term organization does not say anything on the log composition and the definition of my underlying objectives. Said otherwise, why do I do what I do. It is on step beyond -or backward – from any logistic management previously discussed.

I am in no way managing my back log on a first in/first out basis. One that might have followed my blogs might remind that it took me almost 2 decades to start painting my Eldars. And if I have recently painted my Battle of Skull Pass boxed set for WFB, I still have gobs from the 4^th Ed waiting to be colored.

So, how do I work? Since Lock Down I have injected a serious dose of planification into my hobbit: I need an organized purpose to guide my path. Even if I sometimes go off-roads. But this is not (yet) the topic.

My target has been, during many years, to complete a Space Wolf great company. I used as a backbone the detachment cards from Space Marine (ooP EPIC) do design and define a kind of organization. Say basically 10 grey hunter squads, plus their 20 Wolf guards, Transports for everybody and lots of supporting units. It led me to compulsory purchases and a lot of storage during years. I then decided to do something out of this and started painting because, being locked at home, I had time to spend. And TV shows are poor. Having accumulated far more than 100 Grey hunters it took me a long time.

Not mine, but you get the idea...

Once the pump has been primed, it is hard to disconnect from an addictive hobby. My second motor was then a “New Year/New Army” challenge. Admech entered the frey and defined the rhythm: target was getting 2000 pts in one year, all painted. Because while I am ageing, I tend to be less prone to accept playing with bare grey plastics. Chauvinism maybe.

As I have a lot of back log accumulated during decades, and in order to deliver, I try to stay focused. But staying focused on a single faction leads to boredom because of lack of variety. And without fun, the hobby becomes a burden and not a source of satisfaction. I therefore include some “distracting” projects, such as kit bashes, KT units, small allied contingents… A Styrix Freeblade is a good example of that trend.

As disruptive elements from these carefully planned pluriannual routes, I also engage in some spot challenges that may lead to make a break and include as intersessions, different kinds of models – CtA has been such an inspiring source of off-road material, leading to include Aeldarii in my painting plan, just to score points and to do something else than Skitarii (at the time). It has no purpose other than painting. But once launched, if you have a series of miniatures that are almost enough to build up a decent force, you try to legalize it; and buy new stuff just to fill the ranks. And such an interlude becomes the seed for the next year goal.

But while I have been slowly but surely eliminating from my back log all the SW, Death Watch, Admech and Pointy ears, I have started shifting from these armies to models for other game systems. First only to keep on maintaining the momentum by introducing “different” painting exercises (Fell beasts from the WFB Albion campaign for example), and then to redefine the forementioned focus. And as I keep on working on both sources, the inevitable closure of the older project (sooner or later there are no model left) the distraction takes the leading role. And as such we are turning the wheel.

Or is it McArthur that said it?

As you would have understood, the key for me is focusing and alternating painting strategies that bring variety. Then once a block is done I pass to the next one that used to be under a kind of “probation”. I define these objectives as annual targets and I authorize myself to some subprojects just to keep the flame vivid. This year, my commitments for the painting log have been defined as: completing my Epic SM of old and my Epic Squats of old while interluding with a scenery project. In parallel I plan to finish my Night gob and fantasy Dwarves which were part of last year’s targets and are close to completion. There are therefore tailing projects, newly defined yearly projects and interludes. But I may still potentially change my course, depending on potential challenges on B&C for example. Such challenges may eventually lead me to accelerate some potential projects I have in mind but that are not (yet) concretized: what about building up a HH Mechanicus force? Or making this Freeblade of mine an anchor for starting a new Knight army? And what about these Neophytes I have gathered over the past 3 years that might become a custom Astra Militarum Regiment??? Or will it be for 2027 – after all my kid looks like being very interested into the games and it might be another source of disruption??? As said by Generals, no plan survives the contact with the enemy. And, hobby wise, aren’t we all our own enemies? Good excuse to go off-roads.

I have an Inquisitor to paint (yes, DW was supposed being finished but since the Codex changed and I want to relegalize it again…). No plan survives as said…

Found on Ebay at a very competitive price (i.e. a price I was ready to pay for it) 

B.R.