When projects don't go as planned

[Strata]

Im curious about this. How many of you, my brothers and sisters, will sit down to plan out a project, start your build, or your painting only for some aspect of it to change. Perhaps what you have in mind changes, or some other external reason causes it.

 

I can give you my example, as to why i bring this up.  I had been in the process of building up a heresy era force of Iron Warriors, I was enjoying my build, and my painting. Then 8th edition dropped. Suddenly I no longer had anyone to play with, everyone local to me moved into 8th. This had then, for the last year left me with 30 mk3 marines still on sprue.  Yesterday i decided to sit down and start building. So now i have 29 legs and torso's built and waiting to be.. well.. armed.. Initially they were destined to be Iron Warriors. And I could still do that. But I would be leaning towards a more Chaos slant with then then straight legion. Which, i feel might clash with the ones i already have finished. Then two more ideas popped to mind. I've had an urge to paint red, Blood angels specifically coming to mind. Then, I also just finished reading Ashes of Prospero, So that leads onto the Wolves. And I find myself at an impass, unsure which way im going to go with these bodies.

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

My plans take no account of economic reality so when the two collide, my plans change.

 

Word Bearers are red.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Res Ipsa Loquitur

[Slave to Darkness]

Naturally Word Bearers are the only option!!! Join usssssssss. :lol:

[KhorneHunter57x]

And I find myself at an impass, unsure which way im going to go with these bodies.

At least they're unbuilt. I have a bunch of assembled Astartes (with Ultramarine-specific bits) that I'm agonizing about doing as:

- Ultramarines

- Salamanders

- Black Templars

- Star Phantoms

or some combination of the above (or something else entirely!). *sigh*

 

So I'm working on a different army while I debate.

[Kinstryfe]

My issue is that I very often tend to fall for the curse of halves. I've never finished a major project, the closest being my Imperial Guard who are less a defined project as "I'm gonna build ALL the Guard!!!", and which is only as far as it is because I was in a short league when Conscripts were good and figured it was an excuse to paint 100 or so extra infantry. Next closest is a decade old project of an Emperor's Children battle company (back before pretty Preheresy miniatures) who are an assault squad and rhino away from being finished. My current project is an Ultramarines 1st company, which is nearing being half completed, and that's where I fall apart. I plan BIG (literally have 300+ Marines of various types waiting to become Ultras, of which about 60 are painted), and eventually lose stream once I'm into the realm of never realistically using more minis in battle.

 

So what do I do? Switch gears and paint something else, or put painting on the back burner and work on a different hobby (I just learned how to needle felt because I was tired of painting). Eventually, I'll revisit the project and either finish it or cannibalize it for other stuff :)

[battle captain corpus]

We are puppets in the grand theatre of Tzeentchs hobby!

 

Its quite a common thing to happen. Numerous side projects get canned etc over the years. I've always found painting and assembling in very small batches, such as 5 men, keeps me sharp and on line. Then treating myself once in a while to a hero etc as a reward. But there's always the dark whisper of other things to try/do!

 

Best of luck with whgatever you choose. Maybe just split your minis down into smaller squads and paint a bit of this and that?

 

BCC

[m_r_parker]

Heck, I’d be happy with a project that didn’t go as planned, provided it actually got to a point of completion. I struggle to get models painted to a state where I feel comfortable using them, and I have so many ideas floating around my skull that feel too good to pass up. Here are some of the ones that I’ve picked up and put down shortly afterwards:

30k Iron Warriors, based around the Ironfire. Lots of phished launchers, artillery, terminators and the odd siege Dreadnought (The FW MkIV Ironclad)

40k Black Legion, based on the more recent TS and DG plastics rather than the older plastics.

40k Deathwatch, mixing a copy of Overkill with a few boxes of DW kill teams, using various parts from my many bitz boxes to make things more unique.

40k Eldar, Biel-Tan focussing on aspect warriors and jetbikes

40k Dark Angels, one army being pure Deathwing,another being green wing with incorporated Primaris.

30k / 40k Custodes - which is the one I’m working on at the moment.

 

All of these have been within the past 12 months. And this doesn’t even count the various kits I’ve picked up for the never-coming “One Day”.

 

I think it’s something a lot of us can relate to, and everyone has a different take on what to do. Ultimately you’ll just have to see what works for you.

[Kinstryfe]

Oooh going for the failed project tally. I'm in.

I'm a certifiable (Preheresy) power armour junky, and my local hobby shop having a thriving business in secondhand (and often unpainted) minis doesn't help. I finally took tally late last year and have banned myself from buying anything if I have one of it already because I found the remnants of:

 

Sons of Horus termy army - Used mostly for parts for Ultramarines 1st Company.

Sons of Horus marines - About 40 painted, now awaiting a function. Unpainted donated to the Marine Bag™.

Word Bearers Bike Company - 10 Painted bikers, 5 Painter Speeders, 6 Painted converted Jetbikes. About 30 Unpainted Bikers and numerous attack bikes and speeders reclaimed for eventual Ultramarining. Honestly, I don't even remember painting these, but it's my style so I must have.

Alpha Legion Company - 25 Models completed, about 60 reclaimed for eventual Ultramarining.

MkIII Marines - Got drunk and ordered on eBay. 100+ none were yet assembled. Claimed for eventual Ultramarining.

World Eaters - 30 assorted painted, another 30+ unpainted. Unsure what to do as 'zerkers are too ugly to pass for much other than World Eaters.

Death Guard - Chaos marines? No time for this. All sorts, banished to a box on top of my shelf in case they're ever useful.

Ork "mutant" army - when and why did I buy all these Orks? Where did 4 trukks come from? Why did I think this would be a good project when I have so many space marines around?

Harlequins - metal and plastic, so I've started this project at least twice. Only ever used as very questionable death cultist conversions. Still insist that I'll paint them up all fabulous some day.

I also found 6 drop pods, 4 Land Raiders, and 2 old metal hybrid first gen Predators.

 

This plus my massive Guard projects, my Ultras, Emperor's Children, and Custodes, total finished projects = 0. Maybe my Custodes will be the first, since it'll only take about 15 more models...

 

So don't despair if you're having trouble finishing a project. Just avoid buying extra battle companies until you've finished your first.

[Mileposter]

I have never had a "failed" project, in the sense that everything I start eventually gets finished. I have had "failed" projects in the sense that I started out to make an X and a Y came out instead.

 

This is largely because I subscribe to the "bits" theory for projects as much as I do to bits themselves. Start building Blood Angels Tac Squad, decide against playing Imperium halfway? On the shelf those go. Until you have an orphaned squad of Tau Fire Warriors. Then those Blood Angels come back off the shelf and you make a kick :cuss Armies On Parade diorama with the two engaged.

 

I call it "No Model Left Behind".

 

With all the crazy unique stuff I delve into (see the snow globes idea thread for confirmation) it's just part of the process to repurpose or assimilate projects into something new.

[Zamtro]

I'd say just about every forum user here is in need of finishing some projects :P I'm personally making an active effort this year to get some done. Primarily because 3 weeks ago I bought an entire new Seraphon army (purely because i think they look cool) and realised I have about 6 unfinished projects on the go :(

[Claws and Effect]

My eventual project goal?

 

Raven Guard.

 

Which Company, you ask?

 

All. Of. Them.

 

My long term goal is to build and paint the entire frakking Chapter. I figure it will take upwards of 10 years, assuming I don't get distracted. Knowing myself as well as I do, though, check back in about 20 ;)

[Semper Fortis]

My eventual project goal?

Raven Guard.

Which Company, you ask?

All. Of. Them.

My long term goal is to build and paint the entire frakking Chapter. I figure it will take upwards of 10 years, assuming I don't get distracted. Knowing myself as well as I do, though, check back in about 20 ;)

Be patient. I actually finished my whole Dark Angels chapter, though it took me nearly 30 years. Likely the only reason I finished them is because I dragged minis and paint to most of the armpit places I was stationed during a lot of those years.

 

Today is a much different story. I have boxes and piles and drawers and shelves full of plastic and resin crack still on sprue or gates. While most are destined for my VII Legion project, there are also orks, Eldar, and IG in there, too. Then there is all the Mechanicum and Solar Auxilia stuff to go with the IF siege army. Oh, and half a dozen GW terrain boxes... And every blasted race or legion has had at least part of a start on them.

 

Then there's the *massive* 1:35 model of a prototype German WWII minesweeper (prototype, because they found it was too big to be supported by battlefield soil) that I've been working on intermittently for a few months. It's supposed to be a Mechanicum vehicle for my Ordo Reductor force. It is just not going as planned due to trying out a new shading technique on flat surfaces only slightly smaller than dinner plates.

 

Oh yeah, it always goes as planned. ;)

[Soldier of Dorn]

I have more aborted projects than I can remember, in all honesty. Lot of those are due to collaborative projects that just didn't end up working out, lots are things that I started building and then realized that I genuinely didn't enjoy or dropped for other reasons, and too many just... failed in the planning stages, for various reasons. I do usually let those "failed" ideas gestate for a while in the back of my mind, and then bring them back into consideration, like in the case of the Blood Angels Airborne force I'm planning out right now, which is based on an aborted project that I started early on when I first got into 30k.

 

When 8e hit, I bought into Primaris marines, started a separate Astral Claws army, and then I discovered after playing a few trial games of 8th that I genuinely couldn't get behind the game system enough to continue, for a variety of reasons.

 

When 40k Magnus came out, I tried converting him into a generic Daemon Prince based on the Nameless King for a Dark Souls-inspired Word Bearers army that never got to a presentable state.

 

Sometimes projects don't work, or sometimes they just don't work out, or change. That's alright. It's part of the creative process, of taking risks and trying to create something new. Sometimes you fail. And sometimes you can turn your failures into something better. That's what I'm trying to do with my Imperial Fists right now. I had an extensive project that failed in a late stage, and I'm salvaging everything I can for a fresh start. And it's working right now.

But that's just been my experience.

 

 

 

Then there's the *massive* 1:35 model of a prototype German WWII minesweeper (prototype, because they found it was too big to be supported by battlefield soil) that I've been working on intermittently for a few months. It's supposed to be a Mechanicum vehicle for my Ordo Reductor force. It is just not going as planned due to trying out a new shading technique on flat surfaces only slightly smaller than dinner plates.

 

If it's the prototype and the model I'm thinking of, that's an absolutely awesome idea for a Reductor force. Please share photos when it's done.

 

[deathspectersgt7]

My current project has grown bigger than planned 100 chapters now at 117 . But generally I do finish what I plan.

[Trevak Dal]

Totally understand. My chaos has been like that...for a while. I got two betrayal at calth boxs and I got them because I got a great deal, and I wanted a loyalist army.

 

Then I realize...my chaos plays a lot like a vanilla loyalist army, with the exception of combiweapon power weapon terminators and Combi+2 specials tac squads, I can almost 1:1 with vanilla and Dark Angels.

 

It's composition is based heavily off of a Ultramarine example army from the 5th edition codex space marines (or maybe it was the rule book I can't remember)

 

I hem and haw about repainting them...but see my raptors who I really like the models of...but hate painting, and dread painting them again.

 

My loyalists are my Grey Knights (with 5 terminator boxs, 1 10 man strike squad and 1 Baby carrier.

 

I still kinda want to do a small loyalist force, maybe borrow some Dark Angels themes, not too big on the wings, just like the idea of hunter cloaks. Been thinking about modeling my champions with cloaks and hoods.

[Strata]

See now, in the span of the last three days, My plans have changed several times over. i just finished building up two chosen squads, one melta, one plasma. So thats down to 20 left..  Now im looking for 8 Lascannons.. and two champion sets.. move my 30 bolter marines, into four squads with dual lascannons.. leaves ten more..

[spafe]

I collect guard... my entire gaming career has been one big unfinished project. But I'm okay with that.

 

The only one that has upset/annoyed me a bit was when the renegades and heretics stuff died a death in the move from 7th to 8th. I had managed to get up to about 30 models lovingly converted and painted ffrom a huge range of places and really was making headway with it as a isolated project (ie not related to my guard), then 8th killed the entire design philosophy of my army, and now they are a half finished (more maybe a 5th finished), that chill in my specialist games case for when I need goons/badguys.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

What? Failed projects for any of a myriad of reasons?

 

[m_r_parker]

See, now I've put down my Custodes and picked up my 30k Iron Warriors right where I left off. The never-ending cycle of projects continue, nothing get's completed only progressed. Now I need to work out how I'm going to do my Cult of Rust.

[Subtle Discord]

I'm pretty sure if you check the DSM-5 there will be an entry for Hobby Butterfly Syndrom, and I would likely exhibit at least 50% of the condition's criteria. As others have said, sometimes it's not a matter of trying to achieve completion but one of simply achieving meaningful progress... before you get distracted... again.

[Focslain]

I have a lot of projects in the works, but the one that has come the closest to out right failure is my Macross themed Tau army, complete with Ethereal idol singers.

 

It was based originally on the old 7th edition ethereal formation, the one that allowed you to use all four aspects at once. When 8th rolled in and the removal of formations and the change to ethereals in general I had almost given up.

 

I'm still holding out hope I can get this idea to work. Worst case I'll have my battlesuits worked out like battlroids. Plus the mobile stage plans would be an interesting electrical project with the working speakers and virtual idol set up. That's not a joke either, they made AR idol sequences you play via your mobile phone/tablet.

[Brother Lunkhead]

We are puppets in the grand theatre of Tzeentchs hobby!

 

Its quite a common thing to happen. Numerous side projects get canned etc over the years. I've always found painting and assembling in very small batches, such as 5 men, keeps me sharp and on line. Then treating myself once in a while to a hero etc as a reward. But there's always the dark whisper of other things to try/do!

 

Best of luck with whgatever you choose. Maybe just split your minis down into smaller squads and paint a bit of this and that?

 

BCC

 

Much wisdom in your words brother 

 

So begins the tale of my disastrous 4th Company Ultramarine project. What begin in joy and hope ended in betrayal and rage, but much wisdom was gained....

 

After many years of looking at 40K from a distance, I finally succumbed to the hobby in 2006. I was immediately captivated by the Ultramarines, because they are honorable and BLUE. After reading 'Nightbringer' by Graham McNeill I settled into my project of building a Ultramarine Battle Company modeled on McNeills vision of the 4th Co. Many of you "Smurf" haters are of course thinking..."What a lame idea". Well, I've been building miniatures since I was a wee bairn, and they've always been historical in nature. So, I approached this project from that point of view. I picked the UM's because of the Greco/ Roman theme, the honorable thing, and the BLUE thing.

 

Several years of happy building, playing, and reading passed. I followed the adventures of Brother Captain Uriel Ventris and Brother Sergeant Pasanius Lysane, and the 4th Company with patient interest. I kept a tally of named characters, who lived, and who died. I was aware of Uriel's and Pasanius' shortcomings (I plan to dedicate a post on this in the near future), but still found them to be warriors of honour,... and did I mention that they are BLUE? By the end of 2009 I had my 4th Company pretty much done..... 105 Ultramarines (including special characters), 6 Dreadnoughts, 11 Rhinos, and various support vehicles,... happy, happy, happy.

 

Then 2010 rolls around along with the release of 'The Chapter's Due', or 'How Marnius Calgar Almost Destroys the Ultramarines'..... ...... ...... ...... ..... ..... Graham.... how could you do this to me!!?? I then filled a very large container with holy simple green, invoked the name of the emperor, and full of righteous rage, I dumped my Ultramarines into the vat of cleansing liquid and methodically scoured them pure. The Inquisition and the Grey Knights would be proud.

 

I was still STUCK however with over 100 serviceable miniatures and my love of 40K, and loyalty to the Ultramarines (they are honourable and BLUE you know). Inspiration (touched by the hand of the Emperor no doubt) struck me.... I took an Oath of Moment to create a new chapter, based on the Ultramarines of old, XIIIth Legion old. Thus cutting the strings of Tzeentch and his petty plot to corrupt me was born the Praetorian Sword, a chapter based on the tale of a post Heresy lost XIIIth Legion Retribution Fleet (a tale I am developing for another post).

 

I still enjoy many of the writings of Graham McNeill (many fine HH works and his marvelous Iron Warriors), and I am still loyal to the Ultramarines...... BLUE, yup!

I still have a generic Ultramarine army that I play, my Praetorian Sword chapter is slowly growing in strength, and there is a XIIIth Legion army in the works as well. I have enough projects to keep me going well nigh until my hair turns white and my bones brittle. I also learned several valuable lessons from my dubious project.... never follow down the path created by others, allow your own creative juices to fuel your imagination, and follow your bliss!

 

Thank you for reading my meanderings. Remember, The Emperor Protects and......

 

Courage and Honour  

[Claws and Effect]

Back in '95-'96 in my first foray into the hobby I created a whole bunch of ill-conceived homebrew chapters that sounded like the coolest ever to 16 year old me. I cringe when I think about them now.

 

Honestly I'm kind of glad those projects failed. When I came back in 2007 I used just generic Space Marines of no particular chapter.

 

It wasn't until I came back a couple years ago that I settled on a Chapter to really dive into, after about 6 months of devouring every bit of fluff I could acquire for free (Lexicanum, the wiki, and 1d4chan mostly) that I settled on the emo ninjas I play now.

 

Now I'm looking into starting a Chaos warband that is going to be the remnants of the Flame Falcons. I'm going to inject quite a bit of Ghost Rider imagery into it, since he's my favorite comic character. I doubt that one will ever get totally finished, but it'll be fun.

 

I also want to do some Orks and my son has shown an interest in space elves that I'll likely end up painting for him. (:cuss ing Iyanden of all things. I HATE yellow).

[Dr. Clock]

It's just part of the churn, brother!

 

I think many of us use our armies as expressions of ourselves, in some ways more than as expressions of 'the lore' or indeed 'the game'.

 

I think the only 'failed' project to me is the one that I sold: T'au. I learned alot on that one, though, so I don't think of it as a complete loss.

 

The next project after T'au was an ebay mongrel marine horde. Back in... fourth [?] you could basically take Infiltrating Grey Hunters through the marine book, and I cooked up my first DIY Chapter: The Doom Weasels. As the game's rules moved on, I've used the Doom Weasels for all kinds of things across a few Marine variants [blood Angels, Mantis Warriors,  trying to get a Scouts and Marines list with no vehicles or terminators to work. I ended up using a Sternguard-heavy build for a while after that unit was introduced... but Scouts never quite were good enough to make the list how I wanted it. After Daemons had become its own faction, one day I lost that army to Khorne. After over 15 years in the hobby, my fourth army and second Marine army would fall to Chaos! If you had asked me six months earlier though, I'd have said I'd never have a Chaos army. And if you had asked me six months before I bought my Marines Megaforce box, I'd have sworn as a devoted to Ulthwé that I'd never paint an Imperial model! But that was before the Eye of Terror Codex. Now I'll never give up my Salamanders. Unto the Anvil of War!

 

An important thing to remember about the hobby is that we change with it! Don't stop listening to that change, especially when it's telling you to slow down, or to change courses. In two or three days you'll either have a new direction... or not!

 

See now, in the span of the last three days, My plans have changed several times over. i just finished building up two chosen squads, one melta, one plasma. So thats down to 20 left..  Now im looking for 8 Lascannons.. and two champion sets.. move my 30 bolter marines, into four squads with dual lascannons.. leaves ten more..

 

Just as Perturabo intended! This will be a great army IMO. Leave the 10 remainder to the side until you've finished the lascannons.

 

In some cases you're going to want those 10 marines to 'sprinkle' in to make your existing 10-man squads into something different... Just doing them as Chosen means you can turn those two units into 3 with more bodies but the same number of specials, or indeed mix and match specials and Heavies together in a few cases. Consider flamers too! Pretty classic 'trench weapon' for a forward distraction unit IMO, and they'll occasionally be JUST the right tool. 5 Havocs with flamers in a Rhino is solid to lead a tank column as 'moving cover'. 

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.

[Knightsword]

We are puppets in the grand theatre of Tzeentchs hobby!

 

I've always found painting and assembling in very small batches, such as 5 men, keeps me sharp and on line. Then treating myself once in a while to a hero etc as a reward. But there's always the dark whisper of other things to try/do!

 

 

This is exactly what I do nowadays. When I was 13 and the Tau had just been released back in 3rd Ed I spent all my birthday money at Gamesday on over a hundred Fire warriors, Crisis suits, and Devil Fish with sheer glee in my eyes. I started assembling and painting them and then as I slowly made my through them found myself looking at this massive pile of sprues with increasing dread and despair and so started to lose interest in my new Tau army. In the end they got shelved for a year and later traded with a friend for his Imperial Guard army.

 

Now that I've returned to the hobby after 17 or so years my older self now knows that the best way for me is in small batches. That said... even now as I work on my homebrew chapter I have a spreadsheet of future unrelated conversion projects and breakdowns of the costs entailed whispering evil temptations in my ears.