Beat The Backlog! Hobby decluttering challenge 2022/2023

[Beaky Brigade]

 

 

 

 My name is Beaky, and I’ve been a miniature addict for 20 years.

This is the start of a hobby challenge with a twist. While painting is encouraged, you don’t have to pick up a brush to participate!

Most long-term hobbyists have a ‘pile of shame’ aka a backlog of unbuilt and unpainted miniatures made from plastic, resin, pewter, and if you’re of a certain vintage, Lead.

Finding the time and motivation to paint miniatures is hard, especially if you feel you have too many to ever finish. Perhaps you could quit your job or studies, ignore your friends and family and finish your collection in an epic painting marathon;

 

Is that a realistic idea?

Are you a regular painter but still face a growing backlog?

Have you tried selling minis but always buy more than you’ve sold?

Are you no longer interested in swathes of your miniatures, but hold onto them ‘just in case’?

Are you a sucker for the latest GW release?

Do you self-identify as a hobby butterfly?

Does your unpainted collection feel like a burden?

This thread hopes to solve these problems, and more!
 

Taking tongue-in-cheek inspiration from popular dieting clubs, this thread will encourage you to perform a personal audit of your unpainted miniature collection and assign a ‘Leadweight’ value to it.

 

You’ll then decide personal goals for your unpainted collection. Do you want to reduce it, or just keep it from growing? There is no correct amount of unpainted miniatures to own, it’s all about what you are comfortable with.

 

‘Pile of shame’ is a common term for a hobby backlog. This is a shame and judgement free space for all. Be kind and encourage each other.

 

How it works

1. Audit your collection and calculate a Leadweight value
2. Decide on your target Leadweight value
3. Post your pledge for the next month
4. Paint, donate, or sell unwanted minis
5. Re-Audit your collection and post results

1) The Audit

Spoiler

Before we start, I’ll define ‘unpainted’ as any unbuilt or fully assembled miniature that does not reach your personal standard of ‘Battle Ready’. Undercoated or fully painted miniatures that you want to strip and repaint can be counted as ‘unpainted’ if you want to.

 

Tally up how many unpainted miniatures you own from each of the following categories. If in doubt, choose the closest fit for the miniature rather than over thinking the categorisation.
 

• 28mm infantry (1)
• 28mm bike/cavalry (3)
• 28mm vehicle (6)
• 28mm monster (4)
• 28mm superheavy vehicle (30)
• 28mm Titan (75)
• Epic Scale Infantry base (0.5)
• Epic Scale vehicle (2)
• Epic Scale Titan (5)
• Non board appropriate miniature* (1)
• Terrain - (1, for every 30g / 1 oz of terrain)
• Optional - Loose bitz (1, for every 3g / 0.15 oz of bits)

 

Once you’ve done this, multiply the number of individual miniatures in each category by the number in brackets for that category, and add up the categories for a final Leadweight value for the collection.

For example:

Hobby Dave has 42 unpainted Space Marine Intercessors, these are 28mm infantry so come to a Leadweight value of 42*1 = 42

Dave also has 3 unpainted Aeldari Jetbikes, which are 28mm bike/cavalry models. These come to a Leadweight value of 3*3 = 9

 

 

Therefore, the total Leadweight value of Dave’s collection is 42+9 = 51

 

 

 

* A note on ‘Non board appropriate miniatures’. The Bolter and Chainsword has strict rules on the discussion and posting of photos of miniatures unrelated to the 41st millennium.

It’s recognised you may want to reduce your collection of these as part of this challenge, so you can share your Leadweight value of these miniatures but shouldn’t say what they are, or post pictures of them in this forum. A Leadweight value of 1 is assigned to each non board appropriate miniature regardless of size or complexity, to emphasise they shouldn’t be the focus of the thread.

 

Tips for counting:

For boxed sets or complete sprues, just add up the maximum number of figures that can be built from that set, no need to count the parts on the sprue.

If you want to reduce the number of bitz in your bitz collection and they don’t easily add up to whole miniatures, try weighing them in bulk.

Use a conversion of 3 grams / 0.15 ounces = 1 Leadweight value

 

 

2) Set a Target "Leadweight" for next month

 

Spoiler

Choose how much you want to reduce your collection by. Your goal could be to paint a particular army, free up a certain percentage of space on your shelves, or raise a certain amount of money for charity. You can also select an arbitrary figure that feels right.

 

For example

Hobby Dave decides to reduce his Leadweight from 51 to 25 by next month, a reduction of approximately 50%

 

 

3) Post your Pledge for the next month

Spoiler

When you post your pledge, it’s recommended that you share only your TOTAL Leadweight value with the group. Do not share the individual miniatures or totals in each category that make up the final value. Do not share your working!

This is so the thread does not inadvertently become a space to advertise minis for sale, and to avoid participants feeling self-conscious about the implied cost of their collection in relation to others.

The following format is suggested, but optional:

“The adepts of the Administratum have completed their cogitations and I, [USERNAME], bear a Leadweight of [VALUE] on my mortal soul. I pledge to make every effort to reduce this to [LOWER VALUE] by the dawn of next month, through the toil of painting and the catharsis of philanthropy and rogue trading.

 

 

4) Paint, Donate, or Sell unwanted minis

Spoiler

 Get painting, or failing that, give away or sell models to reach your target Leadweight.

• Painting: feel free to post the models you are painting in other hobby challenges or private logs. You aren’t directly assessed on what you paint here, only by the reduction in Leadweight. It’s ok to share what you successfully painted in step 5) as long as it meets forum rules.
   
• Donating: You can give models to friends, family and strangers. Selling the models and donating the proceeds to an individual in need, trust or charitable organisation also counts as donating. Though not a charitable organisation, you can also donate proceeds to the upkeep of the Bolter and Chainsword and become a supporter.

 

• Sell: You can sell unwanted miniatures on online auction sites, social media groups, classified adverts or other spaces for trading in goods. Stay safe when selling. You can also preform trades or swaps if the exchange will reduce your Leadweight value.

 Sales and trades are not allowed on The Bolter and Chainsword so don’t post items for sale here.

 

Keep in mind your Leadweight goals and don’t be tempted to spend all the proceeds from sales on shiny new miniatures! If you want to support your FLGS or GW store, buy paints, glue or tools to help you finish your remaining models.

 

 

5) Re-Audit your Collection and post the results

 

 

Spoiler

• Re-Audit: At the end of the month, it’s time to see how you did. The second audit shouldn’t take as long as you can simply calculate the value of what you Painted, Donated and Sold in the last month and take it off your previous Leadweight value.
•  

If you’ve bought new models and haven’t painted them, you’ll need to add the Leadweight of these to your total.

If you’ve bought new models and subsequently painted them or disposed of them during the course of the month, this has no impact on your Leadweight value.

Hopefully your Leadweight is in line with your target, but if not, don’t fret. Try setting a more achievable target for the next month, or have a think about if you’re buying too many models on impulse.

• Post results: Post how you did in this thread! The [organiser] will post a reminder here when it’s time to start adding your monthly results.

 

 

You can use the following optional format: “The adepts of the Administratum have completed their cogitations and I, [USERNAME], bear a Leadweight of [VALUE] on my mortal soul, meeting / missing my pledge of [VALUE].

 

 

If you’ve painted models and want to share them with the thread, do go ahead!

It’s not necessary to provide evidence of painting, donations or sales.

 

If you like you can mention what % reduction was through each option of Painting, Donating, or Sales, but don’t go into details for the last two.

 

You can then start again at step 2) if you want to continue with the challenge.

 

 

 

FAQ

Q: Are there leaderboards, awards and forum badges for taking part in the thread?
A: Not presently, participation is its own reward, but we’ll see if there’s demand.

Q: I have some unwanted models that I can’t seem to sell or give away, can I throw them away?
A: This thread does not condone throwing away models as it’s not environmentally friendly. If it’s bothering you, discount these models from the Leadweight value of your collection while you find a suitable home or use for them.

 

Q: Can I give you or sell you my unwanted models?
A: No thank you. It’s against the forum rules and I’m trying to watch my Leadweight value too!
 

Q: I’m really happy with my miniature collection and don’t want to reduce it. Can I participate?
A: If you want to set a goal to keep your collection at its current Leadweight value you can participate.

 

Q: Can I set a goal to increase the Leadweight value of my collection?
A: No!

 

Q: How did you calculate the Leadweight of each category of miniature? The values seem pretty arbitrary.
A: They are! Though the value of bits is related to the equivalent weight of the Space Marines in my own collection.

 

Q: My collection is too large / I don't have time to properly audit it. Can I take part?
A: A formal audit of every mini is encouraged, but if this will prevent you from taking part you may guestimate your starting Leadweight.

Alternatively you might choose an arbitrary portion of the collection to audit and work on downsizing. E.g. models from one army.
Any new models you purchase must be added to your total at the next audit even if they are for a different army or project.

 

Edited December 1, 2022 by Beaky Brigade

[Beaky Brigade]

Lets get started!
 

“The adepts of the Administratum have completed their cogitations and I, BeakyBrigade, bear a Leadweight of 338 upon my mortal soul. I pledge to make every effort to reduce this to 325 by the dawn of January, through the toil of painting and the catharsis of philanthropy and rogue trading.

 

 

 

Spoiler

28mm Infantry: 194
28mm Vehicle: 12 (72)
28mm Monster 1 (4)
28mm Superheavy 1 (30)
Epic Vehicle 8 (16)
Non board mini 4
Terrain 540g  (18)

Total = 338!

 

I'm excited to see what people make of the thread and the challenge going forward, so get pledging!

Edited December 1, 2022 by Beaky Brigade

[Focslain]

Ok, let's get this started.

 

The adepts of the Administratum have completed their cogitations and I, Focslain, bear a Leadweight of 2129 on my mortal soul. I pledge to make every effort to reduce this to 2100 by the dawn of next month, through the toil of painting and the catharsis of philanthropy and rogue trading.

 

Going to low ball this due to it being a holiday month and I'm looking at a +70 minimum this month.

 

Also most of my weight is in terrain (Sweet Emperor I have like an industrial sector worth) and this isn't an accurate count, I'll be re-auditing as we go along and I find more stuff in the pile. 

[Stolid Fox]

The adepts of the Administratum have requested new servitors as the previous batch have been crushed to system failure by exceeding the Omnissiah's weight allowances. Please stand by.

 

I've been meaning to audit my backlog and this gives me a good opportunity, but I'm snowed in so access to my storage space is limited until that thaws a bit. My backlog is... a lot. See the pile of shame thread for some old photos.

 

Also I know I'm getting some additional models this month (Imperium magazine and some preorders) so should we add those to our existing score or only count those in physical hand?

 

Finally should we count 'big characters'/centerpieces as monsters (e.g. Primarchs, Abaddon, Silent King, etc.)?

[Grotsmasha]

Quote

The adepts of the Administratum have completed their cogitations and I, Grotsmasha, bear a Leadweight of 1,136 on my mortal soul. I pledge to make every effort to reduce this  by a leadweight value of 5 or more points by the dawn of next month, through the toil of painting and the catharsis of philanthropy and rogue trading.

 

I have not included any terrain in this leadweight, and I am also subscribed to Imperium, and will attempt to keep on top of new deliveries. I also commission paint, and I haven't included any of that outstanding work in this leadweight either, but it would amount to another 100 points or so.

[Beaky Brigade]

12 hours ago, Stolid Fox said:

The adepts of the Administratum have requested new servitors as the previous batch have been crushed to system failure by exceeding the Omnissiah's weight allowances. Please stand by.

 

I've been meaning to audit my backlog and this gives me a good opportunity, but I'm snowed in so access to my storage space is limited until that thaws a bit. My backlog is... a lot. See the pile of shame thread for some old photos.

 

Also I know I'm getting some additional models this month (Imperium magazine and some preorders) so should we add those to our existing score or only count those in physical hand?

 

Finally should we count 'big characters'/centerpieces as monsters (e.g. Primarchs, Abaddon, Silent King, etc.)?

 

 

Hey, I would say those are monsters all right!

 

If you don't have those new models yet don't include them in this audit. When you do the next audit you should include any models received since the 1st audit.

[Cleon]

Wow, you are all a lot better organised than I am, and in our group I'm the one with spreadsheets for everything.....

 

I'm going to have to leave off a terrain figure as gathering it all and weighing it isn't practical at the moment and similarly my backlog of 'things attached to Conquest/Imperium' magazines is inaccessible for audit.

 

Those caveats applied I end up with an initial subtotal value of 565 and I have no doubt missed some other things too. All I can pledge this month is to refine my total to something meaningful....

[Grotsmasha]

I have progress of a sorts to report, whilst I did reduce my pile by 5 models, my Imperium delivery arrived adding 11 miniatures, for a next increase of 6 models.....

[Focslain]

2 hours ago, Grotsmasha said:

I have progress of a sorts to report, whilst I did reduce my pile by 5 models, my Imperium delivery arrived adding 11 miniatures, for a next increase of 6 models.....

Had a similar set back, only this time it was finding an extra Start Collecting box I didn't know I had, no clue how farther back Saturday's gift exchange is going to set me back.

[brother tycho]

Hey beaky novel idea this 'leadweight' total, its enjoyable to see that number reduce.  I could enjoy auditing what's in my pile, will hold that thought and report back.  Earlier this year I was on this footing and cashed in 6k of backlog, traded a good 50 models, but didn't update a spreadsheet that I was using to work out a painting debt - scary believe me

[Focslain]

So a friend of mine decided to do something like this for our local group. Except it's to see how much you can paint in the year. Bonus points if at the end of the year you have 0 unpainted models.

 

I passed him your weight system for help in designing the scoring. So now I have an extra bit of support in getting this grey mountain painted.

 

Also making some progress on my weight, down 15 pts and prepping more right now.

[Beaky Brigade]

I'm glad to see that everyone has been getting on well so far, It's great to see how people are being inspired in different ways to tackle the backlog!

 

A little progress of sorts. I have been working on traitor guard test models and doing a little terrain. On the bad side of things I did end up ordering the kill team Blooded set (to actually play KT games with my friend I promise!) which would add 12 to my backlog, so I may have to take drastic measures.

[Xenith]

This is a great idea, but I fear I have too much to actually count out and assign numerical values to!

 

I might try and get rid of stuff I'll never use, like Cursed city, maybe SOB's. 

[Big Mek LugNutz]

I'm in the same boat as @Xenith. I completed a long campaign of collecting each WFB army and the gross 8th edition point total (before equipment and command options) was in the neighbourhood of 95,000. The leadweight value of that many individual models is too terrifying for me to ponder. It would maybe be a bit healthier starting from just my current 40k crusade army and slowly branching out- I'd prefer to pretend my Fantasy collection doesn't exist for now... 

 

This was a brilliant idea though and has motivated me to make a measurement to help chew through my backlog. Too bad I'm late on this, but I'll definitely be joining pledges/a monthly renewal if you are looking to make a new post/pledge in January @Beaky Brigade.

[Beaky Brigade]

Just a quick update to say that results and new pledges will be due by the 7th of Jan, I'll give everyone an extra week to enjoy the festivities and not feel too pressured, but usually it will be the start of the month :D

Needless to say it will be on going @Big Mek LugNutz so feel free to join in for Jan!

 

Understandably we may have gotten some new toys for Christmas so lets not be too hard on ourselves...

Edited December 30, 2022 by Beaky Brigade

[Grotsmasha]

Most of my December progress has been commission pieces, and as such have not reduced my leadweight, hopefully January will provide some time for my own miniatures....and with my next Imperium delivery, my leadweight stands at 1,148, a net increase of 12.... 

[Focslain]

So I didn't get as much as I wanted done over the holiday. I missed the deadline by like a few days as I have a large batch paint job that is like 99% complete. So it goes to the completion of this month. Also due to an unexpected illness in the family our usual get together was canceled which delayed our gift exchange and an unknown increase in the pile. 

 

So kind of balanced out.

 

I managed to paint up 25 weight in December but gained 28 in new models, for a end total of +3 to my weight. Not a good start, but considering this was during a holiday month having a single digit increase is actually really good. I just hope I can repeat that this month.

 

Also I think my math was wrong when I started, I have an excel sheet for this now and it has me starting at a score of 2149

 

So that starts me off in January as follows:
December score - 2149
Weight off - 25
Weight gained - 28
End score of: 2152

 

For the month of January I'd like to keep the end gain to a single digit again. So I hope not to hit 2160 by the end of January.

 

[TechCaptain]

So I didn't see this until just now. I will do up a Tally of what I am trying to get through for this month in a few days but I would like to show what back log I got through in December since that has been my priority versus the new stuff I got lol. I was a busy repainter over the holidays. I hope this is okay. 

The adepts of the Administratum have not completed their cogitations and I, TechCaptain, bear a Leadweight to be Tabulated on my mortal soul, to pledge of to be Tabulated.

 

Started Cadian Melta Squad 3 December 2022

 

Finished their Repaint on 8 December 2022

 

Started Cadian Sniper Squad 8 December 2022

Finished their Repaint on 23 December 2022

Started Cadian Flamer Squad 23 December 2022

Finished their Repaint on 27 December 2022

Started Cadian Grenadier Squad 27 December 2022

Finished their Repaint on 28 December 2022

Started Cadian Grenadier Squad 28 December 2022

Finished their Repaint on 3 January 2023

[Beaky Brigade]

Thanks to everyone who pledged in December, first month completed! Also welcome to everyone else who is joining in for January, feel free to start pledging. 

 

I hope you are all enjoying taking part. I have found it has helped me focus in terms of resisting new miniatures.

 

It looks like we haven't made a huge dent as a group in our collective leadweight, but we haven't increased massively either, so I'm seeing that as a big win for everyone. I think keeping things as they are is a good achievement with the many hobby temptations about, though feel free to adjust your targets as necessary. 

 

@TechCaptain it's good to see your guardsmen getting their smart matching uniforms and looking much more cohesive. I like the colour coded squads too...  It's technically a bit late for December but we're still getting going with the challenge and I'm finding my feet running it so I'm not going to be too draconian about the rules. I look forward to seeing your pledge for this month. 

 

Previously on Beat The Backlog:

Spoiler

“The adepts of the Administratum have completed their cogitations and I, BeakyBrigade, bear a Leadweight of 338 upon my mortal soul. I pledge to make every effort to reduce this to 325 by the dawn of January, through the toil of painting and the catharsis of philanthropy and rogue trading.

 

 

The results are in for December, my leadweight has increased by 8. 

 

I purchased a necromunda barricades set to use for kill team which is approximately 200g of terrain, and I recieved one 28mm miniature which is a poorly painted metal Calgar in terminator armour. I didn't really want this but I was offered it by a friend. Not being a ultramarine fan I planned to pass this on to somone else but haven't gotten round to it. The Royal Mail workers strikes in the UK have also made me cautious about sending models by post so I haven't listed anything for sale. 

 

I did have a large hobby spend in December and received gifts related to the hobby but I excercised self control and bought mainly paints and hobby products to try and finish models. 

 

Technically I have painted some models. The main project was working on the Renegade Guard kill team and trying out colour schemes for them. I still haven't decided and at the moment they are unpainted as I've stripped them a few times to try different schemes, so they still count as unpainted. 

 

This evil guy and gal came out well technically, but I wasn't quite sure about the white. I copied a YouTube guide for star wars storm troopers, but they don't have the same amount of amour coverage which makes it tricky. 

 

 

 

Overall I'm pleased to not have massively increased my Leadweight though I can do better. 

 

I have a lot of terrain I can paint this month which should make a dent in things. I also need to sell some unpainted models as I'm going part time at work for a while and could use the money to fund the current projects. I do have the full kill team set for traitor guard on the way, though they have been delayed by the strikes! 

 

OK, pledge time. I'm just going to roll over my previous target with hopefully more success. 

 

The adepts of the Administratum have completed their cogitations and I, BeakyBrigade, bear a Leadweight of 346 upon my mortal soul. I pledge to make every effort to reduce this to 325 by the dawn of February, through the toil of painting and the catharsis of philanthropy and rogue trading.

 

[Beaky Brigade]

I hope you've all had a great January! Just a reminder that the January pledge results are due from the 1st of February :)

[Focslain]

Due to a late christmas (was postponed due to an illness in the family, everyone is ok now), I got a larger load then expected. Nearly 80 pts by my rough estimate, and I'm only looking at completing about ~50ish worth by the end of next week. Good news is that there is little coming in for me other than the Imperium magazine.

 

So hopefully I can make some headway in the coming months.

 

As a side note, there are two peps in my local group that have gotten over a 100 pts in our own version of this that we started new years day.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Focslain

[Beaky Brigade]

I hope you are all doing well on your backlog beating journeys! I'm travelling right now and writing this on the train so apologies the update isn't as comprehensive as I'd like it to be! 

 

January was much more successful for me than December. I've painted 2 Arvus Lighter aircraft for an Aeronautica Imperialis tournament and several pieces of terrain to a tabletop standard. I gave away four 28mm models to a friend and have eight miniatures on ebay auctions due to end in the next couple of days. As they started in January and have bids I'm counting them as gone in January. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've also been plugging away with my paint scheme for the traitor kill team. Nothing finished yet but it's occupied a lot of the hobby time. After a lot of test schemes I've found something I like, so hopefully you'll see more in future months. 

 

 

 

I've been pretty good at avoiding new miniatures with one exception! Firstly I received the Blooded (traitor guard) Kill Team with 12 new 28mm models. This was ordered in December but delayed a month in the post. As I didn't count them last month I'll add them to the total now. 

 

I also went to the local Warhammer store to get the free promotional Cadian mini of the month. 

 

So what's the total damage? 

 

Starting Leadweight 346

Target 325

 

Painted 

Aeronautica Imperialis models x2 = - 4

 

Terrain (estimated, will edit when I can weigh it) = - 12

 

Sold

28mm mini x8 = - 8

 

Given away 

28mm mini x 4 = -4

 

New models 

 

28mm mini x 13 = +13 

 

 

February net result = - 15 Leadweight 

New total = 331

 

I'm pretty pleased to have done so much. I didn't quite meet the target but next month I don't expect to buy any models so it will make it a lot easier. 

 

Target time:

 

Spoiler

The adepts of the Administratum have completed their cogitations and I, BeakyBrigade, bear a Leadweight of 331 upon my mortal soul. I pledge to make every effort to reduce this to 315 by the dawn of March, through the toil of painting and the catharsis of philanthropy and rogue trading.

 

 

Fraters, we march for March! I want to see some more results and pictures soon! 

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Firedrake Cordova
Removed vestigial quote that couldn't be removed via mobile interface :)

[Firedrake Cordova]

It looks like you've made some good progress there, @Beaky Brigade!  It also looks like you've been pretty disciplined in avoiding "new shinies" 

[Focslain]

So with a semi-bountiful late Christmas gift of 2 LoWs and some vehicles I was hosed for my goal of just not gaining weight in January. Honestly if I included the added terrain I was gifted I would have hit over 100 pts this month, but now as I have over a 100 lbs in terrain on sprue and I'm not counting until the big audit later this year.

 

So for last month, by the numbers:
Weight Lost: 53
Weight Gained: 97
Net Weight: +44

Current Weight: 2196

 

I take solace in that 47 of the weight lost was in infantry models thanks to the guard event here on the B&C. 

Most of what was done in the pict below was done in January and adding a bonus pict of the Votann done as well.

 

For this month forecast is for a gain of 31 due to me pre-ordering the SM boarding box and Imperium's infantry heavy sprues this month.

 

I'm already prepping a vehicle and the upcoming organized play for AoS has me itching to finish some models for that. 

 

My vow for this month is not gain anymore weight. 
 

[ThePenitentOne]

Wow. I like this challenge.

 

It's going to take me a while to even audit my collection. I have so much unpainted stuff it's crazy. Like Hexfire, Piety and Pain, Blood of the Phoenix, the Kill Team Starter Box, a GSC start collecting box, and a huge plastic sisters army all still on the sprue in boxes; BSF, Chaos start collecting and KT Rogue Trader assembled but unpainted.

 

I'd prefer to paint it all, but I have been tempted to unload Hexfire and to a lesser extent the KT starter.

 

There's more, but I'll give a full accounting before March 1. What I can tell you today is:

 

I, ThePenitentOne, pledge to reduce my total by 14 by finishing 10 Kabalytes, a Lhamaean, a Medusa and two Sslyth.