Ghost Bear's Return!

So other than a small touch up on the paint on the base edging, my Ghost Bear tourman's 44th Provisional Garrison Cluster is complete.  They're based same as my front line Ghost Bear units but the different shade of blue and bronze instead of silver easily marks them as a different unit.  I'm pleased with how they came out and helped to thin out my pile of unused mechs quite a bit.

The Piranhas are an interesting mech for chewing up infantry and light mechs and paired up with a Thor and a Dragonfly makes it an interesting force to deploy.  The non-Omni star of mechs helps mark it as a second line unit.  The two Flashmans have an interesting modification though.  Somehow I didn't notice that I was missing the piece that goes between the gun arms and the main body when I got them as loose parts at Iron Wind Miniatures way back here.  So the arm links are all metal BBs instead.  They fit with the rounded profile of the mechs well and join into the sockets on both parts quite nicely.

Next up is something I'm in the process of reading through that's been very interesting.  I've had the Reunification War and First Succession War for a while now, so it was nice to get a hold of the Second Succession War book this past week.  Even better was finding it on sale and saving about $15.  These books have been very interesting reads and it has been interesting to see how they expand on the stories and lore from those time periods.  I hope Catalyst Games keeps producing these books.

So the last thing is in regards to Warhammer 40K.  I've got a box of Intercessors, a Primaris Dreadnought, and the limited edition Captain to assemble.  The small force of primaris marines will be the now decided upon Void Lions, a fleet based group for more aggressive strikes against the alien (I'm looking at you Elite Grot Mountain Division), the traitor (you know, Khorne Berserkers, Black Legion, Space Wolves ... ), and anyone else wanting to deny the Emperor's will.  I'm still not settled on a paint scheme yet but I'm getting close.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing how the progress is going.  I'm happy to get an item off the to do list.  Next up is finishing painting all the GHQ APCs for the Caselton Militia.  After those are done I'll only need to acquire a pair Pegasus hover tanks and then paint a pair of Demolisher tanks to finish up the unit.  Still exploring storage ideas for bits so feel free to share any ideas.  See you all next time!

Working on the List

So I've started making progress on the giant to do list that was the last blog post.  First up is the 8th Donegal Guard.  I've got the Battalion Command lance and 2 other lances ready for basing material.  The Hussar leading 3 Mercuries is my favorite lance of the unit I think.  Nice classic pre-3025 mechs with lots of speed for scouting and harassing enemies.  There is still a lance to finish off the company in progress and then two more companies of mechs to get painted and based.

Next up is the Caselton Militia.  I got a lot of GHQ APC's primered and ready to get their red stripe added later this week.  I also got a batch of bases for said APC's to get added onto.  I still need to paint the edges of the bases and then get another batch prepped up.  There will be 4 platoons for a total of 16 bases so a bit of a ways to go here still.  I also need 8 bases for the already painted Pike and Hetzer lances.

 

And then finally the Ghost Bear PGC got primer coated as well.  I'm still not totally sure what color scheme these guys are getting but at least they're primered and ready for it.  While having some clan mechs in the unit, there is also a star of 5 Inner Sphere mechs that are Star League designs updated to Clan tech and the sort of non-Omni's that one would expect in a PGC.  There is a Marauder, a Banshee, a Gallowglas, and 2 Flashmans.  I still need another clan Omni to finish off the rest of the force but haven't found an option that I like yet.

So that's about all I've had time for but some progress beats no progress for sure.  Work is going to be a bit crazy for the next couple weeks so finding time to make sure there is progress taking place will hopefully keep me somewhat sane.  I'm in retail management and our store just lost a manager to promotion and another is out for maternity/paternity leave so it's made for some crazy work schedules.  Once we get past this week and next though, it should get a lot more normal though so it's all not too bad.

So thanks for stopping by all and don't forget I'm still looking for that great idea for getting all my bits organized and stored.  See you all next time.

Getting Organized

So the organization of my hobby storage, projects, and so on continues.  I'm still looking for a long term idea for bits storage, so keep sending me suggestions if you have them.  I'm also trying to get all my projects and such organized as well.  So here's where the state of my hobby and what's on the list to be worked on.  This is going to turn into a long one I think, so let's get going.

Battletech
Eridani Light Horse, 21st Striker Regiment
This is my unit closest to fully completed and should be able to finish it in the next couple weeks assuming I can track down the tank I'm missing.

1. Need a Rommel/Patton or Von Luckner tank to finish off 1st Arm. Inf. Bat.
2. Finish painting aerospace fighters

8th Donegal Guard
This one will also be done soon.  I've got all the mechs for the 3rd Battalion and it's just a matter of painting and basing.

1. Paint and Base 3rd Battalion of Mechs

Caselton Militia
This one isn't too far from being done as well.  Again it's mainly just painting and basing, though painting all those little GHQ apcs and halftracks .

1. Paint and Base rest of mech infantry platoons and Demolisher Tanks

Ghost Bears
I've got some clan and SLDF era mechs from trades and such that I've organized into a Provisional Garrison Cluster.  Since it's not part of the Alpha Galaxy like the rest of the completed Ghost Bears, they'll need a different paint scheme but still something that goes with them.

1. Paint and Base PGC unit 

20th Arcturan Guard
I have nothing to do to this unit.  It's two lances and no plans to add or mess with this unit any farther.

Terrain
I've got a few ideas of some pieces I want to do, but no immediate projects as I have to figure out the hows and with whats.

Warhammer 40K
Lions of Harlech
This is hands down my largest project to get done.  There are hundreds of marines plus dreadnoughts and vehicles that need painted.  I really need to get myself motivated to start clearing some off these up.  Out of the entire chapter, I'd say close to 35 to 40% of it is painted so a ton of work here to be done.

1. Finish 8th Company, missing 6 Assault Squads
2. Painting and Basing .... SOOOOOOO much painting

Void Lions
This is the successor for my Lions where all the Primaris marines are going.  I've got an Intercessor Box and a Primaris Dreadnought to assemble   I also need to get their background written as well as figure out a paint scheme.  With the Primaris marines from the 8th Edition Starter Box, that'll give me a nice small unit of them that I have no plans on growing.  I just wanted to have a few options of these for use on the table top.

1. Finish assembling Primaris Marines
2. Paint and Base the Primaris force
3. Finish writing fluff for Void Lions

X-Wing
For a while this was played in bulk but seems to have died down for a while.  I still love my ships though and no plans to thin it out any.  I do need to get it all reorganized as it's outgrown my original storage and organization plans.

1. Get cards and ships organized
2. Figure out if I need/want to add any ships

Bolt Action
British Airborne
This is pretty far down the priority list due to there being little interest in Bolt Action lately it seems like.  But I do want to get this group done at some point.

1. Paint and Base entire force
2. Assemble 2nd Bicycle Squad
3. Look into adding a few more Bren Carriers

Mordheim
Dwarf Band
With the news that Mordheim might be being re-released by Games Workshop as well as it's occasional resurgence among players around here, I need to look into getting this force finished.

1. Paint and Base the force 
2. Finish fluff for the force

Saga
Viking Warband
This group is somewhat partially painted and while it isn't played locally, I think I could talk Bob into giving the rules a try if I get the force finished.

1. Paint and Base the force
2. Finish the unit fluff

Space Fleets
This is more of a for fun project than something that will probably every see the table top.  I don't know anyone that plays these.  It includes my BattleTech Aerospace ships as well as generic ships from several systems to use for civilian ships or whatever.  Again no priority on this force at all, but it'll be a fun project to work on at times.

1. Get all the ships painted
2. Figure out basing solution

Organization
I still have a lot of work to do here as well, mainly in getting all the bits still floating on sprues to a final home so I can find what I'm looking for or at least have a decent idea where to look.  A pile of partial sprues on my desk, a large tote of partial sprues and about 4 random boxes with looks stuff in them just isn't working for me any more.

1. Finish sorting hobby source books into boxes
2. Bits storage solution and implementation

Well, that's pretty much it.  There are a few other small things that aren't on the list due to them being so far down the list of stuff to do that they aren't even on the radar.  These include 10mm stuff, Aeronef, Rogue Star force, and Guild Ball.  That's all for now and thanks for stopping by.  I'll see you all next time and don't forget to send those bits storage ideas.

Getting Organized

So the last couple days rather than making progress on hobby stuff, I've finally bit the bullet and started getting all my stuff better organized.  Stuff has been spread across my desk, a table, and several other locations for too long and it was getting annoying looking for what I needed or wanted at a given time.  So first up was a trip to Wal-Mart and I got a stack of 10 shoe-box sized plastic totes that was on sale, a small shelf unit, and a pack of labels.  This got me good ways into starting to get everything into a home.  The shelf fits nicely at the end of my desk by the shelves holding my BattleTech Eridani Light Horse and Donegal Guard, so all the supplies are nice and handy when I'm working on something at the desk.

Oh this is looking soooo much better

So there is one box for brushes, hobby knives, etc, one for non-bits conversion and basing supplies, and then two boxes for my BattleTech terrain.  10mm models went into a box and I really need to figure out what I'm doing with that lot of stuff.  Then Aeronef got a box of its own as well.  There are a few more groups of models that need to end up in boxes as well.  These include some fantasy dwarfs for Mordheim, vikings for SAGA, extra BattleTech mechs that aren't being used for a unit, and spacecraft like BTech Aerospace.

yeesh, how does some one who doesn't like painting end up with so many colors?

I also used an empty shoe box for all my paints and washes.  While getting it all together, I tossed out a few empties that somehow never got thrown away and went ahead with disposing off the last of the old Tester paint bottles I had from when I was buying cheap paint rather than better quality ones.  It's nice being able to see exactly what I have in paints and to be honest, I've got a couple colors that I currently have no idea why I got them to start with.

Yeah, these 10mm's really need a purpose or a new home

Also in progress are Source books, army books, and such.  BattleTech is all sorted into one box and I'm starting a box of 40K books now.  That just leaves all the other random books I've picked up at times to use for reference materials or that caught my eyes such as Cyberpunk, Aeronef, Shadowrun, Jovian Chronicles, ... yeah plenty of it.

I'm also working on getting the rest of the leftover 40K bits sorted now and am looking for input on one thing in particular.  Sprues with items still on them to be precise is the issue.  Would I be better off with a couple mid to large size totes to keep the sprues in or get smaller totes and dividers and clean all the bits off and sort them.  I can see advantages to both ways and would like to hear which ways work well for others.

Shall we play a game?

Well, that's all for now, and I hope to hear plenty of input on the bits storage ideas.  Also, having been messing with BattleTech so much lately, I really need to get a game of that in.  Cheef, Screech, Murl, any chance of a game in the near future?