From ChrisW: Work space & introduction

 

No mountains or buttes this year!  (I promise)

Hello everyone!

My name is Chris and I hail from Ottawa, Canada. I have been in the hobby, on and off, since the early/mid 1970's. I have a  BLOG under my alter ego Menelduir, that I try to post to regularly, but these last 3 years have seen less gaming activity to report on. This main blog also has links to my other blogs that cover off on painting/building,  role playing games and VSF.  Please visit anytime and if you do please feel free to leave a comment.

My gaming life started with this book by Terence Wise. From there I progressed through Airfix rule books, various other historical games and then Warhammer. I have of course branched out beyond these early days into any number of genres with unfinished projects in all of them! A current favorite is Pulp Alley a small skirmish game for which I have amassed few hundred miniatures (exact numbers unknown but gads it must be 500+ at least, madness!) I have recently experienced a revival of interest in fantasy gaming courtesy of Fantastic Battles, a fun little game. As a result of this renaissance I have been dusting off my old collection, rebasing, retouching and in some cases repainting many of my old items. Occasionally I get around to painting some new items, maybe in this challenge!

As I approach my 62nd birthday I look back on my hobby life with mixed feelings. I certainly have had fun gaming and painting over the years but despite my long time in the hobby (at least on paper) I must confess that too many things interrupted my hobby activities (marriage, divorce, work, dating, family, human interactions, dogs, etc) resulting in my not gaming or working on my hobby craft skills nearly as much as I should have.  Now that I am retired, relatively settled, and dog less, I technically have more time to embrace my hobbies, but all too often I lack the motivation and/or focus to get things done. I still do not play enough games and gaming has always been the main inspirational driving force to increase my production. That is where this challenge enters the picture, it is the impetus I need to get stuff done.

But enough of this introspective rambling, on to brighter things!😀

This is my second AHPC that I have signed up for, AHPC XII being my first. I had a great deal of fun last year and was more productive than I could have ever imagined. However that production did not carry on after the challenge as I quickly returned to my old bad habits. So once again I rely on the challenge to force me to be more productive. Last year I was, perhaps, overly active in the challenge, pushing myself to the limit, and becoming quite compulsive. It came with a price as there were times when I could feel the muscles throbbing in my neck and back from being hunched over so much, but no pain no gain, right? 

This year I hope to be not so focused that I miss out on the rest of the challenge. Last year I summed up my involvement admonishing myself for not having looked up from the painting table long enough to see what other participants were doing. That will not happen this year. This time around I will take it a bit easier, I will look in on others throughout the week, I will take the time to 'smell the paint' so to speak, and wallow in the skills and accomplishments of others.

So this was supposed to be an introduction and a presentation of my painting area. I seem to have gone off on a tangent haven't I? Well here is my new painting area. 

Guides to the left, photo booth to the right, basing materials above, assorted supplies below and space for me in the middle.

I may have a paint addiction!

This was set up in June of this year. HERE is the post that talks about the 'great reorganization' of my room. The painting area is a brighter more spacious set up than I have been using for the last 10 years and marks a high water mark for my hobby areas in general. It is excessively lit by daylight bright LED lights (it has almost no natural light). There is room to have all my paints in easy reach, along with all my flocking basing materials and hobby guides. It also has plenty of space for many of my partially painted projects and I have room behind my chair to allow me to kick myself away from the table when a break is required. You can see a small TV and a stand with my Kindle Fire while my stereo is within reach to the right so I am surrounded by entertainment while I paint. I find that I sometimes like to listen to audio commentaries while I paint, along with listening to music and even listening to old favorite movies that I do not really need to be watched to be enjoyed. The kindle fire is where I cue up YouTube how to videos.

My previous painting area was crammed in next to the gaming table, merely turning my chair often resulted in the knocking over of anything near the gaming table edge. 

 

Dark, chaotic and cramped!

No room to 'kick back'

This new area is the culmination of decades of progression from small trays that had to be put away in between hobby sessions, to slightly larger small tables to repurposed desks that really never suited the task. In those days the process of setting up and digging out what I was going to paint often kiboshed the activity before it started.

I am fortunate to have found a spouse and a house that would allow me the space to set up such a permanent hobby area. Only 50 some odd years in the making!

So, what will I be focusing on this year you might ask? Well when I stop laughing I will tell you. 

You see, I have no ability to focus on anything, this will be another squirrel year for me. My one good quality is that I try to always prime and base anything that I buy as soon as possible. It allows me to immediately start painting something should the urge grab me. I dislike prep work and in the past it has been an obstacle to starting projects, so better get it done early. However I have found a few hundred miniatures that I missed and I have been priming them this week, just in case.

So possible items to paint this year

1. 17th century sailors
2. French/Indian war
3. Silver Bayonet
4. Renaissance pike and halberd units
   
5. Dr Who
6. Pulp
7. 20mm WWII
8. Warhammer fantasy
9. Epic 40K
10. WH 40K
11. All Quiet on the Martian Front
12. VSF
13. Back of beyond
14. Frostgrave
15. Dystopian wars
16. 15mm sci fi
17. Wild west and any number of other genres just lying about the gaming room
    

 I can hardly wait for this to start, have fun everyone!

 

Oh I just remembered maybe I can work on some Napoleonic 1/700 ships, or maybe the 28mm ships, then again there is also the...oh never mind😉 

MattW - A cunning plan my lord….XIII challenge intro

Dropped my hat in the circle again this this year, my fourth challenge! 

No codpiece challenge for me though! 

A transplanted Aussie living in western France. My wife and I are renovating a circa 1720 historically listed Maison Particular (basically a 5 story, 1200sqm 12 bedroom chateau sized building in town). My hobby room tends to move around the house as we renovate, currently up to my forth workspace move, but hopefully into my final workshop wargames space later this year (126sqm). I have been wargaming since I was ten years old (1970), first using the Napoleonic red book and airfix 1/76 Napoleonic figs graduating to metal mini figs later on. World War Two 1/72-20mm is the largest part of my collection (4000 figs and vehicles), followed by 28mm Napoleonic, then medieval and ancients. I also have a smattering of 20mm science fiction, modern and a big collection of 1/72 ww1 aircraft. 

My main project this year though wargames related is my planned wargames wing of the house which was the former servants quarters above the stables and carriage house, it will include a number of tables to a maximum of 20m long (to fit my big Arnhem table). The rooms will be for big linked campaign games for wargames holiday guests, a workshop with ducted spray booth, 3d printing area, and lots of display cabinets, a kitchenette , a 1940 WW2 RAF ready room officers style bar, my reference library and toilet amenities. 

My current workspace with quite a view of the neighbors 17th C hunting lodge opposite us. 

My current painting desk is in my current wargames room (countess Hercé, the former female salon on the first floor) while I complete renovations of my workshop and wargames retreat, this will become our 65sqm master suite eventually. 

The current Salon de Guerre

Challenge goals

I tend to be a bit of a squirrel, but I find that keeps me interested in painting so I always have side projects rotating through my desk….I will try to stay on target this year with the listed plans! 

I will add Work In Progress  for the challenge on to my two blogs Storm and Conquest for my ancients to ww1 and Kampfgruppewillow for ww2 and modern wargaming as we go along. 

My plan this year is 1000 points outside the AHPC studios and I plan to complete a few personal projects plus add armies for our wargames holiday business relating to local battles and sieges. 

Main focus this year

• 28mm Imperial  Roman’s 120 odd figs maybe more plus cavalry and artillery (main focus)
• 28mm Caesarian army project 120+ odd figs, artillery (second focus)
• 28mm German allied auxiliaries and cavalry 100 odd figs (third focus)
• 20mm American airborne, artillery, jeeps etc plus three Waco gliders 70+odd figures + 3 fighters for air support 
• 20mm Ww2 British Para - additions to my British para brigade, a supply section and drop area, complete three specific 1/72 horsa gliders for operation Tonga, plus my Hamilcar and tank, plus some jeeps and trailers transports. 
• 20mm Volkssturm fall of Berlin 3 battalions, artillery and bits. 70 odd figs plus artillery and AA bits 
• 20mm panzer Lehr - 70 odd figures plus half tracks, panzers etc for Normandy. 
• 20mm Cold War Warpac and Nato vehicles, plus VDV infantry regiment 100 figures  + 20-30 odd vehicles and 5 aircraft. 
• Terrain :- paint my growing pile of 28mm ancient, medieval and 20mm ww2 3d printed buildings 
• A few 28mm Napoleonic odds and sods Prussians, Austrians and French infantry and cavalry  60-180 figs planned and undercoated.
• Random 20mm vehicles, ww2 Dutch, ww2 Belgian, allied and German, just so I do not waste airbrush time really! 

I will also try to do a few pieces for the side adventures, mostly at a whim and if it involves aircraft (which I love building), naval or space ships.

All the best to everyone partaking in the challenge, may you produce pieces of art worthy of the brush God!

We are also offering a French Wargames Holiday prize for competitors, but I will let Curt explain that! 

Cheers

MattW 

French Wargame Holidays

Mayenne, France

MartinC Workspace and Plans and a picture to scare the kids

 Hi. So this is 9th challenge. Until the challenge I didn't know anyone else who wargamed and had only been to 1 wargames show. Now I'm in  a club and regularly put on games with DaveD and JamesM at shows. I'm Dave's labourer as he has no truck with equality.

I tend to paint a lot of things, quickly, so I tend to do well by weight of figures. I've never come top of the pile, as Miles is actually evil and makes Dave look like a soft touch. I've met Miles and he is annoyingly the nicest man in the world, something else he beat me at. So I sit 2nd on the all time list as the rose between those 2 thorniest of thorns.

I have the advantage of having a spare room to use as a painting room and occasional office. So obviously it's a mess

Pre challenge clutter and sorting out

It's all messy - I am. Yes that is a TV but I tend to have the radio channels on, esp the footie

Have this as your screen saver and the kids will never spend anytime on the internet

My plans are light this year, I've had a bad shoulder for 10 weeks and although I'm better now, I've no idea where I put my mojo. I have about 500pts worth of random stuff to paint, including grey scale WW2 for 02hundred. Once I've cleared them off the table I've got a 15mm Roman legion to paint and 10mm renaissance Polish and Ottoman armies. Then it's a raid of the lead mountain, to be honest my lead mountain is intimidating.

We will see how I progress as I'm minioning Sundays and I expect the Sunday crew to dominate the points table. 

Good luck to you all and I hope to see many of you on the chats, check out the challenge facebook page for links most nights

Martin

From DaveD - intro , workspace and plans

 Hi ,

So here I go with my 12th participation  to the annual challenge . - has it really been that many - yikes . 

Over that time the hobby work area has expanded considerably. I also live near and game with JamesM and MartinC - we are playing tomorrow in fact . We have even co-opted 2 new challenge virgins this year DennisC and SteveK - we may have to have a side duel - mind who knows if  Millsy can keep the spreadsheet up to date with it being upside down .

 

With the passing of time I now of course need more magnification in the form of an optivisor and lots of light.

Over the years the challenge had enabled a number of large projects to be seen through to completion - well let’s not say completion , but at least anything new being added comes from the darker recess of the lead  mine. 

• The Old West town of Serenity 
• The Sudan - the amount camels are stuff of challenge lore ..
• Normandy ww2 in 15mm 
• ACW in 10mm 
• Vietnam 

I tend to stick to my focus with not too much wandering into the bonus rounds though I think there may be a few cross overs into that this year . 

Focus will be on the Vietnam stuff as this still has lots of legs yet  , some new 15mm Cold War gone hot , possibly 10mm AWI . 

In addition I look after the Challenge Facebook page Click through link https://www.facebook.com/groups/179279788936540/

Over the years there has been a group of us participating in  the video chats and these have continued across this year. It’s a good way of helping each other be productive . Most video chats have started around 8pm UK time - or around about Paul O'G's  breakfast time.  I am planning to try and stagger hosting some to suit the wider global audience. The direct link to the video hangout is published on the Facebook pages. just click through. if you want to know more about these directly rather than FB contact me via e-mail direct or via your minion  and I will look to do some e mail updates . 

We are currently using Zoom - and if your not familier with that  - you've had a great pandemic!

 

Have a great challenge everyone 

AdamC: Work Space and Projects

 

My humble work space looking far cleaner and more organized than usual in honor of this photo. 

As you may or may not know I welcomed my second child this summer. I have many projects planned but little expectation of getting to all of them. 

There will be new ships from the age of sail and some from the Second World War as well.

Hopefully I'll get some Dark Age and Fantasy figures done as well.

I've also been thinking it's time that my Imagination the Grand Duchy of D'Argent made another challenge appearance. I have some other items in mind but we'll see how much brush time I can find. 

Work Space and Scratch Builds (GeoffreyT)

Hello fellow challengers,

My name is Geoff and this is my second challenge.  I am based in Perth, Western Australia, and this is the least remote location I have ever lived, and by comparable standards a gamers paradise.

The offensive image below is my messy painting workspace.   

Painting you say? Where are the paints?  They have been hidden away until H-hour on D-day.   In November I gathered my forces and found there was less unpainted lead in the cupboard than I expected.  Indeed, I expect to run out of minis during this challenge.

So, what I decided to do is 'go the full analog' and scratch build and sculpt some stuff to supplement the thin grey line of primed troopers.

I don't have any substantive experience in this field, so copied ideas and methods from various you-tubers access the inter-web.   That got the creative juices flowing, and I came up this this lot, and no doubt there is more to come.

Feel free to comment below if you recognise any of these globs of raw material pseudo fashioned into a miniature.  All nominally 28mm.  I'd be pleased if they were recognisable.  You may even be able to identify the source you-tubers I learned from.

I have tried a range of things; polymer clay, epoxy putty, beads and found objects, hot glue and polystyrene.   The polymer clay really surprised me by how good it is to use.  Having tried clay work when I was young, I was amazed how it is a completely different medium to work with.

Here is a close up of a few baddies

Anyhow, I am looking forward to laying a paint brush on these monstrosities, and cant wait until the challenge kicks off.

Kind Regards

Geoff.