Friday 9 April 2021

Back to the Brushes 307

Ever wondered why you have to dust figures before painting them, why what seemed like the best hobby purchase ever goes past its use by date and ends up in the flea market at your local gaming show? No? Well its been a frequent thought here of late, most likely due to packing items up for sale. 

It's true, that there is a stream of new shiny released every year and that games come in and out of fashion - tell that to those still playing WRG 7th ed or is it 6th ed at a local club - but why does it happen? Is it because at heart gamers are all magpies who collect shiny items or hoarders who don't know how or when to stop? I don't have the answer although I know its out there somewhere and that there will be some factual description and discussions on it.

What to do about it? Well it's simple really, ok its not in practice but is in theory:

  • Finish what you start ☺
  • Only buy what you you really really need ☺
  • Re-evaluate your interests against your collection - not painted or played in 5 or 10 years? Not likely to do again - then its time to say goodbye ☺
  • Set targets and make them happen☺
    • Specific
    • Measurable
    • Achievable
    • Realistic
    • Time bound
  • Cancel your eBay account ☺
  • Disconnect from the internet ☺

Joking aside the point of this does relate to a lot of things in all our lives and at the end of the day you can only play one game with one set of figures at a time. 

Be in that moment, enjoy it and don't worry about the next new game or set of figures that you don't need. Work on what you have and paint 30 Miniatures in 30 Days. It makes sense and here are a few from this month:


Twelve in fact, nine from Museum Miniatures and 3 from Minifigs (think). Based on 40mm fronts for use in ADLG, DBA and Hail Caesar to name a few. 

Hope that you found this interesting and stay safe. 






9 comments:

Ray Rousell said...

Nice work!

Jonathan Freitag said...

Sound advice, Ross, but very difficult for some (me!) to follow. Projects typically have no upper limit thus expand to fill the vacuum. "Buy only what you really, really need" is also a challenge. Bargains appear and the urge to buy the bulk of a project in one go are but two hurdles to overcome. I appreciate your measured wisdom. I will keep these guidelines in mind for my NEXT project.

tradgardmastare said...

I like the figures and your words have left me much to ponder upon...

Bluewillow said...

Great advice Ross, sadly I never listen......

cheers
Matt
French Wargame Holidays

roma912 said...

Thanks Ray

roma912 said...

I wish I could too...

roma912 said...

Thanks and the hindsight is a wonderful thing.

roma912 said...

If only I could follow my own advice Jonathan.

Starting a project is easy, its the finishing thats the hard part...too easily distracted by other shiny things.

Cheers, Ross

DeanM said...

Sorry for the late comments, Ross - but I have to say your "advice" could be summed up with "...best laid plans..." :) The ebay cancellation is something that I'd never want to do, but have regretted a few impulse purchases too!