JTC Human Halberdiers

Other than the standard, the last two minis are painted and the Halberdiers are done. I have 4 or 5 unfinished standards now. Maybe it's time to sit down and do them all in one swell foop?

Halberdiers... Almost Done, But Not Yet

Finished some of the remaining few halberdiers who have been langquishing on my desk, almost but not quite painted. There are just two left - the standard bearer and a trumpeter.

Whike digging through some boxes in the basement, I aals unearthed the man... err, Hobbit, who started the whole JTC concept. Nob Scrobbleton was my character in a too-brief return to oldschool RPG (2nd Ed. AD&D) a few years ago. I brought him back as the inspiration for Scrobbleton's Jackrabbit Trading Company, though hadn't really thought about a wargame miniature or using him in any scenarios. Last bit of fluff I published here on the blog (start of the campaign) has him taken prisoner by the Marienburg authorities. At any rate, this Reaper mini is the one I used for Nob in the RPG.

Realms of Chaos and Stuff! in the Mail

Mind wandering while listening to music at work. Realms of Chaos, the...

Haha!


I don't generally buy many minis (gaming budget is extremely limited), but at the beginning of the year I told myself that I'd try to go all year without buying any new ones - or at least trying to keep it to a minimum. (Besides, a few previously supported Kickstarters will be delivered over the course of the year.) I've done pretty well. I did recently sell some art, so I splurged with some of the proceeds and bought a few minis that will most likely enter directly into the painting queue. Click to enlarge.

On the left is the Grenadier/Mirliton mini that I previously commented that I was eyeing as a mounted half-orcs general. I love this figure. After getting it in the mail today, I like it even more. I think it has a bit of a Frazetta vibe to it. Now I want to get a muscular yet curvaceous half naked half-orc lady to accompany him. ;)

Next are three Reaper half-orcs of varying sizes. Previously painted mini included for scale comparison. I think the smallest will fit in well, though slight stylistic differences. I think the middle one will also look good on a 20x40 base, similar to the way I included a couple of Reaper orcs in with the previously painted regiment. The merchant... way bigger than I expected. His body is closer to the Foundry orcs or Marauder Ogres, but his head is much smaller than either so he doesn't look like he'd fit with those. Not so sure how/if he will fit in to the collection. Maybe I could try sculpting a new head on him?

Last is a Reaper skeleton I've been eyeing for at least a year and a half, for use as an undead hero. Also a little larger than expected, but I think he will be OK.

Half Orc Scouts

I finished some Half Orcs I started a month or so ago. Took some shortcuts, and looking at the pics I think I will go back an add a slight highlight to the armour.

These are the old Grenadier minis, now sold by Mirliton. Stylistically a little different, but still close enough to look good with the Black Tree minis I previously painted.

So these will fill the role of Bushwackers, in WFB3 terms. I'd like to find a mini to use or convert for a champion, though.

I also need to find a good half orc general. I do have some more rank & file to paint up, and should be able to put together a good mercenary contingent/warband with the addition of just an additional handful of minis.

Failed Morale, Part 2

Rather than reply to the comments on my last post, I'm just going to say a few things here.

First, I appreciate everyone reaching out. Thank you.

Second, it's not really just about miniatures & gaming and how I feel about that. My interest is still as strong as ever, but I'm frustrated by the lack of time and that's where the blues set in. I haven't had time for any other hobbies or interests in years, either. Life is my job and housework and sleep. That's pretty much it. It takes up 25 hours of the day, and it's exhausting. I've been having an increasingly hard time with this & feeling burned out -- I think that's where that last post came from. A bit personal, maybe not really appropriate for a hobby blog. But aside from work I don't really get to talk to actual people anymore.
 
Painting minis is the most "me time" I currently get. Most of that is done in stolen moments, 10 minutes at a time between other tasks (my desk is next to the laundry, so I'll frequently splash some paint on while waiting for the washer to fill up...), or maybe (if I can manage) I stay up late and paint for an hour instead of getting the sleep I probably need even more. For now I'm just trudging on. As I said, painting is about the only thing I can manage for myself, so for now I'm going to keep doing it. But I think I'm giving up on the illusion of gaming.

Failed Morale Check

Morale is hitting an all time low. I don't think I've been as close to just getting rid of everything and giving up on the idea of gaming as I am now. Above is one of the two graveyards my painted miniatures go to. (Someone asked how I "display" my painted minis a while ago, so I took a photo of the better one.)

The multiple hurdles of lack of (day and/or continuous) time, lack of space, and no friends is seeming impossible to overcome. It's been five+ years of painting and planning for some theoretical future enjoyment, but I think I need to admit that I can't see any of that changing in the next five... ten... or however many years.

I don't want to keep making plans and wasting my scarce time for some sort of future enjoyment that's never going to happen. I don't want to look back someday and realize I wasted what little time I had on something that was never going to happen.

The JTC Halberdiers March to a Beat

Recap of the previous progress below.

(I rarely state this anymore, but you can usually clicky the pic-y to enlargify on this blog)

Edit 07/01/18. Still haven't finished the halberdiers, which was my goal for the month. Here's photos of the total progress:

16 fully painted.

8 more are about 75% painted.

The final 8 are barely started.

And a surprise unit that didn't get painted past the level of the previous photo.

Edit again -- finished the next-to-last-8....

Meat Hating Robot Pirates on the Horizon?

Cleaning up and priming some minis for the Meat Hating Pirate Robot crew....

From left to right, Krakon Games, Effin Cool Minis x 3, and I'm not sure where the two on the far right come from -- they were an eBay purchase.

Starting out easy with some stock figures. Eventually I'll start kitbashing some more unusual 'bots.

Listening to some inspirational music for this project -- courtesy of my wife's old band.

Halberdier WIP and the Table in the Rafters

Made a little progress in the halberdiers the past two nights. The minis -- FWIW -- are a mix of Grenadier & Front Rank, with one (I believe) old Citadel Fighter in the mix.

Although the Jackrabbit Trading company is known for its leader and the large number of halflings in its employ, the Small Country was home to human farmsteads and villages long before the hobbits settled in the area. The two have mutually thrived in the region together. The JTC is no exception, and does not discriminate in its recruiting. Almost half of their payroll are human.


I spent far more time this weekend working around the house & yard. While I had a stepladder in the garage, I decided to check in on my gaming tables. I haven't looked at them since I stuck them in the rafters when we moved two years ago.

They appear to be in good condition, thankfully. I'd still like to use them someday, and I had some concern that the some sort of vermin may have gotten to them. Since we've moved here, it's been a bit of a battle against various insects, rodents, birds, and other critters -- plus struggles with moisture, mold & mildew - especially in the cellar where my painting table is currently located.

I'm still hopeful for some sort of Garagehammer eventually. That was, admittedly, part of the reason for working on cleaning the garage today. I have also started looking at prefab sheds...

Edit:

I think I deleted the later update accidentally. Plus I've made more progress. So.... even more painted halberdiers!

Subtle Inspiration & What's Next

Spent a week on family vacation. Had a great time in northern California. Got back and our yard, garden, etc. had really taken off while we were gone. Among the new greenery, I noticed the semi-wild grape vines in our yard reminded me of something....

This was not intentional when I made the bushes -- but I'm glad it seems to reflect real in hindsight!

One of the next projects on the table...