August 2026

While I worked on shrinking the lead/plastic mountain...now really only a small batch of plastic kit remnants, I could not resist a summer sale on 3d files. I am now working on 9 more fantasy units for "A Game of Shires" project and i just printed off a huge number of additional little fellows that will take over a year to complete. This blew my budget but I am still ahead for the year after the big sell off. 

Blood and Plunder at the club

Misc kit bashed sci fi troops

PAINTING 

39 x misc sci fi figures:39

Total: 39

YTD: 721

GAMING 

1 x  Blood and Plunder at the club

YTD: 34

BUDGET

$ 546: $12 Quar, $122 stl figures, $65 rules, $33 starmada, $266 files, $48 resin

YTD:  $3275 (Sold: $3708)  

July 2026

A big month for miniatures.

Had a great time at Historicon, thanks to all the GMs. I ran a convention game for the first time...it is a lot of work!

In a major milestone, I finished off selling the 15mm collections. Bitter sweet to move on from the original Katzenstein figures, but it does simplify things with one set of terrain. I may revisit the Kingdom in 28mm later. 

Painting focus has been on several smaller catch up items. Quar, some VSF additions, and a batch of kitbashed sci-fi figures in the works.

Continued with tinkering with three sets of home rules. I am also making up up some rocky ground with bark. My big Historicon purchase was a big batch of trees from battlefield Terrain Concepts. Expensive, but they do look great.

ACW with Carnage and Glory

A Very British Civil War with Combat Patrol

Congo

AWI with Blood and Steel

Innsmouth pulp game with Fist Full of Lead

Seminole War with Fist Full of Lead Bigger Battles

War of the Worlds with GASLIGHT

My AVBCW game with Combat Patrol

Ditto

Battle of Brandywine with FOB3

More Quar

VSF tribesmen

VSF militia and pioneers

Mix of figs

PAINTING 

69 various figures: 69

2 x vehicles

Total: 71

YTD: 682

GAMING 

1 x  Quar with Battleground HD

10 x games at Historicon

YTD: 33

BUDGET

$12 Quar, $750 trees and supplies at H'con

YTD:  $2729 (Sold: $3646)  

June 2026

Half way through another year. Kept spending to a minimum, and finished selling off the 15mm fantasy collection. I also have buyers for some books and the HEXON terrain that I will deliver at Historicon. 

I made a batch of roads that came out OK. I will try some rivers next. Tinkering with some homebrew rule sets using AI to help with organization and editing. It is helpful, but sometimes inserts changes that I don't want. 

Blood and Plunder at the club

PAINTING 

120 x 28mm foot figures, Halflings: 120 points

Total: 120

YTD: 557

GAMING 

1 x  Blood and Plunder

1 x Cruel Seas

YTD: 22

BUDGET

$12 Quar

YTD:  $1979 (Sold: $2396) 

Mid-year review:

Plans for 2026

1) VSF:  Plan phase 2 which will focus on more 3D printed additions and some terrain.

---Just started some more figures. 

2) Attend the 3 HMGS conventions again. 

---Attended Cold Wars, registered for Historicon

3) Keep spending <$3000. Consider selling the 15mm fantasy collection and massive 15mm fantasy unpainted stash.

---Spent too much, but still good for the year. Sold off the whole 15mm fantasy collection. 

4) Restart the 6mm sci fi operational level project. Focus on 3D prints. Keep working on the rules.

---1st batch complete. Will work a second batch to make playable forces this year.

5) Host a club AVBCW game and a home AVBCW game.

---Done and done, and I will host a game at Historicon. 

6) Backup small project: add single sprues of 28mm sci fi figures and use my Wargames Atlantic MMF subscription to print 3D figures for kitbashing.

---July will be a tinkering month to do some small batches of figures. 

7) Terrain. It's time to make some improvements now that I have transitioned to almost 90% 28mm vs 15mm collections. 2026 should be the year of terrain. Reduce the painted figure count for the year, but make terrain. Consider selling the hexon terrain and moving to terrain cloths.

---I have made hills, roads, and some other small pieces. HEXON sold.

8) Next batch of Burrows and Badgers figures to keep up to date with the whole collection.

---Nothing released yet.

9) Continue Quar.

---Staying up to date. 

Project Update: 11 projects

6mm Sci Fi Big Battles:

---Last Painted:

---Last Gamed:

Victorian Science Fiction:

---Last Painted: Dec, 2025

---Last Gamed: Dec, 2025

Quar:

---Last Painted: Apr, 2026

---Last Gamed: Apr, 2026

28mm Sci Fi:

---Last Painted: Feb, 2026

---Last Gamed: Dec, 2025

A Very British Civil War:

---Last Painted: Oct, 2024

---Last Gamed: Mar, 2026

28mm Fantasy:

---Last Painted: Jun, 2026

---Last Gamed: Jun, 2026

Pulp:

---Last Painted: Jan, 2023

---Last Gamed: Feb, 2025

Burrows and Badgers:

---Last Painted: Sep, 2024

---Last Gamed: Jan, 2023

Slaughterloo:

---Last Painted: Dec, 2023

---Last Gamed: Apr, 2026

Kingdom of Katzenstein 15mm Imagi-nation:

---Last Painted: Dec, 2018

---Last Gamed: Nov, 2024

Fantasy 15mm: ----------SOLD

---Last Painted: Jul, 2019

---Last Gamed: Jul, 2021

May 2026

Great month of hobby time, despite continuing to spend too much. 

I touched up all my trees, putting them on bigger bases for stability, and matching the ground cover. I also made some very basic movement trays.

Registered for Historicon, including running a game for the first time. 

The expansion of the 28mm fantasy force continues. I completed a big batch of Halflings, with probably two more months of 3D printed figures on hand. 

PAINTING 

37 foot figures: 23 points

32 mounted: 64 points

Total: 87

YTD: 437

GAMING 

1 x  Nemesis miniature board game

1 x fantasy game, Wars of Orcs and Dwarves

YTD: 20

BUDGET

$532: $264 bases and movement trays, $36 varnish, $22 paint and glue, $90 terrain supplies, $20 rules

YTD:  $1967 (Sold: $2269)

THE WAR OF THE GILDED HEARTH- 28mm fantasy battle

THE WAR OF THE GILDED HEARTH

The Cyd-Sîr Federation: A peaceful but stubborn federation of Halfling shires. They are governed by local Sheriffs and led by an elected High Sheriff, Berwyn "The Oak" Bramblewood of Auldshire. The Capital, Caer-Llawen (The Fort of Mirth), is located in the heartland shire of Gwaun-Hearth.

Having fled a brutal civil war, loyalist human survivors from the Kingdom of Nordinglas led by The Princess, Elspeth Hrolfsdottir, have sought refuge with their trading partners in Cyd-Sir. Unwilling to give up her claim to the throne after the mysterious death of her father, Elspeth is pursued by the usurper, Jarl Sigurd Iron-Eye, a ruthless, pragmatic warlord who demands the surrender of the Princess.

When his demands to the Halflings of Cyd-Sir to turn over the Princess get rebuffed, Jarl Sigurd sends his nephew, Eirik "The Wolf-Cub" Sigurdsson, to invade. The Nordinglas invasion force has successfully landed on the coast of Seashire, captured a small fishing village, and fortified it into a base camp. Seeking a deep-water port to land their entire fleet, Jarl Sigurd has dispatched his nephew, Eirik, to capture the strategic port town of Aber-Coch. High Sheriff Berwyn has ordered a scratch force to intercept them at a crucial river crossing on the road to the port where it crosses the Silver run.

To battle!

This is the first battle in my new 28mm fantasy campaign. I am building a large 3D printed Halfling army and Elspeth’s troops are mostly from Bad Squiddo. The Nordinglas invaders are mostly plastic kits that will be supplemented by more 3D prints over time. The first battle uses the Wars of Orcs and Dwarves rules. I may also try my homebrew mod to Hostile Realms, and another dice driven game I have been tinkering with.


View from the Shire side.

Elspeth's loyal troops on the left, Shire Halberdiers in reserve behind the hill.

The Nordinglas vanguard arrives.

While a strong flanking force comes under Halfling fire.

Halfling crossbowmen in a strong position protect the center while slingers and pikemen guard the crossing.

A band of Nordinglas warriors is defeated by Elspeth's unarmored shield maidens. 

The flanking force is disrupted but making slow progress.

The diversionary attack in the center crosses the stream.

Skirmish battle on the flank.

Armored lancers smash into the Nordsmen!

Routing them with minor casualties. 

A second band tries to take the hill but is met with withering crossbow fire. 

The flank force is finally across, but will it be too late?

With the center secure, the halflings turn to protect the flank.

Eriik launches a final attack along the road.

Cavalry reposition for a second charge.

Will the short pikemen hold?

They do...sending the Nordsmen packing.

With the vanguard halted for now, Elspeth and the Halfling leaders move south to gather more troops. 

April 2026

A very active hobby month. Besides starting on painting more fantasy figures (28mm Halflings), I started making some terrain. Spending is over budget...but some supplies and things were needed. I have also almost finished selling off the last of the 15mm stuff, so I am still very much in the black for the year. 

I started on a terrain project. I made a big batch of stackable foam hills. They are very stylized, but I have wanted to try them for a while now.  I hope to continue my terrain making momentum. I am refreshing my trees now. I need to add bigger trees since I switched to mostly 28mm gaming.

Stackable hills

I started work on a new set of fantasy rank/flank rules using colored dice to resolve combat. Few test sessions so far. This is my 3rd set of fantasy rules...all are a mish-mash of rule mechanics that I like. 

Test game 

Death in a Dark Continent at the club

More Quar...every month

Start of a Halfling fantasy army...Wargames Atlantic plastics and 3D prints

Civs/militia, armored cav

Halberdiers and pikemen, crossbowmen

Slingers and bowmen too

PAINTING 

4 x Quar: 4

112 x 28mm Halflings for the expanded project: 112

22 x foam stackable hills: 22

30 x movement trays: 10

Total: 148

YTD: 350

GAMING 

1 x  Death in a Dark Continent

1 x Quar with Chain of Command

1 x series of test of my fantasy game

1 x Wars of Eagles and Empires with Slaughterloo figs

YTD: 20

BUDGET

$523: $15 on Quar MMF, $35 HMGS renewal, $130 base trays, $60 dice, $80 terrain materials, $50 cutter, $20 rules, $133 fig files

YTD:  $1435 (Sold: $2269)