This weeks journey was a long time coming. The Martian cavalry has been worked on, on and off, since the start of this challenge. I had hoped to have them done for last week but ran out of time. I then ignored them for most of the last few days before I finally bit the bullet and got on with it. Even then it was a near run thing. You see, my big problem is finishing tasks. First off I am a major procrastinator, I always find reasons not to work on tasks. Tied in with that is my squirreliness that sees me jump from project to project. If I do not finish a task within a rather short window it will remain unfinished, shelved and ignored.
Since the start of this challenge I have started, and thankfully completed and/or neared completion a number of projects. My posting are a reflection of this chaotic output.
As to the amount of stuff that I have done so far it is quite a shock to me and I doubt that I can maintain this output throughout the challenge, though I am keen to see how far I can get. For all of last year, according to my records, I painted 246 items, and of that a scant 29 items during the winter months. They were a mix of figures, vehicles and scenery. So far thanks to the challenge, counting this weeks posting, I have painted 134 items!
First stop is Klendathu the home of failed invasions, in this case a Martian invasion. So I was able to paint up 3 scout tripods, an assault tripod, and the grand daddy of tripods, the dread Overseer! Now, a note on these models, they are kind of odd looking, at least to me. The forearms remind me of a T Rex, while the legs often look like they are practicing ballet moves!
On the other hand the big Overseer model looks beefy and mean, it stands like it is ready to kick butt. However the model is, how should I say this politely, crap not very good. It is full of mold lines that I did not entirely remove, parts do not fit well together, and detail is scant. In game terms it is a mighty vessel of destruction, and can hold it own against the American landship but the model at best is so so.
I have had this for a few years and just never got around to building it. The biggest surprise to me was that even after all those years by some fluke I managed to not lose any parts! I felt foe certain that I would have misplaced the 6 fingers, but not only had I put them in a baggy for safe keeping, I actually put the bag with the rest of my AQMF figures. I have a real annoying tendency to open up boxes of models and then proceed to misplace, lose parts. No matter how often this happens, I never seem to learn.
| Picking up men & bashing 'em against trees |
This thing is 9 1/2 inches tall, and the legs are 9 1/2 inches apart. Technically 15/18mm game, but really big! Here it is picking on something it's own size.
From AQMF Martians we travel via Sarah's yacht and the Great Abyssal to my VSF Martians this time on the planet Corsucant where two mighty monarchies, whose high upreared and abutting fronts the perilous narrow (ether) ocean parts asunder!
Imagine if you will Queen Victoria on a royal progress visiting her colonial holdings on Mars, confronted by a princess of Mars and her amassed cavalry. Queen Victoria's secret service, along with the grenadier guards must stave off disaster and protect the queen.
The horde of Martian cavalry arrayed against them.
Oh and an armoured car just because...It is a Canadian armoured car from WWI that has somehow found service with the White Russian forces It should have 3 crew but there was a problem, so only the driver is present.
The points this week
- 300 points for 30 x 28mm Martian cavalry
- 50 points for 10 x 28mm Grenadier guards
- 25 points for 5 x 28mm Personalities Queen Victoria, Flashman, Agent Carter, Princess, attendant
- 32 points for 4 x 15/18mm Tripods
- 20 for 1 Really big tripod
- 40 points for 2 Planets visited
- 20 points for Sarah's yacht (courtesy of Queen Victoria)
- 20 points for 1 x 28mm Armoured car
- 5 points for 1 x 28mm Armoured car crew
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512 points in total
So, that was my best output to date, I do not believe I will achieve that again during this challenge, but it might be possible if I turn my attention to the 150 some odd back of beyond cavalry. However I currently feel a pull in another direction(s)...
I feel I may have miscalculated how many points to aim for. To be fair when I reviewed my output last year throughout the winter months and roughly estimating the point value of said output, the total would have been between 425-500 points, so setting a target of 1000 points seemed reasonable. I also factored in my tendency to lose interest in a project, my natural procrastination, and the distraction caused by running RPGs on Roll20.
All this to say that I am not going to sit back and 'celebrate' reaching my goal. Rather I will assume my actual target is 3000 points and see if I can achieve that!