Daffodils and Dust

We here at the bunker often talk about the hobby butterfly. Like the butterfly we are drawn, powerfully and inextricably toward something beautiful and all consuming. It takes over our hobby desire so completely. We throw ourselves into that project and immerse ourselves in its beautiful nectar. For a short while. Until we catch the alluring scent of the next bloom and we find ourselves floating towards that next shiny thing.

So then what happens to all those forgotten flowers? All those neglected blooms? All those undercoated Orks? They sit on shelves, or packed into cardboard boxes stuffed under the stairs. They slowly gather dust, hoping for the day when they will feel the sweet caress of a brush and given their time in the sun.

When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils

I’m certain, if you are anything like me, this will be a familiar story. You will have those projects that started with such zeal only to wither and dry out like daffodils left on the hobby room window sill. Also, if you are also like me, you may be utterly unaware of the life cycle of the daffodil. I once believed that once those dazzling yellow flowers had passed and the fresh green leaves had wilted, the plant had passed from this mortal plane. Emma, however is somewhat better informed than I am about such matters, it being up until recently her job, explained to me that the splendour of the daffodil just retreats back into it’s bulb only to come back all the stronger next year.

Ok, you might be thinking that I’ve taken the butterfly/flower metaphor and run with it in a way that would make Forrest Gump feel lazy. I am, however, trying to introduce the Beard Bunkers grand plan for 2017. In short, we are going to be clearing our to do lists. Breathe life back into those semi-forgotten projects with painty lips. Then we’ll be blogging about it, partly as proof of things getting done, but mostly as a way of motivating ourselves here at the Bunker with one of our favourite motivational methods, guilt. This may not sound like a particularly grand plan but A), you don’t know quite how many projects we have on the go and B) just how psychologically good this is going to feel to not have all those little unpainted voice screaming guiltily at the back of our heads when we click buy on that box of Thousand Sons marines that you just couldn’t resist.

This is one of our 'To Do' shelves!

This Plan, and it’s really a Plan with a capital P now, was set upon at a recent Beardy gathering and we were discussing where our collective hobby is going. As most of you would agree, the hobby is best with others, and we like to work on things together, or at least have a collective objective. As many of you regular readers (and pats on your patient backs for sticking with us) might have picked up on the last few years we have been in a rather barren place with our hobby. After what happened with the end times and WFB and that last few editions of 40k sucking the fun out of the game (in our humble opinion) we’ve been in some kind of existential malaise. A hobby funk if you will. In an attempt to resolve this we’ve been dabbling. Dabbling here, dabbling there, but without much commitment and drive. This has left a lot of half-started things laying around. Then we hit on the idea of having a hobby spring cleanse. Clear out projects and begin to work on something a little more long term for later in the year. Something a little more thought out and better prepared.

This has actually has watered my hobby plant pot. Me being me went straight out and made a list. Then I added a deadline. I’ve always said that all I need is a list and a deadline then I’m fine. So I’ve arrived at this:

Maisey’s Hobby To Do 2017:

- WFB: Ogre Scrap Launcher. Feb

- Bolt Action: German Veteran Heer Grenadiers . Feb

- Frost Grave: Scenery - Gothic Buildings finishing + Finish remaining Tabletop world buildings. Feb

- 40k: Charlie’s Storm Eagle - build and paint. Mar

- Bolt Action: North African/Desert Board - source buildings and make scatter scenery/trench works etc. Apr

- WFB: Vampires - Finish 35 Skeleton Unit, Maybe upgrade 25 Skeleton Units to 35’s?. May

- WFB: Empire - have 30 slots in case. Bulk out line units + detachment. Add new line unit? Jun

- Bolt Action: DAK - get book 2nd ed, write army list, start getting any extra models. Jul/Aug

- 40k: Thousand Sons - work out colour scheme/painting method. Get hero models. Get extra troop choice models/convert up cultists. Sep/Oct

- Bolt Action: NWE British. Paint Trucks + get a Tank (Firefly?). Nov

- 40k: Industrial Scenery, Dec
- 40k: Tyranids, palate cleanser/gap filling/drying time project. All Year

- Bolt Action: Pacific theatre project planning. Back Burner/2018?

- The Beard Bunker 2018 super secret project planning. Back Burner/Nov/Dec

I know that is it is now March, but I did actually hit my target for February and here is a load of photos to prove it. The scrap launcher has been done, which now finishes off my little Ogre project that I started back in 2014 (shame).

 

The Heer Grenadiers are now completely done. I only picked these because Warlord sent me a voucher because I hadn’t made a purchase in a while (more shame).

The scenery I feel less bad about. The Frost Grave project was a fairly recent thing and these haven’t been sat there too long, but I decided to get them cleared now just so I can draw a line underneath that project for the time being (avoided shame).

The Tabletop World buildings however have been sat looking unloved for a long time (SHAME!). These are such lovely models I don't understand what possessed me not to paint them for so long.

  

  

Now only time will tell if I hit the rest of my targets, or if something else will come along and sweep my hobby butterfly away in a hurricane of irresponsibility and joy. As I said above, hobbies are best done with others, so what is on your to do list that is crying out to be finished?