Pooch's December update and 2024 goals

So that's it, 2023 is done. There was a LOT painted this year, but it's fair to say that the goals more or less went out the window in December once I got super excited about a new project! 

But still, lets look at what did get finished in December, before I share the goals for 2024...

1. Paint a platoon for Flames of War

This month's is VERY MUCH a cop out. I painted 4 PaK 36 AT Guns. That's it. Not the crew, those came from something I painted months ago. 

I mean. It counts. But isn't a win...

So... yea. That's something done at least.

2. Add something to armies I have already painted

You know how I said that I got super excited about a new project? 

There has been a lot of talk in the group about 10e 40k, and wanting the game to be fun. We all love the fluff, but some of the previous editions with their rules bloat, and metagaming just really didn't feel good for the group, which meant that we never got into the swing of it. Despite pretty much all of us having full armies for it!

So, I decided that I wanted to get back to my 40k roots, and to do that, I would paint something new for it that I had never owned before. And I would pick something that already had a codex, limiting the risk of codex creep making a whole bunch of units obsolete- enter the Tyranids!

Added bonus with them was that there was plenty going cheap on the local trading site too! 

In December, I finished up the Combat Patrol box, made up of a Warrior Prime, 20 Termagants, 2 Ripper Swarms, 5 Barbgaunts, 3 von Ryan's Leapers and a Psychophage. And I also painted three Tyranid Warriors too. To classify under this goal, I'll also point out that a bunch of those models together (8 termagants and 3 warriors to be precise) would also work as a Kill Team!

The whole army so far!

Warrior Prime

Another shot of the Prime

Can't have a Prime without a unit of Warriors for them to lead!

von Ryan's Leapers. I assume von Ryan didn't make it.....

Barbgaunts!

Psychophage

That's a LOT of teeth.....

Found: one arm. Slightly used. Looking to return to owner

Four of the twenty Termagants

Get used to seeing green and purple, I have many more space bugs left to paint!

3. Finish up a piece of terrain

I know that I said that I would finish the last building for my Wild West town.... but I ran short of time, and so instead assembled these two wagons also for my Wild West town!

Two wagons. Does what it says on the tin.

I do still have that last building to make, which I should really do!

4. Play a game a month, that was different to the last month

This month was our Remember December competition, (read McZ's report here), where I took my US Paras, supported by the F4F Wildcats I finished last month out for a run.

It is always great to get out for a series of games, and I do so love my US paras. I was too busy with the games that I actually forgot to take any pictures reall, I only managed these two, the first showing my Paras holding on to a hill, and the second showing the British forces that were holding the hill opposite!

This is my hill

This is not my hill

For that game, it's worth noting that at the end, neither hill was my hill....

5. Paint a Hundred Years War French Army for ADLG

Now, this one I genuinely failed at this month. I didn't paint a single thing. That'll be a problem for next year now I think!

So what about 2024 then?

I find having the monthly blog, with a set of goals to complete  really good to focus me, and to keep a focus on actually completing projects, instead of keeping things in a 50-80% completed state. I want to have a slightly broader set of goals this year, but with a specific goal to actually get myself into playing 40k, and playing it enough to actually know the rules and army well enough that I enjoy those games!

So what's the plan for 2024 then? Just four goals this year:

1. Paint something bought in 2024

2. Paint something bought before 2024

3. Play a game of 40k each month

4. Play a game of not-40k each month

And that's it- I'd better get cracking!

Pooch

Pooch's November Update

Wait. November is gone too? So there is only one month left of the year? I mean, there is less than one month because I am always late with my blog updates!

Goodness me, I'd better get a crack on with some painting....

1. Paint a platoon for Flames of War

We have our annual Flames of War event to close out the year for our club. This year's theme was mid war infantry forces, and I couldn't face painting up any more of my DAK due to finishing up a huge commission of Fallschirmjager which pretty much killed any motivation to paint my own Germans!

So instead, I found my US Paras, and then realised that as a part of Operation Torch they were supported by aircraft from the USS Ranger- specifically F4F Wildcats! 

Cue some searching online for STLs and an order to Potbelly Miniatures....

Zoooooooooooom!

2. Add something to armies I have already painted

First up we have some more of the brilliant 3d Breed Wild West figures, continuing on my Cowboy theme for the last month or two. These Daughters of the West are super characterful figures, and were really fun to use a bunch of different colours on. I also finished up a Native American who I had in my "to paint" box for.... a lot longer than I'm willing to admit!

The first three. Pistols and Winchester Repeating Rifles

The second three, Pistols and a Shotgun

The final one with another Winchester, and the Native American scout

Secondly I did manage to finish up another Marvel character, this time it's Ghost Rider! This was a figure I wasn't acutally planning on getting finished, it just sortof... happened. It was a lot of fun doing the wet blending on the flames!

Flaming motorbike is very, very cool

Originally I'd painted the chain silver, but this is so much better!

3. Finish up a piece of terrain

The great 4Ground assembly line continues, this time with Johnston's Church! Overall it was a pretty easy build, and now I've just got one more 4Ground building to go, and one month to do it in.

Looking awesome!

4Ground including internal details like the cross is just so good.

I've got one last 4Ground building to make, so that's December's goal!

4. Play a game a month, that was different to the last month

So, initially I was going to talk about playing more Dead by Lead, because we played more of that and it was a heap of fun.

The scene for this month's game- a bar room brawl!

Three different gangs getting down to brawling!

Multi-level brawl!

How the brawl ended- that is to say badly

But to achieve the "different to last month" I'd have to talk about playing Silver Bayonet with my kids, where the two of them worked together (reluctantly at times) to overcome one of the solo scenarios!

This was the table the kids built, before fighting a whole lot of Wolves!

5. Paint a Hundred Years War French Army for ADLG

Just the one base for this completed this month, some light-er knights.

I should really be painting more Knights, but decided to paint these just for something different.

And that's it- on to December!

Pooch

Pooch's October update

October is gone too, this is really, really ridiculous. But still, the painting train continues, and this blog is much more on time. So... I'll take that as a win!

1. Paint a platoon for Flames of War

This month was some odds and sods to finish up my second Afrika Rifle Platoon...

An HMG and a command stand to be exact....

But also painted up some of the 3d Breed DAK that I had Potbelly print for me, to add a couple of extra teams to enable me to use my DAK as an early war army- namely a 50mm mortar and an anti-tank rifle.

Much like everything Potbelly prints for me, they have come out an absolute treat.

More DAK next month I think, as I need to paint up more things for Remember December this year!

2. Add something to armies I have already painted

First up this month is a new model for Marvel Crisis Protocol- or more, three models!

I have actually had these on my painting table for some time, but the models kept breaking on me, and my level of frustration got so high that I very nearly considered never finishing them. The realisation that I didn't have any other Marvel models to replace them meant that I did finish them this month!

So dynamic

So fragile

Rolling with a bit of a Wild West theme this month, I also finished up a couple of Daughters of the West from 3d Breed and printed by Potbelly Miniatures, which I plan on using for Dead by Lead.

Two pistols and a Repeater rifle!

I'm really happy with them

3. Finish up a piece of terrain

Continuing in the Wild West as last month, I built up another one of the brilliant 4Ground kits I had lying around. I've got two more to go before I have them all assembled, so I reckon I might try and do one a month for the next two months to finish them off.

Such a cool looking building

Can't have a jailbreak without a jail cell!

And to further add to the Wild West experience, I also finished up these 3d printed boxes and crates from Battlekiwi.

Simple paintjob, but scatter terrain is so damn useful!

4. Play a game a month, that was different to the last month

As you saw in McZ's review, we played the really fun game, Dead by Lead. 

We deliberately set ourselves a simple "this town ain't big enough for the both of us" type game, wehere all we were doing was trying to kill each other. Read his review if you want the detail, in short, we really enjoyed it.

I do love my Wild West terrain!

3d Breed Cowboy, looking cool

The Cavalry Sgt dealing to on of McZ's Scouts with knife

The result of a VERY silly gunbattle

The dimwit with the Repeater Rifle came up trumps in the end....

It's a great game, I'm already lining up the next game!

5. Paint a Hundred Years War French Army for ADLG

Paint one base for ADLG

And so, the last push on painting up a whole mess of Knights begins- stripy lances for the win!

Paint one Knight for ADLG

I figured I'd better paint up my last commander too, adding further to the push to get more Knights done!

On a prancing pony no less!

Paint up an army of 15mm Celts

You know how I said I wanted to finish my 15mm Celt army in October? 

Well, I did it...

Here is the army in all it's glory!

And some close ups of the things I finished this month....

Two bases of Soldurii, you can tell it's them by the dogs!

Two more generals

Some heavy cavalry

And a base with a certain call back to a certain RPG campaign....

Potbelly Miniatures have done a phenomenal job in printing all of these for me, they have come up an absolute treat. I really should get them out for a game!

Pooch