I’ve been hobbying for almost 25 years, and I’ve got a big collection of minis - but three fifths of them don’t have a lick of paint on them.
When my partner and I moved in together a few years ago, we both spent a bunch of time complaining about my pile of shame, how I never used most of the models, and how I should probably either get some work done on them or let them go.
During 2021, I’ve been posting my built & painted models on Instagram, posting my Chaos Dwarfs here since I started on them, and using a fantastic iPhone app called “Figure Case” by Warganizer (only available through the Apple store, sorry Android users!) to track my entire collection. I’ve gotten a fair few models built & painted (EDIT: 93-ish), maybe the most since I was actively playing Warmachine/Hordes back in the early 2010s. So, clearly accountability works for me as a motivator!
You can look forward to seeing Age of Sigmar for sure, and possibly some 40k, Warmachine and Turnip28 as well, if the whim takes me.
I’m looking forward to battling against the grey in 2022.
Any new models will be added when they arrive in my possession - so the stuff that’s in transit as of New Year’s Day will count as 2022 purchases when they arrive.
Official BATG score
Per the official Battle Against the Grey thread, one model added to collection is +1, one model painted is -1. Low scores are good.
This “game” borrowed from the art world by Dana Howl, only counts models you’ve actually bought (gifts don’t count) features bonuses for larger groups of models and penalties for impulse-buying new releases and you get points for giving away or selling stuff, too. I like this score because it incentivises getting rid of stuff that I don’t actually want anymore. Again, low scores are good.
Models added: 386
New release penalties: 20
Models painted: 243
Gifts: 109 (Gifts don’t count in Shame Golf!)
Models sold or given away: 13
Unit & boxset completion bonuses: 12
Total Shame Golf score: 29
Figure Case
I’ve been using the “Figure Case” app by Warganizer since late 2020. It’s an iPhone-only (sorry, Android users!) app that has a customisable workflow for tracking models’ status in detail, and allows you to track “effort” to accommodate larger or more-complex models.
I’ll be using the “effort” score rather than the pure model count, because big models and fiddly conversions take longer.
These are my main focus for the year, most likely to get a lot of attention since they’re the ones I’m most excited about. My A-list collections. I’ll update these posts with my progress as the year goes on.
Any models bought for parts won’t appear as part of the collections, although I’ll count them towards the score totals.
“Modern” Chaos Duardin
Inspired by the “Battle for Skull Pass” (BFSP) conversions that have been swirling around for ages, I wanted to make “Modern” Chaos Dwarf kitbashes for Age of Sigmar, focussing on keeping the conversions simple and using models that are easily available without dipping into out-of-production models too far (the BFSP Warriors themselves had to be in there, though!).
I’ve been logging them on the forum here and I’ll keep doing so! They’ll be cross-posted here but I’ll keep the detailed commentary to that thread.
10 Fyreslayers to be turned into K’Daai/Kadim (added 19 May)
Hobgrot hero (added 29 September)
Total: 98 models (44 complete)
Cities of Sigmar
My most recent endeavour, started just before the year began: a Cities of Sigmar army centred around converted Necromunda Cawdor models and using a “dirty, Devoted and poor” theme.
While building my Bull Centaurs I realised how much I love the old Ogre Kingdoms kits. I quickly gave in to temptation and decided to start collecting an Ogor Mawtribes force.
AKA some random heroes and bad guys that I just want to paint for fun or don’t want to commit to a full army.
This collection consists of:
1 Mind Sphiranx (assembled 15 Jan)
1 Lich (assembled)
1 Vampire Lord (unassembled)
1 Necromancer (assembled, painted 20 Sep)
1 Wight King (assembled, painted 18 Sep)
1 Wraith Lord (assembled)
3 Thugs (assembled, painted 7 Sep)
5 Skeletons (completed 6 Sep)
5 Zombies (completed 6 Sep)
5 Direwolves (assembled, painted 7 Sep)
5 Wraiths (assembled)
10 Ghouls (unassembled)
The Wurmspat (3, added 10 August)
The Grymwatch (7, added 10 August)
Total: 49 models (18 complete)
AoS Terrain & Endless Spells
I’ve put together a whole bunch of scenery in the hope of actually playing some games once pandemic conditions allow. I haven’t decided on basing options at the outset, so these might end up being fewer completed pieces in the end.
These collections are big, but less likely to get much love (edit: HA!), so I won’t write them up in their entirety unless I get very excited about it. I will update them if anything gets added or painted, though.
Warhammer 40k
Astra Militarum/Imperial Guard
My Imperial Guard collection is divided into two themes. One is stock-standard Cadians (the Rythnian 6th), mostly painted in around 2009. The other is a much newer surgery/lockdown project, slightly converted using Victoria Miniatures gas masks (the Rythnian 108th “Ventilators” - so named because they fill their enemies with holes).
Rythnian 6th
1 Company Commander & 4 Veterans “Command HQ” (undercoated)
Other Stuff
As the title says, this is… everything else.
These collections are big, but less likely to get much love (edit: HA!) , so I won’t write them up in their entirety unless I get very excited about it. I will update them if anything gets added or painted, though.
Privateer Press - Warmachine & Hordes
Trollbloods
I’m mostly done with these, but I might want to finish them one day for old times’ sake (I love the models).
Cryx
I barely started these before my local group collapsed, so I’ll probably get rid of these.
Mercenaries & Minions
1 Barnabus the Conqueror (added 28 Feb, built 13 Apr)
Other other stuff
Turnip28
A small army of dirty root vegetables.
This collection consists of:
1 Toady (complete)
12 Fodder (6 painted, 6 assembled)
6 Brutes (assembled)
32 Napoleonic Infantry for parts (unassembled)
18 Agincourt Foot Knights for parts (unassembled)
Total: 69 models
HeroQuest
A birthday present! Both the new Core set and the two Expansions, Return of the Witch Lord and Kellar’s Keep.
This consists of:
4 Heroes (added 25 April)
64 Monsters (added 25 April)
40 Scenery pieces (added 25 April)
Total: 108 models
Horus Heresy
I got an itch I couldn’t scratch, and started with a model I found in my bits box.
Models that I’ve divested myself of over the course of the year. While these don’t count towards BATG 2022, they do free up space in my house (yay!) so I’m counting them using the Shame Golf score.
They’ll be heavily kitbashed with each other but for now they count as 7 new models. Good thing I painted the Dwarf yesterday!
The Celestial Hurricanum counts for 10 Effort in Figure Case, so I’m back up to where I started (including the mystery points I picked up somewhere between the 3rd & 9th of January):
I’m counting them as 5 “effort” each in Figure case, and they’re going to eat up a lot of parts that I’m currently counting as “unassembled” - so getting them built and painted will make a nice dint in my detailed tally (if not my official score). Until then, though…
LATER: I also “built” (removed from sprue) some Octarius terrain, and realised that I hadn’t entered the rest of the terrain into Figure Case correctly:
No lightbox today, I’ve tidied up the bench where I usually take photos. He’ll be part of a Gobbo family photo at some point.
I also put together the Mind Sphiranx that donated its spare head to Checlis, and did some work on the Cawdor “Greatswords” that only moved the unassembled → assembled needle a little bit:
My first update that purely affects the Shame Golf score.
Last week I sold a Chaos Knight (the one who donated his head to Checlis), and today I sold some Stormcast Liberators - I was briefly planning to steal @Tyranno ’s idea of combining Slave to Darkness Chariot horses with Stormcast bodies but I decided I liked the scale of Mournfang centaurs better.
That means 6 models sold, taking my Shame Golf score down to 0, but sadly it doesn’t effect my BATG score.
As a general update, I still have the first 10 Hobgrots on my painting table waiting for the weather (and my health) to calm down long enough for me to paint some more of them. I’ve also got some Fellwaters Troggoths prepped for an undercoating day, and my Sigmarites waiting for some greenstuff and some base magnets. Again, all a little on hold just at the moment.
I do think the big victory so far is that I haven’t actually bought anything new since the first week of January (the corpse carts). Accountability works! If I keep promising myself that I can’t buy anything new until my BATG score is back down below 0, then maybe I’ll find myself fitter, younger, wealthier and more vibrant! It may even keep the promise…
Okay, taking a break from Hobgrots, I got a lot done today that I’ve been meaning to do for ages.
I added magnets to the bases of my Cities of Sigmar guys, and to the bases of my Undead skirmish/Mordheim warband. I’m relieved I can actually put them away properly, and I’m really looking forward to blasting through the Undead warband with contrast paints. I still need to decide on a colour scheme before I can really get started on the Sigmarites, though.
I also did some modelling work: did some fiddling with the crew of my Celestial Hurricanum/War Altar, did a little repair work on a Khorne Berzerker, and built a proof of concept rifleman out of a Flagellant and a Skitarii rifle.
I don’t normally paint in subassemblies but this thing is just too fiddly for me to think I’ll get away without it. I’ve temporarily based the priest and the poor souls pulling it, and the statue is magnetised to detach for storage purposes. I’m counting it as assembled for now, since it’ll only get glued together completely just before the final painting stages.
I also filled the gaps in the bases on 20 Gloomspite Shootaz. No pictures, because that’s pretty boring.
However, since I had the putty out, I couldn’t let myself ignore the 2-hand weapon-wielder who’s been sitting on my desk for weeks:
I also decided to start work on giving him some friends.
Lastly, I put some paint on the next 7 Hobgrots. This is nowhere near finished, I just thought they might feel easier if I started batching out their basecoats. Time will tell.
Not a lot of movement on the scores today, but the Hurricanum/Altar counts for 10 in Figure Case, the Dwarf counts for 2 (because they’re all conversions, all my Chaos Dwarfs count for 2) and I can also take 2 flagellants out of the “assembled” pool now that I’ve allocated them to pull the wagon.
-1
+6
+6
+143
Total BATG score: 143
I’ll be using the “effort” score rather than the pure model count, because big models and fiddly conversions take longer.
Unassembled: 518
Assembled: 901
In Progress: 356
Finished: 556
