EvilFuzzyDoom in “Sympathy for the Eagle” [BATG 2025]

Hobby Ideas & Advice BATG
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Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a pile of wealth and taste.
I’ve been around for long long years, stole many a man’s shame to waste.
Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name.
But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my grey.

In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole the secret of fire from the gods.

His punishment was to be chained to a rock, and have his liver eaten by an eagle. It would then grow back overnight, and the eagle would return the next day.

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Surely, this sucked for the eagle, too. Maybe if it got tired of eating liver? I wonder if the Greek gods thought of that?

And perhaps we Warriors against the Grey should ask ourselves - are we Prometheus, or are we the eagle?

I’ve been doing this for three years now. When I started out I had 1156 models in my backlog.

In 2022, I painted 243, sold or gave away 13 and added 386.
By the end of the year I had 1312 models in my backlog.

In 2023, I painted 232, sold or gave away 68 and added 201.
By the end of the year I had 1049 models in my backlog.

In 2024, I painted 300, sold or gave away 64 and added 298.
By the end of the year I had 1022 models in my backlog.

Easily my most productive years ever, but pile still isn’t shrinking very vast.

Nevertheless, I am enjoying myself.

This year, let’s see if I can keep my liver.

Links

Goals & projects for 2025
Paint & Purchase Updates

2025 Scorekeeping

  • Any new models will be added when they arrive in my possession - so anything that’s in transit as of New Year’s Day will count as 2024 purchases when they arrive.
  • If I buy a model and sell it in the same year, it will be removed from the “Models added” count.

Here is a link to the 2025 BATG spreadsheet

  • :arrow_up: Models added: 123
  • :arrow_down: Models painted: 51

Total BATG score: +72 :cross_mark:

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Goals for 2025

While I usually try to start the year with a 1000+ word ramble about where I’m at mentally, I’ve had the pleasure of starting 2025 with a hospital stay, thereby eating up most of my good pontificating time and leaving me somewhat diminished. I’ll have to make do with a truncated list, and make it up to you all next year.

Things to prioritise in 2025:

  • Keep working on my Horus Heresy collections:
    – Militia
    – Death Guard
  • Finish painting or sell off my inactive Age of Sigmar projects:
    – Moonclan Grots
    – Troggoths
    – Nighthaunt
    – Ogors
    – Cities of Sigmar Fanatics
    – Malign Sorcery
  • Get my terrain backlog under control:
    – Zone Mortalis board
    – MDF Kill Team terrain
  • Limit new projects as much as possible:
    — New Kill Team if one appeals
    — Maybe a Trench Crusade warband
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Paint & Purchase Updates

Links to each post will go here. Click through the links to see models

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Alternative & Supplemental Scorekeeping

Shame Golf bonuses and penalties

In Dana Howl’s “Miniature Shame Golf” you get additional bonuses for completed units and for selling or giving away models, while you get penalties for buying new releases (within a month of release). I’ll be tracking those here, and tallying them at the end of the year. These bonuses & penalties are on top of normal paint/purchase scoring.

Bonuses

:arrow_down: -1 per model sold or given away :asterisk:
:arrow_down: -1 per completed unit of 5 or more models
:arrow_down: -5 per completed faction starter box
:arrow_down: -20 per completed 2-player starter box

New Release Penalties :eight_spoked_asterisk:

:arrow_up: +5 per box of 1-10 figures
:arrow_up: +20 per faction starter box (up to 30 figures)
:arrow_up: +50 per 2-player starter box (30+ figures)

:asterisk: Models bought and sold in the same year will get removed from the main count
:eight_spoked_asterisk: Models count as a “New Release” if purchased less than a calendar month after release

Updates of a Shameful Nature

Sales/Giveaways

Completion bonuses

Preorder penalties

–

Total Shame adjustment: ???
Final adjusted score: ???

Figure Case

I’ve been using the “Figure Case” app by Warganizer since late 2020. It’s an iPhone-only app (sorry, Android users!) 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 update this at the end of the year to see what happened to my collection as a whole.

Starting position, 1 Jan 2025

Scores are: minis (effort)

  • :red_square: Unassembled: 281 (419)
  • :orange_square: Assembled: 453 (744)
  • :yellow_square: In Progress: 288 (383)
  • :green_square: Finished: 1119 (1457)

Total Backlog: 1022 (1546)

Initial Screenshot:

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Final position, 31 Dec 2025

Final Screenshot:

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Projects Tracking

In January, I finished painting my Age of Sigmar Nighthaunt collection:

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At the end of January, I started painting Space Sharks (Carcharodons).

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First Post

Well, it’s been a rough start to the year for me. On New Year’s Day I had to go to hospital for the same thing that’s put me there several times in the last few years. I’m okay, but it’s left me pretty drained and sore; unable to really exploit what should be some prime hobbying time.

Also (possibly worse) I spent a few days on some powerful painkillers with full access to eBay and nothing better to do!

So not only am I starting this year’s battle in a weakened state, but I’m faced with additional challenge in the form of early purchases - apparently, 2025 will be the Year of the Handicap!

The first of these purchases arrived today:

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In case you can’t tell, that’s two units of five Genestealer Cult Atalan Jackals from 40k. I decided these models would be ideally suited to play the role of Militia Cavalry in my Heresy army, since my last game taught me that I needed some speed bumps to keep melee troops away from my tanks for a little while.

There’s ten models in there, plus some bits to build more Destroyers for my Death Guard. I have no idea when I’ll get to build and paint them, but I’m enjoying both projects so they will hopefully not spend too much time on the pile.

Additionally, I have managed to find the strength to slap some paint on a few models:

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Five shotgun-armed troopers for the Heresy Militia. I intended to run them as a reconnaissance squad before I had the idea to get the bikers, since I found some Sentinel pilot heads that suited the role. They might serve briefly as Grenadiers as well, since I’m considering a mixed unit loadout with some shotguns to counter charging units.

So, a rough start to the year, and probably a sign of things to come.

Ten on the pile, five off.

BATG Score: +5 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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Okay. Testing my strength today, I spent the afternoon at the painting desk. I’ve kept it simple and picked up the Chaos Warriors from the Old World project I started last year, purely because I don’t care about making them pretty and I can abuse them with Contrast paints and washes:

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They’re painted in a very non-traditional scheme designed to tie in with the less-armoured Nurgle models I’ve done previously. They’re almost entirely done with Contrast over drybrushing, with only the bone and metal getting any normal paint.

The next 10 from this unit are on the painting desk, as well.

While waiting for their bases to dry (a common exercise for me) I also painted up this little fella:

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I converted him out of the Baneblade commander on foot to represent a cyber-familiar for my Heresy Militia. I like the idea of a commander being followed around by a couple of aides-de-camp, so I might add another one and use them as wound tokens. Aside from the conversion, very little of note is happening on this model - it’s basically all drybrush work and a few things picked out in their relevant colour, before a dark wash over everything.

While not very exciting (or wise), today’s update brings me down below zero. It won’t be for long though, since there’s a few more things coming in the mail from my hospital-stay purchases. It’s fire season where I am, too - a lot of smoke in the air means it’s unwise to open windows to let plastic glue fumes escape, so I probably won’t be doing much building for the next few days.

Regardless, that’s six off the pile, a few endurance-related regrets, and an early negative score.

BATG Score: -1 :white_check_mark:

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I had a bit of energy today and I’ve been haunted (heh) by my inability to close out my Nighthaunt collection. So, I grabbed my Lady Olynder out of storage and tried painting her.

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I enjoyed no part of painting this wiggly spring of a model. Between trying to get a brush in between spindly tendrils of hair and the model fighting very hard against drybrushing, it was a chore the entire way.

Fortunately it’s an astonishingly forgiving paint job, and the result is perfectly acceptable. And importantly, it means I’ve painted all my Nighthaunt. I’m eyeing off a unit of Grimghast Reapers but I think that unless I find a bunch of people who I enjoy playing Age of Sigmar with, that’s going to be the end of that.

One off the pile, and a project closed out.

BATG Score: -2 :white_check_mark:

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More bikes arrived:

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Soon enough they’ll join the earlier ones and should get painted fairly quickly.

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I did say I was giving myself something of a handicap to start this year, didn’t I?

There’s a few more models coming soon, too…

Five into the pile.

BATG Score: +3 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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Check out this little guy!

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He’s such a cool little guy. I needed to get him. He’s gonna hang out with my Militia.

One on the pile.

BATG Score: +4 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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Because it’s much easier for me to buy models than paint them at the moment, it’s time for another little purchase update!

First, despite the fact that I haven’t played a game at home since the mid-2010s, I bought some MDF lakes:

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When will I learn that I’m not good at following up on my terrain aspirations? Not today.

Next is five sets of bits from the fantastic Victoria Miniatures:

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These are intended for use as Discipline Masters in my Heresy Militia, but may also end up serving as random officers or sergeants where a distinctive model with laspistol and sword is required.

Finally, this little guy came with them:

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A random handling cook! I seem to be putting together quite the selection of little guys. Pointless, but fun.

Eleven on the pile, and that’s not even the big one from my time in hospital!

BATG Score: +15 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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Alrighty, a bit more expansion is happening now:

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I ordered 2 on-sprue sets of Neohpyte Hybrids back in early January, and while I’ve received tracking information they still haven’t been posted. I have a game this weekend that I was hoping to add a few more models for, so I’ve been a bit of a silly goose. Rather than proxying models like a sensible person, I ordered these for overnight delivery.

I have played every game in my slow-grow league with a fully-painted army. I’m already going to cop out by playing with unpainted models, I’m not going to stoop so low as to play with proxies!

My pride may some day get the better of me.

20 onto the pile (ouch).

BATG Score: +35 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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I haven’t just been buying things, I swear!

I’ve grabbed a bit of time here and there this last week to paint up a pair of Field Ordnance Batteries:

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I wanted to get some Thudd Guns to use for my militia artillery and customise some crew for them, but I wanted to use them in a game this weekend - which just happens to coincide with the gap between the old Thudd Gun kit being discontinued and the new Krieg Artillery kit coming out. So, FOBs will serve for the time being before joining my Retro Imperial Army project at a later date.

Note the blue helmet stripe and squad marking, to denote a support squad.

As per my previous logs, I count the crews rather than the bases for artillery pieces - so these count as six models off the pile.

BATG Score: +29 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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I’ve hit a point in the new project cycle where I couldn’t sleep unless I started on some Carcharodons. Here’s space shark #1. Transfers are in the mail.

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For reasons unknown my weird little head decided on Firstborn scaled heresy marines - rather than firstborn, Primaris or heresy plastics. Hopefully I don’t go into too much debt sourcing bitz!

One off the pile.

BATG Score: +28 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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Space-y shark doo-doo-doodoodoodoo

Space-y shark doo-doo-doodoodoodoo

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Painted another melee Carcharodon and some kind of champion. Maybe a Chaplain. I dunno, I’m sick.

Two off the pile, and that’s it for a few days while I wait for some bits to arrive.

BATG Score: +26 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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Yeah… I think I’ve gone a bit mad in the last few weeks.

This arrived today:

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Twenty Mark IV marines. I bought them for my Space Sharks but I’m really wondering if that’s the look I actually want for them. Are they a Heresy project? Are they a Rogue Trader revival project? Are they just a cheeky 40k project using firstborn marines as Primaris counterparts?

I genuinely don’t know. The troops slots are the part I’m the least sure about. These 20 bodies could well end up as Death Guard.

For now though, they’re going in the Space Sharks pile and there’s 20 of them.

BATG Score: +46 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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Okay, now I think all my packages have arrived from my extensive January stress-shopping.

We have:

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An Imperial Guard Heavy Weapons team (so that I can make a heresy-compatible 5-team unit of Heavy Bolter teams);

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Two Heresy Apothecaries for my Death Guard (although they may end up seconded to the Carcharodons);

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Ten more Genestealer Cult Neophytes to reinforce my Heresy Militia (this is the box that was delayed for ages);

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A Firstborn space marine Assault squad (from a different edition again than the bitz I already have);

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And a fourth previous-version Sentinel (I think I want one more).

My poor wife has been getting increasingly suspicious of all the packages, so I should really take a break from buying things for a while!

I may or may not take a break. This month is proving pretty stressful too, so we’ll see.

Twenty models onto the pile.

BATG Score: +66 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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It’s not all doom and gloom for the pile, though. I powered through over the weekend and painted the remaining 10 Chaos Warriors from my big unit of helmet donors:

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That means the unit is done:

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Fourteen Chaos Warriors and a Champion to lead them, done up in one of my less-deliberate colour schemes.

There’s only five knights and a few characters left to bring this project home, so I’m hoping to get them done and tick the project off the list before the year is out.

Ten off the pile.

BATG Score: +56 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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Have as much as possible shipped to some kind of drop-off point and collect while she’s away. Discard the boxes on your way home.

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A cunning plan @Jasko if not for the fact that neither of us ever leave the house! My wallet says I must pause my purchases, also.

But not my painting! Since I last posted I have painted this:

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A single Zone Mortalis tile.

Dressed up, it looks like this:

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(I should wash those pipes with something…)

Not a lot to look at but a proof of concept, at least. It didn’t take too long and if I paint them in batches I’ll probably get them done even faster.

1 off the pile.

BATG Score: +55 :negative_squared_cross_mark:

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