Thursday, June 13, 2013

How Much is Enough?

I was home with a nasty head cold yesterday, so after Amy had taken the kids off to creche, I slept most of the morning. Rising at lunchtime (oh, how bohemian of me) I decided to make good use of my time and get some more painting done.

I ran through the next five Landknechts and Spanish then prepped up the next three figures for painting. What fun.

Later in the day I bought a Me 109E-4, one of the lovely new-tooled Airfix kits. No good reason for it - I was just in a Battle of Britain sort of mood.

Looking for a place to start building it on my workbench led me to try to clear things up.

Oh dear.

No room.

And my storage spaces are pretty well fully utilised.

Now, this ghastly situation has resolved* a looming cloud of gloom.

No further major projects?

Perhaps. I could see a time where I'd dabbled with most things that interest me. I have WAS/7YW armies for Europe and North America. I have fair sized WW2 forces for North Africs and Barbarossa (and aren't the new Miniairons T-26s nice?). I have the various incarnations of the Duchy of Alzheims' armies for the 16th, 18th and 19th centuries. There are Warhammer Dwarves, Melniboneans, Pan Tangians, Riders of Rohan, High Elves of the First Age. There are huge numbers of Egyptians (160 and counting) and Mahdists (300?). There are various odds and sods of British Colonials in Home and Foreign Service Dress. There are a few dozen Britains 1914 French. There is a large chest of drawers stuffed with plastic model kits - were I an honest man I would also admit to the plastic tubs stacked in the car port filled with various kits and bits. I forgot the 25mm Tradition ACW collection. You klnow, the one I actually have the odd game with!

There is even a largeish stash of Napoleonic lead for the eventuality that I ever go to the Iberian peninsula.

Do I need to add to all this? Will I ever paint those Xyston galleys? Or the dozen or so Langdon ships that I have in baggies to go with the HMS Agamemnon (74) and the HMS Lydia (26)?

Can it be that I cannot conceive at this time of adding any new projects to this lot? Sure, some projects may gain an extra branch - most likely the 7YW Brits getting some Jacobites to brawl against at Prestonpans - but entirely new growths? I'm starting to wonder.

So there you go - perhaps my Slovaks and Landsknechts are the end of the road for me. Nothing is ever certain in life, and I feel that there are Ancients lurking there somewhere, but I feel that this may yet come to be.

*In the sense of brought into focus.

6 comments:

Archduke Piccolo said...

Good heavens... I thought my pile of shame was at least middling bad!

Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.com said...

I've found that since acquisition and/or painting is a part of the hobby, a periodic recycling is an organic part of it. (Have I been too slow packing?)

Bloggerator said...

Archduke, I am sure your ACW fleet takes up quite some room!

Agreed, and for me this is the time when I have really banged into the physical limitations on my little (!) hobby.

No hurry on that packing.

I am sure I have a packing box full of old floppy disks that needs to be thrown out anyway.

Greg

Milgeek said...

As a beginner in the hobby - and so at the other end of the spectrum - it's interesting to hear your thoughts. As things stand, with just ONE painted figure and just a handful of completed models it's amusing to consider your situation...

Maybe one day I will get there! ;)

Bloggerator said...

Give it time Stephen, give it time...

tidders2 said...

there always more of interest to do :), my one nascent large project on the horizon is 18th Century India (Lord Clive etc)

I'm hitting storage limits in the house(allocated space from the 'management')- there's only so much rejigging of space and packing techniques you can do.
I have room in the garage though - hmmm but how long will that last ? :)

I'm trying to think of new projects of interest that will give good gaming but with the smallest number of figs etc and thus minimal storage

-- Allan