With no game on last week's schedule and visitors in and out throughout, hobby activities focused primarily on administration and preparation in short and irregular bursts. I take that back, writing the Shiloh battle report in the previous post took a measurable block of time and concentration. Some tasks saw completion or at least some good progress. Others were left wanting. Let's see what got checked off for the week.
Figure Priming. With cold weather approaching quickly, time to jump start the figures "ready to paint" inventory before the really cold temperatures set in. This annual fall ritual began this week. Italian Wars, Franco-Prussian War Prussians, Sumerians, and SYW cavalry have all seen additions to the "ready to paint" pile. Much more work to do.
Hex Terrain. A box of wooden hexes arrived to augment both the four-inch and five-inch hex layouts. The first batch of four-inch hexes have been painted and flocked. With both scale hex layouts optimized for remote games, no hurry in adding to the already large stockpiles of painted and flocked hexes. Still, something to keep in work rotation.
Flags. With expectation that FPW Prussians will be mustering out from the painting desk, time to consider flags. One flagsheet was created with Prussian flags along with a selection of Spanish WAS flags. The Spanish flags are all from the talented hand of David at Not By Appointment.
Storage Labels. While painted figures continue to fill boxes and new boxes are brought into service, I have been negligent in adding proper labels to these newly recruited storage boxes. Fixed that this week by printing off a sheet of half dozen labels to give these unmarked boxes an identity and help in finding stuff quickly. Well, more quickly.
Useful to get these tasks done Jon. Vol’s work on the gatehouse looks top class! And I spy a castle keep in the background!
ReplyDeleteChris/Nundanket
Very useful getting some of these ticked off. Vol's gatehouse if great and the keep goes with the walls.
DeleteNice looking castle. Interesting you use both 4" and 5" hexes; which size do you use for which rules?
ReplyDeleteNeil
Thanks! Four-inch hexes are predominately green used for most of the 10mm/15mm horse & musket rules and settings while the five-inch (brown/sand/grey) hexes are used for arid games in 28mm for the likes of Basic Impetvs.
DeleteIt is always worthwhile getting some tasks out of the way. I've got a priming session booked in next weekend before it gets too damp to prime figures in the shed
ReplyDeleteI agree! Some of these littler tasks can hang around, undone, for a long time.
DeleteTasking well there Jonathan, that's a fine looking castle.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil!
DeleteHaving assisted someone searching through a storage container looking for some specific figures amidst a wall of unlabelled boxes, I can honestly say that never have I felt more strongly that labelling boxes is essential work and not a nice to have.
ReplyDeleteLabelling boxes is essential work. I try to keep up but this time figures spilled over into six new boxes within a short span of time. I needed to get this task accomplished before I lost control of the inventory. As a bonus, I turned up a regiment of SYW Bavarian cavalry that were missing and mis-boxed.
DeleteExcellent looking castle and fine work by Vol! I think I've got a few more weeks left before I get to a priming cut off, well I hope so! I have taken to labeling boxes, done with a sharpie on a post it note and stuck on with magic tape, not as high class as yours, I think I'm more fast and dirty!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain caveadsum1471
Thanks, Iain! Yes, Vol did a great job on the gatehouse. With so many boxes covering so many different periods and scales, a labelling system is required whether by Sharpie or not.
DeleteI wish I had labelled my boxes as I have to pull everything out when I'm looking for something. Some worthwhile tasks completed there Jonathan and the castle looks terrific. Great work by Vol. That Prussian flag sheet would make a nice pattern for a ceramic tile.
ReplyDeleteGood eye on the Prussian flags. I thought the same! Perhaps you can add labelling boxes as a new task?
DeleteThe castle looks superb Jonathan, that will be useful for so many games.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Oli!
DeleteVery nice looking castle Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the castle, Michal!
DeleteYou are busy with a whole range of wargaming preparations, and writing those battle reports are very time consuming.
ReplyDeleteI needed to show some progress this week besides the battle report. With so many interruptions this week, several small tasks are all I could muster.
DeletePhew Jon even your random weeks seem pretty focussed to me 👍 lots going on
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt! I don’t think I am keeping up with you and your output.
DeleteLuckily it isn’t a competition 😀
DeleteIt isn’t?
DeleteAt first blush, labeling boxes may seem a bit O.C.D. , but it is a near necessity for any "mature" collection--and the same goes for terrain. Interesting glimpses of your gaming space, too. Always enlightening to see how people are set up,
ReplyDeleteOCD, perhaps, but for me with so many boxes, it is a necessity. I certainly qualify my collection as “mature.” With over 30,000 painted figures, to find anything requires some organization. As for gaming space glimpses, I need a good clean up before showing any more of the space.
DeleteThe castle looks great and should prove to be very handy for a good few games and scenarios. Always good to get the mundane hobby jobs done, I always have a feeling of satisfaction when I do the "chores". I am pretty interested in the hexes and I may go down this route myself.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes, very good to knock out these mundane tasks. I am sold on gaming on hexes especially for remote games and rarely play on an ungridded field these days.
DeleteTime spent on administrative tasks is never wasted, Jon, even if it's not as glamorous as painting figures or an AAR! The castle certainly looks very impressive 👌
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your assessment, Keith. This work neither adds to the games played or figures painted talkies, though.
DeleteA nice mixed bag there Jon. The castle looks great and nice to get a bit of a view of your games room. Whilst my figures and in drawers and few in number, I can easily find what I need. However I do need to label my terrain boxes, which I keep putting off!
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the castle! Perhaps I ought to clean up the room and then provide a few photos 8n a walk-around tour of the room? My terrain is kept under the game table and in an adjoining storage room. I am not so organized on this front.
DeleteOoh ooh…I wanna play with that castle!
ReplyDeleteI will see what I can come up with to bring it onto the table. Say, I think my comments on your blog are being relegated to your SPAM folder again.
DeleteYou’re only bloomin right cocker…ruddy blogger at its best!
DeleteThat's what I figured! I wonder why I am being singled out???
DeleteA nice castle you have there Jonathan and could prove to be quite useful! Just got halfway reorganizing my hobby room and do things similar to you except for what's on display..-)
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Thanks, Christopher! I really don’t have any figures out on display.
DeleteSmiling as I am moving boxes to label, nice castle. Curious where the wooden hexes are from. The flags, labels and other work is an excuse for a parade, at least mentally.
ReplyDeleteThe hexes are from https://woodnshop.net/. I have been buying from this place for several years. Great product, quick service, and reasonable prices. On my last order, I received an email letting me know that processing my order would take a couple extra days due to equipment breakage and they were awaiting a replacement part.
DeleteIt's good to take the time to step back and complete some of those forgotten or need to do jobs. Vol made a great job on the gatehouse!
ReplyDeleteYeah, did a GREAT job!
DeleteOMG you TOTALLY need labels. I only just started labeling my boxes and I probably only have half of what you got. But I'm totally tired of doing the "now where is that box of (whatever) and ending up looking / opening EVERY box till I find it. "
ReplyDeleteAnd I do love that castle. 😁
Stew, what you see in the two photos is only half of what I have too!
DeleteLove the castle, gatehouse and all. Good to invest time organising your storage boxes. Always pays off eventually..
ReplyDeleteEncouraging to see that these efforts pay off eventually.
DeleteGood to get neat and sorted! Like the castle, a grand game piece!
ReplyDeleteGood, indeed, but no figures are seeing a lick of paint with these diversions.
DeleteIt must be quite satisfying getting all those bits and pieces sorted out…
ReplyDeleteAll the best. Aly
Satisfying, for sure. Similar work continues this week. Prussians are even being flagged!
DeleteThe castle is looking very well although not the German style. I'm not writing much as I'm preparing for our last event in 2024.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck in your final event of the year. I will await your report once the event has concluded.
DeleteGreat addition to the castle. Sometimes stockroom duties have to be dealt with.
ReplyDelete
DeleteThanks, Richard! Those duties continue into this week as well.
That castle looks great, what period/setting will it be used for? Medieval seems obvious but maybe ancients too? Always good to have a catch-up on various odd jobs..
ReplyDeleteThe castle could see service as a backdrop to Reconquista or WotR battles, I think. Catch-up continues this week.
Delete