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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Project screw up and rhetorical questions.


I've just come back to a long dormant project after seeing some spectacularly inspirational blogosphere action and have spent the last few days keenly prepping and organising in order to paint the untouched, touch up the already painted, base them all, and be ready to play.

Except that tonight, having taken out the partly painted and seen them close up, I've realised why I put them way way way back up in the cupboard in the first place: I did a rotten job on them first time around and, really, the effort required to bring them up to a standard I can accept is going to be draining and time consuming. Wrong scale and medium (1/72 plastic); wrong priming colour for me (black); and consequently lots of work to educate myself on how to do over and make them look good.

Again, I'm now not at all sure that it's worth it.

So I'm left wondering whether to push on through anyway or just give up. I'm not really a give up kind of person (more a put aside, think, and come back to it type, which can end up being the same thing, of course!), but the complicating factor is that we are going to be doing a big move quite soon, and so these borderline projects do require a decision.

It's a period I'm interested in and completed armies would be a great thing, but is this the form I want them in, and am I prepared to put in the work required?

Hmm.


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19 comments:

  1. NormJanuary 31, 2018 at 1:10 AM

    Not being a big fan of painting - or at least seeing it as work, I would need a certain amount of enthusiasm to embark on such a project ... without such enthusiasm and assuming that the figures are low cost soft plastic, I would be tempted to get rid.

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  2. David SullivanJanuary 31, 2018 at 2:16 AM

    Any project worth doing in plastic is worth re-doing in metal. :)

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  3. Jonathan FreitagJanuary 31, 2018 at 3:04 AM

    Aaron, life is too short to tackle a large painting project that does not inspire. Do what motivates you.

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  4. BroedersJanuary 31, 2018 at 3:41 AM

    Ebay them. I have so much unpainted metal on different projects that I know I will never get around to. Ship them out of your way and use the funds for something you enjoy.

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  5. NatholeonJanuary 31, 2018 at 3:50 AM

    This is a hobby, not work. If you have to force yourself to do something, you're doing it wrong!

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  6. DeanMJanuary 31, 2018 at 4:44 AM

    If it's a chore, I say pass on it.

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  7. PeterJanuary 31, 2018 at 5:19 AM

    Is sounds like a project to be shelved when you listed: wrong scale, wrong medium and wrong primer.
    Or you could use the project as an experiment to try a different (and quick) painting approach.

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  8. Tony EmeryJanuary 31, 2018 at 8:38 AM

    For 1/72 check out http://bennosfiguresforum.com have a poke around, if you are still not up for it I would move onto something you fancy. I have been dotting around scales and eras for a bit of a change and I know its just a matter of time before I go back to my main project.

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    Replies
    1. PrufrockJanuary 31, 2018 at 5:26 PM

      Thanks for the link, Tony. Checking it out now.

      Delete
  9. PrufrockJanuary 31, 2018 at 5:26 PM

    Thanks for your thoughts and advice, all! Much appreciated. I think what I'll do is steel myself to finish two units and see if I can get them to look satisfactory. If I can't, I'll move on; if I can, I'll tackle enough to make two playable armies and then get rid of the excess.

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  10. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2018 at 8:48 PM

    Aaron,
    I am late to this "party" (as usual), but for what it is worth, here goes.
    Given the current situation and time crunch, I would explore purging the offending collection and starting fresh once new roots have been established. Though there is no equivalent, really, I sometimes do this with submissions intended for Slingshot. Initial drafts (plural!) are the "wrong scale" and the "undercoating" is ugly. So, instead of working on revisions, I sometimes scrap the idea and start with something new or somewhat related.
    Good luck with your final decision. (At least you won't have a long-distance Paraetacene to further deplete your limited resources of time!)

    Cheers,
    Chris

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  11. GonsalvoFebruary 1, 2018 at 10:09 AM

    I don't care for either plastic or black priming myself, either, and my stuff is almost exclusively 25/28mm.

    On the other hand, Mateus does wonders with 1/72 plastic figures. In trust you've seen his blog?

    http://myevergrowingarmies.blogspot.com.br/

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  12. RatmaulFebruary 1, 2018 at 10:43 AM

    Hello, if you are so bothered by the "wrong" base coat, strip them!
    If you think you don't have time for that could be an excuse to try a different technique from your usual one ;)

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  13. KevinFebruary 1, 2018 at 12:18 PM

    Nothing I can add that hasn’t been said above already, except I feel you bro. Been there, done that. One thing I will add, if your moving soon I’d hold off until your in new quarters and settled in, spunds like you won’t have time to play even if you finish.

    Good luck
    Kevin

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    Replies
    1. KevinFebruary 1, 2018 at 12:20 PM

      Oh crap, spunds is a midwesterner word for sounds, just in case you did not know this.:P

      Delete
  14. PrufrockFebruary 7, 2018 at 11:07 AM

    Thanks all - you may be surprised to know that in the end I gritted the old teeth and continued on despite my initial feelings, and have actually been making some progress :)

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  15. Keith FlintFebruary 15, 2018 at 7:09 PM

    Natholeon nailed it, I believe. It's a hobby, not work. That's the test I apply these days. If it's a chore, set it aside and see if the mojo comes back.

    Having said that, glad to see you're back making progress.

    ReplyDelete