Mechanical November (MechaNovember!): Monthly Hobby Challenge – Personal Round-Up and Nov Painting Round-Up

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My combined hobby output for November!

Once again, I’m just using one post for my personal round-up for November. Unfortunately due to work and illness (and some long Fallout 4 weekend sessions earlier in the month), I drastically underperformed against what I’d hoped to get finished, but shit happens, and I still got 40 pieces completed, so I’m satisfied, even if I’m not absolutely over the moon about it.

The “Mechanical” part of November’s output. And yes, I was happy to include any scenery involving mechanical construction using metal. Because motivation!

I’d also hoped to get a bunch of fellows in powered armour completed as well as some more vehicles, other mechanical models, and scenery – but alas – it was not to be. Not in November, at least. Luckily some of it will fit into Dauntless-Diabolical December. So on we go!

For the count, this 40 added to the 496 that I had at the end of October and we’re now at 536 for the year so far. As much as I’d love to hit 600, I think getting a total of 64 more models painted in the next 3 weeks is a bit of a stretch. Especially since I’m still at work for the next two weeks. :p

I’ll try and get Mechanical November’s Community Round-Up done this weekend, but compiling those typically takes quite a few hours, and Christmas holidays haven’t yet started, so don’t expect it on Saturday morning or anything!

28 thoughts on “Mechanical November (MechaNovember!): Monthly Hobby Challenge – Personal Round-Up and Nov Painting Round-Up”

  2. Another impressive haul an I think this year you have painted as many models as I have ever painted so I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it too much 😅

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      • Well, technically, it’s sustainable. I’m not going to live long enough to paint all of my models anyway, and it’d be hard as fuck, but it’s technically possible. I could also “game” that by painting previous year+1, but if I planned to do that I’ve already fucked up massively this year as the previous “high score” was 437/429 models in 2017 (depending on how I was counting them) – and I’d only be gaming myself anyway!

        368 in 2016, 388 in 2015, 319 in 2014, 158 in 2013.
        So yeah. I already failed at that once in the past few years. But you’ve got to have goals, right? Aim high and all that! It’s one goal I won’t be beating myself up about if I fail, anyway. The rationale is to harness that particular goal to help me get all of those part-painted models completed.

        Liked by 1 person

      • It’s an admirable target to set and those numbers make me feel sick. It a painful amount of minis for me to imagine painting, I hope that some time I get into a decent rhythm and as the kids get older I have more time. I will try to view your success as motivational and not crushingly impossible.

        So far I haven’t missed a challenge since starting in July I think. A few late near misses… But those near misses simply wouldn’t have happened without the challenges. I think a lot of other people are just painting their minis, and pick an appropriate one to enter… But I really pushed myself to get some of those out. Even though me efforts were only double figures (less than 30 I think) I’m really happy with the stuff I’ve been getting done and a half of it is largely thanks to you. So I’m honestly thankful you facilitate these goals. I still have one more mini for December… 😁

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      • Well, those numbers are inflated by a LOT of scatter terrain, but the thing is – without the challenges (and my minimum of 1 thing for each day of each month) personal sub-challenge, then I guarantee you – most of that scatter terrain would still be sitting around in boxes and tubs unpainted. The crates I just did had been sitting around unpainted since the 1990s!
        The other main thing is that over the decades (!) I’ve started but not completed a LOT of models. Some require a lot of work, of course, but some really only need that “last hour” or two to complete. That’s something else that also helps me to get so many completed. I’ve got at least nine models on the edge of my desk at that point, and they’ve been at that point for literally months, years and decades, depending on which little group we’re talking about. I’ll try (again) to motivate myself to finish them using the challenges this month, and we’ll see how I go. Though they’ve all literally been there for a couple of months (at least).
        Which is one reason I like to keep the challenges fairly broad. Even if someone is painting a squad of Tactical Space Marines anyway, a “Unit” or a “Mechanical” challenge can help to motivate that person to try and finish them off that bit faster. We all know how easy it is to drift off onto another model or project. And even if they had something done anyway, and the challenge didn’t make a concrete difference in any way, they still get to contribute to the overall round-up, which helps to create an overall sense of community and achievement …sorry “pride and accomplishment” (thanks, EA!) – so if you’re a person aiming to paint different things for the challenges, you get to have your figures up there amongst 10 or 20 others’ work, rather than 3 or 5. Enough people participating to keep it small enough to feel that your stuff stands out in some way while still being a decent sized community, without your stuff being one in 150, where it really does become a case of “lost in the crowd”.
        So.. yeah. Thanks for the kind words and feedback. It’s pretty cool (and weird) on a personal level that my little efforts to motivate myself to paint (and complete!) more figures have become something that’s helped others to get their own figures done!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Nice haul there! I need to get around to posting up the dozen or so Models I finished in November. None of them qualify for this, but I did actually get something done at least!

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  10. Always a thrill to see your output. I agree with the goal -setting, but I only just started building so many tanks this month that could be close to be considered in progress, but I do count assembling and painting as separate actions for my tally of “hobby projects”. (Which is now over 2,000 for this year but counts placards etc). Gotta say that your blog has got me producing more. Also, my plans to run games and set a high standard has my goals high, so there’s that.

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    • Thanks Mark – I’m only counting painted figures, since I don’t see myself as so much a modeller like a lot of you guys, but primarily a painter. I have been having a bit of a brain-melt about how to count the whole “multi-model miniature” thing, like tanks with crew, or two models on one base as a warmachine crew or animal-handler team. I guess the classic is “is a mounted model one figure or two?”
      2,000 projects is insane, even by my loose standards.
      Your more recent tables shown on your blog are looking better and better. It’s a shame that you’re not local, as I’m sure we could create some bloody amazing looking terrain pieces and tables working together!

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      • Glad you noticed and I feel the same way on the collaboration front. I guess I count a project if it’s significant and distinct and if it stands alone. I wouldn’t count a tank crewman if he was one in the hatch, but I would if he was outside standing by the tank. Similarly I count assembling a model or creating something as well as painting it as in my processes they are distinct. For me, it matters if something will be a component of a game scenario/universe that I’m building in gaming anticipation. Hence the additional credit I give myself. Besides, I spent a lot of this year on disability so I had a lot of time I won’t have again for a while. You are waaay ahead of me in figures, and thanks to your mat recommendations my tables are improving!

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      • Thanks Mark! I had a look through Deep Cut’s online catalogue over the last few days and came up with another 8 mats I want to buy (and a few more that got culled). If I pick some (or all) of them up, I really need to get a hell of a lot more gaming in!
        As for counting models, I think I’ll probably go with 1 piece per base, though there are a couple of sculpts I have that feature two (and even three) distinct models in a “weapon crew” kind of configuration, but joined as a single sculpt.
        You certainly got a hell of a lot done this year – and a decent amount of gaming in to boot! I need to get more games in to make it all worthwhile…

        Liked by 1 person

      • For me I guess if it’s distinct and stand alone as a project I count it. As for gaming, by God yes! Need more of that, need to get stuff on the table. By culled you mean discontinued? Got their website?

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  11. Pingback: Mechanical November ’18: Monthly Hobby Challenge – Community Round-Up | Azazel's Bitz Box.

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