As it fairly normal, I’ve got my monthly round-up post done halfway through the following month. It takes time, okay? Especially on months when I have a lot of models or larger models to photograph (since I have to clear that bloody table which always gets covered in junk.)

Not as many models completed in March, but it was one of those months where life reared its ugly head and caused a fair bit of disruption, so I missed a couple of painting weekends. With that said, it was still a productive month, even though I didn’t complete as many models as I’d have liked to.

It did manage to be a reasonably focused month, with the majority of the models I completed being from my 3rd Edition Chaos Dwarf Blood Bowl Team and the Journeys in Middle-Earth boardgame. The “random” elements being 2/3 of the Echidna’s Children Boxed set from Mythic Battles Pantheon (I need to get that last one finished now!), the Reaper Orc Juggernaught and Marouda’s Bronze Bull (Gorgon to the D&D folk).

Of the models I completed, the Chaos Dwarfs are a pretty solid personal milestone for me, as these models completed the team* and have been part-painted since 3rd Edition BB Death Zone when they became my secondary team – back in the 1990’s!

And of course, my Monster March tally! Old Swordmaster is a pretty generous taskmaster, and so allowed me to incluse the pair of Shieldwolf Krumvaal Yeti as I completed them just over the line into April. As mentioned, I did have big plans to paint (and finish) a lot more models in March, and that would have provided the random-feeling variety that’s so often present in my monthly output. I’m hopeful that Monster MayHem will be running again this year – perhaps I can finally finish the final two of those Yeti, the last of Echidna’s Children and a few more monsters besides!

So that brings me to the numbers – 20 models completed in March – 21 if I count Marouda’s Bull. Added to the 106 I had at the end of February – minus the one I overcounted by showcasing the wrong batch of Hobgoblins in the Feb Round-Up brings us to 126 by the end of March. 20 models is obviously under my “soft target” of one model for each day of each month, but the overall numbers leave me still well on the way to the hard target of 365+ by the end of the year. Aaaaand that’s ….not it this time.

Rather than simply doing the usual and musing overt the models I’ve recently completed, I thought I’d also look at March – the first quarter of the year – as an opportunity to reflect on those hobby goals that I posted up at the start of the year. Something different then, to the usual methodology of writing them up, forgetting about them and then looking at them 12 months later and wondering why I got a lot of models done but not a lot of goals completed…

So here we go…

• Finish painting all the previously-opened Survivors from Zombicide. (I know which ones I mean!)

Started. Well, I’ve painted a couple. Not that many to be honest. I think one of the primary issues here is that we’ve not been playing Zombicide – you know how that goes – painting motivation for a project skyrockets when you’re about to have a game or are pretty actively playing.

• Make at least a solid start on the Zombicide survivors I opened the other day to make space. Even better if they all get done. (I know which ones I mean!)

Started. Well, they’ve all been cleaned up and primed. Nothing beyond that, but it’s to be expected until I complete the first load mentioned above. I guess I could pre-paint the bases…

• Paint all of the Fatties from Zombicide. The sheer number of regular walkers might make them a bit too much of a tall order. We’ll see….

DONE! Well, not counting the spin-off games and 2nd edition, but I wasn’t counting those to be fair. I’ve got a dozen Runners primed and close to starting, so I’m in Stretch Goal Territory for this particular painting goal..

• Finish painting all of my Last Night On Earth Models. At this point, it’s just a bunch of hero models. If I want to “stretch goal” this, I can move onto the stuff from LNoE’s sister game – Invasion from Outer Space. I’ll keep this one wholesale from 2021.

Nope. Haven’t touched these. I should make them a weekened project or something. They’re very similar to the Zombicide models but I don’t have to paint Zombvivors as well.

• Try and finish the last models from that Drizzt D&D boardgame. Anything past that, I’ll call gravy. Also – heroes are non-mandatory since their quality varies widly and I can often sub in better models from GW or Reaper.

Nope. Still got the Drow models to go. I did finish some more of the D&D heroes, ironically!

• Similarly, it was pretty satisfying to finish all of the models from the core LNoE box, so I may try to do another boardgame or two completely. Less likely to be one of those huge CMoN monstrosities, but I have some more, sanely-scaled board games like Doom and Gears that could be contenders. I’ll keep this one wholesale from 2021. Any boardgame will work, though.

Started. I guess Journeys in Middle-Earth has kind of dropped into this slot, as I’ve been working my way through a number of these models.

• Keep plugging away at my Marine and Chaos Marine “Combat Patrols” of 2 squads + hero, vehicle and Dreadnought – as well as adding to the forces that are past that point. I’d make a list of factions for this, as I have in the past, but there’s really no point. I’ll keep this one wholesale from 2021.

Nope. Nada done here yet.

• Finish my Orc and Chaos Dwarf Blood Bowl Teams that have been WIP/Semi-complete since the 1990’s. Then I can either move onto more of the classic models, or delve into some of the “new” teams. (from 2016+) Actually, I also have that custom Tomb Kings team I started that needs to be completed…. I’ve been thinking very specifically about these models lately, so I’ll keep this one wholesale from 2021.

Started. Chaos Dwarfs done. Except for that Minotaur that’s an add-on that I can’t find.. Once I finish some other stuff and clear some space, I’ll start working on completion of either the Orcs or Khemri. Orcs were my first “proper” team, but Marouda likes Undead and Egyptians, so….

• Sort out a couple of cars finally for Gaslands. As I mentioned, having lots of spare 15mm weapons should make this doable now, so I’ll keep this one wholesale from 2021.

Nope. Nothing done here yet.

• if the world still exists at the end of next year, I’d like to get started on at least one of my much larger terrain projects done (tile sets, castles, etc) by year’s end, even if it crosses over the summer break into 2023.

Nope. Haven’t started on any large terrain, but the world still exists at the moment. Funnily enough, I was thinking about Pandemics at the time, but now who knows what Putin might do? Slava Ukraini!

• Paint 2-4 Warhammer Underworlds warbands, so I can finally start playing the game. I’ll keep this one wholesale from 2021.

Nope. I’ve got two of these warbands on my desk. I’ve even thought about painting them more than once.

• Get as many of my part-painted models completed. Which really ties in strongly with so much of what’s already written above. I’ll keep this one wholesale from 2021 since it’s about reducing a very specific set of models that are sitting around.

I’ve been chipping away at these, as always….

• Do something with/for War Cry. I’ll keep this one wholesale from 2021.

Nada.

• Actually PLAY some Blood Bowl and/or Blitz Bowl. May as well throw small-scale 40k and getting some Kings of War, War Cry, Combat Patrol, Middle-Earth SBG, Kill-Team, Gaslands, etc going here as well. I have lots of small-scale and skirmish games. It’d be nice to play some of them. Yep, Play More Games. I’ll keep this one wholesale from 2021, but we’ll obviously add Flames of War in here as well!

Started. We really haven’t played anything tabletop-related except for that Marvel Chibi boardgame. I have just cleared half of the table in the War Room that got overwhelmed with junk yet again, so I’m keen to (somehow) clear the other half so we can play wargames as well as board games….

• Finish my 15mm DAK force for Flames of War

Started. Slow progress, but I just finished another unit (going up in a few days) and am waiting on ball bearings to finish a second unit. Still have infantry and field gunds, though…

• Finish my 15mm British 8th Army force for Flames of War.

Started. Very little done. Have plans to complete a trio of reinforcement tanks for one of the existing units in the next week or two, then it’s onto painting My Bloody Valentines….

• Start (hopefully finish) the four other Mid-War forces for Flames of War that I’m wanting to get done.

Nope. This happens after the above pair.

• Review all of the 15mm scenery I’ve picked up.
  Weather/repaint all of the 15mm scenery I’ve picked up.

Started. I’ll bundle these together. Working on weathering and repainting some buildings which I’ll then throw up with a review post, and I’ve got more queued up.

• Try to review some more of the other hobby-adjacent stuff I have – Art books, Helmets, Video Games.

Nope. Haven’t even thought about this one.

• Complete those winged models (I know which ones I mean!)

Nope. Hoped to have done these by now, but it didn’t happen yet.

• Start and finish those Dwarves with the chains and the hammerheads (I know which ones I mean)

Nope. I looked for those but couldn’t find them.

• Finish those three bits of scenery still sitting in The Tray – and the two WHU sets.

Nope. Still have these to do. If it gets to the Scenery challenge and I still haven’t gotten them finished, I’ll try and use that as motivation. Already referenced the WHU models above.

• Paint some more Beastmen…
  …and some Chaos Dwarves…
  …and a few more regular Dwarves, including Slayers.

Nope. None of the above. (not counting D&D dwarves)

• Get enough Marvel Crisis Protocol models done to actually have a game.
  …and actually have a game.

Started. I need to modify this one to be “complete at least one MCP model per month. Too bad the assembly is so annoying…

• In non-gaming goals, I’ve been off crutches for four days now so I’m keen to get back to the Gym and Pool again, and I’ll also be trying not to die.

Started. Got to the pool a little, though not as often as I’d have liked. Getting to the gym again, but again – not as often as I’d like (I’m typing this right now instead of working out!) Have managed to not die so far…

• Something I forgot to add to my initial goal-writing was to post some more painting turorials. I’ve actually gotten one done this year, though there are also a few more I’d like to do at some stage.

DONE! I’m calling that DAK armour tutorial a win right there, even if I don’t get a second one done in 2022…