Review of 2013

2013 was the year I finally got around to starting my Blog!

The idea has been to give a focus for my painting and collecting, and to take the opportunity to revisit some of my older miniatures and re-organise and re-paint them. It was also a chance to engage with other people who are interested in older miniatures and showcase my collection if people wanted to see them. I think in both I have been succesful. As of 5pm today I have received  24,245 views of my blog since starting in April.
Thank you again to everyone who has taken an interest. :)
 
I am very pleased with the outcome of the year.
I have managed to paint up seven complete 3rd Edition Warhammer armies, and finish of an eighth. Only three more to go. Also, I have painted up a Chaos Dwarf Ally Contingent, assembled a couple of 6th Editon 40k armies, and painted various odds and ends and monster,  and a couple of Regiments of Renown.

And of course some Goblins! :) 

This is how I have got on: 

Goblin! 

Ok, I did'nt make this, or paint him, but he's the Goblin statue in the garden I use for my Blog Picture :)

The year started off with a definitely 6th Edition Warhammer 40k feel. 

From December 2012 through January 2013 I was building a Horus Heresy era army from modern plastic Chaos/Space Marine kits, various Forgeworld bits, and odd and ends including some old Rogue Trader Weapons.

I decided to go for the Emperor's Children as I really like the Legion, and loved reading Fulgrim.

Conversions using Rogue Trader bits.

I wanted to more capture the feel of from the artwork in the 'Horus Heresy: Collected Visions' book.

Melta gun, and 2 Assault Marines/Raptors.

February saw my return to an older project, the re-organisation of my current Edition Space ork army and painting up of a few test models.

I am reluctant to finish them off yet as 2014 will probably see new Codex.

Still a big pile of Orks to paint!

...and fast attack! 

I like Deffkoptas.

Later February and through March saw me returning to the Goblin army, with the painting up the second version Golgfag's Mercenary Regiment of Renown..

... lots of Great Goblins/Gnolls includng the Chariot...

... and many Goblins.

 I have painted more than the ones in the photographs above, but I cannot recall which ones I did exactly or the nimber of them (except for the Chairot and the Great Goblin/Gnoll Runic Standard). 

So I just took a selection of them to photograph. I hope to get back to painting and posting Goblins in 2014! 

Blog posting brings me to....

...April and the start of my Blog. 

I had been meaning to start the Blog up for sometime and finally did! 

After posting various Goblins, Slann, and all manner of things, and getting such nice feedback, I was inpsired to get painting in ernest (being ernest is very important, especially with Worthing just along the coast ;) ). 

First off were some Pygmies! 

...and then some Slann Scouts,

...and Slann Spawn Band. 

These were added to the 3,000 point Slann army below:

Most of this army was painted in 2011, but I finished it off this year as part of the aim of getting each of the 3,000 point armies completed. 

 http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/slann-army-list.html

Throughout April and into May I painted the Chaos Ally Contingent,

the Flying Gargolyes of Barda Regiment of Renown,

The Disciples of the Red Redemption,

and the Seven Character from the Magnificent Sven Scenario. 

I was very pleased to be able to paint this set as I had finally been able to complete it this year after years of trying to collect all Seven.

As May worn on I released I was randomly painting things with no real plan.

So I had the idea of painting up a full 3,000 point army, with a workable list, for each of the main armies in the 3rd Edition Warhammer Armies book. 

I started with the Orcs as they required very little work. I needed to modernise the paintwork, re/paint the two Wyverns, and paint up a few gaps in the Orc ranks. 

They can be see finished here:

http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/orc-and-goblin-army-finished.html

From very late May to June saw me taking on the Dwarves, which like the Orcs, needed moderising and gaps filling in.
I got those done before the end of June:
http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dwarf-army-finished-first-of-all-i.html

And Beware!
I also got around to painting up the Jabberwocks as well.

After writing up an Army list, July saw me concentrating on a Chaos Army.

 I decided to go go for a themed army based on the army of the Soulflayer from the Warhammer Armies book. 

I got the whole army finished in July:

http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/chaos-army-finished-soulflayer-returns.html

August saw the culmination of a project close to my heart and starting in 1987, the collecting of all 12 of the orginal Space Slann models.  

The ones painted I did in 2012, and I will make sure that I will finish the job in 2014.

Apart from the Space Slann, August was Bretonnian. 

I had several Bretonnian models from years ago, but completed the army using the Citdael Miniatures Men at Arms range still avaliable from Wargames Foundry.

http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/vive-la-bretonnia-bretonnian-army.html

By September the Bretonnian army was finished, and I was distracted by painting up some of the old Citadel Lord of the Rings range:

http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/1980s-citadel-lord-of-rings-part-1.html

Throughout September I turned my attention to finishing the of collecting and painting up the Snakemen. I intended to use them as a proxy for Fimir in an Ally Contingent in my Dark Elf army.

 

More Snakemen.

With that idea, I also turned my attention to completing the Dark Elf army itself.

 

I finished the Dark Elf army by early October:

http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/dark-elf-army-redux-completed.html

In the run up to Halloween I decided it would be appropriate to tackle the Undead army, which did'nt take very long to do at all!

http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/undead-army-finished.html

As a distration I purchased some resin heads from Kromlech, and laid the foundations for a Confederate themed Cadian Imperial Guard Army. 

This project, which gave me something to do with the box of Cadians I had laying around, is not a high priority, but will complete it when I have finished a of other things.

As Autumn arrived, from late October, through November, to early December I decided to paint my Wood Elf army. As it was Autumn, I decided paint up the army in Autumnal colours, to make a change from the usual green clad Wood Elves.

 While painting the Wood Elves and into December,I have been distraced with all manner of things, mainly a Rogue Trader items. I painted these Space Orks up on a whim.

My major Rogue Trader distraction however is my Squat army.

Taking a break from fantasy armies, after chatting on the Oldhammer Forum ( for those who don't know: http://forum.oldhammer.org.uk/ ) I decided to tackle my Squat army.

I have also just joined another forum dedicated to Squats: http://spacedwarfsonline.freeforums.org/index.php?sid=da84d1629395ef8becb062c906b995df  

After a couple of false starts and changes to the paint scheme, I have decided on the above. The main colour is Vallejo English Uniform, and with Vallejo Brown Violet (which is a green!). I found the old green scheme did'nt really look right, and was too fiddly to paint. 

I have painted up a couple of Brotherhood already over Xmas, and will do a WIP update this Sunday :) 

So what is in store for 2014? 

I have the Squat army to finish, which will probably take until Febuary. Also, concerning Warhammer 3rd edition, I still have three 3rd Edition Warhammer Armies to finish off. In addition there is the Norse Army list published in one of the White Dwarfs of the time (#107?), and my Chaos Warrior army. 

I would like to revist some of my 6th Edition 40k armies, reorganising them and painting up odds and ends. 

Collecting wise, I would like to finally complete my Tau army, pick up a few 1980's Skaven for the 3rd edition army, and collect a small Norman Army. 

And Goblins of course :)