2020 Year in Review

In 2020 I started off productive on the modeling front and pretty well kept that pace going forward. Until the pandemic interrupted us all I was regularly attending model club meetings and, fortunately, after they went virtual I was able to attend a few more.

I completed far more than I had expected this year, although not all of the projects I intended to complete were finished. I did pick up two 1st place finishes at monthly model meetings for my Grot Egg Plane and my Star Wars AT-M6. I was also honored to be receive Modeler of the Year for 2020 (a designation determined by points accumulated for various hobby related achievements throughout the year.

I worked on several projects which I have yet to finish. Most notably I've started working on a collection of Hollywood cars. So far in the works are Ghostbusters, Ready Player One, Aliens, and Wayne's World. I also have a Deadpool Bust, the other halves of both my Dark Imperium and Blitz Bowl sets, and countless other Warhammer 40k kits to complete.

That pile of plastic shame aside, here are the models/figures I managed to finish this year:

Grot Egg Plane - January 7th

Colonial Viper - February 4th

AT-M6 - February 4th

Death Guard - April 13th

Stuffed Fables - June 21st

 

 

 

To Boldly Go - November 27th

The Thing - December 10th

H.A.B. Suit - December 15th

I hope that this year was productive for each of you and that you and yours have remained healthy and well during this trying time. I'm optimistic for what 2021 has in store and hope to continue to grow as a modeler and to share that progress with you. What was your hobby progress for 2021, did you check any of the preverbal boxes you set for yourself back in January? I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to drop me a line by e-mail, FB, or in the comments below. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2018 Hobby Progress

Well I'm off to a rough start. My work schedule and other obligations have prohibited me from attending an model shows or IPMS meetings so far and I have yet to complete a single model. Who knew raising an infant would be so time consuming right?!

To make matters worse we returned home from a brief vacation to find that one of my model display cases had torn loose from it's anchors and crashed to the floor, smashing nearly every model in it and damaging my new hobby desk in the process. So it's not that I haven't spent any time modeling, just that the time I did spend earlier last month was dedicated to rebuilding and repairing.

Since rebuilding my collection I have made some model progress. I've nearly completed Grombrindal, he's been a joy to paint but I'm finding the finecast face a bit of a pain at the moment.

I've completed additional prep work on a trio of Star Trek models, my Colonial Viper, Valkyrie Drop Ship, and Deathwatch Corvus Blackstar.

I've also delved into the Meng World War Toons tanks building 5 of them and converting one for Warhammer 40k. I also think I'm finished with another looted tank I made for 40K.

I picked up some 3D printed squad movement trays from Etsy which I've been finishing and will be molding and casting for my armies.

I'll be producing more detailed posts for many of the above projects I mentioned as they are completed. In the mean time I have to pack in as much hobby progress as I can late at night and during the little guy's all too infrequent naps.

At the end of this month there is a local model contest I plan to enter a few kits into and the Las Vegas Best of the West show is the first weekend of May. So far I'm on track to finish a few new things for that show.

2017 Year in Review and 2018 Hobby Goals

2017 Year in Review

2017 started out promising in the way of hobby progress. I started to organize my space work space with the addition of some Vallejo paint racks. I made some progress on an Ordos Xenos army, and even completed a Kroot Mercenary which went on to win at the IPMS Nationals. In addition to the IPMS Nationals I attended the Best of the West and Valley Con model shows, taking awards at each. I  didn't get much else done in the way of model building but I wrapped up the year with some major home improvements including the design of a new hobby room. In the middle of all that I managed to pay off all me debt (except for the house), get a promotion at work, complete several home improvement projects, and welcomed a new baby boy!

2018 Goals and Plans

While 2017 was a year of home improvement and life altering changes, I'm looking to find a new normal in 2018. I have a couple of closets in the garage full of model kits, some new, many in various stages of completion. I want to put a dent in my collection this year and I think that regularly attending my local IPMS meetings, and competing at several model shows will help to keep me motivated. There is nothing quite like a looming deadline to light a fire under my butt.

Model Shows

A model show is a great opportunity to set a deadline, display my work, and get some critical feedback on my work. This year I plan on attending at a minimum:

• January 13th - Scorpfest 2018 Tucson, AZ
• March 4th - Valley Con 2018 Los Angeles, CA
• May 5th - Best of the West 2018 Las Vegas, NV
• August 1st-4th - IPMS Nationals 2018 Phoenix, AZ
• November 3rd - Modelzona 2018 Mesa, AZ

Model Projects

I've got a lot of partially completed projects and I'd like to get a few of those finished this year. There are a few other new models I plan on starting and, as you'll note, I plan on diversifying my skill set this year by including a few autos and other non-warhammer builds.

• Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper (started)
• This is a 1979 kit. I started it last year but I'm not happy with the initial paint job. I'll be doing a bit more putty work before restarting the paint on this one.
• Ready Player One De Lorean (started)
• I LOVE the novel by Ernest Cline. I have purchased a Back to the Future II De Lorean kit from Aoshima and plan on building it accurate to the novel including a functioning KIT light bar.
• Skaven Army (started)
• I started this army last year using the "Start Collecting Box" along with a couple of additional acquisitions. I plan on building a display board for this army. After it has completed the model show circuit I will be sending it to a friend.
• Duff Beer Wagon (started)
• My father bought me a Monogram Tom Daniel Beer Wagon kit complete with a custom set of Duff Beer stickers. I'm looking forward to completing this kit, I've already done some extensive customization including a scratch built bed with real wood planks.
• Star Trek Space Ship Set (started)
• I picked up this 1976 AMT set of 3 small models at the IPMS nationals. It was partially assembled when I purchased it.
• Edelweiss
• This amazing anime tank from Zoukei-Mura Inc. was another gift from my father. I'm excited to see how this extremely detailed kit comes out.
• Grombrindal
• I hope to have last year's holiday model completed in time for Modelzona next November.
• Roboute Guilliman
• What can I say? This is one hell of a figure. I'm sure he'll be a blast to paint.