Matakishi's Tea House

November is when I start to look forward to the coming new year and rough out any ideas about projects I'd like to tackle. This year I've found myself ever increasingly interested in modern conflicts and so I've amassed a sizable amount of suitable figures.

I'm currently looking at piles of British, Afghan and African troops with assorted armour and extras. The Afghans have been sitting around for a couple of years or so but everything else is new. If I stick to the plan I shouldn't have to buy any figures at all in 2010. Some chance!

Anyway, all this led me to thoughts of what I might actually get done in a year. I know in advance that there will be periods where I don't/can't paint anything at all and times when I want to make stuff rather than paint and I tried to work out what I could 'guarantee' to get done.

So far this year I've managed about 300 painted figures and buildings despite having several months when I produced nothing. My goal for a year's painting is the equivalent of one figure a day, 365 total over the year. Anything more is a bonus. Consequently I've tried to allow for 300-400 figures in next year's projects which will allow me to add more if something shiny takes my fancy.

So far 2010 looks like this:

Modern British in two different sets: 1970/80s for Africa and UNIT, 20 figures so far, may add some more and modern Brits for Afghanistan, 43 so far but the TAG Warrior is so nice I might add another one. I reckon this is a couple of month's work to complete.

Afghans, to fight the British of course. 65 figures which is probably another couple of months' work.

Africans. Two lots here as well. 38 Simba (one month) and 33 African Warlord troops (another month). I want to add vehicles to these too but I'm undecided as to which yet.

I may well add in some Red Star Russians to fight the Afghans too even though they're in cold weather kit. The range is too nice to resist for long. Red Star are producing Chechens  soon as well so I'll probably end up with some of them too.

Drug wars. A collection of police and various criminals that I'm working on at the moment. Another setting for Crossfire. I'm not adding the figures into the totals because I hope to get most of them done before 2010 starts.

This little lot takes up half the year and 199 of my 300-400 guaranteed painting total. Obviously if I get a  move on it'll take less time, possibly only 3-4 months.

For variety I have planned some different settings which I can use to pace myself with if I fear a 'moderns' burnout is imminent.

I want to paint my Twilight collection that I'd hoped to do this year, sadly production delays meant it missed its 'window' and got moved out of the schedule. There's not many figures for it and once I've settled on some colour schemes it shouldn't take long. I'm still deciding on the look I want for these so I'm in no real hurry. I hope to make some scenery and buildings too but, again, I've yet to settle on a style. If it gets included it will add another 30 figures and a month's painting time to the total.

Twilight is the first fantasy stuff that I've wanted to paint in about ten years, for some reason I went right off the stuff despite having a large painted collection already. My returning fantasy vibe has been compounded by Tre Manor's excellent Red Box miniatures which are mainly fantasy vikings. I've tentatively added them to the 'maybe' pile along with a few Heresy figures. I don't have a rules set in mind for these, possibly Song of Blades and Heroes as it's a good system.

If I do start on Fantasy it will be an on-going set that will get added to as and when. Initially it will add another 20 figures to the mix so not a huge investment. These sort of individuals take much longer to paint but I would hope to get everything done in a month.

Last year I also planned to do some Pulp Science Fiction. Sadly this also got shunted out of the list for various reasons. I'd like to return to it in 2010. I have some Hydra Miniatures and assorted other aliens and monsters to do. Again I have no rules in mind but will base everyone singularly since there's so few of them. Even with all the extras there won't be more than 40 or so figures to do.

I have the Bronze Age green Martians too but kept off painting them because I didn't like the accompanying John Carter figures but now TinMan have shown off the beginnings of their excellent John Carter range that has been rectified so these may be added to the pulp sci fi lot which will increase the total to about 60 and make it a two month project.

Where are we now? 310 figures and ten months' work. Not bad. If I finish a good proportion of my Police and modern criminal sets that I'm currently working on before Christmas I may even get time to add in a few Napoleonics and catch up on my Boxer Rebellion figures. Probably not though.

On the back burner is a Mad Max car game so I can use the lovely Ramshackle games resin vehicles and a Giant Robot game that I'm sorting the rules out for even now. These are long term goals and I don't feel pressured to start them yet.

In the odd moments in between all this I hope to rebase all my Rezolution and other cyberpunk figures for a cyberpunk version of Crossfire. This will make me go ahead with my Urban Sprawl build that I've been planning so that will take up the summer break if it happens. I plan lights and neon effects for this so once it starts I may have to stop all other work until it's done. More planning is needed before I commit.

So, all-in-all a manageable year if nothing slows me down, nothing new catches my eye and if I keep to the schedule. What are the chances of that?