Unpainted Lead

Now that I have finished painting my Buccaneer Captain I have been giving serious thought to what to do next. The only problem is I have far too much choice. Like many gamers I have a quite 'substantial' collection of unpainted miniatures gathering dust. To be fair I had a good clear out a few years ago but the collection still remains larger than my ability to finish painting. It has been said that if a gamer were to paint his last model he would probably expire on the spot. I'm not sure if that is true but my wife would probably want me checked out by the Doc to see if I was OK.

So what have I got lurking in my model box that begs attention? For a start I have two half finished projects that make me feel guilty whenever I look at them. The first is a Reaper Cavern Worm by Jason Wiebe. The second is the Salute 04 free figure, Hannibal, sculpted by Mark Sims. Both projects didn't get past base coating because other jobs (for upcoming games) took precedence.

Possibly my biggest crime of neglect goes to a set of Games Workshop LoTR figures that includes Tom Bombadil and Goldberry. I bought the Barrow Downs box set just for these two models and then didn't paint them. Also in my model box are a number of resin scenery and buildings, including some excellent neanderthal huts by Hovels Ltd. I also have a few barricades by Ainsty that I should have painted ages ago. Then there are the Amazon Warriors that I bought from the bring-and-buy stall at Salute, a Ral Partha Hydra given by a friend and a collection of early Space Marine models that I got at a local Boot Sale.

It's a sad litany of neglect and overspending that could go on and on. And I'd wager my best brushes that I'm not the only gamer out there with a similar story. Indeed this very subject was recently discussed on the blog A Year of Frugal Gaming. So, what am I going to do about this? For a start I'm going to ask myself some serious questions before buying new models. That's not to say I won't buy any (get real folks!) but I will try to buy quality rather than quantity. And I must also try to paint more miniatures this year and reduce that lead mountain... even if it is deleterious to my health.