Post Challenge Analysis

The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge ended last week and its taken just a few days for me to miss it. For three months my hobby activity has been highly focused and productive and now its over there is a big void in my life. Don't get me wrong I wasn't painting feverishly every day, I wasn't turning out massive units of exquisite 28mm figures, and while I was very happy with my thirteen hundred points it was nothing compared to the top five painters. I'm sure I'm not alone in being a serious procrastinator for 9 months of the year. The beauty of the Challenge is that the constant (but overwhelmingly positive) pressure of a timetable and deadlines has kept me on-track and feeling very satisfied.

With the Challenge over its time for a little introspection and analysis (cos I'm a bit anal in that way). I record and plan extensively during the Challenge and this means I have a lot of useful data collected to analyse my work over the last three months. So here it is; My Painting Challenge in five charts.

Progress Chart - I leapt ahead of my weekly target at an early stage and was able to maintain and extend this 'lead' throughout the Challenge. I owe a lot to a very patient wife who game me plenty of space to indulge my hobby. It's also true that going part time at work has meant I have had more free time to paint and blog over the winter. 

Points by Period - Not surprisingly it was my Anglo Zulu War project that accounted for the bulk of the points I earned this year. However I also earned a significant 14.8% from Fantasy figures, mostly during the Bonus rounds. 

Points by Scale - Equally unsurprising is the fact that I earned most of my points from 6mm figures. At just half a point per figure that means to earn big points you need to churn out big number and this is where 'Thousands' of Zulu's came into their own. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the scoring system set up by Curt but I think it will be a long time before we see a top three podium place being occupied by a 6mm painter.

Points by Type of Entry - I'm always tempted to skip the Bonus rounds to focus just on my given project, but when 22.6% of the points earned come from these rounds its hard not to want to take part. And by the end of the Challenge I have a load more display models to find a home for...I'll have to buy a new display case soon. My existing arrangements are already crammed full and I'll be hard pressed to find space for this years contribution. 

Challenge Expenditure - This year I decided that I would keep a closer eye on what I spent, directly connected to the Challenge. I start buying models almost as soon as the competition ends so some of this expenditure dates back to April last year, although the bulk of the outlay took part immediately before and during the event. In total I spent £657.06 with the majority on figures. The surprise for me was how much I spent on consumables at £269.62. However it has to be said I didn't use up everything so some of this will continue to supply my hobby activities for months to come. 

Right, with that bit of naval-gazing over its time to get back to the important job of preparing for the next Painting Challenge in just 9 months time. Salute is just a few weeks away and this will be my first opportunity to start buying the models I need for the next bout of winter painting madness.