Welcome to the penultimate Hammer the Backlog update for 2022! Strap yourself in for a little dose of pre-Christmas Warhammer mini painting, productivity and accountability blogging!
Let’s start with a second to last look at the scorecard.
SCORECARD
Another sweep of green this week, without any major hold ups or delays. I managed to push myself a little bit more this week and be a little more efficient, not ending up doing half of the work on the last day before the deadline.
At 28 weeks since I started the blog, it really feels like I’m starting to form some good habits, I don’t have to remind myself to get things done anymore, which is great. The upcoming change of focus to ‘boring space miniatures’ will be the next big motivation challenge.
Another lesson that I apparently seem to refuse to learn is to take banner bearers more seriously. It was, just like 15 weeks ago with the Bretonnian banner bearer, crazy to count him and his banner as just a single mini. The banner itself took nearly as long as an extra figure.
Since I spent so long on the banner, I didn’t have time to photoshop the full regiment onto a 90’s style box this week, leaving the first target at 90% complete. Still, a good start to the quarter!
THIS WEEK’S MODELS
The last four rank and file mercenary swordsmen and their banner bearer were this week’s models. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed painting them. I had forgotten that when I picked last week’s models I had chosen the examples that needed the least work, so this little group needed a little bit more filling and scraping to hide some minor bubbles.
My favourite part of the process this week was definitely the banner. In keeping with the 90’s theme, I measured out the space and then drew the design in very light grey in MS Paint. I then made two copies, one with the colours blocked in as a proof of concept and one in the lightest grey I could get to paint over. I really enjoyed this process, and hope to use the template again in the future with the Grudgebringer Cavalry and Mercenary Crossbows.
Being a fellow follically challenged gentleman, the banner bearer’s face and head also got a little bit of extra attention. I was able to get a little bit more depth and interest in the face with some light washes of blues and reds, as well as a medium grey for some stubble. I got some great advice from Oldhammer legend and all round Bon Oeuf Jean Peinture. Check out his instagram for some awesome inspiration. https://www.instagram.com/jean_peinture/
They look great as a unit, I think. One of my new lifelong ambitions is to make an army box of the Grudgebringers, imagining that it came out in 1998. I would say 16 infantry, 10 cavalry, 12 crossbowmen, a cannon with 3 crew would have made an amazing Christmas present in the late 90’s.
The ball is in Imperialis Miniature’s court now!
HOW NOT TO DO IT
It will probably come as something of a surprise to hear that I have not always been this organised, productive and accountable. Actually, no, that won’t be a surprise at all, will it? You don’t end up sitting on a decades old backlog if you are organised and productive.
It might be interesting to learn that Hammer the Backlog was not my first (or even second or third) attempt to put some structure on my hobby time and get things done. Let’s go back to my first ever attempt at a painting blog, on the venerable website and message board Warseer, to see what it had in common with Hammer the Backlog, and also to see what went wrong!
So as you can see here, on the 8th of September, 2010 I (very) half-heartedly (kinda) committed to painting a rank a week of a decently sized High Elf army that I had impulse bought. What’s most interesting for me in this is that even twelve years ago I was thinking around 5 models a week! Fast forward a week, nothing. Two weeks, nothing. Three weeks? Nada! In fact the next post doesn’t come until the 30th of January, 2011, nearly 4 months later! That’s aout 15 weeks! I must have been very busy painting away and not updating the blog.
Nope. Three and a half ranks painted.
The most telling thing about this whole embarrassment is the final post. I got five Phoenix Guard nearly painted. Did you see any Phoenix Guard in the first photo? Nope, they weren’t even out yet! So not only was I not painting, I was also buying more new stuff that wasn’t even in the original target! This really shows the value of having rocks and not moving your targets around to include every shiny new thing. I’m pretty sure a decent chunk of these elves are going to end up on the trays for year 2!
SOCIAL MEDIA
A couple of little tiny baby milestones this week. First of all, the Hammer the Backlog Youtube Channel has got 100 subscribers.
As someone who has been active on Youtube for many years, this used to be the first important milestone for a new YouTube channel, as it was the number of subscribers needed to apply for a custom URL. That no longer seems the case, but it is nice that the channel managed to get there without having to appeal to friends and family to subscribe just to get over the initial hurdle. 100 organic subscribers, for the first time ever!
The second video is also just about to hit 1,000 views, again completely organically. I have only posted it here once and on Instagram once. It seems that there is just as much interest in accountability and retro models on Youtube as there is on every other form of social media inhabited by people having weird midlife crises.
Thank you for reading all the way down to the bottom. Please join me this time next week for a robit and two little robbers.
Have a safe and happy Christmas!
Good eggs!
Hammer the Backlog 
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