Well hello there! Thanks for coming back to Hammer the Backlog, the weekly Warhammer (mostly) mini painting, accountability and productivity blog. This week was the last week of quarter 2 of year 2, with all the associated highs and lows of that time for the project. I thought I had some pretty big misses this month, but in the end I think everything actually worked out! Let’s take a look at the ups and downs.
SCORECARD
Ok, first things first, let’s take a look at the scorecard. Miraculously, everything is in the green this week, with 5 models painted to a standard I’m happy with (but more on that later) and all of the social media and shopping commitments kept up with. Since all of the painting targets were completed last week with the Sorcerer Lord on Lamassu, that gave me 5 points of Hammer the Backlog effort to spend on some Bits and Bobs. The bits and bobs I painted were the custom Inquisition Acolytes team that my 6 friends have been playing in our Dark Heresy 1st edition tabletop roleplaying campaign. Sadly, for me, not for them, the game was on Saturday evening. So even though I had a week in the clear to get them painted, in reality I had a couple of evenings to get them printed, sculpted, built, kitbashed and painted.
The other big project that I had this week was getting the next quarterly review video shot for the Youtube channel. The Youtube channel saw some major growth last quarter, with the more regular upload schedule and better videos, and it has been a bit sad to see the growth slow down. But, if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times; the point of this project is to get models painted, not to become a Youtuber.
So, as I said before, I got all of this quarter’s painting targets neatly in the bag. But what about that glaring red one:
Update website with search function, categories and improved graphics
At the time that I made the quarterly review video, this is where I stood.
I was pretty down on the whole website project when I was filming it, and when you see it next week, you’ll see that I basically declared it the first failed rock of the Hammer the Backlog project. But then I got in touch with the absolute legend that is Deets from Anvil of Doom Miniatures about getting some art done, he came back rapid pronto and saved the day! I asked Deets to do me some oldhammer style corner art, like you used to see in the old rule books and army books, but based on my figures! You can see a few of them in the headers and footers of this very page! I also managed to figure out how to add things like searches to the site, so in the end, I think I actually got it done? Deets has some upcoming stickers for sale on his Youtube page, go check them out if you like what he’s done here!
Someone please go back in time and tell me from the video that he shouldn’t have been so negative.
THIS WEEK’S MODELS
This week’s model’s are a motley crew of Inquisitor Godfrye Morganus’ acolytes, currently investigating “piss city” on the planet Ibernos IV for clues to the dwindling tithe of psykers leaving the planet.
We have from left to right
Cleric Jethro Shanks, the southern space gothic preacher and devoted son of the Emperor, who’s silver tongue can turn hearts and minds faster than any psyker. Eli “Grimm” Drake (or is it Sg. Titus Havelock?) the no-nonsense former guardsman and combat shotgun connoisseur. Obviator Secundus Drulax, the team’s slow talking logical mind, who will break out into a sprint and grapple you up in his gorilla-like arms the second you write him off. Nowan; the team’s gender non-binary, sanctioned (?) psyker and 80’s punk goblin. And Sinean, the group’s frighteningly efficient killer who makes everyone he meets (everyone!) uneasy. Not pictured (because the model I ordered took two and a half weeks to process!) is Mable Mars, upbeat lady investigator and crack pistol shot.
None of these models are painted to quite my usual standard, having only basecoat and a key highlight or two here and there. The reason for this is that they are very much gaming pieces first, and are liable to being handled a lot, maybe breaking, or possibly even having changes made to them. The deal we have in the group is that when the character dies or retires, I will finish painting them up to permanent “display” standard and send them home with their player.
We’ve been playing Dark Heresy for almost a year now and are pretty deep into the campaign. But Saturday was our first in-person game. The Heroes of Pumptown (it’s a long story) descended into Blighttown and were shocked when they realised they’d bitten off more than they could chew by interfering in an Adeptus Astartes recruitment drive!
Big shout out to Benzo for the action shots!
It was one of the best nights of tabletop gaming I’ve ever had!
THIS QUARTER’S MODELS
So with all of this quarter’s models done, how about a group shot of the last six months of Hammer the Backlog Warhammer Fantasy?
I know I am really pushing my luck by including the dragon in all of these shots, since I didn’t actually paint him this year, but I think he brings a much needed balance to the Lamassu.
Here is a little gallery of all of this quarter’s models, together in one place!
SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES
The Chaos Dwarfs really were a big hit on social media! After a slow six months during the Blackstone Fortress era, Instagram grew over the last three months at practically the same rate that the Chaos Dwarf army did. The is an outside chance that https://www.instagram.com/hammer_the_backlog/ will have 4,000 followers by the end of 2023, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVFpDxwybWbfN8Hhmi0hbUw might just hit a thousand subscribers!
Well, thank you very much for reading that wall of text. See you in exactly one week for the target setting for quarter 3 of year 2.
Merry Christmas! You are the best eggs!
Hammer the Backlog 
Leave a comment