2022 Hobby Manifesto

Hear ye! Hear ye! 2022 is an election year, and while this hobby isn't a democracy I am standing on the hustings and haranguing you to join me in Making Warhammering Great Again!

<Message: I care>

Here are my pledges for the hobby in 2022. I'll lay them out in bullet-point form and then I will explain them, and explain why I think you should get in on them with me. Or not, as the case may be. Whatever. It's just a hobby.

DANFORTH'S 2022 HOBBY MANIFESTO

Pledge the First: To participate in all 12 of the monthly challenges on the Warhammer 40,000 MeWe Group

Pledge the Second: To buy no new models in 2022

Pledge the Third: To experiment with new tools and techniques

Pledge the Fourth: To do something hobby related every day.

Let's break it down;

Participate in the challenges. First off, the challenges aren't super-hard - "paint a character", "paint a vehicle". They are as hard as you want them to be - but, more importantly, they are communal and structured. Community is a really important part of this hobby - if you haven't already, join a social media group, a forum, hang out in your FLGS ... all three or more! We shouldn't underestimate the value of peer pressure in pushing us to get something done ... and we shouldn't denigrate that notion, either (more on that later).

Structured challenges with other people get you engaged in your social hobby in a social manner. That's a good plan.

Buy no new models. This isn't just to resolve the "pile of shame" problem. I could buy no new models for two, three, four years and still have a pile of shame. I am going to guess I'll die with a pile of shame. If anything, this is just to stop that problem getting worse. To jump on the political analogy I started with; the pile of shame is national debt but buying new models is the deficit. We'll never fix the national debt but maybe we can not add to it for a bit.

The real reason is that I don't need any new models and I certainly don't need to buy them now. The FOMO (fear of missing out) problem is very real and that is how companies drive sales. "I've got to get it now - got to order it immediately!" No, I don't - the models are going to be available in a year or so and maybe then I won't want them or need them. Let's be chill and relax. I can make a list of the models that come out and buy them in 2023 if I really want them. FOMO is kinda stressful. The hell with that noise.

Full disclosure on this "no new models" - it doesn't apply to paints, tools, glues etc. Nor does it apply to components or even models I need to finish a project I've already got pieces for (although there are limits - "this head would be perfect for the driver of the command tank of an armored division" is stretching it!) And it won't apply to genuinely limited-edition pieces where FOMO is legitimate. But, in general; no new models.

Astute readers will notice that - combined with Pledge the First - this means all my challenges for 2022 will be existing projects. Trust me; I will have no difficulty with that.

Experiment. I do like the way I paint and build models, but it's always good to learn new things. I intend to buy some new paints (different brands), to try new techniques like oil washing, to get some tools I've heard about but not used (a wet palette, for example). I've also recently been banging out models with quick methods, and have been pleased with the results. My work often seems stiff and stilted to me, so trying something new might be fun.

Do it every day. This is kind of a crazy one, right? Every day? What if you don't feel like it? Doesn't that risk turning it into a chore and ending up with you hating the hobby? How can it be a fun hobby if there is a requirement to do it?

First off, the hobby is massively diverse. Painting, modelling, writing, planning, designing armies, even talking with your hobbymates - all of these are part of it. It's not just sitting down and slogging through painting something. There should always be something you want to do.

And if there isn't something you want to do .... do something anyway! The hobby is fun. It is what we chose to do and - let's be honest - sometimes we don't know what is good for us.

Sometimes we get in a funk and we don't want to do anything. We get down and we procrastinate or waste time with pointless things rather than doing something that we will enjoy doing (or at least just enjoy the end result - a painted model, for example). This emotional slump is natural - but that doesn't mean we should let it get away with it.

There is value in forcing yourself to do something - or being forced by peer pressure. I had an awful October in 2021 but I forced myself to complete my #Dreadtober project and I felt great when I did.

The hobby is a fun thing and so - even if we force ourselves to do it - we will enjoy it (the serotonin kick is real!) And if we don't enjoy it, we should get a new hobby ... and force ourselves to do that! We need recreation, we need mental diversion, we need something that pushes us to develop new skills. We, frankly, need hobbies that are creative and add order and beauty to the universe. At the end of each day, we should ask ourselves not if we produced and consumed - if we merely survived - but if we added to the beauty and order of the universe. Did we hold back - even reverse - entropy? Did we get as high on Maslow's pyramid as we could?

Why do we not do something with our hobby every day, on a single given day? Because we don't feel like it - because we are tired or down or busy. But we should see those days are the ones when we should have recreation - those are the times we need it more than ever! Are we really tired to the point where we can't do something - or are we just mentally-drained and need a recharge? Are we down and need a pick-me up? If we are too busy, why is that? Doesn't that mean we need to take a step back and say "You know what? 24 hours in the day and I should sleep for eight and work for eight and the mechanics of life take 7 more but . . . I can find a moment or two"? And if our life is structured so that we work for 16 or whatever and we don't get enough sleep ... we've got bigger problems than not painting some goblins but, damnit, forcing yourself to make time to paint goblins might solve those problems by shaking up your toxic work-life balance.

So, that is my manifesto. I am going to try to stick to it. And if you've read this far, consider if you want to try to stick to it, too. And if you don't - or if you want to do something similar but not the same, or if you want to just kinda do it but not formally - that's cool too.

It's just a hobby. :)

#Dreadtober 2021: SARS-CoV2 "Vivian"

This year, I participated in the #Dreadtober challenge - paint a Dreadnought model (defined as something with legs whose base is 60mm or larger) for Warhammer. Many people participate and they paint all kinds of things - traditional Dreadnoughts, but also Knights and other walkers.

My Adepta Sororitas army is mechanized and every squad has its transport ... except the Machaenix Canonical and the mechanics! I wanted to build a unique model; a recovery vehicle with a crane to pull damaged vehicles, but also manipulative arms and tools, as well as a space where tools could be kept and various repairs and fabrication made.

I started with the Mortian Medium Crawler and added the manipulative claw turrets to it. I didn't choose a main weapon (because I wanted to count this as a RH1N0) and instead bought a crane (which I didn't end up using). My original idea was to use the Mortian set fairly unmodified, but then I saw the Genestealer Cults Goliath Truck - it had a great civilian industrial look, and would merge well with the crawler. I also found the Galvanic Servohaulers kit and that was also civilian industrial. So, a few eBay purchases later and I started assembly.

I sliced the base of the Crawler up so I could insert spacers to expand it out, and used the "cowcatcher" from one the servohaulers in the front.

The manipulative claws were attached into the wheel spaces on the cowcatcher.

I attached the Goliath assembly to the model, adding in a Servohauler engine to fill in a space I'd cut out - this gave it the broken symetry that is good for 40K. I then started to assemble the big crane, figuring out where it might go. Some trimming - a little over enthusiastic, because I had to rebuild it later! - allowed me to use the side of the original crawler.

Some vague posing, to see how it all might go together. There are many manipulative arms, which I like for a 40K salvage vehicle.

The legs! So many pieces, each needing cleaning up. The Mortian kits are very nice and well-cast, and the resin seems good and solid.

The legs were assembled and added on ... but there was still a need for a rear section!

I used the two halves of the last Servohauler (mounted upsidedown) to make the sides of a sort of "rear bay". I was inspired by various maintenance trucks I saw, which have a rear bay flanked by lockers containing tools etc. I used the Goliath side pieces to detail the interior. Finally, I added some small columns to support the crane turntable.

The final detail (other than minor additions like hooks and weapons and do-dads) was to add in a pair of supporting legs which could be deployed when the crane was static, similar to many real-world cranes and so forth. They have wheels to move them, but when they are lifting things they deploy big outriggers to stabilize it. I built the one on the left side using pieces of threaded rod so it looked like it might be able to move outwards, because the turntable was offset and so the center of gravity was too.

Now on to painting!

The initial scheme was all done with spraycans - I gave it a nice undercoat of rust-red primer and then lay down a nice but uneven gunmetal. Then, bright red (concentrating on the bits I wanted to end up red) and then some basic masking and gunmetal. The result was a patchy, rusty metal and a nice bright red that (because it was over a smooth gunmetal) tended to rub off the high point when I touched it :)

I then started with the legs, picking out joints with different metallics and using a gold paint pen to do the trim (those things are great - super easy to use and a good effect). Then, I used a wash made up of Lahmian Medium, black poster paint and brown woodstain over everything. I rubbed a lot of it off with a tissue, leaving it in the recesses. I really like that wash - it is a great way of quickly adding industrial grease.

The red got cleaned up with some highlights and Contrast red, giving a really bright color. I started with transfers, sealing them in, and started on with details . . . 

I knew I wanted crew, so I got some Reaper mechanic / scientist figures. A quick paint job - they are going to be hidden in the rear bay and won't be clearly seen (full disclosure - you can't seem hardly at all!) - and they were good to go.

The big crane was undercoated yellow and then given a basic paint job of flat colors . . .

. . . and then a wash of the industrial grime.

The rear details - they look great! And you won't be able to see them at all!

I bought a couple of other Reaper figures to be crew - very Steampunk, but I love it. I cut one down to convert her to fit in a hatch, and converted the other with a big bionic arm so she could be pressing a button.

And then . . . final assembly!

I really like the girl in the purple.

You can barely see anything in the rear bay under the crane.

"They're after me Lucky Charms!"

These are the squad of mechanics (which I painted ages ago) this model is the transport for.

And that's that! A big and crazy project, but I finished it in time and I am really pleased with it. Quite unlike anything else I've done, but I do love it!

Let me know what you think!

Why I Bought a 3d Printer

I took the plunge and bought a 3d printer. Full disclosure; it hasn't arrived yet and I haven't printed anything. So this post isn't about how to print things or my experience of printing things - it is about why I bought the printer, why I bought the model I did, and what I intend to do with it.

I've held off from getting a 3d printer for a while because they were expensive (they still are, but have become less so) and highly technical (ditto), but mostly because I didn't see a need for the printer. Many people in the Facebook groups seem to treat "printing things" as a hobby in itself, which I wouldn't do. I don't think I would find the process of printing anything more than a means to an end - that end being having whatever you printed. Obviously, if "printing stuff" and all the processes involved in it - design, putting supports on, slicing etc. - are something you enjoy, then a 3d printer is a toy in and of itself rather than just a tool.

I didn't see the need to make my own miniatures and components - I paint quite slowly and have a backlog of models (a common refrain among hobbyists) but I also have a monthly budget for "hobby" which is sufficient to purchase more than enough "raw materials" to fill my available hobby time. I've also just finished buying every single component I need to finish out both my Sisters of Battle and Blood Angels armies as planned.

In the modern hobby world, there are lots of ways to get exactly the components you need - there are dozens of third-party suppliers who make aftermarket or custom parts, you can get individual components from eBay or elsewhere, and there are unique custom models available. It's much better than it was even a few years ago. Having my own 3d printer seemed unnecessary because I could get whatever I wanted from a store, professionally made, and without all the faff of having to print it myself.

The cost-savings of the 3d printer also didn't appeal to me that much, and still don't. To use my main army - Sisters of Battle - as an example; I can purchase a squad of 10 Sisters (after the standard 15% discount you can get pretty much anywhere) for $51. Call the little cherub dude you get in the box $1 and they are $5 / figure. That's $5 for a model which I don't have to faff about with in CAD programs, don't need to wear gloves to avoid toxic substances, don't need to do as much clean-up work with, and which assembles with plastic glue. It's a model that is perfectly in keeping with the army's aesthetic (and is of very high quality - the quality of printable models varies greatly) and has no legal issues (or isn't likely to "set someone off" if they see it). It's also a model that comes with multiple components and can be assembled (using traditional modelling techniques) in an infinite number of ways. I come from an older school of miniature modelling, where conversion and kitbashing was de rigeur - for me, a plastic boxed set means no two models need be the same.

The main benefit of the 3d printer (in making proxies for easily-obtainable models) is cost - once you've got the printer, it's pennies to make the figures if you have the .STL file. You could work out the fixed-vs-variable cost curve and (frankly) if you were printing a whole army of models, it wouldn't be long before it made more sense to buy the printer just for that army. I'm guessing for $500 all in you could get a printer and enough raw materials to turn out $1000 "worth" of figures at even discount prices.

But, unless the file is made up of multiple separate components (which need to be supported and sliced and cleaned up) it's harder to convert or modify them. The resin is more brittle and fragile than plastic (based on the Shapeways models I've bought). The model just takes time. For me, $5 for a figure is a negligible exchange for all that - even $50+ for a tank model or character is the same thing. Your millage may vary, of course.

Another thing which weighed on me was something Adam Savage (of "Tested" and "Mythbusters") said once about laser cutters; "once you have a laser cutter, every project becomes a laser cutter project". I suppose that would apply to every sort of technology - the risk is, the tool becomes the go-to even when it might not be the best solution for the problem. Of course, if using the tool is the hobby in and of itself, that doesn't matter. The point isn't to make a thing, the point is to have fun using the device. But, as mentioned above, that isn't for me I think.

As I said above, I'm an old school modeler - I use many techniques and "mixed media" to get what I want done, done! I've got figures that are a combination of kits from two or more manufacturers, MDF laser cut parts, plasticard, putty, and "found objects" like beads or bottlecaps. For me, it's probably easier to make a cool shaped thing out of stuff in my bitz box than it is to 3d print it (never mind design it!) and easier to buy a component like a head or a gun than print it.

I really noticed this when looking at 3d printed terrain - it was great stuff, but so much of it was simple shapes easily made with foam core or cardboard and detailed with found objects. Printing multiple copies of a section to make a wall didn't give the natural variation which makes the thing pleasant. Taking into consideration the time involved in 3d printing (especially with resin) it would be easier (and probably more fun!) to build it using traditional techniques.

So why did I buy a 3d printer?

First off; I bought a printer only because IKEA is not open, not doing local pick up from my local store, and the earliest delivery available was August. I was going to get some display cabinets and stools for my gaming space, but that wasn't possible so I needed something else to spend the budget on! As silly as that sounds, that was a major factor - I had the furniture in the cart and was about to purchase but stopped when I saw the delivery date!

As mentioned above, I'm not interested in using a 3d printer to make cheap models - despite the fact they are expensive, "actual" models are cheap enough for my budget (it helps if you look at them not as "individual models" but "number of hours of entertainment" or even "percentage of available entertainment hours") - or components or scenery; I can buy that easily enough. A printer would be for things I couldn't buy easily.

Initially, I saw a very cool centaur Knight for 40K - it was only available as an .STL file. There are services that would print it, but those places need to make a profit and - based on Shapeways' prices - it wasn't going to be cheap. Expense for a single, fancy model isn't something I worry about - but when I estimated the cost of the model as probably coming close to half the cost of a printer itself . . .

And that model probably wasn't the only one like that - there were bound to be things which I would like but which weren't being sold as a physical product (and the number is only likely to increase . . .)

While many components are readily available, some aren't - either they don't exist or they are so in-demand that they bitz sites sell out or they are prohibitively expensive. A 3d printer also allows you to design your own components, or have them designed for you (there is a large community of such things). A number of the "crafting" channels I follow (which use traditional techniques of foamcore, cardboard and glue to make scenery) were using 3d printed elements for detail.

And, despite what I said above, there would certainly be a bit of fun to be had with playing about with a new "toy" - at least in the initial phases, even if it got old fast!

Taking all that into consideration, I saw that - if I did have a 3d printer - I'd probably use it for smaller, detailed components rather than mass producing larger or less detailed things. A resin rather than a filament printer seemed to way to go.

The general consensus on Facebook groups seemed to be that all the various "mainstream" brands were much of a muchness, and I had heard good things about the Photon series from Anycubic. Reading reviews showed the Photon S was improved over the basic model, and was worth getting if you could afford the extra cost. I'm the kind of guy who likes to buy once rather than upgrade later, so I bought that model.

So, what are my plans for it? Well, first I am going to test-print some models to get the hang of the software and processes like supporting, slicing, cleaning and curing - as well as learning the vicissitudes of the device (everything I am reading tells me 3d printing is still a bit wild west with variations even in the same machine at different times . . .) But after that I am genuinely not sure - I want to print that centaur, of course! And I've downloaded a model of an astropath's staff because I've converted one and she doesn't have a staff top. I've also grabbed a not-RH1N0 tank and some scenery pieces.

The latter two things, I think, illustrate what I think (right now, before I've printed anything and before I've seen how much work all this is, how fun it is, etc.) I'll use it for - as one more media in my "mixed media" approach to miniatures. I've got a great little laser-cut MDF kit for a RH1N0 conversion - I've used it a bunch of times before, but it pretty much covers up everything except the side units and tracks. With a couple of bits of plasticard, you could do without the whole center section of the tank. Of course, you buy a tank as a complete kit unless you just get bitz from a reseller but by that time you've spent the cost of the whole thing (if you can find everything you need at all....) So, the solution is obvious - print out the side units, use plasticard for the center, put on the MDF kit, and raid the bitz box for details.

The scenic piece is a Sisters of Battle variation on the old Dark Angel's "Fortress of Secrecy and Nearly Falling to Chaos" or whatever it's called. It's got these great panels with an embossed statue of a Sororitas on .... together with a bunch of other components which are other walls and bastions and walkways etc. The basic shape of the whole thing could be assembled out of a single sheet of dollar-store foamboard with an exacto knife and an afternoon. Detailing it would take a bit longer, but probably still less time than the time to print it (not to mention you can lick Elmer's glue off your hand without dying . . . ) But you couldn't make those statues unless you were Jes Goodwin.

I don't want to build the ersatz Angels' fortress - but I love that relief. So, I want to print a couple of those panels and use traditional methods - foamcore, insulation foam, cardpulp packing inserts and other found objects - alongside them to make some sort of huge Sororitas bastion wall. I've got some silicone molds for other relief figures, as well as a bitz box full of fleur-de-lys jewelry findings etc. to pimp it out.

And I think that is what I find so exciting about 3d printing - not using it to replace techniques I use elsewhere, but to be just an additional material in my "mixed media" approach (which I recognize is how every hobbyist over the age of 30 does things!) This wonderful Sororitas relief isn't something I could get any way other than home printing - I certainly wouldn't pay the price required if it was physically available as a resin cast or 3d print for scenery (at the very least I wouldn't have as many as I need or want for the dramatic look of the thing) and it probably wouldn't be available were it not for home printing (hundreds of people are turning out thousands of designs compared to merely dozens and hundreds for more traditional "garage" kits).

But I'm not going to print rank and file models - it's just not worth it for me, I think. If there's something I need and I can get it without 3d printing, I'll probably do that - but for things I can't get any other way, the 3d printer is very exciting to me and I look forward to using it.

=][= Danforth Laertes

WORLD ANVIL!

While watching YouTube videos from Shadiversity, I was treated to a brief interlude wherein he hawked for the sponsor of his video. Normally, I ignore such things but this one was interesting - it was for a website called World Anvil.

It allows you to create a "wiki"-like website for your own creation - they suggest it for authors, roleplayers, games masters and the like. I took one look at it and immediately realized I could avoid the major problem I have with making using a blog to keep track of fanon stuff; namely, an "encyclopedia" of a fictional setting isn't a diary!

I immediately signed up and started moving content from this blog over there - you will see the gaps, I am sure! The goal is to move everything related to the background, setting, history etc. over there and leave this blog as what it should be - a blog, detailing my hobby progress and so forth.

Check World Anvil out - both the site as a whole, and my own corner of it!

=][= Danforth Laertes

The Temple of Love: Building a Sisters of Battle Cathedral pt 7

Some more work done on the Cathedral!

The two flat roof sections are roughly cut out

A sheet of 3mm foamcore is scored and folded to make the pitch of the roof

Foamcore braces are cut to secure the roof

Pins are used to hold them while the glue dries

I decided to go with foamcore for the roof because it is both light and sturdy and can easily be cut. PVC sheet is more flexible (but does not crumple or crease; if the roof were damaged I would have to start over) but has less strength. Foamcore joints made with PVA are very strong, and while the foam needs to be protected from solvent glues and paints, superglue can be used on the card surfaces.

Practical geometry! To cut the wedge out of the PVC pipe which would allow it to sit on the roof, I had to put my thinking cap on. The section cut out is a projection on a curve, so it not only stretches but the rate of stretch increases. The way I did it was to trace the triangle and measure its height at regular intervals (first picture above). Then, I traced the circle, bisected it, and drew parallel lines at the same regular interval (second picture above). By putting the pipe on this drawing, I could mark where the intervals intersected (an ever-increasing distance apart) and then it was a simple matter of using a square to measure the appropriate distance, drilling holes which I joined (last picture above). I then used a cutting disk on a rotary tool to cut along the lines.

A shot taken from the rear of the building with the roof in place

A series of pictures showing all the different components in place. It was at this point, seeing them all together, that it was obvious the skull on the dome does not work. Something else needs to be considered . . .

To make the roof removeable, I made strips of 1.5mm plasticard with the conical decorative pieces glued on the top. I drilled holes in these to fit over the pegs in the lower walls.

Strips of PVC window molding were mitered to length and superglued in place to not only bulk out and add interest to the braces, but also provide strength.

The gray PVC sheeting below the white plasticard strips was protected with tape and Milliput and 5-minute epoxy (neither of which damage foamcore) were used to attach the pitched roof to the strips. When that dried, it required only a little bit of jiggling to remove the whole roof assembly. I drilled the sockets the pins go into a little wider, which made putting it back on easier.

Using more Milliput and epoxy, I glued the lower circle of the lantern on and let it dry. I then cut out the section of roof inside it, giving me an open view all the way up. The first picture shows what it looks like with the upper lantern in place, the second what it looks like from the floor (with a selfie lens; I think those things might fish-eye a bit).

So, that is where we are right now! Next stop; balconies and so forth! Let me know what you think!

=][= Danforth Laertes