I've been sitting here at work while the store is dead, considering starting a new Warhammer 40,000 project. I've been cruising internet sites about painting, how to speed paint, how to take your time, how to properly base a model, scenic basing, drybrushing, washes, glazes, highlighting, paint plans, just about damn near everything... but there's a key component to this great hobby of ours that seems to be lacking in me presently - Focus. I can read all want about how to paint Tau, or how to base Imperial Guard models, but the How isn't as important sometimes as the Why, and that's that I'm missing right now. The Why. Why should I start and stick to a new 40k project? Without a Why to focus on, I'm not going to accomplish anything other than trying in vain to break my hobby funk, and the cycle of irritation will continue to spiral down into oblivion. So now I'm thinking... WHY do I want to start a new project?
In the past, I used to try to finish armies as soon as possible, so that I could game with them as soon as I possibly could. I'd basecoat the models, drybrush them, and move straight to the game table because I was all about refining my skills and expanding my experience as a gamer. But I've grown since then. I am quite knowledgeable about the rules, I've played and defeated, or been crushed by, just about every type of Warhammer 40,000 army out there. My motivation for maintaining my hobby no longer revolves around gaming and smashing my enemies, or having an army with a cool gimmick that I can take advantage of to surprise my oppenents, but rather from creating a finished product that will make my opponents and peers in the hobby community say "Holy crap, that's an awesome model! How did you do that!?", and producing something that I can personally be proud of.
With this in mind, I think its about time for a TOTALLY NEW project, and that means starting everything from scratch. New paints. New brushes. New models out of the box (not the half-assembled ones i have in storage), and a set, step-by-step paint plan that isn't "quick and easy" but rather long and complicated. Why complicated? Because its the only way I'll grow as a hobbyist.
The other "Why Factor" is storyline and background. Lately I've been inspired not by what a model does on the tabletop, but by what the models represent in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Sure, an Imperial Guard Commander isn't nearly as powerful on the table as a Daemon Prince, but in my opinion they are a more personal option for an army, and one with a more diverse background, and that goes a long way in furthering my personal hobby. I feel like Bob Ross sometimes when I'm assembling and painting models. "This guys's gonna have one arm in a sling. Maybe he took a grazing shot from a plasma blast or stood too close to a frag grenade when it went off. He traded in his power sword for a plasma pistol because he obviously can't use a power sword with a ruined arm, and he still wants to be useful in a fight. He's a happy little Imperial Guardsman!"
So I think what I'm going to do later is go to Gamers Sanctuary and buy a brand spaking new Imperial Guard Command Squad. I'm going to take my time assembling them, maybe I'll crush up some cork that I have with my supplies to make some rubble and ruins that they're standing in and around to put on their bases. I'm going to write a reliable, awesome paint plan and I'm going to take my time with it. I will make the entire squad something that I'm proud of, that will make people think "wow, that's actually pretty awesome." I think this will serve as a focus for my fractured hobby, and it will probably be a bit of a stress reliever too.
I'm going all Zen with my hobby. To understand the models, you must become one with the models.
~Mr Bad Guy~
Ohm lamalama
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