Bronwen Shennong was not tall, slender or anything that the Clan held as the ‘perfection of the MechWarrior’. She was short, stocky and looked more like a Hausfrau than a Warrior of any sort. It caused four Clanners loitering around the front door of the training building to snicker when they saw her. The fifth stood back away from the group, quiet, sullen, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else than here. ‘Good morning, isorla’, sneered the ringleader of the group. ‘Good morning, Gavin.’ Bronwen sneered back. She pushed past him to enter the building, setting her hand on the door handle. ‘Come back here, stravag, and attend me.’ Gavin said. Bronwen was unmoved and without turning said, ‘Attend? Not today as you are powless, mechjock.’ The last two words cut deep and the Clan warrior in a fit of anger made his first mistake and, stepping forward, grabbed Bronwen by the hair.
2022 has been an odd year to say the least. Painting and modeling along with gaming seemed to be a bit more difficult at times. For me, well, it was a tough work year, we got COVID, I broke my arm, got a wicked case of bronchitis, and just generally felt old and lacking in ambition. Minis got painted, based and sealed as always but not at the rate or level that I’d like. To go along with the slow painting, I did not game as much as I would have liked. Ah, well, it’s about the hobby not the HOBBY, I guess. As always I did not count any minis I did for anyone else. I was way late on those too but Rowan did appreciate them. I did get to paint a huge dragon…
It was the year I painted my first 3d printed mini for my collection, though I did paint a few for a friend of mine. Of course, the first one is a Space Marine. A Chibi Ultramarine is what every collection should have. ‘22 has seen the writing on the wall about 3d printed minis becoming THE next great thing. Some companies are jumping into the idea of selling the rule sets and letting the consumer acquire their minis from a printer. Some are fighting the idea tooth and nail, defending their IP to the hilt. I think that it’s interesting to see that there are some folks who still cast metal minis and the newer thermoplastic mold machines will see non-styrene minis become more and more available. Brent over at Goobertown Hobbies (on YouTube) did an entire episode on how they work and that they can make as good a mini as any other technique. (I recommend the channel to anyone) I still prefer working with metal minis though and some are still putting out new minis.
Speaking of ‘Techniques’ perhaps ‘Slap Chop’ should be mentioned but, well, why?
I have been relearning D&D, Traveller and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (2nd. Ed) so I can teach the Grands. Well, maybe not WHFRP, it is a bit mature. I rewatched ‘2001; a Space Odyssey’ which IS the greatest science fiction movie, EVAH, and that will get the desire for a RPG in space! (I love Star Wars, ok the first three movies, but 2001 is hands down the better movie.) Perhaps I am just coming to grips with over 60 years on this Earth. I will tell you this, I can’t quite bring myself to open the DBA rules. Ain’t gonna happen. You need a degree in theoretical calculus for that! I have though enjoyed looking at these older rules and some of the pictures to try and get the brain fluids moving.
So, let’s talk about the minis painted this year. I am not taking them in any order but rather how they are set up in my inventory. As of this writing I have finished a respectable 70 odd minis from a surprisingly few companies. Last year I painted over 150 as I did in 2020 and they came from a very diverse set of makers. I painted minis from only 5 companies this year; GW, Reaper Miniatures, Fantasy Flight, Warlord and Catalyst Game Labs.
GW. Considering that I am not really playing the 9th Ed 40K it seems odd that the half of the minis I did paint are for that game with only a couple being fantasy minis. There are 10 Necrons and 5 Primaris for the game ‘Fire Team’, a sort of Kill Team lite. Odds and ends from the Imperium magazine like Primaris intercessors and Aggressors. I did get a box of Blade Guard and painted them up as Deathwing to go along with the Primaris Lieutenant from Imperium. Then there were the delvings into the Magic Bin, I pulled out an Empire Captain with a hammer and a handgun. A fairly recent pewter casting from 2006 that I had to pull out and paint. Then there are a couple Imperial Archers from the middle 90s that also needed to be painted. I want to comment on the archers for a bit. They, and three more of their friends, have languished in the bin for years. No memory of when I bought them but there they are. Did I buy an OLD blister when they came five to a pack? No idea. Total 37 minis.
Catalyst Game Labs, With their Lance or Star packs, their Salvage boxes I got really into the game is a huge way. I painted 28 Mechs this year and loved doing it. Most of the Inner Sphere were painted for either Wolf’s Dragoons or a slowly growing ‘home brew’ mercenary unit. As to the colour scheme of the Clan Mechs, yes they are Clan Wolf with an exception made for the Clan Heavy Assault Star which is painted Jade Falcon. The majority are painted using Citadel’s Contrast paints. I think that some came out quite nice while others, well not so much. I did get a new Atlas in the Inner Sphere Direct Fire Lance. I realized that when I buy a box I must paint everything in the box as a unit but it makes putting a unit (Lance or Star is immaterial) on the table top a bit multicolored. Does not look right for a military unit.
Reaper. Ya know, Reaper is always a great source for miniatures and I was surprised that I only painted six in 2022. The three Jade Fire orcs were something I wanted to paint to go with the Shaman that I really like. The giant spiders are a quick paint job for creatures in a D&D game. Finally, Orlath Hoarbeard. I bought him years ago and he sat in the Magic Bin. He will be an evil, perhaps, druid or some sort. The last couple of years Reaper has stepped up its game to use thermoplastics that hold detail and still be affordable. Add to that it is a company who is working hard on making all of their products here in the US. Certainly something to add to its already high reputation.
I finished two printed minis, a few left on the table, but I did paint the aforementioned chibi UltraMarine, but I also finished a superhero who resembles Daredevil. I wanted him to look like either a cover or splash page from one of the old issues from the Frank Miller run of the late 80s. I don’t know if I accomplished that but it was fun to try. The ‘snow’ is a mixture of a white sand from GF9 and a bit of white craft paint as the ‘snow’ took on the colour underneath it. So, I thinned the craft paint and brushed it on, once the glue for the ‘snow’ dried.
I got the ‘Luke on Dagobah’ for the Fantasy Flight ‘Star Wars Legions’ core box done. It is a surprisingly nice kit. If I had a criticism it would be that it needs another set of dice and some different terrain. I plan to get the rest of the box painted in 2023. I have Darth Vader from the core box and another from the ‘operative’ box on the paint table. There are a number of nice minis out there for the game from all the eras and ‘sagas’. There is a new star wars game coming out this next year and I am not sure if that is going to be something I want to play as I just don’t want another different scale Luke on the shelf.
Warlord. I decided to buy the Warlord Mystery box this year. It was jammed with minis and books. Some from the previous box but mostly new stuff. One of the metal minis was of CSM Stanley E. Hollis, VC of the Green Howards who won the Victoria Cross on D-Day by taking a pillbox single-handedly, a field gun with a PIAT and saving two of his men. Tough SOB. Great little mini.
So there you have it 74 minis painted and added to my collection. Far less than the last couple years but then, well, there has been a lot of life interfering with my hobbies. I did paint up some terrain for TWD and LDZA that I can use for fantasy or sci-fi but mostly for modern apocalypse games. I’m not sure if I have it before but you should spend an hour or so most days on something hobby related. Prepping minis for priming, priming, basing or building terrain or perhaps reading a rule set.
What to look for next year? I don’t know. I want to get ‘Xenos Rampant’ and perhaps the second edition of Lion Rampant. I know that I will be gaming more with the grands or solo. When I think about it, I’ve already started on for 2023 with the amount of stuff already primed and waiting on the paint table…
‘With the nonsense that went on this morning I am not sure I should have fought so hard for it’, Star Colonel Sveta Mutola growled at Bronwen. The commander of the training facility was a tall spare woman of 68 years. ‘You are freeborn isorla that I was saddled with only for the teaching of Inner Sphere tactics and organization. I should have you shot for daring to lay hands on a Trueborn warrior, even if he is an arrogant little shit.’ Bronwen chose her next words carefully, ‘For, Star Colonel? I do not understand.’ ‘You will, my little freeborn Mechwarrior.’ Sveta said with a smile, ‘and all the Crusaders will shit themselves.’ The older woman handed Bronwen a single sheet of paper. It read, ‘Bronwen is to be given the opportunity to join the Clan as a warrior. Her Trial of Position will be given when seen fit.’ Bronwen gaped at her Colonel. Sveta smiled broadly and said, ‘The Incubus mech, the green one you have the hots for is in the stands. Go and start training on it.’
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