Well, when was the last time I updated this? August last year by the looks of things. My depression has been pretty bad during this period, which is one of the reasons my overall hobby  for the last year has been pretty light on.  In fact I think I only finished painting my first minis for 2020 last week (Mephiston and an Escher gang).

A bunch of stuff has happened in the last ten months or so.

I started the hobby page on FB as per the previous post.

I started up a new set of forums for the Australian gaming community which I'm slowly growing:
https://oztabletopgaming.com/

Work is work.  My laser cutter has been out of action for most of that last year or so.  It has just been one issue after another haha.  But it's finally back up and running too. So I'm slowly getting back into the groove of designing new laser cut terrain etc.

In gaming news, the obvious one is the announcement of 9th edition 40k a while ago.  I have to say, those new Necron kits have really suckered me in and I plan on collecting a chunky force of the new metallic horrors GW are releasing.  I really dig the eldritch horror vibe they've got going.

In terms of actual gaming, I've done very little, however that is probably the norm for me, moreso with the isolation restriction Covid-19 has put in to place.  Luckily, the restrictions where I live are lifting and we've had zero cases for quite some time now.  For the most part, Australia has been pretty lucky in that regard.

I've been working on a Mastadon for the Lions.  Add some extra "heavy" firepower to the chapter.  I've finished the interior including some light weathering and am now working on the exterior and am part way through the edge highlighting of the gold.  Such a big tank and so much left to do :)

Well, I say catching up, but I don't know if Facebook is really the "in thing" anymore apart from people closer to my age group.  Especially not with the billion other social media platforms out there.

But anyway, I've decided to track my hobby progress on a Facebook page I've just created more so than on this blog.  I'll probably update this blog from time to time, but if you're interested in keeping up with what I'm working on, check out the page here:

https://www.facebook.com/Celestial-Hobbyist-111498236878092/

Well, the model I was waiting on as well as the objective markers I made are all finished in time for next weekend.  No last minute painting sessions for me!

There will no doubt be more models to paint in the future, but I haven't bought any and I'm going to get a few games under my belt before I branch out, so to speak.

I finished painting all the miniatures I have for Infinity tonight.  The last one being the Machinist (engineer) below:

I finished the Seraph TAG (giant robot) tonight too, but it was only a small piece of detailing on the sword that I finished off tonight, the rest I finished yesterday.  I feel like the contract of the blues probably needs to be pushed more towards the dark and the light in places, but I'm still happy with how it has turned out.

This brings the painted total to 30.  I had promised myself I would get them all painted before I bought any more models.  I technically didn't quite keep this promise to myself as I bought a model to finish off the list I wanted a couple of days ago, but it hasn't arrived yet.  So, that means it's OK, right? :)

So with that, I present the force as it stands until I buy more minis :)

So, I've finished another couple of models for my Infinity faction.  I must admit I don't feel like I put a lot of effort into them.  A zenithal base coat, glazing over that for most parts, then picking out some lazy detail.  These are wonderful models in general and probably deserve more attention that I gave them tonight :P  But they look decent and that's what matters to me for tabletop gaming.  They aren't display pieces.

I think that's something that people need to figure out where the line is.  When is it *too much* effort for something that is going to be gamed with.  Something that is handled frequently and will get a few knocks and scrapes along the way.  This is more of an issue for Infinity models which are all metal and will chip more readily if they get knocked over.  Which reminds me, I should really varnish them.

.That's not all I've been working on tonight.  One of the scenarios in the upcoming Infinity tournament requires objective markers that are heaters.  So I decided to be a bit silly and designed this.  Which I'm currently 3D printing.

So there's a huge Infinity tournament running in Newcastle early June that I'm going to, so I've been focusing a lot of my hobby effort into getting the models I need for that painted.

I've just finished a Warcor (War Correspondent), which I've deliberately gone with a different colour pallet to mark him as a civilian vs the other forces of my chosen faction (Pan Oceania).

I've also added a doctor and a heavy infantry elite solider to the painted list. The soldier still needs a tiny bit of work done, but that won't take long.

It's funny how things turn out.  I just reached a point where I'm happy to call the Dragon Lady mini below finished.  Thing is, the colour scheme isn't what I had planned for her in my mind.  I was thinking a more green to purple transition for her bodice / top  Having said that, the scheme that came out is more in keeping with the rest of the collection I've painted so far, so that works.

I would like to attempt some freehand in the form of a tattoo or a pattern on the parasol, but that's for future me to do.  For now she's done.

Anyway, only five more models to paint for the event I'm going to.  Anything on top of that is a bonus. I have decided no more purchases for Infinity until I finish painting all the miniatures I have for it, which at a quick count is fifteen.  Funny, I didn't think I'd bought quite that many...

More flyers to add to the Chapter's armoury.  I still have a lot left to do (but relatively not much).  I'm glad I've got a bit of my mojo back in regards to painting the marines again.  I think this is in part to reading Dave Taylor's book which I received a little while ago after backing it on Kickstarter.  Part of it is also because I've started playing Infinity, which, while not 40k, has gotten me painting miniatures again.

I have learned that I really need to focus on my painting though.  It's too easy to start up a game on the PC in the background that I don't *feel* needs a lot of attention, but really it does (in this instance, Jurassic World Evolution).  From now on, I'll try to just keep it to music so there are minimal distractions.

For the Chapter I still have at least 4 banners, 100 or so weapons, 4 land raiders, 1 vindicator and 1 razorback to paint.  That of course assumes I don't see any bargains to pick up some extra vehicles for the armoury, which I'm usually on the look out for.

I also wanted to make a paint recommendation.  Vallejo Metal Color paints are fantastic!  So far I've just been applying them with a brush, but I love them.  The range predominantly has a range of silvers, but that allows for a good range to blend / highlight / shade etc your metallics.

I'm not sure what I'm going to paint next.  Probably some more Infinity models as there is an event I'm going to in about a month and I'd like to have a fully painted force to take.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...paint, paint, paint.

Sometimes I find it really difficult to actually start painting some models, even though I have a bajillion to paint.  The large quantity is daunting at times, but I find that once I get started, that's all the impetus I need to keep going until the job is done.

I've just finished another 3 models for my Pan-O faction for Infinity though.  They are a bit rough and I *could* do better if I wanted to, but I didn't, so they are at a level I'm happy with.

I'm now working on some more Space Marine vehicles.

Well, I finished my Fire Raptor.  Still got a lot of work on the chapter to do, even though it's mostly finished.  Well, feels mostly finished.