Chat: Stahly’s 2018 Hobby Resolutions and Recap of 2017

Garfy kicked off our annual hobby resolutions and recap posts, so yeah, now it’s my turn. Check out all the models I’ve painted last year and my ideas for 2018 – after the jump.

2017 Resolution Recap

Last year I vowed to paint a Skathach Wraithknight for my Craftworld Iybraesil collection (check), to rework my older Ultramarines models (partial check, I managed to work on several squads but there are still some more to do), and to paint some more Eldar Aeldari models like Wind Riders (fail). I didn’t get around to do Wind Riders, but instead  painted a couple of Blood Bowl Skaven players and a Sepulchral Guard war band. Overall, I didn’t do too bad.

What I actually painted

A total of (about) 29 new models, including a huge Wraithknight, plus 29 more models I extensively reworked. Quite decent in comparison to last year, considering that I put a lot of effort in the reworks, often painting over most of the highlights to replace them with finer, more controlled ones.

January – Ultramarines Terminator Captain (started this at the end of 2016, to be fair)

January to March – Craftworld Iybraesil Skathach Wraithknight

March and June – Blood Bowl Skaven players (five in total)

April to May – Ultramarines Tactical Squad (reworking of four existing models, plus painting six new ones)

May – Astra Militarum test model (with custom bits from Anvil Industries), and some retouches on a Forge World Avatar of Khaine, Tigurius, and a Chaplain with jump pack

June and August – more reworked Ultramarines: old Sicarius, Marneus Calgar in Power Armour, and a Devastator squad (reworking of six older models, plus painting four new ones)

October – Ultramarines Assault Squad (reworking of eight and a half old models, plus painting one and a half new ones), Captain Cato Sicarius

November – Ultramarines Bike Squad (reworking of five existing models with one new rider)

November to December – Sepulchral Guard and two more Ultramarines

If you want to check out more pictures of the models I painted last year, follow this link for all my recent showcase posts.

2017 hobby highs and lows

2017 was an interesting hobby year. GW continued to deliver on all fronts. There was more Blood Bowl support, the lead up to 8th Edition, a reimaging of the Space Marine model range, Death Guard, a new race for Age of Sigmar – Kharadon Overlords, Shadespire, and a new edition of Necromunda. There was so much going on, it was sometimes hard to keep track with all the great releases 😉

To my surprise, my favourite release wasn’t Necromunda but Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire. I love the concept and accessibility of the game. Truth is, I haven’t played a tabletop game for years,  getting my gaming fix from occasional board game sessions and Hearthstone (an online collectable card game by Blizzard), and Shadespire seems to combine the best of both board and card games. The low model count makes for great smaller painting projects. I wouldn’t mind a 40k spin-off at all!

On the other hand, I didn’t really feel all the thrill about the Gathering Storm and 8th Edition. Don’t get me wrong, the 8th Edition rules and their design approach are great, but I remain sceptical about the story advancements. Seems like I am an Oldbeard now (minus the beard). Especially The Fracture of Biel-Tan contained some shoe-horned writing and deep plot holes (as pointed out by Andy Hicks on his website), and I really don’t feel the need for another Eldar sub-faction before we’ll see proper Corsairs and Exodites model ranges. My feelings for Primaris Marines are similar. At least they tried to include them in a way that doesn’t invalidate older Space Marine collections, but it’s pretty obvious that the days of the old Marines are numbered.

Last but not least, the new Necromunda left me strangely cold, even though it was probably my favourite Games Workshop game ever. The lacklustre presentation of the rulebook, the not-‘Eavy-Metal-quality paint jobs, the focus on only two gangs, and the lack of support for classic weapon options didn’t really add to my enthusiasm. And where are the juves? Maybe my feelings will change once there will be more gangs and models, but for now, I’ll stick to my old Jes Goodwin Escher models… it’s grumping on a high level though 😉 Of course it’s great to see old favourites return. Looking forward to see what 2018 will bring…

2018 hobby resolutions

The most important project for 2018 will be the completion of the rework of all remaining older Ultramarine units in my collection while adding a couple new models here and there. I might even get around to paint a centrepiece model like a Land Raider or Redemptor Dreadnought? Apart from Marines, I would like to complete my Skaven Blood Bowl team, paint a unit or two for my Craftworld Iybraesil collection (maybe Wind Riders finally?) and do something new, like a Harlequin Troupe or some Imperial Guard based on my test model. But I guess GW will surprise us with lots of cool new models, so maybe I’ll be tempted to paint something completely unexpected.

Find my resolutions from 2017 here, 2016 here, from 2015 here, from 2014 here, from 2013 here and from 2012 here.

What are your hobby resolutions for 2018? Share them with us in the comments!