TtC WINTER-WARMER Challenge!

Well folks, here we are with the Winter season upon us. Another great year of wargaming, PAINT & CHATS, and painting projects.

As the year comes to a close, we are introducing our TtC community painting/project challenge: "Winter-Warmer!". Yup, the "Winter-Warmer" will hopefully become a regular community event in the coming years. A great way to finish off past projects! Of course, with all the other challenges being put forth this time of year by other communities, why not join in and have our very own community-based challenge as well?!

Starting OCTOBER 1 and running through December 31, 2016!

So, what is it all about then, and how do you take part? Easy! The event will start October 1, running through December 31 of this year. Short notice? Perhaps. Here is what you need to know in order to take part.

• Come up with a project(s) that will carry you through the next three months. Be practical here. A good start are past projects you would like to get done by year's end.
• Projects can be terrain, painting miniatures, or a mix of the two.
• Projects can be for ANY period or genre of miniatures wargaming: Napoleonics, Sudan, 40k, D&D terrain/miniatures, etc., etc.
• Once you have a project in mind, tell the community about it. You can do this on the G+ TtC community, or the FaceBook TtC forum. Just make your post stating what you want to get done.
• The community WILL BE WATCHING! Be sure to post regular updates in the G+ and/or FB communities showing your progress so far. Include pics! :)
• Be sure to check everyone's projects as well and leave some feedback!
• Take advantage of the PAINT & CHATS held within the community to follow along everyones progress, as well as to JOIN IN and get stuff done with us. It's all great fun :)

That's about it really. There are no prizes except getting your projects done and on the table! What better reward is that?!

Everyone is welcome to take part in the challenge. Just be sure to let everyone know you ARE taking part. Stick with it too! :()

So that's about it. Are you guys ready? I know I am. I have a NEW project planned actually and will be using this challenge to get it done. Oh boy! This will be good.

Any comments, or feedback is welcome. Good luck everyone... and see you all in the PAINT & CHATS! :)

~K

Chats, Challenges and Cupboard Clearing.

At the beginning of this year I made a resolution, don't we all? For my part is was to paint all the miniatures in my stash, and not to buy any new shiny things until they were all done.

Well I have been partly successful so far, and we are two thirds the way through August. So what have I achieved so far in clearing out the cupboard stash? The Wars of the Roses project has been completed with over 600 miniatures built and painted. They were done over a few months, helped greatly by regularly joining the Tabletop Commanders Paint & Chats.

Held regularly on Fridays and Sundays, with spontaneous sessions often held too. They really inspire me to work on whatever miniatures I have on the painting board at the time, with good conversation and humour thrown in for a good mix. A pleasant way to while away a few hours, whilst painting away. The painting side of our hobby is pretty much a solitary affair, we sit at our table, maybe a movie, music or a YT video on in the background, and we beaver away alone. Not so now, by the power of Google+ Hangouts, I can now paint and chat along with other like minded souls, who have become good friends.

To add an extra bit of motivation we sometimes throw in a challenge, this coming Winter we are looking to initiate a three month long challenge. It doesn't have a name as yet, but it is intended that it runs from October through to Christmas Day. A great opportunity to empty that cupboard! Yes that one in the corner you have been avoiding. It contains the minis you bought in the dim and distant past, never to see the light of day again. Well for three months, you can make a point of dusting them off and getting some paint on them. That guilty feeling will be lifted forever.

I myself will be painting up my 'Liberty or Death' box set, the one time this year I weakened and bought something new and shiny. I was intending to purchase the set this Christmas, but the opportunity arose to purchase a set for a substantially lower price. Apart from half a dozen test figures, the box remains closed until all my other projects are complete.

I am have now come to the end of my Arab army project. A total of 169 figures, all plastic Gripping Beast apart from the leader figure, a metal mounted Saladin to lead them in battle. So another stash can be ticked off the list. I am now working on Gripping Beast Anglo-Danes and Vikings, both metal and plastic sets. I also have a Revell kit of a Viking long ship, to make into a small diorama for Saga.

The last minis lurking in my stash cupboard are one regiment of horse and three of foot, for my English Civil War armies. Those armies are already quite large, and those final units will finally finish the project. I have about six weeks to try and complete the above, before commencing the Winter Challenge.

STOP PRESS

Since I penned the above article, we have sealed a deal on a new home, we are downsizing, so initially some of my armies will have to go into storage. I do however intend to take enough of my 6mm ACW to fight the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, the Vikings and Anglo-Danes to play some Saga and finally the Liberty or Death box set will be my Winter painting project.