The Ever-Growing Painting Pile

 “My failures have been errors in judgment, not of intent.”

— Ulysses S. Grant

At the beginning of this summer, as I evaluated my current gaming activities and future purchases, I made a resolution not to purchase any gaming miniatures that required painting. I have a long list of minis to paint (grognards often call it “The Pile of Shame”), some from ages ago, some more recently acquired. So I thought I’d try making a concerted effort to avoid purchasing anything I needed to paint, along with an effort to paint more regularly. Oh, I managed for a bit. I bought some old pre-painted plastic Lord of the Rings tradeable miniatures to rebase and use for Skirmish Kids playtesting and photos. But then I ran into an occasional and irresistible dilemma: the purchase of opportunity...those must-have items you might not find again or might forget about later. And after that, well, my resolve quickly faded.

Primed but unpainted “Fishmen Troopers.”

Goodness knows I have plenty of wargaming miniatures still to paint: some from the mid-late 1990s I bought at GenCon (Egyptians and British for the Sudan); odd Star Wars roleplaying game minis; a 3D-printed medieval marketplace; a pile of ancient Greek warriors; more World War II tanks than I care to acknowledge; various large ships for Cruel Seas; French and Indian War rangers and Native Americans for Skirmish Kids; a horde of Dervishes; assorted griffins and owlbears I’ve acquired here and there; some 3D-printed “Fishmen Troopers” and “Week Pirates” (read “Mon Calamari” and “Weequay” from Star Wars, I mean, “Galaxy Far Away”); and a host of 54mm Armies in Plastic figures I’d love to paint so they look better on the gaming table (and don’t garner disparaging glances from the grognards).

I suppose I’ve been far too generous with my painting time. I’ve spent time and effort assembling and painting miniatures for my son, including a set of Star Wars clone troopers and battle droids, as well as some 3D-printed “Vintage Tin Men” and “Extermination Robots” (Cybermen and Daleks from Doctor Who). I’ve detoured my painting efforts to prepare miniatures for convention events, like painting ironclads, destroyers, PT boats, cruisers, and a pocket battleship for Gridded Naval Wargames events...or more tanks for Panzer Kids games.

But I’ve recently lapsed in my moratorium on buying miniatures I need to paint. A recent trip to Noble Knight Games in Madison, WI, brought us through Indianapolis, IN, where we briefly visited family...and shopped at the nearby Doctor Who store in Camby, IN. Among all the wonderful toys and books I stumbled upon some ancient (early 1980s) miniatures Games Workshop manufactured for FASA’s Doctor Who roleplaying game. So I bought one set with the Brigadier and two UNIT soldiers, and two with Sergeant Benton and two more UNIT soldiers for a small skirmish force to battle my son’s Daleks and Cybermen. (Okay, I also bought a Decide Your Destiny book because I’m a sucker for interactive fiction and I couldn’t resist the deal on a boxed set with a Sutekh figure and two robot mummies.) I probably should have bought more simply for the UNIT troops, but I restrained myself (besides, I can always order more online...).

Not a week later I learned of an interesting 28mm miniature of daring (and tragic) Special Operations Executive agent Krystyna Skarbek, a.k.a. Christine Granville, whose life Clare Mulley explores in The Spy Who Loved. I’d heard of Bad Squiddo Games before; their line of 28mm female miniatures for various historical periods, including World War II, lingered in my mind as a notable figure range, though one I admittedly didn’t have much use for on the gaming table. But lately I’ve purchased figures specifically for display in dioramas. Not true dioramas, but shadow-box displays with the figures front-and-center and a map or graphic in the background. I find stories of women in WWII compelling, having read numerous books (including Mulley’s) about SOE and OSS operatives. So when I heard Bad Squiddo Games produced a Krystyna Skarbek mini, I ordered it (along with some “Pulp Explorers” and “WRN Dispatch Riders”) before I forgot about it.* Goodness knows I could have bought more from the WWII range alone, but I showed some restraint in the face of high postage rates and an unfavorable dollar-to-pound exchange rate. Had Bad Squiddo offered some Western Approaches WRNS for the operations room and wargame exercises I would have spent even more....

Bad Squiddo Games produces some amazing 28mm miniatures highlighting women in military and leadership roles across many periods of history and numerous genres. SOE agents Nancy Wake, Virginia Hall, and Noor Inayat Khan join Krystyna Skarbek on the miniatures roster. The WWII section abounds with figure of women enlisted in the WRNS, WAAF, ATS, and Land Army as well as those serving with Soviet and American forces. You’ll find a few royals, too, including Queen Elizabeth II in various stages of her life (including her time in the ATS) and even Princess Anne. Shieldmaidens and Amazons, fantasy and horror characters (and even a section of animals, too, like the frightening “Zombie Unicorn”). The website offers a host of other miniatures, dice, and accessories to enhance one’s gaming hobby.

So I’ve added a few more miniatures to my painting pile, as well as a few more vendor bookmarks in my web browser for future shopping. I must show more discipline, not only in resisting the urge to purchase more minis, but in heading down to my painting table every night for at least a little work painting minis, focusing on something other than life’s numerous stressors (and goodness knows we have plenty of those these days). All these myriad interests and hobbies and engagements help us all manage, often enriching our lives beyond the daily grind and the trials we endure.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”

— Lao Tzu

* I suppose this is what happens when I’m more active on social media and learn about new things...one of the more pleasant instances, anyway.