4th Anniversary

Today is this blog's fourth anniversary. Four years ago when I started the blog I was working frantically on my AWI figure collection in order to amass enough figures to put on some good sized games. Four years later AWI is still a strong passion for me, but as my AWI figure collection has reached 'critical mass' my modelling time has been spent more on other new armies needing similar attention. This year that means more WWII 15mm figures including the last few items for my early war German pioneers and starting a new mid-war British North Africa company from the Desert Rats 7th Armour Division. I hope to take the occasional break from the smaller figures to sneak in one or two more AWI 28mm units as well. I need some Pennsylvanian Continental Units for a couple of the games I like to run. Up to now I've had some generic units filling in for them. 

Other projects that have seen significant time on the blog in the past four years have been my French and Prussian Napoleonic armies, 15mm and 25mm ACW armies, 1/72 WWI Airplanes, 15mm Finnish WWII Army and my 15mm Ancients armies both Republican Roman and Seleucid. The blog has also featured articles on all of the games I've hosted with these armies as well as all of the other great games I've played in hosted by my friends. The game AARs will continue for sure and also any of these armies could need the occasional modelling post if I need to paint up an odd unit to satisfy a need for a game. Also coming up will be a few more posts as I finish up re-basing my 15mm ACW armies for Volley & Bayonet and a new re-basing project, my newly-acquired 15mm Austrian Napoleonic army.

Since we're 1/3 of the way through the year I think it would be a good time to review my goals for the year. Here they are from my original January post:

• Goal One - Finish My Early War FOW German Pioneer Company
  Although I still have a few unpainted platoons to finish up for this project, everything that I had in January has been completed, including enough Panzer 35(t) tanks to field a Czech Panzer company with these figures. I never consider any army 100% done since you can always add new units. I feel comfortable calling this goal accomplished as I can field several good variants of this army at a full 1750 points.

• Goal Two - Finish Re-Basing my 15mm ACW Armies
  This project I've yet again stalled on. It's a shame really since a few focused evenings would put it to bed. I still have high hopes to return to it and complete it before year's end.
• Goal Three - Finish my Roman and Seleucid FOG Armies
  The last item I needed to finish up my Roman army was three command stands. I cheated and purchased these painted an based from Ebay. This completes the Romans. The Seleucid army I'm not sure exactly what I need to complete to finish the army. I believe I can field a complete FOG army with the figures, but I'm not entirely sure I have all of the battle groups I want for the army. Some time with the army lists is probably necessary to decide if I'm happy with the Seleucids or if I need to paint up some more units for that army. My hopes are that I will be able to host a reduced size Magnesia game with only using my lead. If I can do this I'll call this goal complete. My ETA for that game is this fall.
• Goal Four - Convention Participation
  Saturday, May 14th I will be hosting a 15mm ACW Volley & Bayonet game at the Huzzah! convention. Later this year I will again be coordinating the centuries of conflict historical theme games at the Carnage convention. Although I'd like to make it down to Historicon this year, that trip is still up in the air due to other personal trips planned around that time

Variety, the Spice of Life - this was the last item in my goals list, and the easiest to attend to. New items not foreseen in January are the addition of a mid-war WWII British Desert army to my painting queue and participation in several great games hosted by my friends.

It's been a great four years for the blog, and this upcoming year looks like another. Thanks for reading and supporting me with your great comments. Your feedback is a terrific motivator for me to do more modelling, gaming and blog posting.