Uruk Hai, the return! And more……..much much more

What would a Isenguard shaman and Wyvern look like?

My daughter of 6 years old based these for me! Didn’t the petal do well?

Each unit of these two units has its own Shaman, and I like the choice of banners.

In this pile is the remaining units to complete my Uruk hai and goblin army!

Trolls, goblin guard, goblins, Uruk scout regiment, spider riders, giant spider shaman and black gundabad orcs!

What shall I do first!?

What’s there to say? Impact hits ahoy for Isenguard wolf boys.

I may yet re-do the banner as it looks a little messy to my eye and the red cloth might need toning down a bit.

Otherwise, a successful kit bash in my view.

Squeak squeak squeak. ‘Ah ,well done Jason. 10 minutes squeezing and cramping hands and you’ve drilled one hole………just lob the drill at a wall eh?’

All hobbyists here must must must be fed up with this little tool.

It’s fine, don’t get me wrong, but being a carpenter I know there is better out there. So I was delighted when my uncle turned up wielding a mystery find at a car boot he  attended. He put it at me and said ‘your gonna like that’.

He is sooooo right.

Variable speed micro drill.

Long lead so I can have it reach my table easily.

Micro chucks that easily fit the size drills I need to house in them. Standard chucks on more conventional drills often do not close down enough on 1.5mm or less.

The variable speed is a god send. It goes slow enough that you can control it easily but a hell of a lot faster than by hand if you need or dare.

And it is quiet. Very quiet. Do the quietest hum you can manage without going silent. It’s slightly quieter than that. Unless you turn it up to full of course, then I consider your life forfeit and in your own hands. Just wear your tin hat and flak jacket. And make sure any pedestrians are behind concrete walls.

I managed to pin up 24 metal Uruk scouts limbs and pin down 24 metal scouts to their bases in an hour.

I repeat, an hour. And I wasn’t tired or cramping at all.

My uncle said he payed £3 for it.

??‍♂️ need I go on?

Squeak squeak squeak. ‘Ah ,well done Jason. 10 minutes squeezing and cramping hands and you’ve drilled one hole………just lob the drill at a wall eh?’

All hobbyists here must must must be fed up with this little tool.

It’s fine, don’t get me wrong, but being a carpenter I know there is better out there. So I was delighted when my uncle turned up wielding a mystery find at a car boot he  attended. He put it at me and said ‘your gonna like that’.

He is sooooo right.

Variable speed micro drill.

Long lead so I can have it reach my table easily.

Micro chucks that easily fit the size drills I need to house in them. Standard chucks on more conventional drills often do not close down enough on 1.5mm or less.

The variable speed is a god send. It goes slow enough that you can control it easily but a hell of a lot faster than by hand if you need or dare.

And it is quiet. Very quiet. Do the quietest hum you can manage without going silent. It’s slightly quieter than that. Unless you turn it up to full of course, then I consider your life forfeit and in your own hands. Just wear your tin hat and flak jacket. And make sure any pedestrians are behind concrete walls.

I managed to pin up 24 metal Uruk scouts limbs and pin down 24 metal scouts to their bases in an hour.

I repeat, an hour. And I wasn’t tired or cramping at all.

My uncle said he payed £3 for it.

??‍♂️ need I go on?

When you’ve (‘one has’-Queens editorial service) accumulated a potential as large and copious as most wargamers, the very last thing you (‘One! You common Oik’- Queens ES) should do is expand the fecking thing!

After all, whatever progress I manage to make in the month is eaaaaaasilly eclipsed by purchases. EG,

Pride filled me-‘Ohhhhh I’ve finished 40 orcs and 10 cavalry this month, well done me!’

Shaming Me- ‘Well you’ve fucked that haven’t ya…..I saw that box arrive. 80? Do you really need 80 more Uruk hai? And 2 more wizards? You’re a net 30 models down on progress this month!’

Pride Filled Me- ‘Cavalry count as two models! So flip you.’

Shaming Me- ‘Quite right, your deficit is slightly reduced. Prick’

This is a problem though. How do I boundary this project. After all, what the dusty recesses of my consciousness is mildly aware of, is how I have 3 more piles of potential to start for my other factions. These piles are as copious as this one. I really want to get somewhere with this so boundaries and goals are now required. I have committed to finishing only the units I have now. I shall not buy any other models for my orcs and goblins. I’m going to finish this army, as is, then start my other factions.

That way, my real world potential will increase and my pile of potential can decrease. As is best. I tell you, motivation is hard for a project like this, there is so so much to do. One way I keep my motivation is to see progress and the attaining of fixed goals. Another way is to hold the coolest miniatures in reserve as rewards for bench marks being met. My Wyvern is my reward for finishing the orcs stage. Then my winged hussars are my reward for finishing this army, though that will listed on my next project as my Empire and dogs of war contingents. Only 400 models to get through.

Then 200 Elves.

Then 100 dwarves.

Oh and I’ve got 350 skeletons in various forms…….with 50 zombies.

And a dungeon saga set to finish!

But we are not talking about that ?, I’ve nearly done my orcs and now I have a fixed goal. A true a realisable one.

So what’s left. 80 Uruks. 24 Gundabads. 1 giant. 18 spider riders. 24 goblin guard. 60 Moria goblins. 3 trolls. One Wyvern and a partridge in a fecking pear tree, as it’s bound to be sodding Christmas by then.

How do you lot keep your motivation? How do you boundary your projects to make sure they get done?

Mean machines done. Goblin guard to crew the machines. Done.

Scouts made up. Movement trays sorted for all remaining orcs.

Gundabad black orcs 50% made up and some of the plastic Uruk extras on their way.

The final unit of wolf boys are 2 evenings away from complete. I’ve just lost my enthusiasm for painting wolf riders. Enthusiasm and motivation are bloody key, guard your enthusiasm as you would guard your life. Discipline has a role to play, yes indeed. But without some enthusiasm, I seem to be at an Imp-Arse on this one.

Hi do I get me mojo back?

Isenguard shaman on giant spider complete. Trying to decide what colour to do the spider and struggling to not go black widow…..

Very fiddly build, the shaman needed his legs twisted back on themselves and the soles of his feet planed flat. The shaman needed his loin cloth removing ?.

The spider needed every single leg pinned in place. My handy micro drill made easy work of that!!

Black Orcs who will be white.

I want them to stand out in my army so a brighter armour scheme seems best to me. I’m using the gundabad kits for my black orc regiment. I think they look fab.

And now for some heresy.

I spray up my miniatures in blocks of twenty or so while the et are all on their movement tray.

Yep. No no that’s right, as if they are ranked up and ready to play with, I spray them like that.

The only time I don’t spray them like that is if they are metal miniatures, the spray primers these days are charged to ‘stick’, or attract with ions or some such wizardry, to plastics and resins. So a cloud of spray works just fine when the plastic/resins are in formation. My spray cans go further too as very little paint is disappearing into the ether.

Doesn’t work like that with metals. Traditional short burst, taking action on a couple minis, spread out and lined up is best.

Oh, and a cheap £2 steel ruler makes good use of the magnetic bases. I just magnetise to the ruler and away I go! Sideways or upside down it makes no difference to me.

So I’ve got one unit of goblin guard to make up, the last 10 spider riders, and a troll chieften. Then paint paint paint.

Um, yeah so Isengard has a stargate transport ring in the pits below the tower. If you step through that ring you end up in it’s ‘more advanced’ tech department.

I haven’t got distracted or fed up with painting wolves.

No indeed.

Not at all.

I have been struggling for motivation on this Uruk hai project for a couple months now.

I’ve been trawling my way through it thinking there was very little interest other than my own insanity. Turns out I’ve been a techno fool, nothing new there but I suspect a 34 year old modern man (well, strategically shaved and shod to blend in with modern man) should know better with tech.

I have assumed that being low or no comments has meant little interest. The recent message from hobby hangout saying I’ve been visited has kicked my arse into gear, by showing me two things!

1) There is an unofficial hobby hangout with over 100 episodes for me to trawl through and ‘by the Gods!’  My project is in there a couple times and I’m flattered to fuck!

2) I’m a damn fool for going over a year without knowing I wasn’t only talking to myself.

You Chaps have given me second wind to plow ahead with the Uruks and Get the Hai finished forever! In the meantime I shall share my latest distraction caused by my mates. They can’t field 4/5000 points of enemy to take on my Orcoid glory. So I’ve been wading, balls deep, into proxy undead and proxy empire. Hope you like. I’m abandoning this distraction immediately, following my realisation of your existence, to finish the hai! Well, Until my internal voices get at the helm again at least. Moria Dwarfs are singing in the caverns of my mind…….

Gerry dear sir, I have added 2 more units with hai pikes. And I have added one more rank. Not quite 32 mate but it’s all I can stomach at this stage! ? I really appreciate your attention and feedback chaps, as it is entirely the motivation and criticism I need!

If anyones interested I can share my house rules for the orcs, undead pikes etc.

And allllll me movement trays are cardboard with coffee stiring sticks. Sometimes with magnetic sheet attached.

Any questions or comments please do keep em coming regardless of the medium by which you send it, it fuels me!