On The Horizon for March

February certainly began on a productive note.  The Pirate project was coming along nicely, miniatures were being painted at a fairly good pace (for me), and several items of scenery were moved from the design phase and actually built.  However I had company for the last two weeks of the month and I found myself doing everything except hobby stuff.   Now I am behind where I wanted to be at this time and I'm forced to move nearly every project back a month.

My work plan for March now resembles what I had intended to accomplish in February but with a few changes and additions.  Perhaps the most obvious change are the miniatures in my queue.  The pirate project is still going strong but I have noticed more fantasy miniatures creep into the lineup.  Is this one of my infamous interest shifts in the beginning stages?

The miniatures in the rack look similar to last month.  In fact, there are several that have progressed little, if at all.  Among these are the two Sarumans and three Reaper pirates.  Also nearly untouched is my Candian that was to be used as a color test model.  A nearly completed pirate, a burly innkeep, and a pasty-faced governor are the only new additions.

The rows of miniatures in front of the rack are all new in the queue however.  In the first row closest to the rack is a pirate from Artizen, two privateers from Black Scorpion and two fantasy figures from Reaper.  The second row consists of two able bodied seamen from Black Scorpion, a female fantasy miniature from Reaper, and two harlots - one from Black Cat Bases and the other from the Reaper's Townspeople sets.  The last row is mostly comprised of Royal Marines from Black Scorpion and a few fantasy Reaper miniatures.

In addition to the miniature painting, work continues on Port Antigua.  I am nearing the point where I can start texturing and painting the buildings. Of the structures created thus far, I have to say that the Governor's house is my favorite.  I've also been working on a few other items of scenery - mostly for LotR.  Building a Rohan watch tower has been on my list for several years and I finally got around to starting construction.  I've been using a combination of templates and tips from various sources, along with a bit of trial and error, to build my tower.  Now that I have the legs and main platform squared and even, the rest of the structure should be fairly simple to finish.  Just as Port Antigua will be the centerpiece for my Pirate campaigns, I plan on having a full Rohirric village or perhaps even Edoras itself as the focus of a future LotR campaign.

 With my lack of free time during late February, I never got around to painting up a Cadian test model.  Of all the goals I missed last month, this was the most disappointing.  A huge Cadian force has been sitting on my shelves for several years awaiting my attention.  It was a resolution this year to finally get them painted and the first step to attaining that goal is to test the color scheme I have in mind.  Even if I have to put my pirate project on hold, I will get that mini painted this month!  Of course that means that March will no longer be titled "March of the Cadians".  I'll have to push back that effort until next month.  "April of the Cadians"....  Hmmm, not nearly as clever and witty as the previous title but as long as they finally get painted, I'll be happy.

I also plan on posting part 2 of the History of the Waywatchers of Cardolan.  The first post proved to be quite popular amongst visitors.  Indeed, it is the single most visited page on the blog.   It's not very professional to leave your readers hanging on the edge of their seats for the conclusion for too long (although George R. R. Martin seems quite content to do so with his series...not that I am comparing myself to such a talented writer by any means.)  The next installment will cover the middle years from the RP Split until the Rise of the Grand Story Arcs.  The final chapter will then cover the last year and a half and appear sometime in April.

Finally, even though my time will be sparse with so many projects, I feel I need to add one more.  Looking at my blog stats, I can't help but notice that the search term that brings the most visitors is "How to Paint a Balrog."  I started this little experiment/tutorial back in May of 2010.  I intended to finish it but the curse of too many hobbies struck once again and the Balrog was placed on a back shelf.  Well, for those who have come here for tips on painting Tolkien's spirit of fire, you will be pleased to know that he has been dusted off and moved to the work area of my painting table.  I should have text and photos of the next steps posted soon.

It looks like March will be a very busy month for me.  What are your hobby goals and intentions for this month?