As I mentioned last week or maybe the week before, I’ve been in a bit of a hobby slump because I mostly have gaming stuff to paint but I can’t play anything right now so my motivation is running low. I’ve been trying to find a folding gaming table and still not having much luck. The only place that has what I’m looking for is UrbanMatz and while I wouldn’t say their website is dodgy, it doesn’t inspire me with confidence either. I’m sure it is extra expensive getting the table shipped from Eastern Europe to the US as well. Another European-based vendor has what looks to be the same table but it isn’t going to be in-stock until September so I’ll have to see what I can do as I’d like to be able to play a game of Hellboy or two before then, if at all possible.
It was also a bit of a downer of week politically speaking here in the US, especially today. A decent chunk of my time recently was spent getting ready for a visit from my in-laws and participating in job interviews. I turned down a job that paid way more than my current one but I was not very enthusiastic about it. My current job is better for me and in fact, after turning the job down, I felt very glad to be at my current job which is a strange thing to say and feel. While I can’t do anything about the state of the world, I am optimistic that I’ll have more hobby time this upcoming week so that will be nice.
As a result of all these things though, the slump persisted into this week as I worked on something that I won’t be using to game for a long time most likely. It didn’t go according to plan either and required some repainting. I’m talking about the second Savage Core Neanderthal sculpt and what I wanted was to come up with a complimentary paint color scheme that could work with the first one but also stand apart from original paint job. The reason for this is that I want my tribe of Neanderthals to look like they killed different animals for their fur pelts. My attempt at this didn’t work but thankfully, the second one came out much better.
This is a simple sculpt overall and with some drybrushing, it doesn’t take long at all to knock these Neanderthals out. I decided to add some extra detail to the ropey bits because I thought it would add some visual interest to the mini. Here’s a look at the first two I’ve done with their different but hopefully not too different color schemes.
While I’m in no hurry to get these prehistoric minis done, I do look forward to adding some flock to their bases in the future. I think that will tie them together even more and help bring the setting to life a bit more.
Outside of that, I started a new Fallout sculpt to try and keep things interesting. I’m going to try and get it done before I start my next big project which I will tease in just a second. I have the plinth, the mini, and I just got tree bark that I also needed to get going on the project which is great. Unfortunately, I don’t love the tree bark that I purchased. It looks different than I expected and is going to take some work to make it look natural, I fear. Here’s a peek at it.
As you can see, the ridges are deep on this bark and while I can blend some ground texture among that, we’ll see just how it looks and if I can pull this off or not. The good news is that if the base doesn’t turn out, I can always try and get some different bark and another plinth I suppose. That’s it for me this week. I should be able to get going on this display project next week so that should help me get out of the current slump.
Kuribo's Painting 
The Neanderthals look great man. In regards to the folding table you could always build one. I looked at that option a while ago and found free pdf plans etc specifically for tabletop wargaming. It all looked pretty straightforward really and most hardware stores would stick some sort of table legs I’m sure. Otherwise you could even make them as well. For the cabin build last year I built a fold away work bench the same way. Might be worth having a look mate and then you can make it to your own specifications.
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Thanks for the kind words on the cavemen and while I hadn’t thought about this because I’m not that handy, it might be a good route to go down now that you mention it. I’ll do some research and see if this gets me unstuck on this problem. Cheers!
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If you’re not handy maybe you could commission someone to do it. I really don’t think it’d be that expensive depending on the materials you use
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Its humbling but also true, I think my wife is more handy than I am. I’ll see if she’s taking commissions or not! To be a bit more serious, that is a great idea and I’d be happy to pay someone else to make what I need and save myself some time. Thanks for your help this, mate!
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Those neanderthals look brilliant. I like how you’ve varied the shade of their furs to keep them visually interesting without making them jarringly different.
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Nice work on the Neandethals, Jeff! 🙂 And I like the bark! You get more done during a slump than I do normally! I just use two folding wallpaper pasting tables for my wargames, with a small storage unit sitting underneath in the middle to support them – gives me a 6 x 4 table that stores away when I don’t use it. Something like that might do for you as a temporary measure. As far as jobs go, if your current one suits your work-life balance it’s maybe worth sticking with for now!
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Thank you for the kind words on the painting, John! A slump for me means painting a little less and being less enthusiastic about what I’m working on. I’m a creature of habit and paint for a bit nearly every day.
I’ll look into your idea as something like this could work well. I definitely need something that can be stored away in a closet because we don’t have enough space for anything more permanent.
I agree with you on jobs as well. I believe I made the right decision to stay where I am and I’m thankful I turned that job down.
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The Neanderthals look great Jeff, if you do another one, try doing multiple different colour pelts, especially if there is an easy to see definition between the pelts’
Like the Bark reminds me of some rock faces I’ve seen with the deep undercuts.
If your current job suits you better, then staying is the right move, far to often the lure of more money, can impact a persons happiness at work, which is important for ones mental health.
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That’s a good thought, Dave. Thanks for mentioning it. I may just do that to add further variety to the fur. I’ve got quite a bit more and I think it could be a nice way to unify them all.
I’m glad you like the bark too. I’m trying to sculpt a bit with milliput for this project so we’ll see what you think of that when I get further along.
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Those Neanderthals are excellent, looking forward to seeing more of them. Regarding the table I’m in full agreement with IRO; build your own. It’s fun, it’s satifying, it’ll save you money and stress and you can make it the way you want it. I built my painting desk because I’m tall and anything “ready made” was too low for me and made me hunch, which was starting to screw up my neck and back. Should be easy to get the materials you need from any hardware store.
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Thanks, Wudu! Another vote for building my own table as well. I’m glad that you were able to find a solution with your painting desk too. That sounds like a real pain and makes me thankful that I’m not very tall!
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I like the Neanderthals and have to agree with some of the other comments. If the job you are in suits you better then stay with it. Your mental health is really important, the one you have let’s you do what you want to do. I would second the paste table or build your own. The latter option gives you exactly what you want.
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Cheers! I agree with your sentiment on working as well. Your personal happiness is by far the most important thing and I’m glad I chose the job with the most work/life balance as it means more time to paint!
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Loving the Neanderthals mate. And I hear you on the political low point. I believe you and I are of like mind on this.
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Thanks, mate! You probably already saw this but the Neanderthals on the Supreme Court have indicated that they’re just getting started so we’re headed for some dark times, I’m afraid.
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Yeah I have seen that. Needless perhaps to say but several of my British and German friends and family are bewildered by these events. I am struggling myself to come to terms with these steps back.
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This battle has been going on for 50 years and the warning signs were there for those who wanted to see them. I think the main surprise is that this happened as fast as it did, considering the recent additions to the court. I think people thought the new justices would have more regard for the public’s opinion and clearly that is not the case.
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Yeah, true. I moved to Europe in 2000 in part because of the trouble I saw on the horizon. I just did not think my concerns would actually become reality.
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I love the Neanderthals, Jeff, excellent painting on some great sculpts and they’d make perfect additions to the Supreme Court. You’re right about the rope bits adding a bit more visual interest, and it’s attention to details like that that I love about your painting!
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Haha, this gave me a good laugh and yes, we definitely have a few cavemen and a cavewoman masquerading as judges currently! I’m glad you like the ropes as well. They could have been neater but I feel like for a gaming piece, it wasn’t worth sinking further time in to achieve perfection!
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Nice Neanderthals! Tree bark is hard to work with, the key is finding the right piece. I think stuffing the undersides with some ground texture should work.
When I retired, a fellow employee asked how I did my work/life balance so well. I replied wrong focus. it’s life/work balance.
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Thanks, Bret! I’ve already started the process with the tree bark and base so we’ll see how it looks in next week’s update.
I like your philosophy on work as well. I often tell my wife, “Its just work” as in, its not worth getting worked up about so I think we’re of similar minds!
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Don’t get me started on politics!!!
Anyways, the caveman looks cool and seems like a fun pallet cleanser to do.
I don’t know if the tables your after are for gamier painting. My paint table is an IKEA desk and that stays set up in the darkest corner of the house…. All my games are on 2.5’ by 6’ white folding tables you can get at your local anywhere…. And when not in use are stores in the garage. 😀😀
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The Cavemen are definitely fun and really easy to paint so I’ll be using them as palette cleansers in the future for sure. I’m looking for a gaming table and I think your idea about using two tables side-by-side to get the right size is excellent. I think that might be what I do to solve this problem so thanks for mentioning it!
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Slumps come and go mate so hang on in there! Figures look good to my eye too. As for politics, best ignored if you can. Have you checked out decorators folding tables?
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Thanks and I think I’m starting to get through the slump. I think folding tables are going to be the way to go as I’m looking for something quick and easy. Thanks for the suggestion, mate!
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Hey Kuribo, don’t know how I missed your site before as I’ve read and enjoyed your posts on other’s blogs for quite some time! Guess it gives me a “new” site to check out though! Good job on the neanderthals, those furs and the rope bit turned out good. For games where I need a table in a pinch, I usually throw together two folding Card tables. They usually are cheap and nice thing is that they can be tucked away behind or under some other furniture. Here’s a link to one, but they might be cheaper elsewhere: https://www.target.com/p/20-x-48-folding-table-black-plastic-dev-group/-/A-13896#lnk=sametab
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Hi Faust, thanks for stopping by and for the kind words about the Neanderthals! Funnily enough, I was looking at some tables just like that last night. The ones at Target are a much better deal though so I may have to grab them from there. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Sure thing, I still have two of them from ages ago. But I’m pretty sure I only paid $25 apiece. Prices sure went up over the years!
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I bought a pair of tables and I can share that they were quite a bit more than that! $25 sounds like a steal to me! 🙂
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Nice work on Hurk and Burk there – the painting of them with different hair and fur colours will make them easily identifiable in skirmish games as well. 🙂
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Thanks, mate! I wasn’t thinking too much about keeping each Neanderthal distinct but you’re spot-on. It will be helpful to keep track of them if they all look a bit different, for sure!
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I think the addition of the rope texture really adds something to these sculpts. They are simple, but don’t lack character. Thinking about the folding table: maybe investigate if a local carpenter can make one for you. With shipping and import tax might be not too much difference.
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Agreed on the simplicity of the sculpts. They benefit from any kind of texture you can add. I got some cheap folding tables to tide me over for a while. I think getting a carpenter to make a nicer one down the road will be my more permanent solution so I appreciate you mentioning it!
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