It has been quite a week. Everybody is thankfully rested and healthy again in Chateau Kuribo. Work continues to be not great despite my best efforts but thankfully, I also got to celebrate my birthday on Saturday which was a very nice day. My family is always really generous with gifts and my wife accompanied me to play pinball for a little while and eat Korean food (kimchi!).
While I didn’t get many miniature related things this year, I did get a new gaming mouse and I bought a new keyboard as well. These are some more small upgrades in my room which is looking cooler and cooler though there’s a lot of work to be done. If I can manage to get a new monitor to replace my ancient TV (its 1080p…), then I’ll really be in business. Its amazing how we live in an era where computers have crazy lightshows going all the time. What a time to be alive! Also, please ignore my huge stack of comics on my PS4. Its time to go through the pile and donate a bunch…
I also received some cool books including one from my brother about Roman Mythology, a book about extinct animals that were captured on film before the species’ demise, and I got the third hardcover volume of Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips to go with the other two I’ve owned for quite some time. Its always nice to have more to read and I’ll certainly be busy with that stack of books for a while.
This is not a birthday blog though so I will talk a bit about what I worked on this week. The pangolin is coming along somewhat slowly. Its nice to see some color spread around the miniature though I need to keep working on refining the scales a bit more. I think next week you’ll really start to see this miniature take shape and start to look more realistic. I might need to try some other methods of taking photos as the desk lamps are really causing the miniature to look pretty shiny. Either that or I need to put some AK ultra matte varnish on the miniature when I’m done.
I have also been doing some thinking on a number of things hobby-related since my last update. The first part probably isn’t all that surprising, but after some reflection on where I am and where I want to go, I think I need to focus on Fallout and Hellboy until at least Hellboy is painted up. I would guess I have 100+ models just for Hellboy to finish. I would guess there is more than that for Fallout, not including terrain. I say this because I know I enjoy playing both of these games and so I don’t need to “gamble” on new ones until I truly need a break or something special comes along that catches my eye. This will let me max out my storage space for Fallout terrain which is a plus as well. I’ve been “burned” twice this year by games that didn’t pan out and the time I spent painting those took me away from the two games I know I like so I’m not going to make that mistake again for a while.
Additionally, when it comes to wargaming, whether it was LOTRSBG (now known as MESBG) or now Fallout, its always been go big or go home. I’ve always wanted to have a really impressive and thorough collection, mostly so I can have really cool looking games. That is my primary motivation for painting and collecting Fallout, in addition to the fact that I like the video games and the design of Fallout 4 and the post apocalyptic setting. I suspect I have these lofty goals because I’m most inspired when I see others have similar collections, though I will admit it is a small number of people that ever achieve this sort of thing. If I try to paint and play other games, I risk not achieving this type of goal anytime soon which is not ideal. I also think I could get stretched too thin and I want to be wary of that. So I need to stay focused and keep chipping away at Fallout and Hellboy and that is what I plan to do, along with the usual display painting, of course. I’m not opposed to adding another game to my collection down the road but it will need to be something special and something that offers something different from these two games. Hopefully by then, I’ll be further along with both projects too.
Once this decision was made, I’ve been trying to catch up on Fallout Wasteland Warfare as I realized that by getting rid of Facebook, I didn’t really know what all has been going on with the game. I also started looking over future terrain projects only to find that Black Site Studios, who made the street terrain I’ve been working on over the last year or so, have basically discontinued it. I can kind of understand why they did it. They used to have almost every variety of modular street pieces you could think of. Straight pieces, curves, three-way and four-way intersections and even a cul-de-sac. Unfortunately, it looks to me as though the new kit works differently than the old. It doesn’t seem like it has room underneath so you can hook pieces together to prevent them from sliding around which is a very mild disappointment.
More concerning is that I can’t tell if this new kit is even compatible with the old stuff. It looks like it might not be as the sidewalks on the ones I own appear to be taller. Black Site Studio is making a new pack of different street pieces because that is easier to manage and instead of having 8-10 different products to keep in stock. Now they just have one. So while it makes business sense, it is a bit of a bummer. I bought a fair bit of their street options but I don’t have the four-way stop and I don’t have the larger curved pieces. It looks like I probably won’t be able to snag any unless I happen to see someone selling theirs on eBay or something, which is unlikely. To make matters worse, Black Site Studio at least appear to be discontinuing their vault set. I’ve long dreamed of making my own and I was planning on using their line of terrain for this project but unless they’re planning a replacement, that is no longer an option. I’ve said this before in the last year and I keep seeing more and more proof of it. You can’t assume things will always be available to purchase in this hobby because they often do not last as long as you think and sometimes you just miss out like I have here.
Lastly, I mentioned Facebook in the previous paragraph and upon reflection, I realized that for Fallout, it was one of the main ways I saw what people were working on in the community as well as seeing the latest news from Modiphius. I don’t want to go back to Facebook just for that so I decided to start checking the Fallout Reddit and I also recently got Discord too. I probably should post my work in these places but I’ve never felt entirely comfortable doing so to a large crowd of strangers. Part of this is I see people say things like, “How’d you paint that?” or “What colors did you use on X?” a lot. As the Joker says in The Dark Knight and I’m paraphrasing here, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free. I am always happy to help an online friend or blogging buddy, if you prefer, but I’m not telling a total stranger how I painted something just because they asked. Even if I did, I’m not sure they could replicate it very easily so its kind of a waste of time. Of course, as I’m sure I’ve said before, the interactions you have on social media tend to be impersonal and surface-level. You might get a couple of “Great jobs” and a lot of likes or hearts or whatever but that’s about it. Its not all that satisfying for me anyway.
Being on Reddit and Discord does provide some inspiration though and so I think it is a good thing to be looking at. Motivation and inspiration is so important in our hobby because without it, not much gets done. Its sorely needed when you’re taking on a long or involved project like terrain. The funny thing is that because the people posting on Reddit and Discord are essentially total strangers to me, I don’t know much about their hobby and the journey they’re on. In our blogging community, I know a lot more about each person’s collection, what they’re interested in, what they’re trying to accomplish painting wise, and I get to see how people grow as hobbyists and build their collections just like you get to see that from me. That relationship is much more impactful and fulfilling to watch. Its awesome seeing people improve and being part of the journey in a small way. You just don’t get that from Reddit, Discord, Instagram, or Facebook which is a shame. I think in some ways, we bloggers are dinosaurs and most people would rather share their work in the previously mentioned places but I’m much happier here. In the last year or two, some people have become lapsed or more infrequent bloggers and others may have left us for good. While I’d love to see them come back when the time is right for them, I think what we have in this community, regardless of the overall number of participants, is very valuable and indeed special. Its great to be on this mini painting voyage with each other and the support we get and give is invaluable.
There’s more to say about Fallout including the somewhat strange and interesting state the game is in but I will save that for a future update. Thank you for reading and thank you for your comments and support as well.
Kuribo's Painting 
Belated Birthday greetings. Bummer about the terrain change. Still loving the Fallout stuff. I really need to get back into the RPG. Loving the Pangolin too.
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Thank you! I have enough street terrain that I’ll be okay though its always a shame when options get taken away at the same time. Thank you for the kind words as well. Expect to see more Fallout terrain and miniatures in the nearish future. I’m just about ready to answer Preston Garvey’s call!
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Hey, heyyyy happy birthday. Roman mythology sounds cool. I’m a big fan of Greek mythology myself.
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Thank you, mate. I’m curious to see how Roman mythology differs as I like and am more familiar with Greek mythology as well.
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What’s your favourite Greek myth?
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Very good question, mate. I like the ones that explain why something is the way that it is. A good example is Hades and Persephone which explains the seasons. Pretty much everything about Hercules is great too. Do you have any favorites?
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I can’t remember the full name but the Minotaur one. I used to have a book full of them that I would read from cover to cover at least twice a year when I was a kid.
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Oh yeah, that’s a great one. Its got some fantasy and heavy metal mixed into it for sure. Who doesn’t love a good labyrinth too? 🙂
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Glad to hear you enjoyed your birthday Jeff! 🙂 And that pangolin’s coming along very nicely! Sounds like you’ve got a plan for Hellboy and Fallout and it will be good to follow your progress. I know what you mean about blogs, people tend to write more about what’s happening rather than just chuck out a few brief comments (but I’m viewing all this through my don’t-bother-with-social-media dinosaur eyes of course)!
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Thank you, John! I think you and I are similar in that we need to take a longer view on our collections, projects, and hobby goals from time to time. For example, I took a peek at my Fallout spreadsheet and realized that it really needs some updating so I have that to look forward to 🙂
While there are some good things about social media, in the hobby space, it tends to be pretty impersonal which is not satisfying when you’ve had the type of exchanges that we have here.
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Sounds like you had a great birthday, with lots to keep you busy in the mean time.
Great progress on the Pangolin, it’s really starting to look the part now.
Rationalising what you are doing within the hobby is never a bad thing, and can help focus on what’s important to you ( for me I normally go with, if it’s not Star Wars, do I need it ! LOL)
Can fully understand the feelings on social media, it’s part of modern culture where people want quick and instant gratification, where as Blogging is more about building a community and friendships, in my opinion.
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It should keep me out of trouble for a little while anyway. I’m glad to hear it on the pangolin and I’ve made some strong progress since the last picture which has me excited to show off some more progress next weekend.
It helps me to stay focused and see the big picture sometimes. We all can’t be so lucky as you to just say Star Wars either haha
Instant gratification is the best description of it. These people wouldn’t walk up to someone at Golden Demon and say, “tell me how you painted your entry” so why they feel they can do it on social media, is beyond me!
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Happy belated birthday and hope your pet is well also. Staying hobby focused is as lofty a goal as completing painting the miniature backlog….
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Thank you! I think she’s better but it seems she’s still a little touch and go at times. Indeed it is. You’re doing well at getting MESBG done lately though. I just need a reminder from time-to-time of what matters to keep me on track.
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Congratulations on your birthday Jeff! Glad everybody is rested and healthy again.
I think it’s good to focus on those aspects of the hobby that give you the most joy. And I am all for more Fallout playthroughs. I’d also like to hear about the state the game is in, because it is one of those game systems I am perpetually interested in (but for now stay away from, for the same reasons you mention, too many things to do first).
I share your sentiment about social media and blogs. Though I admit I don’t always have/make enough time for them.
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Thank you! I agree that focusing on what you enjoy in the hobby is most important and there are lots of different niches to pursue which is great.
I need to put some time into painting up some more Fallout minis and getting more terrain done. My collection feels a little bit stagnant at the moment and I’m not satisfied with the “boards” I’ve made in the last report or two so I’m going to make a push towards addressing that when I get the Pangolin done. I will talk about the state of Fallout much sooner than that thankfully. Probably this weekend, if I had to guess.
Blogging and social media are certainly time sinks and while I’m lucky enough to have time to blog regularly, that could certainly change in the future.
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man, sorry. I SWORE I wrote a comment on this post already. Weird that.
anyways; Happy Birthday! Glad you got showered with love and affection and gifts.
I’m totally behind your decision to FOCUS. The more narrow the path of your hobby effort the further you can go. Whoa, that sounded pretty wise.
I don’t feel like I get a ton of hobby time so I do make an effort to zone in on something. I’m lucky that it’s also my nature. So I get into a genre and just do that on for several months or even over a year.
I’m new to using Facebook myself. It’s scary how fast the algorithm learns you (it figured out quickly that I like miniature wargames, funny comics, and women in cosplay).
😀
I agree there are big differences.
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No worries at all! I’ve definitely lost a comment or two myself and thank you for the birthday wishes.
You did sound very wise with your words on focus. For me at the moment, it feels easy to do that after trying two games and not liking them. That really makes me inclined to focus on what I know I like for quite some time and avoid the lure of new games.
Yes, Facebook and Instagram are definitely that way. I would argue that Instagram is even more dangerous because you click on one scantily clad woman on there, and they’ll keep feeding you that sort of content for quite some time before they try something else. I learned that the hard way (no pun intended)!
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A belated happy birthday!
You make an interesting point about using social media to keep abreast of niche news subjects. I often feel that I could delete several of my accounts but then I do like to read about developments in my favourite games. I don’t really know the answer on this but it’s interesting that you’re in the same place.
Keep on painting Fallout, I absolutely love to see those pieces even above all of your other great work.
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Thank you, mate! I like to not only see the news but see how people react to it. Discord and Reddit also offer that though I’m finding the Discord seems to be a few people talking frequently to each other which is less interesting than seeing responses from more people.
I’m glad to hear it and I’m looking forward to being able to paint some more Fallout soonish. Just need to get this darn gift done first! 🙂
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Sorry for the late comment, I’m playing catch up on posts! Happy belated birthday!
Unfortunate about the road sections, that’s a tricky thing to match up across kits as well given how regular they need to be. Still intrigued by that pangolin, really keen to see where you go with it.
It’s interesting about facebook, gaming stuff is the only real reason I still have an account. The mordheim group is really good, and a few others in the historical space as well. I agree with you though, blogs are my favourite way to communicate and read about the hobby, even if a bit outdated
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No worries, at all! Thank you for the birthday wishes as well.
I will have to research that new kit a bit more and maybe even reach out to their customer service to see about compatibility. Its definitely a question that I still have myself and I am curious to see whether I can make it work and achieve the roads of my dreams which is a funny thing to say haha.
I can see a Mordheim group being really good. I kind of felt like the smaller and passionate groups were the best ones on Facebook. For example, I’m almost positive I mentioned this to you or in a previous article but I was in a Hellboy Board Game group and it is quite literally the only place I’ve shared my work where it got universal praise and basically from total strangers which I really appreciated. I do miss being in there because it is rare to find that in our hobby, though not enough to get back on Facebook.
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