It’s hobby day! Above is a picture of my recently established hobby corner. It’s a bit of a mess, but then again, a hobby area that isn’t a mess is a hobby area that isn’t being used. Could it be larger? Sure, but it’s the right size right now, and I’ll continue to show things off as they are moved and added. Right now though, let’s discuss the hobby in general.

I collect, assemble, and paint model soldiers. Call it what you will, I feel it’s a great activity for the artistically inclined. Though not as popular as it was during the days of model trains and paper gliders, it has had many ups and downs over the years as companies come and go, but seems to be on the path of a slow and steady revival. It may never be as mainstream as video games have become, but I find it far more fulfilling completing a real project than killing yet another digital monster in the newest MMO. Not that I have anything against video games per se, but I have never been able to express myself through them to the same level as I can with this. Want to paint a train pink? Paint that train pink! Want to model that airplane your flying after the Red Baron? Go for it! Want to make an army of furries? Well… yes, you can do that to. That’s not to say there aren’t some limitations. A collection isn’t a collection if you aren’t actually collecting something, so the majority of us are limited by the canvas we buy, aka, the types of models and manufactures we choose to use. Much of my stuff currently is from Games Workshop, but recently a number of smaller companies such as Mantic, Privateer Press, and CoolMiniOrNot have begun carving out their shares of the market, and I have been taking a long hard look at them as well. More on those in another post.

Right now however, much of my stuff is still being set up, so I do not yet have a display for taking pictures. I am also currently at work making terrain and scenery to take those pictures with, as models, no matter how well painted, just don’t look that great on a kitchen table under a simple camera flash. That setup will take time, which unfortunately I don’t have a lot of, but as a treat, and to give an idea of what I work with, I have taken a few snaps of a terrain piece I’m currently finishing to be used in games, displays, and photographs for later.

Yes, it doesn’t look like much right now, a dusty temple ruin just leaving the assembly stages, but all of it was made by scrap pieces I had lying around, stuff from movement trays, modeling and railroad sand, and blocks from hirstarts. It will look great once painted, and yes, that is a Space Marine chapter master in the center there.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the Tyranids like it too much, as they ambush this patrol in the middle of the night.

-Allan B. Anderson