Fred's Painting Fred, or not

This is more a motivational blog for myself than anything actually useful.  Hopefully, you're as motivated as I am from this (or more so).

So I've been chatting with a whole lot of my buddies these last few days, specifically about paint schemes and just hobbying.  As I'm well known for being fast and effective, on top of being ridiculously passionate, people come to me to talk about their own projects.  So far this week, I've helped with Space Wolves, Ultramarines, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Imperial Guard (specifically Cadian), and even Chaos Space Marines.  Which all got me to thinkin'...

Where's my projects at?  I made a resolution at the beginning of the year to complete a unit a week.  So far, seven weeks into the year, I have finished three (five if you count the vehicles as separate).  So while I'm helping all my buddies, through the many media-forms at my disposal, I myself am getting nothing done.

Is it because they're taking up all my time?  Gosh no.  Cell phones have a speaker function and my computer is on a desk with some room to spare.  Is it because I'm more interested in their armies than my own?  Maybe a little.  After all, I just spent a decade helping people.  It's what I know how to do and like doing.  Is it because I'm lazy and just don't like painting?  Ding Ding Ding!!!

I've spent years and years and years on painting.  Before that, it was years and years of gaming.  So I wondered what about painting was it that I didn't like?  After all, I used to like painting when I was a gamer.  It could be because I did it so much  that I'm burnt out.  But if that were the case, why am  I so passionately jumping onto other people's armies?  Maybe it's because I've already painted so much.  After all, I'm on my sixth Ultramarine army, plus uncounted Ultramarines for the shops I worked in (if anyone doesn't believe the Ultramarines are legion, it's only because they haven't painted the legion already.  Twice.)

And then the answer hit me.  It actually occured to me, as epiphanies tend to, in the middle of my last rant, er, blog.  I go to the game shop and I see other people painting.  I talk to my buddies and they paint.  I already have so much stuff that I'm in no hurry.  I don't have a mission.  I have a resolution, but it's non-binding (the same way that Chaos makes promises in their resolutions.  Sucks when the victim finds out that the bargain was only one way...)

So there it is.  These people here (and I truly have no idea who they are or what they're working on.  They're just pics I found and pirated online)  have missions.  They're getting ready for a tournament or getting ready for a compaign.  Or maybe they're finishing only their first or second army.  Regardless, they have a mission.

So my mission shall be stated:  To finish Ultramarines Task Force Talasar by the end of civilization (or Dec 21st, 2012).  The plan to accomplish this mission was to paint a unit each week.  This task force has around 25 total units (nearly 40 if you count vehicles separately).  That plan is realistic and achievable, unless I don't get to work. 

But I've already seen a fully painted Ultramarines battle company and support!  Many times!  However, I don't get to look at them anytime I want, because I don't have them.  But I've got enough armies to play and never be bored again.  But they're not the Ultramarines, the saviors of mankind for ten millenia.  But I have all the models already built and primed.  What's the hurry?

AHA!  I found the key:

Here's what an Ultramarine looks like without it's colors and badass-ness:

That's cool and all, but it's just another marine.  Right now, this is what my battle company (sans two squads) looks like (well, black-primed and nothing else).  Now, add some color and that imagination I'm always talking about, and this is the result:

Oh yeah, my imagination can work with that alot more.  And if I don't paint the models finally, I'll never get to see my own toy soldiers with this level of awesome.  Yep, that's the key.

Also, can I briefly mention that the game is more fun when both armies are painted?  I used to play often with unpainted stuff, and the games were fun and all.  But when I have the chance to play tournaments, against fully painted armies also, I spent as much time rolling dice as oggling their models.  My imagination always tries to run with the vision of painted soldiers.  But that was just a brief mention.  The paint-to-game mission isn't all that important to me.  It's the paint-to-imagination that is. 

So it's time to stop all the jabber-jawing and actually get my panzy-ass sissy-girl no-discipline-having lazy rear into gear and grab a paintbrush!  It ain't hard, it just requires some bootlace-grabbin' and pullin'-up.  So get to work!