Taking Stock?

As we race along to another Christmas and end of year, thoughts turn to gifts for the loved ones etc. My wife asked me what I wanted this festive season and for the life of me, I couldn't think of anything that I need! Lots of things I would like, but nothing I need.

Since that question, I have been doing a bit of a stock check, I know most of us in this hobby gather a mountain of lead or plastic, or in my case, a mountain of each. So many projects, but how many actually get finished? On my return to the hobby a number of years ago, I simply built up a stock of 1/72nd scale figures, similar to the Airfix troops of my childhood. I have two large boxes full of unpainted troops from various time periods. They all need finishing and there is enough in those boxes to keep me going for months, if not all of next year!

I also have not completed my English Civil War or War of the Three Kingdoms forces, yes I have completed lots of them but I still have a number of regular regiments in plastic to paint up, that have sat in their boxes for close to a year now. I have barely started on my Scottish troops, The Montrose Irish, the Scottish Covenanters and of course the Highlanders photographed below, all remain untouched.

Beautiful sculpts, already primed up and ready to go, once again, enough painting to keep me going for a good two or three months.

I also have the two box sets shown in the following photographs.

Add to that two boxes of Ancient Britons, giving a total of close to 300 figures. I have actually painted up about a dozen of the Roman bog standard legionaries, the remainder sit untouched in the boxes again! There is certainly a good few months work there.

I have completed a box of Anglo-Saxons and half a dozen Dark Age Warriors for SAGA, the rest of the DAW plus a full box of Vikings sit untouched. Add to that a 1/50th scale Viking Longship for use in a SAGA battle, again, pristine in its box.

Next up is the 28mm War of the Roses armies I am currently working on, still quite a lot of plastic figures to paint up as well as all the metal command and a couple of wagons drawn by oxen and horses!

Finally, the 6mm American Civil War armies, granted the lion's share of this huge project is done but I still have some 17 or 18 infantry units for each side to paint up as well as a few more wagons etc.

So do I really need anything! No of course I don't. I have more than enough to last me beyond next Christmas. My N Gauge model railway is scheduled to be resurrected in the New Year also, that is going to be a lot of work and take up lots of time, not to mention war gaming with all the completed figures I already have.

Fortunately, I retire at Christmas so will have more free time from now on to achieve all of these goals, of course retirement means a tightening of the purse strings so I just won't have the cash to spend that I have been used to. Maybe that is a blessing in disguise, as I won't be able to add to my plastic and metal piles quite so easily in the future. All those little guys sat patiently waiting in their boxes might finally get a little love and attention.