Half Year Review

I know it's not half way through the year in August but, in my way of thinking, the summer holidays mark the apex of the workbench calender, before the downwards slide into autumn. As a result, I usually take a look back at what I haven't achieved in the last seven months or so before predicting what I won't get done up to Xmas.

I've had a fairly inconsitent project completion rate so far this year but have made some decent inroads into the leadpile. The following have been tackled with varying success thus far:

• Rapid Fire! 5th Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry c1944 (20mm) - 80% complete 
• AK47 Dictatorship Army (15mm) - 40% complete
• Back of Beyond Expedition Army (28mm) - 100% complete (blimey!)
• Old West Railroad Train (28mm) - 100% complete
• Back of Beyond Bolshevik Armoured Train (28mm) - 60% complete
• Gladiators (28mm) - 10% complete

I'm pleased that the Back of Beyond army was completed but I'm less happy that the Rapid Fire and AK47 armies have, as a result, been sidelined for a few weeks (or months). My first priority, therefore, must be to clear them out of the way, if possible by October half term. The gladiators also need to be pushed along, as they are a quick project that shouldn't take up too much time.

After that, I'm thinking of a change of emphasis, having concentrated on land based forces for the last six months or so. I really need to tackle some naval or air projects of some sort, with the obvious candaidates being the stalled 1/600th scale MiG Alley! or 1/2400th scale Victorian Ironclads that have been consigned to the waiting list for far too long.

I'd also really like to finish the PITS project by adding the finishing touches to the Dervish army and then painting up a corresponding British or Egyptian force to match. This has been a project that I've invested in quite heavily but which has languished in a half completed state for a couple of years.

The 1/300th scale Iron Cow project is also waiting for a kick start as well! Whether I get any of this done really depends on workload and time availability from September onwards, neither of which are looking too generous at the moment. I will, however, try to get at least one big project completed by Xmas.