h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bearing in mind I've been collecting nearly a decade, heres a running total of current items off to the great goblin in the sky. I've included minor anecdotes purely for self indulgance and the price they cost me originally to form a tally with:

18 Dwarf long beards (£38) - Along with lord and standard bearer, my Longbeards have never been wipped out in any battle. They came, they saw, they conquered. Argueably the greatest unit I've ever owned. Spent an entire summer painting this little lot, and they ended up being the only things I ever got round to painting for my dwarf army.

20 High elf White lions (£42) - My first all metal unit and up there alongside my Longbeards, they saved me battle after battle and its a shame I've let them deteriorate a second time. Lots of fond memories with these fellas.

High elf archers and spearmen (£30) - Now exactly game winners but they were the beginning of my renaissance. The archers were painted blue, with minimal detail because I was looking towards getting them finished as soon as possible. Feeling disappointed with them, I made more of an effort with the spearmen and it shows. After them came some of my greatest painting, and without them I don't think I would have been the painter I am now.

Dwarf miners and warriors (£15 - got a deal) - My warriors have only been painted since the end of my dwarf army and there a sorry bunch but there finished. My miners are painted along similar lines, but its my miners that proved themselves time and time again. Watching Jims face turn to horror as the core of his army became bogged down by them was simply priceless everytime.

Chaos warriors (£45) - The immortals. Ahh my precious chaos warriors. It started off as one big unit of twenty, which ran rampant across my opponents line. But I didnt like the way in which he learnt to pin them. So I bought a second unit. MWAHAHA! They chomped through everything Jim threw at them game after game after game. It was sad to see a brilliant tactic flounder as his army bounced off armoured warriors, only to be chewed up by...

Chaos Knights (£30 - conversions) with lord (£12) - These were my babies. The longbeards were dour and tough dont get me wrong, but this little package. You pointed it in the right direction and cackled with malevolence as it rampaged over everything. They once tore apart Gaz's army pretty much single handly. Jims and Gaz's look when I informed them I'd be buying a second unit and making them both larger... nearly tears.

Aurillius the daemon prince (£24 - conversion) - Origianlly in skin tones with huge wings to represent an angelic figure, I wasn't happy so he lost his £12 wings and got a funky new paint job. Has inspired and won me several games on his own (watching Jims goblins fall apart as he flew around was pure gold)

Chaos giant (£10) - My first non games workshop miniture in awhile, this beast towered over the warriors and looked very conan like. I then got bored and gave him a helmet and giant mace. Thought he was big until...

Chaos ogres (£30 - conversion) - Nabbed off Jim with a mad cackle, spent a month hacking them, bolting plates and spikes, adding a trophy rack, adding a ball and chain, more stuff, more stuff. Still not painted but then again summers round the corner.

Beastmen horde (£50 - deal) - Bought recently during my urge to start a beast army, ended up buying well over 100 of the buggers. They now sit in bits looking very sad.

Chaos chariot (£8 - deal) - Bought off ebay when I realised I couldnt afford a new/bigger units of knights.

Nuglings (£21) - My lovely gribblies. Painted in less then an hour they rock hard. Used twice. Died first. But they still rock! There about half the size of a two pence peice, and look very cute for festering daemons.

Nurlge lord (£12) - Bought because I loved the model, turned out to be a winner. Has appeared in nearly every game I've played with my chaos in some form or another, depite being only recently finished.

New daemon prince (£18 - conversion) - This one, named festarius, was going to be a kind of angel of pestelance with maggot ridden wings and a huge scythe. Instead it sits on my self, crying to be painted. Thinking now actually, I might use it for my games day entery...

Inquisitor retinue and book (about £90) - I got these because I wanted to try painting 54mm. Surpringly, its worse then my 28mm painting. It has however, improved dramatically as my lastest model, which looks intensely manga, proves quite happily. The rest need some TLC though. Played the game only once. My inquisitor, daemon host, and arco-flagellant against one terminator. The daemon host couldnt hurt the marine, so floated off somewere, the arco flaggellant jumped on the marines back causing no damage, to which the marine swung around and splattered the poor bugger. The inquisitor obviously fed up with his minions short comings, shot the marine sraight in the head. Hours of fun.

Wargods and khemri stuff (£40) - An unstarted amy that I'll go back to one day. Had the idea of using war gods anubis models as tomb guard. Painted one. Another summer job I think.

Imperial guard stuff (£50) - Most bought through impulse buying at games day last year, which proceeded to sit in a box. Painted one recently in purple with grey armour, a bizarre combination which I can't fully decide if I like yet or not.


Thats what I can remember for now (grand total - 541 pounds)

Now heres the thing. Most of its worth a lot more because of the painting (*happily blows hard earnt own trumpet*), most is worth double, the beastmen should have been 120 pound new, and my entire chaos army is around 6000 points - double the current auction standard. Theres an army on at the moment going for 550 thats nicely painted - Mines equal if not better, and will be worth that at least by July. I'd be happy with just the 550 to be honest, but 600/700 sounds more likely.
Add into that the rest, its about a grand
Then theres of course my lovely comission man, who has asked me if I'd like to do more work for him.

Can I get a hell-yeh!

Well te Chaos go on at the end of July, because thats when I need the money the most. The rest will be appearing sporadically over the next two months, although I'm quite chuffed I'm going to be able to spend my summer painting rather then working, and I don't know anyone who comes as near to that as I do - doing something that pays well that doesnt require being at certain places at certain times.
Its not just the painting rather then working though. Its the fact that I can paint well enough to not only not work during the summer, but go out and get drunk, and buy a new army to replace what I've sold.
New army to create new memories with.


Time to go finish this comission!

Well well well. I haven't the faintest idea what you're on about but nevertheless I'm impressed.

Warhammer and warhammer 40k

Chaos are bad (boo hiss), dwarfs et high elves are good (woo yeh) but are an old and dying race (awww)

Apply lotr logic and it works out.


Inquistior et imperial guard are 40k - err... gothic wars in the future (not armies of goths you understand, gothic arcitechture. Then again...



NEW JOURNAL ENTERY:

Title: Where my sleep went

I decided for sh*ts and giggles to install a PC game before bed time. A little game to play before I went to sleep.
A multiplayer deathmatch (with bots I assumed)
Instead it was an online frag em up, with shot guns a plenty. UUU and studdorf advanced, I held the flag. Quite admirably acutally seeing as though we were
a) one man smaller then the opposition
b) had someone who never played it before (aka me)
c) lost the flag once
Final score - first game a draw, the second 4-1 to the home team.

I've been playing since roughly 3 this morning and now its 5am - daylight. I didnt even notice the dawn... for the second night in the row

I love this pc, and if it were a man or a woman, I would declare it a god/goddess among mere mortals and serve it till my dying day.
Now I cant sleep.
And Im going out today you know.
My new friend said I should go out during the holidays.
Sure says I.
Phones her tonight
'Phone me when your off to manchester and ill meet you there' says I confidently.
Monkeys bitz!
All I had to do was go bed and be a sleepy mark but OH NO! had to install a computer game now didnt I.


...


wonder what other demos I've got...