Mid-Week Progress Report: Getting some structure into what I do

I really, really have to work on updating this blog more than twice a week.

But, more than that I need to organise what I paint better.  The last few weeks, months even, I've done bits and bobs with very little to show for it.  So, the plan is to organise what I'm going to paint into "Main projects" and "Side projects", concentrating on the main and spending half an hour at a time on the side projects when I get stagnant/stall/hit the wall.  The difficult bit is going to be only doing half an hour on the side project, stopping, and then moving back to the main project(s)...

This is also going to be difficult as I can't really batch paint - I suppose I can, but I don't enjoy it.  I've managed 5 Imperial Greatswords before, but even that was a struggle.  Also, I'm quite a slow painter and rather too easily distracted - not an ideal combination!

The Main Projects

• Legion of the Damned - I want to get 250 points of these guys done to compliment my Crimson Fist force (of which I have 750 points).  I currently have 2 marines painted and I'm about to start on a chap wielding a Multi-Melta (the first time I’ve ever painted one of those weapons!).  Then it will be two more marines and a sergeant.
• Noise Marines - the first chap is pretty much finished and the second is well under way (see the picture below).  The third Guitar-wielding psychopath needs some reconstruction work as the previous owner chopped off the end of the guitar (but thankfully kept the piece), so it looks like I’m going to get my first experience with green stuff - should be interesting!  The other marines that will make up the squad will have to wait for a while.  Thanks to the people at the B&C forum I have a good idea for a Doom Siren, and it looks like I have the parts for it too - bonus!

The Side Projects

• Imperial Carroburg Greatswords - I’ve got 8 done, I just want to get them to 10 (for now), so I need to get the standard bearer and one soldier done.  These guys are a mix of Empire soldiers from the last 20 years, and at some point I plan to add the latest box set to make up a unit of 20 - a real mongrel unit!  These are painted in the darker, rougher, "John Blanche" style, which did make batch painting a little easier, and feels very "Old Worldy" to me 
• Khorne Berzerker test model (see the picture at the top) - finally stumbled on a red I like (gotta love trial and error) and I had some Berzerkers I found second hand and cheap in a local model shop.  So one of these nutcases will be painted up, more pictures to follow!

I have plenty of other ideas (and certain people have been tempting me to try Tau recently with their lovely painted stuff, I may have to get some of those funky looking Stealth buggers!), but I’m trying to put them to the back of my head while I get the two main projects I have done first.

It does make me wonder how other people stay so focused?  Any hints and advice would be most welcome.

So, after all that wordage - progress!

Second Noise Marine - the KISS style helmet has come out well, and I’m really pleased with the purple flames.  The guitar will be black, and the arms will be painted the same as the first noise marine.

The flames on the greave are the base coat of what I've done on the shoulder pads - which I should have taken pictures of as they've come out really well.

Legion of the Damned - I wanted to do something a bit different to how they painted them in White Dwarf.  As good as they looked in the magazine, I thought they looked too clean - these guys are meant to have been to hell and back, and I wanted their armour to look like it had been ravaged by age and fire.  So I went for a Scorched Brown and Codex Grey highlight to the black, and a Tin Bitz base coat for the metallics.

I’m not entirely sure I’ve pulled it off, but they look different and I felt that was a good start.  When I get some burnt grass flock from GW, I'll properly finish the bases off.

As always comments and criticism are welcome!