Of Orcs And A Life Complete

 Hi All,

Well, my next Satanic Panic Miniatures project is picking up speed again after the hot weather, which I am told prevented Chris over at the casting company from working - and I don't blame him as it was hellish .

The Orcs are looking great:

I'm currently, slowly rebuilding the S.P.M website and have just moved the doamin to a new service provider so that I can begin the hard work of rebuilding a store function. Of course I can do this only when I have spare time, so it may be a slow job.

Yesterday, I made a final list of the figures I want to complete my life's purchases. After 44 years of actively gaming, I need £475 of castings and then the painting of the same, to have everything I want and indeed, I can think of.

I never thought I'd say that, quite honestly, but it's true. I looked at several other things I thought I may be interested in but drew a blank... Anyone who knows me will be saying 'Bollocks!', but it's true.

In fact, for a few moments I was confused a little and actually panicked that I'd lost my interest, but it's not that at all. I've actually sytematically listed, purchased and paid for the painting of all the stuff I could think that I wanted.

I really ought to thank Roger for this. Our mysteriously acrimonious parting in December 2022 has focussed me in a way I never thought possible. 

It made me look at my own wants and needs as a gamer and caused me to become so reattuned with my roots and the things that as a 13 year-old (having spent two years finding my way into the hobby, making connections, asking questions and experiencing that never-to-be repeated sense of belonging to some secret and invisible society - you just don't get that, these days - which existed seperately from the mundane world) made my whole body tingle.

What surprised me, was that I gravitated solely to Ral Partha for this final phase, looking for those long lost classics which I either owned or dreamed of owning after seeing them in the GW figure cabinet in 1982, exquisitely painted by Pete Armstrong.

The final list is as follows:

Sorceror carried aloft on a palanquin by 4 'Ogres' (in the UK, theye were called Bugbears.

12 'Ogres' with clubs (these will surround the palanquin

12 Bugbears

12 winged Sprites

6 Sprites on Muntjack deer

12 Treemen

3 Wyvern riders

6 Briarose Knights on giant bees

36 Lizardmen

12 Troglodytes

3 Ogres on war elephants

It really is that finite a list and it's caused quite an odd sensation of ending and closure for me. It feels strange and I have the sensation of a door closing on the world. I'm not sure I like it, but it does feel natural.

I have spoken with my painter and this is also his last project. He has graciously allowed me to squeeze these last few pices in, but after that, he too is calling time on that aspect of his life.

Last night, I also added a few pices from my past, and which I want for the big fantasy project, and I'm really pleased with what I got:

And so, I must now bid you farewell for the present and crack on with my day's work.

TTFN