Goodbye 2012 - Hello 2013!

With the New Year fast approaching I thought it would be good to review what I planned for this year, what I actually did and my plans for 2013.

Despite the economic situation and the impact of having moved house at the end of 2011, 2012 did see some progress on a couple of my major projects but not quite as planned!

28mm Mahdist War - as planned I managed to complete the last elements of the first phase (the Suakin Campaign) of the project well underway but I decided to put a hold on the second phase - Khartoum.  I'm not sure this second phase will find it's way into the 2013 plan but who knows?

28mm Indian Mutiny - Having finished of the additional figures I had picked up (Mutineer light infantry and cavalry, artillery for both sides, some personalities and some civilians) which was meant to result in a pause, I then went on to pick up some more figures (which are currently in the painting queue).  So finishing off those figures and picking up some additional Gentlemen Volunteer and additional Bengal cavalry will be part of my 2013 plans.

28mm WW3 - With the Mongrel Soviets and the additional BAOR done, I actually managed to get this one finished as planned.

28mm Early War Polish - A platoon of these is currently with the painter and I have the SdKfz 221 and TKS on the workbench - so I am a little behind my original plan but it is progressing.  I hope to get this all finished and on to the table early in the first quarter of the New Year.

15mm Marlburian - As you will have noticed from the plethora of posts this month, the first phase of this project is actually completed.  Most of the figures for the second phase have been purchased and some are already off for painting.  I suspect this second phase will be finished some time before the end of 2013!

28mm Montrose - These are in various stages of basing and I still need to settle on a set of rules!

25mm French Revolution - The only thing still holding the basing of these back is making a decision on the ground terrain (i.e. what colour).  Not terribly impressive as this was my excuse a year ago!  I will be finishing them in 2013 (probably...)

28mm RCW/WW1 Eastern Front - I didn't really plan to progress this project this year - and so I managed to keep to this plan anyway!

So those were the planned projects at the beginning of 2012.  During the year I added a couple of other ideas too:

28mm WW2 Paras - So my British Paras are painted and based but they haven't yet hit the table in anger.  The Bolt Action US Paras I picked up are awaiting a further squad to make up the platoon and then they'll be off for painting (so that's a 2013 item)

28mm WW1 Belgians - These were my prize from draw at the Maidstone club open day and are now in the queue to go off for painting.  I am hoping that they will be back in time to be used before the end of 2013, although 2014 (as the 100th anniversary) might be more appropriate?

15mm Early WW2 - I managed to get some more of these based and to the table but still have quite a few more to do - so that's another thing for the New Year.

My only other concrete project for the New Year will be Muskets & Tomahawks in 28mm - I plan to have some suitable forces bought, painted and played with before the year is out!  Other than that my plans could only be described as "emergent" and will, obviously, be limited by budget - so probably a year of consolidation (i.e. adding to existing things) rather than new.