As I welcome in the New Year of 2021 and the optimism of a vaccination and a return to some normality I thought it appropriate to reflect on the year that will forever be known to me (and others?) as “Fucking 2020”. In summary, the best thing about the year 2020 by far is it is fucking over and I didn’t die.
And so it’s goodbye to 2020!
What else didn’t I do in 2020? Well I didn’t go to any modelling shows, including Salute in April and Telford in November, both of which were inked in my diary as major events I was looking forward to enormously. I didn’t go to France and I didn’t go to Norway on holiday. My two trips to London were cancelled so I didn’t get to take my daughter to the Tutankhamen exhibition at the Satchi museum or to see a West End show and countless other things we had arranged. In fact everything I had planned didn’t happen.
I did get to spend most of my time at home. I did get to experience home delivery grocery shopping, queuing up, social distancing and pretending to be Batman while wearing a mask. I did manage to spend lots of time claiming financial refunds for things I was looking forward to doing but which had to be cancelled and I did get a lot of jobs done around the house until I ran out of materials.
Unfortunately the pandemic is set to role into 2021 but with talk of vaccines in the pipe line there is at least some light at the end of the tunnel. The New Year is a separate topic though so back to 2020 and the year that was or should that be wasn’t?
On the positive side of things there was never a better time to be a figure painter and modeller (once things settled down and the supply chains were properly working again). Stuck in doors with nowhere to go the hobby took on whole new meaning, not just for me but for a great many others who got back into it for something to do. I enjoyed the quiet roads and the greater freedom that provided for walking the dog and having the kids at home from work and school made for some great family time, particularly during the summer when we enjoyed some fantastic weather.
My biggest disappointed was learning that I shared this world with a far higher percentage of morons than I ever realised but the one big thing I will take from 2020 is “perspective”. Life is far to short to worry about the trivial shit and in the blink of an eye you are old before you know it. If you don’t relate to that yet then it is because you are to young but trust me when I say you will come to learn it is a truism in due course. The point is I now have a different outlook on life and once things settle down again, as I am sure they inevitably will, then as long as I survive then the time for even greater life changes will have arrived.
Reflecting specifically on the hobby what do I consider my personal highlights to have been? Well there haven’t been many to be honest but let’s start with a few of the things I did which provided the most pleasure.
First up is “Viharis Tenspire” a wizard that I painted for Ann’s Challenge back in March followed by a diorama I called “OMG!” which was intended for shows and Telford in particular but alas wasn’t meant to be. In May I put together the ever topical “Covid-19: Lockdown Breakout” and during July I got into doing some knights, something I hadn’t done in a long time, concluding with a little vignette called “Knights Hospitaller“. An odd choice I suspect in the eyes of many but my personal favourite was Zonkers: Killer Klown which I posted in November purely for the time it took me and the amount of freehand work I put into it. There were plenty of other figures of course and aside from a few I wasn’t happy with I would have to say that in the main I enjoyed what I painted. It could be argued that 2020 wasn’t a bad year in that respect.
Moving on from the painting side of things the Blog continued to be fun and not long ago I went down the route of acquiring my own domain. As ever some of the banter was excellent and it remains the most important part of blogging for me and others too from what I have read and seen. It was great to expand that group with some new followers and am delighted to be in contact with Roger, Dave Stone, Deturnation and Kuribo in addition to all the long standing reprobates from around the world.
Statistically this has been my best year since starting the blog although I do wonder how much that has been influenced by the Covid-19 imposed lockdown. I don’t put to much store by them but I wont pretend seeing the views go up and gaining a few more followers isn’t rewarding. My personal statistical favorite is when my blog gets viewed by someone in a country where I haven’t had a view before. Currently my blog has been seen in 74 countries and of all the statistics available this one blows me away.
Finally I cannot conclude this post without making reference to my Hobby son, IRO. My podcast interview with him whilst doubtless dull and boring to those who listened was a highlight of the year and one which can only be improved upon by a physical meet and copious amounts of alcohol. Here’s to that day.
Happy New Year everyone and I will leave you with a few images of the models referenced above.
TIM
The Imperfect Modeller 
Lovely wrap-up mate, and yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy to say tarra to a year… It has certainly been a testing time, but what doesn’t kill you eh?? 😂
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Indeed Alex, we live to fight another day. 🙂
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Indeed what a year TIM, your models have been a pleasure to view, even the ones you weren’t happy with, and the jokes and thoughts, and lists have been entertaining.
Here’s hoping 2021 is so much better for everyone
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Thanks Dave. Good to have you on board and fingers crossed for 2021. 🙂
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I’m proud to be among your reprobates. Still, your point on perspective is very apt. Life is indeed short and while overall we missed out on a lot, we can make up for it as long as we don’t assume room temperature. I count reading your blog and seeing your hobby magic as being among my very top inspirations, so thank you for doing it, and doing it so superbly every time. I’m always glad to see your stuff, your WIP, and as a bonus get a chuckle or two from your humor. It was nice to even have a live conversation with you that one time with Dave. While we’re not out of the woods yet, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we can hope it’s not a train. Keep on rocking Dave, we Boomers are not done yet.
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Cheers Mark, appreciate the kind words. Keeping the blog going is probably a challenge for all of us at times but knowing someone is enjoying it makes it all worth while. Life in us old dogs yet. 🙂
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I’d have to say finding your blog (well being directed to it mercilessly by IRO), would go down as one of my highlights of 2020, to sum it up in a few words….”Came for the jokes, stayed for the models!”.
I too really enjoyed my chat to Luke, and thought yours was fascinating (I’ve listened to it twice!
As you said above, I was one of those that lockdown dragged back into the hobby, otherwise I would probably still be out of it, and I don’t honestly know if I would have ever come back. Still I’m enthused at the moment about 2021, and the sense of community around the blogs is higher now than I think I’ve ever known it, so that’s one positive to come out of all this I guess.
Some beautiful models on show too mate, I think I like Zonkers best too, such terrific work on the stripy trousers, I do the odd striped pair but nothing to that standard!
Cheers Roger.
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Thanks Roger. Glad you are enjoying the blog and it is a pleasure having you on board. I am worried about your mental health though if you have listened to the podcast twice! 😉 There is a sense of community in our little blog world and it has been a little haven this last year and for that I am certainly grateful. 🙂
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Figures and diorama-wise I’d say you’ve had a pretty good year and I’ve enjoyed seeing everything you’ve painted. 🙂 I think you just need to develop a better taste in music and films and you’ll have it cracked! 😉
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Haha, you might be right there, especially on the film front. Just lately I have watched some real rubbish. Why I stuck with them to the end I’ll never know!
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Funny you should say that about bad film, as the people who know me know I rather like a bad film or two, but I’ve watched three real stinkers the last three days…
Linda Lovelace for President…Truly awful, but sadly still better than Trump’s term!
Jane and the lost city…Based on the Mirror comic strip, if you took out the gratuitous “gusset” shots could had been aimed at 8 year olds (especially Jasper Carrots, terrible gestapo man!)
Attack of the Killer Tomato’s… I only have myself to blame for watching this rubbish!
and yet I watch all three right through, why????
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There is always some comfort to be taken from knowing you are not the only one. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Like everyone else I’m glad to be leaving 2020 behind.
I’m looking forward to seeing your output and work throught out the next 12 months.
Cheers,
Pete.
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Thanks Pete. I’ll hopefully get a few bits done but this year may prove to be very busy on other fronts too but time will tell.
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Your opening paragraph, thoughts on aging, and morons were all eloquent and well said. I’m not sure if I should feel good about this considering our age difference but it sounded like things I myself would say 😀 In terms of hobbying, I thought you had some top-notch projects and the variety in your subject matter was inspiring. It has been tons of fun following your work this year and I can’t wait to see what dioramas you create in 2021. I have a feeling they will be among your best yet! 🙂
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Thank you. Hopefully each year sees some improvement and a push to challenge myself and with luck 2021 will follow suit. Glad you have enjoyed the blog and I have welcomed your comments. Here’s to 2021! 🙂
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Good old 2020, it certainly had its moment didn’t it? You managed some excellent work last year all the same, I’m inclined to tell you that lockdown is on forever if that’s what it takes to keep you at your desk producing works of art like these! 🙂
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Cheers mate, kind of you to say so. The way things are shaping up I think lockdown will happen and last a few months without your input so I will be desk bound for sure. 🙂
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Ah but how do you know this lockdown is happening without my input? I mean, I’ve never admitted to being the shadowy figure pulling the strings behind Boris Johnson but if you were the shadowy puppet master behind Boris Johnson you wouldn’t admit to it either! 😉 In all seriousness I reckon you’re right, with this new strain going about and until the vaccines have rolled out a bit more I’d be keeping my head down whether the government was telling me too or not. Just a few more months though, at least there’s a light at the end of the tunnel – and hopefully this time it isn’t a train coming!
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A good point, I had overlooked your powers and your close proximity to Nicola Braveheart 😉. Meamwhile back in the real world two months or so and a vaccine is what I am pinning my hopes on for sure. Can’t rule out a train though although it might be Boris with a torch. 🙂
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Nice wrap up mate, the clown is a still a strange model to me but the craft that has gone into it is extremely impressive so I understand why you like it so much.
I’ve now listen to the podcast you did with IRO and it was great, its actually made me try something different as well so thanks for doing it. And I love the model you have to sum up 2020!
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Thank you. From a purely painting perspective the clown represents the top of my game so for me it will remain a favourite until such times I can match it but the figure as a sculpt is way down my list. Glad you enjoyed the podcast I did find it a fun thing to do. As for Frank’s two figured salute I agree, the perfect way to say goodbye to 2020! 🙂
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Nice post and wrap up mate. What an excellent output for 2020 by you as well, some really great stuff. It was good to see the award winning wizard again. 2021 will be much better I’m sure and really anything is an improvement on 2020 isn’t it. Even though I’m not as old as you, thank fuck (😉) haha, I am a deep thinker and for me it was years ago that I started looking at the world differently. I’ve understood that life is far too short for a long time. I feel this internal clock ticking away and it encourages me to make the most of life and to squeeze as much into my life as possible. As a consequence I don’t sleep much haha but I often say I’ll sleep when I’m dead haha. Here’s to a great 2021 man and yep, can’t wait to meet you in person one day and have a few bevvies down your local. 👍🏼
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I think your life attitude is pretty spot on to me. Just wish I had seen things differently when I was younger but having said that I haven’t had too much to complain about other than the ups and downs that in one way or another we all experience. Here’s hoping 2021 one picks ufrom a slow start and ends up being a better one than 2020. 🙂
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