It’s been a loooong time since I’ve done any sort of blog/social media “year in recap” of my modeling work. Like a really long time. Mainly because my productivity and completed output has been, let’s say, minimal. But 2023 was a bang up year for finishing shit. At least by my standards.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, getting on Zoloft and quieting the inner voice of harsh personal criticism was a huge reasons for the productivity. As was finding new friends in the hobby and really spending time in the SMCG Facebook group. It was a perfect storm that came together to make some good things happen. 2023 was the Year of the Diorama for me… I finished one that had been in the works for several years, started and finished another for an existing unmounted model, banged out a cool vignette in record time, and made significant progress on a project that ballooned (potentially out of control). I even painted my best bust figure to date.

“Hay buddy” barn diorama
This was started a couple years back as a “let me learn the finer points of working with insulation foam” and ended up as a real diorama. I thought I’d throw a shelf queen on, but instead tossed that and built a net new kit.

“Pack it up” WWI trench diorama
After completing the barn diorama, I wanted to knock out something quick to keep going with the foam dio base fun. So I chose a model out of the cabinet I finished a few years back and thought “I can knock out a base in a couple weeks!” Couple months later, I had a finished diorama. And finished with minutes to spare to get it into the IPMS Nationals.

Ford vignette
At Nationals, I had several conversations about foam bases. In Rick Lawler’s Nats class, I started a small base on a piece of foam he had pre-cut for the students. In a matter of 6 weeks, I had a finish vignette, complete with figure, lighting, and resin vehicle. Pretty short work for anyone, but especially me.

Cylon Raider diorama
In what came to be a 2023 theme, I had another “I’ll just get rid of a shelf queen and make a quick diorama” project explode on me. What started as a goal to finish an 7 year old model that had been silver base coated only, I thought “I’ll just throw some final paint on this thing and get it done in a weekend”. When the stand it came with broke for no apparent reason, I started thinking of small ideas for mounting. A large, multimedia diorama later, and I’m still going. I’m hoping to have this thing done by March. It’s coming together and has given me a lot of 3D CAD, Cricut cutter, and foam cutting experience.

Kjeld Kirk bust
I also finished a fantastic Sabot Miniatures figure that started in the Jim Rice + LionHeart Hobby painting class and has ended up in…well, I’ll tell you that story soon enough. But it’s pretty dang cool. Kudos to Jim for some excellent instruction.

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2023 really helped me remember how much I love scale modeling. It’s been hard to get and sit at the workbench and really have fun modeling for a long time. This is due in no small part to the friendships and connections I’ve made through online and offline spaces. I truly appreciate the growing friendships that have grown this year.

2024 goals

I’m not a huge New Year’s resolution guy, but I do find some value in thinking about what trajectory you want to set your year on after coming back from some time off for the holidays. In no particular order, here’s my goals for this coming year:

  • Finish the Cylon Raider diorama
  • Start and finish my Pratt & Whitney vignette in 1-2 months max (part of this projects is going to be proving I can start and finish something in a matter of weeks)
  • Start and finish the factory diorama (more info later)
  • Start (and hopefully finish) the ICM CH-54
  • Start the Wharf diorama (this is going to be a biggie and a life long desire to do a Verlinden homage diorama)
  • Deepen my Fusion 360 knowledge and associated engineering thinking
  • Have something I’m truly proud of to take to IPMS Nationals
  • Improve my figure painting

Beyond those goals, I also want to be able to start and finish several stash kits I’m dying to work on:

  • Star Wars Razor Crest (with a fuck ton of Green Strawberry PE)
  • BTM-3 High-speed trench digging vehicle
  • Opel Blitz Aerobus

Oh… and one hilarious take on the AK bookstore facade.

It’s going to be a busy modeling year!