"How Many Unpainted Armies Do You Have?" Topic

6-10 is about what I have. I was surprised to find that is what most people have.

I really do not know how many armies I have unpainted. It would take too long to sift through the piles of unpained lead to work it out. Suffice to say, as with many other gamers no doubt, I would re-roof a church with the amount of unpainted miniatures that are stashed in my man cave.

I put down 3. Where as there are Armies that still need troops painted most of my projects have enough figures for a small game.

Every commander needs reserves

I think of them as unfinished projects. I will return to them, they will become top priority again and get finished. I have been an active wargamer for 40 years and it looks like I have left, on average, one such project unfinished every 3 or 4 years. That doesn't sound as daunting as the actual total.

I counted the plastic Napoleonics I have from my teens as they are unfinished, I still have them and I plan to get back to them, finally, next year. So they do count and they do mean the WIP does go back the full 40 years.

More in control of my time these days, I do finish more projects than I start – so there is light at the end of this joyful tunnel.

My rule these days is paint all the new stuff (right away) and tackle something from reserve as well.

Phil

I have a lot of armies that are incomplete, but with playable, and played with figures.

But the only totally untouched army I have is 15mm WW2 Japanese.

I put 6-10 but it may be a few more because I have a lot of naval projects that have a few vessels done and loads undone – some in 3 different scales. I'll get to one of the scales at least, some day.

Completely untouched is probably only about 3 – but I may simply have forgotten about some of them.

Always been easier over the decades to buy more "new shiney" because "I'll have time later to get to these" and "No,seriously, I WILL use them. I'm just really taken with this period (or sculptor, or line of figs, or…) So why do I keep buying? Because I know that "someday" will come soon. And they are new. And shiney. In my minds eye, I can envision the layout of terrain (I don't have) on the custom built game table(s) that I don't have, in the gaming room (that I don't have). The joy of the game, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Skirmishes, big battles, ongoing campaigns. Someday…

I put "more" as I really don't know but it could easily exceed that max designated number. Consider that just in Lizardmen, I have figs for armies of
GW Slann (pre lizardmen
GW Lizardmen (original)
GW Lizardman (second version)
Dragontooth Saurians
Dragontooth Amphibeans
Dragon Rune Komodos
RAFM Reptiliads
Reaper Reptus
Ral Partha Draconians
Heartbreaker Lizardmen
Heritage Lizardmen / Troglodytes
Ral Partha Greater and lesser Troglodytes

Plus lizardish troops not in large enough to make up armies, but certainly enough for mercenary companies, including Essex, Grenadier, and other "odds and sods" I've picked up here and there. For example, in the late 70's I bought around forty (twenty each) lizardmen from a no-name company in the UK – half are crossbow armed, the other half with pole arms with a curved blade at each end of the pole. Never seen them elsewhere in all of my gaming days, never even seen a single one on ebay in over a decade of buying and selling.

But given that I have at least twelve full armies worth just lizzies, you can consider the numbers I also have in orcs, elves, dark elves, dwarves, centaurs (and other taurs, like minotaurs), avains, Beastmen, Ogres, chaos, and the multitude of choices in humans ancients, dark age, medieval, samurai, Petal Throne, barbarians, FIW, etc.

Not even considering the figs I've collected for skirmish gaming, which go from Cavemen, to Gladiators, to Three Musketeers, to Old West (hundreds here alone), to Pulp, to interwar, to WW II, to Modern, Ultra Modern and post apoc.

Then there is the matter of my 15mm armies…and my 1/72 plastics…

When I die, my wife will be able to sell them off and buy that island in the Caribbean she's always wanted. Or two.

Just for DBA alone, I think it's 33 armies that are in various points along the spectrum of not-fully-painted yet. A few years ago, I started cataloging those with a goal towards actually achieving more painted DBA armies than unpainted ones.

It is a tantalising goal that I have very nearly reached a couple of times before great deals and/or the desire to support a line I like trumped =^,^=
Baueda's Indiegogo campaign for Dark Ages armies hit both of those triggers and was my last big set-back on the goal.

At least the list has been motivation to at least try to accomplish finishing at least one army for each new one acquired. I count that as a Marginal Victory over the lead mountain!

Current standing:

Fully Painted 26
Not Fully Painted 33

½ to 2/3 Painted 2
¼ Painted 8
Primed 6
Trimmed 4
Raw 13

For other games, only small numbers of armies that aren't ready to take the field at all. Plenty ready for play but still with sufficient unpainted reserves in the wings.

Warmaster Empire, Chaos, High Elf, Dwarf, Orc
Copplestone Horse Tribes, Rangers, Half-Orc
Dunlending (Saxon Fyrd, I think from Old Glory?)
Baccus EIR, Dacians
GZG ScanFed fleet
Dreadfleet
Space Hulk
LOTR Moria set
Some GEV…

Well, that's more than the 6-10 I thought. Gotta change my answer…

Incomplete armies are unfinished projects. Unpainted armies are packs of figures.

I don't feel guilty about all of those boxes of unpainted miniatures (and more added each year), since I figure that is what 'retirement' is all about.

I only have parts of forces that are unpainted no whole armies. Finish armies ? are mini armies ever finished?? They can always be added to. :)

Where is the laugh hysterically option?

I don't have any armies that are entirely unpainted.
I think…
…damn, now I'm feeling paranoid.

But even armies where I have the majority painted, there are still items I think I should add, someday, when I'm in the mood.

I really don't know anymore.

Ditto that – and I'm not going to find out. Why make myself miserable ?

Too many. Better question is, how many unpainted figures do you have? Too Many

I guess it depends how you define "unpainted armies" because does a thematic "company" for IHMN count as an army?

Does an army partially painted count?

I put down "I don't know" because while I inventoried the collection last year I have sold off many (need to sell more) and bought some replacement forces in other scales.

I do need to re-inventory after the holidays and then perhaps I would know.

I put down I don't know as I really have no idea. There is not era that I buy figs for that is completely painted. Like miniMo I have over 30 unpainted DBA. and about 15 different races of star ships- something over 200 primed but waiting for me to get back to them. Same kind of situation for 15mm Sci Fi, WWII, Modern micro armor, Modern and WWII naval. The list goes on…..

Sounds like some folk need to get off their computers and get their brushes out !

Oops! That'd be me too

Actually I'm doing this while some glue is drying (and the kettle is on) so the next goal is getting closer not further away …

Phil …

I had none unpainted 2 years ago. My friend moved cities and gave me a heap of unpainted lead and plastic, enough for 4 armies. So I have moved back to the more comfortable position for a gamer of having a lead pile.

I don't think I have any that are totally untouched. I have a lot that are started and not yet finished and many that are far along and not yet finished.

I think the question is phrased wrong. Why would you have a complete army sitting around unpainted?

As others have said, I have plenty of unpainted figures but they are all additions to armies I already have in use.

I put down 3 – actually I have painted some figs for all three, but only a token amount (in the case of the Ironclads, exactly one)

- Amazon army
- Civil War Ironclads
- Viking army

I also put down three, but two of them I know I'll never do now.

The never-to-be:
1/6000th scale naval
15mm ultramodern British

Next project on the table:
15mm early war German infantry company

I have a few additions to my late nineteenth century European armies to do after that, but they aren't 'an unpainted army' just a load of bits and pieces.

not an army if it is unpanted

Agree with ming31, if it ain't painted it ain't a thing.

This pole is non-applicable to historical figures. What constitutes an "army"? I have lots of unpainted figures but are they an "army." No.

Hmmm, probably thirteen that I intend to actually paint. Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Macedonians (a second army…), Parthians, Late Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Bretons, Normans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Syrians. And then there are the 1/72 plastics (Vikings, Samurai) and the WFB ones that will probably never get done (Orcs and Goblins, Dwarves).