PHILOSOPHY

"Philosophy" is a something of a grand title. I will not be discussing the meaning of life here. What I will talk about is why I do what I do. As soon as I played Star Fleet Battles I fell in love with it, and immediately began acquiring all the modules. Collecting the miniatures was an extension of the hobby I already had. Now, collecting the miniatures has surpassed playing the game in my interest. It probably helps that you don't need to set aside a few hours to paint, and you can always pick up where you left off easily. In Perth, Western Australia where I lived, 10 years ago (when I started), you could still find the original release of the Starline 2200 SFB miniatures (with the blue backing). This started my collection, but I never could find any of the really important ones, like the Federation Heavy Cruiser or the Klingon D7. This was disappointing, as I knew no way of collecting these. After a couple of years I got lucky and found a whole bunch of second-hand miniatures which filled the gap and gave me at least one of mostly everything. The next big step was the release by TFG of the Limited-Edition LE2200 series, where I picked up the rest of what I didn't have via mail order. And there the interregnum put a halt to my fleet expansion. The opening of ADB, Inc and the release of the 2400 miniatures series, including many new releases, was the best news I'd had for a long time. Basically, I buy (via mail order) all that I can afford, given the appalling exchange rate with the $AUS/$US. Painting I only ever had painting guide for the Starline 2200 miniatures I bought new. The secondhand Starline 2300 and LE2200, I just did the best I could. The guide in Captain's Log 17 helped a little. Therefore the painting schemes and the detail may not be 100% "correct". Even after I discovered an "incorrect" painting scheme, I tended to keep the old colour for continuity. However recently I have made a few changes, particularly with the Klingons where I found a new colour I really liked. Sadly, my painting gifts are fairly limited (I say this with all honesty). I can turn out a decent product, but without the flair of the true artist. Also, my hands shake, making doing detail a real trial. Still, I persevere, because I enjoy what I do, and don't really care if nobody else likes it...though it would be nice if they did. Website I've wanted to do this for years. Despite my lack of real talent, I'm still proud of what I've done and I'd like to share it. Also, I think that an exchange of ideas is a good thing, and nobody ever reall yloses by discussing their work and techniques. I've been inspired by and gained ideas from other people's websites, and if anyone gets any ideas from mine, that's great. Obsession Star Fleet Battles is not my first obsession, though it has been the longest enduring (10 years and still going).