Happy New Year!

Here in New Zealand the first half of the year passed pretty comfortably with a couple of short periods of restrictions to close out small localised COVID outbreaks, but we managed to get about pretty freely. I even succeeded to squeeze in 16 games and three short trips to the South Island. 

But all hopes that 2021 would see a return to normal were pretty much dashed when on 17 August the COVID-19 Delta variant came to our shores then escaped from our quarantine facilities and we plunged into an immediate lockdown that lasted 107 days (and some restrictions are still in effect). Gaming stopped and didn’t start again until December meaning that the overall game count was down to a mere 18 games for the year.

Despite the ongoing supply chain issues on the painting front it was a very productive year - my fourth most productive since I started keeping records in 2014 and up 46% on last year, although last year was a very low year. Such is the advantage of staying home for four months. 

In all nine projects were undertaken:  

• The Great Paraguayan War project was carried over from last year and is almost complete, with just the Paraguayan generals and a few more gun sets to do. 
• The Tarawera project, including a some significant terrain items, was completed in total, but with the event suspended none of the figures have seen action. 
• The AWI expansion: 
• British - adding seven battalions, two guns, a limber, a wagon and three mounted officers.is completed with the addition of eleven battalions, six mounted officers and three gun sets with their limbers and wagons to the collection.
• Hessian - added four line battalions, two jäger companies (with amusettes), a gun, a wagon and three mounted officers
• Franco-Prussian War 
• Swedish Napoleonic
• The terrain tiles have started and will continue on into the  New Year. 
• A small number of French 1805 infantry were completed as a filler between figure deliveries and about a dozen more are assembled, but enthusiasm to complete them is lacking. 
• The completion of some ACW dismounted cavalry units has started, but ongoing postal delays means that all the figures for this group have not yet arrived. 

Most of the figures for a token French AWI force have arrived, but don’t slot into the schedule until late-January.

In all the item count was a respectable 1,533 foot and 79 mounted figures, 19 guns, 2 pieces of equipment and 130 scratch built pieces, made up as follows:

As for what 2022 will hold in store I am only certain at this point of five projects:

• Franco-Prussian War
• AWI French
• ACW dismounted cavalry
• Swedish Napoleonics
• The Terrain Tiles

While the Franco-Prussian project has the potential to balloon into a mega project the others will be relatively small efforts. That said, I am sure something else will come along to pique my interest during the year.

Happy New Year to you all and raise a glass or two with me in the hope that we will soon see the back of this insidious virus.