The Happy Phalanx

As long as I can remember, I’ve been blessed, or perhaps cursed, with an overactive imagination. This has manifested itself in many ways, including a love of science-fiction and fantasy. As life would have it, this served as my doorway into the hobby of miniature painting. Back in the neon-bright days of 1986, a friend introduced me to the game of Battletech, as the box stated “a game of armoured combat”. It allowed you to take command of giant humanoid war machines and battle each other across a hex-covered map. At the time, a game letting eleven year old me pretend to blow stuff up in a giant, stompy robot was perhaps the greatest thing ever!

Of course, as I grew older and presumably wiser, I realized that giant, stompy robots were not the greatest thing ever, but were still pretty darn cool! Even today, Battletech holds a special place in my gaming heart, and one of my closest friends and I still try to sneak in several games a year of it when we get together. I didn’t realize at the time however, that I had discovered a hobby that would stay with me for the rest of my life.

The game was popular enough to spawn a line of lead miniatures that you could use instead of the cardboard mechs that came with the game. In high school, having discovered the vast wealth my minimum-wage part time job at the local library (which I was almost fired from because I would sit in the back where no one ever came and read the books instead of shelving them, curse my over-active imagination!), I decided to buy a few and try my hand at painting them. The results were… less than stellar. I didn’t care though, and have been collecting and painting miniatures since the early 1990’s.

Since then, I have collected and painted minis from many different systems, including Warhammer, Star Wars, the Marvel Universe, and a variety of historical periods. It has become a big part of my life, an oasis of tranquility from “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (Shakespeare). It may sound a bit over-dramatic, but I somehow find a sense of peace while trying to paint these figures, most of which are little are only 2.5 to 3 cm tall. It gives me a quiet sense of satisfaction when I finish an individual or group. This hobby also dovetails neatly with my love of history, as I greatly enjoy researching the colour schemes and history of the various historical figures I collect.

Despite collecting and painting minis for over three decades, it wasn’t until about a year ago I actually started using them for anything other than tiny display pieces. Last summer, I visited my local gaming store, from whence I had purchased the bulk of my minis and paints, and actually learned to play the games associated with them all. Since then, I have battled the dark side in a galaxy far, far away, refought the Second Punic War with Scipio and Hannibal, refought famous battles of the Second World War, dueled with samurai, and yes, blew stuff up with giant, stompy robots!