I'm Back, Baby!

Having finally gotten all my non-painting stuff sorted out, I am once again returning to the brush.  I'm not entirely sure what I'm returning to, but I assure you that there will be lots of pictures involved.  Pictures like the old Ultramarines I did.  Only with new models:

More after the break, including a big breakdown on what I have on my table:

Current projects:

• Finishing my High Elves: I have about 100 models left to paint.  It's a big job, but hopefully it will all pay off.
• Re-arming my Dwarfs: This is a project I'm not really looking forward to.  Ripping off arms and shields and replacing them with great weapons.  Then of course I have another 100 or so models to paint here as well.
• Figuring out what to do with my Lizardmen: That Yellow, while it looked good, was a nightmare to paint.  I need to come up with a new colour scheme.  Then of course I need to assemble the rest of the models, prime them and get started.
• Finishing my Orks: a Dozen foot soldiers, 4 walkers, a vehicle and 2 super-heavies.  This is probably my closest to finished Warhammer project, but truth be told, my heart's not in it.
• New Eldar: Stripping and re-painting all the Eldar I got off Wallshammer.  Most of the stuff that needs stripping is in the Simple Green already, and the rest is assembled.  I'm still debating whether to put the vehicles in the Simple Green.  This was the project I was going to do for Wallshammer's escalation league, but it's been tough to get started.  Te prospect of painting double the models in my Eldar army for half the points of what I already have painted was a big turn-off.  That said, I finally have a clear, albeit cold day here, so I could prime the assembled models and get started.
• Finishing my Warmachine: All that's left is a Cygnar Battlebox, 11 Tharn Bloodtrackers, a Gnarlhorn Satyr, 2 casters and 2 solos.  And then of course I bought the new 2-player Battlebox, so I am sitting on 25 points of Khador and Menoth.  None of that is assembled, let alone primed.  Most of it is still in the little baggies they came in.  Wallshammer mentioned to me that his group is starting a Journeyman league after the 40k Escalation league, so these might sit until then.
• And of course, the 500-pound gorilla in the room: My 10000 points of Orcs and Goblins.  I  can't seem to get these guys started.  Much like with my 40k Orks, my heart is just not in painting them.  Maybe it's the sheer number of models, or the fact that basic Boyz aren't terribly inspiring models (to say nothing of all those damned Night Goblins), but these models are like a stinky fish hung around my neck.  I'm starting to wonder if the best thing I could do would be to trade them off?
• I also have a few niggling projects that I'd like to get to: Finishing my Human Blood Bowl team, and my metal Orc team.  Painting my Space Hulk minis.  And my Castle Ravenloft.  These are pretty low-priority project though, as I don't really play any of those games any more.

I realize it's a little hypocritical of me, but I do find motivation to paint in the playing of the game.  Perhaps that makes me more of a gamer than I let on.  I want to call myself a hobbyist more than a gamer, but without the 'carrot' of finishing models to use them in the game, they just seem to sit there.

Also, my mind really wants me to finish a Fantasy army, since I have a lot of painted 40k and Warmachine, but not a fully-painted Fantasy army, but my heart's stubbornly refusing to get into those projects.  Maybe it's the number of models involved, or just the sheer size of the projects.  Maybe Dwarfs and Elves just aren't my armies.  That's why I picked up the Lizards, but I seem to be stumped on them.  Is this just part of a 'slump' and I need to just sit down and start painting these models, to hell with all of these outside 'concerns'?  I know I'm stalling more on Fantasy because my regular opponent quit Fantasy, and my new opponent plays High Elves, which has de-motivated me to paint them.  Same army versus same army in ANY game is dull, play-wise and especially visually.

At any rate, I think my best plan for today is to take advantage of the break in the rain and get as much priming done as I can.  So step one is to prime my Eldar models, since they are ready to go.  Step two will be to base those last 4 Tharn Bloodtrackers, then prime them.  Then I should probably prime all those great weapon arms for my Dwarfs.  And probably my Phoenix Guard.  Everything else is either unassembled (and still in boxes) or already primed.

I'll post an update tomorrow of what I actually got done.