Bitshavoc – a Bits Box Challenge

Hello fellow hobbyists of the Apocalypse! it has been so long since my last post, I actually cant remember when it was, I think it was over 6 months ago which is pretty shameful. I got pretty burned out doing the Tale of 4 Warlords challenge, and while I was submitting “Tabletop quality” minis for that challenge… I was not happy enough with them to take high definition photos and give those minis their own posts. Then I started working on a new secret project for Christmas, which is laughable because I’m STILL working on it at the beginning of April. My new deadline for that is in June, so hopefully that will get a post around then and there are regular updates on the project over on my Twitter feed if you want to know more now.

So what have I done that I feel justifies a post? Well… one of my virtual friends from the cyber world we call the internet, Dan (@Thelonelyhavocs), started a free community competition last year called Bitshavoc. The idea was that he would post out two similar weight bags of bits to two competitors and that they would have one month to create something to a theme he provided, built and painted, using only the plastic in the bag. You can see a load of examples over on Twitter using the hashtag #bitshavoc. He lives over in the US though so understandably didn’t want to fork out the distribution for worldwide entries… and this is where I come in. He reached out to fellow hobbyists around the globe to see if anyone would be willing to be local distributors and as a supporter of the really cool hobbyist community, I was happy to help. So I take bits donations, they all go in a one box and I use that as the reserve for the UK bitshavoc.

I cant remember exactly when we started, was maybe around summer last year, I think we had about 6 months of it. I actually applied to be in the competition myself before we organised who would be the UK distributor, so I was due in December. Anyway, it turned out that December was kind of busy for everyone, go figure! Then January came and my opponent had a lot on so we delayed until February and there was no more faffing about… it was go time. I was super nervous about taking part having sent the bits out to everyone else and being one of the representatives of the game! I mean that doesn’t mean I have to be any good… in fact I am very vocal about my inability to kitbash. I get complimented on my sculpting and I always tell being that i feel like its a bit of a crutch because I lack the resources and skills to kitbash. To me there is something mystical about someones ability to find the seemingly perfect parts for a newly realised and inspired creation. A Perfect example of this would be Krautscientist over on Eternal Hunt. Honestly, if you don’t have time to read his blurb on the pieces he has created, just skim through some of his Inq28 or 40k Posts and let him know what you think about them. They are absolutely awesome.

I was not hoping to attain this standard, but that’s not the game! you could end up with anything… 5 bodies and one arm, only weapons… its just the luck of the draw when the bits are bagged up, its a bit of a lottery.

So onto my entry… this is how it all starts.

This is the exact contents of my bag, as they looked when I emptied them. I obviously didn’t have to post mine to myself so I just waited until I had conformation the other bag had arrived. (For those of you wondering how I fairly gave to myself and my opponent, I bagged up two bags just like I usually do and and got my wife to pick which bag went where).

Our theme: Spec Ops

So as soon as I saw that I was thinking Splinter Cell. I thought it would be cool if I could do a guys sneaking up behind another guys ready to knife him or something… how I would make someone look like they were “sneaking” or even if I would have to parts for more than one character, I didn’t know until I looked through the bits thoroughly. So I piled up a bunch of limbs and bodies so I knew how many I had of what, I also got to see what weapons I had. I discovered I had the workings of a human sized character…

The smaller guy legs I think was mostly Bloodbowl humans I think and some bigger guy parts I found looked to be mostly Primaris Marines and Orks. now the Bloodbowl legs provided me with an interesting opportunity. Most of the Bloodbowl legs are dynamic now, not static like they used to be… which meant no smaller guys sneaking up on some other guys, the game wasn’t called Sprinter Cell. but if you turn those legs upside down, the feet that are normally braced against the floor are braced against a wall. I now had a guy that was CLIMBING! I had to really bodge him together, both legs, the arms, back and front of the body, the groin, a hand and the head… were all different parts. oh and the gun was in 3 pieces too.

Next I needed Bad Guys for him to Spec Op to death and also somehow create a surface for him to scale…

• 

• 

I also threw in a little narrative bits on the junk, to make it look like someone had been working, riveting the wall. While I was making this it made me think of Necromunda (which I haven’t actually had a chance to play yet), with Goliath gangers and maybe another rival gang sending a hired assassin to infiltrate their territory to take someone out.

this is how it looked when I put it all together.

• 

• 

I was super pleased with how it came together. The fact I managed to get this much done from random bits, I surprised myself honestly, this is the first thing I have kitbashed… and I mean exclusively mini pieces, no green stuff, no plasticard, guitar wire or other nick nacks.

Then I got on and painted it, and it was a good opportunity to Practice some OSL as I wanted the person that was climbing to be stealthy and therefore cloaked in shadow. This is how it turned out!…

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Let me know what you think! Do you have any advice? I really struggled with doing the light coming off the Scull, that sort of very pale yellow light, otherwise I’m pretty happy with it. I mean I could keep working on it but like everyone else I have a project list that grows faster than I can cut it down.

It was also a fun way to try and get my mojo back, I hadn’t really done anything for ages and I needed a good kick to get going. Speaking of which I pretty much ran out of bits after this, but then had an amazing glut of donations to keep things going for a while… so I need to get the next too bags out, like… tomorrow!

Also finally… Its a crazy time right? as things stand right now we all live with the uncertainty of when life will resume normal pace with so many unable to go anywhere during this Corona Virus Pandemic. I hope all of you are looking after yourselves and keeping safe, not just physically by staying indoors when ever possible but… keeping your mind busy, keep socially active if its something your used to, but messaging or video calling people. I’ve seen a lot of people struggling, and I think a lot of people think they just aren’t coping well when its totally normal. Reach out to people, give someone a phone call who you haven’t spoken to in a while. catch up with an elderly relative… these are strange times and they way we will get through it is by helping each other out.

Hopefully I wont be so long with my next post, and we look forward to hearing from you soon on Painting in the Dark. What projects are keeping you busy during the Apocalypse?…

~Pandora’s Bitz Box~