300 posts and 100,000 visitors - a celebration and a giveaway!

Hi folks,

I'm always aware that with blogs - and hobby blogs in particular - readers tend not to be interested too much in the personal life of the blogger and more interested in the hobby side! I've always very much tried to keep my personal goings on separate, and post about important things - like toy soldiers!

To keep with that theme, here's some PSC Plastic Cromwells my lovely wife allowed me to build while relaxing on honeymoon!

Onto the smushy stuff!

Looking back, I started this blog in May 2013 - which was not too long after I had first met and started dating the lovely Mrs Madtinhatter. Coincidentally about the time of my 300th blog post and 100,000th visitor, I was doing this:

Incidentally the cliff tops where we had our wedding reception was the site of a WW2 battery of Medium coastal defence guns... The trick to successful relationships with non geeks is realising that the other party is not interested in such trivia!

So, this post is a celebration of several things. I've come a long way since that 1st post. My collection has grown along with my skill level and lead mountain. I've still a long way to go, but keep looking at those early painted models and wondering when I can fit in a touch up of them all! The other impact the blog and my hobby has had - although the support of a wonderful woman plays the biggest part - has been my improved health and quality of life.

Thanks to everyone who has followed and visited the blog over the last 3 years (who wasn't a Russian SpamBot) and for all the support, comments and opportunities to engage with fellow hobbyists. As a token of my thanks, I was going to have a competition.

However, last time I had a competition the postage costs were fairly hefty, so I'm going to have a giveaway instead. All you have to do to enter is being a follower of the blog and leave a comment below (one entry per person, but feel free to leave multiple comments!). In November I will randomly select a name from those who are followers and have left a comment, and that person will receive a £20 gift voucher for the online hobby store of their choice - assuming said store sells online gift vouchers! Simple!

So thank you all for your support - normal toy soldier related posting will now resume!

Competition Winners!

So two short weeks ago I hit 100 posts and 10,000 visits at around the same time. To celebrate I decided to have a little competition. I had hoped that I might get a entry or two but I hadn't expected to get 7!

I've published all the comments at this point but I found it impossible to choose between the entries. All of them were interesting, amusing and heartfelt. To help me pick between them all I asked my wonderful assistant (aka, the better half) to have a look and help me choose. Through various esoteric means, we decided on:

1st Place: Justin Penwith

"Congrats! 1) What keeps me chipping away at the lead mountain is my sincere desire to keep gaming with my mates and to have armies ready for my sons to play with, and against, me when they come for a visit. While I am not quickly going through the mountain, I am continually at it. 2) Who do I thank most for my inspiration and motivation? Honestly, those who inspire and motivate me most are the heroes and villains of all the past wars and conflicts. Each fought for a cause, some honorable, and many not, but it is only because of their actions and the histories left behind that we can wargame those events today. More modern models of inspiration include numerous authors of either academic texts or wargame rules, but who each had an appreciation for military history and also delved into the hobby itself. Others still, bloggers who, in the midst of often chaotic and stressful lives, post about what they are working on and what inspires them. Too frequently, favorite bloggers"

2nd Place: Red Dog

"Well done notching up a century posts! Painting isn't my most favourite part of the hobby, but the need to have painted models (combined with the fact that I can't afford to get someone else to paint them!) keeps me chipping away. As for inspiration and motivation, I'd say my love of history and the encouragement of the guys I play with (and have contact with via blogs) keeps me going. Also the great feeling of satisfaction in completing a project and taking pride in my work. Cheers, Paul."

and 3rd Place: Chris Stoesen

"Congrats on the milestone. I enjoy the variety of projects that other people are working on, even periods that I have no interest in. It keeps the creativity moving. I paint in bursts. I had a fantastic burst in tnbe beginning of the year and I am prepping for the next one. Who do I thank the most? Well, the readers who post comments on my blog. They make me want to do more."

Justin will get first pick of the books, Paul the 2nd and I'm afraid Chris will get whichever is left. I'll attempt to contact the winners via their profiles, but if I can't (and you've not heard from me in the next week) please leave a comment on one of my blogs!

Thanks to all the entrants and the other members of the community that have kept me painting and blogging over the last year. 

100 post Competition Reminder - closes Friday

Hi folks, just a wee reminder that my 100 post celebration competition ends on the 25th of this month.

To enter, just join my blog and leave a comment answering: What is it that keeps you chipping away at the lead mountain - and who do you thank most for your inspiration and motivation? 

Details can be found here: http://themadtinhatter.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/post-100-and-small-competition.html?m=1

A wee pic of me with a Israeli Super Sherman (M-50) from my visit to Eden camp last year.

Post #100! And a small competition.

Huzzah!

After just under a year of this blogging m'larky I've finally reached post number 100 - and at the same time the blog is just short of 10,000 views (at least some of them other people and not me/spam bots/google!).

I've found the experience of blogging to be really useful in keeping my head 'in the game'. I check my blog stream multiple times every day, and seeing other peoples work has spurred me on more than once when my own motivation has been flagging.

I would love to think that my own poorly spelt ramblings have helped do the same for others (even with my shotgun approach to grammar!).

Since the blog has started, I've managed to improve my lighting for pictures, get a few games in and finish off a few modelling projects that have pushed my abilities and caused much swearing. One thing I've not managed to do, however, is increase my followers!

In an effort to do this, and to celebrate post #100, I decided to have a little competition. I have three prizes to give away - all of them books. To make sure there is something that might interest someone, I have gone for a mix of periods.

The first is:

Published in 1974 it contains details on the military forces of Europe during the Cold War period.

Secondly:

Uniforms of the Peninsular Wars, by Philip Haythornthwaite and Michael Chappell. Printed in 1995.

Thirdly:

Scramble! A set of WW2 aerial combat rules - Edition 3.1.2

The rules for the competition are simple.

1)  To enter you have to be a follower of this blog and leave a comment on this blog entry.

2)  The comment should answer the questions: What is it that keeps you chipping away at the lead mountain - and who do you thank most for your inspiration and motivation?

3)  Single entries only, I will pick my favourite three and rate them 1st to 3rd. 1st winner gets 1st pick, 2nd the second pick and 3rd the third pick.

4)  All comments will be unposted until the end of the competition, which will be the 25th of April. Prizes will be posted out at some point after that!

So that's it - follow the blog, comment and you stand a chance of winning one of these three amazing prizes! All help in advertising the competition is welcome!