Wednesday, November 26, 2014

The road to Adepticon

Preparations...

I'm all paid up on my Geek Nations Tours for Adepticon in 2015 and really looking forward to hanging out with a lot of great friends, meeting some amazing producers and painters, and of course lots of drinking...er gaming.

Seminars

For this, my first Adepticon, I've signed up for a bunch of classes and an X-wing team tournament. For classes, I've selected my classes based mostly on a desire to meet some people in person or friends. Taking a Weathering Pigments seminar with Justin McCoy (Mr. Justin) of Secret Weapons Miniatures. Though it will be really nice to meet Justin, I am looking forward to adding another layer of depth to my work with this new set of tools. I have a seminar with Victoria Lamb of Victoria Miniatures on Object Source Lighting, which is something I've never been able to do effectively. This will be a great class to meet Victoria, who has added substantially to my Imperial Guard Army and with whom I have great respect. My last seminar is with my friend Dave Taylor of davetaylorminiatures, who will be teaching a class on metals. I've known Dave a while now and really respect his work and am looking forward to learning some new techniques.

Tournament 

For the team tournament, I've partnered with one of my oldest friends to play the Imperial forces. I've played very little in the way of Star Wars, but will be increasing my ships and picking up some Battle Foam trays on Black Friday to carry them to Chicago. Once we figure out our ship needs, I'll pick up some between here and March. At least I don't have to paint them! I will post updates on learning that system fully and playing, but have to find a free Saturday first.

Imperial Guard


Though I am not signed up for any wh40K tournaments, I do have a lot of gaming planned. I've been setting a goal of having a 2000 point army list created, painted and ready to go. From this I'll also develop a 1850 point and 400 point lists so that I can maximize what I have and minimize what I carry. Thankfully, I think I can do this with my current Battle Foam 720 system. Now the problem, I need to buy two more Leman Russ tanks, assemble them and paint them. I need to finish my Valkyrie, Taurox, and another Chimera and I might need to buy 30 more troops. So there is a lot to get done and probably not enough time for me to do it all, especially since I still have not played one full game yet. Hopefully there will be plenty of time for me to do that as well. At least I've read the rules...more to come when I have my lists ready for review.


Monday, November 17, 2014

Robotech RPG Tactics Update

United Earth Defense Force: Destroids

Spartan

I have started working my way through the assembly phase of the Kickstarter shipment. I went immediately to the building the destroids, because when played the regular RPG that was my go to unit. I mean who didn't love the Gladiator (Spartan in RPG Tactics). The Spartan sprue contains two figures with sufficient options for any combination of hands/arms and open/closed missile pods.

You get a couple of options with the Spartan. You can equip it with a baton or you can equip with the gun. The baton fits rather neatly into the hand which is slightly opened. The gun more or less rests on top of the hand/arm with a nice cut-out. 

The second option is with open or closed missile pods. I've modeled both with this set form the bonus material. You also get a large number of hand options from open/closed hands, different hand configurations and angles possible from the hand/arm combinations. 

Overall this was one of the simplest of the figures to assemble. The legs are even versatile enough to allow for some minor poses with motion. The trickiest and most patience testing part is the assembly of the legs to the mid-section. While most of the figure assembles pretty well, the cut-outs in the mid-section are not exactly for the posts from the legs. Compared to some others, though this is easy.

Phalanx

The next of the destroids included in the Battle Cry bonus material is the Phalanx. This little beast of missle pods is ready for long distance combat and cover fire. Like the Spartan, there are two destroids to the sprue with plenty of arm combinations.

There are two arm options available. One with the large round missile pods, familiar to those who played the RPG. The other, I'm not quite sure about as I don't have the rule book yet. These seem to be 4 rather large either missiles or cannons. Either way, it looks pretty intimidating. 

As with the Spartan, this figure for the most part was pretty simple to assemble. One item not covered in the assembly instructions was a second leg option. There are two different leg assemblies on the sprue and the legs are not universally assembles to the feet, which is why one of these has a weird off-balance look. I had to do a little green stuff work to it to make it stay and flow a little better, but it is definitely worth knowing. I'll post him on a base so he is standing on something. 

Zentraedi Invasion Force

Tactical Battle Pod

This is pretty much the combat standard for the Zentraedi attach force. These come with the standard compliment of weapons and a few pose options. The sprue contains three battle pods all with the same set-up. There are no extra parts to this sprue.

There are two different leg styles which I discovered after building the first set of three. You have legs to pose one in a more squat pose or as I have done with this set in a flying pose. Also the narrow leg set, of which the sprue has two, makes the feet sort of hit slightly if you aren't careful. You can easily change this by putting it on at a slight angle or using a stance in motion. The assembly for these is really easy. There is a small split set of parts for the leg connection that is pretty small, which means you will get glue on your fingers. The laser cannons on the head are a little to clean, especially the small pair on the bottom of the head. 

Artillery Battle Pods

For long range threats, there are Zentraedi artillery battle pods. These are designed with three options for load out. There is the long range cannons, missile pods, or large missile pods. These come one to a sprue with options for all three of the designs. Most of the model is identical to the battle pods, except there is some additional load out mounted to the top. I've opted to model out all of the variants just to have them available. 

There are less issues with the leg assemblies as the standard battle pod, but some other weird things. The missile pods attach to a small cross bar, but on both sets the space to fit the bar doesn't seem to be evenly bored on both sides so getting the pods to be uniform is a little challenge. Add to that the shallow depth of the bore and if you aren't careful and patient you will get frustrated as the parts fall off continuously. 

For the large cannons, the only issue is the attachment of the cannon to the stem on the head. This is a very small connection and the weight of the cannons requires you to hold until the glue is pretty set. This means you can't do a mass set of figures at once if making these. They do look very cool, but if you don't hold until sufficiently set than the barrels start to fall toward the table. 

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Zentraedi invasion detected, alert the Robotech Defense Force!

Robotech Kickstarter Update

Well the first set of my Robotech RPG Tactics was delivered. This is already a pretty impressive amount of material to build and looks like there will be plenty of options when fielding a game. So far for my $100 pledge, I've received the core set, which I haven't even gone through yet. I've also received the bonus material round 1, which I've just started to go through. 

The box set really has a lovely look and feel to it, but the contents were a little surprising. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but it was definitely more than a large box that only contained sprues of figures. 
The set also came with a nice print, which is the cover of the box. This depicts the iconic Valkyrie facing off against an invading force of Zentraedi. In the background is SDF-1. 

The bonus package contains a great number of stretch goal materials about equally split between UEDF forces and Zentraedi. There are Valkyries in different sets of transformation, some Spartan Destroids, and Phalanx Destroids. The Zentraedi forces include Regult Battlepods and a Quel Guinau recovery pod. 

I've started assembly on some and have some comments, but those will be coming in some later posts. 

As a reminder, I am part of the Guns of April Movember campaign to raise funds for Men's Health Education and Research. If you can, please make a donation to this great cause. 

Monday, November 3, 2014

The road from lovely strumpet to deadly vixen

Reaper Bones Conversion

This is a little update on a conversion I made using some of the Reaper Bones models from the original Kickstarter campaign. This is my attempt to take a lovely and alluring woman and make her much more deadly. The attitude was there, but she was missing an important component...a slender dagger.

Let's meet our cast...

To accomplish this conversion, I started with the Reaper Bones Strumpet ($2.49). As you can see in this photo, this is of a young, beautiful woman who is holding her skirt well up her thigh and beckoning some admirer. 

To make her a little more deadly, I had to borrow from the Reaper Bones Alchemist ($2.49). The blade he held was rather slender and a little ill-suited to the rest of the figure. It was an awfully dainty weapon and probably a little too small for this character. 

To correct for the removal of his blade, I took a short sword from one of the Reaper Bones Kobold set ($3.49). As you can see there are three sets and one has a spear and short sword which is well suited for removal as we shall later see. 

The perilous road...

There are a issues I had to address in this conversion, but the most important was her position. I wanted her to be more aggressive and so decided she would be on a more forward facing position. To accomplish this, I started by removing her head. This allowed me to turn her to a front-facing position and better hide the blade behind her back. The original position had the blade completely obvious. With her face now forward, I had to smooth out the transition in her hair and used some green stuff to accomplish this. I tried to keep the overall pattern of her hair. 

Her right arm, was still well out to her side, which then didn't make it look much like she was trying to draw someone into herself. I took out a wedge of material from under her right arm and forced the right arm to a much more forward position so she was effectively calling the person to whom she was looking. The Bones material is very easy to cut away using a sharp blade, so be extremely careful in cutting. It could be very easy to remove the arm or bury the knife into your hand

Her left had was still clutching the dress, which did not work at all for holding a knife/dagger. I sliced her hand from her hip and then cut at her elbow. From here, I transitioned her arm so that it was sitting behind her back and resting against her backside. That adds additional support to the figure as well. I sliced the blade from the Alchemist just above the handle so that he had the next blade transition would be smooth. The knife was then attached to her hand and some green stuff added to smoother out the transition. You can see in the two images below, that the blade doesn't truly get hidden from sight, and though it could potentially go at a more upright position that causes some other issues. 

For the Alchemist, I remove the blade from the spear and short sword wielding Kolbold and left him with an empty hand. He now looks like he is standing guard so, no real issues with the loss of his weapon. Besides, how many kobolds wield two weapons? Well one less now.
That is all for now, hopefully the painting will conclude this weekend for another update. Until then, comments on the conversion are more than welcomed.
Chris


Monday, October 27, 2014

Basing your fantasy miniatures with the new work by Dragon Forge Studios






Dragon Forge Studios 

The folks at Dragon Forge Studios have a great looking new Kickstarter that could be useful for anyone who plays #Warhammer Fantasy Battles, #D&D, or other role-playing games with a fantasy or even Greek/Roman time frame.

The bases are available in all sorts of sizes (25mm, 40mm, and 60mm round bases, and 120mm x 95mm oval). There are also sets of bike bases available (25mm x 75mm and 40mm x 70m). Bases will be available with a beveled edge or with round lips.

Additional options include pillars, objective markers (ammunition, monolith, altar), hidden objective marker (broken pillar) plus an great Pillar Kit for scenery or diorama building.

Check them out at Ancient Ruins II Base Series and get on board while you can. I've joined in and will post follow-up posts when I have them and start using them up.


There are plenty of options for getting into this Kickstarter campaign and looks like the key point of entry with the most flexibility and power is at the current $55 pledge level. At this level you get the Hero exclusive set plus five additional sets of bases. This level also qualifies for any of the stretch goals (where free to those pledging over $50).

Look for more to come as the campaign continues over the remaining 9 days.


Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Secret Weapon Miniatures Shield Generator

I finally managed to squeeze some time for myself to do some painting. As a father of three it is hard at times to get a solid block of time to paint where it isn't so late that I am falling asleep.

The other day I managed to get about 4 hours to paint, though it was mixed with doing dishes, getting kids to bed, and other parental duties. I decided to take the time to paint up the Secret Weapon Miniatures Shield Generator a friend got for me while at Adepticon. The control unit for the generator will come another time.

Since I see this as a piece to go with my Imperial Guard, I was pragmatic in the color choices. I tried to keep to a pretty monotone, drab color choices since this needs to be a workhorse and probably been around for a lifetime.

For the bulk of the paint, I used the Reaper Master Series Paint (MSP). The main color is Military Gray with the overlay of Ash Gray for some contrast. The bolts and other replaceable, used parts I used Citadel Bolt Gun Metal . To make this look dirty, I made a wash from Vallejo Model Color Black Gray by adding a bunch of water then brushing it off until I got the mix of grime/shine that I wanted.

The power core is made of a mix of Citadel Space Marine Blue as the base with Vallejo Game Color Glacier Blue, Grey Blue, and Blue Wash. I am sure this could be improved with wet blending, but I don't know how to do that. Perhaps one day, I'll find some time with a master or some YouTube videos, but for now this is going to be considered complete and is table ready.


Let me know what you think,
Chris

Monday, October 6, 2014

Things to come...

Life as a gamer often takes a backseat to my life as a dad. Most recently nearly all modeling and painting work has taken a step back so that I can accommodate my children's soccer schedules. What does that look like, well three days a week I am coaching my son's team and three (or four) days a week I am sitting watching my daughter's team. Combine that with a beautiful little 20 month old and you get very little time to sit down to paint and model. Even in those times when I do, it is with half-open eyes.

Now mind you, I have been getting some stuff assembled and primed and updates on all of those projects will be posted this week. I'm currently working my way through my Valkyrie and Hellhound. I have the bones of my Hydra ready, though I stole the guns to also do a little work on my war train, which really has gone nowhere. I have in the box two more vehicles (Chimera and Taurox), so updates to those will be coming soon as well.

To make all of this madness insufficient, I am also working on a unit of Victoria Miniatures Victorian guard with a female standard bearer. All of this Imperial Guard stuff will be increased with some additional work for Victoria Miniatures coming soon.

Tonight will be some highlights of stuff following soccer... have to have everything done by May for my Geek Nation trip to Adepticon!

Friday, August 15, 2014

NOVA Open Charity Auction

NOVA Open Charitable Foundation Auction ... help others and potentially yourself!

The NOVA Open is quickly coming up and if you are going, you will get to check out some incredible game play and have a chance to see these really incredible armies created for the NOVA Open charity. Even if you are not going though, you can help out by buying some tickets with a chance to win one (or all) of these really incredible armies. Below we will talk a bit about each of the armies and provide some links to some of the incredible painter's blogs. Hopefully you will join in the fun and support these great causes. You can learn much more and buy your raffle tickets at the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation Auction website. If you do find yourself in Arlington at the open, you can participate in the Silent Auction which will be raising funds for the Wounded Warrior Project and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Each subheading below includes a link to the raffle page for each of the armies.

Man Eaters of the Great Maw Army

StonehornFor the first time, Stiff Neck Studio has created an amazing Fantasy Army for the auction. You could take these amazing Ogre brutes to any table top to dominate your opponents. 

LeadbelchersYou'll find contained an Ogre Tyrant, 6 Ogre Bullz, 5 Ogre Iron Gutz, 4 Lead Belchers, 1 Stone-horn and 1 Scrap Launcher. You can see a complete set of photos here, but below are a couple of the images just so you can get an idea of the amazing quality of the group. And don't worry about transport, because you will take this army around in style with a custom KR Multicase system

The proceeds from the auction are going to support The Fisher House Foundation

40K Deathwatch Army

PA DW Orig 1DSCN1455A consortium of painters from Penny Arcade contributed to the development and provision of the 40K Deathwatch army. The good folks at Penny Arcade speak more about the army in the PA Deathwatch detachment collaboration project thread of their forums which you can join or follow. There are 40 pages of posts in various other threads there as well, so happy reading. You can also follow them on Twitter, check the Penny Arcade homepage for the different accounts. I've added everyone so I can learn more.
PA DW Orig 3This army counts as a Grey Knights army and can be played at 1850 or 2000 points. There are 30 models in this army, painted by 38 different painters. You will find contained an Inquisitor, Assassin, Dreadnought, 10 Paladins, 7 Terminators, and 10 Interceptors. Here are just a few pictures, but you can see close-up shots of each individual model here. This group will also come with a custom KR Multicase system.

The proceeds from the auction are going to support Child's Play Charity.

Battle of Macragge: Blood & Honor

Marneus & His GuardStiening 2 of 5 WebWhat do you do when you have a consortium of professional and highly awarded painters? You have them build an Ultramarines army of course. This 1850 point army is a monster, consisting of Marneus Calgar with Honor Guard, Chief Librarian Tigurius, Chaplan Cassius, 5 Tyrannic War Veterans, 1 Drop Pod, 30 Tactical Marines, 5 Snipers Scouts with Camo Cloaks, 5 Scouts with Bolt Pistols/CCW, 3 Storm Talons with Skyhammer Missles, 3 Thuderfire Cannons, 1 Knight Titan, and 3 Centurian Devastators with hurricane Bolters and Heavy Graviton Cannons... I mean that is a boatload of fire power and adaptability. 

There are so many amazing painters to discuss, but so little blog space. Marneus Calgar will be prepared by Justin "mrjustin" McCoy, owner and operator of Secret Weapon Miniatures and much renowned painter/instructor. The three stormtalons were put together by Chris "Jawaballs" Dubuque, but due to an unfortunate set of events they are MIA (presumably stolen). He has replaced them with a prize winning Ultramarines Banner though, read more here.

John Steining is putting together the Imperial Knights (and Redemption pieces) and you can following his progress on the 40K Hobby Blog. Neil Szabo is providing paint for Sergeant Telion and all 10 space marine scouts. Want to see how he does it? Check out his Almost Perftec blog of course. Dave Taylor created some really amazing Ultramarine Centurions, but more he worked with John Steining to include a beautiful Land Raider, because you have to cruise in style. You can see more images of all of these at the DaveTaylorMiniatures blog. Rounding out this already incredible team of painters is Dan Withers of Valhalla Games. The devastator squad and Chaplain Cassius are something to behold, but when you put all of this amazing stuff together in one army you will truly be wowed. Of course to protect it all as you dominate table upon table, will be a custom KR Multicase system.
Taylor Centurion Squad

The proceeds from the auction are going to support Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres

Battle of Macragge: Scythes of Behemoth

CarnifexNow no great battle can be fought if there is only one side to play and that is why you can also enter a raffle for this Tyranids of Hive Fleet Behemoth army. This army is also an 1850 point army with plenty of extras for flexibility and adaptability. Now this is a real monster army...consisting of a Flying Hive Tyrant with 2 twin-linked devourers, 5 Tyranid Warriors (magnetized), 1 Tyranid Prime with Norn Crown (magnetized), 60 Termagants, 2 Mawlocs, 1 Carnifex (magnetized), 20 gargoyles, 2 Lictors, 1 Deathleaper, 1 Venomthrope, 3 Tyrant Guards (magnetized), 2 hive Crones, and 8 Genestealers! 

GenestealersWorking on this army is another group of amazing painters. Brian Ballard is acting as a real mercenary by supporting both sides. For the Tyranids, he is painting up the Trygon/Mawloc, Carnefex, and Genestealers. Gabe Dobkin is working on the Lictors and the Deathleaper. Sean Fulton will be providing, surely, a beautifully painted Venomthrope and you can see his progress on this Jeabberwocky Miniatures FaceBook page. Jeff "rogueshader" Jenkins is working on a bunch, including the Hive Tyrant, Tyranid Warriors, and a Trygon/Mawloc. You can see his work on the rogueshader FB and eventually on his website. Adam Pratt will also be pushing this group along and you can see more from him on hos Color Theory Paint blog and his Instragram account (@colortheorypaint). And closing out the team and painting the Hive Tyrant, Harpy/Crones, and Hive Tyrant Guard is William Thornton. You can see much of his work on his Exiled Miniatures FB page. As with all of the other armies, this will also be nestled into a custom KR Multicase system.
Webb Crop 4
The proceeds from the auction are going to support Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres

Extra credit for Ironheart Artisans...

because that's not all, Alex Landing of the great Ironheart Artisans will be providing templates and tokens for the 40K armies. How much more could you want? Get in on the auction action now.

So that is a ton and I'll follow-up with coverage of the

Flames of War WWII Panzer Lehr Western Front Army


Check me out on Twitter @layfieldpaint

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Kickstarter stuff update



Kickstarter ...or that's where my money goes (continued)

Mantic Games - Dungeon Saga Dwarf King's Quest

So this Kickstarter is going gang busters and looks like it will top out as the best of the Mantic Games campaigns to date. The Dungeon Master pledge level, really the only pledge level, now contains the basic game and a load of bonus materials. There is enough now to play the game with friends or to play alone. There are bonus advanced rules plus rules for undead, orcs, and goblins. There are also a bunch of Kickstarter exlcusives. 

So let's take a look at the future for this one... bonus materials for the Warlord of Galihir add-on. The Warlord of Galihir is a $25 add-on level for an expansion pack. This includes goblin warriors, archers, orclings, and maw beasts. This includes the dungeon tiles, scenario rulebook, cards, and counters.

Some of the parts included with the Warlord of Galihir will also be added to Dungeon Master level pledge, which really makes that an even more fantastic level. 

There are still a whopping 17 days left in the campaign, which means we could have a rather heft set of materials coming when everything closes. Looks like potentially a fun way to play with the kids or with your fellow gamers. 

Hyground Games - 3D Terrain Tiles

The folks over at Yeti Militia have just started a new Kickstarter campaign and one that could be of potential use to lots of people. These look like some high quality gaming tiles that are comprised of a hex base system with interchangeable covers. This allows you to create custom configurations for any #tabletop system and for any gaming environment. One significant feature in the design of these is the ability to keep a 28mm figure on the hex even with there is a tree or other object present. There is some great video examples on the Kickstarter page which shows you how to build different layers and interchange the tops. 

Here are some examples of the terrain pieces. You can see that some are designed to occupy the entire space and some are designed to have a figure in addition to the design feature. In the picture above you can see how figures can do battle in a wooded/forest plot. These really changes the look/feel of any campaign and would allow you to make changes quickly for a #RPG setting. 

Since this is the beginning of what potentially could be a long series of custom tiles, there are plenty of areas for expansion. They have already designed and have ready for production nearly anything you might need for exterior play, there is nothing yet posted for underground or interior play. There are also limited to know creations for buildings or objects that would occupy multiple hexes. No doubt there could be plans for these in the future, currently noting exists. 

I don't know how this would translate for all games, such as Dungeons and Dragons which uses a 9-block design for battle or for Warhammer which is a straight distance skirmish game, but both could easily be adapted. All in all this looks like a solid project and the materials look fantastic with great adaptability to whatever gaming system you play. I'll be watching this closely to see how it goes and encourage you to check it out as well.

Next blog post will be about a freebie I got from Mantic Games, friends who are off to GenCon and eventually I'll post updates to the half-a-million projects I've already started.

Cheers,
Chris
















Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Kickstarter campaigns...so that's where my money goes.

Kickstarter happenings... so that's where my money goes

Mantic Games Dungeon Saga: The Dwarf King's Quest

There are plenty of new gaming opportunities available if you are looking to get into new things. There is a great new campaign by Mantic Games (Halethorpe, MD). This table top game is a follow-up to their previously successful Kings of War 2012 campaign. They provide reasonably prices games that look great and are a lot of fun. You may know them from Kings of War, Warpath, Dreadball, Mars Attacks or others.

painted-necromansor

This is a dungeon based adventure board game for 2-5 players. The game has some really fantastic looking resin miniatures that would be good for any number of settings for RPGs or skirmish games. The pieces come unpainted, so there is a little commitment, but that also gives you the most flexibility. Looks like the main support level is $100, but that gets you the box game, advance rules, 4 heroes, 3 villians, skeletons, zombies, ghosts, armoured zombies, and dwarf revenants. There are already a bunch of stretch goals which mean additional miniatures (some Kickstarter exclusives) and the zombie rules. More to come... they were funded within 4 minutes and are fast approaching the $250,000 mark as I write this.

current pledge

Infamy Miniatures Infamy: Welcome to the Big Smoke

Infamy miniatures (Nottingham, UK) is another start-up and building in a location where a number of other start-ups are launching. Some of these also have some cross-overs. It just so happens that I have a personal connection to this one as my friend Dave Taylor has contributed some of the editing to this.

This is a skirmish game set in a steampunk Victorian London. It has lots of your favorite characters (Sherlock and Watson, Jekyll and Hyde, Dodger, Tesla) all with new takes and some interesting new additions which should make game play rather interesting. It uses a combination of playing cards and opposing dice checks for mechanics and is showing some rather amazing 32mm scale resin miniatures. While the prices are a bit higher than Mantic, there are a number of possible entry points into the game. There is also an amazing amount of flexibility in what you miniatures you choose to receive. If you are into table top and steampunk, well get your wallets ready. This is the game for you. The pieces really look amazing and the game play sounds intriguing. This is in the final week, so you better get moving quickly.

Robotech RPG Tactics


I've been fascinated with giant robots for a long time, I mean since the early 70's when I was watching Tranzor Z and building robots out of lions (that's Voltron for the kids). Robotech coming along in the 80s only added to the intrigue. When Palladium Books put out the RPG, we were there playing irregularly, but always having fun. So of course when the boys at Palladium Books connected with Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios, to create this RPG Kickstarter, I was there. Here is the table top skirmish version and I can't wait. There have been some delays and some production issues, but they are nearing GenCon and have full sets. Distribution on this one should be coming very soon.

The miniature assembly looks kind of complex, but we are assured that is to make them look even more amazing. I am in at the Battle Cry ($140) level which gets me everything in the picture on the left there. I also added the SDF-1 because SDF-1! I will have more updates on this and game play and everything else as soon as I have it assembled, painted, and tested...so like 2090 when it is revised to be completely in a virtual world on Occulus. I know I move at glacial speed.

Reaper Miniatures Bones II: The Return of Mr. Bones!

It's too late for you to get into this Reaper Miniatures (Denton, Tx) Kickstarter campaign, but based on the success of this one and the previous Bones Kickstarter; there may yet be a third. This is the transfer of many of Reaper's metal miniatures to a new "Bones" material. I've had the pleasure of painting some of these and doing some modifications of a couple. The material is pretty easy to use, though very different than resin or metal figs. The paint lays on it well and it is incredibly easy to modify if you are into custom mods to figs or kit bashing.

This one should be shipping to me at the end of the year and you can see the entire Core Set in this image to the right. So that is a personal Christmas present. Looks like my $100 pledge will land me somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 miniatures. A pretty good ROI and all of these are great for table top RPGs and many skirmish games for many settings. Lots of stuff and a great mechanisms to get lots to paint.



That's all for now, future updates on current project coming soon...including a big shipment of scenery stuff from Cicada Crafts, some stuff picked up at Adepticon, some of Victoria Lamb's new products... too much to do!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Wargaming Terrain: Oil tanks

Wargaming Terrain: Oil Storage Tanks


CD-ROM containers
I saw a while ago where someone had converted a CD ROM case into a piece of terrain. Well that got me looking around a lot more and here in and around Baltimore we have a lot of oil and other liquid tanks. That was the inspiration for this piece of terrain.

Primary Assembly of Oil Tanks
I started with two cases, I think they were 50 packs. I used two of the power supply bit pieces from Imperial Guard Sentinels. There is a hatch piece from an Imperial Guard tank (a Basilisk I think). The piping is from Gale Force Nine as is the other plasticard. Sure the stairs aren't even, but this is my first go and I am sure it will get destroyed eventually.

More photos to come after it is primed.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Armored personnel carrier for the Imperial Guard

I had an idea a while ago for a new Imperial Guard armored personnel carrier. Started with a donation to the blood god, but moved past that quickly.

This is based on a Valkyrie modification. The rear is the troop compartment from the Valkyrie. The rear door from the Valkyrie was removed and flipped. To keep the lines, the exit is a little raised.

The turret is a Kromlech gatlin gun turret. Front plow is from an Leman Russ. A few pieces of Gale Force Nine plastic card.

Still quite a ways to go, but fun progress for miniature Monday. Need windows on the front, treads, more guns of course and some covers for the side doors. Lots to get done, but not this evening.