I didn't do anything related to gaming this weekend. Saturday was the last game of soccer, plus four hours of Cub Scouts, plus some family time. Today was pumpkin carving and a train show - time well spent, but not involving a brush or glue.
Traditionally, we stop seeing real trick-or-treaters by 8:30 or so on Halloween, though we wait a bit more than that before turning everything off. Still, when the "kids" can drive themselves from neighborhood to neighborhood, they really shouldn't be out begging for candy.
Should get something done tomorrow though. Not sure what just yet.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Finished pics
I think it looks pretty decent. Opinions from the peanut gallery?
I also finished the harrier and the two stingers in the pic. They had been done except for the snow on the base, and I held on mixing some up the other night, since I thought I might be using some on the terrain as well.
I also finished the harrier and the two stingers in the pic. They had been done except for the snow on the base, and I held on mixing some up the other night, since I thought I might be using some on the terrain as well.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
No painting tonight
Technically, I did paint a little bit tonight - I think I painted the base flesh tones on an alt. manhunter and put paint on something else. I got Morvahna and the Void Seer assembled, and not much else done, to be honest. I spent most of my hobby time for the evening searching for a pair of pliers and clearing a clogged nozzle on a tube of superglue. Meh.
The prototype mountain pass is almost done - tomorrow, I will finish it off an take pics, although I may not get them posted until after gaming tomorrow night.
The prototype mountain pass is almost done - tomorrow, I will finish it off an take pics, although I may not get them posted until after gaming tomorrow night.
Domination terrain (WIP)
So, when Domination comes out next month, there is a PP event which I plan on running at my FLGS. The event calls for two pieces of 6" x 15" mountain walls which count as obstructions. Since nothing can actually land on (or in) an obstruction, I decided that I should make some suitably impassible mountains.
So, here is the basic concept:
And, here it is again with a little shaping with a hot wire cutter. (Technically, this is another piece, but you get the idea.)
The steps are a little rough, so my initial plan was to start evening things out a bit with a layer or two of paper mache. It's fairly quick, cheap, and provides a fairly sturdy base with which to work when I get to the next step.
In a discussion on the PP forums about this terrain article, I mentioned that I generally use step hills for gaming, but for my sons model train layout, I use plaster hills because they look better. Because these pieces won't have anything trying to stand on them, I figured I could go for a more realistic look, so I started applying plaster.
But, I forgot how long it could take - I started working on it, and remembered that the fairly small hills on the layout took a fair amount of time to make - mainly waiting for the plaster to dry enough that it could be shaped, but it would mean that there were periods where I would be waiting for these things to dry, and not able to do much else.
So, I scrapped that plan and decided to go another route. . .
Yep. That's tree bark and spackle. I bought 3 cubic feet of tree back, and later today, I am going to buy a 60 pound container of spackle. No, I won't use them all here, but I might go on a terrain-building binge for the rest of the year.
Painting these is going to be a snap. I spray them really well with black (good thing I applied paper mache across the bottom, even though these are mounted on a plasticard strip), and then do quick, random passes with gray, white, and a couple of earth tones. I know what I am going to do for the peaks - I plan on finishing up the bark layers on one of these this afternoon, so I might be able to have a final one done by tonight, depending on how quickly the spackle dries.
The only real disadvantage of these things is that they will be kind of heavy when they are done. On the other hand, it's not as though they will be tipping over and landing on anything, and putting a box of them in the car isn't going to be a real issue anyway.
So, here is the basic concept:
And, here it is again with a little shaping with a hot wire cutter. (Technically, this is another piece, but you get the idea.)
The steps are a little rough, so my initial plan was to start evening things out a bit with a layer or two of paper mache. It's fairly quick, cheap, and provides a fairly sturdy base with which to work when I get to the next step.
In a discussion on the PP forums about this terrain article, I mentioned that I generally use step hills for gaming, but for my sons model train layout, I use plaster hills because they look better. Because these pieces won't have anything trying to stand on them, I figured I could go for a more realistic look, so I started applying plaster.
But, I forgot how long it could take - I started working on it, and remembered that the fairly small hills on the layout took a fair amount of time to make - mainly waiting for the plaster to dry enough that it could be shaped, but it would mean that there were periods where I would be waiting for these things to dry, and not able to do much else.
So, I scrapped that plan and decided to go another route. . .
Yep. That's tree bark and spackle. I bought 3 cubic feet of tree back, and later today, I am going to buy a 60 pound container of spackle. No, I won't use them all here, but I might go on a terrain-building binge for the rest of the year.
Painting these is going to be a snap. I spray them really well with black (good thing I applied paper mache across the bottom, even though these are mounted on a plasticard strip), and then do quick, random passes with gray, white, and a couple of earth tones. I know what I am going to do for the peaks - I plan on finishing up the bark layers on one of these this afternoon, so I might be able to have a final one done by tonight, depending on how quickly the spackle dries.
The only real disadvantage of these things is that they will be kind of heavy when they are done. On the other hand, it's not as though they will be tipping over and landing on anything, and putting a box of them in the car isn't going to be a real issue anyway.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Quick update
Spent some time this afternoon working on the prototypes for some terrain bits, and hope to have them ready for pics tonight - WIPs, since they won't be done until tomorrow, most likely.
Also got the entire unit of Bloodgorgers primed, and all four of the Gators. So, my two full units of Gators are now at least fully assembled and primed, which is progress of a sort. And, I even tested the superglue by dropping one of the poor Cryx models on the floor. Rug, over concrete, and it survived intact. Good enough for me. I'll pin when I think I have to do so, and simply try gluing the rest. My assembly process should speed up considerably now.
Also got the entire unit of Bloodgorgers primed, and all four of the Gators. So, my two full units of Gators are now at least fully assembled and primed, which is progress of a sort. And, I even tested the superglue by dropping one of the poor Cryx models on the floor. Rug, over concrete, and it survived intact. Good enough for me. I'll pin when I think I have to do so, and simply try gluing the rest. My assembly process should speed up considerably now.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Update to today
Decided to do something before watching Cap. Got four Gatormen assembled, as well as the remaining Ogrun. The Harrier is basically done, aside from basing and a slight touch-up. The nice thing about having so many models, and yet so few painted, is that adding 50 or 60 models does almost nothing to the percentage which are finished, but painting half a dozen makes a dramatic difference on my "shelf of painted junk."
Another long hiatus
Didn't get much done in the last week, and, since I picked up Captain America today, I might not paint tonight. (Yes, I saw it in the theater, but I enjoyed it enough to buy it, so I might watch it again tonight instead of painting.) Since my last excuse for an update, I have just about finished 2 Stingers and a Harrier, and have worked on the Raek and the Winter Guard figs. I have also assembled half a full unit of Bloodgorgers, and hope to finish assembling the others the next time I sit down at the desk. I am trying out a new superglue, which is supposed to be flexible. I'm hoping that it will let me avoid pinning some of the smaller parts, which would let me move a lot more of my models to the "primed" pile.
I was originally going to try and put some paint on every unfinished Warmachine or Hordes model I owned in the month of November (my own version of the Impossible Dream challenge), but with NaNoWriMo and a trip to the most expensive place on earth,it's probably going to have to wait until December.
But December also means travel - at least for a few days - into Chicagoland, so I think I may need to stop by a couple different game stores and get some of my armies beaten. Maybe once they taste the sour tang of defeat, my figs (and dice) will be more desirous of the sweet taste of victory.
Oh yeah - I also put paint onto another 40 or so Orks, but since they belong to the Company That Shall Not Be Named, I don't count them. ;)
I was originally going to try and put some paint on every unfinished Warmachine or Hordes model I owned in the month of November (my own version of the Impossible Dream challenge), but with NaNoWriMo and a trip to the most expensive place on earth,it's probably going to have to wait until December.
But December also means travel - at least for a few days - into Chicagoland, so I think I may need to stop by a couple different game stores and get some of my armies beaten. Maybe once they taste the sour tang of defeat, my figs (and dice) will be more desirous of the sweet taste of victory.
Oh yeah - I also put paint onto another 40 or so Orks, but since they belong to the Company That Shall Not Be Named, I don't count them. ;)
Monday, October 17, 2011
Publish or perish?
OKay, I haven't posted anything in over a week, and I haven't said much this month at all. That whole pesky real life thing has been getting in the way, so I haven't gotten much painting or playing time in the last few days. I really need to start playing games on Vassal or something, just to remind myself of how the rules work. (Kidding, but my mediocre skills certainly won't be sharpened by disuse.)
Anyway, as proof that I have been working on that big box of product which graced my doorstep a few weeks back, I present the following:
The background looks a little cluttered because I was painting those earlier tonight, and didn't feel like moving them off the disaster that is my painting table:
It's actually overdue for a good clearing off, which I do every month or two, but I really wanted to paint tonight, instead of doing stuff that needs to be done, but isn't as much fun/frustrating.
And this is the table of shame:
It's probably no more than half of what I have, and, as you can see, there are a lot of figs that are either bare metal or primed, but nothing beyond that. I am moderately pleased to say that a lot of the primed figs are fairly recent acquisitions, but still, I need to get more of those done.
Anyway, as proof that I have been working on that big box of product which graced my doorstep a few weeks back, I present the following:
The background looks a little cluttered because I was painting those earlier tonight, and didn't feel like moving them off the disaster that is my painting table:
It's actually overdue for a good clearing off, which I do every month or two, but I really wanted to paint tonight, instead of doing stuff that needs to be done, but isn't as much fun/frustrating.
And this is the table of shame:
It's probably no more than half of what I have, and, as you can see, there are a lot of figs that are either bare metal or primed, but nothing beyond that. I am moderately pleased to say that a lot of the primed figs are fairly recent acquisitions, but still, I need to get more of those done.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Really need to start taking pics
Since I don't generally sit down to paint with a plan in mind (other than, "Okay, I have an hour or so, so I'd better get something accomplished"), I can't really take before and after pics. But I am thinking that maybe I should start taking a pic of what I have been working on lately, because that way, I can (1) prove to my readers that I am getting things painted; and (2) prove to myself that I am getting things painted.
Tonight, I worked on the Winter Guard units. And put base colors on the harriers and the raek. Did some assembly work on eThag. Got the gun carriage assembled and primed, except for the horses. Greenstuffed the last two slaughterhousers, the nephilim, and the seraph. And worked on a couple of other things. Visually, it actually would have been a nice before and after series, since going from bare metal to base colors is a pretty big change, whereas nights where I do detail work, it can be very hard to see any signs of progress at the end of the evening.
Tonight, I worked on the Winter Guard units. And put base colors on the harriers and the raek. Did some assembly work on eThag. Got the gun carriage assembled and primed, except for the horses. Greenstuffed the last two slaughterhousers, the nephilim, and the seraph. And worked on a couple of other things. Visually, it actually would have been a nice before and after series, since going from bare metal to base colors is a pretty big change, whereas nights where I do detail work, it can be very hard to see any signs of progress at the end of the evening.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Well, that was stupid of me.
Got in a small game at the FLGS today. I was running Irusk, some Winter Guard + Joe, and a couple of jacks, against the Menoth battlebox, a min choir, knights, and a paladin. It did not go well. Part of it was simply bad luck - you would expect that 2d6-7, repeated 6 times, would have half the rolls do nothing, and the other half do a fairly minimum amount of damage. Instead, 5 of the 6 did nothing, and I don't think they even rolled as high as a 6.
Of course, messing up the order of activation, and charging a menoth jack seemed like a good idea - until I wanted to shoot the other jack (which I had also inadvertently engaged). I did quite a bit of damage there, shooting my own jack in the back. Oh well - you live, you lose, you learn.
Haven't done too much painting the last few days. Both units of Winter Guard (normal and rifles) are now assembled and primed, and some have paint. The raek is primed, and once I sit down with some green stuff, I should finish up the nephilim, the seraph, and the farrow slaughterhousers.
Of course, messing up the order of activation, and charging a menoth jack seemed like a good idea - until I wanted to shoot the other jack (which I had also inadvertently engaged). I did quite a bit of damage there, shooting my own jack in the back. Oh well - you live, you lose, you learn.
Haven't done too much painting the last few days. Both units of Winter Guard (normal and rifles) are now assembled and primed, and some have paint. The raek is primed, and once I sit down with some green stuff, I should finish up the nephilim, the seraph, and the farrow slaughterhousers.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Darn batteries
Still not charged. Had the recipe correct, Stingers are progressing nicely, and the Harriers are primed and started. Raek is assembled, as is Kovnik Joe. eThag is started in the assembly pipeline, as is the Blighted Sorceress, and the Nephilim Soldier. They probably won't be more than assembled before the weekend, but that's okay.
No word yet on my store order - I'm hoping that my 2-player starter is in, as well as my NQ and a couple of other things. The order was kind of a beta test - the store is hoping to get stuff in, so I placed an order, and now it's just a waiting game.
Once the store starts getting stuff in, it's time to start advertising leagues, and maybe organize a Foodmachine tourney for sometime next month.
No word yet on my store order - I'm hoping that my 2-player starter is in, as well as my NQ and a couple of other things. The order was kind of a beta test - the store is hoping to get stuff in, so I placed an order, and now it's just a waiting game.
Once the store starts getting stuff in, it's time to start advertising leagues, and maybe organize a Foodmachine tourney for sometime next month.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
A non-Warmachine post
Just a quick note - I might be picking up a small Prussian force for Dystopian Wars in the next week or so, as part of a trade. This naturally got me hunting for my rulebook, to see how many factions there were. . . .
The good news is that it is not going to be a game I play much outside of cons, so I really won't need that much for it. Really. Honest.
The good news is that it is not going to be a game I play much outside of cons, so I really won't need that much for it. Really. Honest.
Harriers are built
And I started laying down the base colors on the Winter Guard units. The camera batteries are charging, but I'm basically using the Vallejo colors for Soviet WW II infantry. pButcher and Harkevich have a lot more green than khaki on them, since they have a lot heavier armor.
I also found out that I did not write down the basecoat recipe for my easy Legion beasts. Fortunately, one shredder was still at the base color stage, so I am keeping it in that state while I try to replicate it on the stingers. I think I am pretty close - I'll know later tonight.
I also found out that I did not write down the basecoat recipe for my easy Legion beasts. Fortunately, one shredder was still at the base color stage, so I am keeping it in that state while I try to replicate it on the stingers. I think I am pretty close - I'll know later tonight.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Haven't painted in a few days
But I have been working on stuff. The AFG is now primed, although I haven't touched the three battle mage guys that surround it yet. Half of the winter guard rifles have been trimmed, assembled and primed, as well as pIrusk. I have started assembly on the raek and the gun carriage, and done some trimming on the nephilim and the angelius.
I plan on starting some painting tonight, but I also want to keep working on the assembly and priming process. I also want to sort stuff out a bit better, so that I have a couple 35-pt armies to take with me, as well as the various battlebox armies.
And, while it is not progress per se, I have been soliciting suggestions on the forum for a 35-pt Shae or Bart army, so that I can field any faction, any contract. Once I can field Talion at 35 points, I plan on going back and bulking up my mercs with some steelheads, another jack or two, getting a couple of beasts and another two units for circle, and then going back to my Cryx for a while, because the forces of evil need some lovin' too.
I plan on starting some painting tonight, but I also want to keep working on the assembly and priming process. I also want to sort stuff out a bit better, so that I have a couple 35-pt armies to take with me, as well as the various battlebox armies.
And, while it is not progress per se, I have been soliciting suggestions on the forum for a 35-pt Shae or Bart army, so that I can field any faction, any contract. Once I can field Talion at 35 points, I plan on going back and bulking up my mercs with some steelheads, another jack or two, getting a couple of beasts and another two units for circle, and then going back to my Cryx for a while, because the forces of evil need some lovin' too.
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