An Arm in the Mail

A while back, I posted about not getting an arm in the blister pack I bought. After several e-mails and a bit of confusion, the eCaine's arm finally came. Privateer Press was great, even with the confusion. Now, if I can find time in the busiest retail time of the year to paint...

Painting Update

Well, I officially missed my November 30th deadline. Shoot! I was hoping to have the Gun Mages done. I will continue working on them. The last thing I want to do is come down too hard on myself and not ever work on them again. I hate painting flesh. That still needs cleaning up, there are details to pick out, and then the bases.


The upside is the Stormsmiths are getting painted with them.


In December, I was supposed to paint the Storm Blades. I believe they will get pushed to next year. At this point, my new goal is to have the Gun Mages and Stormsmiths finished by the end of the month and have my unit of trenchers stripped. I have never actually played my trenchers in a game because they are ugly (worse than bare metal). I bought them cheap this way and it is time for them to get cleaned up. I plan to save painting them for when the new set of Trencher Commandos comes out from Privateer Press.



From Privateer Press

Thanks for reading!

Gun Mage Reminder

Shelexie, do you have your 6 Gun Mages and Gun Mage Solo completed? This is the day you said you would have them done by...

The answer is not yet. I have about 5 hours today to hopefully finish them up. It is too humid to spray the sealer but I should be able to knock them out. Here goes...

Quick Update

Movie: I boughtthe new Star Trek Movie yesterday. I loved it in the theaters, and I loved it at home last night. I can't wait for the next one =) 

Painting: I have been painting on my Arcane Tempest Gun Mages here and there but it is definitely slow going. Between new job, family time, and sleeping, the Gun Mages are getting the short end of the stick. I currently have 11 more days to finish them by my personal November 30th deadline. However, there are only 3 of those days that I am off from work and spraying the varnish takes a couple of days on the end. I better get it in gear! Job: There is a full time position that just opened up at my job and I am applying for it. Several of the managers have casually asked if I have applied yet, which makes me feel pretty good. It will basically be the same job I am currently doing (cashier/customer service) but with a guaranteed 32 hours a week plus benefits like insurance. Really, insurance is the main thing right now. Paying for it on your own or even through another person's work is outrageously expensive. I hope I get the job, but the down side is it will cut into hobby time. Guess that's it for now. There should be progress pics in my next post. Thanks for reading!

PS3 & Dragon Age Origins

So, working at Best Buy (large American Electronics store) has certainly changed things. Several weeks ago, my TV blew and I was able to replace it with a new flat screen for a great price. Two nights ago, we went looking for a Blue-Ray player... and left with a PS3. I have wanted one for a while but I had decided it was too much. Then they reduced the size, the cost, and the overheating problems. I also had to have a game to go with it so I picked up the new Dragon Age. I haven't played video games in a while, probably since Kingdom Hearts 2 came out, though I still play WoW occasionally. I like the story of Dragon Age, the mix of RPG and real time fighting. I like the casual setting (read easy) as opposed to the more difficult settings. I like the options they give me for responses. Many times, there is an option to tell the other character to stick it. I am not a fan of the blood (just me) but the graphics are amazing. I have just completed the origin part of the story and I may have to go buy the help book (I have a hard time remembering maps). The game is worth the money, especially if you get the $10 gift card back when you purchase it at Best Buy. Check out the coupon here. Thanks for reading! (Pics of a Play Station 3 by Sony and Dragon Age Origins by BioWare)

Just a Short Progress Report

The other day, I went to visit a friend and his cousin. We hung out, chatted, and painted for about 4 hours. I was working on my Gun Mages, Stormsmiths, and Warcaster Nemo. The Gun Mages are for my personal goal to be finished by the end of November. I added the Stormsmiths because my friend I was painting with hates playing against them =). I added Nemo because he is similar. These guys were base coated before we started. Here is a pic of them at the end of the day.


Several days later, I worked more on the Gun Mage's cloaks. I am really liking the blending. I continue to learn more each time I try to blend my layers. On the one below, the cloak is looking good but the hat still needs more work. There are a total of 6 gun mages.




Gun Mage Adept Solo


Stormsmith (x3) - These last two pics still need another base layer of Folk Art's Prussian Blue, then blending it up with FA's Cobalt Blue. The last highlights are a mix of Cobalt Blue and FA's Baby Blue.


Warcaster Nemo


Thanks for reading!

Short Rant (I promise)

We are lucky to have 2 gaming stores in our local area. I play and buy from one (Albright's in Lexington, KY) but occasionally I will find myself over at the "other" store. I don't like going there very often. I am loyal to Albright's: there are close to 20 tables always set up and the terrain is fantastic. They have leagues, contests, and games going on most nights. The selections are pretty good and he can order anything you want. 

But occasionally, I want something right now. I don't want to wait for the order to come in. So I venture over to the "other" store. The other store is creepy feeling, especially as a female gamer. When I walk in, I get treated like I am in the wrong place and if I do buy a miniature, they take my money with out saying a word. I can't decide if they are uncomfortable with females, female gamers, or just new people. What ever it is, my internal creepiness meter goes off and I try to avoid going there again. Yesterday, I succumbed. I was wanting to pick up a Officer Attachment for the Gun Mages I was about to start painting. They didn't have it but they did have the Epic caster Haley and the Epic caster Cain. 

 I fell to temptation, bought them as quickly as I could because the guy behind the counter was weirder than normal, and gladly took them home. Imagine my surprise when I opened Haley and discovered she was missing her left arm! That just sucks! She is a great mini and I was really looking forward to the challenge. So I opened up Cain. Also missing his left arm!!!

What the heck?!!! Now, I have to go back to that store, deal with the creepy guy, get my money back or have them say something like "just order it from Privateer Press". 

 I also doubt this with Privateer's fault. I hope they just dropped the display and some of the pieces got switched but I can't help but think someone went through their stuff stealing bitz (or just left arms). Thanks for reading my rant. At this point, the joy of buying the new mini's is gone and I just hope I get my money back. Albright's, I shall never stray again!

Warmachine Painting Chart Update

Previous Painting Chart, as of August 16th:
All of the gray areas are things that are purchased but still need to be painted (blue).

And the New Painting Chart showing my progress in the last 2 months (notice all the warjacks now painted!):

From Wanna B Painter

I am also starting these charts for my Space Marines and my new Orks. They really help me see what I want/need to paint next. Thanks for reading!

Warmachine Reminder

Shelexie, do you have your Defender, Hunter, and Sentinel completed? This is the day you said you would have them done by...

Yes! They are all done, including the 2 Centurions and the Hammersmith! Next up are the Gun Mages.

I would also add that having an automated post remind me when things are due is a great encouragement (and a kick in the pants =)

This is the Pumpkin I carved this year =)








This is the one my roommate will carve when she gets off work today.


Just for fun, I carved this one last year:


And she carved this one:


Happy Halloween and Thanks for Reading!

Warjacks Finished!

These are the Warjacks that I have been working on for the last 2 months. In that time, I got a new job, a new TV, and my Master's Degree! Back in August, I set myself a painting deadline for each month. So far, I have been able to meet them. On to the Warjacks =)

Hammersmith: I really like the way he came out, especially the swan on the top. I could have painted the edging around the shoulder pads white to match the Centurions but I like this look.


Centurion 1: I always thought this one was posed funny but there wasn't much I was willing to do to fix it. I really like the way the shields came out on these. After the photo shoot, I blew away the static grass that he had attracted.


Centurion 2: More static grass in the photo but it blew away just fine. I like the way these guys came out, expecially since this was my first attempt at blending layers. The effect got much better once I found the paint extender additive.


Defender: This guy kind of got short changed but he came out all right. I never spent a whole lot of time on him and there are details that could have been picked out. Instead, they just got turned into the silver metal. Still, a great mini.


Sentinel: This is one of the light warjacks and it is amazing the difference in painting the big guys and a little one.


Hunter: I liked the hunter so much I posted 2 pics of him. You can tell that he is the one I started using the paint extender on. The blending is much better, especially on the top armor plate.


Same Hunter, different view:


Family Shot: Ready to pound on some Khador!

Warmachine Update

Two more days to go and I have started spraying the sealant! I promise pictures when they are all done. I really like the painting goal I have set for myself. I have (almost) complete 6 warjacks in 2 months. This is absolutely a new accomplishment for me! Things I have learned:

• It is okay to finish a mini (seal it). There comes a time to say "That is good enough for now."
• There is something nice about playing with completely finished models.
• Finishing a mini makes room on the paint table.
  
• Finishing minis lets you buy new ones!

Anything you want to add to the list?

Thanks for reading!

(Pic just for fun, found here)

Hobby Updates

 (Just for fun, found here) Warmachine Update:

• I am basing the 6 Warjacks that I have finished painting. These are the ones that I should complete by the end of the month for my personal painting deadlines. 5 more days to go.
• I am scheduled to start painting my Arcane Tempest Gun Mages next month. There are 6 mini's and I am including my unpainted Gun Mage Solo in the group as well. They are lined up on popsicle sticks, read to batch paint. Again, I have given myself 1 month to finish them.

Werewolf:

• I am still leading the Werewolf game with my friends, every Monday night. They go places I don't expect and do things I never think they will try and we have a great time. This last week, they met "The Cannonball". In downtown Elizabethtown, KY, where our story is set, there is a building that was hit with a cannon ball during the Civil War and it stuck in the wall. Later, when the building was demolished, the people of E-Town loved the cannon ball so much, they saved it and replaced it in the new building that was built. In the game system, something that is loved so much takes on a personality. The Cannonball is loud, gruff, southern, and very cordial to women. It was great fun.
• I am currently painting 2 mini's for the werewolf game (pics soon).
• I am also coming up with things to do to the characters tonight =)

Warhammer 40k:

• My local gaming store is hosting an escalation league. Last month, folks brought 500pts of a painted army and battled it out. 2 or 3 weeks from now, they will host the 750pt battle. I didn't know about the 500pt game and missed it. Now, I have decisions to make.

• Do I play my Blue Space Marines that I painted 10 years ago as a beginner? They look horrible but they are painted and I easily have up to 1000 pts (the next two games). The down side is I don't want to paint anymore Space Marines Blue. I think I just want to cut my losses on the beginner paint job.

• Do I play my black Space Marines? I bought these off a friend. They are primed black and I have started some hard edge highlighting and details in red and white. I have enough for models for 1250 (the next 3 games) but it would require a major time commitment to get them painted, even with the easy paint scheme. (If the models are not all painted, you have to sit 10% of your force on the bench).

• I also have my new orks but they are no where near ready to play and I really want to do a nice job on them.

• The other detail is the league is supposed to go until 2,500 pts and I simply do not have the cash to buy that many mini's, even if I did have time to paint them. What's a girl to do?

Thanks for reading!

New TV

The Bad News: After 10+ years, 4 moves and a direct lightning strike several years ago, my old TV died. The picture went from a 27" box to a 1" line cutting horizontally through the center of the screen.

The Good News: I started work at Best Buy (an American Electronics Store) about 2 months ago!

The Great News: A new 47" Flat Screen LCD TV at the Best Buy employee price (and all I can say is we get it for 5% over the company's cost). It is still not an expense we were planning for but we got a great TV for the price we paid. I will post pics when it is hung up.

2000 Hits!

Just had to post:

• 7 months
• 95 posts
• 2000+ hits as of today!

Thanks for reading!

2 More Weeks

As of today, I officially have 2 more weeks until my self imposed deadline for all my warjacks. Here is my progress:

• Centurions = Everything painted, still need to paint the base and seal them.
• Hammersmith = I think I am done painting him, still need to paint the base and seal him.
• Defender = I have most of him painted. I am not real happy with the way he turned out. He started with a gray undercoat, rather than a black and the gunmetal is too light. I have washed it with Bedab Black, my first experiment with the washes, and it helped. He just isn't going to be my favorite. I still need to create the base, paint it and seal him.
• Hunter = I really like my hunter. I am done painting him. Now I need to create the base, paint it and seal the model.
• Sentinel = Again, not my favorite but he looks pretty good. I am done painting him. I need to create the base, paint and seal it.

My next steps?

1. Create bases for the Defender, Hunter, and Sentinel.
2. Paint the bases.
3. Seal them on a low humidity day (hard to come by right now).
4. Static grass them.
5. Blog about it before my 2 week deadline and the automated blog posts.

I will post pictures sometime in the next week. Next month, I start painting my Gun Mages. I have also been hoping to pick up Epic Haley, and a Squire Model.

Thanks for reading!

Doom Wheel Ideas

Figs-Freak just posted a great question: What are some possible conversion ideas for the new Skaven Doom Wheel?

My Response:
What about a neat scenery piece with the wheel on its side and make it a barrel of blood or goo or BEER! Something along the lines of Ogre Kingdom's Skrag the Slaughterer - Be sure to direct your ideas over to Figs-Freak!

(Oger Pic from Games Workshop website)

1000pt Cygnar v. Khador

This week we decided to play a 1,000pt game, again using the MKI rules. We play at our local game store, Albright's in Lexington, Kentucky (they also sell belts and leather works). If you are in the Blue Grass, definitely check them out! Their tables and the folks there are great! My Cygnar list included:

• Darius
• Reinholdt
  
• Centurion x2
• Hammersmith

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

• Lt. Caine
  
• Chargers x2
• Sentinel

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

• Journeyman Warcaster x2
• Hunter x2
• Eiryss
• Stormsmith

I set up my hunters and Eiryss in the trees near the objective.

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

I will try to portray Khador's list as best I can in the write up.

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

Following are a few closeups of Coffey's list:

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

We rolled for the objective and got King of the Hill. The first person to get 5 points for models on the hill (or in our case, the skull bridge) wins the game.

Round 1: In the first move, Coffey's Manhunter took out Eiryss. I thought he would move him onto the objective but instead he took out Eiryss. Eventually, I will learn how to use her. All of his other mini's moved up.

My Hunter's took out the Manhunter and the Junior's cast Arcane shield and up kept it for the rest of the game. Darius cast Full Throttle and moved up with his turtle group. He was also able to shoot 2 pressure cannon shots due to Reinholdt. Caine also moved his team up.

Round 2: The Man-o-war shock troopers moved several members onto the bridge to gain the control points. The Sprigan and Devastator also moved onto the bridge.

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

The Devestator used a cloud effect and took out the Stormsmith and Reinholdt.

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

The Demo Corp charged a Hunter though he was still alive at the end of it.

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

My hunter's fought back killing 1 of the Demo Corps. Darius' Turtle group moved forward and engaged the enemy, breaking his protective shell. One Centurion engaged the Devastator (on the left) and the other Centurion engaged the big black one (I think it was a Juggernaut). Though they both did damage, it was not enough to destroy either.

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

Caine shot Thunderstike at the Behemoth, knocking him back into the Butcher and knocking them both down. Khador gained 3 control points for troops on the bridge.

Round 3: The butcher stood up and moved to the center of the board, just behind the bridge. He popped his feat allowing almost all of his units to roll an extra attack die for each attack. Coffey attacked the open turtle shell, using the Fissure spell from Karchev and knocked down Darius, reducing his defense to 7. The Kovnik moved forward and killed Darius causing the 2 Centurions and the Hammersmith to go inert.

I was pretty much at a loss of what to do once Darius died. I started really looking at Caine and came across his Flash spell and his Feat. With nothing left to do, I flashed Caine into the middle of the bridge and popped his feat. He basically gets 4 shots at every thing in his line of sight and control range. With all is attacks, plus the shots from the Sentinels and Charger, he was able to take out Karchev, causing his battle group to go inert and no longer count for control points on the bridge. The Journemen and Hunter moved forward and were able to kill enough of the Shock troops to cause a leadership check. Surprisingly, they failed! They also no longer counted as troops on the bridge. Now I have to weather the next turn. I gained 3 Control points.

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

Round 4: The Shock troops fled into my Hunter and attacked but whiffed. The Behemoth killed both of the Journeymen warcasters, opening a line of attack to Caine. The Butcher was able to move to the end of the bridge and cast Avelanch. With a surprisingly high roll, he killed off Caine.

From 10/09/09 Cygnar v khador

It was a great game and really flipped back and forth. I was surprising how much the objective mattered in this game, as most Warmachine games evolve into Kill the Caster. We had a great time.

Thanks for reading!