I had a three day weekend this weekend due to a work holiday, and managed to get a bit of time while the kids were asleep to finally flock and add tufts to these figures.
Monday I sprayed them with matte sealer, so we are inching so very close to completion. On that happy day, I will post a review of the whole project, and also try and feature some of the various conversions present here. (Might be useful to someone, since, last I checked anyway, GW still sells these figures!)
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
White Dwarf Weekly to End
White Dwarf is now to change back to a monthly magazine after two and a half years as a weekly.
I remember being shocked that the magazine would change to a weekly format, and it took me a while to get used to that. I did like the "clean" formatting, and the comparatively tight focus on a single product release of the week that the change engendered, but the consequential rise in price meant that I would pick and choose issues to buy, which ended my collection of the magazine.
The newly monthly magazine will start in September, will be 156 pages, and will incorporate the new Golden Daemon material as well. (current rumor is that Visions will change only slightly, but will remain) If you subscribe before August, you can get an introductory price of £50/$80 (including the postage), which works out to only $6.67 per issue... not too bad for a magazine which has the potential that White Dwarf does, and substantially cheaper than its price when the monthly magazine ended (to say nothing of buying 52 weeklies). No word on the cover price, or regular subscription price.
Things really seem different with GW late, with discount bundles (that contain things people actually want), boxed game releases, return of fan favorite sub factions (Genestealers, Harlequins, and Adeptus Mechanicus), FAQs, and now a return to a monthly format for White Dwarf.
I remember being shocked that the magazine would change to a weekly format, and it took me a while to get used to that. I did like the "clean" formatting, and the comparatively tight focus on a single product release of the week that the change engendered, but the consequential rise in price meant that I would pick and choose issues to buy, which ended my collection of the magazine.
The newly monthly magazine will start in September, will be 156 pages, and will incorporate the new Golden Daemon material as well. (current rumor is that Visions will change only slightly, but will remain) If you subscribe before August, you can get an introductory price of £50/$80 (including the postage), which works out to only $6.67 per issue... not too bad for a magazine which has the potential that White Dwarf does, and substantially cheaper than its price when the monthly magazine ended (to say nothing of buying 52 weeklies). No word on the cover price, or regular subscription price.
Things really seem different with GW late, with discount bundles (that contain things people actually want), boxed game releases, return of fan favorite sub factions (Genestealers, Harlequins, and Adeptus Mechanicus), FAQs, and now a return to a monthly format for White Dwarf.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Small preview
Monday, April 4, 2016
Skull and Crown 10mm Wagon
About a month ago, I noticed a cool post on Skull and Crown about 10mm wagons created with a laser cutter on mat board for a game of Warmaster. Further, he had some spare, which could be requested... naturally I sent an email to that effect posthaste. A couple of weeks later, two wagons came through the post, and after the usual delay in waiting for time without the kids about, I put one together.
Pretty effective I think, and very easy to assemble (aside from some small fit issues caused by me using all four walls without trimming). I think this took me about 10 minutes, most of which was spent on the walls of the wagon.
Here is the horse as compared to two metal ones I had handy.
Conclusion: great little piece, and should be useful for a wide range of armies.
Pretty effective I think, and very easy to assemble (aside from some small fit issues caused by me using all four walls without trimming). I think this took me about 10 minutes, most of which was spent on the walls of the wagon.
Here is the horse as compared to two metal ones I had handy.
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| GW, SnC, Copplestone |
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Converted Spiders
Way back at the end of 2011, I was planning to run a D&D game using miniatures, and as one does, I collected a bunch of various monsters to terrorize the poor players with. Spiders are a natural fit for this, and I bought a few of the spiders from the then current Warhammer box (Battle of Skull Pass), got out the sharp knife, and produced the following monsters on 50mm bases:

The last picture shows the range of motion possible if you cut the legs off after splitting them apart. The only ones which are particularly hard to separate are the rear legs closest to the abdomen. Really the hardest part of this conversion is getting the spiders to stick to the bases... and apparently painting them, since this is how they have languished for four plus years.

The last picture shows the range of motion possible if you cut the legs off after splitting them apart. The only ones which are particularly hard to separate are the rear legs closest to the abdomen. Really the hardest part of this conversion is getting the spiders to stick to the bases... and apparently painting them, since this is how they have languished for four plus years. Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Return to Colony 87
The wondrous Axiom, of Magpie and Old Lead, has launched his second kickestarter aptly titled: Return to Colony 87. The goal of this kickstarter is to produce a set of six old school styled science fiction figures, suitable for Rogue Trader, Inq28, or other similar scifi skirmish games.
If you are into the whole Oldhammer/Rogue Trader/Inq28 scene, you have probably seen the prior kickstarers figures, so here is your chance to get this next set (or indeed the first set).
And with the Pound at such a low lately, this is an excellent time to get in for overseas buyers as well.
| Samples painted by "Asslessman" |
And with the Pound at such a low lately, this is an excellent time to get in for overseas buyers as well.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Weekend Basics - Future Wash
This weekend was ostensibly a long one here, and it seemed longer since my wife was out of town, leaving the kids and the house in my dubious hands. Amidst the various chaos of the weekend, I did manage to get three so hours for work on miniatures, and I finished the base paint for the 63 figures my Steel legion platoon, and followed that up by a wash.
Shown here are the three components of my wash, which are GW Black wash from a bottle I got in 1997 (!), craft store matte varnish, and Future floor finish, which is the best smelling of all hobby products. My mix ends up somewhere pretty close to what people get from a dip, although I brush it on (and have been doing this for far longer than I have been reading about dipping). I quite like the end effect, but mixing it each time is a bit of a pain, and it is highly glossy even with the matte varnish mixed in, so it needs a spray varnish to dull it down again at the end. When the old GW black wash runs out, I will probably switch to a contemporary GW wash, which will have the advantage of being "out of the bottle" ready.
Still to come for these guys: a bit of touch up, some greenery for the bases, and then dullcote and we are done... probably about 1.5 years in total, although not too many hours all together. I also have a few more of these guys on my workbench (Heavy mortar, Commissar, sniper, Heavy Stubber team), and will then need to cast about for my next large project. (Game mat? WHFB Chaos?)
Friday, February 12, 2016
Moon Elves
More of an ethnic group of Elves proper than their own race, Moon elves are characterized by long ears, pallid flesh, and ash blond or white hair. Most are thin and wasting, and yet tall, giving them a gaunt appearance. It is surmised that the name "Moon Elves" came from their physical appearance, rather than any connection to the moon, although due to their lack of pigmentation, the Moon elf is slightly more likely to be active during the dusk and night hours, as the midday sun, particularly near the equator, rapidly burns their fair skin. Many Moon elves wear large floppy hats or hoods during the day, and enveloping clothing to protect their fragile skin.
The important distinguishing feature of a Moon elf is not their appearance though, but rather their singular inability to see magic or magical effects. How this came to be is unknown, although various stories involving curses from the Titans, or blessings of Remoos are told around campfires late at night. More erudite theories involve magical creation, lack of a soul, and other darker speculations, but in reality no one knows. Rumors often connect the Moon elves to vampires, werewolves, necromancers, and other creatures of the night. What is known though, is that a Moon elf can not see things that are created by magic, nor the act of magic, nor magical illusions. While they can not see it, they are able to take advantage of its benefits, such as eating magical food, or receiving healing, and can certainly be struck dead by magical effects.
While for most Moon elves the inability to see magic is a handicap, there are a few that profit from this disability, by serving as guards, scouts, and in other positions where having someone see through a magical illusion is useful. In small numbers their inability becomes its own ability.
Given their obvious and characteristic physical appearance, Moon elves are easily distinguished from humans and other elves, even at a distance. They are often discriminated against when not in the City, due to the unsavory rumors which surround them, and while individuals may come to know a Moon elf like any other person, the uneducated, particularly in remote places fear and hate them. In some of the more remote areas of the world, there are even some who believe that Moon elves are themselves a source of magic, and they are often killed and eaten when caught by barbarian tribes.
Race Rules
In the Deepest Sea, Moon elves are limited in the classes they may take. They are unable to be magic users of any type, and can not cast magic as higher level members of other classes, nor may they read scrolls. On the other hand, they have a +1 against any harmful magical effects, and as mentioned above are not able to see illusions or other magical effects.
Like Elves, Moon Elves do not have infravision, instead they have keen vision, which accounts for their ability to spot hidden and secret doors. Moon Elves are able to see much further and more clearly than humans, particularly at night.
Like dwarves, Moon Elves do not have an experience cap, although their lust for adventure may serve as a cap, in that they are likely to die of it. More experienced elves have a tendency to want to return to the capitol city and live off of their stories, at least for a while. In addition, with every level gained above 3, elves have a 1/6 chance of becoming addicted to adventuring, meaning that they are not able to retire, even when they seek to do so. Unlike humans, or other races, PC elves are not likely to create strongholds, as they begin to get "itchy feet" and must go back to the dungeon or the frontier.
The important distinguishing feature of a Moon elf is not their appearance though, but rather their singular inability to see magic or magical effects. How this came to be is unknown, although various stories involving curses from the Titans, or blessings of Remoos are told around campfires late at night. More erudite theories involve magical creation, lack of a soul, and other darker speculations, but in reality no one knows. Rumors often connect the Moon elves to vampires, werewolves, necromancers, and other creatures of the night. What is known though, is that a Moon elf can not see things that are created by magic, nor the act of magic, nor magical illusions. While they can not see it, they are able to take advantage of its benefits, such as eating magical food, or receiving healing, and can certainly be struck dead by magical effects.
While for most Moon elves the inability to see magic is a handicap, there are a few that profit from this disability, by serving as guards, scouts, and in other positions where having someone see through a magical illusion is useful. In small numbers their inability becomes its own ability.
Given their obvious and characteristic physical appearance, Moon elves are easily distinguished from humans and other elves, even at a distance. They are often discriminated against when not in the City, due to the unsavory rumors which surround them, and while individuals may come to know a Moon elf like any other person, the uneducated, particularly in remote places fear and hate them. In some of the more remote areas of the world, there are even some who believe that Moon elves are themselves a source of magic, and they are often killed and eaten when caught by barbarian tribes.
Race Rules
In the Deepest Sea, Moon elves are limited in the classes they may take. They are unable to be magic users of any type, and can not cast magic as higher level members of other classes, nor may they read scrolls. On the other hand, they have a +1 against any harmful magical effects, and as mentioned above are not able to see illusions or other magical effects.
Like Elves, Moon Elves do not have infravision, instead they have keen vision, which accounts for their ability to spot hidden and secret doors. Moon Elves are able to see much further and more clearly than humans, particularly at night.
Like dwarves, Moon Elves do not have an experience cap, although their lust for adventure may serve as a cap, in that they are likely to die of it. More experienced elves have a tendency to want to return to the capitol city and live off of their stories, at least for a while. In addition, with every level gained above 3, elves have a 1/6 chance of becoming addicted to adventuring, meaning that they are not able to retire, even when they seek to do so. Unlike humans, or other races, PC elves are not likely to create strongholds, as they begin to get "itchy feet" and must go back to the dungeon or the frontier.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
New and Old
Not much going on hobby-wise due to being very busy at work (and then working again at home at night) but I did finish reading the D&D 5th Edition Monster Manual, provided as usual by the local library. Over all it was fun, although it would have been nice if there was more information about treasures, number appearing, and so on, and I found it an odd choice to list the average results before the underlying hit dice (although this is apparently a 5th edition wide convention, as I saw it in the Player's guide as well).
I also thought it was interesting to compare the rules for a Hydra from the Rules Compendium to this book... you can see that in the 5th Edition book the rules/picture/information on the Hydra cover a full page, and in the Rules Compendium they are much more succinct. The rules are broadly similar though, which is nice for people who want to convert monsters or dungeons from one system to another.
Monday, February 1, 2016
El Eternauta - The Eternaut
This weekend I finished the new English translation of the classic Argentine comic "El Eternauta". Written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld in 1957, this is a classic story of extraterrestrial invasion. This work features lavish art by Francisco Solano Lopez, whose thick black lines and photo realistic drawings of contemporary Buenos Aires really help to lend the correct atmosphere to the story.
The story opens with the Eternaut, Juan Salvo of Buenos Aires coming upon the author, and after some time relating to him the story of how he and his friends are engaged in a simple late night game of truco, when a light snow begins to fall on Buenos Aires... killing all life it touches. From there things devolve, as Salvo and his friends must deal with the literal and figurative fallout of the snow, and the other alien activity that they encounter. As much of the story takes place while the men are wearing protective suits, the small glimpses of their faces and the body language are pressed into service to show some of the emotion that you might get from full facial expression.
You really should read this book if you enjoy golden age sci-fi. Honestly it is surprising that it took so long to get an official English translation, but at least it is this lavish one!
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| Juan Salvo - The Eternaut |
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| Click to enlarge for a sample of the art and text. |
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| Military Action |
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