I'm still alive!

AND...

I've been working on my Praetorian Imperial Guard Army!  There is a new GW Shop in my area and I have been hanging around there and assembling my Chimeras.  I have also been glueing my fingers together at home!  Today I received my Armorcast SHADOWSWORD (from eBay) in the mail and I promptly broke off all the goofy bits and began customizing my model.  I have a Super Heavy upgrade sprue being delivered to my local GW Shop that I will use to trick out my SHADOWSWORD.  On Wednesday I will take some pictures and post them...

Happy Birthday To ME! Happy Birthday to ME!

Yesterday I received a package in the mail from Australia.  Complete with cute Koala Bear stamps and everything!  What Praetorian centric items could possibly originate from Australia?  Why VICTORIA LAMB MINIATURES of course!  I've ordered from her before and she produces such lovely figs, just really really nice work.  This time around I ordered the Imperial Noble, 4 Rough Rider Arms and 4 Laser Rifles.  In her email to me Vic (that's how she signs her emails), Vic told me that she had shipped my figs "plus an extra pre-release something which I think you will like."  I was like, 'dope-dee-doe-dee-dope-dee-doe-Ohhhh-Kay' and never thought twice about what that could mean.  I suspected maybe I'd get some little something.  Probably an extra bit.  Instead she shipped me her newest creation......Captain Caine!  When this choice morsel slipped out of the mailing envelope I literally stood there with  my mouth open.  Lucky for me it's too early in the season for horse flies or I'd have swallowed one or two.   I have taken some pictures of the shipment I received and I have made my comments on the models in the photo captions.  Please excuse the blurry pics. You'd think I could of done a better job since I started with 81 pictures...

HERE WE GO!

This model was originally supposed to be in 4 parts but the base and insert are now cast together so that cut it down to a 3 piece release.  The resin base features stone paver details and has two pre-drilled holes that fit the pegs on the bottom of the Imperial Noble and the Gun Monkey.  This base is a smidgen larger than the standard GW base.  From the two feathers on the cap, the cut-a-way design in the vest, the fringe on the ends of the sash and the curvy detail on the cane; the Imperial Noble is chocked FULL of intricate details.  The Gun Monkey is even more impressive in that the model is so small and the details are still present.  There is a teeny tiny little tassel on the Fez and the monkey fur is crisp and sharp.

(interesting side note: no flash at all on this model)

I ordered these arms and Hunting Lances to finish off some models I purchased from a guy on eBay that ripped me off and never shipped the needed left arms.  There is some Flash to be removed but that is to be expected.  You have to be careful with these models because they are very long and easily bent.  The right arms hold the Hunting Lances and the left arms have closed fists so you can model bridles/weapons or leave them be.  Some details that should be noted is the explosive materials strapped to the business end of the Hunting Lance and an electronic sensor on the face of the Zulu styled lance blade.  All details are much appreciated.

I love these models.  There is a need for Laser Rifles that is not being met by Games Workshop.  These models are more in the vein of Long-Las Rifles.  In a following picture you can see how these models compare to the standard GW Las-Rifle.  There was some discussion on Victoria Lamb's Facebook page about the straps.  Some people liked them and others not so much.  It is nice to see that the straps survived the debate.  It is far easier to remove them than to have to figure out how to construct them from scratch.  The straps are also a nice unique feature that sets these models apart from other companies' offerings.

 PLEASE NOTE:  As of 03/30/12 this model is not yet available at Victoria's web store.  There was a small issue with the quality of the casting that she is correcting before she is offering this model up for sale.  Check her site often.  Onwards!  The Man, The Myth, The Legend...CAPTAIN CAINE!   Still can't believe I scored one of these models.  I like the model's hair and facial expression.  Strongly resembles a certain Academy Award winning actor in a certain 1964 critically acclaimed film.  A nice detail is that the front of the tunic is partially unbuttoned.  I also appreciate the effort Victoria put into the epaulets and the braid on the ends of the sleeves.  The model is slightly bigger than the standard Praetorian Imperial Guard model.  You can see the difference in a following picture.  In my mind this does not take away from the fig but makes the model stand out among your other figs.  I suspect Captain Caine eats a better fare than the stew served to the rest of his troopers.  If I hadn't received this model with the rest of my purchases I would have greedily purchased it once offered on the website.
UPDATE:  You can now purchase CAPTAIN CAINE from Victoria Lamb Miniatures here!

"My Cocaine's backside" (again with absolutely no flash)



Size comparisons between Victoria Lamb's models and a standard GW Praetorian Trooper.

So all in all I'm really impressed with my recent Victoria Lamb purchases.  I love the models, and appreciate the details that have been put into these figs...

2nd Company/4th Platoon shall be Tallarn Imperial Guard...

Almost done cleaning/organizing my games closet!

I still have to move some figs/scenery into my games closet but I am almost done!  The sad fact is that I own a crazy amount of UNPAINTED scenery and I don't have enough space in my games closet for it all.  I discovered a LOT of old GW publications that I'm sticking on my eBay site.  WOW, I just noticed that I'm capitalizing a LOT of words, sometimes it even seems TO be random...

I'm working on being able to work on my fig painting...

I can now see my dining room table.  All the figs and scenery is now sorted into my game closet.  I'm now in the process of moving all the assorted piles around my apartment into my game closet.  Lastly I will clean out my outside storage closet and have all my scenery inside in my game closet.  I picked up some bits on eBay yesterday, some plastic dogs for the bases on my Heavy Weapons bases.  I also ordered some models from Victoria Lamb.  Some Rough Rider arms so I can finish assembling the models I bought from a jerk on eBay, and some Las-rifles for the bases on some of my Heavy Weapons.  The names of my Heavy Weapons units are THE GUN CARTS (with military free-standing stacks of three rifles), THE DOG CARTS (wandering dogs), THE MAXIM GUNS (the letters MG), THE ALPHA SECTION (the word ALPHA stenciled on) and THE WOMBAT SECTION (a Wombat silhouette).  I'm decorating the base or applying decals to the weapon shield so I can remember their names.  Later I popped into the Miniatures Market and picked up a bunch of paint, a razor saw, hobby vice, and the Paint Station +.  I now own the last two painting stations GW produced but have only put two colors on my one and only test model.  I'd laugh if it weren't so sad...

Loved him in ZULU and THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING!

The INQUISITION!

Dakka Dakka

I've started posting on the Message Boards and have had some replies to my scribbles.  For the life of me I cannot figure out how to make/download an Avatar...

Moi (avataristically speaking)



Happy St. Paddy's Day!

(hopefully you got some soup before they threw it on the fire)

I'm trying to post one entry a day

(but that still doesn't mean I'll dip one brush into any paint)

Spent some time down at my local Game Store and met two of the guys that work there and found out they play Warhammer 40K on Thursday evenings.  I think I need to assemble some models.  Today I purchased this:

"In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, in an effort to alleviate the effects of the... Anyone? Anyone?... the Great Depression, passed the... Anyone? Anyone? The tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered?... raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone? Anyone know the effects? It did not work, and the United States sank deeper into the Great Depression. Today we have a similar debate over this. Anyone know what this is? Class? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone seen this before? The Laffer Curve. Anyone know what this says? It says that at this point on the revenue curve, you will get exactly the same amount of revenue as at this point. This is very controversial. Does anyone know what Vice President Bush called this in 1980? Anyone? Something-d-o-o economics. "Voodoo" economics."

Inspirations for my PRAETORIAN ARMY Flag!

I kid, I kid...

Common Hopper names

tuck Sawyer (hero)

old gray tuuk (hero)

Samuel gamges (hero)

Ham dancer (hero)

Marco Peer (hero)

Paddy tuuk

Alma tuuk

Grayson tuuk

Ali smallbottom

Sims smithton

Sammi sins

Shooter tens

Orn doublediddle

Stumpy elfren

Midge dumphries

Bray hastybatch

“cookie” Fawnicle

Orn Tumblestein

huk nutson

crayfish sunderson

minor stepson

Brillo underhill

Mary yodelson

Tosh Stewson

Sam Brandybuck

Tom butterburr

Fars truesite

Missy Maynard

dwi copper

Good ol’ dill

Foster o’bray

Cricket downs

Ami scotts

Chip dartson

Bugs handerson

Tip Hareson

Fin tinsmith

Dilly baldknober

Digger oddson

Sams O’tool

Cami O’shay

Roy-al tippin

Trini O’lore

Bells O’dray

Sod dumper

Tom farsight

Sili bagger

Sly Pebbles

tug Hairfoot

Tomi Sudson

The Professor

The Burros clan

Huk O’Bray

Sami Peer

hops Smalltown

Hicks Barlimann

                       

Army of the Mote Slogans

DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR

A COWARD DIES A THOUSAND DEATHS

 

HE WHO RUNS AWAY LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

Homo sapiens minimus (Hoppers/ratlings/runtlings)

A sad and tragic fact of life...

My 'magnifying glass/model holding' thingee

Patience is a Virtue...

(that I apparently lack)

I started painting this weekend.  I have successfully <snicker> applied two different colors to my test model.  Red.  Black. 

I'm waiting for my standing ovation.

Still waiting...

I knew that I would have to learn quite a bit about painting, I forgot about learning patience.  No skill and no patience is a bad combination.  Another thing no one tells you.  Don't forget and drink your brush wash water.   You'd think the lawyers would put a warning on the packaging!  Here is my test model:



Forgot to glue him on before I added the red.
Glued him on backwards before I added the black.

I need to have a better space for painting:

My bathroom drinking glass repurposed to wash my painting brushes
(Shattered was a Dance Club in Columbia MO that I used to frequent)
http://travel.webshots.com/album/127893276CfkViO 

Here's a word document that I created to use as shipping labels on crates and street signs

I still need to buy some transfer paper so I can add these labels to my crate scenery



The rumor is...

Someone (I'm not saying who) cleaned off the flash from a standard Praetorian Trooper and undercoated the model.  There might even be some paint applied to the test model today...

rumbleRumbleRUMBLE

I've decided NOT to use name plates on my PRAETORIAN Imperial Guard vehicles.  I will just use their Adepitus Mechanicus Numerical Designations to illustrate their names...

CA71BRN

TH3-CA5T73

TH3-K33P

DR/GON

WY/RNN

WY/RM

777-1ON

UN1-CRN

000-AX3
MAS-T1F
M3DSA

GR-GN
W/TCH

P3G/S3S
PK33R/J

GHD3J+RA

H/RP1

SR-LNC3T

SR-GW/1N

M/NT1CR3

7/MA5-5U

DJ1NN

KR/K3N

CH/MRA

H1DRA

CK/TR1C3

B/51715K

NRN-Q33N

000-GR1FN

H1P-OGR1F

C/RD1F-G1/NT

F/7CN

E/G7E

H/WK

GR1-F/7CN

O5-PRY

NY73
1CH-D13N
CN5P151O5-VA7R
S/NCTS/3H1CULR
P7/NK-T/NK
MCV1
P/7/QU1N
CH/R1OT

Commander Gonehead Bromville in a nutshell...

I confess, I love the 40K background stories.  For me the Warhammer Hobby is just as much about the back story as it is about the painting and the playing of the game.  I love to read the little blurbs in the Army Books and I pretty much purchase everything that Dan Abnett writes.  I have played Warhammer 40K for a long time, but as of late not so much.  Painting this PRAETORIAN ARMY serves two purposes. 

1. I need to improve my painting skills
2. I need to get back to fighting battles

I miss the Nerd-Centric conversations you get to have with the other players over the wargame table.  I miss the opportunity to meet new like minded people and see their Armies.  I miss eating Cheetos and throwing Yellow No. 6 stained dice across a miniature landscape.   I miss making the noises when my big guns fire.  I miss a lot of things about my favorite Hobby.  Even writing in this Blog is stoking the fires that fuel my desire to organize my miniatures closet so that I can easily access them all and clean off the flash for this project.  I am excited again and can't wait to start painting.  We'll see how excited I remain when my high standards collide with my meager painting skills...

"HI!  I'm Mr. Paint Pot.  Can I be your friend?" 

ARMY PAINT SCHEME...

Needless to say, the main color on my models will be RED.  Here is how the parts will turn out:

(I have decided to use the knife sheath to designate units,

so each unit will have a different colored knife sheath)