Category: Uncategorized

Distraction – Rome

We spent a couple of days away last week.  Rome – Never been before and it proved I am a small town boy at heart…

Loved the sights and history on offer.

Great weather and great to wander about in such an iconic spot.

Did all the traditional tourist stops.

Spent much longer wandering the Roman Forum than we expected to.  Such a big and varied site.

Happened to be the Rome Marathon that weekend too.  The small town boy in me did not appreciate the cramped city streets that day…

I was truly longing for wider skies by the end of our stay. I can now fully understand why the cities squares such a part of the culture there.

Can’t take a gamer anywhere though without seeing something worth using in a game.  In one of the Vatican gift shops of all places, all I noticed was a potential Gaslands car…

Finally, an update…

Nothing since July. No new postings at all. I suppose an excuse is required, or at least a reason for being so lax.

I guess it has something to do with my current changes in workload (real work sadly, not shed work). It is also down to a laptop change (I cannot easily update the blog on my trusty old iPad).  The new laptop is useless I have to say.

I have to say though, the main reason for the lack of content is my generally jaded mind set of late.  It not only seems to have slowed my posting rate (maybe calling it a slowing is an understatement) but has also slowed my activities in the shed.

I noticed my views are not dropping off too badly even when I don’t post new content…  I even have a couple of new followers without adding anything for nearly 6 months… This activity has prompted me to revisit the blog today.

I am getting a few games played but not getting much painting or building done.  So… I am going to try to bump myself out of the rut I appear to be in, and get a few projects finished.  That should give me some quick successes and make me feel more positive about things.

This blog was initially started to help me motivate my activities and it has worked for the most part, so lets see if restarting the posting can make that happen again.

Lets see what happens!

Steam Wars – Test Figures Painting

A real post this time I promise…

These guys were on the ‘to be constructed’ pile for far too long.  They are made from that nasty ‘resin/plastic’ stuff and look like they are cast similarly to the Deadzone and Dreadball miniatures that Mantic sell.  These ones are by Privateer Press though and are for their Warmachine game.

There I go moaning again…  I really must get off this negative vibe!

I should have realised that when I first saw them, as I have made up a few of the plastic figures from Warmachine before. I had then vowed never to use them again.  The metal stuff from both Mantic and Privateer is great! So why they use this method of moulding for their plastics I will never know.

These are Convergence of Cyriss, Reductors.  Robot types with multi barrelled short range guns strapped to one arm and a blade strapped to the other.  Just the ticket for mindless Martian troopers.  Putting them together went ok but they clean up very badly.  The flash and mould lines are a pain to remove as it is so soft that a file does not work and a knife is little help either.

The flat detail is not too well defined either, and with a coat of silver spray almost disappears.  This was the problem I have had with these types of miniatures before.  But as they will be driven in front of the Martian tripods to die as cannon fodder they wont be on a table long enough to notice.

Slap on some brass and dark tone wash and they almost look respectable.  I also managed to picked out 5 with a green eye and 5 with a blue eye so that I could identify the different squads without them looking too different (cunning that, don’t you think).

They are all but finished now and awaiting their bases, so I will use them to trial the idea I have for Martian themed bases on them.  I have a plan for that, that hopefully will bring what looks at the moment like a mixed up selection of units, together as a coherent force…

Small Changes And Big Benefits

One thing I have wanted to do for some weeks now is tidy the shed.  I’ve got to the point where everything has been got out and been used on one of a myriad of projects and now I can’t find a thing…

Anyone who knows me well will know that I have been searching for a cheap/ old writing bureau.  One that folds out when it is in use, and either rolls away or closes to hide the mess I tend to make.

This has been an on-going search with little success.  Until now…

One natty little bureau, open and working, closed and tidy.

I have also been trying to get some display cabinets for the back of the shed. A couple of these turned up over the last few weeks and have been shoehorned into the ever filling, TARDIS like shed. (Please note the mid shelf recess – I am proud to say that I did manage to cut that straight. Well, mostly straight.)

Also, I have always (for no apparent reason) painted at the back of the shed and gamed at the front.  I suppose that this became habit so that I could leave my mess out when gaming.  However, it also meant I was painting in the darkest recesses of the shed.  Obvious to all except me, that may not have been the best place to paint…

A quick shift around with the old and new furniture and all is now more inline with the positive Feng Shui.

Now however, I can paint in daylight and also close up to game in safety.  All this can be done without any fuss and with minimal effort.  Also, while I am off making the tea, my visitors can spend their time looking at some of my better bits and bobs behind my posh new glass doors.

A Busy Life And An Restart Of Post Regular Posting (I Hope)

Hi All

Just a note to say the shed life has been halted for a while as real life found itself taking over, mostly due to work and family commitments.  My apologies for the gap in service (I know that no one really noticed, but I like to think that someone may have missed me…)

The back log of prepped but unfinished posts will now be completed and uploaded for your viewing (pleasure?)

On a more upbeat note the blog has been linked to by those lovely people at Warbases who have images of my recently completed workshop up on their website as an example of what can be done with their kits.  They used kind words in their message to me and I’ve always been a sucker for a charm offensive so found myself happily allowing them to use the images.

As of tomorrow, we should return to normal service.

Steinberg

Still Learning And Still Finding Myself Lost At Times

I have tried and tried to find out why the image for the post below has nothing to do with the post in question… Can I change it??? Obviously not!!!

If anyone knows more than me, I would be grateful for any advice on how I can find a way to do that!

If not, please think of it as a sneaky way of teasing you with the topic of my next planned post.

Think, Terrorists Vs Other Thugs Vs Godzilla… Intrigued? I hope you will be…

No, I’ve not died

Hopefully some of the people who have viewed this blog have noted my absence over the last months…

Ok, maybe you haven’t.

I have, however, been remiss in not updating the blog since late July. Very poor form.

So, without any more grovelling for your forgiveness…

Question: What have I been up to?

Answer: Not a lot.

Just before I went offline I had finished some oversized wolves.

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Which looked quite flat without a bit of deeper basing.  They got a touch up with some cork tile, and a games workshop crackle paint job using Agrellan Earth from their ‘Technical’ range.

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A little banshee was also on the table and got a similar treatment, to keep in theme with my Gods and Mortals force, and offer some more hero options. (Another game that is never going to be played but gives me a great reason to pick up a paintbrush.

Before these were were even dry I was then off to the grand old USA.  Destined for the bright lights of Disney.

Menoth Warband

Menoth Warband As I’ve already told you about our short foray into Warmachine, it seems only fitting to show you where I got to. One Warcaster and his retinue.

Enough to play, and enjoy, this very different game. I had plans to expand the force with some Zealots, for a extra troops option, and I even picked up a few more heavy war jacks to add to the mix. All these extras got undercoated, but were never fully finished.

One of the reasons for starting this blog is to try and direct my focus. If this works out I will be aiming to complete and display each new army I start. It may also push me to revisit some of the older models that I have started and never completed.

 

Let’s hope…

What came first?

I’ve been thinking back to what was first seen on the painting table when I got the shed finished and what was played most at that time…

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These guys are likely the first to be seen when the grand opening was done…

We had just discovered Malifaux and as usual we all started with a buy in at starter pack level.  Not a game we played for long but some great little figures for painting. If I’m honest, they have probably been out more often as an Empire of the Dead Gentleman’s Club crew than anything else.