Blast From the Past

Life is allowing me to blog once again. This is the first post in a long time and the beginning of more regular posting. Thanks for taking a look!

A very good friend of mine - a guy I've literally known since we were in 1st grade - recently gave me his ancient collection of old school D&D minis. I remember playing with these when we were in middle school in the late 70s. It is an awesome gift!

There are a bunch of figures, some painted, some not. I will be posting pics of them over the next several weeks. Here are 3 human warriors - an archer; a spear and shield guy; and a sword and shield guy:

If I recall correctly, these were Heritage or Citadel figures, some of the first of these types of models to be mass produced. The paint jobs are original; something like 35+ years old. We used Testor's enamels back in the day so they've held up well. I'm not planning to change a thing! The nostalgia is too great.

I'm especially grateful for this gift as many of the figures are ones I had in my collection. Regretfully I traded, sold, or gave all of mine away over the years. Thank God for good friends who keep stuff in boxes for a long, long time.

Anyway, I thought some of you old timers might be interested in walking memory lane. And maybe some of you newer folks might appreciate seeing how far we've come. : )

Until next time, carry on!

Earth Force Dropship

I finished my Khurasan Lander this weekend.  I'm pleased with how it turned out.  It is a very good model, in my opinion. I hope my paint job has done it justice.

Paint finished and awaiting matte spray.

Close up of Lander only.

The cargo/troop bay. 

Bay door open, turrets in the background.

I used some old 40K Imperial Guard decals I had around.  They add a little extra detail and give the piece some character.  This will be a nice centerpiece model for my Earth Force Marines army.

 Some on the table shots:

Earth Force Marines deploy onto the LZ...

...while the Lander provides excellent covering fire with it's two tri-barrel turrets.

I painted the windows in gloss coat for some shine. I like the effect.

The Lander prepares to lift as soon as the Marines are clear.

The troop bay is left to establish a hard point on the LZ.

I now have two viable forces for Gruntz 15mm or for THW's 5150: Star Army.  I should be able to develop some scenarios using my Khurasan Space Demons and my Rebel Minis Earth Force Marines.  I also have a good supply of desert world terrain.  I will get a game in soon and will post as soon as I do.

Until next time, carry on!

"Is this gonna be another bug hunt.....sir?"

I finally finished my Khurasan Space Demons.  Whew!  They took forever.  Not because they are difficult to paint, but rather because I've had a busy summer and there are 48(!) of them.  I think they painted up pretty well.  Very simple scheme - black undercoat, dark blue dry brush, red highlights on tongues, black ink wash.  My plan was for them to look decent from a meter away on the tabletop.  The goal was to make a cohesive looking mob, so I didn't focus closely on any individuals.  Once the bases were finished I coated them with matte finish.  Then I went back over the models and brushed on a clear high gloss finish, only on the aliens themselves.  It is supposed to make them look slimy.  I think it turned out ok.

In process on the paint table.  I think I was doing black ink washes at this point.
Left is washed, right is not washed.

Close up of finished models without gloss coat.
Bases are unfinished here.

Close up of finished models with gloss coat.
Note bases are flocked/textured here.

Comparison of finished model with gloss (left) and finished model with matte coat only (right).
I like the gloss.

Bugs overrunning a small desert colony.

The Hive Queen goads her minions into the assault.

That's it for now.  Until next time, carry on!

This is how the Apocalypse begins....

In the news in my hometown today:

No Water in Toledo

It's been crazy how people are swarming the stores to buy water.  The city is on the verge of panic. Weird...

Meanwhile, I've been painting minis and enjoying my preparedness.

That's it for today, folks! Carry on.

Vacation Assembly Line

I've been on vacation this week with the family.  I'm an early riser and since the rest of my family is decidedly not, I figured I would have some morning down-time for working on minis.  I didn't want to pack my whole hobby table, so I chose one project and brought what I needed just for it.  I decided to work on cleaning and assembling the rest of my Space Demons and Colonial Marines, all from Khurasan.  A simple project and easily doable on vacation.

Colonial Marines, ready to rock.

Space Demons, nearly finished - just need a few heads on the last batch.

My simple workspace, atop a TV dinner tray, supplied with our rental house.

It was early this morning and the house was dark and quiet.

A simple set up in the living room of our rented vacation HQ.

I finished assembling everything this morning.  We pack up to head home tomorrow, so a good hobby week despite being a 6 hour drive from home.  Once home I will undercoat these and get them painted.  Hopefully I can get a bug hunt game in soon!  Might even play with unpainted figures....(shudder....).

On a final note, our youngest was inducted into the Starfleet Academy this week:

Liam in his Command uniform.

We are all very proud!

Until next time, carry on!

15mm SciFi Progress

Another quick update of what's on my desk...

Critical Mass Games Vanguard Mecha assembled. I magnetized the waist so it can torso twist.

Khursasan "bug holes" and "abandoned mineshaft" finished.

Another view.  The lighting on these is from my basement fluorescents so the color looks different than last week.

First highlight (heavy!) on the dropship. I'm really liking this model!

Stripped and undercoated the space demons. I am considering new paint schemes.

That's it for now. Until next time, carry on!

15mm SciFi Current Sitrep

I've been working on a lot of stuff in a random way.  Here are some pics of the current situation on my desk.

Dropship with base coat of Khaki Tan and wash of medium brown.

Bug holes from Khurasan, Desert Yellow base paint, brown wash, Iraqi Sand highlights.  "Holes" shaded to give depth. A few more little details and these will be finished.

Critical Mass Games Vanguard Mech being assembled. Will magnetize waist connection so torso can swivel.

CMG Mech parts cleaned and ready for assembly.

Khurasan Space Demons test paint - Black base with dark blue highlights and then washed with black Polyshades "shader" to give them dark, slimy look.  I don't think it is working.  Too dark.  I will probably be stripping these and starting over. 

So, that's my desk these days. Working here and there on things as the mood suits me.  I'm also looking for a gaming group in the Toledo, OH area if any of my readers are nearby and interested.  Would love to get some regular games going.

Until next time, carry on!