Year of the Apocalypse

The last 12 months have been a tremendously challenging time for me on many levels.  Truly a year of apocalyptic change and upheaval.  Divorce...job loss...beginning a new relationship...selling a house (the one I was building in miniature)...moving...twice...raising a teenage son...learning to be a step dad to my beloved's two children...  Honestly there were times in recent months when I wished the zombies would rise.  It would have made life simpler.

In the midst of such chaos, it is often necessary to set aside certain aspects of life in order to preserve energy and sanity.  Things like hobbies and blogs take a back seat to more urgent matters.  This blog has suffered such a cut.  I offer to my readers my apologies.  Hopefully you all understand.

As life appears to be smoothing out I am hopeful of being able to reengage with All Things Zombie.  As I do so, this blog will become active again.  My goal is to post every Friday, starting today.  I ask you all to hold me accountable to that goal.  If you see I have not posted please ask 'what's up?'

I managed to get some games in several months ago.  It was a wonderful evening ('date night') with my beloved.  (Yes, she even enjoys the 'nerdy games' I play...)  We played several introductory scenarios and I took pics with my iPhone.  Look for a post about that next week.

Until then I wish you all well.  It's good to be back.  Peace.

And another one...

Yet another EM4 Thug completed last night.

I wanted him in a garish hoodie so I went with a 'pagan green' and yellow color scheme.  I think it works well and certainly would stand out in the crowd.  I imagine this guy is not the smartest dude out there but at least his clothes are bright!  With the slacker look on his face you get the idea that his duel-wielded pistols might go off in any direction.  Probably best to give him a wide berth!  He definitely will add some character to any group of survivors or gangers.  Again I will say I really like these Thugs - tons of character and very easy to paint.

There is a little shine on the model in spots because I haven't coated him in matte spray.  I didn't have my magnifying glass lamp last night when I finished him so I'd like to give him a once over before I coat him.  I think he turned out OK and I really like the color of his hoodie.  I'm trying to decide if I should paint his eyes or leave them since they are shaded by the hoodie.  Suggestions?

So, nothing amazing to boast about today but at least I'm getting some figures finished.  Am really wanting to get a game in soon...

Another Thug...

Here's another EM4 Thug I finished recently.  I've been managing to put together a half an hour here or there to do some painting.  The pic is a bit blurry but I think you get the idea.

Again I will say these figures are full of character and fairly easy to paint.  I've done this guy up in Ohio State colors for the Buckeye fans out there.  As an alum I've got to make the occasional nod to my alma mater.

That's it for now.  Just a quick post.  I'll be having some vacation next week so maybe I will have more to post soon.  Peace.

More minis...

Just a couple quick shots of some figures I painted recently.  Once again this blog has taken a back seat while I navigate through life's ups and downs.  I'm hopeful that soon I will find time to play a game and post a batrep.  Thanks for your patience...

The survivor on the left is Kendra from Hasselfree, who make outstanding minis with lots of detail and excellent poses.  They are pricey but well worth the investment in my opinion.  I've painted her in shades of purple and blue, revealing her tough as nails character but with a hint of pink party princess.  She even has white leather, fingerless gloves and a white belt to match!  She will be an excellent addition to my group of survivors.  Look for her in my next game.

The ganger on the right is another EM4 ganger from the set I've posted on previously.  I've yet to name this guy but I love the pose, the droopy pants and the overall attitude.  These are great figures with a lot of character and easy to paint.  He will also be in my next game, either as a ganger or survivor I've yet to determine.

That's it for now.  Thanks for hanging in with me.  Once life settles down a bit you will see more of me here.

Peace, D.

The Work Continues...

I've been away for too long.  Blame it on some big time life changes but I'm back now.  Finding new normals and getting back to being able to just play a bit..

Here are pics of the house project.  It is shaping up nicely.  Just need to finish the roof basically and get it mounted on a base.  Unfortunately I don't live in this house anymore but it will still make a really fine center piece for some games.  Enjoy!

The window lines are drawn in with a metallic Sharpie.  Looks like crap so I will likely do it over...

 

Shutters turned out OK I think.  Just simple rectangles of cardstock painted black and glued on...

When it is mounted on a base I will build up the 'ground' around the foundation so the doors don't seem to hang in the air...

And I will add a set of back steps to the patio door on the far right...

So, there you have the vanilla version.  But since this is a zed apocalypse I needed make it versatile.  Thus, the boarded up version...

But lest you think I've built two models, let me show you a secret...

 

I put magnets inside the walls behind each window and door.  Then I made 'board' sections and superglued a magnet to each.  Voila!  Instant boarded up house.  This should make this a great piece for games and maybe a cool permanent display to show off some of my minis...

That's it for now.  Look for me to be posting more regularly again.  Thanks for being patient.  Peace.

Slow Progress

Progress on building my RL house in 28mm is made slowly but steadily.  Today I'm posting some pics of my house along with pics of the model.  I still have to finish a lot of details but I think it is coming along nicely.  Now that the siding is finished it should move along more quickly...

Apparently we need a little Spring cleaning!

Managed to get myself in this photo...

Paint, roof, details and mount it on a base and it’ll be done!

Oh, yeah...and the front porch too!

Obviously it isn't an exact copy but I think it is close enough to be fun and should make for some tense games with the family defending our home!  Once the basic model is finished I will make add on parts to represent it being boarded up and I will build a catwalk on the roof to make it a z-apocalypse fort.  This piece will also make a fine display for my models in between games...

Siding the Garage

Been working on my house and got the garage sided.  I think it is turning out pretty good.

Of course I still need to finish the door details and paint everything and then roof it but this shows some progress.

It is a pretty simple process to add siding.  I'm using cardstock cut into 1/4 inch strips and overlapped by 1/8 inch.  I made 1/8 inch marks on both ends of the foamboard walls and then glued each strip into place starting at the bottom and working up.  I marked and cut the strips to fit around doors and windows.  It didn't take too long - maybe a couple hours total work time to finish the garage.  The corners are covered by a vertical strip that is cut to length and then scored and folded to fit over the ends of the siding.  This gives a more finished look.  If you look at the vinyl siding on a real house you will see something similar.

I was thinking cutting the strips would be a laborious process until I realized our document shredder at work cuts perfect 1/4 inch strips.  It only takes about 30 seconds to get a pile like this.  Quick and simple!  My coworkers thought I was nuts when they saw me picking up strips from the floor of the workroom but you learn to live with some ridicule when you are a modeler/wargamer. : )

I still have to put siding on the house and then detail the doors and windows.  Then I will paint everything and add some other details (like lights, meters, air conditioner unit, etc.).  The roof shouldn't take too long.  Putting shingles on will be tedious but I will use a similar strip process that will hopefully make that go a bit faster.

It's a good project and I'm looking forward to seeing it a game.  I need to post some pics of my real house so you can do some comparisons...