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2021/06/29 13:05:12
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 26th June Spectres, Ninjas, space zombies and a bantha
Briancj wrote:Could you let me know if that Flash Gordon book is any good? Thanks!
--B.
Oh, it's a glorious romp! The model shots and concept sketches alone are fascinating, along with all the background information - really interesting to see how DiLaurentis wrestled with the US system, for example. Well worth getting if you are a fan.
Slinky wrote:Ooh, I like the bantha! Good whim
Lol cheers. I am a creature of whimsy I do keep meaning to get my sw stuff finished. Very poor of me, terrible hobby ADHD.
Theophony wrote:Ninjas and Banthas in the same post, I must have wandered back into the world of Graven, ever eclectic, ever excellent .
Well I suppose that's one way to look at it
On we go into FoFo! A productive couple of evenings were spent building most of the models from Fortress, Temple and various expansions. The plastics are generally very impressive, much better quality than the old plastics or indeed resins. Quite a lot are however disappointingly monopose, though the Oni and tengu at least withstood a little reposing with a minimum of effort. First up, a character model, the Kabuki:
He's the alt sculpt for the Geisha (an eBay cheapie score) rather than from the core boxes per se.
A little freehand cherry blossom. Need to sort my photography out.
I should really clear my SW backlog, my printed Bodhi and Dr Aphra have been sitting on my desk for an age. Good to keep mixing it up
Other news, well, Mantic have officially announced OVERDRIVE, which is their new giant monster smackdown game that I helped playtest. It's a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to seeing it in the flesh.
Gearing up to go away Friday for a week, staycation but much needed. Hopefully get some games in. Also hottub Graven
2021/07/01 22:22:19
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 29th June Forbidden Fortress: Kabuki
Yorkright wrote: I came to see all the new projects but staying for the hot tub. That geisha is lovely, looking forward to seeing some monster mash.
Phwoar
Gitsplitta wrote:Love the freehand.
endtransmission wrote:Nice freehand on Mr kabuki there. I think Brimstone suffers from great ideas, but variable implementations in the sculpts. The spirits and bandits for example are terribad, but the fofo dragon is fantastic. Not gw quality detail, but fun to paint
That's very fair. Not seen the bandits yet (assuming you mean japanese ones?) but spirits look poor - assuming that's the ones with the undead phoenix. Looking forward to that and the dragon getting retail release, that I might get ALL THE TOYS!
Theophony wrote:I like him, he reminds me a lot of old Scooby-Doo Villians (In a good way). The colors worked out great and the blossoms are well done.
Clearly you have a good memory Cheers on all counts. I would've got a way with it if it wasn't for you meddling geeks!
Flapjack wrote:Nice little dude. I like how his robes turned out.
why thanks, and welcome!
JoshInJapan wrote:Nice work on the Kabuki dude. I'm especially pleased by your visible brushstrokes. The harsh, impressionistic highlights really pop.
Much appreciated mate, that was a deliberate choice but I was really unsure if it worked. I like it but understand it won't be to everyone's taste.
At the halfway point of the year. Hobbying has kinda stalled, at least in terms of finished product, for a number of reasons: building all the FoFo, getting ready for holiday, getting house sorted for puppy. Despite this, I'm aiming to enter not but two painting contests this month Rise to Resin's 50 Shades of Lass (buy a mystery box, get assigned a colour, paint!) and Dark Elf Dare's As Above, So Below (paint either something flying or demonic or both - good excuse to get a Goblin Airship!)
I'm nearly at 600 figs for the year, though, so I reckon I can have a wee breather Still, hoping for much board games antics in the coming week Anon,
Graven
2021/07/02 19:30:34
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 1st July Halfway through the year musings
Oh god no, I mean the bandits from the original settlement expansion... those are some terribad figures. The undead phoenix is a really nice model as well, as are the spirits that come with it. I mean the ghosts from the forest expansion and the spirits with lanterns... both are just *chunky* and look like they should be metal, rather than something that can be achieved with plastics these days.
where are those two painting challenges?
Oh, yes, they're dreadful. If I didn't have so many things to paint I'd print some better bandits, I have a good stack of STLs saved for that very purpose. I agree about the spirits but I don't mind the ghosts as much. My other gripe with Forest of the dead is there should be more scope for encountering other types of undead. Oh, and that you don't get a Nure-onna Sorceress model. Cheapskates. I really want a carrion phoenix. Damn you flying frog and your erratic release schedule!
Painting challenges both on Instagram, as I avoid the book of face these days.
A little pre holiday WIP, working on some Rebel Scum:
Cerean Trooper, printed Bodhi Rook, Slicer (hacker) with vibro blades (hehehe), Cybered Brawler, and grizzled Smuggler. IA has some truly great, characterful sculpts, for star wars or Stargrave or whatever, really.
Off on holiday now... Forgot the firestick send help ...
Graven
Theophony wrote:We just resigned up for Disney+, watching Mandolorian season 2. Great work on the rebel scum.
Have a happy anniversary of the US Brexitting before it was cool .
This is the way Ain't nothing cool about brexit but we celebrated you colonials in the most appropriate fashion: Tex mex pancakes, beer and BBQ.
A quiet week, enjoying the rain of a British summer holiday So this week we've been playing some wee family fun games.
221B BAKER STREET
The venerable 221b has been around in various forms since the 70s but the current version takes you through 75 cases around Holmes's London. At its core, it plays like a slightly more complex - but less arbitrary - version of Cluedo, as you go round uncovering clues from various locations from the Newsagents to the Docks, Scotland Yard to the Locksmiths, and so on. Clues can be straightforward or cryptic, helping you gradually figuring out (typically) murderer, weapon and motive, before racing back to 221B to solve the case! With some genuine strategy, particularly in the endgame, it's great fun with older kids (my teenager does so enjoy beating me) but crucially also has a cooperative mode where you work together as the Baker Street Irregulars - meaning younger children, or those less inclined to be competitive, can be fully involved. Although sometimes the clues are a little vague, this nevertheless makes for a truly great, accessible family experience.
QUIRK
Quirk is a fun twist on Charades with a dash of Uno, where you try to collect sets of animals or people by doing impressions of them (lion, robot...) The grey cards are a bit harder (llama, yeti...) and the special cards allow you to steal, block or otherwise change the game. Great fun, and just as good for 5 year olds as 65 year olds.
ON A SCALE OF ONE TO T-REX
Continuing the Charades variants, this game from the makers of Exploding Kittens is less about the guessing and more about the performance: everyone knows what you're trying to act out, it's the Intensity that is being guessed. It's a good twist, especially for those of us who aren't quite as theatrical, and certainly lends itself to a casual drinks and boardgames vibe. The kids enjoyed it too, though, so it's good to mix things up especially if you don't mind feeling foolish. Quite noisy this one! On balance, Quirk is I think the better family game, but this lends itself well to grown up nonsense.
OK PLAY
This is an absolute staple in our house and goes everywhere with us - tiny, portable, comes with a handy carabiner for bags, extremely simple but fiendishly complex. It's essentially a take on Connect 4 minus the rack: you alternate tile placement on a table aiming to connect 5 before the other players - yes, you can play this with up to 6 (which frankly gets a bit bonkers, but still). With many different set colours available, and in 2 or 4 player versions, it's the king of travel games. It's worth mentioning that Big Potato, who make this, also have a ton of print and play games available free! Good stuff all round.
RAILROAD INK: CHALLENGE EDITION Railroad Ink is a roll and write where the dice feature train tracks and roads in various combinations and layouts, and you aim to make the most complete set of routes you can on the drywipe boards provided. Highly portable, the challenge not only comes from the routes themselves but also completing Goals that change every game as quickly as possible. There are two core editions of the base game, Lush Green and Shining Yellow, each of which contains an expansion for variety: Lush Green allows you to build hiking trails through the forests, whilst Shining Yellow runs routes across the desert. Both are a lot of fun, but we went for Lush Green simply because it appealed more. You can of course double up core sets, which increases from 4 to 8 players, and there are the two previous Core Sets Blazing Red and Deep Blue (volcanoes and lakes respectively) which are also compatible, although don't include the Goals mechanic which is a key highlight in the game's competition. Mini expansions from the conventional (such as introducing Underground networks) to the bizarre (invading Eldritch creatures) mean that you can tailor your game experience to your particular tastes. I'm not really sold on the weird expansions, for all my love of the mythos, but I'll most likely get some of the more regular ones. (I'm clearly lying )
More generally, in the absence of playing with toys, I've bought some stuff finally managed to track down some sables with triangular barrels, so that's a treat, along with some paint restocks, an Asian themed Gs roller (and yet more GS) and a couple of bits of scatter for moonstone: a town well and a cart pulled by a very large pig, just cos.
Hey ho, back to normality soon,
Graven
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/07 11:50:10
2021/07/07 18:41:08
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 7th July Holiday time, board games a gogo
12" pancake with hot Sausage, spring onions and coriander (scallions and cilantro to you heretics) all in the mix along with jalapeños, salsa, sour cream, red chillies, ground chilli beef, nachos and cheese on top. Tell me that much food doesn't sound American or at least that much cultural appropriation and casual disregard for history isn't
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/07 18:45:39
2021/07/11 07:35:46
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 7th July Holiday time, board games a gogo
endtransmission wrote: It may be just me... but *think* you might have struck a raw nerve there Graven
Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Lol I seem to have hit a very raw nerve I do kinda get Brian's point, I cook a lot of Texmex (and my bro-in-law is Texan, so I have a very critical audience); all I will say now on the matter was I didn't devise this heretical concoction, but it was tasty. Abominably tasty. Sacrilicious
Viterbi wrote:Sorry to interrupt the gastronomical discussion Lovely updates, Ninjas are of course the coolest and if one is being honest, they fit every setting. Everything is better with Ninjas!
Very true! Ninjas are always excellent I'm looking forward to doing the character ninja, she's very cool.
Well back from my holidays, surrounded by animals, starting to get myself back to some semblance of normality. Got my lovely new brushes, and got the next set of IA figs done:
Nice group of figs.
I also got a pre primed wooden bridge from javis scenics, which mostly do railway and military stuff.
Painted up very quickly. Pre primed feels a bit like cheating I've got a WizKids well that's pre primed too, we'll see how that turns out. Not quite sure what I'm painting up next, supers are still glaring at me. But lots to do, off for the next month so we'll see if I can't get a few models done in July Graven
2021/07/14 19:40:36
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 11th July Rebel Scum group shot, and a bridge too far
Theophony wrote:We forgive the TexMex atrocity .
Glad you had a break, now get back to that painting desk .
Slight addendum to the atrocity: Jeff, my pet Texan, is now furiously planning his own Texmex stack Trying to get to the painting, though puppy interferes somewhat.
Yorkright wrote: I really like those rebel scum and bridge but going to have to pass on the Tex mex pancakes. Glad you had some time off, I’m hoping to take some time off this year. Been over a year for us to take a vacation.
more for me Thanks for kind comments. Yeah, we were lucky to get away at all. Way back in September the wife (who is a hospital microbiology lab manager) looked at the state of things and was fairly sure that the world wouldn't be open once more so we booked up early a week in Cumbria. And though teaching is brutal as a profession, the advantages from a family perspective are undeniable.
So I bought some new brushes, as I said, the Army Painter triangular barrelled detail and insane detail. And after only having used the brush once, for the eyes on the Rebels above, it wouldn't hold a point I am quite ok with cheap brushes not being great but when I've spent that much more than usual for a brush I expect it to do the job! [/rant]
The brush is very comfortable in hand - as I've said many times I generally need to use a triangular barrel because of my muscular difficulties - but I'm pretty darn cross about this. I painted up my Goryu for Forbidden Fortress with it:
These are ghoul-like creatures, and I tried to strike a balance between using strong contrasting colours and not being to bright and shiny. I'm pretty happy but they were more of a slog than they should've been.
Also got to have an excellent game of Moonstone with the boys, teaching the older some faerie trickery and the younger the basics of the game
The scenario is an asymmetric raid (6 attackers, 5 defenders) where the defender hides Moonstones in the buildings and sets up wherever they wish.
It was more about getting the older used to other Dominion figs he doesn't usually use.
He got a bit frustrated as he did well in the first turn, though he was distracted by taking out the giant (which he hates) and so didn't manage to steal my stones, losing the scenario.
The town well in the pics is another recent addition. Reckon that we're getting there at last with the scatter Anyway, more will hopefully follow this summer. It's a bit sporadic. Bear with!
Graven
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/14 19:46:17
2021/07/16 13:48:58
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 14th July Goryu ghouls, paint brush rant, and Moonstone fun
aku-chan wrote:Nice job on those stripey-haired fellas!
Why thank you! I'm happy with the colour scheme, ultimately, and the hair was not... Too... Bad to do
endtransmission wrote:you can get rubber triangular grips for pens/pencils. I'd be surprised if there weren't some for paint brushes
that... Is a genius idea
Theophony wrote:Rubber pencil grips, old pencils, glue and fur from the dog (it’ll grow back ) you can start your own brush company, paying for more models, .stl files,and paints. Who knew dogs were good for things .
very true, very true
It being hot enough to poach a crustacean alive, I finished up Crusty Balboa, the lobster-riding Goblin from the pirates' set:
Arr, and so forth.
There be no law on the sea!
Absolute nightmare to photograph.
Now, here's the thing, he was painted (mostly) with... The army painter detail brush. Having been used a bit, it seems to have settled into a point. So, we'll see, but less enraged than I was...
Also, little miss decided she wanted to paint some more, a soldier and Thing To Guard.
Bless her. Very cute... Until ...
"That's all the blood daddy. Some got on the house." I guess we know her allegiance There's a fair bit of Forbidden Fortress at WIP stage - the Nure-Onna (Naga) vampires, couple of Temple Dogs, other wee bits - so more of that next, I'll wager. When pup permits, that is Graven
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/16 13:50:09
2021/07/20 10:18:23
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 16th July Crusty Balboa, Pirate Goblin, and efforts of a 5 year old...
Theophony wrote:Nice lobster, just saw the hook hand on the other claw . He best be weary of hobbits with butter churns though.
Your daughter is doing some good work there, that guard really taught that shoplifter a lesson.
Actually, in game, it's gnomes and their general obsession with cheese, scones and beer. But I suspect no-one's safe
So it's very warm, still, which further diminishes hobby time. That, and was very low over the weekend. It's a combination of things, RL, hobby paralysis, all that jazz. To give them their due, Mrs and older boy keep chivvying me to do some painting to forcibly give me a boost (not just so they could work on the Lego World Map) and I've been steadily working on a couple of projects that are best described as... Pending
So here's the first of them, the Goblin Airship for Moonstone:
As you may recall I loathe flight stands. Luckily, one of my Faeries was miscast and they sent me a replacement, so its tree has been repurposed.
I could hide the flight stand further, not sure if it needs it. It has had to be painted black
Certainly a characterful model
Yes, it has a butthole
I think, cautiously, I'm happy with that.
And for Brimstone/FoFo, the Ancient Statue
Fun with verdigris! and the reverse:
A little mempo and hat on the (60mm) base, just to add points of colour. He's a big fella.
Next up in the queue are Temple Dogs and various other FoFo critters, or maybe a couple of dewbacks for SW.
Ah, to be a creature of whimsy!
Graven
2021/07/20 10:58:10
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 20th July Goblin Airship (Moonstone) and Ancient Living Statue (FoFo)
Thanks, it's VERY lazy: prime black, 3:1 nihilakh:thinner medium all over, selectively drybrush bronze, add some streaks with thin sepia, and stipple a little white on random places.
2021/07/23 19:53:12
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 20th July Goblin Airship (Moonstone) and Ancient Living Statue (FoFo)
Paradigm wrote:Ah, so the verdigris goes on before the bronze! That makes sense, never thought of doing it that way round. Now to print something I can practice it on...
Happy to help. The reverse method has been my go-to for at least a decade:
Spoiler:
Nihilakh just makes the process quicker
Theophony wrote:Nice work, even on the butthole .
That is a helpful hint with the Verdigris , never thought of doing it before the surface it was going on.
How hot is hot over there? The greenhouse effects were seeing are not pretty. I’m not looking forward to August, September and October (our usual really hot times).
Well it's nudging 30C here which is pretty brutal tbh. We often get weird warm spells, but this is unseasonable for sure. And many thanks
Slinky wrote:Verdigris is awesome, I will squirrel away that hint to do it first!
And the goblin airship is suitably bonkers, over-inflated frogs ftw
Cool, I'm so happy to have helped! Yeah, it really rocks the Labyrinth vibe.
Next, finishing up a set of Temple Dogs, one in each of 3 colour schemes they can come in:
Temple Wardog, Stone Lion and Soul Hunter. I don't normally do the various different colours schemes for the different Otherworlds but I really like these. I also made a woodland patch marker for Moonstone:
Various faeries can generate them, it's like a teleport pad, really, so needs 30mm base space also.
Other than that, and melting like the Wicked Witch on a wet weekend, been doing lots of building. All the other FoFo, green lanterns, that sort of thing. However, it's a full on few days, yesterday being the first anniversary of the mother in law's death and today being our 15th. Still, offspring are getting thrown at my parents for the next week (I'm on a course) so some semblance of peace & quiet and p&m, perhaps Graven
2021/07/27 19:24:13
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 23rd July Asian Temple Dogs (FoFo) and a Faerie garden of sorts
Yorkright wrote: Lovely work all around Graven, hard to say which one is my favorite but the lobster is a stand out. The verdigris on the statue is excellent seems like it should have been harder to achieve that look but you make it sound easy.
Good to see another follower of Khorne in the making. ;-D.
Many thanks on all counts it is the easiest verdigris ever.
Gitsplitta wrote:That's a very silly thing... whatever it is.
silly things are best
Theophony wrote:I like all those Lions, but the center one reminds me of Jade, which is really cool : :thumbsup.
Enjoy your free time while you can.
Cheers old son. And many thanks Busy this week, no kids but doing a course Still, I am trundling through FoFo and its various expansions. First up, Akaname Tongue Demons
Licky Sticky demons. Monopose, so varied the bases, including the first test of the Chinese pattern roller.
And the Oni
Again, monopose, so fiddled about with the tetsubo arm. Very happy with these, and really looking forward to the giant one. He'll be getting a snazzy base, too.
What else is going on? Well, marvel stuff is coming, avengers, wakandans, Asgardians, guardians of the galaxy (a little treat to myself) and cabal of villains.
It's funny how July, typically, is my busiest month, and this year it's my quietest still, one more fig and I've done 600 this year. Not bad, not bad.
Till then
Graven
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/27 19:31:57
2021/07/27 21:13:21
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 27th July Oni no tsuburu and Akaname Tongue Demons(FoFo)
Paradigm wrote:I'm always impressed by the amount of colour variety you manage to work into even quite simple sculpts, and these are no exception. I particularly like the bright tongues on the demons and the more earthy tones on the Oni as opposed to the primary red/blue you usually see on them.
Thanks kindly chief. I wanted the tongues to pop so it's good to know that worked as for the Oni I used the same approach as Hellboy, very much focusing on the dark tones and building up - but I do slightly regret not doing one in blue tones for contrast.
Slinky wrote:Licky sticky dudes are nice - Is that the GW "Nurgle's Rot" on the tongues?
I am impressed by the mist on the first one's base as well, it's come out really well
Indeed it is! Just a little for slimy goodness. I am cheating a bit by putting a tongue demon on a Forest of The Dead style-base, as they're not an enemy for that set per se but given ANYTHING from anywhere can turn up as an undead version there I figured why not? Also I was fed up with the monopose by that point
endtransmission wrote:The Oni look good. I'm looking forward to seeing what you end up doing with the big one. From the size of the box he's pretty big!
He's going to be red. Big... And red.
Solar_lion wrote:Thanks for the weather bronze technique. That is a nice look. Stealing that... no.. borrowing that.
bad artists borrow. Great artists steal
Gitsplitta wrote:Love how those Oni turned out graven. Excellent.
Thanks *bows in nerd* I am very happy with them and knowing your love of all things Asian fantasy, that means a lot.
DJJazzyJeff wrote:Even your struggles to hobby are more productive than my hobby time. I guess each of has our own struggles and they appear real to us, even if someone else doesn't understand them. What I mean to say with all of this is keep up the good work, keep cool, and keep an eye on those kids. They grow up faster than you might think.
Wise words all round old son. And I've seen your output, your quality far outstrips my quantity.
Speaking of quality over quantity, finished up the Nure-onna vampires for Forest of the Dead.
I found these almost as frustrating to photograph as I did to paint. They're done. That's about all I have to say. At least the 3D printed Naga Sorceress fits well.
So things here have taken a turn for the dramatic with the missus, little one and my mum testing positive for Covid. Clearly it's a girl thing. We're all double jabbed, but it's not much fun, and of course it means we're all stuck in together again still, means I have time to look at this glorious box from Asmodee:
That's a lot of toys although naturally I've also ordered a couple of extra bits to round out factions: Shuri and Okoye for Wakandans, Angela and Enchantress for Asgardians, and Modoc for Cabal (and also just because who doesn't love a giant floating murder head?!) My kids are very excited about the game, so I need to get stuff built post-haste. We have, in the meantime, taken a stab at Champions. It's less intuitive than (say) DC Deckbuilding but it has some interesting mechanics and definitely has a distinctive character for each super. Back in the days of my hobby hiatus (aka university) I played a lot of CCGs, at a fairly competitive level, so card games do hold a certain appeal though I'm very aware that they can be a money pit like no other (yes, even more so than mini gaming) as well as how time consuming deck building can be. Still, this appeals as a casual game, and the kids certainly found it fun. I imagine we'll play about some more in the coming days with it Graven
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/31 05:24:58
2021/08/01 20:53:58
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 31st July Nure-onna vampires (FoFo) and a whole lot of Marvel
Warboss_Waaazag wrote:Sorry to hear about your infected brood. I hope everything turns out for the best. On the bright side, that's an enviable box full of hobby wonder. Looking forward to seeing more completed stuff from you. You're always an inspiration.
Yeah we're finding that once you break out the booster characters Champions gets (perhaps inevitably) rather better, though that may just be playing a character you like
Theophony wrote:I pray you all get through this quick and unscathed, except for the giant floating murder head .
The naga sorceress and crew look great, love the colors you chose.
Love me a bit of MODOK. Really enjoying the Disney plus show, tbh, as idiotic as it is. Glad you like the Naga, it's good that someone does, cos I sure don't
Viterbi wrote:Hope everyone gets well soon!
And great tip with the recipe for the Bronze statue, feels counter-intuitive from the order, but looks great.
Thanks amigo on both counts. You can sneak in an extra layer of black or brown drybrush after the Nihilakh for a dirtier look, btw.
endtransmission wrote:Ooooh heck, I hope you're all ok!
That's an impressive delivery from Asmodee! Have fun with them both, I look forward to seeing some reports appearing for both. The figures keep tempting me, but the scale difference and lack of gaming group is currently keeping me away
Well, the Champions review should be up on Big Comic Page tomorrow but, tl;dr, it's really bloody good - especially given that you can get the starter (which is plenty for 1-4 players) for around £40 now; if you like Marvel it's a great co-op game that avoids a lot of the regular ccg/lcg pitfalls - the solo mode is really strong, which is great in current climes. I know what you mean about the scale, but KM's DC scales have been wacky for years, so I don't let it bother me what I will say is that the cost is truly brutal, as you're generally talking £20 per fig. That's GW levels of insanity. Also, the starter set (and early wave) figs, whilst really nice sculpts, are murder to build.
Slinky wrote:Hope all the Gravens bounce back quickly!
Cheers mate. Little miss Graven is on the mend, Grandma Graven is raging cos she can't taste the wine Mrs Graven is finding it tough though, and nerves a bit frayed hereabouts :/
So obviously, I have begun to... assemble the Avengers (sorrynotsorry)To start off the month's painting, though, I'm clearing some backlog:
I'm bringing sexy dewback, baby.
Check out that tail.
Went for a slightly more dusty, weathered look to the white on the bucketheads this time. Really pleased, overall.
Part of the reason I'm clearing backlog, apart from the obvious, is my order of primer has got lost in the mists of covid-era post. It'll turn up no doubt, but in the meantime I suppose I'll have to actually paint some of these other toys.
Shucks.
Graven
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/01 20:54:40
2021/08/02 14:15:16
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 1st August - I'm bringing sexy (dew)back...
Yorkright wrote: Hope everyone feels better soon. On a hobby note those dewbacks look awesome.
Thanks amigo!
Theophony wrote:Yeah, COVID is going bonkers here in Missouri (Always read the states name as Misery and you'll usually be right ). Was just talking with one of my Providers in the last half hour and the Pediatric hospital I work for (I am at an off-site clinic) is seeing far too many cases right now and it's grim. You can ignore the hype on the news, just listen to the Doctors.
Still praying for your family. Also praying for the post office worker who doesn't get the primer to you quickly .
Funny man lol. Yeah it's a bit grim. Me and the wee man are good, at least. Everyone else is ok, just a bit miserable.
bobbuilder wrote:really like the weathering on the statue
cheers buddy! Good to see you!
Warboss_Waaazag wrote:I'm not certain I'd agree that those Dewbacks are "sexy" but they do look good.
Are you kidding? Check out that tail!
So yes it's been a funny few days. On the one hand, it's stressful and frantic running after the horde and making sure everyone is well enough to function. On the other, it's been weirdly relaxing: we've all been getting up late and spending time with one another and the animals; Mrs and eldest have used Covid as an excuse to build the massive Lego World Map; little miss is repeatedly thumping me at My First Carcassonne; and I'm playing lots of Marvel Champions with middle one. It's... Quite... Nice?! Trying to make the best of the unenviable situation.
And whilst I don't really have much time to p&m, I am doing odds and sods. Working on a couple more big bads for Forbidden Fortress, starting with the XL boss, the Jorogumo:
Spider queen, spider queen...
Not one for the arachnophobes.
And built the starter set for Marvel Crisis Protocol.
Villains. Ultron was ultra fiddly, even when I was forewarned, but the rest fine - Doc Ock particularly impressive.
Heroes. Captain Marvel was gappy, the rest fairly ok although multipart arms are ridiculous, even at 40mm.
The out of the box scenery is also excellent, btw. It's a fun wee game, not a fab rulebook but actually very straightforward, with a lot of tactical depth to unpack. Apart from the fact that it's kinda 2D (no falling rules), it's great fun.
Look! Bouncing Cap's shield off Ultron into Red Skull! What's not to love?
Also got built Black Panther / Killmonger (easy/not too bad) and Thor/Valkyrie (bad/worse). The multipart heads and hair are preposterous, even if it is just to avoid mould lines. Sigh. Still got Loki/Hela and Angela/Enchantress to do.
Would folk want a review of the game? Is that of interest?
Anyway, more to build for FoFo on the slab: Japanese bandits, mutant samurai and Giant Oni Warlord, thanks to endtransmission. Cos I need more to build and paint Graven
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/05 19:44:03
2021/08/06 12:25:09
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 5th August - Jorogumo, The Spider Queen (FoFo) and Marvel Crisis Protocol
Theophony wrote:All I can say after seeing your post is
"Baby's got Back!!!"
and I'd like to hear your thoughts on the Marvel game after you get a few games in with the kiddos.
Well, if you insist
Spoiler:
One of the first things that strikes you is the very neat range rulers that the game comes with, even tucked away as they are in the sides of the box. It's great that you have something more sturdy than a cardstock ruler or fiddly about with bits of cut-out paper. That's not to say that the tokens aren't of good quality: they're durable, heavy-duty cardstock, and not so many as to be bewildering. You also get a pleasing amount of scatter terrain of various sizes: cars, dumpsters, news-stands and street furniture, all easy to build and adding real character to any gaming surface without additional expenditure - always a bonus. I would, maybe, have liked a paper playmat (in the style of Heroclix or Batman 2nd edition) for a surface in there for novice players - I don't think it would've been that much of a stretch for such a high-end product - but it's not the end of the world.
The figures themselves are 40mm, so larger than a lot of standard gaming scales, in hard plastic. This allows for an impressive level of detail, though they are not really poseable and somewhat prone (at least in the core and early waves) to a preposterous number of parts, with some fairly strange duplication also - why do I need two of Red Skull's hand or Spider-Man's head (answer - some bits are so tiny you will misplace them)? Especially when on the (very lovely) base sprues you get urban litter such as bottles. But, this notwithstanding, the sculpts are dynamically posed without too much reliance on tactical rocks - Spidey in particular seems to defy gravity - and the fact that all the bases are detailed as city streets are really impressive. You get a set of 10 highly characterful models here, Captain America, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel and Iron Man on the one side and Ultron, Baron Zemo, Doc Ock, Crossbones and of course Red Skull on the other. Comic sculpts all round, but fairly iconic MCU characters nonetheless. There is a degree of notoriety about how tricky some of the builds are - Ultron is a bit of a faff, and Captain Marvel needed some GS work - but the rest were far easier than I'd expected, with almost no flash to clean and the excellent instructions meaning all figures and scenic elements were done in a couple of hours. As a licensed product, I think they really hit the sweet spot between what gamers expect and the novice or casual fan can reasonably tackle.
As for the game itself, it has a number of unusual, but highly thematic, elements that give it it's unique flavour. Each Mission is made up of 2 crisis cards (one per player), a Secure and an Extraction. Presented as Daily Bugle front pages (very neat), the combination of these two sets of objectives determines the victory conditions - and whilst this inevitably descends into a slugfest, it doesn't necessarily mean the path to success is just bludgeoning the opposition. That being said, one of the game's most integral mechanics is that characters gain power (for abilities, super or otherwise) from taking damage. It turns out you WOULD like them when they're angry. Not only this, but once a character becomes injured, their card flips to a (typically) more powerful version - Cap can quite literally Do This All Day. It ensures the game feels true to the comic book action throughout whilst still functioning as a tactical skirmish game.
Speaking of comic book feel, one of the most unusual aspects of this game is the team up side of things. You bring a collection of models to the table (typically 10) and assemble - sorry - a group of around 4 there and then, based on the level of Crisis you're facing (averaging 16). Characters have a cost of typically 3 or 4 (outliers are 2 or 5) so you need build your team accordingly. Not only that, but you will typically want to play a faction (Avengers and Cabal of Evil in the starter) to take advantage of faction specific card effects and Leadership abilities, such as Cap giving his whole team a reduction in the cost of the first superpower they use each turn. Interestingly, whilst more than half of your team has to belong to a faction, not all of them do, to represent the strange and shifting alliances and team-ups we see playing out in the page. Finally, you bring a set of tactics cards with you to the table (8) from which you choose specific cards (4) for the situation you're in. It can all feel a bit overwhelming but actually it's remarkably straightforward: if you're playing Avengers, for example, you're probably going to want Cap and Iron Man along with the card that allows you to bounce repulsor blasts off that famous shield.
The game itself has a decent beginner's guide with an introduction to various aspects of gameplay. Once you get going, it is pretty straightforward. One of my main gripes with DC Multiverse (which the boys and I love) is that you are constantly checking what different special abilities do. Fundamentally, the core rules are very simple, with players alternating turns for their characters taking any 2 actions - move (or climb), attack, use superpower, or shake (remove negative status token) - which means the game goes through 6 turns fairly quickly. Also, I should mention that part of the reason you get such an abundance of lovely terrain in the box is that throwing (terrain or characters) is a key part of the action, and rightly so. It's interesting to compare this mechanically, again, to DC Multiverse where throwing is just as integral but is, if anything, overpowered: in Marvel, because you have relatively less power to spend per turn, it becomes less of a default tactic, and hence more balanced. On the other hand, it's not immediately obvious from the rulebook that characters can only Throw if it's printed on their cards in some way, which led to a bit of head-scratching.
Card layout is clear and the symbols are all reasonably obvious. I was learning this alongside the younger of my boys (11) and he grasped the various symbols and mechanics pretty quickly - not AS quick as Champions, perhaps, but still in good time. The custom dice are slightly more complex, though coming from having played X-Wing there's a degree of familiarity. I would perhaps have liked a handful more dice (you get 10, but you want each player to really have at least half a dozen to hand) but that's being very picky.
So what are the issues? Well, it does have a lot of different symbols to wrap your head round, and I'm always a bit leary of game-specific dice with extra rules to remember, especially with the kids. It also bugs me that you don't get a full rulebook, but instead have to go online for that. From a rules perspective, the only one that really annoys me is the lack of falling rules: it wouldn't be that difficult to integrate and strikes me as odd for a game so dependent on terrain. In some places, they're a little cursory and need a bit of digging to clear up (like throwing, as mentioned), not just in the intro rules but the full set; not a deal breaker, but a bit irritating. In terms of the physical product, it's very strong indeed, though I think that, given its target market is more than just "regular" gamers, a paper playmat wouldn't have gone astray.
Gitsplitta wrote:Uugh... spiders...
Ha! You sound like my wife. I'm quite fond of spiders, they have a habit of eating any wasps that try to nest in our roof. Wasp nest + spider silk = spider larder...
endtransmission wrote:Those descriptions of the Marvel figures are putting me off somewhat... they are giving me Infinity flashbacks. At least this lot is plastic I guess
Yeah the horror of tiny Spanish metal, this is not. Having built some infinity and a LOT of tiny metal Batman figs, I can confirm these are easier. Better than comparable fiddly plastics like Malifaux, too, because they're 40mm.
Today I had an hour or so whilst both dog and wife had a nap, so I decided to crack on with FoFo. The Fallen Shogun is the daimyo of the Takobake clan, who cast in his lot with the dread Void Dragon Sho Riu.
He's the big boss for the Haunted Castle, the Forbidden Fortress from Temple of Shadows. I used a Green Stuff World Chinese roller for the flooring (mostly) which I wanted to look like ruined, damaged panels and carpets, along with some rubble, boards and assorted scatter (a ninja mempo, coolie hat and helm from a Shikarri Nomad Crusader )
For scale purposes, here he is with a Takobake Ashigaru and Rifleman:
Ah, squiddly mutanty goodness! It was a good opportunity to get the scheme down for all of them at once. Not much fun freehanding (the mon on the sashimono) but there we are. I've got a dozen of the footsoldiers to do plus 3 samurai (which are larger, 40mm base figs).
And a scale shot of the recent FoFo efforts together. Yeah, going fairly well.
Rolling along...
Graven
Very! More good stuff, love the current mystic Japanese focus
Thanks, need to get some primer on the rest now
endtransmission wrote:hmmm you're somewhat tempting me. Price wise it's still a fair chunk of change for something I don't have opponents for, but I may dip into it if I can clear out some of these other games that are kicking around as I do like me some Marvel (currently reading through everything released (in order) since 2010
It's certainly not cheap. I'm not a mega marvel fan by any means. I'm DC first and foremost (well. Trek FIRST, but still ...) but it easy enough to play the game with just characters you like, even at competitive level. The starter is very good value indeed.
Solar_lion wrote:Excellent group shot. Squid face guys are too funny.
Cheers. I love the squiddly dudes, I've got another 5 of each plus the 3 samurai i to do (and eventually, I suppose, the cannon crew when they finally come out post KS).
The very astute amongst you may have twigged that we've been on an... Olympic odyssey so to finish up with everything that's primed so far for our feudal Japanese journey...
Harionago! The barbed woman. Lovely sculpt of this yokai, and I'm very happy with the green cloth.
Floaty hair. Woo! And onwards...
Thunder warriors, yokai servants of the Raijin storm demons. All about the lightning.
We're nearly out of isolation. Thank. God. Meanwhile, also got more mcp built, continued to battle Ultron in Champions and still crushed by a 5 year old at my first Carcassonne Almost there...
Graven
Yorkright wrote: Again I have a lot to catch up on! Enjoying this last batch you’ve painted up, great choices on the color schemes.
Thanks amigo! I'm very glad I went for the green on the harionago, I think it really suits her.
aku-chan wrote:You're continuing to do an awesome job on the Brimstone stuff (I particularly like the Squidily Guys!).
Looking forward to seeing what you do with the Marvel stuff.
I picked up the starter set a while back and thought it was great, despite some patches of soft details on the minis, but I was just too far behind on releases and no way was my inner-completionist going to let me get away with not buying all the things, so I had to drop it.
Thanks! I know exactly what you mean, that's why I avoided it, and it's brutally expensive. Getting the starter and a couple of boxes to review has mitigated that somewhat. I've realised also that I'm happy enough just to buy for factions that I like or characters that interest me. If it were DC that would be another matter, I'd be all over that like a seagull into a bag of chips
Theophony wrote:Thunder warriors are great.
Getting beaten by a 5 year old is always worth it later on .
Hope your isolation woes end quickly and joyfully.
Thanks man, I really enjoyed them, they came together much better than expected.
After a flurry of painting, things have slowed down a bit on that front as we have... FREEDOM! Which is great but has meant some very frantic days of back to school shopping I did get to swing by my FLGS and pick up Spider Miles & Gwen for MCP and Once and Future Kang for Champions; it was just great to be out of the house tbh. I have managed to get all the MCP built and for all that it's fiddly, I CAN see the logic in the design of the sprues/parts. Particularly having just built this big fellow:
The seams are down the sides of legs and arms so they'll need filled, even though it's a big lump of plastic which could've been moulded easily in multiple parts. WIP female gunslinger for scale; he is a very large chap indeed. The gunslinger is part of a stack of very poorly cast brimstone KS stuff that I'm just trundling through tortuously. The casts are so dire I can't even face showing finished stuff, tbh. It's interesting (on both counts) seeing how impressive the plastics for MCP are even if it is stupidly tiny with its multi part arms and heads.
Speaking of MCP toying with picking up a couple more packs, just to round out the Web Warriors probably. Ah, the addictive nature of hobby Anyway, back to work tomorrow. Feeling ok about it tbh, a bit wary but it's been a good, long summer regardless. Not sure how it'll affect output, latter part of last year we're still ok considering, though no puppy to contend with then. We'll see,
Graven
2021/08/14 14:46:24
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 11th August - Akumi, Oni Warlord XXL (FoFo) build and scale shot
The tiny bits of the MCP models really hurt it for me, especially with the 40mm scale, there should not have been that many issues. I dropped one of Iron mans pads while assembling him and crawled around looking for it for over an hour. Found it the next day by accident.
Good luck with school. Glad you made it out of your home prison in one piece. Our schools start up next week, it'll be nice to have the twins back in a routine.
Thanks Theo. I had a similar problem dropping one of Ultron's it's a bit tricky for me also with my manual dexterity issues.
I've been really struggling to paint this week. I've been trying to motivate myself to paint the remaining brimstone heroes but I ... Just... Don't... Wanna. I have so many great figures that I want to paint, why do I feel... guilty about not being able to finish off these?! I have, however, been building:
Or should I say... Assembling Don't know where Enchantress got to probably hiding in plain sight I also dug out these two civilian models that a mate had found on "Chinese eBay" as possible Hellboy customs, they're a bit big for most games but as such perfect for this. Off with their moulded bases and onto MCP ones, and, sorted for Xtremis dude and shady Super-Serum dealer!
Part of messy head is being in much more the "work zone". My timetable has only changed twice so far in the last two days... and the kid aren't even back yet I'm sure it'll all be fine Later dudes
Graven
2021/08/16 12:07:13
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 14th August - Assembling Avengers, and painters' block
endtransmission wrote:I can absolutely understand not wanting to paint some of those KS heroes... they are fairly poor. You've got quite a nice collection of heroes there though
Thanks mate. I know you know all too well the quality of the SoBKS stuff so that's oddly reassuring.
Theophony wrote:Sorry to say it, but I’m glad to see it’s not just over here with constantly changing school plans. There’s not even enough bus drivers to pick kids up .
Don’t force the painting, then it really becomes a chore, that’s when I fall into the trap and then burn out happens.
Assembly should be included with the MCP models, especially the Avengers, they’ve had plenty of assembling practice over the years.
I'm just trying to roll with it. As long as I get to teach kids I'm happy. I've got my classroom back this year so that goes a long way to helping.
Yeah I've hit the burnout before so I just need to walk away. It's partly the completist wants to "finish" the boardgame but when it's just crap figs that give you no joy, what really is the point?
Warboss_Waaazag wrote:You are an endless supply of projects, my friend. One day I would love to see a table covered in everything you've painted, all the projects you've finished. Your steady progress is a constant inspiration to me, graven.
Well, lol, I suppose I can say with pleasure that there isn't a table big enough and, many thanks.
DJJazzyJeff wrote:
Brilliant. And so is your work, Graven. Can’t wait to see the Avengers painted up.
Me too lol cheers mate
So whilst this has elements of completism, here's some Imperial Assault figures instead.
Fancied doing some Endor troopers. I don't normally even do IA bases but why not eh?
It occurred to me that this was another board-mini hybrid with unfinished components, and that wasn't really bothering me. I just picked them up and started painting on a whim instead. I still have some Rodians, Shapeshifters and 3D printed Cara Dune & Dr Aphra to do, but getting there.
Little and often Graven
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/16 12:09:03
2021/08/19 20:57:56
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 16th August - Rebel Troopers, bound for Endor.
Gitsplitta wrote:I feel a bit of "Big Trouble in Little China" coming on...
Great work graven! (as always)
Lo Pan sucks! Cheers mate (as always!)
Theophony wrote:IF the models are trash for the boardgame, maybe let the kiddos practice on them. IT will allow them to get more immersed in the game and say it's something they have done to "HELP" dad. They might stick out compared to your work on the other models, but they will be done until you can find some replacements to 3D print them.
Nice work on the latest batch as well.
That's a... Really interesting idea that hadn't even occurred to me. I might well do so. And there's a fair bit of old West out there in terms of STLs... Yeah. Interesting.
Yorkright wrote:
Warboss_Waaazag wrote: You are an endless supply of projects, my friend. One day I would love to see a table covered in everything you've painted, all the projects you've finished. Your steady progress is a constant inspiration to me, graven.
. Table? I think you mean tables and floor.
Don't know whether to laugh or cry...
Solar_lion wrote:"Welcome ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the IMGI gallery. Please don't touch anything and feel free to visit the cakeshop on your way out.. Ok... were walking, were Walking"
To be fair, my chocolate cake is legendary. I can't really bake - I cook, rather than following recipes to the letter, whereas Mrs G the scientist is of course the bakeasaurus - but it's a very forgiving recipe that I've largely internalised.
endtransmission wrote:There's a reason none of the resin characters were ever built
Damn fudging right.
Trying to get back into the swing of things. Card games are a bit easier with the kids though so we've been playing Champions against Kang the Conqueror (and his Variants) with Scarlet witch, Gamora and Cap which is our current go-to team.
Meanwhile, I am working on the logic that under normal circumstances a figure a week is not unreasonable. So, on that note...
Oonta goota, Solo?
Fun figure to paint, nightmare to photograph - though that's in part my interpretation of the colours.
Very happy I think. Need to do a bit of tidying of the nerd cave this weekend before a fellow nerd swings by (weirdly, not a nerd buddy of mine, but the husband of one of the wife's mates - turns out he's a gamer!) Going to try to get Cara Dune done over the weekend, and maybe even Dr Aphra.
Hey ho
Graven
2021/08/20 21:05:04
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 19th August - Oonta goota, Solo?
Llamahead wrote:New opponents are always good! With burnout a little of what you fancy does you good.
Well said. So, on that note...
Cara Dune from the Mandalorian.
I'm happy with the face, less happy with the left arm which was a repair job - she was 3d printed on the but that gap needed filled. Skin looks a bit shiny too. Still, print scales well with the rest of the imperial assault stuff so I'll use her as an elite alliance ranger, which sounds about right.
Tattoos turned out ok on the right arm and below her left eye too. I wonder whether she was supposed to be related to Kanan from Rebels aka Caleb Dune?
I also decided to tackle Gloom, from the leshavult faction for Moonstone.
He's a faun Sorcerer of the natural order, though he leans towards the darkness (leshavult are neutral, but many of them are dual faction with Commonwealth or Dominion)
I am not sure how I feel about the OSL but I think it is a reasonable experiment. Unfortunately, I may have to buy more leshavult now
On we go
Graven
2021/08/24 10:48:30
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 20th August - Cara Dune and moonstone osl experiment
Baaaaaaaah. I'm actually trying really hard to going full on with the Fauns as a sub faction. They have some great sculpts but some less so, which hurts my completism.
Theophony wrote:Maybe paint the left arm lump like a bandage, got a bit of first aid between missions.
Osl is way better than my attempts, and looks good to boot. Like that figure, still not going to look at moonstone .
Possibly a plan. Moonstone is awesome. Just saying
endtransmission wrote:The OSL is looking good. I think it's possibly looking a little off as it doesn't seem (from the photos anyway) to be catching all of the surfaces that face the lantern?
and for internalising the chocolate cake... you mean eaten it all right?
Omnomnom .
Just my shoddy photography
Solar_lion wrote:"Lo Pan Sucks"
Which Lo Pan? Little old basket case on wheels or the ten foot tall roadblock?
Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, “Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.
Classic movie
yeah, absolutely love it, even reference it on one of my terrain pieces
Spoiler:
Busy weekend, caught up with folk including a long chat with the husband of one my wife's pals that I don't know that well... turns out he's a Warhammer devotee! Which I kinda knew but we'd never really spoken. Much discussion of inks, washes and greenskins was had. So that helped tick my nerd box, as it were. Oo-er.
I am however trundling through bits and pieces. First up, everyone's favourite space archaeologist, Dr Aphra! She's a star wars comics character, amoral treasure hunter working at the behest of Darth Vader.
She's highly likely to cross over into TV at the very least. I find Jason Aaron a bit hit and miss as a writer but he has his moments.
I decided to do her base in the style of my Derelict Ship bases for Brimstone. She makes a credible model for that too!
Oh boy.
Also got on with some scatter.
Simple and effective mantic plastics And this fine fellow
Reaper bones pig
Done as a venerable British Saddleback. I think I'll call him George.
This pig went to market.
I love the sculpt and he makes a great roaming obstacle for Moonstone, trundling about and getting in everyone's way.
Might try to do the last of the IA stuff next. Just 4 clawdites and 2 Rhodians left to do! Remarkable.
Till then
Graven
2021/08/26 21:02:44
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 24th August - Dr Aphra, tents, and a piggy going to market
Gitsplitta wrote:I love that terrain piece! One of my favorite movies!
Me too, many thanks, and it's nice to throwback to older stuff sometimes.
Paradigm wrote:Aphra looking great. Hope she does make the jump to TV eventually, it's refreshing to have a Han Solo type in SW that turns out not to have a heart of gold and is just straight up terrible... unless they've changed that in the recent stuff I've not read yet, in which case, shame.
No, she's pretty duplicitous still. A far more successful double-crosser than the lamentable DJ.
endtransmission wrote: No, she's still a terrible terrible person out for herself. She's such a refreshing character to read and definitely one that would make a great spin off show (or at the very least an appearance as an older version in Mandalorian/Ahsoka). I'd love to see the droids make an appearance too
Yeah them gosh darn psycho droids would make great TV
Kid_Kyoto wrote:Love the piggy!
Oink! Loved doing it
Theophony wrote:Bacon and Pumpkins..... That's a thanksgiving tradition to be upheld in any part of the world. Nicely done
Wise words indeed
So, finishing up my Imperial Assault collection, we have first a couple of roguish Rhodians: Decent sculpts, nice to paint. And some clawdites (the Shapeshifter from episode 2) Bit soft and rubbery in the detailing, but done nonetheless. And now the bittersweet moment of a game "complete", all boxed, painted and ready to play whenever... Better start another game then eh It's ok. I have a pile of Moonstone primed, FoFo built and ready to go, and all the Crisis Protocol too. I'll be fine Graven
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/08/26 21:03:45
2021/08/28 12:58:56
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 26th August - Rhodian Rogues and Clawdite Shapeshifters (Imperial Assault)
endtransmission wrote:Nicely done on completing all of Imperial Assault! Not sure I've ever had the patience to finish painting everything for *anything*
Not sure I have either lol
Theophony wrote:How do we know what a shapeshifter looks like? Maybe they look like Odo from DS9 in his puddle form. Besides Episode 2 doesn't exist , there are only episodes 4,5, and 6
I quite like episode 2 tbh for all its rubbish romance plotline (ducks)
endtransmission wrote:
I think you mean Clone wars, Rebels, Solo, Rogue One, 4, 5, 6, Mandalorian
Lol well said
aku-chan wrote:Congrats on getting all your Imperial Assault stuff done!
*bows in nerd* ta Of course, now there's this to tackle:
My spray and foam have been eaten by the postal service, but my box of Champions and MCP GotG that I thought was locked in the (flooded) local post office turned up back at the central sorting office undamaged. Result!
Now I just need some primer...
Graven
2021/08/31 06:48:55
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 28th August - massive marvel maildrop
Solar_lion wrote:
More Shame.. though you do go through it way faster than most
True enough I've realised that in the box with the missing primer are also 2 more packs of figs (Gamora/Nebula, Ronan/Drax) cos I don't have enough to work on.
endtransmission wrote:Well at least Champions doesn't need painting! I look forward to seeing your work on all the rest though.
so true
Yorkright wrote: I am just catching up too, lots of good things painted up. SW stuff looks really good, but that little porker and cart are my favorites.
Cheers buddy! There's a lot to be said for just painting something totally random for the fun of it.
Well with the new Champions goodies we decided to try the Rise of the Red Skull campaign. The first scenario in the campaign is Crossbones, with Hydra, breaking into a SHIELD facility. We initially went for Ant Man, Spider Woman and Hawkeye and... promptly got massacred by Madame Hydra, who turned up as backup. It was brutal my youngest really didn't like Hawkeye - he's fragile and tricky to use, to be fair. So we restarted the campaign, switching out Cap for Hawkeye and THIS time saved the day (just) love that antman's card unfolds double size to be Giant, really fun switching mechanics - a bit like triple changers in Transformers TCG, but tbh better executed. He's my eldest's new favourite - and I've hardly managed to tear Gamora out of his hands since we got her. Great fun!
That doesn't mean that I haven't got on with the minis though. First up a couple of lovely walls from the lovely endtransmission .
I really enjoyed these, found them quite therapeutic. They'll make great scatter for Moonstone and other fantasy. And talking of Moonstone, I got another goblin in the bag!
The Mortician, along with his raven, whom I shall name Mortimer in honour of the children's books.
I must admit I simply love these figures, despite increasingly swearing off resin (other than home made).
Although slow and fragile, the Mortician's ability to resurrect any of your characters is enormously powerful
Plus, the Raven (as a promo card) enables you to do it at range.
He would normally be positioned on the Mortician's hat but I want to be able to use him as an independent model, so the AoS gravestone came in handy.
And whilst I don't normally share wips, especially just at the prime (ish) stage, I thought you might like to see what's up next:
One of the figures most like the stuff from Labyrinth is Ribald the troll, and I'm really looking forward to tackling him Onwards!
Graven
2021/08/31 16:27:30
Subject: Graven's Bloggit 31st August - The Mortician and Mortimer the raven (moonstone)
Solar_lion wrote:
" She chose Down" " wait was that wrong" " too late"
Helping hands!
Anyway, hello again team. No painting as such to report but... I have grey primer! Very exciting.
Crisis Protocol core set all primed along with some extras. My wee girl (she's 5) had the best comment: "Aww you made a MODOK! He's adorable!... Modok wouldn't like it if I called him adorable." also had a great game with the boys:
I also got a km supply drop: new 2 player starter and Black mask. Can't lie, it came in a giant box and thought it was going to include the new DCU stuff (Zod, Black Adam, Saint Walker and Larfleeze) but alas no. Still, it's a great giveaway for the big Comic Page blog. Feel free to check it out and maybe win, who knows?
https://bigcomicpage.com/2021/09/04/knight-models-batman-miniature-game-giveaway-back-to-gotham-2-player-starter-set/ Not much done otherwise, lots of house and garden stuff. Ah, the necessary. Still, also got in a great game of DC Deckbuilding with the older boy, so odds and ends of geeking done.
I'll try to get more done in the days ahead - but trying not to get stressed in the process, keeping the fun going.
Till then
Graven
I do keep meaning to get my 
.
Rise to Resin's 50 Shades of Lass (buy a mystery box, get assigned a colour, paint!) and Dark Elf Dare's As Above, So Below (paint either something flying or demonic or both - good excuse to get a Goblin Airship!)
. 
This is the way 
but we celebrated you colonials in the most appropriate fashion: Tex mex pancakes, beer and BBQ.
)
I do kinda get Brian's point, I cook a lot of Texmex (and my bro-in-law is Texan, so I have a very critical audience); all I will say now on the matter was I didn't devise this heretical concoction, but it was tasty. Abominably tasty. Sacrilicious 
.
so we booked up early a week in Cumbria. And though teaching is brutal as a profession, the advantages from a family perspective are undeniable.
that... Is a genius idea
, never thought of doing it before the surface it was going on.
bad artists borrow. Great artists steal 
although naturally I've also ordered a couple of extra bits to round out factions: Shuri and Okoye for Wakandans, Angela and Enchantress for Asgardians, and Modoc for Cabal (and also just because who doesn't love a giant floating murder head?!) My kids are very excited about the game, so I need to get stuff built post-haste. We have, in the meantime, taken a stab at Champions. It's less intuitive than (say) 
