A Couple of Updates

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I have recently fallen victim to a sneaky patch of ice which caused me to fall and rupture the tendons above my kneecap that will require surgery to repair. Thank you very much Old Man Winter. So while I lay here at home waiting for the surgery, I thought I'd post an update.

First, I completed a test model for my Astral Claws army. One of which I'm satisfied with, so I've given myself the green light to proceed. I'll have an image or two posted soon for that. My limite mobility prevents me from searching for the camera.

My other update is my review of the new Pathfinder Battles miniatures from Paizo/Wizkids. The first set, Heroes & Monsters was just released and while I don't have any retailer nearby that carres them, I opted to order a few of the single online. I received my first order the other day and I am quite pleased with them so far. The painting is a standard a bit higher than WotC's Dungeons and Dragons minis in terms of the details. Wizkids also went with the flat finishes as opposed to the glossy look, which I like. The other thing that I enjoy about this set is that there is a healthy mix of characters as well as your basic dungeon crawl denizens. There are forty in the first set, with the next set due out in June or July. Plenty of time for me to complete this one. I would say the only down side for this product is the packaging. The boosters are sold in two types: one containing a single large monster and another containing one medium or two small miniatures. I would imagine it would get a bit pricey trying to collect them all going that route. I'm guessing it would be cheaper in the long run, to buy singles on line. All in all, this set will go great with the Pathfinder Campaign that I have in the works.

Wights and Ghouls and Bats, Oh My!

I picked up the new Vampire Counts Army Book yesterday with what remained of my Christmas gift cards. Aside from the $41.00 price tag, it's a cool book. Considering the hardcover and full-color layout, I can live with the price increase. I'm not looking to start a Vampire Counts army, but I usually make it a point to collect all of the army books and codices.

That said, there are some pretty cool new character models that I may collect, just to paint up and place in my cabinet. The new Krell model and along with the new Wight King would make great Death Knights for a Pathfinder RPG campaign I have in the works.

Am I Really That Old????

I was slapped by a healthy dose of real life this morning, that I want to share. I got out of bed at 6:00am on this beautiful winter morning to wake up my oldest daughter. You see, today she is taking her high school entrance exam. Yes, she is in 8th grade and beginning to prepare herself for high school. Those exciting but scary first steps into adulthood. I can't believe how fast the time is flying. It's seems like yesterday I was lounging on the sofa with my newborn baby girl sleeping on my chest.

Anyway, we stopped at a Starbuck's so she can get one of those fancy, schmancy caffeinated drinks (they like to call it coffee, but it's not). We went in and she ordered her mocha, latte, whateveryoucallit and then we moved to the next station where we waited for her order. Then I hear the barista ('cause now they have to have a special tile), yell out "Grande Soy Chai"!! I looked at my teenager and said "What the hell is a Soy Chai". She shrugged her shoulders and I launched into a grumpy-old-man style tirade about kids today. I pointed out that her 'coffee' cost $6 bucks and there wasn't even a newspaper or coffee pot in the whole place. I couldn't help but notice that I was the oldest person in there and everyone had their heads buried in a their laptops or their iPhones. Thoroughly embarrased, my daughter pulled her hood over her head, grabbed her drink and headed for the door.

I just got back from dropping her off and realized that I am the father of a modern teenager and a girl, no less. How's that for a double whammy? I guess my point here is, that I really feel old. I always thought that I was the cool dad and in the loop. I guess not. But finally, I just want my daughter to know that I'm so very proud of her and all that she's achieved and I believe that she will, without a doubt take the world by storm.

Fastest FW Order...EVER!!!

My Astral Claws, shoulder guards and decal sheet arrived today! Holy Crap! That was the fastest order from Forgeworld...EVER!!! I ordered them over the weekend.

I also started working on some test models last night, but I wasn't completely happy with the result. I tried using Chainmail with a Badab Black wash. I got the color right, but the wash flattened the finish. Anybody know away around that? I'm trying to get a shade somewhere in between Chainmail and Boltgun Metal.

Uh....Yeah....A New Army

It's a new year and it's time for a new army. I've become very interested in the Astral Claws Chapter while reading through my Badab War books from Forgeworld. Collecting Space Marines isn't anything new to me, but collecting renegade Space Marines...now THAT'S new. The thought of collecting this army feels like the breath of fresh air that I've been looking for. Plus it will give me the option of running that army in a variety of different ways. My initial steps, I think, will be to build a 1,000 point list from the Space Marine codex, then gradually build up and expand to transform it into a Tyrant's Legion army.

I ordered a sheet of transfers and a set of shoulder guards from Forgeworld (because that was all my gaming budget would allow for this month) and sat down to start gluing some plastic. I should have a test model or two painted by the end of the weekend and posted. In the meantime, I'm going to delve more into the background of the chapter and actually start reading the IA books.