Three Years Later… Wargame Hobby Bingo 2018

So… apparently, getting a job (after finally finishing graduating from uni for the second time) put the brakes on hobbying for a while. A lot has happened since the last post, but the other parts of my life has settled down from constant changes and I’m getting back into the hobby (and possibly gaming) scene.

Anyway, to start of 2018, Apologist (whose blog and work I follow regularly) linked to Rob Hawkins’s Wargame Hobby Bingo 2018, which I thought was a really good idea and should hopefully make me motivated to get *some* hobby stuff done this year.

5x5 Bingo Card with hobby activities for 2018

Courtesy of Rob Hawkins, https://robhawkinshobby.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/wargame-hobby-bingo-2018.html

Some of these might be a bit difficult for me. Do Cadians count as a different army from Valhallans (row 1, column 2)? I’m probably not going to make a 4×4 gaming board (row 2, column 2). Not sure if I can think of anything ‘monstrous’ that I would like to paint (row 4, column 4).

Regardless, I’m going to give it a shot. Might make me motivated to get some of the backlog that’s been sitting around for 3+ years done!

Back with new Space Marines

So, after my unplanned two and a half month long hiatus – due firstly because I was finishing my thesis, and secondly because I haven’t had internet for the past week – I’m finally back. I’ll try to get some photos of recent stuff I’ve finished done and uploaded, but no guarantees (since ANUCON2013 is coming up in a week and a half).

And there are new Space Marines.

Space Marine Codex 2013

Spess Mahreens!!!!!!!! (from www.games-workshop.com )

So, I’ve seen the new book, and although I’m slightly underwhelmed (yay… a couple of new toys to go with the new kits and a much-needed revamp of Chapter Tactics) I think it’s generally a good codex. More of my two cents follows…

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Victoria Miniatures: Female Troops Test Scupts (aka Luke has another ‘shut up and take my money’ moment)

So, the highly talented Victoria Lamb (her shop with her already released stuff is here) is scupting up some female trooper versions of her very nice multi-part troopers…

Female test scupts from Victoria Lamb (link to DakkaDakka thread)

Part of me is very glad that they’re not actually done yet, so I haven’t spent any money yet.

Another part of me is very impatiently waiting for them to be released.

Gah!

Gah!

Guess I better start saving up…

2^7 posts: binary milestones with an AdMech character

AdMech Lord counts in binary

AdMech Lord counts in binary

So, since I just sped past my 100th post (which by my count – wordpress doesn’t actually give posts sequential numbers – is one of the “dreamhost is broken and slow ones!), here’s a celebration of the 2^7th post (128th, for my readers and friends who aren’t computer science nerds)! Conveniently, I’ve just finished my revamp of my Adeptus Mechanicus Lord, who under the newest Chaos Space Marines codex is a Warpsmith.

Mechadendrites, melta and flamer

Mechadendrites, melta and flamer

I’ve also finished rebuilding the old terminator lord as just another terminator, with combi-plasma and chainfist.

Demoted

Demoted

This is so that the 5-man terminator squad with heavy flamer is actually game legal, even if I don’t think I’ll be fielding them anytime soon.

And that’s my (meagre) progress on this milestone post – my Victrix napoleonics arrived during the week so I’ll be posting up a review of them and the Perry equivalents soon (probably next weekend).

Varnish for down under – Wattyl Interior Estapol

One is varnished, the other isn’t…

So I keep getting asked periodically at my gaming club about what varnish I use – mainly because I have lots of metal Valhallan models which don’t chip very much (or at all, really).

I use this stuff:

Wattyl Estapol Interior (Matt)

It’s Wattyl’s Matt Interior Estapol, ostensibly for wood surfaces but works fine on acrylic paints as well. Since it’s a matt varnish (it also comes in Gloss and Satin, but I haven’t used the Gloss so I don’t know what it’s like), you have to do at least two coats to get sufficient protection (a single coat gives you the finish, but doesn’t really stop the paint chipping off miniatures.

This prevents the paint from rubbing off from fingers or foam transports. You can still chip the paint off, but it requires quite a bit of effort – fingernails probably won’t manage it provided you did a decent undercoat.

Technically, people recommend that you do one gloss coat to protect the miniature, then a matt coat to provide the finish you want. I haven’t tried this myself, coz I’m too lazy, so I don’t know what the finish looks like.

This can was $18 or so from Magnet Mart (unfortunately, Bunnings stopped selling these a while back, because I think they stopped stocking Wattyl products).

Which one is varnished?

As for these two – who were the only remotely (no pun intended) similar miniatures I have where one is varnished and the other isn’t – the one on the left is not varnished, and the one on the right is. If you look closely, you can spot the shine from the wash and glaze layers on the left (unvarnished) one – for example, on its left foot (our right). The matt varnish dulls these down and removes the shine.

Right, now I can just point people to my blog when they ask about what varnish I use!

Happy New (Belated) Year!

Hrm…

Sorry I’ve missed a whole month of updates!

I’ve mostly been bumming around and slacking off since my thesis draft is done and I haven’t had very many other important things to do. Surprisingly, I haven’t done much painting or modelling, since I’ve been too slack.

I’ll have a content post up very shortly, and a mid-week update post with what’s been on my workbench since before Christmas…

Games Workshop TROLLOLOLOLOL

3x plastic trolls from “The Hobbit”, on 60mm bases
Image from www.games-workshop.com

Sorry about the post title, I couldn’t resist.

So, no post about my stuff this week, because this is just too good (bad?) to pass up for a post. GW’s releasing new and re-branded Lord of the Rings stuff as “The Hobbit” (to differentiate it from the “War of the Ring” game), including these three plastic trolls on 60mm bases.

Guess how much they are – price wise – in Australia. Those of you who already know will know what’s coming.

$140.

Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either.

$140 for three plastic trolls – that, IMO, don’t look that great either (I’m guessing that’s how they look in the movie though, so it’s not like they had very much choice).

It’s not just that box either, there’s other cringe-worthy prices including this “gem”:

Supposedly, a “Goblin Town”. No, seriously. Yes, that’s all that comes in the box, and it sets you back $95.
Image from www.games-workshop.com