Gator Country

Not the Molly Hatchet song...but the state of Florida and maybe even the entire nation.  The Gators went down to the buzzer with the Houston Cougars in one of the best ever NCAA Championship Games.  Congrats to Coach Golden and the Florida players.  What a great team effort!  The Gators trailed by as many as 14 points at one point in the game.  They believed in themselves and never gave up.

Also congratulations to Coach Sampson and his Cougars.  They are truly a fantastic team.  Their season and run through the tournament was epic.  They were a force to be reckoned with. Kudos to all.

There is something unique and special about March Madness.  The talent, the effort, the skill, the gamesmanship...it is all on display for lovers of the game to see.  I've been watching it for nearly 30 years.  For me, there is nothing else like it in sports.  Thanks to all the teams and coaches for another amazing spring of college basketball.

On Top of Their Game

Congratulations to Alex Ovechkin for his milestone achievement of surpassing Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record.  As a Pittsburgh Penguin fan, I have both loved and hated Ovechkin over the years.  Love him as a great player, hated him for the fact that it was often one of his signature goals that beat my beloved Pens (who are not making the playoffs again).  Keep it rollin', Ovi!!!

On the hard wood, the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four has been outstanding.  Florida has been amazing.  Auburn just didn't have enough fuel in the tank to beat them.  Duke fought Houston down to the wire in an absolutely fantastic game.  The championship game tonight ought to be one tough match.  Looking forward to it.

Stinging Sensation

Periodically I check out videos from Boylie Hobby time.  He does an outstanding job creating miniatures related dioramas.  I'm especially drawn to his Weird West creations (see earlier post).  One I recently viewed involved a Monster Hunting Wagon.  In the video was a giant scorpion.  I thought to myself, "Hmmm...I don't have one of those."

I ran down to my neighborhood, hobby store (SCG Hobby), and picked up a Pathfinder Magma Scorpion.   I was inspired to paint it similar to a Deathstalker Scorpion.  While not my best job to date, I'm decently satisfied.  I'll probably attach it to a Tomb-King like army or some such.  

Thanks for checking in.  I'm always glad that you do. Have a great one!

Sink Your Teeth into These Bad Boys

It's a pirate's life for me (or not).  I found these guys on Etsy awhile back.  I thought they were so cool looking.  I couldn't wait to get them painted and ready to sail...swim...IDK!  Anyway...they're all done.  Take a gander, old chum (LOL).

It's Tauriffic!!!

I've been keeping myself busy (and out of trouble) lately.  Putting my time to good use, I assembled and painted a rather cool looking Tau Army with Auxiliaries.  Included is a Pathfinder team (which I painted a very long time ago), the Crisis Battlesuit (which I did a few weeks ago), the Vespid Set, a set of Stealth Suits, a Kroot Carnivore Squad (painted a while back) with Krootox Rider, and some human mercenaries.  Not too bad all-in-all.

See attached pics.  I hope you like them.

Krootox Rider

Stealth Team

 

Greater Good Sniper Team

Human Mercenaries - Gue'vesa

My Tau Army
Gue'vesa (front left), Kroot with Krootox (center), Sniper Team and Vespids (right)
Crisis Battlesuit (back left), Tau Pathfinders (back center), Stealth Team (back right)

The Sniper Team are some 3D prints I think I got from Etsy.  The Gue'vesa (human helpers) are a set of Merc Figures I bought several years ago.  I saw that the Tau Empire had humans in it and decided to use these Kem Var figures as some mercenaries for the Tau Army. 

Crafty

I got to check out some really cool items made by some really nice folks out here in da Burgh.  The business is called REimagine Handmade.  Rather than me blather on about what they do and how they do it, I'm putting the link to their website below so you can see for yourself. If your looking for something special for someone near and dear, take a gander at their goods.

REimagine Handmade

Float Like a Butterfly....

...Sting like a Bee.  But these little buggers (LOL) are no Muhammad Ali.  What they are are a kinda sorta almost nearly not quite WH40K Vespid Stingwings. I got them on Etsy.  They are called the Mantomorph Assault Squad.

I liked them better than the 40K version of Vespids that came out fairly recently.  They are a little chunkier and I felt would not break as easily. (I did breakoff and repair 2 antennae and a wing).  In the end, I loved how they turned. out.  

I went with an orange paint scheme that I had seen online.  I used a deep red/brown wash.  I highlighted them with yellow/orange.  The eyes were painted metallic yellow. The wings got a coat of white.  I then gave them an aqua wash.  The wings were then coated with several layers of glitter paint.  Weapons and armor were painted silver then given a black wash.  All the metal parts were highlighted with platinum.

Rock areas were painted black. They were dry-brushed a dark gray and then highlighted with a light gray.  I gave them all a coat of clear sealant and called it done.  

Check 'em out, boys and girls.  Just be careful!

Paradise Found

If you haven't been watching the series Paradise on HULU, then you've been missing out on something special.  Great concept, great story, superb acting.  It is intense!!!!  There are 8 episodes this season.  The last one will air on March 4.  I usually don't get too crazy about TV shows, but I've made an exception with this one.  Trust me, it's super good!  Lots of plot twists and turns leaving you at the edge of your seat.  (I intentionally didn't give any details, I don't want to spoil anything for potential viewers.)

The Great White North

Last night's championship game between the U.S. and Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament was great!  It went back and forth all night ending in a tie in regulation.  The Canadians won 3-2 in overtime with Connor McDavid getting one past Connor Hellebuyck.  NHL regular season play resumes tomorrow.  After the tournament, it might all seem anticlimactic. 

4 Nations Face Off

If you haven't been watching this you've really been missing out on something special.  The best players in the NHL are playing for their native countries; Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the U.S.A.  The Americans have won their 1st two games and will be in the championship game.  The other nations have all lost a game each.  Jake Guentzel has been fabulous for the U.S.  Next games are on Monday and the championship will be on Thursday.  If you love hockey, tune in!

Dino-myte

The word "myte" is a Norwegian word which translates into English as myth.  There is a tale from olden times of a sorcerer that used his magic staff to control the great beasts of yore.  They would do his bidding or experience extreme pain.  Little did the sorcerer know that one day he would come across one that would not bend to his will.  That day would be his last one.

The "sorcerer" is a Mage Knight Dark Rider figure.  The Triceratops I picked up at a thrift shop for a dollar.  I gave it a nice repaint and then mounted the "Magic Man" on its back.  I'm digging how it turned out.  Take a look.

Before

 

After