More Good Stuff

As promised in my previous entry, here are more photos of some of the WH40K models my nephew has painted.  I am truly awed by his work. 

                                                        

                                                                                    

When You Got It...

...You got it...talent that is.  Recently I found out that my nephew and I shared a common interest.  We are both WH40K fans and enjoy collecting and painting their miniatures.  When he showed me pictures of some of the models he painted, I was blown away.  He's only been at the miniatures painting game a few years and he is a gazillion times better at it than I can ever hope to be.  His work is truly impressive.  I love his attention to detail and his fantastic use of color.  

I asked him to send me pics of his work.  Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing them with all of you out there.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Hunter and Hunted

Continuing with the theme of powerful women (see last entry), I completed this lovely pair.  The lady in red is a Reaper Bones Demon Hunter named Masumi. Masumi means "true purity," "true clarity," or "true beauty".  The Demoness is also a Reaper Miniature.  Her name is Virina.  Virina means "female" or "womanly".

Virina used her demonic charms to lure locals to their demise and an eternal suffering in Hell.  The villagers prayed for a savior to stop the demoness.  One morning, Masumi appeared out of the mountain mists.  She strode into the middle of the village, stopped, and called out the name, Virina.

Hearing her summoning, Virina smiled.  Darkness spread across the village.  Virina stepped out of it to confront her adversary.  

"You know, sister, that these mortals are not worth your time."

"I stopped being your sister, when you gave yourself to the Evil One, Virina."

"You can not defeat me, Masumi."

"We shall see."

Lighting struck the ground between where the two were standing followed by a a clap of thunder that shook the heavens. A second later, the combatants went for one another.  Tales of their epic battle would be passed down by the villagers for centuries.

Women with Weapons

L to R: Sarah Connor, Tess, Robocop, Female Pilot

I wanted to dedicate my hobby time in February (Women in History Month) to paint 28 (1 per day)  of the fiercest females you've ever seen in honor of all the lovely ladies that have made a difference in our world. The best laid plans of mice and men.  Needless to say that didn't happen.

I did get 4 finished (see photo).  I have another 9 in various stages of being completed. The rest got shelved for the foreseeable future. Sorry, ladies.

So, we have a female Robocop with her dog Copper (Get it?!). Next is Sarah Connor. There are also a couple of Reaper Bones figures:  A Pulp Era Pilot and a futuristic soldier (Tess).  Take a look.  I hope you like them.  Thanks for checking in. See ya down the road a bit.

Joining The Family

My son bought me Heroscape: Battle for the Wellspring Box Set for Christmas.  I finally finished painting the six figures that came with it.  I am pleased overall with my effort.  My only knock is that the base color is somewhat darker than the true ones. I guess you can't have everything. Take a look.  Picture below.

L to R: Master of Tides, Kita the Springrunner, Killian Vane III, Bok-Bur-Na, Bonnie the Void Siren, Onshu the Welkineye

Iron Mike

Mike Tyson

In the past, I have posted items that I have built using mostly parts from Dollar Tree toys.  Meet "Iron Mike".  I cobbled him together using parts from several Dollar Tree Final Faction sets.

The base of the tank was formed by combining the "tank" treads from one set and securing them together with plasticard.  The back was made from the rear portion of the torso armor.  The helmet was mounted on top.

I placed two twin miniguns on the sides of the helmet. A sound cannon was made from a  cut down weapon in the pack and attached to the top. I also added a laser guidance system (made from old bitz) to the front of the helm. An array window sits just above the laser.

Two turbine boosters (made from other weapons from the set) were added to the top of the base. I added some shielding to them from parts I removed the leg braces in one of the sets. An air intake vent was mounted to the front of the tank (made from old bitz). A debris bar was placed at the base of the front of the vehicle to keep rubble from the treads (made from old bitz). Lastly an exhaust vent was attached to the rear.

I then primered the model.  It was then painted olive green.  The treads, minigun barrels, and turbines were painted black.  Next everything was given a brown-black wash.  I dry brushed on some lighter green on the body to bring out the details.  The black areas were dry bushed with a medium gray. The laser was painted bright red.  Lastly I added some silver in some areas to illustrate paint wear on the figure.  The treads were placed on the model and I gave the entire figure a clear coat. Done!

I named him Iron Mike in honor of the Champ. This AI Mini Tank (inspired by this picture of a Russian AI tank I found online) is a tough little bugger.  It's able to take some good hits and deliver killer blows in return.  The sound cannon can rattle the enemy troops brains and the twin mini guns (with laser guidance) will deliver the body punches. The twin turbines give it the speed and power to take the battle to the enemy.  The AI system allows Iron Mike (Designation: MT - 03AI) to make crucial decisions on the spot.

Russian AI Mini Tank

"Iron Mike"

Furiosa

 

I finally got around to watching Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga last night.  I really glad that I did.  I've seen all the films so far and felt this one held truest to the original.  I know it was a prequel (which it did do justice to Fury Road) but it had that certain "je ne sais qu.  I enjoyed it beginning to almost the end (I thought the end was weird compared to the rest of the film).

Anya Taylor-Joy was magnificent as Imperator Furiosa. Thought Chris Hemsworth did a great job as Dr. Dementus as well.  Would have liked to have seen more of Tom Burke's Praetorian Jack as well as Goran Kleut's Octoboss.

I hope to see more of Furiosa in the future.  More Max as well!  

That's all for now.  Like the War Boy said, "What a day, what a lovely day!"

GOLD!!!!

I have been fortunate enough to see the U.S.A. Men's Olympic Hockey Team win the Gold Medal twice.  The 1980 win was exciting, the U.S. defeated the former Soviet Union, and then went on to win against Sweden to take the medal.  A bunch of college kids snagged Gold on the biggest world stage.

Today's win was well earned. Now NHL level athletes, the guys in the red, white, and blue fought off a very talented Canadian team. Connor Hellebuyck's goaltending was insane! The OT goal by Jack Hughes sealed the deal for the U.S.  I'm sure Johnny Gaudreau is smiling up on that big ice rink in the sky.

Congrats to Coach Sullivan and the entire staff.  Great job by all the players to get the win.  You guys earned it!

Big shout out to the ladies team for taking Gold in their 2-1 over Canada.  Way to go!!!!

Congrats to all the U.S. athletes that earned medals.  Your years of hard work paid off.  For those who didn't get any medals, you are among an elite few that can say you were/are an Olympian.  Hold your head high!  You did yourself, your family, and your country proud!

Finally, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, you put on one heck of an Olympic Games. It was very enjoyable.  I say well done!!!!

When Lightning Strikes

I watched the Stadium Series Hockey Game last night between the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning.  It was held in Tampa which was a balmy 38 degrees.  It was a perfect night for outdoor hockey.  The game was terrific and did not disappoint.

Boston dominated the 1st two periods going up 5-1.  Towards the end of the 2nd period there were several skirmishes between the teams which led to a fight between the goalies late in the period (a rarity in the NHL). From that point on the Lightning roared to life.  They tied the game in the third period and then went on to win it with a Jake Guentzel goal in a shootout.

Kudos to both teams and their staffs for a really entertaining game and to everyone involved in putting on an incredible show for hockey fans.  Great job people!!! Loved it!!! 

Hungarian Horntail

I've been on a dragon craze as of late.  When I saw the Hungarian Horntail Dragon in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire I was blown away.  It looked so cool and menacing.  

MacFarlane Toys has put out dragon statues for many years now.  I picked one up a few years back for a great price (see older post: Puff the Magic Dragon).  I was doing an internet search for dragons and saw this lovely.  I found one a few days later on eBay and ordered it.  I got it today and it's even better up close. 

 I'm hoping to scoop up a few more MacFarlane dragons down the road.  They are well made and highly detailed.  As I gather them, I'll share the pics with all of you.  Until next time. 

Shopping With Class

Ladies (Gentlemen too) looking for that unique item for that special someone (or for yourself), then check out Pink Champagne Boutique. Lots of wonderful items (many vintage) to choose from.  New items added all the time. It would be worth your while to hop onto their website Pink Champagne Boutique and see what they have.  Happy shopping!