Friday, December 22, 2017

One Inch Man vs. Flying Woman


I recently saw a couple of movies that I enjoyed to varying degrees.  The movies were Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

I thoroughly loved Guardians 2.  From start to finish I thought that it was great.  I liked it even better than the first movie.  It has it all:  action, love, laughter, friendship, family and family issues, heartache, self-doubt, betrayal, devotion, and Stan Lee (maybe I should have written Howard the Duck???).  The film takes you on a wild roller coaster ride of emotions.  Someone that you hated a few scenes ago is now a character that you find endearing. Great film!  I can't say enough good things about it!

The Last Jedi might be the last Star Wars movie that I ever go to see.  YAWN!!!!!!  The film seemed to drag on forever.  It took like 10 seconds to kill Snoke.  Phasma's gone is a duel with Finn (WHAT?!).  And we can't forget a nearly dead flying Princess Leia.  COME ON!!!

There's a terrible scene in a casino.  There's a terrible scene with a terrible Yoda (the CGI throughout was bad).  There are too many scenes with Kylo Ren (the poor man's Vader).  There are some great scenes with the characters: Rey, Rose, and DJ, unfortunatetly very few of them.

I've been there since the beginning.  We all know some movies have been better than others and some characters as well.  As much as I loved Rogue One is as much as I disliked The Last Jedi.  I hope that the Force is strong with the creators of the next movie.  Remember, folks at Disney, Yoda's words: Do or do not.  There is no try!

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Not Quite There

I just not going to make it.  I'm going to come up a bit short I'm afraid.  I am currently finishing up one of the twins but that will still leave me five to go (counting the emperor).  While I had hoped to complete the Primarch Project by the end of the year, it's just not going to happen.

Unfortunately, I've been super busy.  I also have had some health issues that have set me back some.  So it looks like a few of the lads and their dad will have to wait a bit.  Reunion 2018 is going to happen!

Pittsburgh Pens are struggling.  Hopefully, Coach Sullivan can get the guys back on track.

A new Panda Express opened up near where I live.  I went there last week.  Loved it!  A ton of really good food for the money.  Excellent service!  Plan to go back soon.

Monday, November 20, 2017

I am Iron Man

It took a while, but I finally got my metal-handed Medusan finished.  This model is from Kabuki Studios.  In my opinion, it is one of their better sculpts.  Size-wise, it is on par with several of their other figures, like their Smith Knight and Steam Knight. 
Basically, I stuck to the color scheme that was on the photograph that comes with the kit.  I really liked the look, so I went with it.  I'm pleased with how this great little Gorgon Knight turned out.  See for yourself.



While not exactly Iron Men, some players on the Steel City sports teams aren't looking so hot.  Outside of the Steelers, things are not going well for the Pitt Panthers and the Penguins.  The road has been pretty rocky as of late.  The Pens have some time to right the ship.  I think the Panthers will have to wait for next year.  Oh well, I guess that you can't have everything.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Full of Grim

I just finished the latest lost son of the emperor.  This is one of my most favorite builds to date.  The model is from Andrea Miniatures.  It is called Beelphegor from their Warlord Saga line.  It is impressive as far as pose and detail.  The model scale is 54mm which makes it fairly big in comparison to most of the Kabuki, Scibor, and HiTech figures that I used in the past.  However it is comparable to the Kabuki First Knight and Scarab Knight models which are larger.

I did a bit of modifying by adding the wing to the left shoulder.  I used a pink, purple, and gold paint scheme to reflect the colors of our favorite Phoenician. I placed the figure on a Chaos base from Scibor miniatures.  Take a look and see what you think.


Friday, October 13, 2017

Six Guys???


I stopped at 5 Guys for lunch today.  I hadn't been to one for quite some time.  I gotta say that I made the right call.  I had a cheeseburger with grilled onions and mushrooms and some mustard on it.  It was amazing!!!!  I'm not a big fan of their fries, so just the burger and a cherry-vanilla Coke.  So good!!!

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Scary Stuff

With the rising of the Great Pumpkin just around the corner, I found a little gem last night on Smashwords that's both a trick and a treat.  The book is called Tome Of TerrorIt's an anthology of short horror stories, each one a treat in and of itself.  The trick is, it's totally free!  I've included the link here for you:  Tome Of Terror

Grabbed a case of Sam Adams Octoberfest yesterday.  It is truly worth every penny.  This sweet tasting marzen brew is the perfect autumn treat for any little ghoul, ghost or goblin  (humans too!).

Monday, September 25, 2017

Raven About It

It took me a while to get this one done.  This Archfather Corvis figure from HiTech Miniatures turned out to be pretty decent looking.  The sculpt and pose are alright.  I like the base and the wings.  The talons and jet pack could have been improved.  The talons are brittle and the jet pack just looks odd in my opinion.  I kept our little Raven Lord in basic black with metallic white, blue, and silver accents.  See picture below.



What I'm not raving about is the brush-less car wash at the new Sheetz in Murrysville.  I took my car down there over the weekend.  I did the high-end wash on it.  It looks about the same as when I drove it in.  Maybe they haven't worked out the kinks in the system yet, I don't know.  What I do know is it needs to be improved greatly!

To end on a positive note: I don't usually eat fast food.  But Saturday morning I was in a hurry and just decided to grab some grub at the drive-thru.  I got 2 bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwiches and a large coffee at Mickey Ds. Filling, inexpensive, and tasty.  I gotta say, "I was lovin' it!"



Friday, August 25, 2017

I'll Be Watching You

The Kabuki Dark Knight that I just completed was one of my favorite builds to date.  I really hated how the model was to be positioned on the base, so I made some changes.


As you can see in the picture, the model is kneeling on some debris which is sitting right on top of the base.  I thought that this looked odd.  To me, it looked like our little Lord of Darkness should be perched on high, staring down at his potential prey.  So, here's my interpretation of the creature that haunts our dreams.

The base is from Secret Weapon Miniatures.  The column/wall section is from Scibor Miniatures. The rest is from Kabuki Studios which I modified to sit on top of the wall section.  I added some rubble, additional vines, and a skull to the base.  I think that it looks much more true to the character than what Kabuki had envisioned for it.  I have attached a pic of the finished model.  See what you think.


Friday, August 18, 2017

Talkin' Smack About Mackinac

Time for a road trip.  Destination:  Michigan.  We decided to check out a couple of places that we had always wanted to go: Mackinac Island and Henry Ford's Rouge Factory in Dearborn.  Packed the car. We all got in and away we went.

Mackinac Island 

We arrived in Mackinaw City which is on the lower peninsula end of the Mackinac Bridge  (amazing to see) to catch our ferry ride to the island.  Mackinaw City is a cool little place with an array of interesting little shops to check out.  (It kinda reminded me of Rehoboth.)  We parked our vehicle with Shepler's and boarded the ferry.  The ride to the island was scenic and enjoyable.

Arriving on the island, we got our luggage and made our way across the street to the Bicycle Street Inn.  Our room there was spacious and exceptionally clean.  The beds were a tad hard.  The continental breakfast that they offer in their Winchester Restaurant was DISGUSTING!!!!!!  There were flies on the food.  The food was cold or was stale.  The facility itself was cramped and dirty.  Finding someone  to clean a table for us was a chore in and of itself.  We tried to eat there the first morning of our stay, but thought the better of it.  We ate elsewhere the next few days.  For what they charge to stay at the inn, they should be embarrassed to serve their customers in such a poor manner.

If you like fudge, ice cream, cheesy touristy souvenir traps, and horse poop, then you'll love Main Street.



 Upside on Main Street:  You can rent bikes to ride around the island.  (I highly recommend that you do.  The majority of the island is breathtakingly beautiful. Take a leisurely ride and check it out. Arch Rock is a must see!)  If you want to eat, go to Riley's Grill.  Sit down by the harbor and enjoy the view.  Loved the food there (although they ran out of clam chowder by noon). Our waiter, Steve was fantastic!  Great place for a relaxing meal.  There are fudge places every few steps.  Grab some and and take a stroll up the street.  There are historic spots to see like Fort Mackinac.  If you are a pizza lover, then you MUST go to Doud's Market.  They serve pizza in the back of the store by the slice.  I'm not exaggerating in the least when I say we felt this was the best pizza that we have ever eaten.  We went back several times for it.  It really is that good!

Downside on Main Street.  It smells like horse crap.  The stuff is everywhere.  Seriously, watch your step!  It can get sot of crowded depending upon the time of day.  People on bikes are flying around up and down the street.  The stores become the same things over and over.  Goodfellow's Restaurant is pricey and the food isn't that great.  We had burgers and fries one night.  Not good.  The burger had no flavor and the fries were cold and hard as a rock.  I actually thought that I chipped a tooth on a French fry.  The service was bad as well.  Needless to say, we didn't go back.  We found the that the people that we interacted with there (workers) were either super friendly or super rude, which we found odd.

Not on Main Street.  We loved walking down Market Street.  There are some great shops and historical spots.  By far the friendliest people we met were in the shops on Market Street!  Also, you have to take the "Sip and Sail" twilight cruise.  It was a blast!  You get to see the sunset on the water, a trip to and under the Mackinac Bridge (short history lesson too), and entertainment to boot.  (We had singer, Charlie Reager on the night we went.  He had us all belting out tunes right along with him.  Great time!)

It poured down rain the day that we left.  As efficient as Shepler's was on the way to the island was as inefficient as they were when we left it.  No one gave any direction as to were to put your baggage for transport on the ferry.  When we got back to Mackinaw City, we had to retrieve our luggage in a building that was probably a good eighty yards from the boat (remember it was raining like no tomorrow), then walk to another location to catch a van to get our vehicle.  When we finally got to the car, we were drenched!  The entire thing would have probably been fine on a nice sunny day.  Shepler's really needs to put in place a more accommodating plan for their customers when the weather is inclement!

The Rouge Factory Tour




Roughly four hours later, we were in Dearborn to see Henry Ford's famed manufacturing facility.  My youngest son and I are big car buffs and had long talked about visiting The Rouge.  It was not to disappoint.  The only bump on the road with our visit was making all of us stand in the rain as they checked our tickets to board the bus that took you to the actual facility.

Great tour!!   Cool informative films, self paced visit of the factory (we got to see them making the F-150s), and sky room view of the entire complex.  There are other things to see and check out at the complex, but we ran short on time.  All in all, the tour was worth the time and the money.  If you get the chance, check it out!

While the road trip was fun and relaxing, it's good to be back home.  I've already started thinking about "where to next?"  I'm thinking Texas.  I guess that we'll just have to wait and see, pardner!

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Pulled Into The Station

I went with a bunch of friends last night to Cooper Station in Sarver, PA.  It's a little bar/restaurant that has a railroad theme to it.  In fact they have an old caboose in the parking lot.  The place is immaculate.  They have a great selection of food and beverages and the prices are very reasonable.  Our server was quick and efficient especially, considering the size of our party.

My only gripe is that some of the food was overcooked when it came out.  The chicken on my sandwich was extra extra extra crispy and two of my friends who ordered wings found them much the same.  These orders should have never been sent out to the customer.  Many of the other orders were fine. All in all it was great to be able to share a meal and some drinks with friends.

All aboard for Cooper Station???  Maybe.  I'll have to wait and see who my travel companions are going to be

Image result for Cooper Station sarver pa.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Cruisin'

I just got back from a cruise.  I hadn't been on one in over 25 years.  The ship that we (me and the family)  sailed on was the Carnival Pride.  While, for the most part, we had fun, there was some items that could have been improved.

I'll start with Carnival itself.  The Pride is older ship  and needs some TLC.  The constant upselling was totally annoying!!!!  You couldn't even enjoy dinner without someone in your face hawking pictures or drinks.  The excursions were pricey.  We did our own thing on the islands for a lot less and had a ball. Our cabin was tiny, but we managed.  The pools were small and crowded.  Get there early if you want to grab a lounge chair.

There was plenty to do on-board: karaoke, gambling, contests, shows, movie nights, and more.  There were some cool shops and bars as well.

We had bad seas on the way down and back.  I can only blame Mother Nature for this.  The waters calmed down while we were at the islands.

The three islands had much to be desired. Turks and Caicos were by far the best and prettiest.  The people were extremely friendly.  We went to Pillory Beach and swam and paddle boarded.  I have traveled globally and have to say that this is one of the prettiest places that I have ever seen.  Truly beautiful!!!!  Half Moon Cay was a bust and Freeport wasn't much better.  Both were kind of junky and touristy.  We did enjoy Margaritaville in Freeport.  The temp was hot and humid as one might expect in the Caribbean.  I thought that it was funny that even the locals were complaining about the heat.

Pillory Beach


The food (which was amazing on my first cruise)  I'd give an overall rating of a B+ on this one.  There is plenty of it and you can literally eat 24-7.  My favorite place to eat on the ship - Guy Fieri's Burger Joint.  I have to say these may be the best burgers in the world!!!  Also, room service was spectacular -  great chocolate cake!!!!

We loved the four comedians we saw on the ship at Punchliners.   Marvin Todd, Vincent Morris, Happy Cole, and Jeff Jena were hysterical.  I don't think that I have ever laughed so much in my entire life.  Kudos to all of them!!!!

I saved the best for last.  The staff was absolutely amazing.  They truly made the trip worthwhile.  Big shout outs to our servers: Glen, Sheldon, Gabriel, Maurice, and Cesar.  You guys were tremendous!!!!  Our cabin attendant, Made, did an outstanding job and met our every need.  Thank you, amigo!!!!

That about sums it up.  It was nice just to get away for a while and enjoy quality family time.  I still want to do an Alaskan cruise, but I think that I'll wait for a bit....I'm still trying to get my land legs back under me!

Friday, July 21, 2017

Frank the Tank

I had lunch today at a place called "The Yard".  The restaurant is located in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh.  My son had talked about the amazing grilled cheese sandwiches there for some time.  When he asked if I would like to go to lunch there with him, I jumped at the chance.



We both ended up ordering Frank the Tank.  Frank is a grilled cheese sandwich with buffalo chicken dip and fried onion rings on it. AWESOME!!!!!  It is served with tomato soup (more like tomato sauce) and homemade potato chips.  I can tell you that it is a ton of food.  It's been nearly five hours since we ate there and I still feel full.

I felt that the food is a tad pricey, but it won't stop me from going there again.  I hope that the next time we go there, we get a waitress with a personality.  All in all, a good experience.  When in the 'Burgh, yinz gotta try da Yard enat!

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Hammer Time

Things are heating up again with the search for the lost boys.  I just finished our favorite thunder hammer wielding Salamander.  After considering a bunch of different color schemes, I went with lime colored armor accented with pewter.  The scale covered areas were done in metallic green and then given a reddish-purple wash.  Flames on the armor were highlighted with yellow.  The hammer has a brown wooden shaft accented with pewter metal areas and the hammer head itself was done in two-tone gold. 
I can’t say that I’m a big fan of the pose. It reads,"too superhero".  The base is sort of odd.  It is on the smallish side and is a piece of rock with a dragon (actually, half of a dragon) climbing up it.  Like many of the KOL figures, this “Smith Knight” is rather small.   Anyway, it’s finished and I’m now half way done with the project.  Check out the pic.


Up Next: The nemesis of the Lord of the Forge!

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Adios, Amigos!

It's always sad to see players from the sports teams that you love get traded.  To you the fan, these players are a big part of the reason why you enjoy the team and the sport itself.  The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins are no exception.  A bunch of the guys that Pens fans have cheered their hearts out for are gone.  So long guys and thank you for all of your hard work, hustle, leadership, no-quit mentality, and for doing the black and gold proud.

Exiting the Pens:  Marc-Andre Fleury, Kris Kunitz, Matt Cullen, Trevor Daley, Nick Bonino, and Oskar Sundqvist.  It appears that recently acquired D-men, Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit won't be back either.  You guys will be missed.  There would be no Stanley Cup in the 'Burgh without all of you.  To the fans here in Pittsburgh, you will always be Penguins!  We will miss you.  Best of luck with your new teams!!!

So next season, Pens fans will see some new faces and have to learn some new names,  That's how it will be.  We will welcome the new guys and welcome back the vets.  Coach Sullivan and company will have the boys in black and gold ready to play.  The puck will drop and a new season will begin.  I can't wait!  Let's Go Pens!

Friday, June 23, 2017

One Can of Watermelon, Please





Tried a great summer beer the other night.  It's called Hell or High Watermelon by 21st Amendment Brewery out of San Francisco, CA.  I found this beer to be mighty tasty!  As I'm catching a few cold ones with friends around the fire, I plan on adding some of these beauties to the mix!


Thursday, June 22, 2017

Hard to Believe

If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes last night, I might not have believed it.  Rumors have circulated in Pittsburgh for some time about whether or not Marc-Andre Fleury would remain a Pen next season.  Seeing him in a Las Vegas Golden Knights jersey brought home the reality that he would not.

Like many Pens fans here in the Burgh, I've had my ups and downs with "Flower".  In the end, there is no denying that without him as the netminder, the Penguins wouldn't have won their last 3 Stanley Cups.

Fleury is a total class act.  He is going to be missed in Pittsburgh both on and off of the ice.  I wish him nothing but success (unless they're playing the Pens) with his new team in Vegas.
Bonne chance, mon amie!



Monday, June 12, 2017

Suffering Catfish



Suffering Catfish....I'm sure that is the expression in Nashville this morning after the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated their Predators 2-0 last night.  Pens were awesome!  Congrats all the way down the line from Mario to the Zamboni Driver.  Back to back Stanley Cups!!!  Can anyone say three-peat??!!

Image result for pens stanley cup 2017



I finished the Kabuki Knights of Legend Steam Knight yesterday.  The base that came with it was lame so I replaced it with one from Scibor.  This is one of my more favorite models from Kabuki.  The sculpt is cool and the pose is active. One more to go and I'll be half way through the project.




Saturday, May 27, 2017

I'd Be Lion To Ya

I take great pride in this little guy.  This angelic figure is from Scibor Miniatures.  It is from their Lion Warriors set.  The figure is nicely sculpted and comes with a great scenic base.  For the most part it was an easy build (except for trimming off all of the flash).  I think that the painting turned out decently well.  This is the eighth figure I've completed so far.  Number nine is in the works.  I've included a pic.  I hope that you like it.


The Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the Stanley Cup Championship.  Best of luck guys!!!!

Last night I ate at the Taipei-Tokyo Restaurant in Monroeville, PA.  I've eaten there many times over the years and at their other locations around the area.  The food is always fantastic,  the service excellent, and the price reasonable.  I had the General Tso's Chicken - superb!!!  I washed it down with a Tsingtao.  A great meal that I got to enjoy with family and friends!  If you love Chinese food, then you need to eat at Taipei-Tokyo.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

A Little Perturbed

This tiny bugger gave me one heck of a run for my money.  First of all, it had a piece missing.  Second, the glue that I initially used failed to hold parts together.  Last, but not least, I really struggled with a color scheme that I was happy with.  It took me some good old Internet searching to come up with one that I felt was decent.  When all was said and done, despite the struggles, I am pretty okay with the end result for this little Lord of Iron.  


I'm getting a tad worked up about my Picksburgh Penguinies.  In the last two games against the Caps, the boys in black and gold haven't looked too hot.  I'm hoping for a better game seven in D.C.  

One thing that I not perturbed about was the awesome cheese steak sub that I got from a little pizza joint named LaScola's.  This bad boy was huge, meaty, and delicious.  I'm looking forward to trying more of their stuff.  Yummy!!!!

Friday, April 21, 2017

Ultra Cool!

I just finished another member of the band of brothers.  This model is from Hitech Miniatures.  It is the ArchFather Theodor Madera figure.  The model overall is pretty cool as far as detail and pose.  It is roughly the same scale as the Scibor figures although perhaps a tad less clunky looking.

I dug out the model's head and replaced it with one I had from an old Heroclix figure (the one that came with it was small, bald and had a goatee which didn't quite fit the part as you will see).  I painted it in the colors of the Lucky 13th and added some decals to complete the look.

I'm super happy with how this particular bad boy turned out.  I'd appreciate it if you would take a second and check out the picture.  


Saturday, April 8, 2017

Anger Is The Enemy

One quarter of the way done.  With this Berserk Knight from Kabuki Studio completed, I have found five of the family.  This particular model put up one heck of a fight (as one might expect).  Where the ax connects to the model on the right side is an extremely small area that became a nightmare to keep together.  The same problem occurred connecting the tiny feet of the figure to the base.  I'm sure these will be areas that I will need to revisit in the future.

Much like the Preacher Knight, this model is on the smallish side.  Like all the other Kabuki KOL models, the figure has nice details.  The pose is decent.  However, the scenic base was really stupid looking so I converted it with some Sculpey.  I'm happy with the overall rock base look that I created.  I was tired of painting with gold so I went with black for the armor.  I gave the armor brass trim and did the leathers in red.


I am mostly happy with how this wayward warrior looks especially in contrast to his siblings.  As always, thanks for checking out my blog.  I am honored that you do!

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Fisticuffs

I finished another brother without a mother.  This brings the total to four.  I think that this particular son-of-an-emperor ended up looking pretty cool in my humble opinion. The figure is the Eagle Knight from Scibor Miniatures.  For the most part, it is a really nice and detailed sculpt.  Scibor does a great job with the scenic bases as well.  Take a look.



Saturday, March 18, 2017

My Three Sons

I just received three more Kabuki Knights of Legend in the mail from Noble Knight Games.  The "First Knight" is big in comparison to most of the other KOL models. The only other model that I have in that line to compare it with (as far as scale) is the Scarab Knight. The other two models are the Hydra and Ghost Knights which seem a little more in line with the rest of the KOL figures. I am including pics of the models from the Kabuki Studios website.

First Knight


Ghost and Hydra Knights

With these three, I have acquired all of the sons of the Emporer except Kabuki's Phoenix Knight.  Much like the Emporer himself, I will continue the quest to reunite all of the boys. Eighteen down; one to go!

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Word Up

Last night I finished another of my Kabuki Knights of Legend.  I feel that I did a pretty doggone good job on this one.  The model is the Preacher Knight.  I like the overall sculpt.  The base is really cool as well.  Compared to the Scarab Knight model and the Angel Knight model that I have completed recently, this model is a tad small.  It is still bigger than a GW Space Marine figure but not by a whole lot.  Check out the pic.  I hope that you like it.



* Went to First Watch for breakfast yesterday.  Great breakfast menu!  The food was super good.  Portions were pretty decent.  Service was outstanding! Nice atmosphere.  The only real negative was that it's a little pricey.  Having said that, it won't stop me from going there again.  


Friday, February 24, 2017

Guardian Angel

I finished my second son of the emperor.  The model is a Reaper Avatar of Aurelius.  When I first saw it online, I loved the pose of the figure and knew that I needed to have it.  Putting the wings on the model was a bit difficult, but overall, the build went well.  I am a little disappointed in the figures left hand...the fingers are somewhat disproportionate.The base is mostly custom.  I added a few more skulls,  a horn, a knife, and the severed head of a demon.   I went with a red and gold paint scheme.  The overall paint job turned out decently well.  So it's two down and eighteen to go (counting the emperor).

I ate lunch today at Ladles in Springdale, PA.  I had a grilled cheese sandwich called the Polishman.  The sandwich had a piece of sliced ham in it and a perogie.  Gotta say it was delicious!  The New England Clam Chowder that I had with it was amazing as well as was the Almond Tort that I had to top it all off.  The service was decent and the atmosphere is quaint.  It's not the first time that I have eaten at Ladles and I can assure you that it won't be the last.  They have a great menu and I have never had a bad meal there.  They also have a pretty nice bar with a good selection.  I recommend this little gem highly!






Sunday, February 12, 2017

Big Red




Well, I started the family reunion that I mentioned in an earlier post.  A while back I got a bunch of Kabuki Knights of Legend miniatures from Hangar 18.  I decided to kick off the project with everyone's favorite magic man....that's right, the Scarab Knight.  Overall, I really think the son-of-an-emperor turned out pretty doggone well.

 On the upside, it is a pretty well-sculpted model overall.  There is plenty of detail and the pose of the figure is super cool.  On the downside:  I feel that the arms are a tad short for the model.  One of the fingers was missing and I had to fabricate a new one.  There were supposed to be some tattered pieces of cloth that hung from the top of the weapon, but they were so brittle that they were broken in the packaging.  There are also some "spirits" that are supposed to come from Big Red's hand, but I thought they looked really dumb.  The cape didn't quite fit, so I filled in some spots with Sculpey.

Unlike the other Kabuki models, this one did not come with a scenic base.  I made one for it using two broken columns that I had from some Heroclix Alien figures and some Sculpey.  I tried to make the ground look like sand but somewhat alive as well (like a sponge perhaps).  I threw on some rubble to add to the overall feel of destruction.  Check out the pic. I hope that you like what you see!




On the food front, I went to Burgatory with my son yesterday.  Great burger!  Great chips!  Semi-cool atmosphere.  Decent service.  Really got turned off when the waitress asked if I wanted my change when she came to take up the bill.  I don't mind giving a server a good tip for good service.  I just found her to be a tad presumptuous in asking.  I'll go back again...the burger was just that good!!!

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Big Day In Da 'Burgh

The buzz has been big all week.  The Steelers are in the playoffs once again.  The opponent this time - the smelly fish from Miami.  The Steelers are looking for a little payback after a loss to the Dolphins earlier in the season.  I'm looking forward to kicking it back later and checking out the game.  GO STEELERS!!!!

The Pens also play today.  After a bit of a break, I can't wait to see them take the ice again tonight.  Ironically, the Penguins are also playing a team from Florida - The Tampa Bay Lightning.  So it's North versus South once again.  LET"S GO PENS!!!!

Other items of note:

Pretzel Sandwich
*Went out with family to Stoke's restaurant in the North Hills.  It was a good overall experience.  The service was pretty decent.  The atmosphere was OK...nothing fancy.  Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals.  I had a roast beef sandwich on a pretzel bun.  I thought that it was tasty.  I really enjoyed the beer I had.  It was called Too Cream Stout by Dark Horse Brewery.  Loved the flavor.  I thought that the place was a tad pricey, but overall, I think that we all had a good time.


* I wanted to share a pic of the last miniatures that I completed in 2016.  Two are Reaper Bones minis and one is from Malufaux.  I modified one to resemble our favorite Road Warrior and did a head swap on the Malifaux figure.  Check 'em out.

*The Primarch Project is underway.  I am starting with the most mystical of the bunch.  Pics and progress to follow.  Gotta run.  Later gators...that sounded too Floridian, right?!