Fun In The Sun

Needed to get away for a bit.  Needed some warm weather and some sunshine.  Headed to L.A. and loved it.  Temps were in the mid 60s.  Beautiful!

I've spent a lot of time in So-Cal since the late 70s so I sorta know my way around out there.  Last time that we were in L.A. we had a time constraint and didn't get to see much.  So the objective this time was to have my wife and kids see all the touristy stuff.

We stayed at the Residence Inn in downtown L.A. near L.A .Live.  It is super clean, the staff is friendly, and is convenient to most places in the downtown area.  One big knock, three different times we called the desk for house-keeping.  Three times we were promised what we asked for.  Three times the items never arrived.  Even after I went to the desk to ask a second time for an item, it never came.

We went to the Kings-Knights game at the Staple Center. Spent an enjoyable day out at the La Brea Tar Pits and LA County Museum of Art.  We did a tour with a Day in LA.  Saw/visited Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Griffith Park, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, and more.  Our guide, Colin did a great job.

Went to dinner at El Cholo Cafe in Pasedena.  Pasedena is super nice.  Ate breakfast at the legendary Original Pantry Cafe.  We waited nearly an hour to get in.  Great pancakes!!!  We also had pizza at the Yard House by LA Live.  It was pretty doggone tasty.  Tried 805 Ale - SOOO Good!

The flights to and fro were on Southwest.  I hate their BS conformation and boarding crap, but I have to say, that I have never had a bad flight flying with them. I watched a movie called Spectral on the way home.  It was a cool scifi film.

Back in the Burgh now.  A tad cold.  But glad to be home.  Happy 2019 to one and all!

Warehouse...There House...There Castle

Any fans of Young Frankenstein will appreciate the title.  Thought that I would share some pics with you of my latest project.  I call it the warehouse.  I've been building it since last summer.  It was a bit of a pain in the rear to put together.

The building is constructed with walls from the Mantic Games 20th Century Brick Urban Terrain.  I added some "granny grid" and pieces of Plasticard to reinforce some areas.

The large containers are made from bottle-caps from Coke products.  The smaller barrels are from Novus Design Studio.  The large ones along with the buckets and gas cans are from Tamiya.  The crates and tires are by JR Miniatures.  The rest of the scatter are various odds and ends that I had in a box.

I made the top removable for easier access and play.  I think that it comes across as exactly what it's supposed to be...an old bombed out warehouse.  I staged it with Reaper Bones IMEF Marines on the top floor and Dust Tactics Axis Apes on the bottom.

Check out the photos.  See if you can spot the headless Terminator by River Horse.

Front

Back

Top

Bottom

Side 2

Side 1

Turkey, Sports, and Cranberry

Today is the one day of the year that I get to eat as much as I want without calorie counting,  I've already unbuttoned the top of my jeans to allow for the expanding girth to come.  As I sit here anticipating the meal, I am quite aware of how fortunate I am.

I have a wonderful wife and (adult) kids, two pretty cool pets, a job that allows me to do a great number of things, and a nice home.  I live in a the U.S. which, despite it shortcomings, is a blessing in and of itself.

To my fellow Americans, have a enjoyable Thanksgiving.  To all the rest out there on planet Earth, I wish you nothing but the best.  I hope that today is a great day for one and all!

*****

Pittsburgh sports are rocking right now.  The Steelers are looking good.  Pitt football is rolling in the ACC.  The Penguins got a much needed win last night over the Dallas Stars. Patric Hornqvist's play was a big reason for the win.  He really is the cranberry, as Bob Errey put it.  The team played extremely well overall !

Bulls and Beer

Took a little trip over the weekend to lovely Benezette, PA to check out the Elk.  Fall is here.  There is a cool crispness to the air and the leaves have turned.  Beautiful reds, browns, oranges and yellows covered the mountains as we made our way north. The Elk did not disappoint.  They are truly majestic creatures. It was a very enjoyable excursion.




On the way there I found a little drive-thru beer distributor in DuBois.  I stopped to grab some Oktoberfest Beer.  There is nothing like a good Marzen this time of year.  The man who waited on me recommended one.  It is made by Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, Texas.  I have to say the man knew what he was talking about.  This stuff is damn good!  Great taste and a nice little kick to boot!  I'm glad I bought it!  If you get a chance, try some.

Say Hello To My Little Friends

Miniatures Market had a great closeout sale a few weeks back.  I grabbed some figures from the Golem Arcana game, a set from Arcane Legions, and some other stuff.  I just finished modifying the Golems.  I will use them as 28mm models.  I eliminated the silly looking little jockey guys and replaced them with Sculpey or skulls from Secret Weapon Miniatures.  I think that they turned out decently.

The figures in the back of the picture are pretty darn big and exceptionally cool looking.  The 3 figures in the middle are about the same size as a frost or fire giant from D&D, Pathfinder, or Reaper.  The Sand Lion on the left is a tad larger than a standard 28mm figure.  Take a look and see what you think.

Pens are back in action.  Steelers got a win.  The Pitt Panthers too.  Ya gotta love the Fall here in da Burgh!

Silent But Deadly

I finished a set of figures from the old Alkemy Miniatures Game that I've had for some time.  The set is from the Jade Triad faction. It includes a captain and a set of ninjas.  I basically tried to emulate the way that the figures appeared in the picture on the box.  I really liked the way that they looked and decided not to change it.

So Good!!

I recently ate a few places that deserve a mention.  I was in Squirrel Hill, PA and decided to grab a bite at a place which I hadn't been to in some time.  The name of the place is the Bagel Factory.  It is on Forbes Avenue.  It's not really big. It's not fancy. The service is a tad slow.  However, the food is worth it!  The bagel breakfast sandwich was totally amazing!!!!  I grabbed a dozen bagels for the road as well.  Can't wait to go there again!






Taipei - Tokyo is a fantastic Chinese Restaurant in Monroeville, PA.  It is a place that the family and I have frequented for many years.  Yesterday, I just had the urge for their General Tso's chicken.  As usual, the service was excellent.  The meals are always delicious and very fresh tasting,  The cost is more than reasonable.  Love this place!




Bob's Sub at the Pittsburgh Mills is a great place if your hungry for a hoagie (as we call them in da Burgh!).  I had a mushroom cheese steak and have to say it was super!!  The place is clean.  The service was excellent.  The price was decent for the amount of food.  They will definitely see me back there soon!



If you're out here in the Pittsburgh area, try these places.  Ya gotta trust me on this one.  You won't regret it!

Not Good

This year's Pitt-Penn State Game was (pun intended) the pits.  Sorry Happy Valley that the Panthers couldn't give you guys much of a football contest.  The boys in blue and gold put up a decent first half and then the bottom fell out.  You can't make that many mistakes and win a game.  It was tough to watch.

Also bad: John Anthony's Restaurant in Plum Borough, PA.  Friends said that they had been there and the food was good.  They are not our friends any more!  The food was decent at best.  Service was awful!!!!! It took over an hour to get our appetizer and then over thirty minutes after that for our meals to come up.  The French Fries were coated with salt.  We couldn't even eat them.  I will never go back there again.  Terrible experience.  Somebody needs to take this place over and give it a total reboot!!!!

I'll Gladly Pay You Tuesday...

...for a hamburger today.  Any fans of the old Popeye cartoon I'm sure recognize that line.  While I do plan on grilling a little later (Happy Labor Day to my fellow workers in the U.S.), I wanted to post some pictures that I took of my completed Combat Burger Joint by Novus Design Studio.  The company did away with the Combat Burgers sign on the model as well as the shed roof (two of the features which I really liked).

I managed to get the roof part but the sign was a different story.  I decided to make my own sign as well as make some other additions and/or changes.  I added a counter, a grill, some supplies, a few extras, and some additional debris.  Take a look at the pics.  I'm super happy with how this turned out.

Next:  Some terrain from Mantic Games.

Recent Builds

Still on a roll with stuff for my upcoming wargaming table.  I made some scatter terrain from parts of an old toy and some odds and ends I had.  I think that they turned out to be pretty cool looking.

I also finished this destroyed building from Amera Plastics.  Their products are vacuformed.  When I opened it, I was concerned that the building might not be strong and durable enough to handle bigger figures and their weight.

I reinforced all of the floor pieces with plastic strips and filled in the remainder of the space with vinyl spackling.  To support the heavier floors I added some columns to the walls and a 90 degree bracket to the area where the 2 wall sections meet.  Some rubble and detail pieces were added to give it some story.  A lot of paint and superglue later, it's finally done.

One down, two to go as far as the Amera buildings that I purchased are concerned.  They're a bit of a pain in the bum to put together.  I don't know if I'd buy more of them down the road.  But, the price was right and they have the look that I wanted for the table.

I started the Combat Burger Joint from Novus Designs as my next building.  It's really coming along nicely.  I'll get some pics out when I'm done.  Thanks for checking out my blog.  I'm always honored that you do.  

This And That

I've not been real focused as of late as far as my miniatures hobby is concerned.  I'm putting up some pics of a few things that I've put together over the past couple of weeks.  Check 'em out.

The armored troops are made from Mantic Maurader bodies and some masks/helmets from Dust Tactics.  I'm going to use them as some Ogryn assult group.

The terrain is a pipeline and a landing pad that I put together with some odds and ends that I had around the garage.  I think that they turned out pretty decent.   I might add some LED lighting to the landing pad.  I plan to use them on my gaming table (if I ever get it finished!!!).

The bulldozers were made from cheap plastic toys that I found at Dollar General.  I was inspired by this picture.  I made a few mods and added some details.  I like 'em!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (a Boat too!)

Went on the road this month.  Spent some time in Harrisburg at a conference.  Went to Florida for a few days to contemplate retirement there.  Then I packed up my game and headed out West.  It was quite a busy few weeks.

While in Harrisburg, I stayed at the Sheraton Hershey Harrisburg Hotel.  I wish I hadn't.  I did get a free Hersey Bar when I checked in and they had Hershey Kisses in the lobby.  That's as good as it got.  My first room had cobwebs in the corners of the window. There was old crumbs of food behind the sofa, and nail clippings on the carpet.  When I complained, they moved me to a different room which wasn't a whole lot better.  The exterior of the windows looked like they hadn't been cleaned in months.  When I looked outside, it looked foggy every day.  The place could be nice with proper management and upkeep.

The hotel is definitely convenient to shopping (next to a shopping center}, food (tons of places to eat nearby.  Try Fiesta Mexico.  Loved this place!) and highways to get around Harrisburg.  Went to Pizza Boy Brewing Company.  Great pizza and awesome selection of craft beers.  I also got over to the Adventures Guild Hobby store.  Bought a ton of Reaper minis.  The guys who work there were a little standoffish at first but warmed up after a bit.  After talking, we ended up knowing a bunch of the same people in the gaming community.  Did a little gambling at the Hollywood Casino as well.


Florida was a very different story.  Stayed at the Seaside Inn on Amelia Island.  Loved it there.  Room was small but very clean and comfortable.  Great staff.  Good breakfast.  Close to the beach.  Next to a little beach bar and restaurant.  Awesome weather.  Beautiful!!!!

The island is great and easy to get around.  Enjoyed the historic district.  If you go to Amelia Island, you must eat at Brett's.   This is one of the best places that I have ever eaten. Great food and drinks.  Excellent service.  AMAZING deserts!!!!  Wonderful view of the water.

We drove over to The Villages to visit with family.  The Villages are nice with lots to offer but aren't my cup of tea.  It was a nice to spend time with folks that we haven't seen for a while.

For the past week or so, I was out West  (temps most days well over 100 degrees!).  We flew into Phoenix which is a really nice city.  We enjoyed our stay at the Hilton there.  Next we drove out to Sedona and stayed at the Hilton at Bell Rock  (This place is awesome!!!!)  We found a great place to eat called The Red Rock Cafe.  Fantastic breakfast!!!  My son had a 3 pound cinnamon roll!!!  A tad pricey but worth every penny.  Excellent service.

We did  a sunset Jeep tour with A Day in the West.  Great time!  Ask for Dan the Man for your tour guide.  He did a superb job!  Also, we checked out the V Bar V Ranch for some super cool Native American petroglyphs.

 

Drove through the mountains to Williams to grab a train to the Grand Canyon.  We stayed at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel.  The room was spacious and clean and staff was great.  The sofa/pullout bed...TERRIBLE!!!  All meals are buffet and in a restaurant which is a short walk from the hotel.  Gotta say the food and service was just okay.  The legendary Route 66 passes through Williams.  Got to walk, shop, and drive on it.  It is really a step back in time.


The Grand Canyon itself is beyond words to describe.  I felt awed by it!

One thing that we all noticed in Arizona is that the people are exceptionally friendly.  They are proud of their state and want you to enjoy it while you are there.


Thanks guys for making our stay enjoyable.  LOVED IT!

Left Williams and drove to Vegas.  We stayed at the Palazzo.  The place is spectacular!!!!  Ran up to the Shelby Museum.  Grabbed dinner at Grimaldi's.  They have the best pizza in the world!!!!!!  Our waitress, Katie, was wonderful!!!  Did a little gambling, saw the sights,  shopped a bit (got some great cookies at the Honolulu Cookie Company), left with less money than we started with.

Flew out to San Francisco.  Bad move.  The weather sucked...very cold (in the mid 50s).  (Twain is credited with saying something like; the worst winter was the summer in San Francisco).  Stayed at the Hilton in Union Square.  Nice clean spacious room.  Hotel was crazy busy!  It's in a really dirty area of the city.  Lots of homeless, beggars, and drug addicts.  Close to great shopping.  We ate at Somas.  Bad move number two.  Limited menu, service wasn't great, pricey, and the food was decent at best. (Three of the four of us ended up being sick later!)

Did Fishermans Wharf the next day.  It was fun and very cool.  Lots of great shops and places to eat.  Went on the Red and White Cruise of the bay.  Bad move number 3.  It cost an arm and a leg (as does everything in the town) and wasn't worth the money.  Their audio headphone system didn't work and it really messed up the tour.  While it was cool to see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, the rest of the trip was a bust.  I did get to see and ride on Lombard Street which is something that I really wanted to do.

If you have to go to San Fran, dress for the weather, have a ton of money, be prepared for the filth, use Uber or Lyft, stay down by the Wharf, and plan to deal with some of the rudest people in the U.S.

I have traveled all over the world and I can tell you for sure that I'd never go back to that hellhole.  I left my broken heart in San Francisco.

                                                  ******


With all of the travel, I only got this one little gem done in July.  He is a fully custom Vraksian Ogryn.  I made him out of a bunch of bitz I had in a box.  I really enjoyed cobbling together this wee warrior.

June Bugs

While they're not exactly bugs, in the world of sci fi miniatures, they might be bug hunters, very big bug hunters!  This is a set of Reaper Bones IMEF Space Marines.  I went with a color scheme that I saw on a blog at one time.  The color was referred to as "Ghost Green".  I really liked it when I first saw it and decided to try it on  this group.  I am very pleased with the results.  Please take a look and see what you think of the team.  (Now I need to get a group together for them to take on...next project??!!)

I've Got A Good Feeling About This

I saw the new Star Wars movie last night.  Solo, in a word, was great.  I think that it is a dang close second to Rogue One as far as Star Wars films go.  I enjoyed the story, thought that the acting was tremendous throughout, and the special effects were done well (I could have done without the space octopus though). The movie is truly enjoyable and a great fast-paced ride.  Look for the Easter Eggs in the command center of Dryden Voss! 

Also:  I've been working on a set of Reaper's IMEF Marines.  So far, so good.  Pics to follow.

May The 4 Be With You....Me????

Here are my four miniatures for May. All the minis are from the Reaper's Bones line.  I painted two to look like Drow warriors.  I have a Skeletal Knight and an Iron Golem to complete the group.  I'm pretty darn happy about the work I did on them.  Picture included:

Back Home

River Walk
VisitTheUSA.com

May has been a pretty great month.  I was recently in San Antonio, Texas.  It is the 300th year anniversary of the founding of the city.  I was born there in 1961 when my father was stationed at Fort Sam Houston.  It took me a while to head back home (over 55 years).  My wife surprised me with a long weekend trip there as an early birthday gift.  I have to say, I fell in love with the place.

The city is beautiful.  The weather was perfect. The people are warm and friendly.  There is much to do and see.  We went to the Alamo.  We walked, shopped, and dined along the fabulous River Walk.  I truly enjoyed every minute.  I'd go again in a heartbeat.

Closer to home, my Pittsburgh Penguins are out of the Stanley Cup hunt.  I'm pulling for the Vegas Golden Knights (lots of former Pens)!  It would a legendary story if they were to win it all in their inaugural season.  Good luck to the guys in gold!

Not much on the hobby front.  I did paint a few Reaper figures.  I completed two Drow warriors and a Skeletal Knight.  Too much to do.  Maybe I'll get another one done over the holiday break. 

As always,  thanks for reading.  "Y'all come back now, ya hear?"

Ape About Zombies

April showers bring you apes and zombies??? I just finished three sets of figures from the Dust Tactics.  I've had these guys for some time and thought I'd finally get them painted.  I'm pretty happy with them. 

Axis Zombies

Axis Gorillas

More Monkey Madness

Good Stuff

The Pens defeated the Flyers and are headed to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Fans in Philadelphia showed no class. They actually threw beer at the Pens (wasting beer...total morons!!!!)  I'm from the 'Burgh and a Dallas Cowboys fan to boot, I still rooted for your "Birds" in the Super Bowl.  Come on now, have a little dignity.

Speaking of beer, over the weekend I tried a beer that I've been hearing about for some time.  I have to say that I wasn't disappointed in the least.  It's called Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale.  This stuff is damn good!!!!

The Minis of March

Five pirates, four goblins, three French Hens (just kidding), and two Driders - not bad.  I was hoping for more, but I'll take it.  I think that I did decently on them.  Some turned out better than others.  For the most part, I'm happy.  Check 'em out!