Worth a Watch!

Like many folks, I enjoy watching holiday themed movies.  Jingle All The Way, A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, to name a few.  Last night the family and I watched Daddy's Home 2.  This is my new favorite holiday movie.  I laughed so hard so many times that sides actually hurt this morning.  Too funny!  Two thumbs up!  A definite "to do" for the holiday season.  Go watch it...you can thank me later!

Back On Track(s)

I got a Gothic Train set for Christmas,  It will make one heck of a cool addition to my wargaming table (when I get it finished).  It's a 28mm 3D printed model sold by Game Mats.  You get the engine plus several cars and the track as well.  Great model, love the details!  Can't wait to get it painted up and see what it looks like finished.

I got a copy of B.C. Richard's Bloodhaven.  Vampires and werewolves battling it out in the woods of colonial North America.  Throw in some Native Americans and and a boatload of pirates and you got one wild story.  Not done with it yet, but it's been a great read so far.

Happy holidays to all!

Royalty

Just finished this Fire Giant Princess from Reaper Bones.  Great model.  Easy to paint.  I think

it turned out decently.  Take a look and see what your thoughts are.  Not sure what I'll work on next.  I'm thinking some terrain perhaps.

That's the Spirit!

I just discovered one of the most delicious deserts that I have ever tasted. It's made by Haagen-Dazs. It's from their Spirits Line.  Stout Chocolate Pretzel Crunch is beyond amazing.  I was hooked after the first bite.  Creamy, crunchy, and a great stout flavor to boot...what more could you ask for?!  Get yourself some today, you deserve it!

For more information on their other Spirits products:
https://www.haagendazs.us/about/news/introducing-the-spirits-ice-cream-collection

Moonshine and Mayhem

I stopped at a little place just outside of St. Marys, PA and picked up these two beauties.  Chicken Hill Distillery has a wide variety of moonshine and other beverages to choose from.  You can taste test before buying which is something that I liked.  The place itself is really cool inside and the staff was super friendly.  I'm very happy with my purchases!

On the miniatures front, I picked up this cyberdemon from the Doom boardgame on ebay a few weeks ago.  I always liked the way the figure looked.  I took my good old time painting it and decided to base the figure as well.  I love the way it turned out.  Take a look and see what you think.  As always, thanks for taking the time to check out my blog.  I appreciate it.

Goblins, Witches, and Demons...

...and more scary stuff,,,and they are all in the new book from the Writers 3, Blood & Steel.  The Writers 3 are some writers from my neck of the woods, Western PA.  I've been reading their stuff for the past few years and it's pretty darn good!  This new book is a collection of fantasy stories that they have done over the years.  You can get it for FREE on October 31st  on  Amazon.com.  It's a nice little treat for Halloween!

They also have stories in a new book that will be out soon called, Tales from the Grimacing Goblin, which is a follow up book to last year's The Forging of the Ring,  You can check out their website for details:  The Writers 3

Hairy, Scary, and Extraordinary

Thirteen things that go bump in the night.  I finished this project WAY before Halloween (see last blog entry).  These macabre  miniatures are all from Reaper Bones.  Ringing the group are eight wicked warriors destined to do dark deeds.  The winged demonic ape adds to the mayhem.  At the center of the madness is a ravage bear from the Numenera line.  Three mushroom men complete the odd ensemble.  I'm definitely pleased with this little group of boogie men.  No trick here, just a treat!

Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

Check out this smokin' hot Fire Giant Miniature from Reaper.  Great sculpt!  Active pose!  Very expressive!  I really enjoyed painting this one.  The base is from Reaper's new Base Boss line.  It's really great. It's well made and very sturdy.

Next project:  I'm planning to get 13 of the creepiest little minis done by Halloween.  Hopefully it will be devilishly fun!

Whatever Happened To Laverne & Shirley?

They ended up in Hell and became these two!  Not really, these demonic darlings are from Reaper Bones Miniatures.  The one in the foreground is Sinessa and the one in back is Tiviel.  I started them in July and got around to putting the final touches on them today.  I hope that I can get them into play soon and see what mischief they can cause on the gaming table.

You Scream, I Scream....

Plasticville Frosty Bar

...We all scream for ice cream.  You would, especially at the Frost Bar.  This is my take on the Frosty Bar by Plasticville,  Since I will be using it on my wargaming table (Someday!!!), I decided to make it look like it would fit into a post-apocalyptic city.  I made a few mods and added some stuff.  I think it turned out to be pretty cool looking. It's been renamed the Frost Bar.  You get a free toe-tag with your order. I think it will go well with the Combat Burger building.  Take a look. (How'd those snakes get in there??)

Frost Bar - lid on

Frost Bar - lid off

Muchos Minis and More

Thought I'd share some minis I finished recently.  Check 'em out.

First up is my version of the G.I. Joe Cobra Baroness.  This is a converted HeroClix mini.  I think that she will make a good addition to the set of Cobra figures that I did a while back.

These guys and gals are from Modiphius Miniatures.  They are Romulans from their Star Trek Adventures line.

This Eisenkern Rifle Squad was a royal pain in the dupa to put together.  I'm not exceptionally pleased with the result.  The gray paint turned out to be much darker than I anticipated.  Not my best work.

That's what I've been up to to stay out of trouble.  I did get some reading done.  Eric Larson's Thunderstruck was an interesting read.  I read Devil in the White City a few year's back.  I also just picked up his In the Garden of Beasts.  Great stories immersed in historical facts.

Another book that I read was Leonard Herrington's Elmdale Sagas: Book 3.  Fantastic book of horror short stories with a twist.  Very enjoyable!

Simple Things

I got up early today.  It's a sunny summer Sunday...beautiful!  No one else is up and the house is peacefully quiet.  I made some coffee and sat and sipped it as I looked out the window.  No rush, no hurry.

My stomach started to growl.  I took a look in the fridge and found treasure.  I toasted an Everything Bagel.  When it popped, I put some peanut butter on it.  I then added some sliced banana and topped it all with a mix of Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries.  I smooshed the whole thing together and took a bite...AMAZING!

Why am I telling you this?  I'm not sure.  Maybe it's just sometimes we need to step back and appreciate the wonderful simple little things in our lives.  Take care and enjoy your day!

Rock 'n' Troll

The first time I saw this model from Privateer Press, I knew I had to have it.  I got it at a good price from Miniatures Market a couple of years ago.  I've finally gotten around to painting this bad boy.  It's the Earthborn Dire Troll from their Hordes Line.

It was an easy assemble and paint.  I changes the rock color from tan (in the box cover picture) to gray,  I kept with the bluish-green skin tone.  All-in-all, I’m pleased with the end result. Take a gander and see what you think.

Brutes, Beasts, and Bad A$$es

A busy July to say the least. Nine pretty cool miniatures from the Reaper Bones Collection. A handful of barbarians, a troll, an orc, an ettin, and a woodland hunter.  Some of my better work to date.  Check 'em out.

Satisfaction

I read in the local paper that when the Rolling Stones played in Jacksonville that Mick Jagger ate at restaurant here on Amelia Island called Espana.  My wife and I went to eat there yesterday evening and it was magnificent. 


The place is quaint. The service was fabulous.  Everyone working there couldn't have been nicer.

For our meals, we went with several of the tapas.  Each was terrific in its own right.  I washed mine down with a Killer Whale Cream Ale by Bold City Brewery in Jacksonville...good stuff!  The food was filling and delicious.  I just finished the leftovers for lunch!

Sorry, Mick, despite what you and the Stones have been singing about over the years, at Espana, I got satisfaction!

Sunshine in St. Augustine

My wife and I have been in Florida on vacation.  Staying on Amelia Island has been wonderful.  Yesterday when we got up and saw the sunshine, we decided to take a ride.  St. Augustine is about 90 minutes south of where we are and so off we went.  Great easy drive and boom:  we were in one of the prettiest cities in the U.S. that I have ever seen.  We were instantly in love with America's first city.

We took the tour with Old Town Tours.  It was very informative and enjoyable.  I liked the fact that you could get on and off the trams and explore the sites that you wanted to.  We visited Castillo de St. Marcos and the Pirate Museum (a bit cheesy).  The city is beautiful!  The water, the buildings, Lion's Bridge, the lighthouse...all of it is remarkable.  We are already planning to go back and stay longer.

While in Florida we have discovered a great place to eat.  It's called Mellow Mushroom.  The chain serves, pizza (outstanding!), sandwiches, and other items (try the pretzel bites!) and has a full bar area as well.  We've been to the one in Jacksonville and now the one in St. Augustine and had great experiences at both.

It looks like another beautiful day outside again.  I think I'll head over to the beach.  Later.

Kickin' It Back

I've been on Amelia Island in Florida for a few weeks now on vacation.  It's been great just to be able to chill.  No worries!  The temps have been on the hot side (in the 90s)  but the breeze on the beach has been great and a dip in the pool has helped as well.  We've done some site-seeing and hit a few of the local establishments for food and drink (I'm determined to eat some gator while I'm here.)

Tonight we just kicked back and relaxed.  I had a couple of Kona Longboards and have to say that I totally enjoyed them.  Hoping to head down to St. Augustine in the next few days and maybe hit Daytona too.  We'll see what happens.

Freedom

ameliaislandliving.com

I feel fortunate to have been born here in the U.S.  Despite all of the problems we have here (and there are many), having traveled globally, I wouldn’t  want to be any place else.  It is a beautiful country with wonderful people (for the most part). I love it!

To my fellow Americans, be safe, have fun, enjoy our day, and take a minute to honor all the brave men and women in uniform that protect us and our nation.  Reminder to take pets in tonight.  Our four legged friends don't enjoy the boom-booms as much as we do.  Take care and Happy Fourth of July from sunny Amelia Island!

The Rise of Cobra

I just completed a set of Reaper Bones Nova Corps miniatures.  I did a head swap with some Cobra inspired heads I got from Reptilian-Overlords.  All painted up, they look like they're ready to take on the Joes.  I'm hoping to make a Cobra Commander, Baroness, Destro, and Storm Shadow down the road.  Check 'em out!

A Case of the Blues

Congratulations to the St. Louis Blues.  The newest Stanley Cup Champions defeated the Boston Bruins in 7 games.  All of the games in the series were great.  To watch these two clubs play against one another the way they did was phenomenal for hockey fans everywhere.  Jordan Binnington's goaltending in game 7 was insane!  Loved it!

Hockey  is over for now.  Time to get off the couch and actually do stuff.  (I can't wait for hockey to start!)

Heavy Metal

Heavy Metal was the name of an animated movie that came out in 1981 which was based on the incredible magazine series that was published at the time.  It might have been shown in this little gem of a movie theater back when it had seen better days (less Chaotic times perhaps???) 

This is the Metal Theatre model by Novus Design Studio.  I finally have gotten around to painting it.  The model is very similar to their other Sci Fi buildings such as Combat Burgers.  It is the third of their products that I have painted.  I like them because they are made of resin and are very sturdy,  What I don't like is that you have to scrub the heck out of them to get the mold release off (make sure that you do!!!)  The other thing is that often have warped floors and walls which is a bit of a pain.  Painted up, they look pretty cool overall.

Take a peek and see how my version turned out.  As always, I am honored that you take the time to check out my humble little blog.  Take care and have a great day!

Sweet Home Alabama

Statue of Vulcan

Went to our friend's daughters' wedding in Birmingham.  I've been all over the South, but had never been to Alabama.  You folks in Birmingham know the meaning of Southern hospitality.  I met some of the kindest friendliest folks there.  We truly enjoyed ourselves and are already planning to go back.

The wedding was fun and we had a good time.  It was nice to reminisce with old friends and to meet new ones.  The bride is my wife's godchild and she looked beautiful.

We stayed at the Marriott Colonnade/Grandview Hotel.  The place was clean and exceptionally nice.  The staff was warm, friendly, and extremely helpful.  Great stay!

The Summit is nearby the hotel.  This is a fabulous place for drinks, dinning, and shopping.  We made our way over there several times.  Try the pizza at the California Pizza Kitchen...superb!

You have to go over to the Big Spoon Creamery while you're in Birmingham.  Amazing ice cream!!!   Plenty of flavors to choose from.  Fast excellent service!  Fun 50s theme.

I have to say that Birmingham is truly a magical place.  The weather was great.  The scenery was beautiful.  The people that we met were wonderful.  What more could you ask for?

Spring Fever

After nearly two months of being down with an injury, I managed to knock out three figures from Reaper Bones Miniatures.  The Clockwork Dragon turned out decently well.  I really like how the gold on gold paint scheme looks.  The Ghoul Queen was challenging to paint to say the least.  I enjoyed painting the Red Mantis Assassin.  I do apologize for the pic.  Someday I'll get a decent camera.

Family Matters

I saw Avengers: End Game on Sunday.  While I didn't like it as much as Infinity War, I still thought that it was good.  I thought that the story got off to a slow start and then seemed rushed at the end.  I also feel that sometimes too much was done which may or may not lead to other movies down the road.  Well, that's my gripe.

What I enjoyed was that most of the entire film was about family.  In the end, what mattered most was loved ones.  They were what was most important to nearly all of the characters.

Tony Stark finally realizing that he had to sacrifice himself to save all the loved ones for the others ahead of his own family's needs has one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen on film.

To see Steve Rogers finally able to be with his one true love, Peggy Carter, warmed the heart.

And the list goes on:  Clint reunited with his.  Natasha referring to the Avengers as her family and then making the ultimate sacrifice for her friend and teammate.  Bruce trying to bring Natasha back, knowing that she had loved him.  Scott risking everything to see his daughter.  Thor's reunion with his mother and Tony's encounter with his father.   Peter's excitement at seeing his father figure, Stark, still alive.  The sadness Clint and Wanda felt knowing that loved ones would never return.  Other Avengers are also reunited with family.  It is tremendous and it drives the film.

Rocket acknowledges that the Guardians are family.  We even see the family dynamic between Nebula, Gamorra, and Thanos (as dysfunctional as it is!).

The theme of family and love permeates the film.  It also involves friendships: Bucky and Sam with Cap, Happy and Tony, Clint and Natasha.  But even those are based on the characters love and caring about one another.

With all of that love, family, and friendship, how could I not like this film.  In the end, that is what won the day.  Kudos to the directors, Anthony and Joe Russo for a film that can be enjoyed by all (especially, we long time fans of Marvel Comics and characters).  As Stan the Man would have put it, "Excelsior!"

Need To Get Organized

My miniature wargaming hobby is getting a tad out of control.  With all of the miniatures, terrain, vehicles, and accessories that I have, storage and organization are becoming a bit of an issue.  I keep going back and forth as to how to categorize things.  I can do it by genre, manufacturer, good or evil, or perhaps scale.  I'm really not sure about which way would be the best.  I'm not even sure about whether I want to display them or just store them.  Since I have so much of the stuff, I only want to do it once and not have to do it by trial and error.  Wish me luck!

Win Over Washington

Last night the Penguins looked like the NHL champions, not the Washington Capitals.  Captain Sidney Crosby's 2 goals helped to propel the team to a 5-3 win.  The top line was awesome with goals by McCann and Guentzel as well.  Geno Malkin got 2 assists to reach 1,000 career points.  Matt Murray had another great night between the pipes stopping 38 shots.  The bright spot for the Caps was Alex Ovechkin reaching the 1,200 career point mark.  Congratulations to both of these amazing Russian hockey players for their achievements.  The victory was huge for the Pens as they look to make a major push toward the playoffs.  Go Pens!

Yo-Yo

The 2018-19 season for the Penguins has been like watching a yo-yo.  One game the team is up and the next it's down.  It's been tough to watch.  Injuries have played a part no doubt.  Malkin, Schultz, Aston-Reese, Maata, and even Murray have all been out at one point or another.  Players have come and gone.  Other players have been hot and cold when it comes to goal scoring.

Tonight the Pens take on the Flyers in a Stadium Series game in Philadelphia.  I'm hoping that this game will start the Pens on the upswing that they will need to make a strong run into the playoffs.  Tonight, the stars need to shine!  It's go time for the Penguins!

Good Start To The Day

The family and I went to First Watch in Murrysville this morning.  We had a fairly big party but were seated in no time.  Everyone raved about their meals.  Great selection of breakfast entrees.  Super good coffee too.  Awesome service.  Meals were out quick.  A bit pricey, but the portions are big.  I'm stuffed and probably won't eat until dinner now.  Great experience!  Hope to go back there soon!

Purple Haze (and Night Myst)

Temps too cold to head out today.  Some snow to boot.  With a little extra time on my hands, I thought I'd get out the old paints and have at it.  I've had these two Reaper Bones figures for awhile.  Can't say why I decided on them out of all the figs that I have, but I'm glad that I did.

They are both Pulp Era crime fighters.  I went with a two tone purple theme for the female figure (Purple Haze) and greenish black one for the male (Night Myst).  I guess I'm going to need some villains for them to fight.  Next project maybe???  Take a look.  I hope that you like them.

Unique Eats

Did a little shopping out at Ross Park Mall today.  My great nephew's first birthday is coming up and we wanted to get him a few things.  After the missus was done dragging me around the place, we decided to stop at one of our favorite places to eat, Sir Pizza.

We love this place and have been going there for years.  It's nearly an hour drive from where we live so we don't get to go there too often.  But when we do, it's a total treat!  We always get their pizza, half plain half pepperoni and an Italian Hoagie.  The uniqueness of the pizza and hoagie are what makes them special.  I have never eaten anywhere else that makes either of them the way Sir Pizza makes them.  I can't really say what the difference is, but I'm damn glad that there is. We go there every time we visit the North Hills.  It's just that good!

Besides the food, they have a nice selection of draft and bottled beer.  They also have plenty of six packs to go.

Right beside Sir Pizza is a small bakery called Good Lov'n.  They have some of the best cookies that you will ever eat.  After loading up at Sir Pizza, stop over at Good Lov'n and grab a dozen cookies for the road.  I personally recommend the Chubby Hubby.  Trust me, I know what I'm talking about!