Sunday, August 30, 2020

More Russians are Coming!

 Yesterday, I finished a set of SSU figures from Dust and a Warp Gate that I found on Etsy.  The 2 figures are from the Operation: Zverograd Box set.  Grand Ma is the walker figure.  She is piloted by Koshka.  The walker is primed and decaled.  I went in and gave some areas a coat of dark silver.  I then gave the figure a wash with some watered down black paint and then went in and gave the model some highlights.  I have a bunch of AT-43 Red Blok figures.  I tried to keep Grand Ma's colors similar to those figs.  Koshka is painted closely to the way she appears on the box.  I liked the overall look.  These two will be nice additions to my Neo-Soviet Army.

The warp gate was a quick paint.  The stones were painted gray and the metals silver.  I gave the entire fig a wash and then came back in and highlighted.  Simple, easy, fun.  With the gate I finished a little while back, figures should be able to "port" across great distances on the table. Fun stuff!  Check 'em out!









Saturday, August 22, 2020

The Russians are Coming!

Just finished this set of Dust Tactics SSU Heroes.  I love miniatures from Dust.  They are always well sculpted, nicely detailed, sturdy, and for the most part, easy to paint.  These guys will look great on the gaming table someday alongside other Weird War figures I have collected.  I'm super pleased with how they turned out.  Ya schastliv!


Sunday, August 16, 2020

The Dead Can't Hurt You

They could if they escaped from this Obsidian Crypt from Reaper Miniatures.  This is a great little piece of terrain.  The details are awesome, the model is sturdy, and it is a quick easy paint.  For the most part, I kept to the color scheme to that of the photo that was on the box.  I think that it turned out well over all.

It was a real pain in the tush to assemble.  The slot and tab design where the parts went together did not work well.  Either the slots were too small of the tabs were too large or a combination of both.  It wasted a ton of my time shaving these pieces down so that they would fit together.

Despite it being difficult to assemble, I'm definitely happy with the end result.  I think the piece will go well with the warp portal I just completed.





Monday, August 10, 2020

A Little Warped

I found this little gem on Etsy.  Looks great.  Easy to assemble.  Quick paint.  I primed the model gray.  I gave it a black wash.  I did some light gray and then pure white dry brushing.  The ring on the floor was given a copper color.  The portal and mists were first painted metallic white.  I then gave the areas either a watered down metallic purple, blue, or green. When it all dried, I gave all the metallic paints several coats of glitter paint.  Lastly, I added a skull for that creepy mysterious feel.

Friday, August 7, 2020

Out of the Rubble

Finished another piece of terrain.  This is the Fabrication Plant from Novus Design Studio.  It is from their WWII line.  I like the piece because it is resin and very sturdy.  I gave it a good scrub and then primed it.  I gave everything a black wash and then started in on the details (oil drums, pallets, gears, iron work, grates, crates, motors, etc).  I added a few other items like the poster, chain, gas cans, pipe, and a bucket.  I did some highlighting and then gave everything a clear coat.  I really like it and am happy with the finished product.  See for yourself.



Sunday, August 2, 2020

A Little Light Reading

I've not been very political on this blog.  I've tried to keep it light, social, directed mainly toward my interests and what was happening in my life.  I'm going to deviate from that today.

First, let me preface this by saying that for most of my life, I've been a big fan of Donald Trump.  In the late 1970s, he was a part of the New York limelight.  He was a successful businessman, he had money, he built Trump Tower, and he had a beautiful wife.  He was cocky and self-assured.  He was the American dream come true.

I should have seen things clearer earlier, but didn't.  The casino failures, bankruptcies, the collapse of the USFL, and a divorce.  But I had read The Art of the Deal and later The Art of the Comeback, "The Don" was going to be okay.  The Apprentice aired and I was hooked.  People were being given an opportunity to prove themselves and earn a spot in the Trump Corporation.  Then there was Celebrity Apprentice and money was being raised for charity.  Super good stuff!

I had watched Donald Trump kick around the idea of running for president.  He talked the talk, but never really walked the walk.  In 2015, when I heard he was thinking seriously of running, I was excited.  He talked of being an outsider and bringing real change to Washington.  I have to say, he did just that (and not in a good way!).

I read three books over the past several weeks about Mr. Trump, each, in their own way, an eye-opener.  All of the authors knew the president in different capacities.  John Bolton worked in his administration. Omarosa also had been on White House Team Trump, had been on The Apprentice, and considered him a mentor and friend.  His niece, Mary Trump, knew him her entire life and gave insight into the family environment that shaped the 45th president.  The three books were able to paint a clear picture for me of a man who should never have become president. 

It has been sad and disappointing for me to learn that a man that I had grown up respecting and believed was an American success story was not worthy of either.  The brash image that once was has become a tarnished shell of what he once represented.

Some of you will read this and start the hating, so be it.  I took the time to educate myself before I cast my ballot next November.  Look around, IS America Great Again????  Protests across the nation, over 150,000 Americans dead, the worst economic situation in our nation's history, and a man in the White House that refuses to take responsibility for any of it.  There is no leadership.  The dream has become a nightmare.  Read any of the three books and you will be able to understand why.