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!

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.

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!

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.  

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!

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!!!

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?!

For The Emperor

As 2016 winds down I have been contemplating how I will spend my "hobby time" in 2017.  I have a hundred or more models sitting on shelves waiting to be assembled and painted.  While all of these fabulous miniatures are hoping to be given birth so-to-speak, my tiny Pinocchio's will all need to slumber in their boxes (or blister packs) for just a bit longer.

I have heard a call through the Astonomican.  The Emperor of Mankind must be reunited with his sons once more to save humanity from the destructive forces of Chaos.  (OK, so maybe I'm stretching the truth here a bit). I currently have 12 Primarch models.  The majority are from the Kabuki Knights of Legend line, but I also have some from Scibor and Reaper.  I am hoping to round up the other 7 figures over the next few months and an Emperor model to boot.  My goal is that by this time next year to have all 20 models completed and ready for a family reunion picture.

I know that this will be a challenge but it is one that I am willing to take on.  For the sake of humanity, wish me well!  And while we are wishing, let me wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season and a wonderful new year!  Take care!

Getting a Little Work Done

Just thought I'd share a few pics of some of the recent miniatures that I have been working on.  I feel that for the most part that they all tuned out decently.  Some are better than others.  But as a whole, I'm pretty darn happy with the lot of them.

These are some converted HeroClix that I have repainted and modified to be a Van Saar gang.  

This is a Reaper Bones Storm Giant.  I am very pleased with how this one turned out.  I especially love how the waist cloth looks.  This is one of my better efforts to date.

This is a set of Mantic Games Elf Bowmen.  I went with a gold and purple theme.  Basically I am pleased with how they turned out.

The work I did on this Reaper Bones Sharkman I feel is the best work that I have ever done.  Any artist worth his/her salt is never 100% satisfied with their work.  I gotta say I came pretty close with this one.  The photo just doesn't do it any justice.

I just started a set of Terminators from Riverhorse Miniatures.  I am hoping to have them done by the New Year.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.   Thank you for taking the time to view the pics.  

Stars That Shine

If you have followed my humble little blog over the years you know that I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan.  This is no small matter considering that I live in Pittsburgh.  I am originally from the Lone Star State which is where my Cowboy affinity comes from.

For many years I have felt the disappointment in America's team that I am sure that I shared with Cowboy fans everywhere.  Not this year!  The Cowboys are fun and exciting to watch.  Dak Prescott has the team on track and looking playoff bound.  Ezekiel Elliot is a beast.  The offensive line is tremendous and the defense has been great.  Kudos to Tony Romo for the mature way he has handled the situation at QB.  The Cowboys are back in the saddle and riding tall!  Here in the 'Burgh, I'm loving it!

To the men in blue and silver, I wish you well.  I'm rooting for yinz big time!  Go Cowboys (n'at)!!!!

You're Full of Broccoli

I gotta say that I'm a little P.O.ed.  My family and I have been eating at the same little Italian restaurant in a neighboring community for nearly 25 years.  It's just a small place (a converted house) with limited seating.  When you go there, the waiters and waitresses know who you are and make you feel welcome.  The service is always good.  What's even better is the food!  It reminds me of my grandmother's excellent home-cooked Italian dishes.  We love the place and probably go there at least once a month or so.

The owner is an older Italian-American man who always comes around to each table to see if you liked the meal.  We have talked to him many times about how much we enjoyed and loved the food.  Until yesterday, I have always liked and respected the man.  That all changed with one word....broccoli.

My wife noticed something bluish green in the Parmesan cheese shaker.  She opened the lid to see what it was and was a tad shocked to find that it was mold.  She showed it to me and I was able to confirm her suspicion.  When the owner made his way over to our table, we informed him of the moldy cheese.  He took the container and headed off with it to the kitchen.

Five minutes later, he returned with some small plastic containers which appeared to have fresh Parmesan cheese in them. He said that there was no mold in the cheese but in fact that it was a piece of broccoli.  My wife asked him how a piece of broccoli could get in the container in the first place.  He said that maybe it happened when the table got cleaned.

My wife and I have been on the planet for more than a few rotations.  I pretty darn sure that we can tell mold from broccoli (unless it was moldy broccoli) to say the least.  Instead of trying to insult our intelligence (that's what the current presidential election is for), why not just say I'm sorry and it won't happen again.

Instead we are both jacked.  As much as we love and have always loved the food there, we were lied to...straight to our face without even a moment of hesitation.  I'm a firm believer in that if you lie to me once, you'll do it again.  It's just a shame that after nearly a quarter of a century of loyal customer support, the owner just couldn't come clean about the cheese.  Broccoli...are ya kidding me?!