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.

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!!!!

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.  

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!