Back on Track

Yes sir, the boys in black and gold have looked great the past two games.  Goals seem to becoming from a variety of players on different lines plus from defense-men.  Murray and Jarry are doing a decent job in net.  Hopefully the Pens are turning the corner.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

LET'S GO PENS!!!!

Seeing Ghosts

I've finished my first model for the Primarch Project for 2018.  This is the Kabuki Knights of Legend Ghost Knight.  Outside of cleaning off a little flash, this figure was a dream to work on.  Truthfully, I love this model.  It's got a cool pose, great details, and an awesome base.  The figure is a little larger than many of the KOL models which I really like.  It is a resin figure which I found really easy to assemble and paint.  Nothing but good things to say!

The Wolf King is up next.  I'm using the HiTech Odinn model for the project.  I'm looking forward to see how it will turn out.

One Inch Man vs. Flying Woman

I recently saw a couple of movies that I enjoyed to varying degrees.  The movies were Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

I thoroughly loved Guardians 2.  From start to finish I thought that it was great.  I liked it even better than the first movie.  It has it all:  action, love, laughter, friendship, family and family issues, heartache, self-doubt, betrayal, devotion, and Stan Lee (maybe I should have written Howard the Duck???).  The film takes you on a wild roller coaster ride of emotions.  Someone that you hated a few scenes ago is now a character that you find endearing. Great film!  I can't say enough good things about it!

The Last Jedi might be the last Star Wars movie that I ever go to see.  YAWN!!!!!!  The film seemed to drag on forever.  It took like 10 seconds to kill Snoke.  Phasma's gone is a duel with Finn (WHAT?!).  And we can't forget a nearly dead flying Princess Leia.  COME ON!!!

There's a terrible scene in a casino.  There's a terrible scene with a terrible Yoda (the CGI throughout was bad).  There are too many scenes with Kylo Ren (the poor man's Vader).  There are some great scenes with the characters: Rey, Rose, and DJ, unfortunatetly very few of them.

I've been there since the beginning.  We all know some movies have been better than others and some characters as well.  As much as I loved Rogue One is as much as I disliked The Last Jedi.  I hope that the Force is strong with the creators of the next movie.  Remember, folks at Disney, Yoda's words: Do or do not.  There is no try!

Not Quite There

I just not going to make it.  I'm going to come up a bit short I'm afraid.  I am currently finishing up one of the twins but that will still leave me five to go (counting the emperor).  While I had hoped to complete the Primarch Project by the end of the year, it's just not going to happen.

Unfortunately, I've been super busy.  I also have had some health issues that have set me back some.  So it looks like a few of the lads and their dad will have to wait a bit.  Reunion 2018 is going to happen!

Pittsburgh Pens are struggling.  Hopefully, Coach Sullivan can get the guys back on track.

A new Panda Express opened up near where I live.  I went there last week.  Loved it!  A ton of really good food for the money.  Excellent service!  Plan to go back soon.

I am Iron Man

It took a while, but I finally got my metal-handed Medusan finished.  This model is from Kabuki Studios.  In my opinion, it is one of their better sculpts.  Size-wise, it is on par with several of their other figures, like their Smith Knight and Steam Knight. 

Basically, I stuck to the color scheme that was on the photograph that comes with the kit.  I really liked the look, so I went with it.  I'm pleased with how this great little Gorgon Knight turned out.  See for yourself.

While not exactly Iron Men, some players on the Steel City sports teams aren't looking so hot.  Outside of the Steelers, things are not going well for the Pitt Panthers and the Penguins.  The road has been pretty rocky as of late.  The Pens have some time to right the ship.  I think the Panthers will have to wait for next year.  Oh well, I guess that you can't have everything.

Full of Grim

I just finished the latest lost son of the emperor.  This is one of my most favorite builds to date.  The model is from Andrea Miniatures.  It is called Beelphegor from their Warlord Saga line.  It is impressive as far as pose and detail.  The model scale is 54mm which makes it fairly big in comparison to most of the Kabuki, Scibor, and HiTech figures that I used in the past.  However it is comparable to the Kabuki First Knight and Scarab Knight models which are larger.

I did a bit of modifying by adding the wing to the left shoulder.  I used a pink, purple, and gold paint scheme to reflect the colors of our favorite Phoenician. I placed the figure on a Chaos base from Scibor miniatures.  Take a look and see what you think.

Six Guys???

I stopped at 5 Guys for lunch today.  I hadn't been to one for quite some time.  I gotta say that I made the right call.  I had a cheeseburger with grilled onions and mushrooms and some mustard on it.  It was amazing!!!!  I'm not a big fan of their fries, so just the burger and a cherry-vanilla Coke.  So good!!!

Scary Stuff

With the rising of the Great Pumpkin just around the corner, I found a little gem last night on Smashwords that's both a trick and a treat.  The book is called Tome Of Terror.  It's an anthology of short horror stories, each one a treat in and of itself.  The trick is, it's totally free!  I've included the link here for you:  Tome Of Terror

Grabbed a case of Sam Adams Octoberfest yesterday.  It is truly worth every penny.  This sweet tasting marzen brew is the perfect autumn treat for any little ghoul, ghost or goblin  (humans too!).

Raven About It

It took me a while to get this one done.  This Archfather Corvis figure from HiTech Miniatures turned out to be pretty decent looking.  The sculpt and pose are alright.  I like the base and the wings.  The talons and jet pack could have been improved.  The talons are brittle and the jet pack just looks odd in my opinion.  I kept our little Raven Lord in basic black with metallic white, blue, and silver accents.  See picture below.

What I'm not raving about is the brush-less car wash at the new Sheetz in Murrysville.  I took my car down there over the weekend.  I did the high-end wash on it.  It looks about the same as when I drove it in.  Maybe they haven't worked out the kinks in the system yet, I don't know.  What I do know is it needs to be improved greatly!

To end on a positive note: I don't usually eat fast food.  But Saturday morning I was in a hurry and just decided to grab some grub at the drive-thru.  I got 2 bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwiches and a large coffee at Mickey Ds. Filling, inexpensive, and tasty.  I gotta say, "I was lovin' it!"

I'll Be Watching You

The Kabuki Dark Knight that I just completed was one of my favorite builds to date.  I really hated how the model was to be positioned on the base, so I made some changes.

As you can see in the picture, the model is kneeling on some debris which is sitting right on top of the base.  I thought that this looked odd.  To me, it looked like our little Lord of Darkness should be perched on high, staring down at his potential prey.  So, here's my interpretation of the creature that haunts our dreams.

The base is from Secret Weapon Miniatures.  The column/wall section is from Scibor Miniatures. The rest is from Kabuki Studios which I modified to sit on top of the wall section.  I added some rubble, additional vines, and a skull to the base.  I think that it looks much more true to the character than what Kabuki had envisioned for it.  I have attached a pic of the finished model.  See what you think.

Talkin' Smack About Mackinac

Time for a road trip.  Destination:  Michigan.  We decided to check out a couple of places that we had always wanted to go: Mackinac Island and Henry Ford's Rouge Factory in Dearborn.  Packed the car. We all got in and away we went.

Mackinac Island 

We arrived in Mackinaw City which is on the lower peninsula end of the Mackinac Bridge  (amazing to see) to catch our ferry ride to the island.  Mackinaw City is a cool little place with an array of interesting little shops to check out.  (It kinda reminded me of Rehoboth.)  We parked our vehicle with Shepler's and boarded the ferry.  The ride to the island was scenic and enjoyable.

Arriving on the island, we got our luggage and made our way across the street to the Bicycle Street Inn.  Our room there was spacious and exceptionally clean.  The beds were a tad hard.  The continental breakfast that they offer in their Winchester Restaurant was DISGUSTING!!!!!!  There were flies on the food.  The food was cold or was stale.  The facility itself was cramped and dirty.  Finding someone  to clean a table for us was a chore in and of itself.  We tried to eat there the first morning of our stay, but thought the better of it.  We ate elsewhere the next few days.  For what they charge to stay at the inn, they should be embarrassed to serve their customers in such a poor manner.

If you like fudge, ice cream, cheesy touristy souvenir traps, and horse poop, then you'll love Main Street.

 Upside on Main Street:  You can rent bikes to ride around the island.  (I highly recommend that you do.  The majority of the island is breathtakingly beautiful. Take a leisurely ride and check it out. Arch Rock is a must see!)  If you want to eat, go to Riley's Grill.  Sit down by the harbor and enjoy the view.  Loved the food there (although they ran out of clam chowder by noon). Our waiter, Steve was fantastic!  Great place for a relaxing meal.  There are fudge places every few steps.  Grab some and and take a stroll up the street.  There are historic spots to see like Fort Mackinac.  If you are a pizza lover, then you MUST go to Doud's Market.  They serve pizza in the back of the store by the slice.  I'm not exaggerating in the least when I say we felt this was the best pizza that we have ever eaten.  We went back several times for it.  It really is that good!

Downside on Main Street.  It smells like horse crap.  The stuff is everywhere.  Seriously, watch your step!  It can get sot of crowded depending upon the time of day.  People on bikes are flying around up and down the street.  The stores become the same things over and over.  Goodfellow's Restaurant is pricey and the food isn't that great.  We had burgers and fries one night.  Not good.  The burger had no flavor and the fries were cold and hard as a rock.  I actually thought that I chipped a tooth on a French fry.  The service was bad as well.  Needless to say, we didn't go back.  We found the that the people that we interacted with there (workers) were either super friendly or super rude, which we found odd.

Not on Main Street.  We loved walking down Market Street.  There are some great shops and historical spots.  By far the friendliest people we met were in the shops on Market Street!  Also, you have to take the "Sip and Sail" twilight cruise.  It was a blast!  You get to see the sunset on the water, a trip to and under the Mackinac Bridge (short history lesson too), and entertainment to boot.  (We had singer, Charlie Reager on the night we went.  He had us all belting out tunes right along with him.  Great time!)

It poured down rain the day that we left.  As efficient as Shepler's was on the way to the island was as inefficient as they were when we left it.  No one gave any direction as to were to put your baggage for transport on the ferry.  When we got back to Mackinaw City, we had to retrieve our luggage in a building that was probably a good eighty yards from the boat (remember it was raining like no tomorrow), then walk to another location to catch a van to get our vehicle.  When we finally got to the car, we were drenched!  The entire thing would have probably been fine on a nice sunny day.  Shepler's really needs to put in place a more accommodating plan for their customers when the weather is inclement!

The Rouge Factory Tour

Roughly four hours later, we were in Dearborn to see Henry Ford's famed manufacturing facility.  My youngest son and I are big car buffs and had long talked about visiting The Rouge.  It was not to disappoint.  The only bump on the road with our visit was making all of us stand in the rain as they checked our tickets to board the bus that took you to the actual facility.

Great tour!!   Cool informative films, self paced visit of the factory (we got to see them making the F-150s), and sky room view of the entire complex.  There are other things to see and check out at the complex, but we ran short on time.  All in all, the tour was worth the time and the money.  If you get the chance, check it out!

While the road trip was fun and relaxing, it's good to be back home.  I've already started thinking about "where to next?"  I'm thinking Texas.  I guess that we'll just have to wait and see, pardner!