Come on Baby Light My Fire!

So the football teams' campaign has ended. Ground was lost. Time to head to winter quarters. We had a rough season. But huge strides were made by all. It was fun coaching those kids. And just like an athlete needs to work in the offseason to be a better player, I need to work to be a better coach. But, I enjoyed the ride. I may take the team and be head coach next year. We'll see.

I am working on a large downtown redevelopment master plan at work and it is taking all of my time and late nights. That ends in at the end of November. So, soon enough I will have time to work on getting some figs done. But the age old question looms...

WHAT WILL I DO?

Since I have been out of doing anything for a while, the muse has left me. I am ambivilent to painting anything right now. A real case of the blahs. Happens every year. What I need is a spark, and then a flame and then a fire to get me going. Just not sure what that is right now.

Things I am interested in:

Agis' new Planetfall (coming soon I hope) rules really lead me to painting 28mm Sci Fi Guys again. I have 3-4 forces painted. I have about 6 more I could do.

Spartans new 10mm Armored forces Sci Fi game Planetfall looks great. Love the figs. But that would be a brand new adventure. I need that like a hole in my head.

Yes I know they are both named Planetfall. I assume Agis will change his.

My Dwarven Forge prepainted dungeon tiles arrived last week. I have many monsters to paint. I have a good couple of dozen adventurers done.

And I love Paul Hicks Portuguese Nappies that Brigade has. I think I will be getting those for sure.

And as fall is covering us in her cold decaying embrace, my thoughts go to the apocalypse.

I think I feel the Winter 13/14 list coming on:

Basing for 28mm Napoleonics
-Spanish
-British

Napoleonic Portuguese - 4 Units

Fantasy 15mm - Undead

Post Apoc - Terrain
-3 buildings
-Giant Monsters
-Town Square

28mm Sci Fi
-Tau
-Orcs
-Pig Iron Kolony and Rebels

Fantasy 28mm
 

Been a bit of a Whirlwind

Well, its been a bit of a whirlwind around these parts.

We are in full practice and scrimmage mode for football season for my 5th grader and 8th grader. But we had a setback with the 5th grader. He fractured his collarbone at a football tournament and is out 3-4 weeks. I don't see how he will be back in 3-4 weeks, but that's what the doctor told us. We'll see. In the mean time. I am still assistant coach on a team where my son isn't playing right now. Frustrating that. The 8th grader is fighting to make the A Team squad as Tight End. He has size and some speed. We'll see. I am hopeful.

As is usual, the beginning of the school year is absolute chaos. And many other distractions abound. Not much time left for gaming or painting. I probably won't be gaming with the BG's til November, and I don't know how much time I'll get to spend at the Recruits Gaming Convention because of football games. So each moment is precious on the gaming front right now.

I did get the following accomplished:

1 stand of Spanish Musketeers finished - for my converged grenadier unit.
5 Stands of Spanish Musketeers completed -just need to finish the command stand and the final infantry unit of the Spanish Army is completed.

Once finished with the Spanish, I am not sure where I will head next.

I could delve into 15mm Sci Fi. Hordes to be painted there.
I could start on the 15mm Undead Army for Hail Caesar Fantasy.
I could nick off a dozen Foundry Pirates.
I could do a couple dozen skirmish napoleonic figs.
Or I could start the French 28mm Nappy Cavalry. Chasseurs first, Then Dragoons.

I do not have clarity at the moment. I have a wealth of choices. But no decisions.

And it sure would be nice to finish Fistful of Lead:Warriors of the Wasteland.


 

Painting Distractions and other nonsense

I ave been very busy as of late with life and so this little corner of the blogosphere has been quiet for me. And its been pretty quiet in the workshop of doom as well.

Since the Bones have arrived I have painted exactly  - ZERO. I finally got so Fusion paint so I can prime them black. Its my painting style so I really don't want to go back to the days of a white primer and painting out all the white. I hated that period in my painting. Anyway I'll get a few primed as a test and see what happens. Once I start I will be painting monsters only really.

I did base paint about 30 Mechwarrior Clix figures. Fleshing out units for my initial Mechwarrior forces. We may pick up the new quick play Alpha Strike rules and actually play Mechwarrior, or we may just continue to use them for whatever we decide to play. Either way, they are a nice distraction.

As I was contemplating 15mm Sci FI, Fantasy or Post Apoc to paint next in the 3 hours I had to paint last night, I pulled the trigger on one of theose units that had been vexing me for several years - The 42nd Royal Highlanders (Black Watch) for the Pennisula. My British Nappies are waiting on 2 infantry units to be finished so I said, what the hell. I got faces, jackets, and kilts all base painted. Hopefiully tonite I can steal an hour and finish highlighting jackets, doing boots and gaiters and getting prepped for belts and lace. I should have about a week of off and on painting to fnish them, but, they were fun. The 92nd Gordon's Highlanders are next and I should have 12 infantry Units finished and the Brit infantry is finally complete. No promises after that, but a few more guns await, as well as 3 more cav units. And you can't have the Penninsula without the KGL. I still have 3 Spanish Infantry units, a couple of cannons, and a cav unit to finish them off.

Then come the French. they wait patiently and are understandably perturbed about being bumpe once again, this time by giants in dresses. They shoud be encouraged though, because a new line of metal Vitula Legion has been released. Scultoed by Paul Hicks these beauties are as vital to the French cause in the Penninsula as the KGL were to the Brits. So once on the market I will gobble these up for a whole division I should think.

The RECRUITS Con announced that they were close to closing the PEL for games at this Falls event. Seems a bit early for a regional gaming con in mid-september. But you all know my love for the Con. I am sure I will run a game. But with Football practice and season starting, I'm gonna be mightily distracted.

Keep rolling sixes

LA

Quick Update

I'm gonna start calling myself the lazy photographer. I never have my phone or camera when I want to take pics of my minis. So another pic-less post. Sorry folks.

Well after the last few months of cranking on 15mm Fantasy, I need a break. I added 8 new Orc units to the mix last month, so its time to think bigger.

I dusted off my Spanish Nappies and in one night got about 90% done with my Numancia Dragoon unit. So faces, bicorns and carbines and I should be done. I have a militia and line unit to do, plus some odds and ends.

Then the big question is: What next? Post Apoc(which unless its the Gamma World Bizzaro Post Apoc, I'm out.I ain't living The Road). Or maybe some of the Necormunda Gangs that have been sitting lonely for a very long time. And of course, there's always The French Nappies. I need to finish the Spanish and then we will see.

Happy brushing. And get playing!

Lead Addict.

Been a While...

Well, dear readers, it's been a while. I was going at a pretty good clip there, but spring finally sprung and the Rat Race is in full swing, so I have had Zero time for anything gaming related(almost). Just a few things and thoughts til I get back to it:

Zonmbicide - I received Phase II of the Zombicide Season One extras. Great stuff. Same as first release. Quality components and well done by Guillotine Games. I was not pleased that my Not the Girl from Kill Bill, and my Not Samuel L Jackson characters had to be changed so much because of a rights issue wth Paramount, but they are still nice. I didn't get season two. But may when it comes out.

Dwarven Forge Kickstarter - Well we got together as a group and wet all in and got a big set of the painted stuff. A great value if you were wanting a dungeon environment. Good for 28mm and 15mm.  I'll have to create some 15mm doors and furnishings, but with my Hirst Arts, that will be easy.

Reaper Bones - Still waiting on shipments from China. I couldn't have gotten them painted cause I need to finish my Demonworld Empire guys, but would like to get my grubby little mitts on them.

15mm Fantasy - I hope that next week I can get back to painting them, cause I want to finish them so I can move on and paint something else(28mm Spanish? 28mm Sci Fi? 28mm Supers?). I need a break from the 15mm fantasy, but I am going the finish the 2 units of medium cav I have left, and then I will base and flock everything so they are done.

Consolidation - Still really thinking about consolidating my collections. But sinceI have had no time to think about it, no progress has been made.

Terrain - Look at these pics. A Rob Hawkins on the Privateer Press forums did these boards. They are simply amazing. Makes me want to work on Post Apoc or Mordheim terrain.

Trees- So I have been wanting to do a magnet system for my forests for a while. I think the self same modeler who did the Warmachine table has figured out my quandry. He uses earth magnets in short lengths of plastic tube and then in the forest base has a larger tube with a magnet in it. put them in for the game, pull them out when you move troops in, pull them all out for storage. Nice and Simple.

Gaming - Have been playing some board games with the boys and the wife lately. Zombicide, Wits and Wagers, Sword and Skull. Fun and light stuff. And played Poker with Mom on mothers day. See, I was raised that after Sunday dinner/lunch, you broke out your money and the cards and played poker til it was dark. It was a lot of fun, and I knew poker, odds and a lot of card games when I was 6-7. No mercy for the kids either. My grandpa played straight up and that's how you learned to bet, play and be careful with your money. So we have been doing the same with our boys and at 10 and 13, they have been playing cards for about 4 years. And they also got to play poker with their Grandpa before he passed away. They will always have that memory.

BAsement Generals - The BG's march on. Quality gaming every thursday is the slogan. and it always delivers. I have been absent more than not as of late(football, work, life), but got a really fun game of Supersystem 2 last night (we don't like how vanilla SS3 got). Golden Age Brawl with the Allies against the new Supermight of the Japanese Divine Wind. And the Allies destroyed them. Some tweaking and some additional Archetypes need to be filled in(shooter, healer, mind controller) but they will be a force to reckon with once worked out. I always forget how much I love this game when we don't play it for a while, and how utterly frutrating you can be by certain power combos. Its the beauty of the game. Find a way to beat them or come back next time with a better plan. Its really the classic comic story. thanks for hosting Baron and thanks for a fun game BG's. I think Scott and I won together, on the same team, for the first time ever.

Enjoy the spring and summer, keep playing and keep painting. More when something is going on.

Lead Addict

Sneak Peek - 15mm Empire Horse Archers

I sneaked in a couple of hours of painting in earlier this week.I finished an Army command stand and a Horse Standard Bearer and go a start on my 3 units of Demonworld Empire Horse Archers. Here's a sneak peak:

I need to do highlights on manes and tails and tack, but they went pretty quick. I'll do the riders in simple peasant clothes. Like GW's Kislev Horse Archers these have a real Steppes feel to them, but I am gonna try to genericize them. I hope to get them knocked out by the end of this weekend. That will be my first 3 units of Cav for the empire. After these, 3 Units of Medium Cav and 1 unit of Heavy Knights.

I have a Witch Coven to do after that and I am finished with the empire for a while(I only have a blister of Archers and Swordsmen left, they can wait). I am waiting to get a full list before I order from Ral Partha Europe to fill in gaps in my collection. Maybe by the end of summer.

I am not sure what I am doing when I finish the Empire guys.

But, here's what me and some of the BG's are getting in the mail at the end of the year:

This will go so great with my Reaper Bones that are coming sometime soon. As well as being able to play with 15mm on them as well. Some dungeon bashing is surely in the cards.

Some Random things:

First some family bragging:

- My middle son is running in the Warrior Run this weekend. Its a 3 mile run and 20 obstacles. Think an Army obstacle course mixed with the TV show Wipeout! Should be fun to watch. If I train, maybe next year I'll run it with him. Very proud of him for trying this. He also tied for the highest ACT test in his grade level. and was in the top 5% of the kids who took it in his grade level. He took it 4 years early. He already has qualified for any state or regional university and he's in middle school. And he also was inducted into National Junior Honor Society last night. I couldn't be prouder of him.

- Flag Football season is in full swing. Its like fastbreak basketball. Fun and fast. My youngest is playing up two grade levels. He is a real leader on the field. He plays center and hasn't had one bad snap on the field. Its been a pleasure to coach him. Its hard to be the kid of a coach cause the expectations are always higher and he has exceeded those by a mile. He wants to play tackle this fall. and he wants me to coach. I may have to do it just so he can stay excited about this. I am very proud of him as well.

- The Wife has a new job and has shed her hated old one. So here's to new beginnings for her. 

Other stuff:

I am seriously considering selling significant portions of my painted and unpainted collections. When I go into the Workshop of Doom I am surrounded by much too much stuff. Boxes filled to the gills by stuff I will never paint and/or play. Being a Lead Addict has its problems. I fell like I need to trim away a bunch of stuff and concentrate on the stuff I want to play and not be burdened by all this other 'stuff'. We shall see if this is spring fever or purpose.

Update 4-18-13 - 15mm Demonworld Empire Army

YEAH!!!

With all the rainy weather here in the midwest, I actually had time to finish my Heavy Infantry Lords last night. They are the last infantry unit I will be doing for the Empire for a while. I still have a blister of Archers and Footsoldiers, and would like to get one more of Pikes, but for now, the Empire Infantry is complete. 23 total foot units. Which is larger than either my entire Orc or Wood Elf Army.

Next Up, these lovely units, all primed and ready on sticks for painting(all pics from Ral Partha Europe Webpage):

I have been coveting these couple of blisters too, so I think I will pick up a Pike blister, plus these:

The War Altar

And these fabulous Rangers. 

The Demonworld line continues to amaze me the more I paint it. these sculpts are better than most 28mm fantasy, and the fact that so much detail and character was given to each one of these is simply stunning. they really should have more advocates. These should become the flagship figs for Hail Caesar Fantasy!

Quick Update - Demonworld Empire Army 4-16-13

Well, I got all of the missing stands painted last night for my crossbow units and my 2 footsoldiers units. So on to the last infantry unit I will do for the Empire of Man for a while. These guys:

The identical page boy hair cuts and poses really make these guys candidates for unit leaders throughout the army. This picture is from Ral Partha Europe.

These brave heavily armored knights will be gathered into a heavy infantry unit of Lords. Like the French Foot Knights at Poiters or Crecy. Wish they had helms. This line can be a little confusing. They wanted to go renaissance with the Empire, like GW's, but they threw in several units of straight medieval types too. confuses the aesthetic and coherency of the line I think, but hey, at least I can paint them. I will ahave a unit of 24 figs done this evening, I hope. then Cav.

Quick Update 3-25-13

Just a quick update from the weekend.

Got some painting in. I finished 5 stands(1 unit +) of Orc Guard Heavy Infantry. I also got about 90% through 3 units of Orc Heavy Infantry with Double Handed Weapons(swords). I have to finish teeth and faces on about 50 Orcs, then finish freehanding the 3 standard bearers. so I may just power through tonite and finish them. That would be 4 new heavy units for the Orcs. Once completed, I need to square away all the terrain and stuff for my game at Recruits.

Played an old favorite with the family last night: Carcasonne. Its a great family game and with expansions, can also be a nice big game of screw your neighbor.

I'll get some pics up of the newly finished Orcs this week. Have a good week.

LA

Arrgh!!!!! I hate you snow. And random crap.

Forget In like a lion, out like a Lion, It's just been all Lion around here in the Midwest. I'm sick of cold and wet and snow, and snow and snow. And this weekend, its another 5-10 inches for us in good ol KC. I hate you snow. I am tired of shovelling.

Now KC can be beautiful in the winter with a blanket of snow, but I want spring. It's March Madness time, when it looks like Xmas time. Enough, alright? Give us some rain and 60 degree weather and some sun. Is it too much to ask?

On the bright side, my K-State Wildcats won the Big 12 Football Championship, shared the Big 12 Basketball Championship(Regular Season), and are in the NCAA Basketball tournament. Its been a fun year for K-State Athletics. Funny how good sports teams make you feel more attached to a place you love so much. Go CATS!!!

Modern Logo. Great Power Cat. Very Nice. Simple and Clean.  Stolen by every High School and Pop Warner team named the Wildcats.

The logo when I went there. The other one was a GIANT 'K'.  So you had this guy, who got beat up in the back alley of the Mascot convention, or a super original block letter as a mascot. He looks like the inbred idiot cousin of Tom Cat from Tom and Jerry. We deserved to lose every time we  played. And we did. Oh how I hate you 1980's Willie the Wildcat.

 And I guess with all this snow, its more painting time this weekend, and more games of Zombicide. I was thinking of going and picking up Small World at Target as well.

So I think I will have 3 more units of Orcs for Hail Caesar Fantasy!finished up over the weekend because of this, which aint so bad I guess. Here's what I hope to get done (THESE are the company shots from Ral Partha Europe, not my painted figs):

Here's a shot of the cards and card backs for each Unit.

I am putting on a Orcs vs. Wood Elves game at Recruits Convention the first weekend of April. Come on by if you are in the area.

This is a program cover from last fall that the Baron did. Inspired by the incomparable Jack Kirby. this marked the 10th  Anniversary of this awesome Con.

Finally, had a very fun game with the BG's last night. We had 9 people for a Nappy slugfest with Nick Wilkoxski and his Eagles to Empire rules. It was a minor victory for the Prussians after some shaky 'intel' deceived the French on just what was an objective. Much fun and consumption of spirits and ales was had and an all a round good time. Thanks Nick for the game and Ze Baron for hosting as usual.

Have a great weekend everybody. I will be building an igloo.

Hail Caesar Fantasy! - Orcs - Quick Update 3-11-13

Just a quick update on the Orcs for Hail Caesar Fantasy!

The existing Army is completely based and painted and flocked and resting happily in their new boxes. A nice accomplishment for a cold Friday and Saturday. It went a lot faster than anticipated. HOORAY!!!!! Pics to follow this week.

I also got a chance on Sunday to paint so I finished 3 units of Orc Wolf Rider Archers (this box set):

Image from Ral Partha Europe Demonworld line

Since my Lt Cav units are 2 figs a stand, and 3 stands a unit, I got 3 units out of this blister. Pretty nice way to bolster the forces. That makes for 7 Cav units for the Orcs painted right now, 3 Lt Cav with Bows, 3 Med Cav with Swords, 1 Lt Cav with Lances(Spider Riders). I have a few more yet.

The next Units for painting are the Orc Heavy Infantry Units:

Image from Ralp Partha Europe Demonworld Orc Guard

These are the Orc Guard Units which I am doing as Hvy Infantry. One half are guards(with hats), the other half are heavy infantry.

I should get another 4 Units out of the 2 blister packs I have. So 2 Guard and 2 Heavy Infantry. Since I mount Heavy Infantry as 6 figs a stand, I will need a few stand ins here and there. Sword Armed Orcs will do the trick I think.

I hope to have these added to the Army by the end of this coming weekend. that would put the Orc Army at 24 Units +.

Once I finish What I have mounted on paint sticks (3 Orc infantry units and 2 War Machines), I will move on to another Army. Undead or......?

Gamer Dad Update 3-6-13

OK, so without coersion, and withlooing at a lot of figs and explaining in 10 year old terms what each army was and who they fought we have this purchase coming in the mail:

We were looking at many different things as we looked for decent greeks to buy.(Which was surprisingly difficult). We were gonna order the Xyston Greeks which are very nice, but he didn't like that the Spartans he had in his head, didn't match the reality of what they looked like. He wanted early greeks with giganticly  cool crests on their Bronze Helmets. What he saw was guys in skirts with little pointy helmets and beards.

I feel his pain.

So we kept looking for something cool. And I happened on a pack of the Corvus Belli Early Roman Command. Horns and Crests and Big Shields.He was excited.

We looked at everything and he wanted a couple of packs of attacking guys, a cav pack and an archer pack. And that command pack. Then he saw the boxed army. His face lit up. "That would be so cool. I'll spend my own money. I want that."

"It's expensive, and lets start slow and work our way into this OK?"

"OK"

"OK, I'll order them tomorrow."

At work on lunch I kept putting together an order, I had the packs he wanted, added some Game Color paint(my personal fave) for him, then decided, maybe the Army Box was just what he needed. I remembered what it was like opening my first miniatures box set. I wanted to give that to him.

So that's what's coming to the house. A full Early Imperial Roman army for DBA. We'll never play DBA with it. I'll never willingly force Barkerese on a child. I may as well teach him Esperanza. He's gonna make up his own rules. He's good at that. I already have a few ideas.

We'll probably play Romans vs Orcs to start with (which is after all what all the barbarian tribes were to the Romans anyway, right?). I'll encourage him to base his Romans on 25 x 50 stands like all of my Fantasy 15mm stuff for Hail Caesar! Then I'll break out that Barbarian Army I never painted so he can have a real opponent.

Its good to be a Dad.

Quick Update 2-25-13

Just a quick update to let you know what I have been up to:

Living in the Midwest has been fun this month

1. Finished a couple more units for Epic. Gotten tired of painting Blue. The Ultras have a nice sized force to fight with. I have a Thunderhawk, A Bike Company, and a Terminator Vetaeran Company to paint to fill in some gaps.

2. Wanted to do something different during the snow days so I broke out some 15mm Fantasy and started to paint a couple of Wood Elf and Orc Units for Hail Caesar! Fantasy. I finished a Rock Lobber Unit that is a Splintered Light Troll thriowing a giant rock, being whipped by a huge Black Orc in full armor. Added some boulders and voila! A literal Rock Lobber Artillery piece.

Unfinished piece. Love the Splintered Light Orcs. Have a very nice Demonworld feel to them. A more traditional rock lobber in the background.

Next was the Demonworld High Elf Dragon, that I wanted to paint as a Green Dragon for my Wood Elves. I'll Pick Up another one for my High Elves, Or use one of the Reaper Bones ones that are coming next Month !?!?!!!.  So I painted him a nice two tone green and leathery wings color to blend end with the forest and the rest of the Army.

I then decided to do THE GREAT BASING CHALLENGE!!! I have this nasty habit of not wanting to put basing of any kind on my figs until the entire Army is finished. That way it is consistent, and since it takes a long time for me to paint an entire army, I may change how I am going to finish them along the way. Saves me headaches. Well, Since I was enjoying my 15mm Fantasy guys so much, I decided to put all the resin sand flocking on the Wood Elves and Orc Armies. I got the entire Wood Elf Army base material on, dried and painted a base brown. I have a 3 part paint system for basing across all my figures so I get a consisient result for my terrain and figure bases. Its craft paint. I just label the tops I, II, III for base, mid , and highlight and done. Add some tacky glue and flock with static grass, or flocking depending on your scale. So I expect to have the Orcs and the Wood Elves properly finished and ready to rumble soon. No more playing with unfinished bases for those boys.

And on another good note, I only have about 70 Wood elf figs left to paint and they are completely done. A unit of Skirmishers I need to mount on pennies as single skirmishers, a unit of medium infantry Hunters, some assorted characters and wizards, and a unit of heavy cav.

I will take some pics when I finish the Wood Elves this week.

Stay warm, but stay frosty.

LA

Update 2-14-13 Happy Corporate Forced Feelings of Intimacy!

Happy made up holiday from the greeting card companies! (I'm looking at you Hallmark. No really, I'm looking down the street at the headquarters)

On this day of love and false hope of story book romance, I thought I would give my gentle readers a quick update of things I love.

1. I love that I have an embarassment of riches in the hordes of miniatures slumbering to be painted in the Workshop of Doom.
2. I love that my gamers ADD has manifested itself in way that I can literally change to almost any period at any time and have at least one unit to paint or play with.
3. I love old GW boxed games. Boy they have really tanked it after that.
4. I love 3d CAD sculpts for machinery and equipments. And the sculptors just keep getting better. Thanks for pushing the envelope Spartan.
5. I love that my family knows how much I love the hobby and that at XMas and my Birthday, there is always at least one gaiming or mini gift for me.Usually lots.
6. I love my gaming group. They are a great group of guys, who know how to enjoy the hobby. Each brings something different to the mix and we are all better for it. Thanks BG's. Wish I had been there more recently.
7. I love the Wife, the Boys and the Family, etc
8. I LOVE MY DOGS. Nothing puts me in a better mood than playing with the two of them.

And here's a picture of a cinnamon roll in the shape of a vagina that the BAron sent me this morning. If you turn it upside down, it looks like a heart. Kinda.

On the Update side of things:

I finished 3 support cards of troops for the Ultra Marines. 3 units of Dreadnaughts, Robots, Tactical Detachment.

I base painted a unit of Dreads and a unit of Land Speeders for the Imperial Fists as a test go cause I was tired of painting blue.

Spartan Games have now put up for free in pdf their spaceship rules - Firestorm Armada, and their Fantasy Naval Rules - Uncharted Seas. Can't go wrong with free. And their sculpts are second to none. I am going to pick up some US fleets for my BDay and probably order some more assorted stuff. I have to admit, I am as intrigued by their scenery lines as their mini lines. Beautiful stuff.

The Numancia Dragoons taunt me from their perch. I really must finish them soon. Probably on my B-Day weekend when I can carve some time away.

Enjoy your loved ones. Hold them tight and tell them you love them on every other day besides today so they know you mean it and you know they have heard you. Nothing else really matters cause despite the great gathering of toys, you can't take them with you, and the worms don't like gaming. All the love, LA.

Some little progress...

 So last night, I climbed this creaky a bruised ole body back up on that horse and started to paint again. Painting is a mind game for me. And I have to be in the zone to do it well. And much like good writers will tell you, you can't wait for inspiration. You have to write, everyday, to really get good at it, so that when inspiration does strike, you have exercised enough to capture it and ride it out. So following the loss of my father in law, I just hadn't felt like painting. So I hadn't picked up a brush in 2 months, and only then was I painting cause I was painting a gift. So after getting excited by seeing the Portuguese Nappies that Eureka picked up from Victrix, sculpted by Paul Hicks, and various other stuff from the interwebs, I dipped my toes back in the water for a couple of hours last night. I had Season Three of Community on the DVD, a box of Dots, a big glass of ice water and a unit of all YELLOW Spanish Dragoons staring me in the face. Oh well, better dive right in. It took a bit of time to get brush control, and the brushes them selves working in unison, but, when I was done, it felt good to be back in the saddle. I see some time this weekend spent at my paint table to finish the Numancia Dragoons.So here's to being back at it. As sloppy as it was, I still enjoyed it.

Sadly, the state of my brushes is not good.  It took a little bit to get my favorite 2 brushes up and running last night. But at the end they were soldiering through. So I need to go get a couple of new ones to get in the rotation.(and now... a brush rant)

I want to say that I am pretty hard on brushes. I have spent really good money on really good brushes (Sable W&N, Foundry, Reaper Pro, endless others) and for me, I keep coming back to two lines. First is the Reaper Pro line of takalon brushes. Blasphemy #1! I know as a painter I should use sable. I should prefer sable. But ya know what, I hate sable. Too supple, too soft, to blah for me. I use cleaner and soap on my brushes and take good care of them, but I also use the hell out of them, and the sable is always the most expensive and the first to fail. Side hairs, won't hold a point, split tip, you name it. And for all of the advice to keep paint out of the ferrel of the brush, how is that even possible when yo are pallette mixing, and paint a unit of 36 line infantry at a time? So for my money the Reper Pro line is a good value and they last the longest. runner up is Brush Blasphemy #2 - I like Plaid brushes too. You know the ones at Hobby Lobby, or Jo Ann's or Michaels craft stores, that you always get a 40% off coupon for. Yeah, those. They last as long and hold a point as well as my Repaer Pros do. Now when they go, they go fast, but up to that point, they are the tits. And Blasphemy #3, I never paint with anything smaller than a #2. Never. Oh I have them all, I just don't use them. I don't even know what I would paint with the 000 that I have. I just got it cause people said you had to have one. I use a #3 for almost everything, and if it is keeping its tip, I don't have to go smaller. I will admit, for my British, I started using a # 2 to make sure I wash getting definition on all that lace, but that's really it. And if I paint eyes, which I don't do on bulk troops, a good pointed #2 will do it. So like many things, its all about what you are comfortable doing. and I guess I really did listen when an art teacher said, paint with the largest brush you can to accomplish your goal. Done!

Scale Creep Miniatures is having a crazy clearance sale on Derivan Minis Paint. Its a 37ml bottle(about twice the size of Vallejo) for $1.00. I don't really need a bunch of paint, but they had several great and interesting colors, and they have gotten favorable feedback on TMP, so I thought I would pick up a few. And with all this 28mm Nappy, 15mm Sci Fi, and 15mm Fantasy to paint, plus Sedition Wars and Bones coming, you can never have enough paint. When I was done, I had 25 pots in my cart. So if nothing else I have a bunch of new terrain paints. And if I can ever get the boys to paint again, they will have some good paints too. My hope lies in the fact that they have a French Blue that I like for my Nappies. We shall see.