Visit the Dungeon

I still have no gaming-related stuff to show, as I currently work a lot trying to earn an extra month's worth of wages before Christmas, have little to no time for gaming, and thus not much motivation for getting stuck in with the minis.

I managed to get another batch of mead bottled, though, and the wine racks in the basement are all but full, now!

I expect my current stash to last well into 2018, but if it should drain away too quickly, I have another two demi-johns almost ready for bottling (and the recently started brew is blobbing away in the kitchen).

Labels

With the labels printed and applied, this batch is finally completely done. The text centering is off, I know, it looked right on the screen; I suspect my printer is shite...

Full Throttle!

I poured 1st half of the brew into the fermenting container with the yeast-starter this morning, and after just a few hours, things seem to speed up already. (I should have somehow turned the video 90 degrees, I know, but I have no idea how it is done, if possible at all)

The Show Must Go On...

And, hence I am preparing the yeast-starter for my next batch of mead. It now has to cool to below 35 Centigrades before I add the yeast. This evening I shall prepare the first half of the honey/water mix so that it can cool over night, and I can pour it into a plastic fermenting container with the yeast-starter. If everything goes to plan, the fermenting process should be complete around Christmas, and I can then siphon the mead onto a glass demi-john for settling.

Another 34 Bottles of Mead.

My hard toil cleaning the bottles finally paid off, and Friday I could finish off my ninth batch of mead by corking 34 bottles for the cellar.

All that remains for me to do is cleaning up the bottles, and printing and applying some labels.

Very soon, I am going to start up another brew (#13), and then slowly begin to prepare another batch of bottles (I still have three more demi-johns/carboys containing about 25 liters each sitting in the basement, awaiting getting bottled).

Time-consuming as it is, brewing mead still feels so rewarding when another brew has been completed and is ready for enjoying!

Sharpe's Rifles

Finally, a post about gaming stuff!

I recently purchased two sets of metal minis depicting Sharpe and his chosen men of the 95th from Brigade Games. I plan to get at least one of them painted for the Alliance of the Big Battalions Painting Club at the Lead Adventure Forum (if I can find the time for it, that is...)

Unfortunately, these sculpts are quite tiny, and I wonder how they will scale up against other contemporary 28 mm napoleonics (I fear they may be closer to 25 mm). As I intend to use them for skirmish games, it may not be that big a an issue, but it is a shame if they stick out too much against other minis.

Repairing the Skylight

One of the handles on the skylight had become brittle, and was about to break apart, and as my financial situation is a bit strained at the moment, I had to find a cheap solution.

As you can see, the handles are hollow - which gave me an idea.

I used a caliper for measuring the inner diameter of the handle, as I figured a piece of dowel would fit inside.

As it were, the inner diameter proved to be 16 mm, and I asked my wife to buy a length of dowel that thick. I now have about 2.30 meters of unused dowel, as the DIY/builders' stores here do not sell smaller pieces...

Below you can see a piece of dowel glued in place in the intact handle (I decided to strengthen that one, too, to prevent it from breaking).

The broken handle also had dowel inserted, and I furthermore wrapped it with some cotton ribbon, to stabilize it further. Looks like shit, but I expect it to do the job for a season or two, until I can afford replacing the entire skylight.

The only things left to fix are the table tops of the 'kitchen' section, as they have been damaged by something falling on them - not absolutely necessary to use the caravan, being mostly an aesthetic problem, but I expect to be able to level the holes with some filler, and then cover the table-tops with some self-adhesive foil. More about that at a later time, though...

The New Camping Trailer

Yes... with bleeding heart I am giving up going on vacation with my trusty Eccles 1963 which my father purchased before my birth and of which I have thousands of fond memories from family vacations as a kid and young adult, and which have given my kids their first vacations abroad, namely in Italy, Spain/Catalonia, and Sweden.

The kids, notably Anna, have grown out of the bunks in the Eccles (Anna has a condition with the knees and cannot sleep with her legs stretched, so I slept under Lea on our trip to Sweden this summer), so it was time to find another solution.

I joined a couple of groups about camping on Facebook, and fairly soon I came across this Wilk from 1989 - which was for sale in Kirkeby, only about 10 kilometers from here.

The girls and I went there to have a look, and both Anna and Lea immediately took a fancy to it - especially the unoriginal upper bunk over the front seating area seemed perfect, as Anna in particular needs some space when sleeping.

We pondered a bit about it, then went there again, this time with my wife so that she could have a closer look.

In the meantime, I looked at a lot of other caravans, but most of them either did not have bunks (a definite must), had too short bunks, or were well outside our current financial reach.

The rear end

So, when the owners contacted us some days later to tell us, they had a couple of other interested parties, we decided to buy it.

As soon as we got it home (about a week later, because we had some firewood delivered and needed to get it into the shed to clear the driveway), Anna and Lea moved in.

They actually right away set about 'decorating' the bunk area (which can be closed off with a couple of sliding doors), and slept in the trailer several nights just at the end of their summer holidays.

The bathroom/toilet room

Lea in the top bunk

I never thought I would be the owner of a camping trailer/caravan with a bathroom/toilet room (which I, frankly, find a bit obsolete, as most camping sites I have ever visited have had sterling sanitary facilities). I may come in handy at those rare occations when no public toilet is available, and somebody really needs to go, but I expect it to be used mainly for storage, and/or changing clothes.

Being almost 30 years old, of course the trailer has some wear and tear.

I had to get a front light replaced before inspection (older caravans must pass an inspection when changing owner), and one of the support legs had to have a bushing or socket (not sure which term is right) replaced for it to work - but now only minor stuff needs doing, which we should be able to do ourselves.

My biggest concern with this is our current car. The trailer is about twice as heavy as the old Eccles, and we only sport a 1.6 motor in the Suzuki.

The former owners told us, they drove the trailer with 1.4 motor at first, and that it, of course, required using the gears a lot, so I expect that if we stay away from too many mountains, we should be fine.

I still intend to persuade my wife to get a car with at least a 1.8 motor the next time, though, as I fear that long trips may wear down the Suzuki a bit too much...

Cleaning Bottles...

Well, I realized that the batches of mead in the basement have been ready for bottling for a while, so I set about getting ready for the first one.

I already cleaned these bottles, but they had been sitting on the bottle-tree for a long time, and when it comes to sanitary precautions, 'better safe than sorry' seems to be the prudent course of action.

Of cause I carried the mead up from the basement well in advance to make sure that any stirred up sediments have time to settle before I bottle the brew.

I expect to have all the bottles needed for this batch ready tomorrow (cleaning them with the bottlebrush does not take a lot of time, but rinsing them does), and if I am done cleaning before noon, I may well get the brew siphoned onto the bottles, too.

It's ALIIIIIIVE...!

Well, it has been quiet, lately. Too quiet for comfort.

With both my regular gaming buddies busy with house renovation projects, a confirmation, and a vacation, I have not had much time/motivation for doing hobby stuff over the summer.

With the kids' summer holidays ending this coming weekend, I an going to have more time alone when not sleeping after night watches, and as there is a new Painting Club running at the Lead Adventure Forum for which I have ordered and received some minis from Brigade Games (nice, fast service from across the pond, btw), I expect to slowly get started up anew during next week.

I hope to be able to get a SAGA game or two arranged, soonish (had to cancel with Kevin a week before Anna's confirmation, as I felt a bit stressed by the preparations), which should help me get motivated for continuing my Viking army project.

All in all, the hobby season seems right around the corner. And then there is 3D print...

Attic Attack 2017 - Cancelled

For various reasons, I cannot see myself preparing and hosting an event in the garage attic this year.

This DOES NOT mean that it will not be possible for peeps living within a reasonable distance from me (or, for some reason or the other, visiting Funen) to drop by for a game - it just means that I am not going to set a date for a gathering this year.

As always, I have plenty of tables and minis ready up there, so, don't hesitate to contact me for a gaming appointment!

I expect Attic Attack to return in 2018, so stay tuned for further announcements!

Slowly Recuperating

I have been down with a nasty stomach-flu ever since last Monday, and I am only just starting to eat regularly again (hope to be able to resume work Wednesday, had to skip a couple of worknights last week).

Needless to say, my hobby-mojo has suffered badly, and with only a fortnight left before Anna's confirmation, I shall not have much time to spend on gaming stuff until after that event.

Well, at least I finished both the Skeleton Marathon, and a full six-points Viking warband before getting bogged down...

2017-04-25 Tally

Miniatures Finished:

Painted: 66, Just Re-based: 2, Repaired: 1
Miniatures Acquired:
Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 1

Vehicles Finished:

Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0,
Vehicles Acquired:
Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0

Terrain/Scenery:

Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2

Paints:

Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1

Games:

Games Played: 4 (Victories: 1, Ties: 3, Defeats: 0)

Rules:

Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo March

Miniatures Finished:

Painted: 66, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0
Miniatures Acquired:
Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0

Vehicles Finished:

Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0,
Vehicles Acquired:
Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0

Terrain/Scenery:

Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2

Paints:

Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1

Games:

Games Played: 4 (Victories: 1, Ties: 3, Defeats: 0)

Rules:

Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo February

Miniatures:
Painted: 58, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2
Paints:
Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1
Games:
Games Played: 1 (Victories: 1, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0)
Rules:
Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo January

Miniatures:
Painted: 38, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2
Games:
Games Played: 0 (Victories: 0, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0), Rules Purchased: 0

LotR: Repaired a Spearman

This model had some battle damage (broken spear), so I had to get it fixed.

It does not look all that good - if it snaps again, I shall have to drill the hand instead of just re-attaching the pieces.

Well, at least for now he can join the warband I am getting ready for SAGA.

I need to figure out if I have some unused plastic archers, somewhere, otherwise I shall need to acquire some (but I would be pretty surprised if I did not get any with some of the lots I purchased a couple of years ago).

SAGA: Mustering the Guard

As mentioned yesterday, I have changed direction and am now aiming at getting a Rohan/Anglo-Saxon warband ready for SAGA.

I have to paint at least eight Royal Guards to exchange for the Minas Tirith spearmen currently standing in for Hearthguards, and also four archers for the Levy.

I did a quick search this morning, and unearthed no less than nine Royal Guards (I think I may have another six NIB in a box in the garage attic, but I shall not have to go looking for them right now - when I get to the next level and have to find a Mounted Ëomer to use as mounted warlord, I shall be rummaging through that box, anyway).

Of course, the Rohirrim will also form part of a Thousand Tribes army for God of Battles, and the Royal Guards are going to play the role as Hyena Warriors (for which I need only 6 models, so I may be able to field two of those).

Over the next couple of days, I shall be cleaning up a handful of these and glue them to washers (I already cut off half the tabs with my razor saw) - I think I shall aim for finishing one point at a time.

It is a real shame, GW never made any alternative body sculpts for these, but I shall try to vary the right arm poses as much as possible without ruining the overall effect.

2017-04-24 Tally

Miniatures Finished:

Painted: 66, Just Re-based: 2, Repaired: 0
Miniatures Acquired:
Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 1

Vehicles Finished:

Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0,
Vehicles Acquired:
Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0

Terrain/Scenery:

Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2

Paints:

Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1

Games:

Games Played: 4 (Victories: 1, Ties: 3, Defeats: 0)

Rules:

Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo March

Miniatures Finished:

Painted: 66, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0
Miniatures Acquired:
Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0

Vehicles Finished:

Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0,
Vehicles Acquired:
Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0

Terrain/Scenery:

Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2

Paints:

Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1

Games:

Games Played: 4 (Victories: 1, Ties: 3, Defeats: 0)

Rules:

Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo February

Miniatures:
Painted: 58, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2
Paints:
Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1
Games:
Games Played: 1 (Victories: 1, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0)
Rules:
Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo January

Miniatures:
Painted: 38, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2
Games:
Games Played: 0 (Victories: 0, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0), Rules Purchased: 0

SAGA: Preparing a Proxy Warband

Some days ago, I was approached by Kevin, who had taken an interest to SAGA, and wanted to know if I could host a demo game next time we meet up. I dug out my Rohan models to construct an Anglo-Saxon warband, but fell short a few models.

I am substituting in  some Minas Tirith spearmen for Hearthguards, until I can get some Royal Guards painted up, and the Levy also needed some filling in, so I rebased these two second-hand models for the time being (they will be stripped and re-painted in due course, but not ntil they have formed the basis for a new unit of archers for my Gondor God of Battles Mercenaries proxy army).

Tomorrow I shall start looking for Rohan Royal Guards, as I think the SAGA project will have to take precedence right now (although I did prime the newly assembled Vikings earlier today).

2017-04-18 Tally

Miniatures Finished:

Painted: 66, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0
Miniatures Acquired:
Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 1

Vehicles Finished:

Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0,
Vehicles Acquired:
Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0

Terrain/Scenery:

Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2

Paints:

Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1

Games:

Games Played: 4 (Victories: 1, Ties: 3, Defeats: 0)

Rules:

Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo March

Miniatures Finished:

Painted: 66, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0
Miniatures Acquired:
Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0

Vehicles Finished:

Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0,
Vehicles Acquired:
Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0

Terrain/Scenery:

Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2

Paints:

Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1

Games:

Games Played: 4 (Victories: 1, Ties: 3, Defeats: 0)

Rules:

Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo February

Miniatures:
Painted: 58, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2
Paints:
Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1
Games:
Games Played: 1 (Victories: 1, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0)
Rules:
Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo January

Miniatures:
Painted: 38, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2
Games:
Games Played: 0 (Victories: 0, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0), Rules Purchased: 0

Roma Bellatrix: Officer Making Sacrifice

I am not currently working on a project regarding Romans, I now, but I expect to be later this year.

I was asking on the LAF if anybody knew of a suitable Roman priestly mini to include in an army, and the user 'Morgan' was so kind as to send me this Warlord Games mini.

I hope to find the time and motivation to make some of my Wargames Factory Caesarean/Late Republican Romans into a warband for OGAM and Broken Legions (and probably Blood Eagle), then over time expand it for A Fantastic SAGA.

Dark Ages: Plastic WIP

The kids have Easter vacation this week, and with them being home, I do not spend much time on the hobby.

I have managed to clear some minis away from the prepping station, though, and have begun assembling the last Vikings I need to get done in order to get the army ready for God of Battles, too.

I expect to get the steam up next week, as from Monday, I have 1½ week off, and it should be possible to get a few minis painted in that time, if I get stuck in and spend most of the days at the pain(t) station (I should finish assembling the above by Sunday, I hope; I have to work Wednesday through Sunday, so I am not going to have much time to spend, but if I can just get two parts ataached per day, I should be fine).

3D Design: Card Deck Holder

I have begun dabbling in 3D design for printing stuff at home (I am planning to get a 3D printer, and have begun saving up for it).

Earlier today, I downloaded 123D, and I have been playing around with it, until I arrived at this result.

The deck holder is designed for cards in FFG Yellow sleeves (X-Wing and/or Star Wars Armada damage cards, for instance), and I expect to make versions for all the games I use cards for. I have not figured out how to resize a finished design, but it may be possible to do so, instead of designing from scratch every time.

Dark Ages: Full Viking Warband

Here they are, four points of Warriors, two points of Hearthguards for SAGA.

For God of Battles, they can count as two units of Brutes, one unit of Younglings, and almost one unit of Brute Slayers As mentioned earlier, I shall now upgrade the Hearthguard to 10 models, which is effectively all I need to field 24 points in God of Battles, but I shall paint another 10 mail-clad warriors to use as another unit of Brute Slayers, so that I can field different configurations - and only need to do another unit of unarmoured Warriors/Brutes (which will then need only six additional models painted, as the Warriors already count 24 models) for a 36 points army. I shall also paint a Godi for the army; Crescent and Cross has rules for priests, and it is nice to have one for God of Battles as well.

I also need to decide on a Thor model to use this army for Of Gods And Mortals, I shall probably get a pack of the 'fantasy-ish' Vikings from Foundry, together with some berserkers or úlfhednar.

2017-03-31 Tally

Ultimo March

Miniatures Finished:

Painted: 66, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0
Miniatures Acquired:
Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0

Vehicles Finished:

Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0,
Vehicles Acquired:
Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0

Terrain/Scenery:

Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2

Paints:

Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1

Games:

Games Played: 4 (Victories: 1, Ties: 3, Defeats: 0)

Rules:

Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo February

Miniatures:
Painted: 58, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2
Paints:
Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1
Games:
Games Played: 1 (Victories: 1, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0)
Rules:
Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo January

Miniatures:
Painted: 38, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2
Games:
Games Played: 0 (Victories: 0, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0), Rules Purchased: 0

Dark Ages: The Second Point of Hearthguard

And here they are - I shall make a full line-up of the warband tomorrow, as I have to clear some space on the dining table, first.

Dark Ages: Last Hearthguard - For Now

Job done!

I have now officially painted a full six points warband for SAGA! 🙌

As previously mentioned, I am not done painting Vikings just yet, but I shall now paint a Forge Father Steel Warrior Huscarl, before I start working on the next batch of four mail-clad warriors.

This also conludes what I shall manage for March. Hopefully, during April I shall finish upgrading the Viking warband to a 24 points God of Battles Main Force army, and then it will be time for working on some Rohan warriors to use as Anglo-Saxons for fighting the Vikings.

In between, I should get most of a Forge Father strike team for DeadZone painted - I am using those as 'relief' from working on just one type of minis, and it should keep me from getting 'bogged down'.

Dark Ages: Three Down, One to Go!

I am very, very close to finishing the second point of Hearthguard, now.

Only one more mail-clad warrior to do, and I have a full six points warband - all painted in one long go!

It seems that I missed a spot on the trousers when applying the dark wash, I may have to go over that leg to mend it, but I shall definitely not do so. until I have finished the last figure for the warband!

In the meantime, I have primed two Forge Fathers, glued sand on their bases, and glued them onto corks, so I can start painting the Huscarl right away, when I have finished the fourth Viking Hearthguard. It  will be a welcome break from painting Vikings, but as already stated, I am going to paint even more of the armoured warriors, as I want to use up the shield stickers I have, and also upgrade the warband to 24 points for God of Battles, which requires bringing up the Hearthguard to 10 models, and add another unit of 10, so 12 more in total, which is just about what I have decals for (I do have a couple of sheets more, with identical motifs, but hey were purchased later, and much of those are going to be used for the God of Battles Command and Support section for the army).

2017-03-28 Tally

Miniatures Finished:

Painted: 64, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0
Miniatures Acquired:
Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0

Vehicles Finished:

Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0,
Vehicles Acquired:
Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0

Terrain/Scenery:

Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2

Paints:

Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1

Games:

Games Played: 4 (Victories: 1, Ties: 3, Defeats: 0)

Rules:

Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo February

Miniatures:
Painted: 58, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2
Paints:
Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1
Games:
Games Played: 1 (Victories: 1, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0)
Rules:
Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo January

Miniatures:
Painted: 38, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2
Games:
Games Played: 0 (Victories: 0, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0), Rules Purchased: 0

Dark Ages: Two Down, Two to Go

After a week with almost no painting, due to spending a lot of time in the garden, I managed to finish this, the second armoured warrior for the second point of Hearthguard.

As usual, the shield is a Little Big Man Studios sticker transfer.

The last two models to complete my first six points SAGA warband may see completion one of the next days, if I can muster sufficient motivation to make it happen.

I think this is the first time ever that I have painted a complete army/warband in one go without diversions, and even though I really feel my Inner Butterfly kick and scream by now, I am determined to see this project through (so close, now)!

When the six points are done, I shall allow myself to paint something else, before I paint the next batch of mail-clad Vikings, just to please the Butterfly - I have assembled a couple of DeadZone Forge Father Steel Warriors which will be primed one of the next days.

Springtime in the Garden

Here you can se why I have not been very productive on the hobby front this last week. The soil in the vegetable garden had to be prepared for planting and sowing, starting with the potatoes next weekend, if the weather is nice. I shall rake and fertilize the area for the potatoes tomorrow (if I still have some fertilizer left in the garden storage room in the garage).

The plasic bags are bark mulch, meant to be placed around the blueberry bushes.

I took a couple photos more - the first is the large pinetrees between the vegetable garden and the creek, and the next one is a close-up of the flower bed I created for my wife a couple of years ago now - it will be in full bloom very soon, I think, which I am joyfully anticipating.

Sadly, some rooks have settled in some of the trees on the other side of the creek, and I think I shall have to find a way to get rid of them (I may have to go to the extreme of taking a hunter's course to get a license and the right to buy/use a hunting rifle).

DeadZone: Forge Father Steel Warrior WIP

I backed Mantic's DeadZone II Kickstarter, and the stuff has been sitting in a box ever since I got it.

Lately, all the activity regarding Warpath/Firefight has urged me to get some of the minis assembled and painted, and I decided to do the smallest(!) faction first, notably the Forge Fathers (only five models in my pledge).

I am going to paint the Steel Warriors in between groups of Vikings, which should make me hardly notice the time spent on them (I shall use mostly bloch'n'wash speedpainting techniques).

I started with the Leader of the Strike Team, a Steel Warrior Huscarl, and I need only to clean up and attach his backpack, then he is ready to have his base built up with some filler alongside the four Vikings I showed earlier.

I must say, I find the Steel Warriors somewhat tedious to assemble. Nine parts to finish a basic infantry leader (ordinary Steel Warriors consist of ten) is a bit much - and as you can see, the design does not provide many degrees of freedom to the positioning of limbs (the right shoulder pad could not be made to fit snugly because of the right arm), which makes you wonder why the designer did not opt for fewer parts.

Well, they will probably look fine when finished, and I look forward to have a small Strike Team ready.

I shall probably assemble and paint some Corporation Enforcers next, but that will probably not happen until after I start work on the Rohan/Saxon SAGA warband.

Dark Ages: More Vikings WIP

I have not painted anything today, although I did apply a shield transfer to a mail-clad Viking. Instead, I spent some time assembling the next four armoured warriors/hearthguards - they are now ready for some filler on the bases, but I have another build that I want to finish before moving to that step, as I prefer to do the basing and priming in one go.

When the axe-wielding warrior and the hornblower are finished, I have a full unit of armoured Vikings for God of Battles and am close to three points of Hearthguard for SAGA/AFS.

2017-03-22 Tally

Miniatures Finished:

Painted: 63, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0
Miniatures Acquired:
Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0

Vehicles:

Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0

Terrain/Scenery:

Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2

Paints:

Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1

Games:

Games Played: 3 (Victories: 1, Ties: 2, Defeats: 0)

Rules:

Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo February

Miniatures:
Painted: 58, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 1, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2, Plastic Vegetation Gotten as Gift: 2
Paints:
Primer Purchased: 1, Paints Purchased: 2, Washes/Inks Purchased: 1
Games:
Games Played: 1 (Victories: 1, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0)
Rules:
Rules Purchased: 1, Rules Gotten as Gift: 0, Free Rules Downloaded: 0

Ultimo January

Miniatures:
Painted: 38, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Vehicles:
Painted: 0, Just Re-based: 0, Repaired: 0, Purchased: 0, Gotten as Gift: 0
Terrain/Scenery:
Pieces Painted: 0, Pieces Built: 0, Pieces Purchased: 0, Materials Purchased: 2
Games:
Games Played: 0 (Victories: 0, Ties: 0, Defeats: 0), Rules Purchased: 0

Dark Ages: Another Armoured Viking

Today I finished the first warrior for my second point of Hearthguard.

I have another one almost finished - am going to apply the shield transfer tomorrow, and then see if I can manage to finish him - and the last two are about half done.

All in all, I think my six points for SAGA should be complete by the beginning of next week, but as mentioned earlier, I have to assemble and paint about a dozen more Vikings to use up the shield transfers I have.

It is my plan to then rebase and paint enough Rohan warriors to make up an Anglo-Saxon warband to fight the Vikings, but I may decide otherwise, before I get around to that.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Bacon and Cabbage! Wonderful dish, am going to introduce some of my friends to it at the first possible opportunity - would be great to combine with a gaming day. And some good beer and akvavit!

I have recipes for other versions, one of them involving fried bacon and cabbage boiled in beer - I think I shall need to try that one out, too...