Damn migraines! Down, but not out!

So, 19 days of migraines!   Hopefully that shit is done and over with so I can get down to getting some content generated!

Sneak previews of upcoming stuff in the next couple of weeks.

Crayons and miniatures!! (Yes really, and its AWESOME!)

Right round baby right round...(rotary tools for our hobby)

Hack your paint!  How to make you paint do more with stuff already in your hobby tool kit!

And:

Shopping!  Its come to my attention most gamers are shitty shoppers.  Im going to share some tips with you guys on how to get your hobby supplies at some crazy discounts(if you're willing to get off your ass!).

You're doing it right! Privateer Press.

Its always nice to be pleasantly surprised when your favorite game companies do something that makes you remember why you like them in the first place.

http://privateerpress.com/content/announcing-the-privateer-press-digital-reader-app

http://privateerpress.com/privateer-press-digital

Not only are they offering all the MKII books in digital format,  they are priced lower than paper versions, and you can update them as errata fixes are made!  Anyone familiar with Privateer knows theyre much more prompt about 'patching' their rules when a problem is found than some of the others out there.

Not to mention the IKRPG books,  and all the issues of NQ will be available as well(including subscriptions- no more relying on that pesky mailman!)

I dont have an e-reader yet,  but knowing I wont have to try and force some PDFs to work and I can play the game off a small tablet or reader has me much more motivated to get one.

Also,  it seems they have learned from the mistakes of thier recent past,  as some of you may recall the War Room app that was released with much fanfare but kind of fizzled.   It was a great attempt,  but fell short in the QC department as the programming staff hired really wasn't up to a job of that size.    This time however- they went to a reputable professional company with Leeway/Hertz.

Is Privateer the first major gaming company to do this?  I havent heard of any others doing it for more than some PDFs.

2013 and what we'll be seeing here on my lil blog ^_^

So,  2012 was a rather sparse year in terms of getting much blogging done.   My health probs haven't gotten much better, so I still tend to focus on actually painting and converting stuff more than setting up the lighting and all required to get decent pics.

For those of you that have been following me here,  or for the recent subscribers that may have actually read back to the earliest posts I made in this blog,  I've had to make many adjustments and adaptations to how I paint and to a lesser extent how I do any of the modeling stuff.   Its taken a bit over 3 years,  but Im finally getting back to the same level of 'skill' and finished miniatures.   I've been able to do that by learning new techniques,  some I found online,  others I figured out on my own- a sort of invention by necessity process.   A big part of that process has been finding the right materials and products(or making them) to simplify things.   As lets be honest,  many of the products available for the modeling and painting we do have been traditionally a pain in the ass to use(prime example is Green stuff).

The day after christmas I was chatting with a fellow blogger,  I had commented on a youtube vid he had done.  I'll let him remain anonymous for now(and he can step forward and accept the blame if he wants ;) ) but it was a rather benifical discussion for me.  As he liked the content of my blog and suggested I could do some Youtube vids of my own.   I didnt really think anything in my blog was really that great- I mean at best my posts get maybe a dozen replies right?   But thats not really how the internet works is it?  On a good day the average high quality content forum post will get maybe 1 reply for every 30 or 40 people that view it- and depending on the forums,  that reply might just be pointless trolling.  So, as the conversation with this fellow continued I realized that if an established video blogger thought I had content that was worthwhile maybe I needed to give it a try.   But, that brought up the next hurdle- being that I have about zero equipment to do any sort of decent quality posts.  

I've been using my phone cam for pics for over a year, and while its an 8mp cam,  its sitll only working off a celphone sized lens arrangement.   Lacking just a HD cam to do some video wouldnt normally be an issue,  but those aforementioned health probs have caused a long term lack of income- so I dont have the disposable income to just buy one.  Much to my surprise, this guy actually offered to spot me a camera if I would use it to start doing some appropriate vids.  This kind of surprised me to be honest,  as I still barely know this guy- and yet a random act of kindness transpired.

So, Im not gonna lie,  Im no movie star and generally hate being on camera.  But,  I can let my minis do thier job and handle the camera time right?   When I actually started thinking about what I can offer in terms of sharing knowledge I came up with more than a few ideas,  which in turn each sort of spun off a few more of thier own.

Im not going to be doing lengthy or in depth vid's any time soon- as for stuff like painting theres painters out there with much more skill/talent using traditional methods that are already doing excellent and detailed tutorials.   Same for sculpting, terrain making and even making molds and casting.   What does that leave me to cover?  Alot actually,  theres alot of very useful info that can fall between the cracks of the bigger video tutorials,  not to mention the stuff I only learned when I had to adjust my techniques to deal with the onset of some disbilities- and info like that might really help others enjoy the hobby alot more.  

So, I'm going to be making vids on stuff like what tools Ive acquired over the years that make various modeling tasks easier,  how I paint stuff really fast but still get good results,  How to make your hobby budget go a little farther,  products you might not be aware of, and one Im surprised that no one else have ever really done much with-  recycling household stuff to use for making models, terrain,  tools and other 'equipment'  that can save us time or money :)

So keep an eye out,  I should actually be getting out some regular content at least a couple times per month.   To start off Im going to be focusing on useful content of getting a super polished shiny video,  I'll hone my video editing as I go rather than trying to make perfect vids from day one(which would keep me from posting anything while I figure out how to use Vegas...).

Stripping!

Your miniatures you perverts!!

So, on various forums and conversations I often see alot of confusion about how to simply and effectively strip paint off of minis.   Some people swear by toxic concoctions, or that you cant strip plastic only metal,  that resin should never be stripped because it will melt or cause a nuclear explosion.   In short theres alot of myths that dissuade alot of people from even trying it-  or they try a poor method and get bad results and decide stripping doesnt work.

Well,  its easy.   It costs a few $$ to get the proper materials,  but those materials will be able to strip literally hundreds of miniatures if you do it properly.    I've been stripping miniatures, metal, plastic, and resin for over 10 years and have never had any destroyed in the process.

Some will complain the set up I use is too expensive.  If you cant spare 10$, wargaming is obviously not the hobby for you- so feel free to leave now ;)

So- to start off you need to either go shopping,  or raid the kitchen & garage.  Your list:

2 plastic containers of the same size,  the disposable tupperware types are perfect.(you can make do with one if you have too)

1 gallon jug of Superclean.  This stuff is the BEST all round stripping agent for ALL the different materials our miniatures are made of- it works safely, is bio degradable, and is concentrated(hence-wear some gloves and eye protection just to be safe).   I get it at Walmart for about 7$.

The above items can be acquired for around 10$ or less.

Here are the plastic containers I used-they were on sale and less than a dollar each.   I generally use the smaller food storage ones, but I needed to strip some tanks so these were perfect(they'll fit 2 land raiders).

 I marked out a series of holes for just one of the containers- the holes need to be at the lowest point of the container since they are drain holes.

You'll notice I only made small holes-the reasoning for this is is so that the smaller bitz stay in the container.  Superclean will break down most CA type glues if soaked for a long period, so heads/hands and other lil bitz wont get lost.   This top container is essentially a tray- it holds the minis and will strain out the stripping fluid.

 Once the holes are drilled out, you just stick that container inside the other one(I shouldnt have to specify but- make sure the one WITH the holes is the one INSIDE the one WITHOUT holes) and throw in some minis you want to strip.   Most food storage types will fit 20 or 30 infantry pretty easy.  In the pic below I fit a chimera, 30 or so marines, and a few misc metal IG.  

Now,  just pour in the Superclean until the models are submerged.   Some that have hollow spaces inside them will float,  dont worry about that too much,  just flip them over the next day.  Be careful pouring the stuff- go slow so it doesnt splash and if you get any on your hands go wash it off.  It wont tear your skin off,  but it will dry it out to the extreme- and DO NOT rub your eyes.(just read the warning on the bottle so you know what you're working with)

After the Superclean is added,  put a lid on the top,  its water based so it will evaporate if you dont seal it up.  I also put a label on the container in case someone else is bumbling about my game room.  I find adding a date on the label helps keep track of how long the stuff has been soaking.   Stripping is easiest if done patiently, going faster means it takes more effort.

So,  I'll go over the rest of the process in a few days(after these dudes and chimera are ready to scrub).   The basics are simple though,  you just pull out the top container and let the fluid drain out all the holes we drilled in the bottom.  Grab an old toothbrush(stiffer bristles are better!)  and head to the kitchen sink,  rinse the minis off and start brushing the loose paint away.

If you're lucky the paint just sloughs right off.  But sometimes people use some non standard primers that are more difficult to remove- and they might need to soak more after the brushing.

If you jsut have a single container,  you just skip over the steps for drilling the holes.  The downside to single container is that you either have to use something to strain the minis out of the superclean-  or you're plucking them out of the fluid.  If you do that- vinyl/latex gloves are a good idea- as repeated dipping into the superclean will pull the oils out of your skin and dry it out to the extreme.  Basically the next day the skin on your fingers will start peeling off and its not pretty ;)

The only other warning I can think to add about superclean, is for metal miniatures.  In the unlikely event you soak them for a long period of time,  like a couple of months,  the superclean will start to nibble away the metal.  At first its just a mild roughening on the surface,  but it left for longer it will start to look like Nurgle has gotten ahold of the miniature.  I will note this isn't the fault of the superclean-  it will be the fault of the person using it for far too long.

I've used this method to strip GW plastics, metal minis of just about every make,  Privateer Press plastics,  home cast Polyurethae resins,  and Forgeworld resin models and it hasn't had any ill effects on any of them.

Some people might try to argue the SimpleGreen is better,   but it is not.  Its not as concentrated, so it either takes longer,  or for the stubborn cases just wont penetrate the stronger primers.   I've been stripping minis for well over 10 years now,  Ive tried dozens of products.  There are some that work great- but are toxic(brake fluid and nail polish remover for example) and require special disposal and handling- and only work on metals and some plastics.   If the point of stripping is to save some money- dont risk melting the minis!

For those of you outside the US that might not have Superclean available,  let me know if you have found something that works.  Ive read about Fairypower spray and dettol,  but they dont seem to be up to the same level the Superclean is.

First look: WIP sonic blaster sculpt

So, heres the first WIP preview of my blasters.    The apoxie sculpt is grey so it doesnt have that popping contrast of a green stuff sculpt,  but its soooo much easier to shape.   And the new clay shapers are definitely making it easier- I havent had to sand anything yet, just some minor filing, mostly on the styrene I used to bulk up the rough shape.

Theres probably another 3 layers of details I still want to do.  Notably a power hose/cable along the bottom from the 'magazine/ area to right under the muzzle.   When sculpting parts this small, you basically add one or two little additions- then wait.  If you dont you inevitably smash the uncured putty with a finger or thumb.   So,  its not taking much actual work time,  but its a slow process.   If I hadn't made the base frame of the weapon out of styrene I'd stick it under a lamp to rush the cure,  but I really dont want to melt it :o

Nothing like a jumbo picture to bring out all the details I havent added yet ;)

I think the next time I make a scratch weapon Im going to do some sketching first.  I tend to just make it up as I go which isnt the most efficient method.   But it seems to be working out so far.

Let me know what you think,  and keep in mind this is very WIP.

Rumblings from the warp....

After a lengthy hiatus from 40k,  soon there shall be an onslaught of renegades and corrupted mutants.

Dusted off after a lengthy interment, such things as my Nightlords,  an Iron Warriors detachment,  and the reanimated remnants of my original Black Legion are being reformed into a usable force.

Its been over 5 years since Ive painted or played any of my chaos marines,  the 2007 Champions of Chaos event was the last tournament I played in, and the only games my Night Lords army was ever fielded for.

Night Lords got a bit of a short stick on this Codex,  but the overall codex is good, so they will be the main core of my troops for the time being.   As the last time they were fielded they were an all infantry army,  theres a large core of troops to work with and troop heavy armies sem like they'll work well in this edition.

So, my biggest initial project will be a Demon Prince.   I wont use the GW plastic kit,  and I have a conversion/sculpt I started in 07 but never finished because I pretty much quit 40k.    But it will be a fun model to finish,  my skillset now is more refined so I can get much better results.

Once I make sure the Prince I have in mind is legal,  and maybe even if it isn't,  I'm going to start serious sculpt work as soon as my order of art supplies from Blick arts arrives(hopefully the 10th).  I've got a set of silicone clay shapers that should make some of the sculpting much easier.

Later today I should have the parts gathered, and I'll take some pics of what work is already done and will try to closely follow the progress in case anyone is interested in how the sculpting progresses.

But, the current plan is for a Khornate Demon Prince,  Axe of Blind Rage, Power Armor, mounted on a Juggernaut.

Now- a monstrous creature cant really ride the existing juggernauts,  so,  the Prince will BE the juggernaut.  Think Demon+Juggernaut+centaur=  Juggetaur Demon Prince.

I think the only other hold up on this plan might be if I decide to scrap the old metal juggernaut and try to find a Bloodcrusher one,  the sculpt on those is just so much better.   It would save me alot of metal cutting to get the old one to do what I want.

So, I've made the frequent disclaimer I pretty much suck at keeping my blog updated.   But it does happen on occasion and hopefully those of you still paying attention find it worthwhile :)

So, most of the summer has been spent working on my Hordes Trollbloods.   I worked on learning some new blending techniques since the dire trolls are mostly flesh, the ole dry brushing and washes wasn't really going to bring out the details.   So,  the dire trolls started with the Earthborn(which I did in Earth tones), the Bomber,  Extreme Mauler, Blitzer, and then the baby Mauler.  

By the time I got to the blitzer I had been working on the 2 brush wet blending that Privateer Press has always advocated.    Im still getting it down,  and it does seem to be a useful technique to have.  But Im still going to use my old wash/drybrush/highlight methods I always have,  I'll just use whatever gets the result I want the easiest.

For conversions, I went pretty light on the trolls.   The Bombers pygmy torch bearer is mounted with magnets- I had to pin the lil guy at the wrist since he wasn't packed very well and broke while getting shipped to me.  The magnets let me take him off when hes in the case.    When I get more magnets I'll do the same with the gunner on my blitzer.    The Blitzer got the most converting as I actually reposed both arms,  the right arm was cut at the shoulder and tilted back to raise the right arm,  and the left arm was bent at the elbow bringing it up off the ground.   Then the shackle chain got adjust to fit hte new arm position.    Its not something most people will notice,  but those that know thier trolls probably will :)  

I got all the trolls via trades,  and Im realizing Im much more meticulous than most people in terms of assembly and finishing mold lines and seams before I paint anything.   I've got the tools to make it easier I guess,  the cheapie set of diamond files and dremel bits combined with Apoxie sculpt and some old vallejo acrylic putty makes pretty simple work of smoothing out the lines.  Just takes time for the putties to dry.

If theres any interest I'll gather up the infantry and get pics of them done up as well.   Theyre mostly done,  just have the min unit of scattergunners/UA,  and a full unit of Krielstone bearers/UA left to do.   Then I have to decide what I want to do with thier bases.    I've never done snowy bases, or anything like a happy spring time forest base.   The idea of little flowers on the bases on the dire trolls amuses me ^_^  

I should also note the stuff in the pics isn't all what I consider complete.   I still want to go back and do some wet blending on the Axers. impaler, bouncer, and the Extreme dire troll.  I did the regular Trolls first and the learning curve shows on the ones I havent shaded the flesh on with all the techniques.

Theres a few different pics on my photobucket account.

The infantry pics should be showing up there over then next couple weeks :)