Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror!

Posted on 2009/10/14 | Comments Off on Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror!
A sleepy village ripe for the horror that is Nosferatu

A sleepy village ripe for the horror that is Nosferatu

This is actually a little old, but I’m posting it for those who missed it.  More stunning work from the Lead Adventure Forum.

Never seen Nosferatu?  Shame.  Murnau (the classic) or Herzog?

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Posted in film, hobby, modelling, terrain

Siege Equipment for 10 and 15mm

Posted on 2009/10/14 | Comments Off on Siege Equipment for 10 and 15mm
Donnington giant trebuchet, weighing in at 99mm

Donnington giant trebuchet, weighing in at 99mm

Someone over in the Specialist Games forums mentioned that the Donnington siege equipment works well for both 10 and 15mm.  This piqued my interest, as I’ve been looking for good siege works for my 10mm Middle-earth collection.  Old Glory makes some great stuff, too (also see here).

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Posted in 10mm fantasy, 10mm historical, 10mm Middle-earth, 15mm Historical

Papercraft

Posted on 2009/10/14 | Comments Off on Papercraft

SF Paper Craft Gallery

SF Paper Craft Gallery

Aliens (the movie)

Aliens (the movie)

I stumbled on these sites the other day, forgot how.  Papercraft.  Why am I tempted by this?

Click on the images to be taken to the corresponding sites.

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Posted in hobby, Misc, papercraft

Nonbiri, Japanese Modelers

Posted on 2009/10/14 | Comments Off on Nonbiri, Japanese Modelers

Nonbiri (take it easy)

Nonbiri (take it easy)

Studio-ACCESS

Studio-ACCESS

Do yourself a favor and check out these blogs administered by two very talented Japanese modelers.  They are masters of kit-bashing and scratch building a variety of models, focusing mainly on Star Wars.  But don’t let that deter you.  Trust me.

And don’t worry if you can’t read Japanese.  Just click on the calendar or page numbers to navigate their sites.

Beautiful stuff.  Click on the images above to be taken to the corresponding blogs.

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Posted in hobby, Misc, modelling

Nostalgic Image of the Day, 13 October 2009

Posted on 2009/10/13 | Comments Off on Nostalgic Image of the Day, 13 October 2009

ElfQuest Book 2 cover

5th grade.

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Posted in nostalgia

Rackham Army Boxes Unboxed, Lions and Wolfen

Posted on 2009/10/13 | Comments Off on Rackham Army Boxes Unboxed, Lions and Wolfen
Click on the image to see more at Raphael's blog

Click on the image to see more at Raphael's blog

For those of you who missed the announcement at TGN, Raphael Da silva Gomes has uploaded to his blog a ton of pictures featuring the contents of Rackham Entertainment’s first two army boxes for Confrontation: Age of Rag’narok.  Rackham reportedly skipped some stages in the painting process (mostly highlights) to make these sets affordable.

I have no plans to pick up either of these, but the undead box slated for later this year (early next year?) has me tempted.

NOTE: Image featured in this post is Copyright © 2009 Raphael Da silva Gomes.

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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Rackham Entertainment

Olleys Armies Update

Posted on 2009/10/13 | Comments Off on Olleys Armies Update
Click on the image to visit the new OA site

Click on the image to visit the new OA site

Olleys Armies is in the midst of a revival.  Be sure to check out their Web site from time to time as more content is added over the coming weeks (months).

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Posted in news

Skullcrafts, Basing Materials and Kits

Posted on 2009/10/13 | Comments Off on Skullcrafts, Basing Materials and Kits
Click on the image to be teleported to the Skullcraft site

Click on the image to be teleported to the Skullcraft site

I haven’t purchased anything from Skullcrafts yet; but when I need basing supplies, I’m going to give them a try.  They seem to be doing everything right.

UPDATE: I’m definitely buying a kit after seeing this video review.

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Posted in basing, hobby

Old School Gaming, icestorm9999

Posted on 2009/10/13 | Comments Off on Old School Gaming, icestorm9999
Click the image to enter the storm

Click the image to enter the storm

A fantastic site.  Old games, information, screen shots, animated GIFs, you name it.  So glad this site is out there.

UPDATE: icestorm9999 is dead, but I’ve updated the link to the owner’s new site.  Click on the image to visit WeekendWasteMonster for access to the old games.

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Posted in computer games

Meanders of Darkness Painting Challenge, Update 03

Posted on 2009/10/13 | Comments Off on Meanders of Darkness Painting Challenge, Update 03
The beginning of the highlight stage

The beginning of the highlight stage

A detail of the face

A detail of the face

Obviously a lot of work still to go, but I’ve started the highlight process.

My skin formula for this piece is as follows:

  • Base coat with Vallejo Game Color (VGC) Dwarf Skin (041),
  • First shadow wash (general) is VGC Tan (066),
  • Second shadow wash (recesses and undercuts only) is VGC Tan + VGC Sombre Grey (048),
  • Blend between the shadows and basecoat with a glaze of VGC Tan,
  • Blend first highlight onto the skin with VGC Dwarf Skin,
  • Highlight with VGC Elf Skintone (004).

There’s still a lot of shaping to do, as you can see. I’ll repeat this process on the skin all over the model.

The other areas of the model–cloth, metal, etc.–won’t get this kind of treatment, but I want the flesh to be as good as I can get it. Also, I’m enjoying this experiment with adding blue to the shadows.

I took the detail photo with my 100mm macro lens. The actual size of the photo is way bigger, but it seemed pointless to show greater detail with something this small. The focus is a tad off, because I didn’t bother with a tripod. I’ll take an appropriate photo with this lens when I finish the face.

Be sure to check this thread on the Rackham forums to see the other entries in this challenge.  There are some incredible pieces in the works, including one oil painting.

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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, painting, Rackham Entertainment

Nostalgic Image of the Day, 12 October 2009

Posted on 2009/10/12 | Comments Off on Nostalgic Image of the Day, 12 October 2009

The Trojan War by Metagaming (1981)

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Posted in board games, nostalgia

Meanders of Darkness Painting Challenge, Update 02

Posted on 2009/10/11 | Comments Off on Meanders of Darkness Painting Challenge, Update 02
Kelt Musician with the skin base coat

Kelt Musician with the skin base coat

Kelt Musician after a wash and glaze in the shadows

Kelt Musician after a wash and glaze in the shadows

This is my first attempt at glazing the shadowed parts of skin with a small amount of blue added to the paint.  I may make a mess of things in the process, but will press ahead regardless.

You can follow the MoD painting challenge at the Rackham forums here.

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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, painting, Rackham Entertainment

Copplestone Castings Selling Japanese Toys

Posted on 2009/10/11 | Comments Off on Copplestone Castings Selling Japanese Toys

The F-Toys At-At next lined up with some Copplestone German Mercenaries

The F-Toys AT-AT lined up with some Copplestone German Mercenaries

I mentioned in an earlier post that Copplestone Castings is now selling (for a limited time only) 1/144 (≈10mm) WWII Luftwaffe fighter planes, early jets, and Star Wars vehicles.  I’ve collected a few of these, although I have little interest in Star Wars at the moment.  Regardless, these vehicles were too good to pass up, and I hope to find a use for them one day.

I took my collection home to the United States in August, but the announcement by Copplestone Castings last week enticed me to visit my local after-the-market shop (in Japan) this afternoon to pick up another AT-AT.  Besides, this way I can share a photo of the actual model (sans side guns) standing against a grid and next to some Copplestone Castings 28mm miniatures for comparison.

The legs of the AT-AT are comprised of two pieces and poseable; they snap together with hex-shaped pins.

Tempted?  Copplestone Castings’ first shipment is almost sold out, but according to their last e-mail announcement another should be on the way in a few weeks.  The best way to find out when the new shipment arrives is to join their mailing list.

P.S. My apologies for the poor quality of the photograph.

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Posted in 10mm sci-fi, Copplestone Castings

Meanders of Darkness Painting Challenge, Update 01

Posted on 2009/10/09 | Comments Off on Meanders of Darkness Painting Challenge, Update 01
Rackham's Kelt Musician with a fresh coat of gesso

Rackham's Kelt Musician with a fresh coat of gesso

I finally finished the base and painted on the gesso primer this evening.  It will be totally dry in 24 hours.  I can’t wait to start painting this.

In the meantime, 50 stands of Copplestone City Guard Spearmen are distracting me.

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Posted in 10mm fantasy, 10mm Middle-earth, Copplestone Castings, gesso, hobby, Rackham Entertainment

Cavalcade Ox and Water Buffalo Greens

Posted on 2009/10/08 | Comments Off on Cavalcade Ox and Water Buffalo Greens

Cavalcade Ox

Cavalcade ox

Cavalcade water buffalo

Cavalcade water buffalo

Here’s a sneak peak of our new animal greens – an oxen and a water buffalo.  The oxen was designed for the beasts of burden that were imported into Africa and Asia by the British, however, they can be used for generic oxen.  The water buffalo is Asian in origin and can be found all over southeast Asia and China.  These will be available in singles as well as multiple packs for those looking to bulk up a stable of oxen or buffalo at a reduced price.

More on their Web site.

I’ve wanted something like this for a project I’m working on.  I had high hopes that Rackham would release the auroch sculpt they previewed so long ago, but that probably won’t happen now.  Everything depended on that model for my project.

The Rackham auroch, sculpted by Yannick Fusier

The Rackham auroch, sculpted by Yannick Fusier

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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Cavalcade Games, Rackham Entertainment