Changing gears

Now that the painting league is finished, I've decided to switch gears and try my hand at Warhammer Fantasy.  I've chosen Tomb Kings as my army and what other model has such a presence as the Necrosphinx?

Painting league winner

Recently the Mission Viejo Games Workshop hosted a painting league that started late last year.  The goal was to have 1500 points of your chosen army built, painted, and presented along with a few extra credit items along the way.  I barely won by just a few points but I can now proudly say I have a fully painted army to play with.  The below pictures were my entries into the league.

The Blood Angels 2nd Company:

HQ: Librarian with Jump Pack
Elite:  2x Sanguinary Priests
Elite:  Blood Angels pattern Contemptor Dreadnought
Elite:  Furioso Librarian Dreadnought
Troops:  10x Assault Marines in a Rhino
Troops:  10x Assault Marines with Jump Packs
Fast Attack:  Baal Predator
Heavy Support:  Stormraven

Miscellaneous:  1x Custom building and 1x Crashed Aquila Lander for terrain pieces.

 

Blood Angels Stormraven

After spending about a week on this thing, I finally am almost finished.  The only thing left is to base it, and do some very minor detailing.  But for the most part, it's about 97% done.  Every weapon is magnetized, the interior is fully detailed with each computer screen displaying something different from temperature gauges, to ammunition levels.  The Dreadnought winch in the back is magnetized to actually hold my Furioso Librarian Dreadnought.   

I got the strobe to work a little better with the lighting to bring out the details of the shading.

Inside the Stormraven

Just a photo of the cockpit.

Pre-shading with an airbrush

One of the things I utterly hate doing is shading on vehicles.  There are so many recesses that manually shading them is what really makes me hate painting them.  I came across this video and it really appealed to me as it makes shading so much more convenient:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hpvg2lRlsc

I applied this to my Stormraven in the following steps:

1. Primed the model black using GW's Chaos Black primer (I find this primer to be the best spray primer for matte black.  I like P3's spray nozzle, but GW's formula works best for me) then  I airbrushed Vallejo Grey Primer, covering it completely.

2. Using a mix of GW Fortress Grey and isopropyl alcohol (50/50) I airbrushed just the raised areas.
 

3. Going back to re-touch up the recessess, I mixed 50/50 Chaos Black and Fortress Grey then mixed in isopropyl alcohol to airbrush the recesses.










4. Then spray Blood Red over the entire model in thin layers so that the shading underneath was still apparent.

The overall effect was astonishing.  I wish that the effect was more apparent on the last photo. Apologies for it not coming out clearer.

Gear:
Iwata Eclipse CS airbrush
Badger compressor (model unknown)

Super cool iPhone app

I've always had a problem trying to find an analog to Citadel paints when I want to use Vallejo or Reaper.  I found this handy app called Paint Converter for the iPhone.  It gives comparisons as to what paint matches each brand.

The only brand of note for miniature painting would be P3.  But they seem to do their own thing.

Apple/iTunes link:  http://itunes.apple.com/si/app/paint-converter/id465643256?mt=8
Android link:  https://market.android.com/details?id=com.hexxus.paintconverter

Assault Squad Andrael

Finally completed my 10-man Blood Angels Assault Squad.  This one is without jump packs to take advantage of Rhino, Land Raider, or Stormraven-y goodness.

Flesh shaded with 'Eavy Metal matte medium and Dark Flesh paint.

Head on the left is from the Assault Boarding Squad sergeant.  

Tried to go for a dynamic swinging-fist pose for the sergeant on the left.

1500 Point List

Competing in a hobby shop vs. hobby shop match tomorrow where each person brings a 1500 point Space Marine list.  I wanted to try out my new Contemptor Dreadnought so came up with a Blood Angels list based around it.

HQ: Librarian
Gear:  Jump Pack, Infernus Pistol.
Psyker powers:  The Sanguine Sword, Unleash Rage

Elite:
Blood Angels Pattern Contemptor Dreadnought
Gear:  Blood Talons, Storm Bolter, Meltagun

Sanguinary Priests x2
Gear: Jump Pack

Troops:
Assault Marines x 10
Gear:  Meltagun x2, Power Fist, Infernus Pistol


Assault Marines x 10
Gear:  Meltagun x2, Power Fist, Infernus Pistol


Assault Marines x 5
Gear:  Meltagun, Power Fist, Infernus Pistol

Heavy Support:
Stormraven
Gear:  Twin-linked Multi-melta, Twin-linked Lascannon

Vindicator:
Gear: Storm bolter, Dozer blade

The idea is the 5-man squad and the Librarian fly in with the Dreadnought loaded in the Stormraven.
The Vindicator is there for heavy artillery
The two 10-man squads fly in each with a priest to attack as the vanguard.

Citadel basing goodies.

One of the things I've always been missing with my basing is adequate vegetation.  In fact my bases are downright boring.  While I could easily just go to a model/hobby shop and get some, I dislike having to travel to various shops just to look for one thing.  I don't mind paying a higher premium just for the convenience of being able to get my stuff in one stop.  So I'm glad GW came out with some tufts of vegetation.  They're $13.95 a box though and I'm sure that'll turn some people off but this stuff is pretty handy.  I just wish it were taller.

Fun with blending

Attempting to create a lacquered look on the shoulder.

After picking up the 'Eavy Metal brush set I immediately set to trying the matte medium. One of the things with mixing medium is getting the right consistency and viscosity which I'm horrible at. I've tried the Reaper medium, the Vallejo varnish and mediums as well. The GW medium is just right.

I've always wanted to paint shoulder armor to look lacquered and this stuff lets me for the first time.

Still a WIP, but trying to make the armor look more antiquated

New toys

I'm a sucker for limited edition items. Luckily I didn't need to shell out the $50 pricetag for this one as it was a gift. Games Workshop released a brush set commemorating the elite 'Eavy Metal painting team. The set comes with a brushed aluminum case that can hold up to six brushes, two kolinsky sable brushes with the 'Eavy Metal logo, and two pots of matte mixing medium.

Being ignorant in all things art related, I looked up kolinsky sable brushes and found them to be made from the tail hairs of the kolinsky (a species of weasel) rather than from actual sable. Apparently some of the finest brushes are made from kolinsky. Good kolinsky brushes can be upwards of $300. The GW brushes are definitely better than their normal rank-and-file brushes but probably nowhere near the $50 price they're asking for the entire kit.

The pot of gold is definitely in the two pots of mixing medium that comes with the set. They make for good glazes and seem to be really great for use as a blending medium. I really hope they eventually release this product for regular sale.

How does the product stack up? Well, after just dipping the kolinsky brush into the pot I found I could instantly paint NMM like Darren Latham and Joe Tomaszewski, flesh like Anja Wettergren, and vibrant colors like Neil Green all just by using the matte medium. This stuff is pure magic.

Shifting focus

It's been quite a long while since I've posted anything on this blog. Half a decade to be exact. I've been looking for a central repository to post my miniature paintings so I thought I'd shift focus and re-purpose this blog for my minis.

I'm in a painting league at my local hobby shop. The end goal by early next year is to have a complete 2000 point army painted. Yesterday our first 500 points were due. Here is my 500-point army:

HQ: Librarian with Jump Pack (Converted from a Forge World Sevrin Loth model)

Elite: Sanguinary Priest (Blood Angels Brother Corbulo)

Troops:
5x Tactical Squad in a Rhino (Sergeant with Power Weapon and Plasma Pistol)
5x Assault Squad (Sergeant with Power Fist + Plasma Pistol)

I'm still getting used to laying out images in this format so forgive me as I go through a learning curve with this blog.

Conformity at its best

Four jobs you've had in your life: Martial arts instructor, ride operator at Disneyland, editor in chief of a racing magazine, sales manager for a publishing firm.

Four movies you could watch over and over: Gladiator, Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I consider the extended versions all just one long movie), Oh Brother, Where art thou?, Thunderbolt

Four places you've lived: Hong Kong, LA, SF Bay Area... and those are the only places I've really lived, so for the fourth one, I'll put Tokyo, since I've spent a total of well over a year there.

Four TV shows you love to watch: House, Lost, Heroes, anything on Discovery.

Four places you've been on vacation: Jamaica, Tokyo, Philippines, and South Carolina.

Four websites you visit daily: NPR, World of Warcraft, Penny Arcade, BBC

Four of your favorite foods: Curry, Korean BBQ, Pizza, BB Chicken

Four places you'd rather be: Tahoe, Tokyo, New Zealand, Tibet

Four albums you can't live without: Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor, Winter Solstice II, Deluxe by Better Than Ezra, Ten by Pearl Jam

Score one for Pandakind

Drunken tourist bites panda

Man bites panda after zoo attack drunken Chinese tourist says he bit a panda who attacked him after he jumped into a zoo enclosure to "hug" the bear.

Zhang Xinyan, 35, had drunk four draught beers before deciding to enter the Beijing Zoo pen belonging to six-year-old male panda Gu Gu. The startled Gu Gu bit both legs of his intruder, who responded by biting "the panda on its back", Mr Zhang was quoted by state media as saying. Mr Zhang said he had not realised pandas could be violent.

He told the Beijing Morning Post that he had come to the Chinese capital "only to see the pandas". "The seven-hour train ride was exhausting, and I drank bottles of beer when I arrived then had a nap," he added.

The newspaper said Mr Zhang had a "sudden urge" to touch Gu Gu with his hand, so he jumped over the waist-high railing into the enclosure.

Then he got closer and was undiscovered, he reached out to hug it," the newspaper added. Mr Zhang was bitten first on his right leg, and then on his left. Newspaper photographs showed him lying on a hospital bed with blood-soaked bandages over his legs. "I bit the panda on its back but its fur was too thick," Mr Zhang recalled.

He went on: "No one ever said they would bite people. I just wanted to touch it."

Zoo spokeswoman Ye Mingxia said the panda was unharmed and they were not considering punishing Mr Zhang yet. "He's suffered quite a bit of a shock," she told the Associated Press by telephone.

Now I don't know what kind of retard you need to be in order to think it's ok to hop a zoo fence to go and try to hug a panda.

Pining for the past

There's a certain point in your life when you come to realize the immortality of youth isn't as long lasting as you thought it would be. Having done martial arts for 22 years, you gain a high tolerance for pain; actually it's more displacing the pain than anything else. I never thought I would see the day where I would be asking....err...more like begging my Dr. for pain killers. I always thought because of the way I conditioned my body it would always remain such. I think deep inside I knew what I was doing to myself but always kept myself in a state of denial.

While sciatica is not a serious condition, it's irritating and painful enough to disrupt your daily life. Something is putting pressure on my left sciatic nerve causing the entire erector spinae on the left side to be perpetually cramped and spasming. Because of this, pain has been radiating down into my elbow and left knee. The sad thing is I know what needs to be done to fix this.

I've learned stretching is the most important activity a person can do as they get older. There is going to be a point in my life where I won't be able to rigorously do the same work outs I've always done. I won't always be able to do 720's, butterfly twists, aerials and other fun tricks. While I have always understood age will eventually limit me from doing these things I never thought by not maintaining them that my body would also retaliate against me.

Because of how badly my body has been treated (doing flips and landing on your back on concrete isn't the most beneficial recreation) and now since I've been on sabbatical from my martial arts training I'm finding my body is starting to turn into cereal; it goes snap, crackle and pop in the morning. Doing the some of the things I used to consider mundane are now becoming difficult. I can no longer drop into the splits on a whim. I can no longer land as gracefully after a jump as I used to. My stomach isn't as close to my spine as it used to be. My gait is different because of my hips adjusting itself. Worst of all, the pain.

Like a rubberband that has been stretched out and then snapped back into place, my muscles are doing the same thing. This leaves me with a couple options which will ultimately determine my well being possibly for the rest of my life.

1) Pain killers and physical therapy. While this sounds like a fun option I would rather be in control of my own pain management rather than what a Dr. is telling me to do.

2) Surgery. This is the least favorable option of all. I've never been under the knife in the past and I have no intention of doing so. Not because the medical arts scare me, heck I even wanted to be a surgeon. It's because I have taken pride in myself as being whole and unaltered. Surgery has the highest risk for me in regards to recovery. Dr.'s can't tell me if I'll be able to do the splits again. They can't tell me if I'll ever be able to do a jinga or an au batido again.

3) Do martial arts and stretching for the rest of my life. This would be the ideal choice given I had enough time to do it. But where there's a will there's a way.

So with that in mind, I hope one day I can go back to being what I used to be.

It's all about the cheese

So, I introduced my World of Warcraft guild to the guilty indulgence known as Musha. Since we're primarily a group of friends that know each other by the digital polygons and the only activity we know we have in common is slaying monstrous beings, it's no small wonder why many of us were a bit apprehensive about meeting each other in person. That is until I posted the picture you see here.

By the end of the night we had ordered 8 servings of cheese risotto, 4 orders of roast pork, 3 orders of sashimi salad, 3 orders of garlic marinated mushrooms & asparagas, 3 orders of fried chicken, 3 orders of spring roll salad, 4 orders of cheese baguettes, 4 rounds of "Demon Killer" sake, and two pitchers of Kirin beer. Between the 9 of us it only came out to about $30 each.

I think we've found our monthly guild gathering spot.