Hurting My Bak-U-Gan

Heh, get it... Bak-U-Gan... Back-A-Gain. HA!

And yes it hurts like a @$#&!

I got hurt a number of years ago in the military and ever since my body is falling apart. The resent back injury is yet another chapter in a slew of back problems. I original just had injured feet which has lead to injured everything. The pisser of this time is that with my back out it has seriously hampered my painting/ gaming life. I walk with a cane now so my right arm feels like mush at the end of the day.

Hard to paint with a mush arm. Can't seem to hold my brush steady lately and it aggravates my already tender back.

Even simple gaming has become extremely painful. Moving around a table, hunching over, taking measurements... these things are not supposed to hurt... but they do. My pride doesn't help any either which keeps me from going to the game store for any pug games and Opiewan tends to vanish during the summer months (his job keeps him busy. I hope to see him again soon... I hope).

Anyway the past month has been real depressing. I never would have thought my service would ever result in my hobby becoming a chore. Painting becoming painful and moving around a game table so tiring that I'd just rather not.

So in the midst of my despair I rediscovered WOW, spent some time with family and met a gaming savior I never would have imagined...

My son.

He spent his allowance on something called Bakugan. My interest was naturally peaked as I watched him roll the Bakugan balls onto the gate cards to have the ball transform into some mythical creature. I read the rules, taught them to my boy had to leave the action cards out... that will come later) and thoroughly enjoyed getting my butt kicked by my five year old. I rushed to Wal Mart to get my own Bakugan to defeat my son.

I still lost.

Sigh.

I didn't care, I was gaming again with the one person I really want to game with. He cheered me up and got me playing a game that doesn't hurt. Your curses can become blessings sometimes.

Still I'm really sore. Not sure when I'll get back to painting, gaming. Just got to give it time I guess.

You guys really do make me feel like I'm part of a community and it was awesome to see that some of you were concerned about where I went to. I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere.

Just because I'm not painting or modeling right now until I get better doesn't mean I stop being an active member of the community. I'm really looking forward to just wandering from page to page, admiring what you all do best and what you all inspire me to do.

So wish me better and if you have kids go get some Bakugan for em. It really is that good.

"All Gave Some, Some Gave All..." U.S. Paratrooper Army FINISHED!!!

There is something surreal about painting historical miniatures on the 4th of July. In reality your painting the representation of someones son, husband, friend, dad who went and served in some terrible struggle. It made me thankful that not only is war gaming a great hobby but now it offers an outlet to never forget, to pause and reflect, to stop and say thank you.

On this Independence day I finished my 1000 point Flames of War U.S. Paratrooper force. I wanted to get it done by the 4th so I could do a tribute post to all who served and put their lives on the line for this great country. It is they who have ensured my families and your families independence so we could have cookouts and beer, fireworks and sparklers, independence and freedom. Today is possible and a reality because of their sacrifice and it's important we all pause and remember.

I hope you do as you look over my army

Happy Independence Day and God Bless America!!!

Command Platoon


Paratrooper Platoons





Machine Gunner Team


Sherman Team


"All gave some, some gave all..."
I'll let you decided which is which

Standing Upon a Miniature Crossroad. or A Gaming Pitty Party

I'm starting over.

I don't want to do Orks. They paint up great but I don't like them. Their just not me. I should have listened to the the 40k rulebook guideline to picking an army... pick one you like. If I had to paint Blood Angels into a collection I would go sick. Dang I picked two armies I didn't really want to do. Got to file them under the was a good idea at a time file and offer em up on ebay.

I don't like to have unfinished stuff around. Just reminders that I didn't finish what I had started, a mirror that shows me I am a fickle gamer. 40k is a bit of a mystery to me. As I mentioned before each and every army attracts me and repulses me at the same time but there are none that really "grab" me.

In a way I feel like I'm dating this game. Playing the fields of war until "the one" comes along. If it's anything like my actual marriage "the one" will come when I'm not looking for it but alas this is a game and it forces you to make a choice and it's not dating either. It's more like having a bunch of mediocre women standing in front of you all in a line. You only want one of them (to court them all would be a one way ticket to loony ville). Only you know nothing about any of them, just how they look.

And I don't know which one to pick

Test driving this game is expensive and making a wrong choice is expensive ergo just like in real life playing the field hurts your wallet and can burn you out (not that I would know "in real life" of course...*wink*).

So I'm selling my stuff, raising a financial pool until I figure out just what The 25mm Warrior really wants.

If anyone wants a go at my Blood Angels army it's at

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pro-Painted-Warhammer-40K-Space-Marines-Blood-Angels_W0QQitemZ110409137214QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19b4e5bc3e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1|66%3A2|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

My wife put the "Pro-Painted" part in there. She says tag lines like that help it to sell. When I think of "pro" I think of guys like Ron not pro TAP dippers like myself.

So good luck and any advice on armies would be most welcome:)

The 25mm Warrior "Which Blog Do You Admire The Most" Shout Out Post!!

You know all to often in our lives cool peeps cross our path and we never tell them what we think of them or what they do that makes an impact on us.

This blog is a shout out blog and I want to know which blog in the From The Warp community has influenced you in some positive way. It doesn't have to be just one it can be as many as you like. Anything that has entertained you, improved you as a gamer, made you a better player, influenced your own blog etc. Hopefully we'll get a nice mix that will tell others of the great bogs out there and to check em out!

Now don't be shy. Here I'll start. There are three blogs that have really helped me grow in just about all facets of my hobby. The first being Miks Minis (www.miksminis.blogspot.com). What doesn't this guy do? His blog has everything. From painting tips to conversions to movie reviews to secrets of the universe to the Colonels secret recipe, I mean you name it this guy has it somewhere on his site. The eclectic jumble of games that peppers his posts makes me know there are kindred spirits out there who can't just do one game or one miniature but have a drive and passion to do it all. Not to mention he is a nice guy who goes out of his way to leave great comments. If these is a blog who I aspire for mine to be like the most it's Miks Minis. Thanks Mik, you rock bro!

The second is www.davesminiaturewargames.blogspot.com. With my uncle here I wouldn't even now what gaming is and without his blog I know I wouldn't have one at all. He taught me to paint, taught me to play, always told me games are cool but if you can get a date with a hot chick game night can wait. Ever since I can remember I've been watching him do this stuff and there is no one who has influenced my hobby more. Thank you Uncle Dave!

The third is our HQ, the club hub, the head big leader cheese grand master general of all From The Warp forces. Come on now, Ron is really a given but props and lovin have to be shouted out to the guy who brings us together and gets us noticed the most. Not to mention I really enjoy his emails that keep me up to date on what he's doing and for his collaborative posts that get us all working together on a common topic.

See how easy it is? So come on, which blog influences/ inspires you the most and why. Send some props out today!

My Fathers Day Present!!!

So my family, knowing of my ailing eyes (along with the rest of me it feel like) and wanting to help my seeming worsening blurry vision, got me one of these...


Man what a difference! My eyes don't hurt while I paint anymore. The white light floods around and is so natural it absolutely eliminates eyestrain. Not to mention the light improves the pictures that my wife so loving takes of all my minis. See for yourself...

Icky light


Nice, good, comfortable white light


Heh yes that Ork is the latest in my bold attempts at conversion. While playing Dawn of War I heard an Ork shout "Up Yours!!!" I wonder if I could make an "Up Yours!!!" Ork.


Looks like I can :)
(Good primer job too)

Nothing beat my sons card to me though. In it he wrote for me to go to the game store and get whatever I wanted. Now what kind of daddy would I be if I didn't listen to my own dear boy?

A huge I love and appreciate you to my Wife, Son, Mom and Dad for being loving and supportive enough to help me along in my hobby (and making it easier on the 'ol eyes)

For you Dads out there I hope your fathers day was filled with love and cool swag like mine was.

And if your not a dad...

"Go find a wench. Raise fat babies, live a good long life." -Porthos

Of course do that so your can get some lovin and cool swag.

Happy Fathers Day!!!

Returning To Your First Love...

Oh you remember it don't you?

The way your eyes would light up when you saw the object of your affection. How you thoughts would be occupied with it. The excitement you would experience, then way it seemed to soak up all your time. The way tha...

Huh?

Dude, I'm not talking about a girl I'm talking about games. Geeze. This is a gaming blog remember?

My first "gaming" love was Battletech and oh how I was smitten. My twelve year old mind was filled with images of lumbering BattleMechs and stories of great houses vying for control of the universe. I remember how I would look over the rule book trying to wrap my twelve year old mind around things like "line of sight," "terrain modifers," "pluses to hit," and the oh so complicated "death from above." I felt advanced. The rest of the world was playing "regular" games but I was playing a tactical war game.

And as time went on I found other games and more complicated rule set. Battletech became a thing of memory taking its place beside things like He-Man and Captain Power (heh remember that one?). You know the things you did as a kid but rest only in the memory of your childhood?

But what if you could go back?

For my birthday this past year my uncle (who told me I could start playing these games at twelve... never understood why that was the magical age) got me the Classic Battletech boxed set. After tearing that thing open I was quickly reunited with my first love. What a trip it was to see record sheets again, battlemaps and those oh so boxy looking Mechs.

Now I'm not a die hard Battletech fan but it is something I like to breakout every once in awhile and give it a go. The cool thing is the boxed set came with twenty four miniatures which fits in nicely with my painters ADHD I suffer from. This new Battletech is different. Wae website really gave alot of direction in how to paint the minis to be apart of actual units within the game giving the experience more of a context than when I was a kid painting up all the mechs different colors (yes I had a rainbow mech and yes he is in a landfill somewhere).

"Word of Blake religous fanatics from the 7th Division IV-Iota: The Glorious"

Aww... their holding hands. Er guns... er hand in guns. Mech on Mech lovin... umm...

I used a bleached bone basecoat with a light drybrush of white along with metallic highlights around the Mech. The they went for a good dip in TAP


The nice thing about these miniatures is it's kinda hard to screw em up. Any cursory look at the Mechs on the website will tell you that. They come in all different paint schemes. I figured this would be a good time to spread my painting wings a bit and try a color I have never painted before... PURPLE!!!

Again these guys were used with TAP but I took a more detailed approach to painting then is required. Working with Liche Purple I built up the base coat by drybrushing lighter shades made with bleached bone, skull white and a bit of tentacle pink. Then I blacked ink the whole mini and followed up with yet a lighter shade of purple. The highlights are just straight bleached bone.

Then I dipped em.

I followed the Free World League 3rd Marik Militia: Lucky 13th paint scheme. We need some good guys to take down those religious crazies right?


So whatever your first love is I hope you return and find some of the fun I had as a kid (and I do mean games. Please don't call up some girl who broke your heart in high school... that's just creepy).

So Long Blood Angels...

To start, a pre-script...

When I first started out with the Space Marines I had originally intended to do Ultra Marines. Seeing how well The Army Painter did and their tutorial on how to paint up an Ork I order the red primer. Since I'm an impatient fellow I painted up one of my Orks while waiting for the red primer to show up and realized that I didn't need the red primer. So here I am with a can of red primer, strong tone dip and a bunch of unpainted marines.

Ok, I'll just do Blood Angels.

Then I discovered after I painted them that Blood Angels have their own codex and they are primarily a close assault force. Looking over my list I had just painted up a Blood Angels shooty force.

Sigh.

Now the force I have has been a great training bra. They've taught me the game and they have played decently but I think it's time for me to part with them. I don't want to have to spend more money on more marines and more red primer. It's like I'm doing the army all over again. Besides if I ever really wanted to do them again it only takes a little over a week to get a painted Blood Angels force going again.

Then there is a question of gaming.

I really only play against Opiewan and he has been working on his Sisters for the better part of ten years (and they still arn't fully painted yet!). I mean really, how many Imperium on Imperium games can you play?

Boooooring.

So over the next couple of days I'm just gonna ebay my Blood Angels. They've taught me how to play but I think our time together has come to an end.

Now I got to figure out what army I really want to do... maybe it's back to the Orks for me :) The problem is when I look at the 40k armies they all appeal to me and they all repulse me in some way. I want what every 40k gamer wants though, an army I can really get into and collect for a long time (would be awesome to eventually do an apocalypse game some day).

I guess I just haven't found my niche yet.

Chalk it up to a noobie feeling his way around a vast universe and stubbing his toe.

So long Blood Angels!