The 25mm Warrior

There it is, up there on the top left hand corner, right above last years :)

WOOT!!!

This one was hard as you can see from my stats. I stalled after about eight thousand words. It became very real what I was doing, reliving the stuff that disabled me. Words came out thick, me pausing through sentences, going "umm" and such.

Was a hard write in places.

But usually,

a hard write is the right thing to do.

I text messaged the novel to a very good friend of mine. An abuse advocate who without her help, this thing wouldn't have gotten done the way it did, if at all.

Was over eight hundred texts I think (eyes are kinda blurry. Been starring at a phone for hours on end for a month)

Now onto the re write, get this thing ready for publication.

The add a link thing isn't working for some reason. Just copy and paste it to see. Go to stats to see the progress :)

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/rukavin

Thanks for all the looks and words of encouragement!

See you guys around the warp,

-The 25mm Warrior :)

Sup Guys!

Thank you all for the look see's and nudges of support. The Minions and Papa JJ rock as always and welcome to the new guy who stopped by, decided to keep on stopping by :)

Right on man

About to cross the 35k mark here in a little bit. I'm behind on the word count "officially" but we don't like "officially" here at The 25mm Warrior.

Not like I'm writing the thing traditionally anyway.

So far I've sent 748 texts that make up it's word count. Within those texts have been a back that's gone out 3 times, the stomach flu, my phone breaking and the usual pain and suffering here at the happy house

Really, when your "LG Ally" touchscreen gets screwed up to the point it looks like I'm trying to get free porn in the 80's off a cable box I'm not supposed to have...

well,

it's one of the most stomach twisting "...I've lost R2" moments from Star Wars Episode 1: A New Hope I've ever had (no... it is no longer Episode 4 thanks to disaster of the new trilogy I'm sorry to say).

So it, like everything else, has been a challenge.

You guys can see me cross the finish here in a few days here.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/rukavin

Also, where to go with this dusty old blog. Can't really do it like I used to. Might need to make some mid course corrections.

More on that after the event however :)

Cheers!

Hello all my old blogging Brothers...

how's it been hangin?

If you haven't been stopping in periodically, the divorce is final, the custody secure (the reason for my continued absence... this thing turned into a mind screw of a custody struggle over my boy)

However happy to report, everything is cool.

For now (my fellow divorced Elites know what i'm talking about).

So, it's November again and National Novel Writing Month starts in fifty nine minutes and while my miniatures, my Guard and Bike marine armies lay in shambles...

it's time for me to pen my military memoir,

"The Road To Nowhere."

Hope you guys stop by to check on my progress and I'll be giving updates as well as I go.

You can see it all, and review a sample chapter here

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/rukavin

Thanks Brothers and a very special thanks to The Minions of the Monster Master for checking in on me from time to time, see how I'm hangin and offer words of encouragement to a struggling gamer.

Cheers :)

I was going to do a separate post for just my blog but seeing how there really is no way to address this in a way that is comfortable I'll just say it...

My wife left me.

Below is a letter I just sent to my boys over at "Minions of the Monster Master" (see that sick banner to your right? Click it, you wont be sorry... oh and make sure you follow them. They'll lead you in the right direction. These green tentacles? Nah, nothing, part of the uniform. Don't worry, the change doesn't hurt too bad :). Still, after the incredibly touching response to the crippled post, I would like to share this with everyone.

Understand this is not a gaming post. This is a life post and as such it's pretty uncensored. Maybe I can use this as a launch point into ordering me some "Paincakes."

Lord knows I've been eating em by the thick stack anyway.

So if you want to know the reason for my mysterious absence, read on.



-Wow, it's been a hot minute hasn't it.

I am very sorry for my absence (I tried to have a bit of fun with it on Mik's page) but I think you'll all accept my excuse.

Ready? It's a doozy...

...

my wife left me.

...

No?

Not good enough?

Man, you Minions have gotten hard since you got all popular since I last saw you.

Dog ate my homework?

I was rescuing babies from barn fires?

Ok, my lame attempt at humor has at last beat around the bush to the life altering point, an edge sharp enough to soulslice.

My wife really did leave me.

For a guitar player none the less. Man, if only I had learned to play the guitar instead of game...

Damn.

She told me on November 28th, the day before my birthday.

Lets just say this Christmas season was cold and very, very dark.

While the world fattened itself on commercial neon lighting and pecan pie, my grieving ate away pound after pound of my marriage fat. My night sweats pooled in the cracks of the couch. I shivered. I ached. I was spun. This was something where everyone was shocked. Now my marriage sucked. Details don't matter at this point except to say I wanted to try and work on the marriage,

she wanted to go learn the guitar.

I can't fight for something that doesn't want to be won.

JubieX (my best friend Scott, I've mentioned him on my blog before) and I moved out. He's awesome. A great friend, helping me pick up the pieces.

Even though my ex is a spawn from the warp now we do co-parent our son pretty well (by that I mean we don't get in each others way. Never know when she is going to "pic" a fight... ok I'll stop poking fun at the guitar player who moved in on my wife. I'm sorry :).

The hardest thing though has been my son. This has been very difficult for him. He adores us both. I will never hear anything more icy in my life than when my boy said to me "daddy, I'm sorry mommy is divorcing you."

The kid's smart. He knows what's up.

However I do have some good news to report sirs. Wonton, your minion auxiliary trooper, has brought honor upon the chapter (I cost 35 points. You can see all my upgrades and further details in Codex: Minions of the Monster Master).

I was a winner of the 2010 National Novel Writing Month.

50,000 words in a month was the challenge.

I did it it 22 days (I'll be expecting my purity seal and commendation in the mail).

Serious though, I knocked out a novel in a month. The cool thing was in early December we were informed they are going to be publishing our work (createspace.com) and we have the option to sell it on amazon.com. So now I'm in the middle of a rewrite, fighting the clock for my mid June publication deadline (even if I don't make it it's no biggie. Independent publishing and digital novels are the future baby... and the future is now!).

So, not all bad here on the western front.

That was a saving grace through all of this. To have that accomplishment tucked under my arm, knowing I'm going to be holding my own paperback someday was a pretty elating feeling after the hit I just took.

Now I just got to get the thing done. My winners banner from the event is up on my blog. Here is the link to my winner page and writers profile. I have my position on your guys show listed in the author info (love writing those. I get to put whatever quirky, obscure info about myself on there and I'm sorry, being an minion auxiliary is something to be proud of :). Also the stats tab is cool to see. You can see my word count total progress there :) .http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/720195

Oh and my author pic is up there too (no more hair Biscuit, I'm a baldy now. I figure it should be easy to draw bald with an eraser :).

My miniature collection has become a mirror of sorts, a reflection of just how scattered and broken things are at the moment (really? How does a ruined city get more "ruinender?"). I didn't even crack a game book for months. Really, this is like dealing with a sudden, unexpected death. The death of a dream, the death of my family as I knew it, the death of life as I knew it.

For a chronic pain patient, it's torture.

I think five months is good enough idle time from a wreck like that, what do you think?

I don't know when I'll be back with any regularity. I do miss blogging and my blogging buddy and idol Mik (not surprised to see the blog grow man. You really do have one of the best gaming blogs on the web. It's just a fact) Sometimes I'm like "yeah, lets game!" only to feel moments later like doing nothing, just drifting in a chemical haze as it takes my pain and turns it into a whisper. I'm learning grieving and gaming don't mix well, like beer before the liqueur, I'm truly never sicker. My taste for food, miniatures, painting, hell just about anything really rides the swings of my grief as I just let this pass over me (hell yeah that's a "Dune" drop... fear is the fuckin mindkiller baby! :)

Glad to see you guys didn't kick me to the curb...

you can always count on your gaming buddies.

Really, after the hell I continue to live though, seeing the Minions still around, Miks blog grow... it was nice something stayed the same, even if only appears as a little something.

Trust me, to me, it might as well be a statue, a marker, a guidestone to better days and happier times. While I work my way out of this cooze induced funk, these blogs and my own offer a bandage in the midst of suffering. I need to be reminded there can be still be fun if you spill enough paint, run the risk of gluing your fingers together, take out a second or third mortgage to swing the interest payments on that new Forgeworld army you always wanted...

and if you just simply look hard enough.

Thanks for the open ear fellas.

Now, can you guys please dispatch that busty new apothecary to come over here and attend to my wounds?

Big boobed, female apothecaries rock.

-Wonton

It's Back! My little effort to get more people to follow other peoples blogs has returned with another helping. I can only show you the door, you have to take the time out and click follow. I do this for one reason...

BLOGGERS ARE THRILLED TO SEE THEIR FOLLOWER LIST GROW!!!

Hopefully the more followers someone gets the more they will post. With more postings comes more time spent delving deeper and deeper into the hobby thus promoting the hobby.

So every time you take the time out to click "FOLLOW THIS BLOG" you are promoting our hobby!!!

So here they are peeps...


THE FALLEN PRINCES
There aren't enough Eldar blogs in the world. However the ones I've seen have been outstanding and this one is no exception. What we got here is a nice looking blog with a force that has some beautifully painted Harlequins. That's on top of a very nice piece where this blogger has written a cool back story to his army. Oh and the walker conversion is mega rad... THATS RIGHT I SAID RAD!!!


PAINT YOUR TOYS
Awesome Mordheim figs and an even more outstanding built city for them to play in. With Warhammer Fantasy out in a brand spanking new and shiney edition I figured it's time to branch out to this other game and this blog does a brilliant job representing that.


MIGHTY MINIS
Ok this is appalling... 2 FOLLOWERS? THIS GUY ONLY HAS 2 FOLLOWERS??? Damn that seems like a sin when you look at his figs. The dark, gritty way he paints adds a unique layer of depth and realism to his figures. Trust me you'll drool over these. Hopefully he'll do some tutorials in the future so we can see just how he does it.


INDEPENDENT PAINTERS
Sorry but your about to drool again. These guys are clearly professionals. Really this is PROFESSIONAL work here and right now they have a post where they are painting some Space Marine Terminators that are just, well... go take a look.


23 LINES
If Eldar blogs are rare then Daemon Hunter blogs are damn near scarce. This blog has absolutely kick ass looking Daemon Hunters along with a very impressive Dreadnought. Couple that with Codex Civilians that he has featured and you have a nice unique blog.


That's it for this week. Remember if you have a blog or you know of one and would like it featured here just send me a message at the25mmwarrior@gmail.com and I'll get em posted on the next edition.

Until then keep rolling FTW!

Last night was hard.

After dinner I had retreated into the bedroom leaving my family to enjoy themselves. The pain was damn near unbearable. Everywhere I went I limped my way there. Like a wounded animal I need some solitude, a black corner to lick my wounds. The plan as always would be to beat the pain with sleep. Most of the time it doesn't work. Pain has been known to keep me up for in excess of 24 hours before the exhaustion caves in on me forcing me to sleep.

As I lay there in hot summer night I felt ripped. A vast tug of war pulled inside of me.

I didn't want to sleep. I wanted to game, to paint, to model. It had been a long time since I had done any of that and I really, really wanted to do it. Problem was my body was recovering from a grocery trip I took with my wife and son. Did you hear that? I'm recovering from a grocery trip? The prolonged walking caused me to lean heavily on my cane which only transfered a bit of my foot pain into a lot of shoulder pain in my right arm. Even playing World of Warcraft in the wake of the outing was uncomfortable.

My back began to throb and stiffen on the bed. My mind was juggling between staying in the darkness or braving the increased pain my hobby activities would bring. What the hell? Years after my injury began I still have a hard time believing just what it cost me. The orders I obeyed carried with them the unknown reward of suffering. Pain in walking, pain in laying down, pain in painting a friggin miniature.

Just as I began to feel sorry for myself in the pitch blackness of my bedroom I was welcomed by a relativity new companion. Numbness began creeping up my thigh. My shoulder joined in concert. I moved around, rubbed my leg, tossed and turned to shake the swarm of numbness that was assaulting me. It only served to increase the pain with a burning that crescendo into a blaze then was snuffed by a rainfall of pins and needles.

I sat up, the gaussy moonlight that beamed through the window casted an eerie haze in the room. My eyes felt heavy, weighted by purple bags that hung beneath them. I wanted so bad to shake off the wanting. Wanting to paint, wanting to game, wanting life to be normal again. Everyone tells me to push through it. Well, what happens when I can't? What happens when this really does get the best of me? What happens when I'm just to damn weakened to fight anymore?

Luckily I fell asleep somewhere within all that torment only to awake to it all again. When I moved to my computer I was met by my homepage which is my blog. I felt even worse. The best part of my blog are the people that follow it and my damn injury keeps me from doing anything worth writing about. I don't want to just disappear, abandoning my blog, my hobby in despondency but really, right now, I don't know how to recover from this.

I guess there is no recovering from this. Just to take it day by day, hoping and knowing some days are better than others.

Sorry for the lack of posts as of late. JubieX's son is visiting us and well, it's hard to game with two kids in the house. As a matter of fact in nearly three weeks the only game we got to play was Pirates from the post below.

Just this morning it hit me. I missed my Top 5 Blogs and Storm Wardens Charity posts. Very sorry. The 4th of July weekend just added to the flurry of other stuff going on.

Once the visit is over and life gets back to normal a bit hopefully my blog will turn to normal and even more importantly, our game life. I had to drop you all a line though and wish all my fellow yanks out there a very happy 4th of July and don't worry, we're not going anywhere.

In fact we're just getting started :)

I'm a sucker for discounted games. It's a thrill to walk into a store and see a game that you we're interested in practically being given away for free. Adding to it all is my love of gaming. Really, I'll try and play anything. Nearly no game in a game store is off limits.

So you can imagine my thrill when I walked into Target and saw the Pirates Constructible Strategy Game by Wizkids on a big time sale.

Here is a close up of that price


That is just the tip of the iceberg of the treasure trove of packs I bought. With the packs being only a dollar it was easy to get a sizable collection of this game for dirt stinkin cheep. The game is simple too. All you do is go around getting more booty than your buddy.

It reminded me of college :)

Since my best buddy lives with me now it was even easier to dive right in to the high seas.

JubieX and I each formed a fleet of 40 points (a standard game). We were off and set sail in less than 10 minutes. It wasn't stated really well in the rules but we found a 4X4 area with the aid of a blue bed sheet did the trick for a game table. Check out the pics below and see just who has the better booty grabin skills!


The table mid game.


Nearly right away JubieX set a destroyer to interrupt my treasure hunting activities. He found out the hard way of what happens when you go up against a 5 mast ship.


My Schoener racing his Junk ship to get the last of the gold on an island.


Near the end of the game you can see my gold count was 15. In order to win you have to have 16, which is more than half of the starting gold that is randomly distributed to the islands face down so we can't see em. I had no choice but to hunt down the rest of JubieX's fleet. With my 5 mast ship fully repaired I set out to sink the scurvy dog!


With JubieX down to one ship I set up a blockade in front of his home island. I was prepared to chase him down but the bloody pirate did something brave...

HE RUSHED THE BLOCKADE!!!


In a desperate attempted to tie up the game he went toe to toe with my 5 mast. I knew he was hoping a bad round of rolling would save him...


It didn't.

I blew him right out of the water, sending him to meet Davy Jones!

The game was fun and just after one session you can see all the different ways to play it. The tactical approaches a player can take are nearly limitless and what's most important, the game only took about an hour which my feet really appreciated.

So if you have a Target around you go check out their collectible card section. You may be surprised what booty you find for dirt cheep :)

It's Monday and you know what that means?

IT'S TIME FOR YOUR WEEKLY REMINDER TO GO GIVE YOUR MONEY TO A GREAT CAUSE AND YOU JUST MIGHT WALK AWAY WITH A GRIP LOAD OF COOL ASS SWAG YO!!!

Just giving a shout out to Mik's Minis and Minions Of The Monster Master to help spread the word on a very cool project they have going on.

They are holding a raffle in July to win an entire Space Marine army! This force has some serious big names humping the painting haul to deliver what promises to be an exquisite looking force. What's even cooler is this is going to be The Storm Wardens... a never before seen chapter of the Emperors finest.

It's only a dollar a raffle ticket with the proceeds going to Doctors Without Boarders.

So what are you waiting for? Go toss em a few bucks and you may just get tossed a heap of painted minis right back!

I'll be posting this every Monday to remind everyone out there until it draws to a close.

Good luck all and be generous!!!

You can see the contest here

I always struggle what to write before I post the links. Since I got nothing maybe I should just shut up and post em eh?


REVENANT AUTUMN
Here is a nicely laid out blog with some nice posts on this guy giving himself the motivation to paint. We can all use a little kick in the ass to get our armies done (me especially). To see another hobbyist and his ability to pick himself up by the bootstraps and get em done is truly inspirational. Oh yeah, and the minis look fantastic too.


DA GREEN SKINS
There are not enough Epic posts out there and even fewer Epic blogs. Well here is one that is not only epic but is a damn outstanding one to boot! The Epic Necron conversion is especially cool.


A LITTLE PAINT HERE... A LITTLE PAINT THERE...
Scroll down and see his Champion of Tzeentch motivational poster... priceless. Oh his followers are at the bottom of the page and as you scroll down to get there you'll see some nice paint jobs along the way.


CRUSADING THE WARP
You've heard me say before that I don't have an artistic bone in my body right? So it's cool when I see someones green-stuff work and think "hey I can do that!" Very cool and simple custom bases.


STEVE SMITH MINIATURES
Wow... just wow... NUFF SAID!!!


Again if you know someones blog that needs some extra exposure and is a cool ass blog drop me a line at the25mmwarrior@gmail.com and if you pay me a large sum of money in un-marked bills in a large bag and leave it someplace where you now I'll find it then sure I'll get em up on the post!

Heh, just kidding yo!

Or am I...

What do you get when you cross a little boy, season one of "G.I. Joe" and temporary tattoos... all near fathers day?

Gold, that's what!



How could I resist? Oh we didn't stop there. The boy had to be turned into a double agent!



Man, being a parent friggen rocks!

In case you were wondering my son is the best miniature I've ever made and he and my babies mommy did their best to make my fathers day awesome! My boy gave me this...

Of course as a parent I love anything he makes me. This one is right at daddy's work station :)

My wife continued to spoil me by letting me run amuck at the Games Workshop site! (within reason of course). Since I had been eying the new templates for Warhammer Fantasy I decided to get a set of Counters, Range Finder and Blast Templates. I almost pre-ordered the book but Opie-Wan's Jedi like wisdom prevented me. While the book looks awesome it's also bloody HUGE! Really, it's like a friggin weapon itself! Big tomes like that are unwieldy during game play. I'll just hold out for the boxed game when I get my hands on a nice miniaturized version of the rules... Oh who am I kidding. I'll eventually buy the big stupid rule book too cuz I'm that gamer ya know?

My fathers day didn't stop there though...

When I went over to my parents house to drop off my dad's gift and pay him a visit my folks gave me a gift of my own...

This one surprised me. My parents don't even know what Warhammer 40k is. They took my Uncle with them and he picked em out. That was really sweet of them to do that and it taught me a lesson too; No matter what your kids are into, at any age, you have to support them in what they're interested in and love. I hope my boy becomes a gamer and dread the day he becomes involved in sports but if that's what he decided to do, then I'm now a sports fan.

I'm truly spoiled. Thanks babe for a great day. Mom, Dad, I love you and I try to live up to the example of parenting that you taught me. And to my Mr. Boo's who made me the best picture frame ever! Thanks you boy! I love you and am so proud of you... YO JOE!!!

Surely goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life.

It's Monday and you know what that means?

IT'S TIME FOR YOUR WEEKLY REMINDER TO GO GIVE YOUR MONEY TO A GREAT CAUSE AND YOU JUST MIGHT WALK AWAY WITH A GRIP LOAD OF COOL ASS SWAG YO!!!

Just giving a shout out to Mik's Minis and Minions Of The Monster Master to help spread the word on a very cool project they have going on.

They are holding a raffle in July to win an entire Space Marine army! This force has some serious big names humping the painting haul to deliver what promises to be an exquisite looking force. What's even cooler is this is going to be The Storm Wardens... a never before seen chapter of the Emperors finest.

It's only a dollar a raffle ticket with the proceeds going to Doctors Without Boarders.

So what are you waiting for? Go toss em a few bucks and you may just get tossed a heap of painted minis right back!

I'll be posting this every Monday to remind everyone out there until it draws to a close.

Good luck all and be generous!!!

You can see the contest here

Miss me? Well after a week off we're back with more blogs that need followers! In the two months this has been going on your support has been unprecedented in giving people the attention we all like to receive for our own work. It's your attention that really gives this a sense of community and for that you all friggin rock!

Ok enough of the mushy stuff... on to some blogs!


DAVES MINIATURES WARGAMES
It can't be all bolters and heretics all the time right? Ok well maybe it can but if it is we're missing out on something great. We owe all our games to the rich and terrible history of warfare and without historical wargaming we wouldn't have games like Warhammer 40k. This is one blog that keeps that historical beacon shining with some great painted minis and an eclectic love for history. This guy gives homage to all eras of history and if you stop to take a look you'll see inspiration found in the past that game designers use as a template for future games. It's important to remember the past!


13TH CADIAN
With the cool ass camo job here I'm really hoping for a tutorial. The camo job is damn near seemless and oh yeah, it's a Guard blog so major props!


HIDDEN IN THE WARP
Cool tactica blips on Dark Angels. Only thing missing is some pics. Hopefully this changes that considering this blog isn't HIDDEN IN THE WARP any longer :)


TECH BAY FOUR
Nice battle reports and Pop Pods... nuff said. What's that? You don't know about Pop Pods? Well get on over to this blog for some serious schooling in how to porxy in taste and style!


SHOOT TAU THRILL
A very well laid out and in depth Tau blog. Really a great and insightful read.


Well that closes out yet another installment! Again if you know a blog or if you have a blog that you want featured here just send me a message at the25mmwarrior@gmail.com and we'll get em up!

Oh and to all you fathers out there... HAPPY FATHERS DAY! For everything you dads do may the beer flow, the dice roll and may you never roll ones on your dangerous terrain tests!

Cheers all!!!

My mailbox was invaded today by nearly two hundred Imperial Guard troops ready to be mustered for war. What's that you say? How do two hundred Imperial Guard troops fit into a mailbox?

Well it's easy when the force is 6mm!


I've always eyed Epic. While my fingers modeled in the 25mm scale my vision would wander over to the 6mm world. Who involved in this hobby doesn't like the idea of having a hugely massed army which is a complete combined arms force? An army complete with scores of infantry, tanks, air support and of course big !%$#@* war machines? It's always caught my attention and it's catching the attention of my com-padres JubieX and Opie-Wan. Our dream would be to have a multi faceted Warhammer 40k campaign that began in spacde with Battlefleet Gothic, continued into the planetary atmosphere with Aronautica Imperialis, decended into a planetfall with Epic battkles and closed out with some good 'ol 40k small battles.

A lofty dream but a friggin sweet ass one. It seems only fitting to start dreaming on a planet big enough to hold it all.

Planetary Empires offers just such a template.


Mine is all primed up, just waiting to be drybrushed into reality. This supplement is really nice. The detail is outstanding, especially with the spaceport tiles.


Now what happens when you take Epic and mash it with Planetary Empires? You get a really nifty way to chart your armies progress as you move to take over the planet and smash you friends, I mean enemies, forces.



Now those are just some of the things that are going on here at The 25mm Warrior but it's not the biggest. My gut has got butterflies swimming in it with what i'm about to type. I hope your ready cuz here it comes!

WE'RE DOING A PODCAST!!!

That's right! As I write this I'm working the bugs out and within the coming weeks we will be proud to introduce you to...

CRITICAL MISS RADIO!!!

More to come...

P.S.: Sorry about the pics being too big. Something is up with photobuckets sizing matrix. Hopefully they'll have it fixed soon. The silly thing is if you click on the pics they are the right size on photobucket. Stupid technology :(

It's Monday and you know what that means?

IT'S TIME FOR YOUR WEEKLY REMINDER TO GO GIVE YOUR MONEY TO A GREAT CAUSE AND YOU JUST MIGHT WALK AWAY WITH A GRIP LOAD OF COOL ASS SWAG YO!!!

Just giving a shout out to Mik's Minis and Minions Of The Monster Master to help spread the word on a very cool project they have going on.

They are holding a raffle in July to win an entire Space Marine army! This force has some serious big names humping the painting haul to deliver what promises to be an exquisite looking force. What's even cooler is this is going to be The Storm Wardens... a never before seen chapter of the Emperors finest.

It's only a dollar a raffle ticket with the proceeds going to Doctors Without Boarders.

So what are you waiting for? Go toss em a few bucks and you may just get tossed a heap of painted minis right back!

I'll be posting this every Monday to remind everyone out there until it draws to a close.

Good luck all and be generous!!!

You can see the contest here

We're gonna take a break from SUNDAYS TOP FIVE BLOGS THAT NEED FOLLOWERS to bring you this special announcement!!!

I WAS ON MINIONS OF THE MONSTER MASTER!

What a great group of guys! They had me on for a thirty minute interview about 40k, my blog, what's to come and a bit about myself. The only problems we ran into was a few initial mic problems and an issue with Skype dropping the calls. However their professionalism shined through it all and they delivered on an absolutely awesome interview!

They also were gracious enough to let me make a HUGE announcement on their show. What is it? Your just gonna have to go listen to episode 19 to find out :)

Again, a huge heartfelt thank you to the MINIONS team for a great and unique experience!

Man I love this scheme!

Man I hate how bloody long it's taking! The Army Painter is working brilliantly, it's the Catachan Green that's being a bitch. It needs more than a few coats to go on even and that is putting a monkey wrench in my painting quick motif. It's even discouraging me to paint these guys at all. If it weren't for the finished look below I would have gone with something like the Cadian 85th "Firedrakes" army. Spray red, dip... done. Only I don;t want all red Guardsmen. I want Cadian 8th looking Guardsmen. I guess there is always a price for what you want.

Anyway here is a little bit of progress. I only have over a hundred dudes or so to go

Ugg.






I obviously haven't dull coated this team yet. I'm holding out until I drag my lazy ass to go track down some Testors Dull Coat. From my understanding it's supposed to be the best. Since this is gonna be the army I take my time with I might as well do everything as right as I can make it.

I did manage to basecoat a commander and three snipers. They aren't dipped yet but this gives you an idea of what I'm doing to basecoat.


Remember the story of the Tortoise and the Hare? Don't for one minute tell me that the Tortoise wouldn't go faster if he was givin half the chance.

Slow and surely = slow and annoying.

But damn do they look good...

A huge box showed up on my doorstep yesterday and as I franticly opened it up I was excited to see this...


There was a big struggle for me in choosing between Sabol Designs Army Transport and Battlefoam cases. I settled on the above for three reasons. First, Battlefoam is extremely expensive for what it does and The Army transport is really the better value. Second, the above configuration completely holds my 1000+ point Imperial Guard force (which is sizable, as you'll see below). Battlefoam, for the same price would not have held it. Now third, and most important, The Army Transport above has a handle and wheels. Nowhere in the Battlefoam product line do they have a transport that offers that kind of convenience and what a much needed convenience it is. I walk with a cane and it's awkward to lug around a huge bag. This bag makes it easier for me to get out and game at the game store if I want to.

Sabol Designs Army Transport won hands down (and the black is cooler looking too).

I haven't done a muster pic of my Imperial Guard yet (I'd like to save that for when the whole thing is painted) but you'll get an idea of just how much this Army Transport holds. Not to mention that if it can hold an Imperial Guard army it will hold any other as well. Here it is in action.

Two inch foam trays for infantry.



Three inch foam trays for walkers and light tanks.


Four inch foam trays for big ass tanks.


Now my armies are comfortably mechanized and I can go anywhere with them. I can even load up my paints in the trays and paint wherever I want. The added space for storage is welcome and compared to Battlefoam it didn't break the bank. To top it all off it shipped quick too!

It's awesome when you get a great buy with a great product from a great company. I even got this at a discount because they have new deals every month!

You can see Sabol Designs The Army Transport website here.