More ships on the way... darn it

Darn it.

I got one starter set already... and darnit all, I picked up another one.  And a Y-Wing.  And a TIE Advanced.  Stupid Barnes and Nobles, stupid gift card, stupid money spending.

Now I just need someone to play the darn game with!:)

Ordered a copy of "X-Wing"!

Hey all!

I have to admit, all of the X-Wing talk has really got me going:)  I am, like anyone my age, a HUGE Star Wars fan.  When I was a kid, when I wasn't wanting to be Steven Spielberg I was wanting to be Harrison Ford.  In college I not only took a house course on Religion and Star Wars (it was either that or badminton... I needed half a credit) but I also made a Star Wars space combat game that we spent about a year playing, spread out on my future roommate's floor.

So when I saw this, I thought "How cool!"  The only problem?  I could never, EVER spend money on a game I would likely rarely play.

That is... until I heard they sold it at Barnes and Noble!

Now, for those who don't know, I am an elementary school teacher.  And if there is one thing elementary school teachers have in abundance, it is Barnes and Noble gift cards.  Now, I have actually never spent one of those cards on a non-school related thing.  Just this year I did a $700 shopping spree at B&N using gift cards for my classroom.

But I found two just a few days ago that I didn't know I had... sooooo... yeah.

So the game is on its way!  I am hoping to get a few more ships at some point and maybe play it with my old roommate when we see each other this summer!

Good times!

Did some photography for "Longstreet!"

Hey all!

As I mentioned a few months ago, Sam Mustafa of Maurice/Lasalle/Might and Reason/Grand Armee fame asked me if I was interested in doing some photography for his upcoming American Civil War rule set, "Longstreet".

Well... if you give me the chance to look at great collections of toy soldiers on nice terrain, and then the ADDED bonus of taking photos of them...?  I'll jump at that chance!

So last week Sam came by and we took a bunch of photos, using a mix of our terrains, my 15mm ACW collection, and his 25mm ACW collection.  I've got to say, we got a LOT of nice shots!  Obviously I can't share them, as they are being used in the book and I'd hate to ruin the surprise, but Sam did say I could use one... so, here you go!  Grade A Toy Soldier Eye Candy!

As silly as it sounds, after a few years of owning my camera I think I've FINALLY got it down.  The last setting I needed to get a hold of was the ISO setting.  For the last few years I've had the iso WAY up... at like 1600, which gave me very grainy shots when I wanted a nice deep depth of field.  I have finally gotten it all worked out, though, and it produced photos like the one above, which is shrunk down by about half!  Pretty crazy, right?  Nothing like a nice camera and a nice flash to make nice photos!

Anyway... I do hope people are looking out for Longstreet... it should be a lot of fun once it arrives.  I did get a chance at a playtest (which is outlined in this blog post) and the game has a lot of neat factors. To this Civil War buff it was especially nice to see how armies within the game change to reflect the year of the war.  And the campaign system on top of it, which lends itself to some wonderful chances to personalize your regiments and really "get to know them," is fantastic.  I swear, I am considering sponsoring someone somehow if they would be willing to make an army specifically for a Longstreet campaign and actively paint and model to reflect the progress through the war.  I'd do ANYTHING for someone to start with a beautiful clean flag and end the campaign with the flag in tatters, full of bullet holes and covered with battle honors!:)

So!  A great afternoon.  I think there may be one or two more sessions of photography... my buddy has some great pieces, including a bunch of early war units (perfect for Longstreet) and some great objectives, and if the Grand Poobah says it is okay maybe I can share another photo!:)

Thanks for coming by!

What's up with Matakishi's Tea House?

(From Matakishi's Tea House... they have an amazing middle east/Somalia collection!)


So... one of my favorite toy soldier sites is Matakishi's Tea House... just a WIDE variety of amazingly interesting projects spanning all sorts of genres (including some I thought I didn't care about... until I read Matakishi's and started caring!) all painted to a great level... with plenty of terrain to boot!

But they haven't updated in a LONG long time, after being a pretty regular updater.  Now they only have their "for sale" stuff up.

I hope they get back to regular projects after they have the business up and running... I miss their stuff!:)

Plans for my newest box project; Mountain Men!

Hey all!

Well... above you see the drawn plan for my newest box project!

It is for my father-in-law, who is big into mountain men and explorers.

So... the plan is this.

I'll be using the same box as my "Death of Nelson" piece.  It will have a large cliff on the lefthand side, on top of which will be standing a mountain man overlooking the world.  Behind him will be his camp, with a small fire and a lean-to.  Behind all of that will be tall pine trees, and around the base of the cliff will the tips of pine trees.  The backdrop will be a shot of the Rocky Mountains at night.  Everything will be covered in snow (I'm glad for that Wargames Illustrated with the Battle of the Bulge table!).  There will be two lighting elements; first, I will do a campfire light, similar to my Harry Potter one (although dulled down a bit, because the fire is supposed to be dying).  I will also do a big blue LED at the top, to give the whole scene (which will be largely white, because of all the snow) a night time feel.

As for the figures... I am a bit lost.  Mountain men are NOT my area of expertise.  I am considering the pack at the right, and using the Joe Meek figure and maybe the Jed Smith figure as well.  I could use the donkey in the background near the lean-to.  If anyone out there has any better suggestions I would LOVE them... ideally I'd like the guys to be unarmed, but I wouldn't even know where to start looking!

Anyway... that's it.  I won't be starting it for a little bit, but would REALLY appreciate any advice or suggestions from all of you!

Thanks!

Spielberg's two new projects; WWII and Napoleon!!

Well... how about THAT news!

First, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are working on a THIRD HBO WWII miniseries, this time focusing on the air war.  Have you SEEN the computer graphics today?  Holy cow, the air combat should be amazing!

Here is a story!

Then... in an interview in France Spielberg revealed that he bought a Kubrick script and is aiming towards a miniseries about... Napoleon Bonaparte!

Holy cow, be still my beating heart!

Cannot WAIT.  Can't wait.

Humvees and Stryker finished

Well, my Stryker and second Humvee are done... so that is it for this collection!  Or rather, that is it until I get a Blackhawk:)

15mm Stryker and 2nd Humvee almost done...

Okay... I have a few days to myself, and thought I would get a few toy soldiers painted up!  I think tomorrow I'll have a game with them!:)

So this is my original 15mm humvee, a second humvee, and the Stryker that I picked up at Fall In this year.  I also included an infantryman for scale.  I think they look pretty good!:)  They still have a shine from the dip, but once I matte them tomorrow they'll look fine.