Happy New Year!

 Happy New Year to all of my friends around the world!!!

Fourth Quarter 2019 Update

So what went on in this slower quarter?

1. The Green Men of Mars. Fantastic miniatures from Bronze Age!

"The men are trained in the higher branches of the art of war; in strategy and the maneuvering of large bodies of troops. They make the laws as they are needed; a new law for each emergency. They are unfettered by precedent in the administration of justice. Customs have been handed down by ages of repetition, but the punishment for ignoring a custom is a matter for individual treatment by a jury of the culprit's peers, and I may say that justice seldom misses fire, but seems rather to rule in inverse ratio to the ascendancy of law. In one respect at least the Martians are a happy people; they have no lawyers."  From the journal of Captain John Carter.

2. John Carter of Virginia (Bronze Age) and Dejah Thoris (Tin Man Miniatures).

 John Carter with Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark.

Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium.

3. Professor Calculus!

 The Boys are back in town!

4. I discovered Pulp Alley Miniatures!

  Pulp Girl!

  "Mak O'Reilly."

 

  "Phantom Ace."

 "Gauge." I added an upside down screw and washer to give the appearance of a machine or engine she is working on. 

The Creature. “I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.” 

5. The United States Marine Corps (Pulp Figures) join the world of 1895.

6. I painted some figures for eBay.

Wargames Foundry Askari unit - fun to paint!

"Poopsey? I think we are lost.

And that's all Folks!!! Have a Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all!

Luke 2  English Standard Version (ESV)

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

²¹ And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Favorite Figures of 2019 (In Chronological Order), Part 2

Continuing with the great year I had in painting figures; not volume, but definitely enjoyment in 2019.  As a reminder over the last few years I have been gravitated toward "skirmish" gaming from the Victorian Era to the late 1930's (though still sign me up for a big battle!). The gaming I have been doing is historically based, but with a Hollywood flair with some Pulp and Science Fiction thrown in for good measure. Continuing with my favorite figures I painted in chronological order:

8. Pulp Figures' Damsel in Distress. I must have been sleeping under a rock somewhere but I have recently discovered Pulp Figures. They have an excellent range of figures that are perfect for the late 19th Century to Mid - 20th Century. Under their "Weird Menace" category I purchased a pack of Cringing Captives (PWM 10) as they had an outstanding figure of Annabelle "Ann" Darrow, the fictional heroine from the 1933 movie King Kong as played by Fay Wray.

 Kong! Kong! Kong!

9. Gunga Din and The Sergeants Three. There is going to be a pattern in this post as most of the figures are from Pulp Figures.

Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe) and The Sergeants Three. SGT Archibald Cutter (Cary Grant), SGT 'Mac' MacChesney (Victor McLaglen), and SGT Thomas 'Tommy' Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) sculpted during the part of the movie when SGT MacChesney orders and leads the charge of his command across the rooftops of the fictional town of Tantrapur.

10. The Mad Guru and Thugees. More goodies from Pulp figures also based on the 1939 Classic Gunga Din.

 

 

 

 

11. Pulp Figures Sikhs. My favorite Adventuring Company I created for In Her Majesty's Name is the 14th Sikh Special Action Company. I drilled a small hole in the officers left hand to add a sword.

 

The 14th Sikh's Special Action Company

12. Frostgrave Glass Spiders from North Star.

 

13."Wasteland Mutants" from Bronze Age Miniatures. Ummm . . . yes they are the Green Martians of Barsoom. I think the pictures say it all.  Also, at US $12 a figure you can't beat the price.

"The man himself, for such I may call him, was fully fifteen feet in height and, on Earth, would have weighed some four hundred pounds. He sat his mount as we sit a horse, grasping the animal's barrel with his lower limbs, while the hands of his two right arms held his immense spear low at the side of his mount; his two left arms were outstretched laterally to help preserve his balance, the thing he rode having neither bridle or reins of any description for guidance." From the journal of Captain John Carter.

"The men are trained in the higher branches of the art of war; in strategy and the maneuvering of large bodies of troops. They make the laws as they are needed; a new law for each emergency. They are unfettered by precedent in the administration of justice. Customs have been handed down by ages of repetition, but the punishment for ignoring a custom is a matter for individual treatment by a jury of the culprit's peers, and I may say that justice seldom misses fire, but seems rather to rule in inverse ratio to the ascendancy of law. In one respect at least the Martians are a happy people; they have no lawyers."  From the journal of Captain John Carter.

14. Pulp Girl from Pulp Alley. This figure is just cool.

"Pulp Girl". A female figure that actually looks realistic and I love the gauntlet!

15. Speaking of cool, The Rocketeer from Pulp Alley.

 

Favorite Figures of 2019 (In Chronological Order), Part 1

2019 was a great year for painting as far as the enjoyment it brought me versus the volume of figures painted. Over the last few years I have been gravitated toward "skirmish" gaming from the Victorian Era to the late 1930's (though still sign me up for a big battle!). The gaming I have been doing is historically based, but with a Hollywood flair with some Pulp and Science Fiction thrown in for good measure. Here are my favorite figures I painted in chronological order:

1. The Earps and Doc Holliday from Brigade Games.com. Figures that are mostly black are a challenge to paint to bring our the detail. These figures based on the actors from Tombstone had just the right of detail to easily dry brush a light grey green to make them look right.

 Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp, Wyatt Earp and Morgan Earp (Brigade Miniatures based on the movie Tombstone)

 2. Yep, it's Tintin and Snowy - or should I say the "Boy Detective" from Copplestone Castings.

3. More Classic detectives.

4. While technically not a figure, I painted my first boat; a tramp steamer from Brigade Games.com. If you haven't checked out their site, it is well worth the visit.

5. Copplestone Cultists. Not challenging to paint, but boy are they full of character! The jailer taking the smoke break is the icing on the cake.

 According to the Union rules of the International Brotherhood of Evil Henchmen and Toadies, I get a smoke break every hour.

6. The Pinkerton's from Artizan. The best part for me about these figures is how, with just their stance, arrogance and authority seems to be conveyed. The challenge with these figures are their overcoats - large flat surfaces that gave me a chance to practice shading and highlighting.

7. The Shadow.  And suddenly I discovered Pulp Figures by Bob Murch. Boy oh boy - more on this later.

 "Who knows what evil lurks in the minds of men?" After I took this picture I noticed I missed some of the red lining of his cloak and fixed it.

That takes me through the first part of the year. The next post will conclude my favorite figures of 2019.  

Semper Fi in 1895 (Episode 5.18)

The United States Marines of the USS Audacity (DDC 1701)

The Navy's transition from sail to steam and aerial ships put into question the need for Marines on naval ships. Meanwhile, Marines served as a convenient resource for interventions and landings to protect American interests overseas. The Corps was involved in over 28 separate interventions in the 30 years from the end of the American Civil War to the end of 19th century. Under Commandant Jacob Zeilin's tenure, Marine customs and traditions took shape: the Corps adopted the Marine Corps emblem on 19 November 1868. It was during this time that "The Marines' Hymn" was first heard. Around 1883, the Marines adopted their current motto "Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful). With the ongoing world crisis of 1895, the Marines proved their worth as the toughest and most flexible troops the President had at his disposal.

USS Audacity (DDC 1701)

 With the capture and incarceration of the Wicked Witch of the West, and the elimination of current threats to the continental United States (despite the warnings of the Miskatonic University focus forums), President Grover Cleveland has ordered the United States Navy to patrol likely hot spots with Aerial Corvette Raiders. The ground contingent and force for boarding actions will off course be the United States Marine Corps.

Officers of the USS Audacity from Left to Right: Number 1, Lieutenant Richard Halsey Best, Captain J. Kirk and Engineer Moireach "Scotty" Campbell.

Under the command of Captain J. Kirk, the USS Audacity (DDC 1701) has been recommissioned and carries the toughest strike force of marines in the USMC. The Marines are led by Gunnery Sergeant Peter Stewart, and his small, but powerful contingent is part of America's answer to the threats posed by the Witch King of Sokur and Fu Manchu to American interests.

 Gunnery Sergeant Stewart.

Corporal Louis Rene "Buck Shot" Gaiennie with shotgun.

Lance Corporal David John Scannell with Arc Rifle.

Arc Generator carried by Lance Corporal Scannell.

Private Albert R. Campbell, Marksman Extraordinaire.

Private Erwin J. "There's no kill like an overkill" Boydston with the experimental Browning Automatic Rifle.

The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). These are the stats for the BAR for use in In Her Majesty's Name:

SV Bonus: +5 

Range: 24"

Hands Required: 2

Pluck Penalty: -2

Cost: 15

Notes: As an experimental weapon, if you roll a fumble on a D10 (a natural "1") you must roll twice instead of the normal once. The figure can also carry a pistol for 3 points.

Rules for The United States Marine Corps for In Her Majesty's Name can be found on page 49 of the book. 

Semper Fi!

Figures of Christmas Past: Reaper Miniatures Santa Claus

One of their ranges of Reaper Miniatures is Chronoscope; a collection of "generic" miniatures for many Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Wild West, Steampunk and other genres.  There is nothing generic about them.  They are clean sculpts that have nice animation.  One of them is Santa Claus, my favorite Santa figure.

Santa comes with a slotta base and was a joy to paint.  Ho, Ho, Ho.

Figures of Christmas Past: Pulp Santa

Don't mess with this jolly ole' elf. Not surprising, with my recent interest in the Pulp Genre, I present North Star's Pulp era Santa.  You better not be on his naughty list or trying to stop him from delivering presents!