Sunday, September 3, 2017

Two Minis Painted: The Puppet and The Tire

Hi friends!

Today, I have two painted miniatures to share with you:  The Puppet from Spectre Ops and The Tire from Lobotomy.  First, in some detail, a layer by layer run through of The Puppet from Spectre Ops.I know that this is nothing new, but I always like to think about the amount of different layers that go into a model.  I sometimes think I'm a slow painter.  It takes me several nights to paint a single model.  I see these speed demons, and don't know how to do it!  Kudos to them for sure though, because a game with all of the models painted is always amazing and truly impressive to see.  I feel better for the other people I talk to who spend the same amount of time on a single model as I do:  several hours.  This first model is for them.

After that, I will show you The Tire from Lobotomy.  I'm not sure yet how I feel about Lobotomy's game play, but I want to play again because I find the theme so appealing and the models so beautiful, albeit frightening.  Maybe it's better to say that they are incredibly detailed and original.  Artistically incredibly well done.  I picked the easiest model I could think of, and speed painted it with incredible veracity.  Even getting frustrated when the paint wouldn't dry quick enough--very much similar to my friend who was painting so many models in such a short amount of time.  The second model is clearly for them.

I hope you all enjoy!  And please, I am open to suggestions for improving my technique on future models.  Growth mindset always!  Please just be kind with your comments.  I am actually quite proud of these.  They represent a lot of growth in my skill over the seven years painting.  Yes, I really was that bad when I started.  A friend once told me that my models looked like gummy people.  The paint went on too thick and washed out all the details.  I didn't wash or dry brush or highlight.  I made no effort whatsoever to paint the eyes or pupils.  They are gummy people.  But I will never repaint them because I am proud of them, and they represent a step--the first step--in my skill level growth.


So without further adieu, from Spectre Ops, The Puppet!


First, here he is with just the base coating.  This is the most tedious step to me.  It's like hyper competitive color by numbers.  




Next a layer of blue ink over the white to create a sci-fi glow that matches his character card, and some Nulin Oil over the metal to give it depth and shadow.  Sometimes I'll use Earthshade if I want the metal to look dirty, such as on a knight or something like that.  The Puppet is an elite technology in my head.  Clean and new.  No dirt.




Finally, some dry brushing and highlighting on the raised metal parts.  I also tightened up the blue space on his forehead.  Then some touch-up washing on the places I was a little over zealous with my dry brushing.  The model has it's clear coat and is drying now!


Onto The Tire from Lobotomy!





















Black for the tire and grey for the base.  Then dry brushing a blood splatter pattern with a red paint, followed by a dry brushing with Blood for The Blood God for the wet look.  Single night, incredibly quick paint job.


There you have it!  I'll be back soon with my just-completed dice trays!

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Tracking Plays

Hello again!  Long time no see!

There's some great apps out there for tracking board game plays and wins, but for my own personal purposes, I decided to create this spreadsheet to track the plays and wins of the games within my own gaming group here in Eugene, OR.  I'm sure that it will be a constant work in progress, but being the data junkie I am, I look forward to keeping it updated.

I decided to create this spreadsheet on the advice of my friend Becky.  I was saying how bummed I am to see so many of my games sitting on the shelf unplayed.  Apparently there are some people in the Reddit community who have made it their goal to play all of their games during a one year period.  I loved this, and as a group we decided to make it a reality.

In addition to tracking plays and checking off the list of games as we try frantically play them all, I think the spreadsheet will really help me to decide if and when I want to sell games online or in a gamer garage sale.  There's always the "I didn't like this game" reason for selling it, but it takes a little extra to really say, "Wow, I guess I never play that game.  Do I want to play it?  Should I try to incorporate it more in the rotation?  Or, is it just time for that game to move on to its next happy owner?"

Coming up (if I don't fall off of writing this again), I am hoping to be making an insert for my favorite game, Blood Rage, as well as writing a few more reviews and recaps of other games.  I've also got a cyberpunk RPG in the works, so stay tuned for a thread dedicated to that and our play-throughs!

Until then!