Sir. I bear a rhyme excelling
in mystic force and magic spelling
celestial sprites elucidate
all my own striving can't relate
or locate they who can cogitate
and so finally terminate
finis
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
From the Front line - Hills and Rocks and paint, oh my!
Okay...
Next step on the hills was to highlight them. I used a light grey emulsion and dry brushed the rock faces. Since I wanted them to be fairly grey, it was more of a wet brush...anyway. Onve that had dried, a much lighter drybrush of Skull White to just pick off the top detail.
Next, I added some rocks around the foot of the hill. This should have been done before I painted, but whatever. I have never been wise. Watered down PVA glue, then a sprinkle of larger stones (Ikea decorative stones) and then a heavy coating of large sand.
And a Tallarn Desert Raider to show the scale.
I've also done the rocks in exactly the same way...
Base coat of textured paint and grey highlights:
White highlight and sand around base:
Finally, the rest of the rocks. More like monoliths, or rock columns. One ended up slightly wonky. Perhaps it's falling over. They look a little too man-made I think, as the cutting away looks too much like brick work. Still, not bad for a first attempt.
Next is to paint and highlight the 'ground' then flock the grass areas (flat bits!). I'm most of the way through doing that, so more photos tomorrow once everything is dry.
So, now you know how a nerd spends his weekend...hello? Say, where did everyone go?
Next step on the hills was to highlight them. I used a light grey emulsion and dry brushed the rock faces. Since I wanted them to be fairly grey, it was more of a wet brush...anyway. Onve that had dried, a much lighter drybrush of Skull White to just pick off the top detail.
Next, I added some rocks around the foot of the hill. This should have been done before I painted, but whatever. I have never been wise. Watered down PVA glue, then a sprinkle of larger stones (Ikea decorative stones) and then a heavy coating of large sand.
And a Tallarn Desert Raider to show the scale.
I've also done the rocks in exactly the same way...
Base coat of textured paint and grey highlights:
White highlight and sand around base:
Finally, the rest of the rocks. More like monoliths, or rock columns. One ended up slightly wonky. Perhaps it's falling over. They look a little too man-made I think, as the cutting away looks too much like brick work. Still, not bad for a first attempt.
Next is to paint and highlight the 'ground' then flock the grass areas (flat bits!). I'm most of the way through doing that, so more photos tomorrow once everything is dry.
So, now you know how a nerd spends his weekend...hello? Say, where did everyone go?
The Front Line meets my lounge
"i wish i had a big place and a room dedicated only for doing stuff like that."
--Nadine
So do I, Nadine. So do I.
This *was* the dining room bit of my lounge. It's now a mess. Somewhere under the pile is my printer. The new hills are stacked on the end of the table.
The rowing machine (on the left) has lots of raw materials (foam board, card etc) plus the early stages of the temple that I am making.
The yogurt pots contain various grades of sand...fine sand, larger sand (from a fish supply store), and decorative stone from Ikea.
On the right, the boxes of completed scenery, paints and miniatures.
--Nadine
So do I, Nadine. So do I.
This *was* the dining room bit of my lounge. It's now a mess. Somewhere under the pile is my printer. The new hills are stacked on the end of the table.
The rowing machine (on the left) has lots of raw materials (foam board, card etc) plus the early stages of the temple that I am making.
The yogurt pots contain various grades of sand...fine sand, larger sand (from a fish supply store), and decorative stone from Ikea.
On the right, the boxes of completed scenery, paints and miniatures.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
From the Front Line - WIP photo
Okay, some work-in-progress shots of the bits and pieces.
First up, the hills.
These are made from thick polystyrene sheet, with card bases. They're shaped using a (very) sharp craft knife. They are designed to fit into A4 boxes (that printer paper comes in), so have been made moduluar. Each half will fit into the box. There are four sections, so I can either have two large hills, or four smaller ones around the table edges.
To make it the hills a little more passable to troops, I've carvbed out some lower levels for them.
Next the sandbags. These have been made out of plasticine, on a card base. They are sized to hold 2-4 models. The first has made use of a chunk of exposed rock.
The sandbags were given a coat of PVA glue to give them a hard coating, as the stuff doesn't set. Then, a base coat of Graveyard Earth.
Next, everything needs a dry brush highlight. I'm planning on using a light greay for the rock faces. Not sure about the rest. The flat parts of the hills will be highlighted, then flocked. This may sound daft, since the flock will cover the paint, but I know flock will come off with time and wear - this way it won't look odd where the flock comes off.
First up, the hills.
These are made from thick polystyrene sheet, with card bases. They're shaped using a (very) sharp craft knife. They are designed to fit into A4 boxes (that printer paper comes in), so have been made moduluar. Each half will fit into the box. There are four sections, so I can either have two large hills, or four smaller ones around the table edges.
To make it the hills a little more passable to troops, I've carvbed out some lower levels for them.
Next the sandbags. These have been made out of plasticine, on a card base. They are sized to hold 2-4 models. The first has made use of a chunk of exposed rock.
The sandbags were given a coat of PVA glue to give them a hard coating, as the stuff doesn't set. Then, a base coat of Graveyard Earth.
Next, everything needs a dry brush highlight. I'm planning on using a light greay for the rock faces. Not sure about the rest. The flat parts of the hills will be highlighted, then flocked. This may sound daft, since the flock will cover the paint, but I know flock will come off with time and wear - this way it won't look odd where the flock comes off.
No one would have believed...
As you may remember, I went to see Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds earlier this year.
I were absolutely blown away by it.
Anyway, the DVD of the live show, from the Wembley concert, is now out. I picked it up last weekend, and saw it on the laptop screen as my mum wanted to see it.
Tonight was the first time I've seen it at home, and made use of the 5.1 surround sound...and it is fabulous. The sound quality is so rich, and the editing has captured both the show itself, with the CGI back screen, the live action and the special effects as well as the atmosphere of the audience.
Jeff himself was clearly enjoying himself immensely during both shows that I've seen. The cast as well did a fine job. Justin Hayward and Chris Thompson reprise their roles from the original recording, and the new cast members do fit in very well.
If anyone in the UK wants to catch the show itself, they have announced further dates for 2007. Info can be found here. If you have ever been moved by the musical version, with Richard Burton's narration and the classic songs like Justin Hayward's "Forever Autumn" - go and see it!
I were absolutely blown away by it.
Anyway, the DVD of the live show, from the Wembley concert, is now out. I picked it up last weekend, and saw it on the laptop screen as my mum wanted to see it.
Tonight was the first time I've seen it at home, and made use of the 5.1 surround sound...and it is fabulous. The sound quality is so rich, and the editing has captured both the show itself, with the CGI back screen, the live action and the special effects as well as the atmosphere of the audience.
Jeff himself was clearly enjoying himself immensely during both shows that I've seen. The cast as well did a fine job. Justin Hayward and Chris Thompson reprise their roles from the original recording, and the new cast members do fit in very well.
If anyone in the UK wants to catch the show itself, they have announced further dates for 2007. Info can be found here. If you have ever been moved by the musical version, with Richard Burton's narration and the classic songs like Justin Hayward's "Forever Autumn" - go and see it!
From the Front line - the hills are alive with the sound of incoming ordnance
After spending the last few evenings hacking up polystyrene sheet in between stints at NaNoWriMo I know have five hill sections, four rock formations and a couple of sandbag emplacements.
Last night I spent an hour shaping and cutting 1cm x 0.5cm pieces of plasticene into sandbags, and glued everything to the bases.
Today, I went up to B&Q for paint. I've mentioned the paint mixing service they have up there. After the boast that they could match any colour, I painted a piece of card with GW's "Graveyard Earth" and a piece with "Codex Grey". I ended up with a tester pot of each colour (plus an extra pot of "Graveyard Earth", which I have to say looks damn good. I've now used one of the browns mixed with ample amounts of sand to texture the polystyrene - which now looks like they are made of chocolate!
I'll post some WIP pictures later, once the paint has dried.
I fear I am going to have to re-work the razor wire fences. I added the wire before painting, and it makes doing the base very hard. I'll see if I can get the wire off (it's superglued on...) so may have to get some more if I destroy it in the process.
Oh, and if anyone out there has a Predator turret going spare, please let me know...
Last night I spent an hour shaping and cutting 1cm x 0.5cm pieces of plasticene into sandbags, and glued everything to the bases.
Today, I went up to B&Q for paint. I've mentioned the paint mixing service they have up there. After the boast that they could match any colour, I painted a piece of card with GW's "Graveyard Earth" and a piece with "Codex Grey". I ended up with a tester pot of each colour (plus an extra pot of "Graveyard Earth", which I have to say looks damn good. I've now used one of the browns mixed with ample amounts of sand to texture the polystyrene - which now looks like they are made of chocolate!
I'll post some WIP pictures later, once the paint has dried.
I fear I am going to have to re-work the razor wire fences. I added the wire before painting, and it makes doing the base very hard. I'll see if I can get the wire off (it's superglued on...) so may have to get some more if I destroy it in the process.
Oh, and if anyone out there has a Predator turret going spare, please let me know...
Sunday, November 05, 2006
From the Front line
Finally, I finished the buildings I have been working on for the last couple of weeks.
In all, I have five buildings, a tower, one and a half columns, several wall sections, and ruined building.
Here they are, accompanied by the Tallarn Desert Raiders and Cadian Shock troops, from my Imperial Guard army. Click for larger versions.
The two tanks are Leman Russ battle tanks, painted as part of the Tallarn Desert Raider troos. The squadron leader is identified by the red turret and Vox antenna.
Details of the construction, partly to remind myself in the future...
Buildings:
5mm foam board walls/floors for the later ones, and cardboard for the first two
All glued together using PVA wood glue
Surface texture - 125ml of paint with 3 dessert spoons of fine sand
Base coat - Dulux emulsion "Jamaican Bronze 1"
Highlights - Dulux emulsion "Jamaican Bronze 4"
Cardboard base with texture from Ikea decorative sand (larger pieces), Fish sand (smaller texture), GW green flock
Doors/shutters/hatches - made from wooden coffee stirrers (similar to lolly sticks)
"Wooden" floor supports - foam card (added after painting) or matchsticks (added before texturing - used on the first card buildings and does not looks as good!)
Tower:
A Pringles tube on a CD base, using the same texture etc and matchstick floor supports.
Wall sections:
Foam board
Columns:
Foam board, with polyfilla used to fills add rounded texture in between the square sections.
Phew. All they need now is a coat of varnish to keep the flock attached and to help protect against knocks.
In all, I have five buildings, a tower, one and a half columns, several wall sections, and ruined building.
Here they are, accompanied by the Tallarn Desert Raiders and Cadian Shock troops, from my Imperial Guard army. Click for larger versions.
The two tanks are Leman Russ battle tanks, painted as part of the Tallarn Desert Raider troos. The squadron leader is identified by the red turret and Vox antenna.
Details of the construction, partly to remind myself in the future...
Buildings:
5mm foam board walls/floors for the later ones, and cardboard for the first two
All glued together using PVA wood glue
Surface texture - 125ml of paint with 3 dessert spoons of fine sand
Base coat - Dulux emulsion "Jamaican Bronze 1"
Highlights - Dulux emulsion "Jamaican Bronze 4"
Cardboard base with texture from Ikea decorative sand (larger pieces), Fish sand (smaller texture), GW green flock
Doors/shutters/hatches - made from wooden coffee stirrers (similar to lolly sticks)
"Wooden" floor supports - foam card (added after painting) or matchsticks (added before texturing - used on the first card buildings and does not looks as good!)
Tower:
A Pringles tube on a CD base, using the same texture etc and matchstick floor supports.
Wall sections:
Foam board
Columns:
Foam board, with polyfilla used to fills add rounded texture in between the square sections.
Phew. All they need now is a coat of varnish to keep the flock attached and to help protect against knocks.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
From the Front Line
Facing the Eldar again!
Yes, I faced the Eldar player that had wiped the floor with me on my first visit to games night.
Instead of a full report, I'll just pick out some highlights.
- One Land Speeder destroying the Wave Serpent on my first turn with its multimelta. Then toasting the entire squad of Dire Avengers (including Exarch) that were being carried in it.
- The swooping hawks (aka "budgies") skulking behind trees until the very last turn.
- One Tactical squad losing half its strength after the Rhino APC they were in was hit.
- Tactical Marines in close combat with the Farseer and Guardian jetbike squad...managing to eventually cause them to break...and then catching them up and wiping them out.
- Realising on turn 5 that there was nothing left in my army that could reach the enemy deployment zone to score me any victory points!
Ah well. 3-0 against. At least this time I (a) lasted to the end of the game and (b) had some troops still alive.
Fun game, as ever.
The two foam board buildings are looking good. Next job for them is a coat of textured paint - which I'll pick up at lunchtime.
Yes, I faced the Eldar player that had wiped the floor with me on my first visit to games night.
Instead of a full report, I'll just pick out some highlights.
- One Land Speeder destroying the Wave Serpent on my first turn with its multimelta. Then toasting the entire squad of Dire Avengers (including Exarch) that were being carried in it.
- The swooping hawks (aka "budgies") skulking behind trees until the very last turn.
- One Tactical squad losing half its strength after the Rhino APC they were in was hit.
- Tactical Marines in close combat with the Farseer and Guardian jetbike squad...managing to eventually cause them to break...and then catching them up and wiping them out.
- Realising on turn 5 that there was nothing left in my army that could reach the enemy deployment zone to score me any victory points!
Ah well. 3-0 against. At least this time I (a) lasted to the end of the game and (b) had some troops still alive.
Fun game, as ever.
The two foam board buildings are looking good. Next job for them is a coat of textured paint - which I'll pick up at lunchtime.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
NaNoWriMo 2006 begins
And so it has finally dawned on me what I have let myself in for.
Work involved a lot more typing than normal, so with that and gaming tonight I've done enough typing. The RSI, my old nemesis, is hinting that it's time for bed so I will say no more.
Since the NaNoWriMo profile (click on icon on right) only allows a limited extract from the novel, I will be posting my efforts in the Chronicles blog.
Since the posts are in date order, the posts are going to be in the "wrong" order.
I'll blog each day with a new post, so the new stuff should always be at the top. I think.
Anyway, best of luck to the rest of you taking part!
Happy adventuring.
Indy
Work involved a lot more typing than normal, so with that and gaming tonight I've done enough typing. The RSI, my old nemesis, is hinting that it's time for bed so I will say no more.
Since the NaNoWriMo profile (click on icon on right) only allows a limited extract from the novel, I will be posting my efforts in the Chronicles blog.
Since the posts are in date order, the posts are going to be in the "wrong" order.
I'll blog each day with a new post, so the new stuff should always be at the top. I think.
Anyway, best of luck to the rest of you taking part!
Happy adventuring.
Indy
Funnies
"A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit."
- Army's magazine of preventive maintenance...
"Aim toward the Enemy."
- Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher
"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.
- U.S. Marine Corps
"Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are
absolutely guaranteed to hit the ground."
- USAF Ammo Troop
"If the enemy is in range, so are you."
- Infantry Journal
"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just
bombed."
- U.S. Air Force Manual
"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never
encountered automatic weapons."
- General MacArthur
"Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo."
- Infantry Journal
"You, you, and you ... Panic. The rest of you, come with me."
- U.S. Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.
"Tracers work both ways."
- U.S. Army Ordnance
"Five second fuses only last three seconds."
- Infantry Journal
"Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't ever volunteer to do anything."
- U.S. Navy Swabbie
"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."
- David Hackworth
"If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush."
- Infantry Journal
"No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection."
- Joe Gay
"Any ship can be a minesweeper ... once."
- Anonymous
"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do."
- Unknown Marine Recruit
"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you."
- Your Buddies
"If you see a bomb technician running, follow him."
- USAF Ammo Troop
"Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing."
- At the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base Kadena,
Japan
"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3."
- Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)
"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."
"Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than
submarines in the sky."
- From an old carrier sailor
"If the wings are travelling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a
helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."
"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough
power left to get you to the scene of the crash."
"Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying
club."
"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?
If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, .... the pilot
dies."
"Never trade luck for skill."
"Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers."
Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully
complete the flight."
"A smooth carrier landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication."
"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!"
"Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag for the
purpose of storing dead batteries."
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a
person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about
it."
"When a flight is proceeding incredibly well, something was forgotten."
"Just remember, if you crash because of weather, your funeral will be held on a sunny day."
Advice given to RAF pilots during WWII: "When a prang (crash) seems
inevitable, endeavour to strike the softest, cheapest object in the
vicinity as slow and gently as possible."
"The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely
kill you."
- Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
"A pilot who doesn't have any fear probably isn't flying his plane to its maximum."
- Jon McBride, astronaut
"If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the
crash as possible."
- Bob Hoover (renowned aerobatic and test pilot)
Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you."
"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime."
- Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970
"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."
Basic Flying Rules: "Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go
near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the
appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there."
"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal."
As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?".
The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!"
- Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot )
- Army's magazine of preventive maintenance...
"Aim toward the Enemy."
- Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher
"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.
- U.S. Marine Corps
"Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are
absolutely guaranteed to hit the ground."
- USAF Ammo Troop
"If the enemy is in range, so are you."
- Infantry Journal
"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just
bombed."
- U.S. Air Force Manual
"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never
encountered automatic weapons."
- General MacArthur
"Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo."
- Infantry Journal
"You, you, and you ... Panic. The rest of you, come with me."
- U.S. Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.
"Tracers work both ways."
- U.S. Army Ordnance
"Five second fuses only last three seconds."
- Infantry Journal
"Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't ever volunteer to do anything."
- U.S. Navy Swabbie
"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."
- David Hackworth
"If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush."
- Infantry Journal
"No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection."
- Joe Gay
"Any ship can be a minesweeper ... once."
- Anonymous
"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do."
- Unknown Marine Recruit
"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you."
- Your Buddies
"If you see a bomb technician running, follow him."
- USAF Ammo Troop
"Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing."
- At the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base Kadena,
Japan
"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3."
- Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)
"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."
"Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than
submarines in the sky."
- From an old carrier sailor
"If the wings are travelling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a
helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."
"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough
power left to get you to the scene of the crash."
"Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying
club."
"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?
If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, .... the pilot
dies."
"Never trade luck for skill."
"Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers."
Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully
complete the flight."
"A smooth carrier landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication."
"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!"
"Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag for the
purpose of storing dead batteries."
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a
person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about
it."
"When a flight is proceeding incredibly well, something was forgotten."
"Just remember, if you crash because of weather, your funeral will be held on a sunny day."
Advice given to RAF pilots during WWII: "When a prang (crash) seems
inevitable, endeavour to strike the softest, cheapest object in the
vicinity as slow and gently as possible."
"The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely
kill you."
- Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
"A pilot who doesn't have any fear probably isn't flying his plane to its maximum."
- Jon McBride, astronaut
"If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the
crash as possible."
- Bob Hoover (renowned aerobatic and test pilot)
Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you."
"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime."
- Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970
"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."
Basic Flying Rules: "Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go
near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the
appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there."
"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal."
As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?".
The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!"
- Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot )
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