APC Update - Why the Cardinal? Caution: Footnotes

Well, because nobody expects...

No seriously, my second submission to the APC was a 28mm metal figure from Black Pyramid Gaming - their Prof Stanton Brook.

Professor

He's obviously based on the Sydney Paget illustration of Prof Moriarty for the Strand Magazine, and that's why I bought him, but on handling the figure I was immediately put in mind of this chap from my youth.

Archbishop

This is Henry Edward Manning (1808-1892), Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, and I somewhat perversely decided that I wanted him in miniature.

The expected question was asked - "From your youth?  How old are you Edwin?"  No, I don't remember Manning, but I did spend quite a lot of time reading about him. (1)  So much time that I even considered submitting him as my entry to the Nostalgia bonus round. (2)

1  He was the subject of my Master's degree.
2  But decided that was too self-referential and obscure.

Enough about me.  What about the figure?

Whether the criminal mastermind has decided to disguise himself as Dr Manning, or whether - more shockingly! - His Eminence is himself the Napoleon of Crime will have to be the subject of further investigation.  It is however an odd co-incidence that Manning's death occurred mere months after Moriarty's supposed demise in Switzerland...

The base. again, is one I won from RayR.  I have tried to catch M's cadaverous pallor and broke the monotony of clerical black with some uncanonically grey gloves.(3)  You mayor may not be able to spot the purple bib.

3 I'm sure you all remember the story about John Henry Newman donning grey trousers in 1845...

I titled the submission to the APC 'Eminent Victorian'.  This is of course a pun on Manning's position as a Prince of the Church, but also a reference to Lytton Strachey iconoclastic book of the same name. (4)  Some of you (5) will immediately think "By gad!  He's going for a full set!".  Yes, I've already done one of Strachey's victims subjects - I only need Florence Nightingale and Thomas Arnold and I'll have a crime-busting quartet the pantheon of Victorian respectability.

4  Of course, he was using the same joke - weak minds think alike.
5  I'm looking at you Mr Awdry.

APC Update - Leg It! It's the Filth!

Evenin' All!

Last week was a bit of a lost zone as regards painting.   My self-imposed aim of entering each of the bonus rounds in the APC didn't even stretch to the second one, which was (no irony intended) Epic Fail.  It's a shame really, as I'd intended to use the French Foreign Legion's attempt to turn Laurel and Hardy into part of a crack fighting force.  However, the Defensive Terrain project is faring better - at least it has been primed!

However, over the weekend I managed to do three figures to contribute to Team Monday's efforts (Yay, Go Mondays!).

The first were Sgt Bung and PC Savage, two representatives of those fine boys in blue - the Berkshire Constabulary.

They're 28mm metal figures from Ainsty Casting's Aggro range and are ideal for anyone who wants to game on the streets of 1970s or 1980s Britain.  Soviet invasions or zombie outbreaks spring to mind, but for me they're more likely to be Yeti-bait in Dr Who games.

The bases are some I was lucky enough to win on a blog give-away run by RayR.

They're nice sculpts, and I''m tempted to get some more of the range.

And here's a treat for those of you who remember the '80s

Dr Who Wednesday #6

At last some miniatures painted!

For the Nostalgia bonus round of the Analogue Painting Challenge I went Dr Who and submitted these boys...

Loyal readers of this blog are rewarded with a better photo than
that submitted to the APC

Cybermen of course.  These are from BTD - their 'Earthshock'* version, with the exception of the one I've painted up as the Cyberleader, who is an earlier model.  They were something of a rush job and I'm quite unhappy with the basing - indeed there is a seventh where the basing all fell off as I tried to paint it before the glue dried (I told you it was a rush job, didn't I?).  He'll appear later in the Challenge with other odd Who figures.

*Poor old Adric - he never did get his end away...

The good news is that I found the Jon Pertwee figure that I'd lost!

And finally, just because,..

"Silver chap over there - five rounds rapid!"

Terrain Tuesday #11

Just a quick post this week as terrain takes the back burner due to the Painting Challenge.

However, I still keep my eyes open for bargains - like this little ceramic ornament I picked up in a local charity shop this morning for 50p...

Painting Challenge Update - Nostalgia Bonus Round In

Well, I've finally got around to submitting my first entry to the Painting Challenge!  I'm quite amazed at the productivity of who have already dropped major points bombs - I sincerely hope they don't get burnout.

I made the deadline for the Nostagia round by painting up a half dozen figures today - which for me is pretty quick work.  I'm not allowed to tell you anything about them (that'll have to wait until Dr Who Wednesday - wink, wink...) but they will be unveiled by Curt tomorrow (or given the number of entries, possibly the next day).

But I'm glad to have broken the duck.  These are the first figures I've painted in months, and it feels good.  This is why I enter the challenge - not for high scores, but because it gives me the incentive to paint.

As the Padre says - 'Blessings on your brushes'.

Thanks Secret Santa!

I had an lovely Christmas Day, and hope you all did too.

I'd like to state my public thanks to my Secret Santa.  Having read my Christmas wish-list (and I suspect my remarks about regretting not buying more Ainsty Castings scenery at the Hereward Show), he provided me with a bumper lot of Sci-Fi terrain in the hope it will come in for Doctor Who gaming.  It sure will!

But there's more!  Like a child given a horribly expensive present, or a cat given anything, I greatly admired the box it came in.  Secret Santa (or as I shall refer to him 'RR') had been cunning enough to do this...

Which means I can do this...

All I need is a hat-stand!

So a huge thank you to Santa, to his Gillingham Elf and, above all to Cath Willey for organising us all.

Dr Who Wednesday #5

Painting

Davros and the 18th Doctor for scale only...

I've not done much painting lately, but in order to get my brush in for the Analogue Painting Challenge I decided to do one of Ainsty Castings' splendid TARDIS consoles.  I think it came out quite well.

Google provided me with a dazzling amount of detail on the TARDIS control room(s).  It turns out that this configuration dates to the Fifth Doctor.  Just as well that I don't care about such things!

My plans for the Painting Challenge have a distinct Dr Who flavour.  So if you want to wallow around in Nostalgia* with Cybermen and Ice Warriors, stay tuned.  However I am distraught to say that I can't find my Jon Pertwee figure.  Alack, aloo!

*Other Challengers will get my drift...

Viewing

I have of course watched the end of the latest series.  I thought it came to a quite satisfactory end.*  The thought of Clara and Me whizzing around in their own TARDIS appeals - and it gave us a splendid homage to the original Control Room set, with the console in lime green and magnolia, looking like something from a 1950s nuclear power station!

*After all, the Doctor got rid of those ridiculous sonic sunglasses!

All-in-all my thoughts on the series that has just ended are positive.  High-lights to me were the use of Davros and all sorts of Dalek types in their two-parter and the reintroduction of Osgood.  The low-point was the Ashildr/Me arc - I just didn't warm to the character at all.

And we need more of Missy!

I'm not too sanguine about the Christmas special though - they've had a distressing tendency towards whimsy recently.  I'll let you know what I think next week.

I've also watched a couple of Tom Baker serials - 'Planet of Evil' and the 'The Android Invasion'.

The former was pretty ropy, but had some interesting design of the planet's jungle.  The inspiration for the monster was obviously 'Forbidden Planet'.

'Android Invasion' also steals from classic movies (in its case 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' - and I'm sure the bit about an astronaut being persuaded to lead an alien attack was done before).  It gets a bad going-over from on-line reviewers, but I quite enjoyed it - but's that always the case with episodes I watch and then realise I remember from my childhood!

It's a relatively rare Fourth Doctor/UNIT episode.  The absence of the Brigadier is palatable, and apparently it was the last appearance of Sgt Benson - both of which are a shame and, to my mind mark the end of UNIT's effectiveness.  Lis Sladen can do no wrong as Sarah Jane Smith of course.

And Finally...

A shout out for fellow blogger James Holloway.  Many of you will be familiar with his blogs, The Gonzo History Project and Gonzo History: Gaming Edition.  He has recently started a podcast in which he and a friend discuss episodes of Dr Who.  It can be heard here.  I recommend it.

Terrain Tuesday #10

During my period of enforced off-line time I thought I would experiment with making some Frostgrave-type ruins out of bits and pieces from the gash bin.  Typically, an afternoon's work has stretched out to three weeks.  And the damn things aren't painted!

Requires work...

The next three photos tell their own story.

ARRGGH!

Some of you may remember my discovery that in a house with whippets it was a bad idea to try us chicken bones to represent dinosaur remains.   Much the same goes for re-using Pringles tubes...

Finally, these two chaps will be statues flanking a staircase or the entrance to a forbidden sanctuary.

Last night I knocked out a batch of treasure tokens.  However, I have a cunning plan relating to them which I can't reveal until next year.  Stay turned...

'Twas The Night Before... (and Paint Table Saturday)

My computer problems have been resolved, and not a moment too soon, as this year's Analogue Hobbies' Painting Challenge starts tomorrow.  Sadly, the assessors decided that my laptop was repairable so I haven't ended up with a new one.  However, I must say that it's nice to have a familiar keyboard again after muddling through on my smartphone for three weeks.

In the Challenge I've set myself a realistic target of 500 points.  I done some preparation and have ideas for most of the bonus rounds and for the Curtgeld.  I'm ready to set brush to paint to lead!

So what's on the table on the night before the kick-off?

Well, there are some terrain pieces I've been building but haven't quite finished.  These are intended primarily for Frostgrave, but are basically generic ruins.

There's also a score of so of figures I'm in the process of basing for the challenge.  I'm not going to say more about them until they are done and submitted.

Thank you to those of you who offered sympathy and support during the computer crisis.  To those of you who are taking part in the Challenge: good luck and have fun!  To the rest, just have fun!

An Update

Nothing exciting, but I just think that I should make the occasional post to remind you all that I'm alive.

I haven't got a computer, so have been muddling along on my phone (I hate not having a proper keyboard!).  I have found that this makes it difficult to follow blogs unless the are on Google+ (so *that's* what it's good for!).

Instead I've been forced to spend time with The Wife.

No other news.  Prep for the painting challenge is non-existant.  I've got a little further with Frostgrave terrain.

Terrain Tuesday #9

A quiet word with the people in my local friendly charity shop resulted in me picking up a box of broken or incomplete toys this week, in exchange for a small donation.  [If you're going to ask charity shops to root things out for you, it's imperative you go back and pick them up in a timely manner - most have practically no storage space and are unlikely to want to hold on to something they can sell to someone else if necessary.]

At worse, I thought, I would end up with lumps of plastic that I could use as Frostgrave ruins, or  even as stamping pads for texturing bases, etc.  As I put the pieces together it proved a bit better than that.

The once impregnable gates of Felstad now stand empty

And a roof finds a new home..

Fireman Sam's station, I believe

Doktor Strange has use for that tech, and a plinth is always handy

  But the crowning glory has to be the castle, guarded by doughty Sikhs for scale...

This will be my last post for a while due to the computer problems I've been having.  My laptop is being collected for assessment by the insurers tomorrow and I'm not sure when it'll be back or replaced.

So, goodbye for now.  I'm off to delete all the Japanese tentacle porn from the hard drive...

Do Not Adjust Your Sets...

I'm currently having a laptop crisis - as you see the screen is buggered.  This is making using it quite a faff, so I might not be around reading and commenting on blogs or FaceBook for a while.

I shall be available via e-mail if anyone needs to get in touch, and Diplomatist Books will be soldiering on.

In the meantime, I shall be exploring whether the fault is reparable or if the machine needs replacing.  Any ideas anyone?

Great News!

The Die is Cast!

Curt has announced that the 6th Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge will begin on 20 December.  If you're interested, go here and sign up - I don't know how many places are available, but they will go quickly.

Huge thanks to Curt, who does a massive amount of work organising this event (he even donates the value of the entry piece to charity!).   This year he has made the sensible decision to enroll some helpers, so a shout-out to them too!

This Won't Be The Only Box You See Today...

Not this one (oh, lucky dogs!)

The fruit of the Nickstarter has arrived.

I ordered at Lich Lord level, so for my £35.00 I got this lot...

And as I ordered through Annie at Bad Squiddo Games, I got some freebies.

The only discernible problem is with the casting of the Dark Cauldron, but that's minor.

Better photos when my hands have stopped shaking with excitement!