Warhammer Porn

Ok, so the title may well increase the page view count.

One of the blogs I follow picked up on this posting on a Telegraph blog.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100227407/if-david-cameron-must-ban-anything-let-it-be-warhammer-fantasy-games/

Many comments seem to see it as poorly written satire, written I suspect by someone who was sucked in and spat out by the whole Games Workshop slick marketing machine.  I'm surprised that the guy could become a historian, which I think involves looking at primary sources and evaluating evidence.

Not that I would normally buy the telegraph unless it comes with a free bottle of water (and is cheaper than buying the water on its own) at airport or railway station, or it has a really, really, interesting sounding article.   I forgot to look if he used the word Space Marine in the article.

Attacking the lead and paper mountain

The last two years have seen me buy stuff but generally not much chance to paint it or read it.  Now that things have quietened down on the domestic front and I'm no longer so tired from lengthy car journeys to and fro the Midlands I've started to sort it.

First the lead and resin mountain:

Bins labelled - Samurai, VBCW, ECW, FIW, Force on Force, Ancients and Scenery pretty much reflecting my current interests.  I remembered buying most of it - the exceptions being some of the Ainsty resin scenery when I was in my "scatter scenery" mode, and some barricades from Fantascene and some FIW Indians from AW Miniatures

Then onto the book mountain:

I've skimmed through some of these but that's all.  Again, the rules and reference books pretty much reflect the miniatures buying.  

Too hot to paint currently but clearing the painting desk is next.  

ECW additions and a new camera

As life starts to return to some sense of normality after the last few years when other pressures affected my gaming and painting time then I'm starting to look over the EBay figure auction scene again to finish off or expand various forces.  

One recent bargain buy was a group of 19 ECW "forlorn hope" - in reality an assortment of plastic and metal Warlord Games figures.   First time I've seen the Warlord ECW figures - I've got a couple of boxes of their plastic stuff around and a couple of metal personality figures but haven't looked at them in much depth.  The following is a selection - also trying out the new camera I got a couple of weeks ago.  

The next picture is a close up of the 3 (plastic) painted figures.   And I'm really impressed with the camera to say it was £99.  Still not sure I'm a fan of multiple based figures - it makes movement easier but can hinder storage.  The thorny problem of decent storage for ECW pikemen still needs to be solved.  I think the figures have been washed with army painter dip...

Steampunkish things - panels and movies

Whilst trawling Ebay recently I came across somethng that set me thinking about Steampunk modifications.  The subject were some girls watches (from China - like lots of cheap things) and I thought that I could break up the bracelets and use them as panels - probably painted brass or whatever - on some home made vehicles/boats.

Price was £2.71 and £1.69 delivered.  I realise now that I should have put a 28mm figure alongside tthe bracelets for size comparison.

The other thing I did that was steampunkish related recently was to watch the 2002 Movie, Gangs of New York.  Victorian themed certainly, steampunk no although the gangs could well be some of the less desirable companies of IHMN.  Second hand via ebay for a few quid and thoroughly enjoyable. 

The Dead rabbits were an actual gang too....

http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/7-infamous-gangs-of-new-york

Canoeing in Canada - M&T inspiration

Whilst surfing I came across the following advert for a company...

French Canadian River voyage

and I found it a rather nice short video that helps set the scene for Muskets and Tomahawks.

Here's another video - I suspect of the same tour from the same company although with different people.

Oh, and I won 15 part painted Wargames Foundry "Mountain men" off Ebay today.   Some were bare metal, others appear to have a red-brown undercoat (but probably nothing that Dettol can't solve) to provide some character types.  I've already got some in my "Old West" figures but it will be good to not have to keep movng figures between two sets.