Progress Report 1/28/7 - 52 Minis Week 4

Didn't accomplish much this week in the realm of games or painting. I'm hoping to spend a bit more time this weekend at the desk but homework is always looming...

This week we have this Chaos Sorcerer looking guy in a stitched up skin cloak. Not sure what edition of WHFB or 40k he is from. Another random from my acquisitions. 

I had fun painting the various shades of skin color in his cloak and the magic runes on his skulls. The stuck on dead skin mask was a bit of gruesome joy to paint as well. And even though I didn't plan on it I finished up another Dwarf adventurer while I was at it!

No name yet for this grizzled bear clad warrior. I imagine him as being a bit of a veteran... he's seen some things. I tried to reflect that in his slightly battleworn gear. Pretty happy with how he turned out overall. If you have a name suggestion throw it in the comments section! Next up on the painting table... more Dwarfs!?

Progress Report 1/21/17 - 52 Minis Week 3

Here we go... it's week 3 of (at least) 52 minis for the year. Hey look it's a Dwarfess!

Some kind of rune wielding blacksmith? Or runesmith? Or just a badass Dwarf woman? Either way I was really excited to get my paintbrush on her. For some reason the ink wash I used looks very glossy in this photo. Hopefully it will look less so with a bit of dullcoat applied. 

This is the first mini painted for my Mordheim Dwarf crew or alternatively for Frostgrave perhaps? (Oh yeah I kinda bought that rulebook during the holiday break... but haven't played yet)

In other news this last week was good with a bit of Pathfinder Societies play with my group (who hadn't played since Feb of last year!!) and also my first week of a new semester. This time around I have two separate drawing classes 4 days a week which has really kicked my lazy drawing butt into high gear. Probably drawn and sketched more this week than the past 15 years combined!! 

Random sketch of a random person in public.

My Ben Templesmith/Police Sketch self-portrait

The week of drawing has been a good reminder that like any art drawing takes practice! Same with mini painting and painting in general! Don't get down on yourself for doing something and it not being "the best" - getting yourself going is at least half the battle.

Kevros the Half Orc Monk about to Grapple a Stone Giant

Last year before my last session of PFS I re-created my Monk with the Unchained Monk. Best choice I could have made! At level 9 he has 27-30 (potentially up to 48) AC without armor, 2d6 damage per hit (with up to 3 per round in his Flurry of Blows), the ability to follow up and strike opponents who miss him in combat (thanks to Snake style!), and he can generally sense and perceive the hell out of things. Of course he is dumb as a bag of rocks with about as much charisma... but that's okay!

Potentially playing a bit of Bloodbowl or AoS tomorrow and I have plenty more drawing to do as well. So until next time....

Beer Review - Noble Brewer Red Hot Mama Ale

Noble Brewer - Red Hot Mama Ale

Beer Type: American Strong Ale - 9.00% ABV

Appearance: Noble Brewer bomber bottle. Beer pour a dark brown-red color with a thick beige head.

Smell: Sweet toffee banana like malt with some spicy hops aroma too.

First Drink: Caramel malt followed quickly by the spicy bitterness and a slightly soapy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium with a good amount of fizz.

Last Drink: Sticky high ABV syrup time as this warms up. Still bitter.

Drinkability: Not super complex but not exactly what I would expect out of a strong ale either.

Notes: Like all Noble Brewer beers this is a seasonal/limited release.

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5. It'll getcha drunk.  

Progress Report 1/14/17 - 52 Minis Week 1 & 2.

Here we go! The first of (at least) 52 miniatures I will paint this year as part of my hobby resolutions. As I was gone out of town the past week I'm playing a bit of catch up with getting these posted here to the blog. I'll try to be more timely moving forward. I dug out my light box and set it up so I could get more consistent/better photos of my work. I think it helps!

First up we have this older GW Nurgle Chaos Warrior of some kind (honestly not sure what edition it is from):

I built him on a 20mm base and I wish I had gone with a larger (more AoS appropriate) base but oh well. Since I have no idea what I will use him for I suppose it doesn't really matter what the base size is. I painted him roughly in the scheme I used for my Nurgle Daemons and I am happy with hot he turned out. 

Next up is another Nurgle like mini that looks to be more 40k related:

For this mini I wanted to test out a few color schemes for my Skaven Pestilence force and overall I would say it was successful. I'll likely use this guy on the table in TNT if nothing else as he looks a bit mutant. 

And that's all I have to share this week! Working on a few Dwarves and more Chaos stuff so who knows which will be the first to be completed for the week 3 mini. Only time will tell.

Beer Review - Oskar Blues Hotbox Coffee Porter

Oskar Blues - Hotbox Coffee Porter

Beer Type: American Porter - 6.50% ABV

Appearance: Oskar Blues style brown can with green printing. Beer poured a dark pitch brown color with a tan head that left lots of lacing.

Smell: Dark chocolate and cold brew coffee. Something a bit brighter as well though I can't place it.

First Drink: Roast coffee and malt with a nice tart/acidic flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium with good carbonation.

Last Drink: Smoky roasted coffee and chocolate malt are still the main flavors. Reminds me of cola a bit for some reason?

Drinkability: Cold brew with some coffee malt basically.

Notes: Limited release in my area. A bit pricey as well for just a 4 pack of cans.

Verdict: 3.75 out of 5. Fairly easy drinking but not my favorite porter. 

Beer Review - New Glarus Two Women Lager

New Glarus Brewing Co. - Two Women Lager

Beer Type: German Pilsener - 5.00% ABV

Appearance: 12oz brown bottle with the brown craft colored label of New Glarus and two women on it. The name is a reference to the two woman owned breweries who worked on this brew. Also something about vikings and sumerians. Beer pours a orange amber color with a thin white head.

Smell: Something a bit like apples or apple juice and a bit of grain.

First Drink: Sweet malty apples with just a little bit of hops coming through at the end.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with just the right amount of carbonation.

Last Drink: Malty biscuits and grain with more of the floral hops and honey apples.

Drinkability: Woah I wasn't expecting this beer to be quite so good!

Notes: Another winner from WI that I can't get on a regular basis. Guess I will save it for road trips!

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5. A very tasty lager.