Progress Report 3/31/17 - 52 Minis week 12 & 13 (Dog Bowl V)

I've been very busy with the work and school and homework and not really sleeping schedule though not so busy I can't update this here blog!! This time around you get two weeks in one!

Last last week was a fun bit of time painting the Nurgle Slugbeasts. Here are they in their not quite done glory (still need to add some gloss to them):

I had fun painting these squirmy old slug monsters. I hope they perform well on the table as they slime my enemies....

Speaking of performing well... it's that time again! Time for Dog Bowl! This is the 5th year I have run this event with Furry and if it's like every other year it will be a great time. I happy coaches seem to enjoy the "underdog" boosting rules for the tournament and I am happy to see them playing teams that often get no love in the "competitive" scene.

This year we also decided to do a fun little thematic Bloodbowl 7s match set in the Realm of Chaos. Depending on how it is received we might expand upon this for next year.

Hmm... I wonder what these two Chaos Warriors could be for? It seems they have something on their minds...

Oops! Or should I say Rats!?

Progress Report 3/19/17 - 52 Minis week 11

A stressful week! Spent most of it sick and very tired. After much rest I went back to work... or tried to before I got a flat tire on my car!! Argh!

Needless to say I got very little done of the hobby front. But I did manage to get one Dwarf adventurer painted!! Here's Boozehammer 2.0

 

Drunk, angry, and ready to hit things with a hammer until they behave. Just the way a Dwarf warrior should be! 

Speaking of warriors I also spent some time building some Avatars of War "not Nurgle Chaos Warriors".

The command - "musician", standard bearer, and champion

Group with axes and blades

And the ones with the bashy bits

Overall I like the looks of them. I did add a few GW bits here and there to help tie them in more with the rest of my Nurgle forces. The kits were not easy to put together and have legs, torso, arms x 2, head, and then weapons. It was very challenging to get the two handed weapons lined up with the arms and much swearing was done in the process. 

Beer Review - Dark Horse Brewing CoffPA

Dark Horse Brewing Company - CoffPA 

Beer Type: American IPA - 6.50% ABV

Appearance: Dark Horse style (modern era) artwork on the label here. A crooked tree and some coffee beans. Beer is a dirty potato water color and kinda hazy with a thin off-white head.

Smell: I can smell a lot of malt and some coffee with just a bit of hops.

First Drink: Coffee up front is quickly surpassed by pine and citrus hops but then mellows out to a nice roasted malt/coffee finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a bit prickly carbonation.

Last Drink: Bitter flavors coming out now in the coffee/dark malt roast. Also something a bit orange?

Drinkability: I really wasn't sure what to expect of this beer and I am pleasantly surprised! I could have a few of these no problem.

Notes: A limited edition beer that was a part of their IPA 12 pack. Not sure how often this one gets brewed.

Verdict: 4 out of 5. Nice complex flavors with both coffee and IPA touches.  

Behold... Stronghold TV!

The Stronghold (formerly the Ogre Stronghold) is growing! A great place for Destruction minded AoS players to gather. Now we have a channel to go with it! Beware... my voice was used in the making of this video.

 

Progress Report 3/12/17 - 52 Minis Week 10

This week was spring break. I had hoped to get lots of painting done but it turned out to be a very busy week of work and my evenings filled up with other activities. I managed to get a little bit of painting done but it was just finishing up some Nurgle models I had yet to complete. 

It's the first day of Spring and this lot is bringing things back to life... in the Nurgle way!

The herald. Bringing back the funk with his collection of bells, guts, and mummified heads!

His back  up band leaders, aka the command group. Heads a plenty! 

Roadies. Can't they just clean up their act a bit? This puts my total at something like 20.

And a group shot just for fun. They look gross, funny, and monstrous which is pretty much exactly what I wanted. The bases are not 100% finished and I have yet to add the final goo and gore which will come after I seal them up. Thinking about playing some form of Nurgle in a local escalation/narrative campaign in the works so I figured it was time to crank these guys out.

Beer Review - Arcadia Ales Mango Suprise IPA

Arcadia Ales - Mango Suprise IPA

Beer Type: American IPA - 7.00% ABV

Appearance: Classic Arcadia (new) art on the bottle with a tasty looking mango on it. Beer pours a light golden/straw color with a white lacy head.

Smell: Soapy mango chutney? Does not smell like an IPA.

First Drink: Initial taste is more like an IPA with hops but it is quickly followed by tropical flavors of mango, pineapple, and citrus.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and a bit sticky. Good carbonation.

Last Drink: More sweet tropical flavors and a very bitter finish.

Drinkability: I think these tropical flavored beers are the current trend. Kind of like sodas from the late 80's/early 90's. It's okay but gets old.

Notes: Not a bad beer though I am not sure why they spell suprise without the additional "r"

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5. Good for one or two but outlasts its welcome beyond that.   

Progress Report 3/4/17 - 52 Minis week 9 (more Malal)

Gotta have it. Gotta have more of that sweet, sweet, MALAL!!

I haven't really finished any backstory or fluff for this particular Chaos Warrior of Malal. He was a weapon snip/ex-Blood Bowl mini I saved from the pewter graveyard and gave new life. Added his sword and shield and painted him up in a decidedly black and white style to honor his patron deity. I really like the hidden layers of character on his mask and behind the shield. Menacing! 

Here is the group shot as it stands in the current progress... but we have some new additions on the way!

I picked this Chaos Chariot up in a trade some time ago and have struggled to find the right project for it (it doesn't look good with the newer Chaos minis). I slapped on a few extra bits and presto! We have some deadly wheeled reserves coming in for Malal. 

And what Malal force would be complete with out THE Daemon Prince. A mini I have been coveting for quite some time now...

You know him, you love him, but we won't use his name... because this will be a Daemon Prince of Malal and I don't know his name yet! This was the first larger "finecast" GW mini I have built and it went together very smoothly. The details look good though there were a few areas I had to clean up (on the tail mostly). 

But it's not all Daemon Princes around here! I'm running a game of Pathfinder tomorrow and felt inspired to bang up a quick mini for one of the players in the group. Behold... Frodsak the Half-Orc Ranger! 

Still finding ways to use my pile of Bones minis from a few years back. Added a couple small touches to make him more WYSIWIG and add some toughness. I've slapped a bit of paint on him since this photo but I don't have a new image to share. You'll just have to come back next time to see it all finished! Til then...

Beer Review - Stone Brewing Ripper Pale Ale

Stone Brewing - Ripper Pale Ale

Beer Type: American Pale Ale - 5.70% ABV

Appearance: Stone in a can! Got the stone devil with some bright surfer type colors on it. Beer poured a copper/amber color with a beige head.

Smell: Dank hops aroma with pine, grapefruit, and resin. Doesn't smell like a pale really.

First Drink: Something a bit soapy? Otherwise it's pretty much like it smells only with more malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and a bit sticky with a bite from the carbonation.

Last Drink: A bit more tropical fruit flavors coming out of the hops and malt combo now.

Drinkability: It's a bit odd for a pale ale and not what I was thinking it would be.

Notes: Hard to follow up my last pale ale review with this one. Not even the same.

Verdict: 3 out of 5. Too malty and dank for my pale ale needs.