Revolution? It's on... er... off...

Two episodes in, and I have a whole side of beef.

I would have thought that the survivors would have broken down 
this amusement park for the steel to be used in other things... like fences
and structures and spears and stuffs.


Here is the premise of the show. All the power mysteriously goes off. Every thing. Nothing works that requires power. Nor do things that provide it. No batteries, spark plugs or lights. Cool premise.

What happens next?

That is what this show is supposedly about.

In the pilot we get a modern day family living their lives. Then dad comes home in a hurried rush, babbling about how "It's" about to happen. He quickly downloads some data on a mini flash drive and pops it into a medallion, calls his brother the green beret ninja to warn him, then it's on... er... off...

Power goes out. Cars stop. Fast forward 15 years. Queue the ridiculous over the top Star Wars: Episode 3 sword fight scenes and and iconic land marks overgrown with vines. And bad dialogue peppered with bouts of illogical decisions and blammo, we have pseudo Sci-Fi, network TV schlock. Oh how I miss Stargate SG1.

Not that there is any thing wrong with that Sci-Fi Schlock mind you.

I mean, I have enjoyed the first two episodes, and it is not like there is much else on TV to watch while I count the seconds until The Walking Dead comes back on.  But that doesn't mean I can't pick it apart!

So without getting too much into the particular story line allow me to rant a bit.

First of all, and this is always the first thing to pop into my head when I am introduced to a new "apocalypse" show/movie/book, what about the nuclear power plants.  Last year in Japan a flood knocked out the fail safe effects for one for a short time and god only knows what could have happened. In the 80s Chernobyl melted down and spewed radiation for weeks before they were able to bury it in a mountain of concrete. Again the fail safes failed. A perfect storm of errors and misjudgements. The effect was to destroy a huge area of the Ukraine, rendering it inhabitable for hundreds or thousands of years, and polluting the water table of most of the hemisphere, effecting generations of kids in ways we still don't even know.

That all happened, and those places still had power. Hell, Chernobyl was even still generating power for years after the meltdown! Now, imagine if that place melted down, and in a Revolution type world, there was no way to dump tons of concrete on top of it, sealing the radiation up and saving the world?..

No choppers to fly over head and dump the cement... no fire trucks to combat the flames... well, it would have burned, and burned, and blown radiation into the atmosphere indefinitely. We are talking true end of the world shit. The actual disaster spewed amounts of radiation into the air that were measurable here in the US.  Hell, the mini meltdown in Japan did too.  Imagine if one of these things were allowed to go unchecked? For years? I don't know because I am no scientist, but I believe that if Chernobyl had not been capped off in it's cement sarcophagus, thanks to the brave actions of the men in the Soviet Army (Who are probably all now dead) the world today would be a very different place. At the very least, hundreds of thousands of men would have died running in a bucket of concrete at a time and dumping it on the reactor,  then dropping dead from the lethal dose of radiation they received.

That is just the initial issue. Then you have the fall out. For miles and miles around Chernobyl, even now, you can sort of travel on the roads safely, but walk ten feet into the fields, and the radiation levels peak at dangerous numbers. The foliage holds in the radiation while the tarmac sort of repels it.  We understand this and in a Revolution world would know, even without Geiger Counters, to stay away from the woods around a meltdown plant.  But the deer wont!  And we would eat the deer. (we have no way to know if it is irradiated)

This brings me to the point.  In a world where the power suddenly stopped working, what about all of those nuclear plants that were in the process of creating power. Did the black out stop Fission? (Or is it fusion) The fail safe mechanisms that would retract the rods and stop the process wont work!  The rods would burn unchecked, and the water would evaporate, exposing the rods to the air with no way to cool, and MELTDOWN. Nuclear plants would start going off like a pack of Orvile Redenbacher Microwave Popcorn. Slow at first, then furiously for a while, then none at all, eventually. And left unchecked for long enough, the popcorn, and world, will all be black. (Or glowing green.)

That is about as good an analogy as I can make for my vision of an apocalyptic future. Burned popcorn. It could happen in The Walking Dead, and I don't see how it could be any different in Revolution. At least in TWD, you can imagine that the Government would have had time to lock down all the plants before they meltdown. So the chance for catastrophe is minimal. But in Revolution, it just happened, all at once. Some people knew about it, like Charlies dad, and I got the impression that the Government did, since the marine base seemed not to be surprised, and were prepped with flares and stuff.  However, with all the beuracracy in our ridiculous bloated government, I would have to think that more than one plant would have slipped through because of the hush hush nature of this event, even if the Government knew the blackout was coming, and managed to shut them all down in time.

But there is something that leads me to believe that the Government did not know about the shutdown, at least not entirely.  Her dad worked at a college, and rushed home to get the data, and protect it in the medallion from whatever force shut down the rest of the world.  Was he part of a conspiracy? The existence of the black woman with her own working computer and medallion, along with the guy who showed up last night to take her would suggest that they were working separately from the Government. This is also confirmed by the fact that the General had Charlies mom. (Which by the way I saw coming. You don't take a fairly well known actress in recent TV and pay her to do a pilot.) I knew she was going to at the very least be in every episode via flashback, but figured she was still alive and kicking some how.

Back to the blackout.  So yah, I think the blackout is some sort of terrorist attack for lack of a better word. Some people decided to hit the reset button. Charlies dad was one of them. I think the government has little to do with it, other than to know it was coming. The lack of meltdown infers that all of the nuclear power plants and missile silos were shut down, so the Government must have at least had some notice.  But the rest is up in the air!

Other beef?

The acting and writing. (Of course)

First, the writers unashamedly swiped three characters straight from The Hunger Games. Peter, Katniss and her other guy.. I can't remember his name. (The boy band soldier with the trendy haircut and Legolas like archery speed, Nate.) This was obvious, but acceptable. Why not cash in!

Hello. My name is Peter. 
I can throw big rocks.

Hanging Tough! The Backstreet
Boys are one of the most successful
groups of all time. I guess with all the old people
Revolution needed some one with a chizled jaw in an ultra
tight V neck. Luckily for me Abercrombie is still
in business fifteen years after the apocalypse.

But I'm too famous to die in the first episode.. Oh 
wait... SURPRISE! Bet you didn't see that twist coming.

I may have suffered one of the coolest TV deaths
in the history of well, TV, but I return, to play
the same character in the future, only,
I am no longer selling Meth. But am just as cool.

In 15 years I went from some one even the sentries at my own base
did not recognize, to a General, and did not age a second!






But then comes the usual absence of logical thought in the face of creating forced TV drama. Example. Our heros, enroute to Chicago, stop into O'hare airport. They inexplicably come across an intact plane that seems to even have neatly stacked cargo outside. Mr. Google suggests that they check the cockpit for first aid supplies. (He used to own a plane) As if after 15 years there would still be some? No one else thought about that?   Then directly after comes the scene with the bandits. (The drama) and the rescue (The resolution/hero/antihero) If I am two hot chicks and a nerd, I would think a bit of caution would be in order when I am traveling a post apocalyptic world. Taking cover and hiding when we camp is obvious. But in the plane? Logic would dictate that the plane was in use, after all, how could those cargo crates still be so neatly placed after fifteen years of Chicago winters? Some of them looked brand new! They couldn't find some nice copse of trees some place instead? Or an old abandoned building? If their route to Chicago took them through O'hare, they also would have gone through any number of old neighborhoods and towns. Fifteen years is a long time, but not THAT long...

Then come's Charlies stupid decisions. Sure she is a kid, (early 20s) I get it. But this is not 2012. This is a world where fifteen years of hard living should have taught this girl some sense. When her ninja uncle tells her to stay with Google and British plot device character, she should damn well listen. Especially since he gave them a place to be and a time. Nope. Instead she is going to chase after him, as if she is going to be helpful. (And of course she ends up being just that. Damn TV drama.)

I am she, who looks like Katniss, but speaks like Joey from Dawson's Creek


Aghast I have begun a series of rash mistakes in which
I get into trouble, but escape in the nick of time, usually
saving some one more skilled than I in the process.

What else? I liked Chicago. I loved how they created a thriving marketplace, with fishermen and such, and I love how they resisted the temptation to "Mad Max" it out.

Is Illinois the capital of the Crossbow? I mean, really... Almost every resident of these towns seems to have a compound crossbow made with gears and obviously machined parts. Have YOU ever even seen a crossbow before? Where did all these crossbows come from? Was there a crossbow plant in this area of the country?

I know it is fifteen years after the apocalypse,
but I managed to secure this snazzy 2012 state of the 
art Reverse Draw Crossbow, by Barnett Crossbows.

Notice the big handle on the front of this one. 
I think Charly would have a hard time loading the bow 
she has in her lap above without the draw handle.
But don't sweat the details prop designers.



Footwear? I don't know about you, but when I buy a pair of shoes nowadays, I am lucky to get two years of wear out of them. The blackout meant New Balance was out of business. This means that any boots on the feet of these people are either hand made by the multitude of Cobblers who were working pre-blackout and managed to create a business for themselves, (sarcasm), were scavenged, or have been on their feet for fifteen years. I can look past this though, as it seems there must have been a mass, and I mean MASS dieout as people died and warred. That would probably have left millions of pairs of shoes unworn, creating a huge surplus of footwear that could be used as currency. This goes for every thing, from AC-DC tee shirts to baseball caps. I suppose fifteen years is not too far into the future that there would not still be available goods to scavenge.

Grace's computer.  What the hell? It looks like she is using some cobbled together 80s tech that she found in an old IBM dumpster after they closed some long forgotten offices.  Yes, I know this is 15 years after the apocalypse, but she is part of "The Movement".  She had to know that she would be using this machine. Why the broken down crap?  For a couple hundred bucks I can get a pretty sweet computer now from NewEgg, and for another couple hundred I can get a steel box to seal it up in, then bury it 10 feet in the ground.  Then when needed post apocalypse, there you go! Top of the line, fast and well... new! The thing she is using in her attic when she presses the power button on her dampening field repeller is silly. What is with the old style 1985 green screen monitor with no casing? And the exposed "innards" to the computer with archaic looking fans and did I see 40s tech radar tubes? Did the writers feel that they needed to convince us that the computer needed to be ramshackle to work? Maybe they were suggesting that modern tech would not work with the medallion device... who knows. How about the dial up modem sound? What is the computer dialing into? I am waiting for an AOL product placement ad. Perhaps if she had a 2012 Dell she could have got more of a message out than "Randall is here."

The source of Grace's computer?


Ok. Lets cut to it. This is getting long and I need to post other stuff.

I like the show. The premise is interesting. I can grasp that there is possibly some sort of dampening field that is disabling the laws of physics and nature and making any electrical process impossible.  I accept that even the good ole potato powered alarm clocks won't work, if that is the world that Revolution has created. Though I wonder how this shut down of all power did not affect the electrical synapses and reactions going on in our own bodies...

 I look forward to seeing how they reveal this happened.  It will make for entertaining TV.  But I think this show is going to quickly go the way of Terra Nova. It is too Hollywood. Too big budget. They need to create real drama and believable characters instead of feeding us an hour of Michael Bay every week.

Eventually the special effects are going to be a liability and the sets are going to be too costly to maintain the show. The Ninja fight scene where one man kills a squad of trained swordsmen was too much. Too much of that will kill the show. I fear that they are going to write themselves into too many holes, and become too sappy with silly lines and forced situations. Especially in a post apocalyptic world. The RV any one? As if no one else would have looted that thing?  There is NO WAY that cabinet that broke open dousing Charlies brother with dusty powder thus provoking an asthma attack and setting the stage for future plot device would not have already been opened. Whether by nature weakening a cheap cabinet, or a looter opening it and not taking the time to close it.

I don't remember the line, but the British Chick spit out a barfy one when regarding her Iphone and lamenting kids she has not scene in fifteen years. Umm, a decade and a half are time enough to move on honey. I think that any rational person would have done so. Her sole motivation now is to get the power back on so she can go back to Britian and see her kids... Babe, they ain't kids no more... and how come she hasn't remarried and had more in all that time? She spent fifteen years sobbing and staring at a blank, useless piece of Apple tech because "it contained the only images she had of her kids and she could not remember what they looked like?" Ugh. Fifteen years with little more to do than work and screw, with no birth control pills and limited condoms... I would imagine this world would be baby land! At the very least I think this particular plot device is pushing it a bit much. Sure I can imagine her having that discussion two or three years after the blackout... but fifteen? It's a long time and she would have given up on pre apocalypse stuff, and gotten going with her new life.

Then there are some of the doozies that Charly spit out.  No need to break open that keg. You get the point.

Get it under control writers!  You have a decent thing going here. It is ok to create a formula for yourself. Put Charly in and out of trouble every episode. Suck us in with snap shots of familiar land marks in ruin. Preach about our over the top reliance on Technology. Foster the ironic relationship between Charly and Nate and the duality of his honorable nature and evil loyalties. Allow us to believe that an over weight nerd would still be over weight fifteen years after his supply of Zingers has run out. Reveal mysterious snippets of the cause of the black out at the end of every episode in an attempt to suck us in for the following week. Throw unexpected (sorta) twists at us every time we think we have a grasp of the show. But hear me now. If a polar bear, smoke monster or some person with a secret room and an old dilapidated 80s tech computer with cryptic messages shows up, I'm out...

Oh damn. Right.

Jawaballs

WarTV broadcasting Live Tuesday Sept. 18 9AM

Sorry for the late notice! Jim and I are off tomorrow so we will be broadcasting a live game starting at 9am EST.  We will be testing out our lists for Feast of Blades! Be there.

Sponsored by Gamers Gambit, Saddlebrook NJ.

WarTV!

Jawaballs

WarTV this Tuesday!

Jim and I are getting together to play test our lists for Feast of Blades this Tuesday.  Check back for the actual start time.  It will be in the morning. I know, that doesn't do much for you guys who are working, but it is the best we can do for now!  See you Tuesday.

Jawaballs

A new gaming company? Lets show em some support!


Hey guys, I originally wrote this up for BOLS but it seems the posting schedule will not let this get up in time for the end of the Kickstart so I am posting it again here. I hope Larry manages to post this up on BOLS too as these are some quality dudes and deserve some support!

We can't have too many games can we?

Well I would like to present to you a new gaming company, Hyacinth Games and their first entry into the realm of table top gaming, Wreck-Age.

My personal favorite image from their site.

My friend Brian Niro, the guy responsible for the custom made tables from last years Heroes of Armageddon project, has joined with Hyacinth Games to bring you Wreck-Age. Brian is one of the most genuine, coolest dudes I know who gives of himself freely asking nothing in return. One of the top dudes I have met through 40k.  If he is involved with a startup gaming company, they must be good people. Period.

Hyacinth Games has started a Kickstart to launch their first book and four box sets. You can find information about it HERE. If you are unfamiliar with a kickstart, it is essentially a website where "investors" can pledge some dough up front to help a company get started.  The more pledges they get, the better their launch!

Well to summarize what Wreck-Age is about, it is a post apocalyptic world. Is it fun to play in any other?  It is the 26th century and the world is destroyed. Different factions vie for control. Groups from Outriders and Drifters, to my personal favorite, the Order of the Reclaimers battle it out in the ashes and bone of civilization. The Order of the Reclaimers search the ruins for relics of technology past, and hope to use them to create a better future. The image above is concept art for a Reclaimer.  Pretty cool!

You can read all about the GAME HERE. The best part of the game is that it plays in the ether between RPG and Skirmish. Actually, it can be played as both. You can create your character and run through a campaign, or play skirmish style like Warmachine.  I think this can speak to a variety of interests.

Also, from what I have seen from the models, they look pretty cool and fairly well done! Here are a few examples.




I bet a lot of these models could easily find their way into a game of 40k too.

At first glance, the game looks to be harsh and furious, in a good way. Here is a quote straight from Brian Niro.

"I also really like this game because there's a simple honesty to it. Violence is harsh. If your model gets shot in the face, he's going to feel it for the rest of his very short life. That's harsh but fair."

This sounds sweet! One of my favorite gaming experiences of old was in Warhammer Fantasy, where you had a location chart for taking damage, and different sorts of damage had different effects. If you got hit in the face, you were scarred and it affected how NPCs interacted. This sounds like a nice nod to the days of gaming yore. 

Wreck-Age is slated to launch in the first quarter of 2013 with a 300 page hard cover book and four different box sets to represent the first four factions. If the kickstart does well, they have several more factions ready for production.  Here is a chance for us to help out a new company that gets it. A company creating games for gamers. I just checked out some retail prices over at the GW site. A Land Raider for 75 bucks and a Storm Raven for 82.50.  What the Hell!!!  In the age of ridiculous prices and greedy corporations, it is refreshing to me to see a group of guys jump into the fray and launch a cool game from the unknown. I wish them all the best. The market needs a little more variety.

So if you would like to support Hyacinth Games, visit their Kickstart and pledge some backing. You also get some cool rewards for doing so. Essentially, the more you support, the more you get, right down to all of the models and the rule book, or even the honor of having your own town appear in the rules! Dead or alive... :) Be looking for the boys from Hyacinth Games to be doing bi-monthly broadcasts starting in October with the 2012 fall season of WarTV, along with the rebirth of Jawaballs Live and the premiere of The Stout Smurf's weekly broadcast. This is going to be a great fall!

Jawaballs

Full sized banners!

The FTW Games Death Company banner on my work table.

Rob Baer from Spikey Bits/FTW Games proudly displaying his investment!



So as you probably know, I make full sized, hand painted banners.  Why do YOU want one? Because they are awesome of course!  One of my recent ones was this Death Company banner I made for Rob Baer. It looks awesome in his store!  These banners are perfect for gaming stores to add a unique touch of decoration to their walls.  

A new store in Baltimore, that replaced the vacant GW store called Dropzone Games has three of my banners! Here are two that I am particularly proud of:



Here are a few more that I recently did.

A simple IG banner.

A custom banner for a guys personal chapter.

You all know who these guys are!

A custom Night Lords banner. Note the negative space star!

Here is the third Dropzone Games banner.

And here is a Raven Guard Banner personalized 
for the 19th Legion.

For many more that I have done, check in the right margin for links.

These things are fun to make and look great in your man cave. At the last Wargamescon, I believe three of my banners were in attendance. Plus they are just fun to have around.

Every year I enter the banner competition at Gamesday, and dozens of guys stopped to take pictures next to it!  Here it is with my goofy mug:


I wouldn't say I am particularly talented, and there is nothing to say that you couldn't make one for yourself, but it takes time, tools and a seamstress to sew it. Why subject yourself to that trial and error and trouble.

Have me make you one!

I currently have time in my schedule and am again taking orders. If you are a GT attender and want an extra touch to make your army stand out, or a gaming store looking for a unique addition to that certain space on your wall, let me know. Special Events are a great opportunity. I did one for Feast of Blades and a state GT in Arkansas, plus I have one lined up for a GT in Vegas, and another lined up once Freeman gets around to making his decision on what he wants.  But aside from that I am wide open.

So if you would like one, send inquiries to jawaballs at hotmail.

:)

FAQ Update!

So it seems that the updated FAQ answers the Dante question, and the Glaive Encarmine!



Dante's weapon is indeed a Power Axe with the Master Crafted special rule. So much for his Initiative 6.

The Glaive Encarmine are WYSIWYG. So Sword or Axe, choose your poison.

Cheers for GW and putting out a timely FAQ~

Go look for your codex FAQ updates!

Jawaballs

Looking for Metal Sniper Scouts!

Hey guys, I am looking for old metal sniper scouts!  I believe there were 4 sculpts. I have the one kneeling, loading his gun. Does any one have the other three and are willing to part?

Jawaballs

Lamenters list evolution

Hey guys!

So I have been sitting around with Army Builder and looking at my Lamenters list and trying to figure out how to make them competitive and keep the original theme I envisioned. Here is where I have landed.



First, the list has evolved along with the other list I have working, my Armageddon Blood Angels list with Guard Allies.


Can any one tell me how to upload my PDF of my Army Builder list to Blogger?

Here is a hand written list:

Tycho

Tactical squad x10 Plasma gun plasma cannon
Assault Squad x10 x2 melta
Assault Squad x10 x2 melta
Scout Squad x10 snipers, cloaks
Death Company x9 Pod, Fist, 4 bolters
Sternguard Vets x9 Pod Fist, Combi Melta x4
Bikers x7 Fist, Plasma x2
x3 Power Armor Priests: Biker and Fist, Jump Pack, nothing


What do I have here?  Well, lots of speed, lots of assault, lots of mid range fire power and lots of objective holding.  68 Pissed Off Blood Angels coming at you hard and fast.

Well, Tycho is bad ass and as previously discussed, can be nasty in close combat as well as providing 2+/4+ tank power and LD 10 to the whole army.

The only question is where to put him? I have an open spot in the DC pod, so I can throw him in there, but I believe I will probably leave the DC pod empty and deploy them.  I can sit him back in the tac squad on an objective and dare some one to try to take it.



I dropped my Honor Guard, so I get to convert a Tycho and paint him with my non metallic.

The biggest ad? Death Company. They are truly awesome in 6th Ed. Coming out of a pod, or marching, either way they will add nothing but sweetness to my army. Plus, I am going to paint them white.  This is either going to be a huge success in my efforts to take Best Army, or a massive flop.  But whatever, they rock.

In the few games I have played in 6th, snipers have always played a role. First the cloaks in Ruins makes them nigh unkillable. And Sniper Guns are sweet now.

Two assault squads. Well, I found out that dangerous terrain is a joke now. If my guys fail, they can take armor and FNP saves.  Now they can safely hop from terrain to terrain piece and close with the enemy. No need to skirt the terrain and risk being caught in the open!  I gave them a JP priest to help.

These changes mean that I had to drop my bike plans down to just one squad.  But that just means I have more bikes to use for my future DA army.  The bike squad will still be strong with the biker priest though, and in an assault support role, they will excell. Their job is to intercept deep striking terminators while my RAS cut down infantry, among other similar jobs.

The one unit I committed to was my Sternguard. Mostly this is because I have always wanted to play them.  I have the unit built and half painted, and I like them.

The plan? Simple.  Full attack.  Drop the DC turn one where I plan on sending the rest of my assault troops. OR drop their pod empty and deploy them. They can play Defense or move and run across the field.  The sternguard come down right as the assault troops are about to hit, and soften up a hard target.

No, this list is not a win all games power list. I have no fliers and no allies.  I have no real long range, and no way to deal with fliers. But with some smart tactics and a bit of luck, I think I can win some games against good players, and should win my share against the rest. I am only playing this list at two GTs. The Feast of Blades Open, and DaBoyz GT. Two tournaments that should be less about wiping the table with your opponent, and more about great armies facing off.


Fall Entertainment!

This fall is gearing up to be a sweet time for those of us interested in movies and TV! 

TV First.

I had a lot of fun writing my The Walking Dead reviews last year and based on the traffic, they were my most popular posts!  I will definitely reboot that series again.  The show is fantastic.  I have yet to even flip through one of the comics. This is important because I love to break down the TV series, and attempt to interpret and predict the plot.  Last year I nearly nailed it when I called Rick's Son shooting Shane early in the season. My miss was calling the shot during an argument between Rick and Shane, not Rick and ZOMBIE Shane!  That bit of fun would have been lost had I read the comics.  So for this year, we know that There are two new characters, The Governor and Michone, and two new settings, a prison and a town. But that is it!  I look forward to breaking down what I think is going to happen and having fun discussions.  

One of the best TV moments of last season. Period.


But there is more to the fall TV lineup than that!  A couple of interesting shows caught my eye. Revolution, a post apocalyptic drama, and one about a submarine that appears to have gone rogue both look good.  And there is a new comedy called Guys with Kids coming out that might appeal to dudes like me. But looking briefly, that is about it. The networks spit out a butt load of new stuff every year, and a third of it is cancelled weeks into the season, and another third never returns for a second run. A surprise hit was the new Hawaii Five O which caught on and I think is starting it's third season. I watched the first several episodes and enjoyed it, but just couldnt get into it. Then there are shows that just linger on like CSI. I think the only original character left is Nick.  And some shows that don't know when to quit, like The Office. 

It is sad that a world exists where shows like Survivor run for over a decade and shows that are superior in every way, like Firefly are cut during the first season. Oh if only Sci-Fi picked up that one.

Frankly, the best shows on TV are on Cable. AMC has figured out how the formula. Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and now Hell on Wheels are all better than any thing on Network TV.  You would think that the Networks, and the guys who run the rigged ratings system would take note.  Hell on Wheels is quickly earning a spot right next to BB and TWD. It is gripping and gritty. No one in the show is a hero, or a villain. Sure you find your self rooting for Bohanen who is obviously the written protagonist, but sometimes you find yourself getting behind any one of the secondary characters. It's a great show. Give it a look.  

One of my favorite TV Characters.


Back to the ratings thing. It all comes down to money. This is why we don't have our long awaited Star Wars live action show yet. I think it was first announced ten years ago, and has close to 100 finished scripts, yet languishes on the back burner at Skywalker Ranch due to budget constraints.  The issues is that George and Rick (Lucas/McCallum) wont allow the show to run the risk of going the way of Firefly. They don't want to subject it to the reign of a jittery network exec who could pull the plug on it in the face of not as good as expected ratings. But that is just it. How accurate are those ratings? Who the hell watches Survivor? How the hell do the Kardashians get three TV series? Who says who is watching what? Aside from my own guilty pleasure indulging in American Idol with the wife the last two years, (and her secret fascination with the Kardashians) I don't know any one who watches reality TV shows like Survivor or any number of their imitators. They are cheap to produce and air to be sure, but how can they be ratings hogs? 

My point here is that the boys behind the Star Wars show wont invest the huge pricetag into a show that may be cut before it is realized. They need to make back that money. They won't put it on a pay service, which is sad, because networks like HBO demand too much control over the content. That leaves AMC. Why not? They have proven that they can find success with an expensive show. And that the prized market of 18-34 year old males will tune in to watch it. Why not because the ad revenue simply isn't there. 

But what kills me is that the suits in charge fail to see that it would be if they did it. If they build it, we will come!  Just do it Lucas! Make the show. We will watch! I simply cannot imagine a Star Wars TV show not being the top watched show in it's time slot on any given night. Unless of course it sucks ass. Which is a strong possibility with Lucas in charge. But that's just it. It doesn't have to suck. Just give to to AMC, hire some of the writers who work on their fantastic shows, and make it happen.

Please no!


I guess I had a lot more to say than I thought. This always happens, but now I am out of time. I will discuss movies next time. :)

Jawaballs

Who wants Chaos???

So I currently have a set of Dark Vengeance Chaos models available for trade. Possibly two. I am looking for the Dark Angels models of course.  Straight up trade.  I will NEVER play Chaos, but will probably play me some of my darker brethren when their new codex drops.  Couldn't hurt to build up some sweet model stock!

Plus it is time to raise some cash. :) I purge my collection every couple years. So, I'm going to be selling off most of my painted Blood Angels. If you have wanted to get your hands on one of my tanks, now is the time!  I have a couple Vindicators and Rhinos, plus a set of three matching predators with Autocannon turrets and las sponsons from two years ago Nova Open list.  I will let these go for very reasonable prices.

At this point this really only applies to you if you are a long time reader and know what I have. This is sort of your chance to get em before they are made available to every one else.  If you have something in mind give me a holla!

Also on the block, for the right price, is last years Nova Open army, complete with the custom fit Battle Foam Pack Go.  Yup, the army that has won many huge GT Best Painted awards plus a slew of smaller LGS events, was one of four or five finalists out of 250 at last years Nova, including The Sanguinor who won Best Single Model, and many other models who have had accolades like Golden Demon first cut and best conversion (Mephiston) winner or finalist at various events. (In other words, a nice army.) :P

Its custom display is available too!  (But needs some touchup.)  Let me be up front, this army will not go cheap. The mere fact that I am willing to let it go is a big step!  But it can be yours!

This week I am going to get cracking on my Lamenters army. I will be finishing my Sternguard, and then progressing on two full bike squads.  Also, I will be starting back up Jawaballs Live!  Look for an official announcement soon.  I will probably start next week with the live show, and it will run every Wednesday at 8pm EST.

I'm also going to be playing Paintball on Sept. 29 at Yankee Paintball in CT. If you live in the area and want to play, give me a shout!

More to come!

Jawaballs