Shaking off the cobb webs

So painting that Robotech model got my juices flowing and I finally got the gumption to start this!

I have had it sitting around for quite some time and finally want to paint it.  I am going Lamenters with this bad boy.  First I had to get it ship shape though. It was a gift from a friend and was not in the best of shape when I got it. It had no guns and needed some love.  I had to order some parts, and have on the way the cannon from a Shadowsword, and some heavy bolter turret parts.  I am still looking for missiles...  any suggestions?

Check back for more updates!

Jawaballs

Max Sterling Gencon exclusive

Here is a step by step of what I did to paint my Gencon Max Sterling for Robotech Tactics.  First I assembled using Loctite Ultra Control Gel.  I did not pin him because I could not find my pinning bits, but if an arm falls off, I will pin it then.  Using my airbrush, I primed him with Grey Primer from Valejo Model Air.

Then I went to work on the blue.  I base painted all of the blue parts with Kantor Blue. Then I started working the edges with Maccrage Blue. These veritechs are pretty nice in that they have lots of hard edges that catch the paint while their flat surfaces are small.  Look at his upper arm and the upper parts of his chest you can see where I got some nice edging.

Then I started with Calgar blue to push the edging even further.

For the white I did the same thing only with Codex Grey.

Then I did a second layer, with Fortress grey. The new GW equivalents work just as well.

 I went back and forth with Codex and Fortress several times. I played with the look on his shoulders for example to create a well worn, dirty look. At this point I also gave the blue a dose of Guilliman Blue glaze then reapplied the Calgar blue highlight in some spots.

Then I used Ulthuan Grey to make the white edges edges pop, followed by White Scar.

For the base I used some Secret Weapon basing bits and your standard flock. I have a mixed aggrate with heavy and fine particles which are grey and tan. I painted the column parts Rhinox Hide first, then a couple lighter shades of brown and alternating with washes of Seraphim Sepia, then I gave it a final drybrush of Ushabti bone.  

Did the gun in my standard colors, I started with a wash of Asurmen blue, then layered codex and fortress grey, alternating with more washes of blue. Then I layered Ulthuan, with more blue, then back and forth depending on where it needed more.

And the finished result!  I can't wait for the rest of my models to come from the Palladium Kickstarter!  Thanks to Jason Turner for picking this up for me at Gencon and sending it out.  I also have one coming from another friend which I am going to repose and paint as Miria. (red)  

More to come!  Jawaballs

Back on the horse!

I has been a long time since I have had motivation to really do something creative for the sake of doing.  Well I have some motivation now!  I received a Max Sterling model from Gencon in the mail thanks to a generous attendee and now I am going to rock it!  Max is a limited edition Gencon model created by Palladium for the Robotech Tactics game. I have a massive amount of models coming from the Kickstarter but thought I would practice painting them with Max here.

First I am not all that thrilled about working with metal.  I never did much like it..  Also, I am not crazy about the uncustomizable sculpt. However, this pose is very dynamic so it will do.  He came in several small pieces and included a flight stand.

I was pleasantly surprised that the pre cut join holes fit, for the most part. I have had some very bad experience with metal models not fitting together. With minimal prep work I had this model assembled and ready.  I have some video coming soon.

Until then... Here is a picture of how Max should look...

I was at first going to attempt to airbrush him, but since he is pretty evenly blue and white, and the two intermix every where... I decided just to hand paint the whole thing.

More to come!

Jawaballs

Of mice and men

Of men...

The men and women with Doctors Without Borders. These people selflessly are on the front lines. War torn areas, natural disasters and Ebola.  Medicines Sans Frontiers is there. Making a difference.

It is a source of pride to say that DWB is yet again the recipient of our charity efforts.

With that, The Nova Open Charitable Foundation is bringing you Blood and Honor: The Defense of Maccrage.  VISIT HERE for the page. This is your chance to win one of FOUR armies by contributing to something bigger than yourself. For the last few years I have been part of a charity army build along with some of the best painters in the world.  I take great pride in being part of this because it is my chance to be part of the greater good by doing something that I love.

of mice...

Some minuscule dirtbag stole a small box off Dave Taylor's porch containing the models I painted for the project.  Lacking the proper safety equipment to apply the crushed glass to my bases for snow effect, I mailed them without doing so, and they were sent off Dave's house to be finished.  Sadly he had left for vacation and the box was left on his porch, and some mouse stole it.

With no time left for me to get and paint new models, it would seem that this would be the first time in years that this charity project would be without a Jawaballs contribution. :(

But wait! This is an Ultramarines army after all!

So I dug into my reserves and pulled out one of my prized banners. I painted this banner for the banner competition at Gamesday 2012. I have a lot of time and love invested in this thing and it was the toughest Best Banner win yet. It took several rounds of cheers to get the winner!

 Is there a greater time or reason to part with it?  Nope. I have decided to donate this banner to the cause to replace my stolen models.  So this banner is now part of the ULTRAMARINE ARMY GRAND PRIZE! That is right, you, especially if you are an Ultramarine fan, are in for a treat of a beautiful army and a sweet banner for your man cave, or to display proudly whenever you play the army.

So lets forget the mice, and focus on the men. Lets dig deep, and donate as much as you can to make this year a huge payout for Doctors Without Borders.  For every dollar you donate, your name will be entered once into the drawing. Donate 100 dollars, and your name goes in 100 times.  The winner will be drawn at random during this year's Nova Open.  You need not be present to win, and they will ship the army WORLD WIDE.  This is truly a global effort!  Don't forget there are three other armies as well.  There is a Deathwatch army, a Man Eaters army, and of course, the Tyranids!  You can find links to all the armies HERE.

What else is going on in Jawaland?

Not much sadly.  I will not actually be at Nova this year. Labor Day Weekend is just not a great time for me as I simply cannot take that Friday off from work, and the weekend is family time. I am sure you all will have a great time without me though. ;)

The continued disappointment that is the wait for the new Blood Angels codex has me floating in the wind as far as 40k is concerned.  I will be playing my Lamenters at Battle For Salvation and again at The Mechanicon in October.  Gona be a busy month!  I am thinking of doing a Lamenters Land Raider...

But I do have a new banner to show you!

The Dark Angels!

Since I hand paint these, every one is a bit different.  You can also see my improvement. Compare this one to the ones on the right of my blog and you will hopefully see an improved level of depth that I have developed.  If you want one for yourself, you know what to do!

More to come and buy those tickets, you have to be IN IT TO WIN IT!

Jawaballs

Defiance Games Fraud?

Just thought I would share. Last fall I backed a Kickstarter for a company called Defiance Games. The KS was for some fishbowl helmet shaped hard suit armor models that I could proxy as marines or whatever. I invested 80 bucks, then quickly forgot about it.

They offered regular updates, which kept the KS in the back of my mind but I admit I didn't read most of them.  Well the due date for the KS came and went. I had forgotten. The last update was the second week of Feb.

Any way, with a spark of remembrance as I was looking for info on the Robotech Tactics KS, I looked up Defiance come to find no one has heard from these guys at all. So I started investigating.  Apparently the primary name attached to the LLC is Tony Reidy. (Anthony M. Reidy)

Some of you will recognize the name as it is apparently attached to some flap regarding Wargames Factory and Fraud.


Sigh.

If any one knows the goods on this guy, feel free to share in the comments.  I don't feel like investigating much further.  I found some Dakka threads and reading those is like nailing my plastic cutter into my eyes.

Lesson learned!  I suppose I could have googled Defiance LLC and found the name, (the name meant nothing to me as I didn't know any thing about his dealings) then googled the name and found the fraud complaints, and given the KS a pass... I recommend this process highly in the future for any one who backs a Kickstarter! Not that you will actually find much info if there is nothing to find, but at least you will maybe find something bad if it exists...

For what it's worth, I filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General and a fraud complaint for the transaction with my Credit Union. (I will get my 80 bucks back.)

I wish the rest of you good luck!  Here is some info to help you file a complaint of your own:

Anthony M Reidy
Defiance Games LLC.
112 High Street 
Charlestown, MA 02129

Attorney General of MA E complaint form:
https://www.eform.ago.state.ma.us/ago_eforms/forms/piac_ecomplaint.action

May this guy forever step in huge piles of dog poop. Feel free to share info on him!

Jawaballs

Going to Gencon?

I am looking for some one who is going to Gencon this year and wants to do me a favor!

Email me. Jawaballs hotmail.  :)

Local fun this month?

Looking for something fun and maybe a bit different to do?  The forever lack of a new Blood Angels codex got you down?  Try Shadow Era!  

My friend Jared, owner of The Battle Standard in Manchester, CT is hosting a FREE draft tournament for the card game Shadow Era. Essentially you arrive and receive packs of cards, consult their veterans to put together the best deck you can from the cards you receive, and play!  This sounds pretty damn cool and I think I may have to try it myself!  CHECK DETAILS HERE. There are prizes and fun for all. Definitely worth the trip, especially if you are looking for something fun to do with your kid!  The draft is August 17.

What else is going on this month? TBS runs daily gaming each week, separate days for Historical, 40k, Mercs etc.  On August 9 there is a Magic booster draft and on the 10th Warhammer Fantasy!  Now there is an underutilized game!

On August 17 there is also a Warmahordes Steamroller tournament!  I keep threatening to get into that game... 

The Battle Standard pretty much has daily events. If you live in CT or nearby and are looking for something local to do, check out their EVENTS PAGE.

It's been a slow summer for me.  Disappointed I was when the Blood Angel rumors turned out to be untrue. I just don't want to play another codex!  I have also been playing Paintball and doing more active things.  

I played in The Invasion of Normandy at Skirmish, PA a few weeks ago and it was just awesome! It is a yearly event where thousands of players get together to reenact The Normandy Invasion.  CHECK IT OUT. If you are interested in joining me next year let me know, it is definitely worth the trip. I will be organizing a team. My next 40k action will be in October at Battle for Salvation.  I will be playing my Lamenters. See you guys there!

Jawaballs