Monday, April 18, 2011

Off Topic, News, and Distractions

I've pretty much decided in the last week or so that I have adult ADD. The first clue came while listening to the audio book of Prospero Burns in the car on the commute to work and back. It's good and I should do a review in the coming days... should do. Anyway, while listening the narrator might mention a mountain (complete with descriptives) 20 seconds or so later I realize I haven't really heard anything since then because my mind has wandered to thinking about some mountain I saw once... or would like to see... or might want to almost get to see. So, rewind and continue. Maybe I'm just distracted and having trouble concentrating?

So I've spoken to the lovely Mrs. Inner Geek and secured a weekend break. Now I have to decide how to spend it and exactly when. Two things are on the forefront of possibilities. I live in North Texas and several years ago while staying a while just outside Austin, Texas I got to go float a section of the Guadalupe River in an inner tube and drink beer. Water, beer, floating... what else could you ask for? Austin also has a hopping night life, so a nice dinner and refreshing adult beverages wouldn't be out of the question. Another bonus, it's three hours drive by car. The problem I'm running into is finding a friend who can go and wants to. I don't mind going to a movie, bar, or dinner by myself, but I'm not sure I care to do a whole weekend adventure alone. Sad, eh? My second option I've considered is flying up to Chicago for Games Day. More of a money sink, but it might be fun? I've never been to Chicago or a Games Day. For some reason going alone doesn't bother me so much on this one, I'm just not sure what I'd do at a Games Day? Thoughts and suggestions welcome in the comments section.

On to distractions...

Have you ever heard of MineCraft? Well, if you haven't, run for the hills... the awesome, blocky, 8 bit graphic hills. I can't stop. It's the most addictive game I've played in recent memory. Seriously people, I'm losing sleep. And when I do lay down to sleep, all I can think about is the next mine I'm going to dig and what I'm going to build with the rocks I excavate. House, castle, palace? I really can't do it justice with a description, so check out some youtube videos when you have minute or twelve. I'll link you to one to get you started...



So I apologize for not posting a Warhound update, but I really needed to get some of this out there. I appreciate it if you've made it this far. If you are playing MineCraft or want to go on Vacation with The Inner Geek, be sure to let me know. I welcome all comments... well... pretty much all.

Friday, April 15, 2011

WHx2 Pt 5 (Head, Shoulders, Armor & Pilots)

The next bag of parts is done. This one includes head, shoulder, Princeps, Moderati, some armor parts, and cable mounts. I've got big plans for the cable mounts, but that story will have to wait till a ways into build time.

Here is a family shot of the parts from this bag...



Of the two Warhounds, one had a parts fitting problem that the other didn't. I'm guessing that either they have multiple molds, or perhaps these Warhounds were just cast at times far enough apart that the mold started having issues. Since only one has the problem, I'd say it's a hit and miss issue that you may or may not see when building one of these.

The issue comes down to the way the armor cover fits on the cockpit (head). In the pic below you can see where I've marked the head piece to be trimmed so that it will fit inside the armor piece which is inverted over it for easier viewing...



I used my hobby knife and carefully cut the piece to fit. Unfortunately, careful is not always good enough! There was a weak spot in the resin and I wound up losing more material that I had marked off due to splitting!


(Note the extra material missing on the viewers left side)


I'm not going to fret about it too much though, as the armor now fits beautifully and the bad spot is covered up when the armor is in place.



Just for fun I've thrown in a couple more detail shots.

The shoulder, complete with integrated servitor to assist with gun calculations...



The Princeps, sitting proudly on his command throne.



And, finally, the cable mounts I mentioned earlier...


(In the way of a hint, I'll tell you these are part of a plan that is going to make weapons magnetizing a cinch!)


This leaves us with just one more bag of part for the Warhound itself. Thank goodness! I'm so ready to start putting these together I could spit.

Comments, critiques, and riddles are welcome in the comments as always. Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

WHx2 Pt 4 (Hips & Guts)

Another bag of parts down! This time it's the hips and some internal pieces.

I'm afraid this will be a short post as there is not a lot to say about this bag O'parts. They cleaned up pretty easy and, except for some largish channels, were pretty quick going.

One item of note, I'm trying out a new camera. It's technically a video camera that also does still shots. I think the still shots have come out pretty well. I may have to try my hand at a video clip to drop in the blog. I wonder if that's something my readers would be interested in seeing? If you have an opinion, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think. I've also invested in a tiny desktop tripod which I failed to use at all.

Here is a shot of the parts for this installment.



The good news is, with this post being so small, the next is already well on the way. And it promises to be slightly more exciting as I've run into a part that actually needs a little fixing!

Thanks for stopping by for this quick post. They will get longer and more detailed I assure you! Comments, questions, and words that rhyme with Geek are welcome as always.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

WHx2 Pt 3 (The Rest of the Legs)

The final bits of legs are cleaned and trimmed! Hoo-frikkin-ray!

Yes the next bag of Warhounds parts through the wash & cutTM treatment is the last of the leg bits. This bag has the toes, thigh armor, mid-leg, cooling vents (not a leg bit, but yay for bits style ADD), and the large shin armor pieces.

These parts are also done quite well across both kits with very little needed in the way of trimming. Though that is not to say that some of these parts aren't full of mystery or in need of some work...

The shin armor in both Warhound sets includes two blank and two adorned with Imperial iconography, for a total of four per kit. When they pack these I believe they stack them... maybe even straight out of the mold? I believe this because in all cases one is wider and one is narrow. Enough so that one can fit inside the other.



This isn't too big a deal as I can easily reshape them using some very hot water. However, I'm not sure if the narrow one needs to be the size of the wide one, or if they need to meet in the middle? I'll figure it out when assembly starts.

Another mystery has surfaced as well. Ironically it has surfaced on the surface of a part. After soaking in Simple Green, rinsing well, and allowed to dry I find one part that looks almost oxidized? Here is a shot of the strange toe with a more normal one on either side...



If you click for a larger pic you can see that it almost looks powdery, though it's not. This bit was treated identically to the other two in all respects so I have to assume it is something to do with manufacturing? I'll see how the part takes primer before I get too worried though.

Here is a shot of all the parts cleaned, trimmed, and laid out.



That wraps up this installment. Just three more bags of parts (per Warhound) to go, then we can start the fun stuff! Truthfully, it's five bags if you count weapons, but those will clean super fast and all at once.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like, you can leave a comment. If you know anything about resin parts turning albino I'd especially like to hear from you!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

WHx2 Pt 2 (More Leggy Bits)

For the sake of time and simplicity, I'm only photographing one set of parts during cleaning. Unless of course there is a worthwhile reason to show both sets of parts.

The next bag o'bits is another bunch of leg parts. Well, primarily leg parts. There also some detail bits included, likely to cushion the heavy leg parts. These parts have been pretty easy to trim as there is not too much in the way of molding defects. This goes for both Warhounds.



As you can see I've left some of the detail bits on the sprue. This keeps them together and also gives them a bit of survivability when being tossed around. Safety in numbers! The only bits I'm finding a bit fiddly are the servo skull bits...



They are super small, barely attached, and many of the parts are prone to wandering off! Honestly, they are likely to go in the bits box for a while anyway. Servo skulls are pretty far down on the priority list right now!

Not the most exciting update, I know. But we're taking baby steps here. Painfully slow ones, and for that I apologize. I've been a bit distracted lately. Besides having a completely awesome wife and two beautiful babies I've been gaming on the pc a bit... and if anyone needs help hacking their Epic 4G phone I'm now competent in that art too. I've even tried my hand at photo editing. But it's back to 40k now, back to resin, and back to blogging!

Thanks for stopping by and I welcome any and all comments.

Friday, April 1, 2011

More Sisters of Battle Leaks, New Mini Pic!

Another important leak to whet our appetites for the eventual release of a new Sisters of Battle Codex. These leaks are coming so quick, I don't even think GW is trying any more!




It appears that the upcoming Sisters of Battle codex will have a new and updated Penitent Engine! Details are sketchy, but apparently it will be called the Penitent Miraculous Sister Engine.



Behold in all it's glory, the P.M.S. Engine!



I can't help but think that it looks familiar though... like maybe GW is reusing some bits from other armies?

I for one can't wait to start a Sisters of Battle army. And you better believe the PMS Engine will be in very army list I make!

Have a really great April 1st everyone!

EDIT: Another great pic of an upcoming SoB flyer is on display over at The Hogs of War blog!

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