I’ve been using base inserts for my Malifaux models. I love the look of the Wyrd Victorian Streets set (and it helps that they match the City board I built). Unfortunately, with over 200 Malifaux models buying the base inserts can get a bit pricy. I’ve had some success with the Instamold CMON sells, but wanted something a bit faster to use. Enter Happy Seppuku base stamps. They finally made a Flagstone style base stamp, which I eagerly snapped up once it hit the online store. After a quick test drive last night I’m in love with this product. It’s durable (you can see me bending it in one pic, it returned to its original shape immediately), inexpensive ($15), and contains a great range of textures to vary what each base will look like. The stamp may be too bland for some (plain Flagstones), but I’m happy with that. I can decorate them how I choose after the fact, even cut cracks into the epoxy before I press it into the stamp. Each comes with very simple instructions, but their website has additional tips and tricks. The line continues to grow, so if you’re looking for a less expensive option for base inserts than metal or resin you could do much worse than take a look at Happy Seppuku and their line. http://www.happyseppuku.com/ 

Pictures from our 4/21/12 Big Warhammer Storm of Magic game in Riverside, CA. 3k points plus 1k monsters points per player (3 players to a side). Had a blast. Some highlights include the new Karl Franz running roughshod over several Ogre Kingdoms units, a Bloodthirster and Mourn Chariot Thing (what’s that name?) charging an Emperor Dragon together and being held at bay by it…and the best one - an Arcane Fulcrum Miscast which turned every wizard on the table into a frog (including the Emperor Dragon…squish!). Great time was had by all. Video of the starting lines here: http://kel.nezumi.me.uk/MVI_0642.MOV

APRIL FOOL’S!

Well, I didn’t get it done with March being crazy-busy, but I did manage to get a good chunk almost finished. ;) The Malifaux board needs a couple more drybrush coats and it will be finished. The Manse needs a lot more work, but at least I’m done with the base color/wash/drybrush main phase of the stone. Next up is more discoloring like you see in the bridge piece (that’s my tester piece) and a final drybrushing of hilights. Started working on the wood and brass, but then realized I should finish all the stonework first. Love how it’s starting to come together. :)

April’s Pledge:

1. Finish March’s Pledge

2. Complete the core blocks of Savage Orcs I’ve started in case we have an April Big Game.

So a few of my local pals and I have started up a monthly Painting Pledge challenge. No rewards for finishing the pledges other than the satisfaction of a job well done, some more items in our collections of bare metal/plastic completed, and some bragging rights to taunt one another with. We started it in mid-February, which in retrospect wasn’t much time. I didn’t complete my pledge, but I did get started on it (which was great). Here’s my March Painting Pledge:

1. Complete my February Pledge items (Skullvane Manse and GW Walls)
2. Paint Malifaux cobblestones game board
3. Paint GW Graveyard

links to two of the other participants’ blogs:

Jason http://tacticalcraft.wordpress.com/

Peter www.onthelam.net

While I was looking at painting ideas online I found a guy talking about his conversion of the Manse (I can’t take the credit for the idea, but I don’t recall which site or who it was). He took and shaved off the dangling stones on the tower and cut back the bridge to nowhere to match and set it up as a little side tower attached to the Manse. I loved the idea and it looks great. Everything lines up, the footprint’s larger, and I get to use all the pieces (well except for some of the wood walkway) rather than having leftover bits!! Looks great!

Skullvane Manse. Way too slick of a terrain piece to pass up. Liked the assembly EXCEPT for the huge seam line running along the two base pieces. You now know why their photographs of it avoid showing it from that angle.

Been on a terrain kick lately. Got the Garden of Morr set assembled in about an hour. Was easy peasy even with the blood-letting spikes all over the pieces!

Picked up one of those bigger GW army cases for my self-Xmas gift. Liked the fact that it holds up to 120 troop figures (waaagh) and has the pluck foam for larger models as well (Their tank tray)? Got 120 figs in there, 4 units of 20 each boyz, and my lootaz, tankbustaz, and Stormboyz all fit in there as well. Used the pluck foam for bikes. Originally had planned on using it for those oddball deffkoptas, but decided this would make a nice ‘everything I use regularly in my lists’ case with the other stuff being resorted into my old army transport trays and hard cases. Only downside, two patches of the pluck foam were not scored adequately (or at all) so I had to do some cutting. :(

And the 20-strong unit of Savage Black Orcs…More pix further back on the Tumbl.

Can I say that getting these guys to rank up was a bigger nightmare than ranking up the standard Savage Orcs (which is a chore in and of itself). They’re all face-heavy thanks to the metal masks vs. plastic bodies, but magnetizing the entire lot took care of that. Pretty happy with how they turned out, the mishmash of weapons/shields/extra weapons/even great weapons gives them a look of being ready for anything. I’m contemplating the color scheme for their masks. They’ll be darker than the standard SOs, but not too much so. Want the ‘black’ in Black Orc to come out in the masks.

Second unit of Savage Orc Boys. This is 30-strong unit but combines some of the last edition (and older) Savage Orcs with the newer sculpts. I spread them out so (hopefully) they blend together. I always like to mix the new and old models GW makes together in my Orc and Ork armies. I think it gives character and pays a little homage to what has come before. The sample painted orc (with a few hilights and detail work left to finish) is approximately what I’m shooting for color-wise for the entire army.