My Hobby and Blog in March 2016 #1

Hello! The format of the "My Hobby and Blog" monthly posts will be slightly different. I currently like how I write small passages that do not warrant an individual blog post for each one and gathering them up into one post on a monthly basis. Instead of being just monthly posts now, I plan to post these on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis depending on how many small passages I have written. In addition, these collection of small passages posts are compartmentalized into two general categories: "The Four Heroes Workshop" and "The World of Games and Miniatures".

The Four Heroes Workshop

Anything related to my projects, modelling, painting, etc.

Color of Base Trims

I have been painting the trim of my miniature bases with a brown color (specifically Nutmeg Brown) as I think it is a rather muted color that blends in with the majority of fantasy scenery and terrain. Also it complements well with the standard basing materials I placed on top of the bases. Now that I have branched out into other games and miniature lines and I am exploring different ways to base miniatures (for example a stone floor design, right image), the brown color scheme for the base trim does not seem to be a universal fit anymore. I  recently made a topic on Dakka for people's opinions on base trim colors. The most popular color appears to be black, followed by brown. The reasoning varies for each person. Colors are chosen based on the entire unit, what is placed on top of the base, or the scenery that the miniatures are being played on. For me, I think black is a great color for base trim if you do not consider the scenery in which the miniatures are being played on. I think it stands out more than either brown or grey.

Diversity versus Uniformity

Out of all the Battle Masters units I have completed so far, I think my favorite unit is the Chaos Archers. I like that I can have a different story written for each individual as they have enough differences between them aesthetically to warrant it. The models in the Imperial Army are too similar for that level of detail; however, I can finish painting the unit much quicker than I did with the Chaos Archers. I think each time I work on a unit, I want to find the right balance between making models within a unit different and making the unit cohesive. Of course, this will vary from each unit. A band of adventurers can look very different from each other and fit together, while a unit of orderly soldiers should be more uniform in appearance to fit together.

Possible Project - A to Z of Reaper Miniatures

Reaper Miniatures make plenty of models that are useful for the Dungeons & Dragons game setting and any other generic fantasy role playing games. As a fun way to paint models from the Reaper Miniature line in the future is by painting them by the order of the alphabet. An inspiration for this is the Warseer Project Log "Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual." If I started this project today, I would choose to paint the Ankheg. a large burrowing insect monster.

Possible Project - Making Remotes for Infinity

Having purchase 2 boxes of the standard remotes for each faction that have them, I now have plenty of extra weapon options. A modelling project for the future is to make generic remotes with the extra weapons. For this project, I can try to replicate the designs of the games' current remote models or try to make something different. Sketches of remotes before making them would be a good idea.

Blog - Archives Post

By the end of March, I like to try publishing all the archive posts for the models and terrain pieces I have completed before 2015. Quickly going through my handwritten notes, the level of detail gets worse right around the time I took a 4 year break from the hobby. As I try to catch up on those posts, I will try to stay up-to-date with the posts for figures completed this year.

New Hobby Records

I have now set a new record for myself on continuously working on my models. Near the end of last month, my longest painting streak ended at 26 days on February 25, 2016. Working on the Chaos Archers and a couple of Reaper Miniatures I have surpassed the 45 day streak of continuing hobby work set on October 16, 2015. At the time of writing this I am at 48 days and continuing.

The World of Games and Miniatures

Anything related to past, current, and upcoming games and miniatures

Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft - Count Strahd defeated!

After a year or two of playing Castle Ravenloft board game with my nephews and niece, we have defeated the final boss Count Strahd. Some of the favorite moments when playing through the various missions were: Losing to the Howling Hag for the umpteenth time (due to me making it harder than is should be by accident); Defeating the Zombie Dragon barely by some lucky rolls and teamwork. Seeing the excitement in my nephews and niece when playing the game was very rewarding. I am looking forward to playing Wrath of Ashardalon with them the next time. Since these Dungeons & Dragons games are fully compatible with each other, we now have 10 hero profiles to choose from.

Infinity Miniature Reveals - January and February 2016

January 2016 Miniature Reveals (Image taken originally from Corvus Belli's Facebook)

Most wanted items from this release for me are he Nisses and Hack Tao Hackers. Desperadoes and Govads are likely future purchases once they are on sale.

February 2016 Miniature Reveals (Image taken originally from Corvus Belli's Facebook)

For Feburary reveals, Hector and Su-Jian are immediate wants. Le Muet is someone I would like to get in the future.