Thursday, July 29, 2010

I'm Famous!


The blog has hit the big time!

Privateer Press

I got a nice surprise today, Privateer Press, the guys and gals who make Warmachine, gave me a shout-out on Facebook. Rock on. Thanks PP.


I swear I am not trying to make this blog about my cat... its just he's my only conversation partner most nights since I am a geographic bachelor. Thus, he gets a disproportionate amount of my time.

So, I am starting to get excited. I haven't really packed yet, though I do have a pile of stuff to add into the suitcase once I get to it. I set my out-0f-office assistant today. That makes it official, I have one foot out the door.

The complicating factor for today is that Squeakers is still fighting a lung infection of some kind. We took him to the vet to get some standard shot updates and the vet put him on anti-inflammatory drugs because the infection from months ago isn't quite resolved. Great. We have some friends taking care of Squeaks when I leave - I hate leaving them with a sick kitty. Ah, the joys of travel. Hopefully Squeaks will get better sooner rather than later.

Okay, now to the models and games...

Chipped Paint Can Feel the HATE!

So here is my gaming dilemma; chipped paint and broken models. A few weeks ago I pulled out my army to look it over in anticipation of leaving and was met with a couple nasty surprises. The Butcher, Scrapjack and the Old Witch all are in the need of repairs. Grrr.

Let me take a second for you non-gamers. Wargame players, like myself, are essentially OCD about our games and the utensils we use to play those games. We invest lots of time, money, pride, and effort in our little toy soldiers -- and when they break (in whatever manner) it drives us batty. Seeing my models broken is like an antique car collector seeing someone key their camaro.

So, yeah, The Butcher (seen above) is my Camaro. And those unsightly strips of bare metal at the base of his longcoat? Thats a metaphorical key scratch. Leaving it unresolved drives me nuts. I swear to god the bare metal from that chipped paint glints in the sun every time I walk by - even when its 9pm at night. Its taunting me... I dont care if it is an inanimate object.

I have neither good quality paint nor good modeling glue on hand. Its one of those things I didnt pack way back when and is not available in thousands of miles. Shipping the stuff is a no-no since I can't send liquids through the mail service we use. So, I have to live with the damages until I can get to a place with good paint and glue on hand. Even if I did have them here in Gabon, the weather is usually prohibitive to allowing for the kind of minute attention to detail mini-painting normally requires. So, I lack the opportunity and the tools.



A gallery of the Walking Wounded.

So what do I do when I see the breaks and chips? I immediately get on the phone to FRPGames (thanks, Skype!), tell them the colors and types of paint I need and send them (along with the new No Quarter) to my lovely wife waiting in Winnipeg. I then hit Amazon and get some special modeling glue that is safe to use on painted models (nothing is worse than trying to repair a model with a glue that strips paint).


She's old, but not that old.

Like the A Team, I got a plan. The base paints made it to my wife, as did the glue. She is holding them in trust. I will arrive on Sunday in Winnipeg where she will pick me up. We then drive to her small town (Altona) in southern Manitoba that night. Assuming I can control my OCD desires and fight off jet lag, I'll wait until Monday (and the sunlight) to break out the paints, brushes, and glue and do some long-overdue emergency repairs. If I cant wait and simply must do the repairs Sunday - then so be it. Its going to be a huge weight off my off my shoulders once the models are repaired...



Its like God himself doesn't want Khador to have a medium 'jack or something...

Paint and some highlights for Orsus. Glue for Scrappy. Glue and some concealing paint for the Witch. All that stuff is going into the army bag and traveling with me to Chicago. Something else is bound to chip, crack or break between Africa and Indy... there simply are too many stops between here and there. ** Zen. I need to come to grips with the fact that something else is going to need some TLC. Breathe. Accept. Deal. **

Hmmm. I gotta figure out if the fluid ounces of the paint pots are small enough to bring on a flight.