Unboxing: Dropfleet Commander UCM Battleship

Assembled ships:  UCM New York top, UCM Beijing bottom

I feel like I've been neglecting the blog the past couple of months since most of what I'm doing I'm (for GenCon) not posting about.  Here's a quick post while I'm enjoying my morning coffee.

DropFleet has had a tough year.  I'm no expert on Hawk Wargames, but the gist of it is that after the DFC Kickstarter, the company struggled to make the transition from fulfillment and back to regular operations.  That meant that Dropzone Commander (their original ground-based skirmish game) as well as DFC got somewhat neglected.  Store shelves were empty, and planned product releases (including the Battlefleet Boxes that we bought last year at GenCon) were delayed and deferred.  TTCombat bought the line and is doing their best, but progress has been slow.

All that to say this:  it's been hard to find DFC stuff at times; items randomly go out off stock and there's few details on restocking. 

So, several months back, I noticed that the Scourge and UCM Battleships were restocked at the TTCombat Web Store.  It's based in the U.K., but I had to have them and put an order in.  Despite best of intentions, they remained in the blister packs until yesterday.  (Note:  They're still hard to find in the U.S., so my delay really didn't cost me much.)

With that out of the way, here are some pics:

I was somewhat surprised to see how they were packaged. When they say blister packs, they MEAN blister packs.

Package contents.  Model, stand, stickers for the stand.  There are bits (nose and guns) to make one of three configurations depending upon your mission.

I set out to assemble the New York class first (carrier variant) but found a molding error on the NY's nose piece in the first blister.  Here I'm showing the difference between the two blister's contents.  Note the missing geometry where my finger is pointing.

Another shot of the low-fill NY nose.  Since I wasn't intending to build two NY variants, I was actually ok (the Beijing uses the other nose provided), but I did notify TTCombat of the error and got a fast and friendly response.

Here the Beijing is partially trimmed and almost ready for assembly.

A few assembly notes:

1. No assembly instructions are included but they are available online.
2. This kit is entirely resin, so you're using superglue and NOT (not!) plastic cement.
3. Mold detail was very good and the resin is more rubbery and not as hard and brittle as other companies' material (*cough*FlyingFrog*cough*).  It was easy to clip with a sharp set of cutters or carve with a sharp hobby knife.
4. Assembly was straightforward but NOT as easy as I'd hoped.  After assembling the plastic models several months ago, I was expecting very little trimming, but was surprised/disappointed to find that almost every piece needed some adjustment, in particular all the little antennae that run along the bottom/keel of the ship.

ZPS - June 2018

Caldari from EVE Online: Painting inspiration for Dropfleet Commander.

It's hot, humid, and the bugs bombard me whenever I step out the front door.  Spring must be over and it's gotta be summer! 

1. On the Table:

• GenCon Project #1 - I had high hopes of getting project GC1 done by mid-June, but it wasn't meant to be.  Between the Ikea Hellquest and a gazillion little things that needed doing before my annual family BBQ, I lost at least 2 if not 3 weeks of progress.  But, I've recovered and actually put the last adjustments on the final figure last night.  As soon as I post this, I'll put her on her base and I'll call this one done.
• Dropfleet Commander - Finally, finally, I'm going to shoot some primer on the first ships today or tomorrow for GenCon Project #2 (GC2).  I'm prepping for an event at GenCon, so I have a lot of work cut out ahead of me.  But I've come up with a reasonable Fleet List that won't cause me to build (that) many more ships.  Since this project isn't cloaked in secrecy, I'll be able to share some pictures as I go.
• Convention Planning - GenCon's events are planned and in the pipe.   PAX unplugged tickets are bought and the hotel is reserved.  ReaperCon tickets are bought, hotel reserved, and event tickets purchased.  Phew.  

2. Gaining Momentum:

• GenCon Project #3 - I don't have much hope of finishing this one but I might be able to squeak it out.  
• KDM Expansions - They're still in the box, but if I can knock out all the GC stuff, assembly of the Legacy Expansions will finally begin.
• Guild Wars 2 - It's stupid humid (heat advisories most days this week), so I've been hiding inside enjoying some PC games for a change.  I enjoy the vanilla game most, so I rolled a new Elementalist and have been working across the map.  I'd never played a Double Dagger Ele before, and have been having a blast (pun intended) with her.

3. Losing Traction:

• Gloomhaven - Not by choice.  Need to get the campaign back out and continue to play.  I'll need to hotseat some Dropfleet before GenCon, so I'm not sure we'll have the time or space to make progress.

4. Going, going, gone.

• Biking - I haven't been on the bicycle since last May.  Have been getting the itch lately (I do miss it) but my timing and the weather couldn't be much worse.  

Summer Sprint

GenCon badges came in the mail this week.  That's the point that August starts to feel very real.  It looks like it's going to sell out again, so I'd expect to be welcomed by this sign.

GenCon2017 greeting.  Expect it again this year.

Work was threatening to send me on business travel the week of GenCon.  I was keeping my head down and not reacting to the not-formally-announced trip, but was prepared to throw down an approved vacation slip from months and months ago and practice my best "are you kidding me?" look.  As it turns out, that trip got deferred to mid-August and the showdown was averted.

Anyway, I'm very much still in the middle of GenCon prep.  I have a few days off over the July 4th Holiday and am hoping to get the long-awaited project #1 (aka GC1) completed this weekend, then move strongly into the DropFleet Army prep for my battle at GenCon.  There is so much to do, and I paint so slowly....

But after a slow early June, I've accelerated and there is still hope.  As I was painting this week, I realized that my methods have really changed over the past year.  I've written about this before, but I happened to stumble across some Shadows of Brimstone minis that I finished just before GenCon last year, but never based and thus never declared "complete."  They're okay - certainly tabletop quality - but I kind of rolled my eyes and sighed.

I can't convey how much Miniature Monthly has changed the way that I look at the process.  

I'm nowhere near a master.  That takes practice and probably more innate talent than I have.  And I'm still using a mix of styles and methods.  For example, I don't like using a wet palette, which is heresy.  Some of the things I'm doing actually cost me time in the long run, but end up being lower risk by adding steps.  (I can jump in with both feet and risk completely ruining a model, or I can sneak up on the finish I want).  

But on the current-unnamed-project, I'm using the Airbrush to prime, basecoat, and provide initial highlights.  That's not something I was doing a year ago, but got comfortable with through KDM.  New to this project: using a Sotar 2020 airbrush to shoot inks and washes for shading.  Before the Miniature Monthly boot camp, that would have been unthinkable.

Last night I was using 2-brush blending to add a colored wash into the shadows of my current figure.  One brush to slide the wash into place, another damp/clean brush to erase the seam between colors.  Super simple, but not something I knew about until earlier this year.  I experimented with it on the KDM Watcher, and am using it full-force in the current GC1 project.

My task this afternoon is to work on the face of one of the female models.  I hate painting skin.  But I now have a decent understanding of the tools and theories I need to employ.  (That doesn't mean it'll look great, but it does mean I've got a better chance at success than I did before....).

Back to these guys ... soon. Very soon.

This is all Miniature Monthly.  Recently, I upped my tier to the top level.  This gives me a monthly 1:1 session with Aaron Lovejoy.  It's expensive and I won't keep it very long, but I needed to jump start the Dropfleet project, and he had an opening.  We did our first session last week; about an hour with him on Google Hangouts talking through the project and watching him doodle in photoshop changed reinforced some things I was already planning and changed the way I was thinking about the fine details.  An hour with him saved me hours of fussing and cussing and will speed up the entire project.  

I just need to get GC1 out of the way and shift gears to it.

Unboxing: Triplanetary

So, in general, I'm a fan of Steve Jackson Games.  I love sci fi games and space-based combat.  And of course I'm a Kickstarter junkie.

Triplanetary checked all three of these boxes, so I was in!  Triplanetary is a game that was first released in 1973, and last reprinted in 1981.  Through Kickstarter, SJG brought this title back to life, which I think is pretty cool.

This was a low stress campaign with zero additional stretch goals or other shenanigans.  Pledge. Wait. Get game.  Simple simple.

Anyway, here's the grand unboxing.

The game box - Front.

The game box - Back.

Box top open.  Oooooh, I love that smell.  The instruction booklet is nicely printed and illustrated but is thinner than "modern" sprawling epics like Gloomhaven or KDM. 

The game board comes in two pieces. At first I thought these were to separate mission maps but they actually join together.

Game board laid out with the game box for scale.

Most of the box is actually empty space.  There's the game board and a single sheet of punch-out tokens - no minis, meeples, or standees (although it's probably begging for some 'borrowed' ships from X-wing or Armada).  There are a pair of dry erase markers to record ship movement (the manual provides a method of shorthand to encode past moves).  And a single d6.  ... that's pretty much it!  

I'm actually impressed that the game was reprinted intact - the temptation to pimp out the box and "Kickstarterize" the reprint with minis, addons, and stretch goals.  But I think they made the right call and kept the price down.

The neat part about the game is going to be the vector-based movement and fuel management.  Simple, elegant rules where ships maintain their inertia between turns and fuel points are spent to change direction - sort of like Classic Asteroids on the old Atari 2600.

Will be fun to hotseat a game on a rainy Saturday soon.

Ikea Hellquest

I'm currently on a quest to overhaul our gaming alcove.  We have a family gathering in a couple of weeks, and I need to free up space and make things tidy before our 3- and 4-year old nieces descend upon our abode.  So, I've spent the past two Sunday afternoons assembling our new Besta chest/organizer.  This is not as exciting as it sounds!

Ikea Besta modular package from the product catalog wonderland.

Background:  Besta is a modular line at Ikea that lets you customize the result. It's primarily intended for TV/entertainment centers but we found a pre-config'd setup that will fit our gaming alcove perfectly and allow us to centralize all the various boxes and unassembled models that we have stashed around the house.

Hellquest, Chapter 1:  The older I get, the more I loathe box stores.  We've known for awhile that the gaming alcove needed some storage options but I was reluctant to buy based only on the online catalog and theoretical dimensions.  A few weeks ago we took a deep breath and braved the local Ikea to get actual eyeballs on the products.  We were in and out of the store as quickly as possible, before I failed a sanity roll when dealing with the SUV Soccer Mom Mafia (SSMM) that roams the suburban tundra around the Ikea mecca (*shakes angry fist at SSMM*). 

Anyway, with the valuable intel we needed, we retreated to our laptops to min/max the strategy (actual build configuration of the modular items) from the safety of our own country stronghold.  Then, for $29, had it all delivered to the house.

It was $29 well spent to have someone else collect all the bits and then hump them to my front door.

SSMM thwarted.  Hahahahaha.


Hellquest, Chapter 2: But ... the problem with the modular stuff is that upon delivery there was a very intimidating mountain of boxes in our entryway.   Each bit, each box, each morsel, has its own SKU, and came in its own packaging, with its own instructions.   Now instead of facing mortal combat with the SSMM, I stared down a huge puzzle quest with many possible false steps bearing mortal danger and shredded faux-plywood. 

I hauled the biggest boxes upstairs and began picking through them.  I retained all my fingers, escaped mortal peril from papercuts, and avoided scratching any finished surfaces by opening boxes with a utlity knife - which is something Ikea High Command expressly forbids in all of their hieroglyphs.

Here is where we stopped at the end of Chapter 2.  Backbone complete and all big boxes pillaged.  Now the details start.

Hellquest, Chapter 3:  Alas, there was a storyline complication.  One of the SKUs was missing from my packup - apparently the GM involved noticed my smugness-masked-as-praise when I bragged about the $29 delivery solution and decided I needed a wrinkle to keep things from being too straightforward.  I've been through the mountain of cardboard from top to bottom, and the promised 6 boxes of hinge hardware are missing.

Without a replacement, I couldn't complete the Hellquest and was forced complete a side quest to allow further progress.  My only alternative was to call upon the Ikea High Command and demand compensation for this outrage.

Or if that doesn't work, begging will ensue.



Hellquest, Chapter 4:  After 2 hours and 5 minutes of hold time with Ikea High Command, I was successful in the side quest.  For the next two days, I heard their hold music and looping messaging whenever I closed my eyes.

After a week's delay, the replacement hardware arrived at my doorstep.



Hellquest, Chapter 5:   It was a close thing, but negotiations with Ikea High Command were fruitful, allowing evil to be vanquished. 

I was a little nervous, because I didn't actually get any shipping info for the missing hardware until Friday.  But, FedEx h at it at my doorstep by 9am Saturday.  The quest was set to resume on Sunday afternoon.

Today after other chores, I steadied my nerves and went to install the doors.  This was mostly straightfoward, and I was able to assembly-line a lot of it, and it all went well.  I did have one hiccup with the hinge hardware - that failed to seat properly but felt secured - that caused me to de-install all the doors and put them back on.  Otherwise, I had very few adjustments.  I'll let things settle overnight and then see if I need to square-up anything.

The upper areas will become the home for my KDM and SoB collections, and Mrs. Zoxe's Super Dungeon Explore.  The lower areas will likely be crammed with all sorts of games, although presently it's hiding my KDM Wave 2 boxes and Gloomhaven.  I've not secured to the wall yet, but will - not sure if we want it along that wall or in the opposite corner. 

The pictures make it look smaller than it actually is.  Total width is just under 6 feet - the KDM Phoenix standing guard is one of my largest figures with a 12" wingspan.

The gaming surface was a $99 clearance find at our local Mendards.  It's 53 x 40 and enough room to play most anything. 

Quest Complete! On to the next!  KDM Phoenix standing guard.

We found the very large coffee table on clearance at a local home improvement store - $99! and it's big enough to play most anything.

Now, back to town to find solace at the local public house and await our next adventure.

ZPS - May 2018

Well, this sets an a precedent that I'm not all that comfortable with.  The very last post was the April ZPS and here we are in June already.  There's a lot going on, but I'm choosing not to post about my contest entries, so that means very little to actually say here.

1. On the Table:

• GenCon Project #1 - Last month I was doing assembly.  This month I'm perhaps past halfway through.  I'm doing a 'squad' of SoB figures for this project.  I'm kind of excited about it; it's some of my best work to date.  I've been able to combine some of the airbrush techniques I learned through the KDM builds this winter with some of the hand-brushing ideas that Miniature Monthly has taught me.  Is it world-class? Oh, heck no.  But it's some of my best work.  As they say: #donenotperfect.
• GLOOMHAVEN - We've officially started our campaign.  I can kind of sit back and sigh about why this game has drawn so much positive attention.  Loving it so far.
• Convention Planning - GenCon's event queue processed.  Once again we got a high queue number despite being online and clicking the second the selection engine went live.  So, no SoB.  No KDM.  No Elizabeth Beckley painting sessions.  But, as it turns out, the authors of one of my favorite book series - James S.A. Corey of the Expanse will be the keynote authors, and we'll be filling our time with meet and greets and such.  Plus a 1250 point battle for DropFleet (more below).  Fun with friends, a late evening class on basing and we still have a very full GenCon weekend.  
• More Convention Planning - PAX Unplugged tickets went live.  We bought a 3 day pass and have a nice room at the Marriott (attached to the convention center).  After years of really hating Philly for their crappy airport during work travel, it kind of pains me to say this: "I'm pretty excited to head back to Philly this fall."
• Yet more Convention Planning -  Labor Day weekend we'll be in Texas for ReaperCon.  The event list isn't up, but we're looking forward to another road trip.  Yes, we'll be driving from the upper midwest to Texas.  Call us crazy.

2. Gaining Momentum:

• DropFleet Commander.  As I mentioned above, I signed up for a friendly 1250pt battle at GenCon.  That means that I not only need to get my starter box fleet painted, I also need to get the Battlefleet Box opened, assembled, and painted.  I put the SoB project first, but at the rate that I paint DFC is probably going to consume a good chunk of the summer.  But I'm a little scared about getting this done in time.

3. Losing Traction:

• KDM Wave 2.  All of my expansion boxes are still where I left them.  I'm trying to crank through the GenCon projects first, and actually want to savor the KDM builds I will enjoy later.  Still, I see other people's Wave 2 work in progress and get jealous. 

4. Going, going, gone.

• I'm a little concerned about Gencon Project #2, which is focused on some SodaPop figures I picked up.  I'm worried about getting everything done by August, and this is the last project on the priority list.  On the other hand, the figures weren't cheap and I'll have wasted that investment if I don't pull it off.  

ZPS - April 2018

I'm a bit tardy on this, but seeing that I skipped the ZPS entry for March, I'll declare victory by simply clawing my way back to the blogger interface.  We'll use this post to catch everything up.

1. On the Table:

• GenCon Project #1 - Work has started. As I type, cement is drying.  This particular one will go to the Shadows of Brimstone booth, but I won't post details until after the event.  Sorry.
• DropFleet Commander - Gathering dust since before our early April vacation, but technically still "on the table."  I've been struggling with an elegant way to hold them for airbrushing, and think I have something I can try.  I need to just shut up and prime them.
• GenCon.  Speaking of GenCon, tomorrow the event queue goes live.  Last year we watched with horror as our event wish list evaporated into a bunch of gray "sold out" statuses, but we can hope for a better queue position this year.  This also brings with it a sense of excitement and other planning with friends (hello Pevil) and strategizing how we want to spend our favorite weekend in August.

2. Gaining Momentum:

• Miniature Monthly.  
• I've been part of the Patreon subscriber base for months, and have enjoyed it so far.  The more recent posts about model preparation and filling have made the entry free worthwhile.  
• Back at the end of March, we spent a weekend in Chicago with Aaron and Liz for their first Boot Camp.  It wasn't cheap, but was a great road trip weekend, and we got a lot of hands on time with some very talented people.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
• Promotion.  I got promoted at work.  It was a competitive posting and shocked myself by winning it despite a horrible interview.  I started when we got back from our vacation, just finished week #3, and it's been "so far, so good."  But I've also been putting in some extra time to try to get ahead of the curve.  (Thankfully, all that time gets comped and will be expended during GenCon weekend...).  In my new area there are a pair of other gamers, so I can finally talk openly about the hobby at work again.
• KDM Wave 2.  As you know, the big box of evil arrived some time ago. They're still in shrink wrap.  I've mentally placed them behind GenCon Project #1 and DFC, but may not be able to show that much restraint.  Gorm! Dragon King! These beasts need released.
• GenCon Projects #2 and #3.  Technically #3 might become the Minaiture Monthly Master's entry, but I'm putting some thought into how to tackle a few quick-but-cool side projects to enter into some painting contests.

3. Losing Traction:

• Gloomhaven.  Will leave GH here (again) as the "game I wish I had time to play but don't" entry for the month.

4. Going, going, gone.

• I'll put GW2 here. I've been logging in to get my daily satchel, but that's about it.  With the warmer weather, I don't have the gumption to sit for hours behind a laptop anymore. That kind of hobby makes more sense when it's cold out and there's a fire in the fireplace, I guess.

Welcome to the Blur

Holy crap, it's midlate-April.  I could round up and say it's almost May!

Let's rewind the clock and talk about why I've been quiet here. 

At the end of March, we stepped onto a cruise ship and spent the first 10 days of April floating around the Caribbean and parts of South America.  From beginning to end, we were off work almost 2 full weeks.  With the prep work around the house and yard to get ready for our departure, and a mad rush and extra hours at the office, it's been almost a month since I've lifted a paintbrush, and longer since I've rolled any dice.

This was our fourth cruise in 18 months.  We normally budget for two vacations a year, though spending all of our available vacation time on cruise ships has been very abnormal for us (vs. other destinations/activities).  But that's how it lined up. 

All this time onboard ship has led to a feeling of having two lives.  I commented to Mrs. Zoxe as we boarded this ship that I feel like we put our real life on hold and we go pick up where we left off in some alternate timeline.  And with a smile I thought, "and yah, I'm okay with that."

Towards the middle of the trip, I started to think of it as "the blur."  The only days that mattered were today, yesterday, and tomorrow.  Anything beyond that was a blur.  I had no idea what day of the week it was.  Everything kind of smeared together.  Usually my life is reasonably distinct and precise.  The blur means my life is a finger painting with the colors bleeding and oozing together.

And that, ultimately, is what keeps us coming back to the big white boats.  The ability to check out, detox, and strip away all of those accumulated decisions (at least temporarily) and become another version of myself and hope that I like the person that I find there.

This trip was longer than most, and the additional duration certainly fed the illusion.  It was such a strong feeling throughout the trip - that my other life was the dream and THIS was my reality - that it was a little jarring to come home.

Welcome to the blur.

Dog Might Games Wooden Dice

Yucatan Rosewood poly set in the photo booth.

It seems like a long time ago now, but I posted early in the blog about why I like wooden things.  There's really no substitute for one of our most basic resources.

Recently, I was lucky enough to be invited to take a "first peek" at some new gaming accessories from the Viking Warlords at Dog Might Games.  At the time, I was sworn to silence on the pending offerings, but now that the project is public I'm free to type away to my heart's content.

What's pictured are some cnc-carved wooden dice in Yucatan Rosewood with a green inlay.  My set were among the very first runs (I don't want to say 'prototypes' as the fit and finish on my set are very much production quality) and I'm proud to support the project.

They roll very well, though the YuRo is a little lighter (less dense) than an equivalently sized plastic set so the feel in the hand is a little different.  These will be mostly for display, but the D10s may get some use with Kingdom Death.  The D10s and D8 are my favorites with some great inlay work and nice sharp corners. 

After playing for years with plastic, the texture of wood is a welcome change.

DMG is now running production and will drop new dice to the page on Fridays.  Each set is unique, and there are a very wide variety of woods, inlays, weights/densities, and price points. 

On the windowsill, natural light.

Unboxing: KDM Wave 2

Last week was a crazy week, followed by a crazy (but fun) weekend out of town.  On Friday, I was supposed to leave the office by noon but had 3 things that had to get submitted.  But at 3pm, I was still at my desk, madly clicking away.  Finally got free at 3:15, raced home to pack a bag and get back in the car, and we were off for the weekend.

(But that's the content for another post).

Fast forward, we pulled in the driveway last night at 11:45pm, I was back up at 5, and put in another 9.5 hr day today at the office.

By the time I got home, I had totally forgotten that I had tracking information for the infamous Kingdom Death, Wave 2 expansions indicating a Monday arrival.

But there they were, waiting by the garage.  I blinked, then got out of the car, and in exchange for feeding the cat, she supervised the unboxing.

As a Satan's level backer, I got all 12 of the legacy (1.0) expansions.  These were packed at the factory into "Expansions of Death 1" for easier shipping.  But, a few months back, Poots opened the backerkit up, and I added on the Green Armor and Flower Knight so that I had a spare set of some really cool armor at Kickstarter prices.  I wasn't sure how these would ship, but unsurprisingly, I received not one, but TWO tracking numbers.  Both arrived on the same day.

Lastly, I am apparently at the head of the wave 2 cycle for shipping in the U.S.  Intentional or not, it somewhat makes up for the longer wait I had at Wave 1.

So, without further adieu, here are the pictures.

Box markings.

KDM rulebook (and supervisor cat) for scale. Note corner damage lower right.

Opening the small box containing the duplicate models I procured.

Small box:  cosmeteic box damage in the Flower Knight from being squished against the Green Armor sprues.

Expansions of death, first glimpse.  Cardboard is much thinner than the core box and of similar density to a normal Amazon box.  There was a cardstock "knife protector" that separated the product from the tape seam that I removed for the shot.

First expansion out of the box.  Dragon King!

Corner damage on 2 of the 4 bottom corners.  Poor Slenderman got the worst of it.  If I were collecting or reselling, I'd be pissed.  Actual game contents were unharmed, and I'll be disposing of the packing (eventually) so I shall scowl and then get over it.

This is the shot I was after.  All 12 legacy expansions stacked on the core box.  And you know the core box ain't small.  I'm a tall guy and this stack is at least 6 inches higher than my knee.  This shot does NOT include my duplicates.

Another perspective shot.  Let the clipping and glue sniffing begin!

On the Horizon

There is much on the horizon.

Although I have a couple of things that could hit the bench, I took a break this week and not once did I flip on my desk lamp.  It feels like there's a big surge on the horizon, but instead of feeling stressed about it, I'm kind of intentionally holding back and feeling pretty good about it.

• Kingdom Death Wave 2 tracking information hit Asia and Europe overnight.  I'm sure U.S. will follow shortly.  
• Miniature Monthly Boot Camp is next weekend.  I got the reminder from our hotel yesterday and it started feeling very real.  More on this below.  
• Figures, bits, and bases two separate projects I have in mind for Gencon contests have arrived.  Pretty excited about these.  I may actually pop some blister packs open this afternoon and get started with model prep.
• And good news from the War Store.  The Scibor bases that I ordered back in December (December!!) are (maybe?) finally moving again.  Scibor is a Polish company that makes some outstandingly cool conversion bits and bases.  I bought a selection through The War Store.  The War Store has been great, and responsive when I inquire, but my box of loot got stuck in customs in Belgium.  It's been so long that I really don't remember what I had planned for all of them, but do know that I intended to marry them to the KDM Wave 2 content as an upgrade over the stock bases.  

Stock Image (not my paint) of the type of Scibor bases I have inbound. Very excited to finally have these in hand.

So, let's talk about Boot Camp and my painting journey.

We often think of the learning curve as a smooth progression from A to B to C.  But in practice it's really not.  There are periods of rapid acceleration, there are plateaus, and with perishable skills like painting there are steps backwards.

I consider myself a beginner painter, maybe dabbling towards intermediate.  I started on this path when I bought my first box of Shadows of Brimstone, and walked off the Gencon show floor with no intention of actually painting anything.  A few days later, I changed course and set out with really no goal other than to give a monochrome basecoat (via a rattle can) and then wash/shade the miniatures.  And my first models were really that simple:  basecoat, wash, dry brush.  Two or three colors total, including the wash.

This was a time of rapid learning.  Learning the brands, learning the techniques, getting comfortable with basic assembly.  Big jump in the learning curve.

As these things tend to go, it's a slippery slope of expanding scope.  I get a little more comfortable with the brush, and my SoB heroes - not masterworks by any stretch - included a half dozen colors and a couple of custom-mixed colors.  My time invested really wasn't that much more, but the results were far more pleasing.

Fast forward 18 months or so.  In the weeks before Kingdom Death arrived, I had bumped up against the limits of that technique.  I was happy with my Trederra pieces, with more subtle shading, better color selection, and better brush control, but I was still far from a place that would win any awards.

I also knew that I was DONE with rattle can priming after some misfortune with some expensive resins that I still haven't had the heart to try to strip and salvage.

Simple technique, at its limits.

Thus began the era of Airbrushing.

Once again, I started modestly. I needed a solution to apply primer.  The slippery slope appears again: well, doing some shading would be okay I guess.  Now, 4 months later, I'm more comfortable with the Badger and am not looking back.

But I also know that I'm bumping up against the limits of the technique I developed for the KDM Core Box.  The Phoenix, Watcher, and especially the Antelope suffered from the way I was doing things.  I am so very happy with them, but I also know that they could have been better.  And I'll say I learned a metric buttload during the KDM project (big jump in my learning curve).

It feels like these skills are starting to fit together like puzzle pieces.  Model prep. Filling.  Color selection.  Light sourcing.  KDM did a lot to bring these skills along.  But looking back at the pieces, I know that it's time to learn more about washes (shading by hand) and maybe even wet blending.

Progression and learning on many different techniques at once.

And so, as we were sifting back through the prior episodes of Miniature Monthly, we decided to sign up for their Boot Camp and get some hands-on experience with a couple of masters.  It's not cheap, but it should be a fun, unique experience.  And it's exactly what I need to progress a step or two more.

So, I started this post to talk about all the figures on the horizon.  But it's really about learning. There's a lot of learning on the horizon.

WIP: Dropfleet Commander Frigates

Two each:  Toulon frigate (bottom center and upper left) and New Orleans strike carriers (top and right).  This is per the fleet composition suggested in the 2-player starter pack.

Another quick post.  I've been taking my time with the DFC assembly.  Last night I wrapped up the last two frigates and started looking at the pair of "convention exclusive" resin cruisers that I bought at GenCon. 

I may give the ships a quick shot of primer so that I can see what will and won't need filled.  But otherwise am going to hold tight for a few weeks until we're back from the Miniature Monthly Boot Camp. 

The good news is:  there are no huge gaps, just some seams between parts and one engine nozzle that got nicked by my clippers.  (The first resin ship - not shown - will need some heavy surgery, however).

The New Orleans coming together in the Zoxe Shipyards(tm).  Moscow heavy cruiser standing guard for scale.

Leftover parts on the sprue after clipping everything for my 4 frigates.  There are 5 possible configurations of frigates. Per the instructions, each sprue builds a max of 4 ships, but only 2 of the same class.  Some guys are magnetizing all the bits for full flexibility, but I'm happily gluing things down solid.

Top view of assembled ships.  All the gun turrets could have been magnetized to allow rotation, but I chose not just pick a dynamic pose.

Angle view. Resin antenna from the convention-only ships on the paper towel.

Assembled 2-player starter fleet, UCM faction.

Angled view with ship and KDM survivor for scale. The frigates actually aren't that big.

Side view. I should put away my stack of brushes in the back.

ZPS - February 2018

Ahoy!

So, a few minutes ago I thought to myself, "You should think about doing your ZPS post, because February is almost.... oh damn."  Yup, it's March!

1. On the Table:

• Dropfleet Commander!  Some said it would never happen, but it's on the table.
• I've got the Core Box UCM Fleet mostly assembled.  Only 7 models total, but have been taking my time with it.  
• Next will be a pair of "convention show only" resins, Cruiser sized.
• I am checking the FLGS tomorrow for a Battleship box. They had them in stock last I checked, but that was ... August.
• Part of my slowness is that I want to get past mid-month before I actually dive into any painting, see comments about MM Boot Camp below.
• Battlefleet Box will follow all that, but will likely get deferred when KDM Wave 2 arrives.
• Is it legal to leave Kingdom Death out of this first bucket?  Yah, I didn't think so.
• COMPLETE:  What I've been calling the "core of the Core Box" is done.  All monsters (bosses) and the 8 unique survivor figures are painted and ready.  
• I'll pop open the sprue box later for additional survivor armors.
• Wave 2 appears to be shipping per the revised schedule. My backerkit was charged for shipping yesterday, which means things get underway on/around the 7th.  I still predict a somewhat bumpy ride and longer-than-most-people-will-expect fulfillment.

2. Gaining Momentum:

• Miniature Monthly.  
• I've been part of the Patreon subscriber base for months, and have enjoyed it so far.  The more recent posts about model preparation and filling have made the entry free worthwhile.  
• They have a pretty lively and supportive Discord channel (for subscribers) that's been one of my evening hangouts lately.
• We're doing their Boot Camp later this month, one day with Aaron Lovejoy (Flying Frog / Shadows of Brimstone factory painter) and the other with Elizabeth Beckley (Ninja Division and Kingdom Death factory painter).  
• Hopefully can learn some things to apply to the DFC paint.
• PC Game:  Guild Wars 2.  Holding its own in this category, though I haven't done any marathon sessions in quite awhile, I still login most nights if only to move things around.
• Yard Work.  We live on 10 acres, and right now is the very short window where the weather is somewhat nice, it's too cold for insects, and things haven't turned green yet.  So I've been working down a list of things I need to get done before I lose access due to the return of underbrush.  It gets me outside, and this is the kind of work I enjoy most (mowing the lawn in 90+ deg heat in August humidity and swarms of insects is the kind I like least).

3. Losing Traction:

• Gloomhaven.  Will leave GH here as the "game I wish I had time to play but don't" entry for the month.

4. Going, going, gone.

• Shadows of Brimstone.  Temporary hold, but it's been ages since I touched any SoB content I'll shrug and put it in the #4 bucket of shame.  I expect this to change in the Spring months as I have a pretty cool little project in mind to bring to GenCon this year.
• PC Game:  All Blizzard Games.  After a brief hurrah, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm are out of my rotation completely.