Review | Space Dinosaur Minis 2023 and a Look Forward to 2024

All, it has been a bit since I last posted, what with the holidays and all that. Ordinarily, in years previous, this is where I would post all of the minis I painted this year. While I did in fact paint lots of minis, my current living situation makes it difficult for me to pull them from storage and set up a big table for photography. So that tradition will have to be skipped this year. I did get some last minute gaming into the mix though. 

Hobby | 3-D Printed Star Wars Armada Squadrons

While November has been a slow month for me, hobby-wise, it hasn't been entirely devoid of minis. I enjoyed my foray into unofficial Star Wars Armada territory, so I gave it another go, this time with some of the squadrons: a Republic LAAT/i Gunship, Naboo N-1 Starfighters, and CIS HMP Droid Gunship. 

Paint Recipe | When you watch the new Castlevania show on Netflix (Spooktober)

Before we get started, a disclaimer: I have never actually played Castlevania. My knowledge and enjoyment of the setting starts and ends with the Netflix Castlevania show, of which there are now two. The original featuring Trevor Belmont and had four seasons, and the latest series featuring Richter Belmont. I quite like both shows, so when it came time to paint a Vampire Lord for the Soulblight Gravelords, I took some loose inspiration from the show. 

Black and white just sets the mood for the season...

Hobby | Murkillor the Wraith King (Spooktober/Apocalypse Me)

Spooktober keeps on giving, and we are firmly back in fantasy land (sorry space) with another creature meant for the apocalyptic fantasy scape of Verrotwood (or Dungeons & Dragons, it works there too). This is a figure from Reaper Miniatures, which was available in their Bones V Kickstarter. The official name is Murkillor the Wraith King, but I intend to use him as a ghostly entity that inhabits dark ruins within the Verrotwood. 

Hobby | A Wendigo for Verrotwood (Spooktober/Apocalypse Me 2023)

You may think with all of the Star Wars recently that I have forgotten about the fantasy side of things. As with many things in life, it's seasonal. And speaking of seasons, we are entering that most wonderful time of the year. No, not you Christmas. Fall. The cooling temperatures, the falling leaves, the mysterious, concerning creatures hiding in the woods....

Hobby | Separatist C-9979 Transport

Picking up where I left off with the Arquitens from last post, the Separatists also get a custom little space ship. This is the creatively named C-9979, which first showed up in the Phantom Menace. It's primary purpose is really troop transport, but hey, there's a few ships like that in Armada, so I see no reason not to include it. 

Hobby | Republic Arquitens

I seem to have a tendency to pick "dead" games: Pirates CSG, Star Wars Miniatures, and now, Star Wars Armada. Unfortunately for the Republic and Separatist factions, they didn't get a full release, at least when compared to the Empire and Rebels. I also have a penchant for customizing things, and just because Armada is generally regarded as a complete and balanced game by the competitive community, I'm here for the lore damnit. And the Republic had the Arquitens before it was cool. 

A smaller angry triangle for your small conflict needs. 

Space Din-O-Pinions | When Your Crafting Skills Translate to Something Useful

This is for all of those times when people ask you: but is this useful? Why do you spend so much time hobbying? Well now you can answer to all of these fictional doubters: because sometimes, very rarely, it actually translates to the real world. 

Paint Recipe | A Menage a Tie

Sadly, my pun is off by a bit, as there are more Tie fighter varieties in this post than three. I let myself sleep at night by telling myself that the bomber doesn't count as a fighter, and the Decimator is just kinda... a thing, and the Tie Phantom is there. The other three are actually fighters. Pun saved. Anyways, I'll do a quick paint recipe of these guys. Because they don't need much, and are honestly a little boring to paint. But, it's the classic scheme, and it needs going over. Eventually, I'll get to cooler color varieties. 

Paint Recipe: Rebel Squadrons

It's time for some of the OG, most iconic squadrons in all of Star Wars, the Rebel alphabet soup. Soon to be followed by the much more grey, much more annoying to paint Empire. In this post I'll cover the paints I use to bring color to the X-Wing, the Y-Wing, the B-Wing, and the A-Wing.