The Yautja have landed!

Been mostly doing work on the buildings spent an evening gingerly filing off some of the markings from the tops of the buildings and then another starting a small Yautja shuttle/space ship. (Yautja being the proper name for Predator Species).

The body comes from an old computer mouse you may of seen these before as they where going to be a two man grav vehicle for my spy fi stuff that never got finished. I may dismantle the second one and do it up as a second vehicle being as I have quite a few Yautja that will need a ride. Its needs some more detailing at the moment its not based as I will paint it up and do that after it will sort of be tilting forward slightly. The stones will be sort of sensors but they'll be painted over as well. The wings at the rear have come from the packaging that come with most kids toys I've filed them down then pinned them to the body.

The back and the part where the buttons join in the middle need finishing off as there is a hole where there wheel button was and I'm in two minds whether to add some sort of burner/thruster to the back of it.

Also my package from Finland arrived on Friday with some more figures for this project. I already had the 3 single vacation Aliens (Yautja) from Khurasan but wanted to add in some Khurasan Huntarr (More Yautja) to increase the numbers and so I could play some games where I have Yautja Hunters trying to capture an Alien Queen for egg laying purposes.

There are four packs of Huntarr which strangely have disappeared of the Khursan site recently so I was a bit disappointed but a random browse of the Lead Adventure Forum's bazaar I spotted a pack of each for sale! Huzzah!

I can't tell you what the specific packs are called one is obviously a leader pack and one they heavy plasma burners and there are two packs here that have the typical Yautja weapons and one pack with the retractable spears and one of just wrist blades. These all come with the shoulder burners as well which need glueing on. As a bonus I have recieved 9 spear armed Yautja instead of 8 so happy days. Most of these all have 2 of each sculpt per pack apart from the heavy burner pack which you get 3. I plan on converting some anyhow. I quite fancy having some discs, net launchers and perhaps a whip theres quite a variety of weapons in the various movies. 

The Pack of Leader's

The Wrist blade armed pack.

Spear and wrist blade armed pack 9 figures with 5 individual sculpts

The Shoulder burners for the two packs above.

The boys with the heavy artillery. These will be Blooded Warriors that usually over see hunting parts and carry the heavy weapons.

This next pic is what I intend to make the Yautja  Hounds from the Predators movie from they are going to need a bit of putty work mainly to add spines I intend on adding around 5 spines to each one to give the impression of the movie ones. They are wearing sort of body armour which I don't mind as again there's a large variety with equipment. These originally come from Micro Panzer a Vaethaka Hound unit. These where bought from the same guy who I got the Huntarr from so it was like it was meant to be as I'd earmarked these a year ago for the role! The main thing that held me back was the overseas shipping and only wanting this single pack which in my mind pushes the cost up of the figures.

Aliens Vs Predator Project the Return!

Happy New Year all normality is beginning to return to this Brummie household the kids are due to go back to school Monday and so things are getting back into the normal routine!

As the title suggests my mind has slipped back to Sci Fi again strange how it does that this time of year as it was this time last year this project started off with my first purchases of Exterminators and Space Demons from Khurasan.

Well work has started again. The first 12 Alien Drones are nearly finished as is the Queen. I've started work assembling my space colony out of pots and scrap plastic bits and bobs.

I'm also doing a bit of sculpting mainly having ago at some of the creatures and tech from the movie Predators this being the Tracker Predators hounds and the Predator Falconers robotic bird/drone. The bird is the hardest as it had like 3 seconds of footage in the movie and is hard to find pics of.  The one below of the bird is a fan made one and there is another with two blades on. With how individual Predators equipment is I think I can have a creative licenses with it :-D I don't recall seeing blades on it and the only footage online is this snipped you see it land on the predator on the left hand side.

The Hound mine will have less spines but it will create the impression.

Predator Falcon by Raiyuri

The Hounds I haven't started but I've found I think a good body to start from and will need to just putty on some spines when they arrive from the guy I've bought them off in Finland. The Bird/drone is completely from scratch as I could find anything similar enough to start from there is a few pics below again WIP but its needs more filing down and detail etch into the hardened putty. The first attempts whilst the putty was a little bit cured was no good as I kept destroying bits when trying to apply pressure so I decided to make it bigger and the file it down when hard.

The Drone Side on

Above

Scale shot shows you how small it is.. Its supposed to mount on a predators wrist so still a bit more filing to go yet.

Front of the houses with Bob the Grunt to show scale.

Decide five was a nice number to start.

I have some more buildings to make but I need some bigger bases to mount them on before I can start them properly.

I also hope to make a ship of some kind not a big ass mother ship but a small sort of predator shuttle/craft. Thinking of a small hunting party either carrying 3 perhaps up to maybe 12-15 hunters. I have some ideas about what to start from its not set in stone. I have two maybe three ideas for the main body of the ship but if that doesn't work then there are some GW model kits which I could also use to kit bash into ships again there are no standard Predator ships comics and movies all have massive variety between them.

2013 Summary

I've been going through the posts of this year and comparing them with what I was up to the previous year.
I was quite surprised by the results to be honest! I was expecting there to of been more miniatures painted this year than previously but after adding them up that wasn't the case by a long shot!

Miniatures Painted: 

2013

115 painted 93 x 28mm and 22 x 15mm 

2012

147 painted all being 28mm 

Games Played:

2013

4 Games Played 3 Empire of the Dead and 1 7TV

2012

2 Games Played 1 No More Room in Hell and 1 7TV

I really though I had painted more figures this year even If I'd finished off what's sitting on the painting table it still would only hit 130. I think after some further contemplation what boosted the 2012 total was speed painting a big chunk of mantic zombies removing those 30 evens up the totals some what.

Games played is definitely an improvement it being 100% more than the previous year. It will be one of my targets next year to double it again hopefully. Painting wise I shall just plod on and see what gets done.

Whats next? Who knows! Still got plenty of figures to paint up for Empire of the Dead, 15mm Aliens vs Predator Project, more 7TV as well as my Fantasy figures. Once things settle down back to normal in the New Year hopefully I can get back into it don't seem to have the mojo for it. All I've managed recently is to check all my paints and added a bit of water where necessary. Painting wise I managed to apply a second coat to all my 15mm Aliens that I had started. I've accumulated some more bits and bobs for 15mm terrain mainly some pots, and bits of plastic to make some buildings out of.

Merry Christmas 2013

I'd just like to wish everyone who visit's my blog a very Merry Christmas for 2013 Ho Ho Ho!

Also I;d like to apologise to all the bloggers whose blogs I follow its been a manic month this year with various family and work commitments keeping me occupied I've just not had the free time I normally have to get around everyone's posts.

 I break up tomorrow for a week so looking forward to relaxing and spending time with the family as well as catching up and hopefully getting some miniatures done!

I've got my 15mm bug back again and I've dug out my Khurasan Space Demons so hoping to get them finished (as well as dusting off it seems as well) and perhaps start the other 12 still sitting in there bag from January last year!

EotD Kickstarter Part 4: Set 7 221b Baker Street and Set 8 Nemesis Criminals

Felt better towards the end of this week but the first half of it was crap as the cold disappeared but the cough ramped itself upto to one of those irritating feckers that starts off as soon as your head hits the pillow.

First up is is Set 7 221b Baker Street and this comprises of yep you've guessed it Sherlock Holmes and friends! This set comprises of (top row) Sherlock smoking a pipe and a choice of empty hand or his violin. The Good Doctor with revolver (this has to be my favourite version of Doctor Watson) Mycroft (Sherlocks Brother) Sir Henry Baskerville and Mrs Hudson. (Bottom Row) its a nice characterful set. I've received the PDF last week as well but still need to have good read and digest what's in there as its quite packed with new stuff. Though some characters still seem to be missing from the rules from the quick glance I've had.

Set 8 Nemesis Criminals continues the Sherlock Holmes theme with various characters from the novels. Top row we have Irene Adler I love this miniature in her left hand she carries a set of brass knuckles whilst in her right her pistol is a multi barrel pepper pot type. Next up is the master criminal himself Moriarty its a nice sculpt I'm not so sure about the angle he's wearing the hat at though but that's just my opinion. Last in the top row is Colonel Moran again with another lovely rifle. Bottom row has some of the lesser known characters from left to right we have John Clay (The Red Headed League), Doctor Roylott (The Adventure of the Speckled Band) Jack Stapleton and Selden (Both from the The Hound of the Baskervilles). Again I need to have a read through the rules as various characters from this are split through some of the new factions. I think these two sets can lead up to some fun one off scenario's based around the tales told in the novels.

Close up of Miss Adler's excellent pistol

Other prep has begun and I've based all my Police miniatures total of 20 bases done. So thats a fifth of the Requiem KS based. I'm undecided on undercoat at the moment I have some white spray that I may use but haven't made my mind up about it yet.

Ripper Street Series 3 Cancelled by BBC

Absolutely gutted this show is bloody brilliant. Great stories every week, great actors fabulous settings and period clothing. Why did the BBC move it to a Monday prime time slot when I'm a Celebrity  (well they wish there were) is on!

Quite frankly its a rubbish decision by the BBC we need some decent drama not the constant celebrity has been crap. Please sign and share this petition!

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/reverse-the-bbc-s-decision-to-cancel-ripper-street?share_id=bxVxDjtQUk&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition

EotD Kickstarter Part 3: Set 5 Order of the Dragon and Set 6 Vampire Slayers

Been mega busy this week at work instead of four men there's been two of us and I've had a cough/cold that's meant any time I that I have had to sit down to paint I cough every 5 minutes so no painting this week grrr. So I've continued to clean up some more of the Empire of the Dead Requiem Figures. I'm unlikely to start painting any of these. We have a painting group on facebook called Carry On Painting there's going to be a painting competition starting in the new year to paint a unit each month and to support/egg each other on. The Prize being a painted army etc by the end of it. Feel free to pop by and join in. This will obviously go with my other challenge which is to see how many Requiem figures I can get done in four months. I think this month being busy especially with Christmas coming up I shall spend it getting the figures cleaned prepped and the bases puttied ready for January.

First up we have Set 5 Order of the Dragon. Top row we have Vampire in bat form as you can see its quite a big chap. Next up the madman Renfield, Thrall with man portable Gatling gun this figure has a sword strapped across his back as well its a lovely sculpt and one of my favourites. Bottom row we have The count himself and 3 of his brides Teliaska, Darla and Curshinka. They're all really nice sculpts the only thing that bugs me about this set is the sitting figures in game terms this kind of gives them an advantage as they are obviously smaller targets when trying to shoot at them. I think I'm going to have them sitting on a big rock or something just to boost them up to normal height to make it  fairer. Besides the Thrall and Curshinka there aren't many visible weapons but I think with Vampires you don't really need to see them to know that they are dangerous.

Set 6 Vampire Slayers this has to be my favourite set from all of the Requiem figures it has all the iconic characters in it from the book. Top Row Abraham Van Helsing himself very much to me the grizzled doctor its a really fully of character he has a large ornate cross in his right hand a big bible or perhaps a large bag on his back which could be full of all sorts of gear. The lovely Wilhelmina Harker or 'The Lost Love' as its called on the artwork. Finally in the top row we have Lucy Westenra or 'The Fallen Woman' both the ladies are lovely sculpts I look forward to having fun painting them up. Bottom row we have the rest of the men from left to right we have Quincey Morris the American cowboy and explorer with his Bowie Knife and repeater rifle. Lord Arthur Holmwood armed with revolver and lantern these two in particular I really like from this set and probably are my favourites across the whole range. The remaining two are Jonathan Harker carrying a bible and candle and finally Doctor Seward carrying a large bag no doubt full of equipment and probably opium....