Nurgle Daemon-Possessed Vindicator

This is one of my kit rebuilds. I bought a somewhat beat up Rhino on eBay, fitted a spare demolisher cannon and dirtied it up a bit with some green stuff, multiple paint layers, Mig rust treatment and Mig Rust powder. I am inordinately pleased with it.

Federation Security Bots

 

Models From Black Cat Bases

Who also do a nice line in Cthulhu Mythos and other stuff.

Happy Xmas Gaming Geeks

Artwork: Darren MA Calvert

A Merry Xmas from all the Staff at John's Toy Soldiers (me and rabbit).

And see Toy Cutter for more great pics.

Danger Will Robinson

Okay, showing my age again but.....

Servalen & Travis - Blake 7

I suppose I am showing my age but two of my favourite SF baddies are President of the Federation Servalan (Killer Queen, Dynamite with a Laser Beam) and her psychotic lieutenant, Travis. Servalan is deposed and resurfaces as Commissioner Sleer. Travis is killed by Avon, the most intriguing character in Blake's 7.

Blake 7 was devised by Terry Nation, who also invented the Daleks, and it has the finest ending ever of an SF TV Programme.

Nurgle Obliterator

I paid £6 for both this model and the dreadnought previously featured in dodgy condition. I added a gun barrel, a new resin base and a lick o'paint. 

Look out for old 2nd hand stuff that can be rebuilt because no one wants it.

Note there is a twitter group #miniaturemonday for crazed wargamers and modellers.

Power Sword - Chameleon Nanoflakes

This is my first experiemnt to coat a power sword with Chameleon Nanoflakes, again using a clear varnish as the medium (Citadel Gloss). It is very diffcult to photograph this in late December even at midday as we have no sunlight - the the system depends for its colour on the exact angle light strike the plane of the surface.

Vevertheless I have attempted to shoot the model holding it in one hand in the window, while wielding the camera set on macro-close up in the other. Very far from ideal. I rotated the model to give some idea of the effect - which is inevitably very subdued by the dim grey light coming through the window.

Please scroll down.

Nurgle Warband

The warband of Milord Nobblemusher, Daemon Prince of Nurgle, who sitteth at the right hand of the grandfather.

Reinforcements are on the painting table, just waiting for Nurgle's approval. Now you will have to excuse me. I have this bloody awful virus...

It's Lonely Out There - Baen Books

Photo by NASA

It's Lonely Out There –
The Evolutionary Explanation For The Fermi Paradox

by John Lambshead

The Fermi Paradox is named after Enrico Fermi, who postulated it in 1950 during informal discussion. It can be summarised as: if the truth is out there, why haven't we seen some evidence? Or to put it another way, where are the intelligent aliens? Not a single shred of evidence has ever been found of a piece of technology that is not human. All around us broods a silent universe, the silentium universi (things sound so much more authoritative when translated into Latin, don't you think?).
Physicists have dominated discussion on the Fermi Paradox, Fermi was a physicist, because it appears to be an issue of astronomy. But actually it is an issue of biology since it is about evolution.
In this paper I am going to address two points: How common is life in the universe, and how common is intelligent life. To gain an insight into the second point, I will be obliged to consider how intelligent life might evolve. For the purposes of this essay, intelligence is defined as human-level intelligence, i.e. the capacity to create a technological civilization....



You can read the rest of this article for free on the Baen site, my publisher, as well as an original short story by New York Times best-selling author, Timothy Zahn.

Nurgle Dreadnought - back from the scrapyard

I bought this for a couple of pounds on eBay in a fairly shot up condition. Alittle bit of TLC and a lick of paint and our blood-crazed friend is ready to squish his way across the Imperium. Old knocked-about models are fine for Chaos and Orky armies. Never overlook them for some reinforcements on the cheap.

Finished Spinner

Decals and white trim added. Taken in the garden in the dark using a TTL flashgun.

Night lift.

The rabbit daemon decided to see if it would fly. Those are his teeth marks.

Things Wot I Grow In My Garden

Something to fry for lunch?

Raid on Shaun's Flat

"Sweep Group to Foxfire?"
"Come in Sweep Group."
"Inform Lord Wolfram that the extraction is comprised. Ultramarines detected in ambush."
"Foxfire to Sweep Group, attack and destroy the minions of the corpse God. Lord Wolfram himself has decided to join the raid."

The Ultramarine vehicles move forward.

Illuminati infantry advance of left flank. Predator takes up overwatch position on right flank.

The Predator makes a kill.

The Predator makes a second vehicle kill, the Razorback, while the full power of the Ultramarine ambush is revealed. The first Illuminati squad is wiped out, except for two who run away into cover, and the Rhino is burned killing two of the second squad.

Lord Wolfram teleports down with his elite body guard and engages the Ultramarine command squad.

 The Ultramarine command squad and the second Illuminati combat squad are wiped out.

The Ultramrines fire a steady barrage wounding Lord Wolfram and killing all but one of his bodyguard. He teleports out after killing the two cowards skulking under the bridge. The Predator glides away to a rendevouz with a pick up shuttle.

The raid has been a failure with the artefact unsecured. Lord Wolfram has had a really bad day.

Blade Runner Spinner - Chameleon Nanoflakes

This is a 28ml resin model of a Blade Runner Spinner. In order to give it an 'energy field' effect, I used acrylic varnish over the base paint saturated with Chameleon Nano-Flakes. They are intended to be used in a clear medium over black but I used it over deep blue and brown ochre. The micro-flakes are titanium compound covered silicon and cause a colour shimmer over the paint from copper to emerald green depending on the light interaction. It strikes me that the flakes could be great for power swords, holo-fields, force fields and so on. My next experiment will be to put them into the paint.

Illuminati Raid

My Illuminati Chaos Marine warband is making a 1,000 point raid soon on Shaun's flat in their ceaseless search for enlightenment about the true nature of the universe.

The raiders consist of Lord Wolfram Gutenberg plus elite five champion bodyguard in terminator armour, two squads of marines plus standard bearer, a Rhino and a Predator in tank killer mode.

Turner Prize

Turner prize winner announced. Three large white gallery pillars into square trees, topped by canopies of uniform white leaves.

 

 

Martin Boyce's works on show at the Baltic include a re-imagined library table and three artificial trees

Angular brown leaves made from wax-coated crepe paper are scattered on the ground, while a library table has been reconfigured into a playful modern creation.

Actually, I quite like this. It is at least creative. Who can forget the Light Switch?

The Slayer

Another great mini from reaper. Young lady with stake.

City of London Police Force

 From

City of London Police distributed this letter around London businesses. We have witnessed the leadership of the Yard disintegrate under questioning as to why they turned a blind eye to criminality in the Murdoch empire - now this.

Hostile Reconnaissance?? Domestic Terrorists/extremists??

Reality Check: we are talking about a handful of people exercising their right to demonstrate, not Che bloody Guevara.


Are our senior officers half-witted?

Faversham Creek

The ghosts of our industrial past still haunt our present.