All things Fett

1/6th Scale Accessories Part 2: Feedin' The AUG

2012-01-29T16:12:00.000-08:00

I wanted an AUG really bad when I was a kid, so I was pretty excited to see that there were a few to choose from when I went accessory shopping.

I opted to go with a foliage green version. I could have got a grenade launcher equipped version, but it looked 'un-AUG-ish' if that makes any sense. As you can see the magazine is detachable, and the fore grip can be folded up. There are some additional optics that I don't know anything about, though I suppose they are likely night vision and laser targeting.

Here it is with the magazine charged and the fore grip deployed. The bolt handle on the left side does move back and forth as well, but I did not know to photograph that when I took the pics.

Another thing I like about this one is that it comes with a tac sling. Since my 'figure' doesn't have much going when it comes to hands, having it hang in a ready position is important.

KhaaaaaaAAAAAAN! The 1st Ever Articulated Monster Theater 3000

2012-01-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

That's right folks, tonight the other James, Mario, and I (and maybe AJ) will be watching and commentating on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I expect hi-jinx, bad voice imitations, and lots of the famous corny yell.

And some really bad Ricardo Montalban quotes. I would have let that fall under the category of bad voice imitations, but I didn't think that would impress upon you the full depth of how bad Ricardo Montalban jokes can be in this group.

Anyway, we're recording tonight, so expect to see it live sometime this week.

1/6th Scale Accessories Part 1: Army Of Two!

2012-01-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

I make no secret of the fact that I loved the game Army of Two. Every review I saw of it said it was terrible, and most gamers I know panned it. It's one of my guilty pleasures. I thought it was a riot. One of the fixtures of the game is the ballistic masks that Salem and Rios wear in every level. They are customizable, and players even have the option of making their own through an external utility and loading them into the game.

So when I found out that there were 1/6th scale versions available, it was a big part of my decision to actually try to put something together. This one is from Loading Toys. I don't know much about the brand, but it is a neat accessory, and there is a lot of thought that went into this little piece. I chose to go with scarface because (no surprise to my longtime readers) it was the cheapest. Also, there were only 2 other styles I really liked, and both cost quite a bit more for some reason. Whatever.

So, when I do get around to putting together my 1/6th scale soldier of fortune, we have head protection covered.

LEGO Wave 6 Minotaur

2012-01-28T07:13:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Norm!

One of the other figures I was excited about getting from this wave was the Minotaur. I've always loved Minotaurs, from just thinking they were cool villains from mythology as a kid, to playing as one in my first RPG (Dragonlance was so great), to wanting to convert the terrific Warhammer Fantasy Battle models to Cyberdemons.

Plus, there is a great scene from Phineas and Ferb about what exactly makes a Minotaur.

Anyway, this guy is pretty neat. I have no idea if this has been used before or is a new sculpt, but that's irrelevant as it's awesome! He comes with a nice two piece axe, which is overused now, but still cool, and his legs have a nice balteus painted on. The horns are separate pieces, which means the color change is distinct. The head is sculpted rather than painted which means while detail is fine, it's a little flat in color. A great minifig in any event. Get you one!

LEGO Liberty (And Justice) For All

2012-01-27T15:18:00.000-08:00

So, it's no secret that LEGO minifig wave six is hitting stores now, and has been for about a week. My wife and I finally found a good stash of them in a nearby TRU today, and after a solid 25 minutes of felling around, we got everything she wanted, and a few for me.

An American Icon.

The one I was most excited about was the Statue of Liberty. I got two, so I can keep one like this...

Lady Liberty ready to sling some lead.

And have the other like this. [announcer voice] AMERICA! [end announcer voice]

The Headless Corpsman; or, WTH MegaBloks?!?

2012-01-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so I went through all of the Halo bloks blind packed minifigures at the nearby Target, looking for a Cortana figure. After many packs, I came across one where I simply could not tell what was in the package, because there was no weapon. Aggravated to the point of not thinking correctly, I bought it, thinking "No weapon in the package equals Cortana."

This is what I got. See, I had overlooked the possibility that they might have just screwed me over and not included a weapon. Quality control issues for the win! Additionally, this is the white pilot that everyone gripes about being so hard to put together. I got the one put together for Kelli, but this one seems even more difficult. It could be that my hand, which is not quite back to full capacity, is hobbling me in this, but I think it's the disappoint. Yes, the disappoint is strong with this one.

I cannot quite get the head to fit. I could simply hollow out the opening a little more with a craft knife, but I think I might just leave it how it is an display it as an object lesson. Hubris breeds Nemesis.

Halo Mega Bloks Shade Turret

2012-01-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

It seems the latest crop of Halo Mega Bloks sets are hitting San Francisco retailers as of this weekend. This new shade turret set was found just yesterday.

Click to read more...

Make Your Own Meme

2012-01-26T07:33:00.000-08:00

I was doodling at work while I was on the interminable process of making them actually give me the money I have earned in their employ. This character started life as a bear, since so many memes are of bears. Then my friend Bobby told me that I should draw it as a pig. The rest, as they say is history, and I give to you...

Suspicious Pig!


Suspicious Pig Is Suspicious

Future Dust Tactics Robot: The Unboxing!

2012-01-25T07:33:00.000-08:00

Yes folks, I Counterfett, have at long last opened up that Stel I bought some time back. Once again, I give credit to WQRobb, from whom I stole this idea.

Standing on his own = Plus points. Non separate fingers = Minus points

I never planned on buying any of these figures. As toys, they are simply atrocious; underscaled, undersculpted, and very poor articulation. That said, Stel is definitely the pick of the line, with pretty decent looking sculpt, and rather nice painting applications, all told. Also, despite being fairly tall and thin limbed, he stands on his own very well! This is a lost art in toy making!

He also comes with a ring and ring construct, about which I care not at all, and I am giving to my son to play with.

I am finalizing plans at the moment about how I want to base and paint this bad boy. I am pretty sure he is going on an 80mm base, and getting an olive drab paint scheme. Think Liberty Prime from Fallout 3 and you're on the right track, as far as I am concerned.

I will either have to make him count as something for which a unit card has already been made, or come up with something myself. Have not decided there, but it's early days, yet, on this project.

Glasslands: A Review, Better Late Than Never Style

2012-01-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

A long overdue review of a fine book available in San Francisco booksellers three long months ago, today we will have a belated look into Glasslands, the entry novel for Science Fiction veteran Karen Traviss. Traviss has written novelizations in the Star Wars universe, including the very successful Republic Commando series, as well as the Gears of War Novelizations, and was the lead author for Gears of War 3 itself. So you get it, Traviss is a big deal, right?

Click to read more...

The End Of Skyrim [Spoilers]

2012-01-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

Spoiler Alert...You Beat Alduin

Clearance Toys As Small Scale Miniatures Part I

2012-01-23T16:00:00.000-08:00

So I saw a post by WQRobb at The Army Collector about converting Clearance toy figures to Wargame giant robots, and decided to steal the idea. In particular, one of the figures he examined for use was Stel, from the Green Lantern Movie Line. Now, the Green Lantern Movie figures stink as toys, with little articulation, but that is not really a problem for a small scale miniature.

I am thinking of basing this on an 80mm round base, and painting it like an American Army Green robot for Dust Tactics.

The Art Of The Space Crusade Rulebook Part 3

2012-01-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

Here we see the very retro docking claw. I don't know if these are still part of 40k canon or not, though I suspect not. I think now either boarding torpedoes, drop pods, or Thunderhawk Gunships are the prefered methods of boarding these days.

My Favorite Miniature Robots, And Why Don't I Own Them?

2012-01-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

Bleep-Bop-Boop

It's these guys from .45 adventures. Called the Robot Mark II, this is one that I saw a long time ago as a blog post by the guy who actually sculpted them. He made it look super easy, which just goes to show you how much better of a sculptor he is than me.

The reason I don't own these is complicated. I don't really have anything I would use them for. That might change soon, what with my ennui with all things GW. I am thinking about starting a smaller scale skirmish style game. Something campaign driven, so these might fit quite handily into that. The current reason I am not ordering these is that I can't seem to find anyplace online that really has them in stock. Guess that's my own fault, sort of like the reason I don't own the AE-WWII American Robot Troopers too.

More to come later...

I Find Your Lack Of Hobby Content...Disturbing.

2012-01-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

This really only makes sense if you've ever played Pokemon, I guess.

Yeah. My current Ennui with gaming and miniatures should probably come to an end. I was complaining to my wife the other night about how I was having a hard time coming up with things to post about, and she asked me why I didn't just 'paint the guys you just got in the mail?' She was referring of course to my EM4 Space Rangers from a few weeks back

It's hard to explain to someone who's not a gamer. I just haven't felt like it. In the old days, when I was amped, I would have those things basecoated and on my worktable IN NO TIME!

Now though, I just find myself not able to make the time to do it. Some of this is actually being busy, while some of it is just not being interested in getting them in a state of readiness without knowing what I want to do with them. The plan originally was to paint them as Angry Marines. Then, I decided I wanted to use them as the three different chapters represented in Space Crusade. Since both of those projects have, for the moment, stalled out, I'm not so sure.

Perhaps what I really need is to find something to play that really gets me excited about playing again, where I will find the need for painted minis. I will update with progress on that front.

Funniest Packaging Translation Glitch I have Seen This Week

2012-01-21T16:00:00.000-08:00

Go ahead, click to enlarge. Then read the bottom left.

I live in the Bay Area of California. As such, I encounter more than my fair share of what is politically incorrectly referred to as 'Engrish.' What makes this example that we found yesterday even funnier, is that it is not even a spelling or grammatical error, it's just something no one who went to Junior High in an English speaking western country would ever say...

Shiocking News! Fantasy Flight Games Announces Dust Warfare Is Delayed!

2012-01-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

Well, since they had last announced that it was to be released Q4 2011, and it isn't out now, this might not be surprising.

It's even less surprising when you contemplate that FFG has been late on pretty much every release that is not a board game for as long as I have known of the company. And that's a really long time. Since D&D 3e, in fact.

Damn I'm old.

Epic Halo Music Video Is Epic!

2012-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so as much as I hate to promote anyone's Youtube channel other than my own (I know that sounds selfish, but I don't care), I think you need to watch this. If, after the video is done, you don't want to play some Halo, you might not have a pulse.

Fantasy Flight Unveils New Dust Tactics Faction

2012-01-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of Dust Tactics. It's just a cool, simple, strategic game that comes with some great minis that I like to use for other projects. Speaking of which, FFG has unveiled a new third faction, the SSU, on their site.

Comprising the real world Soviet Union and apparently parts of China, the SSU forces look like relatively lower technology than the Axis or Allies, but make up for that in resourcefulness and sheer toughness.

Plus, they look cool.

Mancave 2.1: Now Unpacked!!

2012-01-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

For the first time ever, I have unstowed all of my Halo Toys and put them in one place. It's such a happy shelf.

Yeah, this is what obsession looks like.

Two Hunters, cuz they always come in pairs...

Halo Reach Wave Six Invasion 3 Pack HItting Stores In February

2012-01-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

The Invasion 3 pack is another multi pack which focuses on the gameplay modes from multi-player; in this case from the invasion game type of Spartans vs. Elites.

Click to read more...

The Articulated Monster Podcast: Episode 25!

2012-01-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

Episode 25: Ice Cream Trooper, is now live, and cannot be stopped! Download from Talkshoe for you iThingie, or just click the widget like me!

1/6 Scale Figures: On The Cheap

2012-01-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

Something I have been thinking about a lot lately was starting collecting 1/6 scale figures. I don't know what set it off, I've never had a real desire to do the scale before, most all of the toys I have owned in my life, both as a child and adult, have been of much, much, smaller scale.

Just look at all that gear...

There's just so much cool gear out there for the figs. Since these things are set up to be much more modular than smaller scales, I kind of just want to go with an economical base figure, then add gear for specific ideas, rather than buying new figures. 1/6 scale lends itself to this type of thing better than other scales. Plus, I'm totally sure I needed something else to collect.

Anybody know any good cheap figures for this sort of thing? We talk about it a bit on the podcast (which is not out yet) that we recorded on Sunday, and I think I know what I am going to do, after a quick tri to Target, but I am curious if anyone else has perhaps thought about this more than James or I.

Paper Toy Tuesday #2: Boba Fett!

2012-01-17T07:33:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's not the best representation of the infamous Mandalorian bounty hunter ever made, but at least I have no one to blame for the shoddy art but myself! THis one is an entirely original piece. And yes, I know I forgot his jetpack. I know, I just don't care enough to go back and fix it.

Also, if you are so inclined, you can print up a Boba of your very own from the Paper Toy Page.

Halo Mega Bloks Blind Packed Wave 4 In Stores Now!

2012-01-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

The long awaited fourth wave of the Halo Mega Bloks Blind Pack figures is now hitting store shelves in the San Francisco area. As with the previous waves, Mega Brands did not have much in the way of fanfare or publicity prior to this release, and fans only knew to expect it based on the fact that it was a bit overdue.

Click to read more...