Random Musings...

BoLS and their Alliance...

-First impressions, it might be good to help bring bloggers together (much like Ron did with FtW) but in all honesty I just don't see it working. I mean if everyone made their own group than... Well i fear the outcome.
-Requirements... Seem on one hand really easy yet lots of blogs don't meet the requirements and they are already proudly displaying the "Alliance" logo. I know for one that my blog doesn't meet their requirements, and I probably won't do the work to make it meet them. (I'm just to lazy)
-And the biggest thing I see... This "alliance" appears to be all about advertising. Look at where they put your posts, I had to go back 2 HUGE posts and 3 days to see the first blog post as part of their alliance... FtW I didn't even have to move... Now you say it's not a big deal, but there are some of us out there that check these blogs daily, if not 2-3 times a day, and I know I hate having to scroll down to find info. If BoLs really wanted an alliance they would ensure that their allies would also get some Grade A prime real estate to go with it.

FtW Blogger Group...

-much more community based I would venture a guess that 50% of the topics, links, info found on the site originated from someone else's blog or is simply a link to someone else's blog. Here is a place bloggers can go to find out what other bloggers are doing.
-really try's to bring all the blogger together (commenting, projects, etc..) As below, we have the return of the Rnd-Table. We comment on each others blogs, we've seen email discussions and board discussions and many of these would not have taken place if we didn't know about each others blogs. I mean 75% of the blogs in my blogroll I found after joining FtW, I only wish I could put more up.. (see more info about that below)
-Great to hear that the Round Table discussions are coming back. I didn't take a huge part in them originally, I think I only wrote in about 2 or 3, but always read them and found them interetsting. Sometimes there was just nothing I could say as I just didn't have experience with the subject, sometimes lack of time, but the topics and reply's were always good.

Painting...

I just really hate it sometimes... I'm working on 10 more guardsmen for my IG only 20 more to go to finish D. Co. 313th, but 30 more to go to finish 3rd Rifles, 73rd Armored (Mech Infantry Platoon)

Ebay...

Crappy used models... So I thought I was close to finishing my guard for a while, and then I saw a lot of 30 Guardsmen on ebay under sci-fi models going for about $10. Of course I couldn't resist, so now that I have them I started painting... and... I have no idea what this person used to glue them! Most times I have to cut through to get arms off and where the joints everything is Rubbery. I'm so angry and I think that's why I'm not having fun right now...

Eventually I might expand on a few of these and make them real posts in and by themselves. You'll just have to wait and see.

* I run my own server out of my house. Mostly it's for testing purposes as I'm an IT dude and like to play with new things. I've had this one for about 6 years now, and just haven't got around to updating certain parts of it, nor have I had the need as I don't get enough visitors to warrant it. I have looked at transferring my blog to one of the free ones, but then I have to re-design the layout because this one isn't transferable, and well I just don't have the time.

313th Officers

Pictured below is my Regt Co. Col. Pallidar flanked by Delta Co. Commander followed by his Plt. Ldr's I have not yet found names for the Company Commander or his Plt Leaders but eventually I will.

Close up

The heads like the heads on the rest of my army are from West Wind Productions. I used a dremel to remove the original heads and glued these in, pretty much a simple head swap. I wanted to do something to really set the officers out as different from the joe's so I gave the dark blue beret's with the feather. I think they came out looking good, but we'll see what everyone else thinks when the next time I bring them out to play.

1st Sqd. 3rd Plt.

Well I just wanted to show a quick snap of the last of my Infantry squads for a while. I've still got plenty more to do something like 40 troopers sitting in boxes. This is the first squad in 3rd Plt. and one squad closer to my goal of 3 Infantry Plts, of 3 Squads each, and 1 Mech Inf platoon of 2 squads and Hq squad all in Chimera's. The picture isn't that good, but all the major colors are done. I still have to go back and do a little detailing and of course finish the bases.

After these guys are done I'm going to switch gears a little work on a few other squads for a bit. Like I said I have a lot of heads to replace so here's the order that I plan on re-heading my troops. My goal is to have them all finished by May. The command platoons and any metal model are going to be more difficult because I'll have to use a dremel to remove the heads first. But anyways here's my plan of attack.

Heavy weapons squads

Command squads and special wep's troops

Mech Infantry Platoon

After the above is done I'll go back to working on my armour, as I have yet to really finish the Chimera's. In addition I want to build a Griffon or 2 using the Scratch built Chimera bodies that I made last year. For more info about those click Chimera (WIP) and The Next 2 Chimerea.

Lasguns and Rucksacks

Well I've had a few people ask me about my lasguns and the rucksacks I use on my guard so I thought I'd make a post about them. It's quite simple really, the rucksacks come from The Assault Group from the "Up Country" or Vietnam range. I use 3 different ones as seen in the picture below. The small one is actually a butt pack, but works good as a day pack type ruck, although it could be used a medic bag or as any other type of kit.

As for my lasguns, I prefer to call them Las-carbines. Looking at the standard lasgun it always reminded me of the old M-16 it felt ok for the first few years, and then we got the M-4. Well let me tell ya, after carrying an M-4 around for a few years going back to the M-16 felt like picking up a 18th Century Musket! So I set about looking for alternatives, after searching Hi and Lo I finally decided I didn't want to spend the money and just hacked up the standard lasgun like so many others before me have done. The end result of what I call the "Vergnitz IV pattern Mk. IX Las-Carbine" with optical and thermal sight. Actually, it's the Tau under slung grenade launcher but it looks pretty good when used as a sight.

Just cut out the portion between the standard lasgun sight and the start of the barrel. Then just re-glue it together, paying extra attention to make sure the barrel lines up correctly with the angle of the lasgun. To finish it off glue the Tau Grenade launcher to the top. That's it!!

Infantry… 3rd Sqd 2nd Plt (Teil 2)

Morje, and Morning. Well yesterday evening I got home and found these on my doorstep:

They are mix of German Fallschirmjäger helmets with and without canvas covers, while the head with the Beret is the British Paras, and all of these came from West Wind. Of course I was excited enough to finally finish the last squad for 2nd Platoon, that I spent the night doing this:

Of course though they're not quite finished yet, I have to make a few sets of goggles for the helmets and finish the bases. There's supposed to be mud where the grass is missing but I ran out of basing material and green stuff for the goggles, so today I'll need to swing by GW and the craft store to get what I need to finish them off. Here's hoping to a finished squad by the end of the week, and 100 more heads to swap out.