The Beaumont Book Stan'

This weekend, I took a trip to Beaumont. The trip was scenic during both good and bad weather with plenty of memorable sights along the way. The best part? The signs:

"Denny's Bingo 24 hours" - Since Bingo is mentioned before the "24 hours" part, I'd like to imagine they have bingo going all day, every day. Rock on!

"Stop in and try a ostrich burger" - Fuddruckers, I hope the Ostrich Burger is just what it's called, not what it's made out of. Not sure why that creeps me out, but I'm not about to Google it. Strangely enough, I was most bothered by the use of the wrong article adjective "... an ostrich burger... " Yep, I now feel like a snob and a jerk.

I wish I had a picture of another favorite: "Guitar and Banjo Studio". YES. I've always wanted to take lessons and pick up the classical banjo! (Also, the ukelele but that wasn't advertised at that particular location).

While we were there, we had to make a stop at The Book Stan' -- a comic book, tabletop gaming, and huge warehouse gaming store that opened in 1979. At length we perused the walls of miniatures, boxes and boxes of comics and wargaming books, and the incredible selection of tabletop board games. The Book Stan' also sells collectible figurines, cards, and shirts. One could spend hours just looking. We were able to keep our visit between 1-2 hours.

It was tough, but I finally narrowed it down and purchased "Samurai Sword". It's part of the BANG! Game System line. I was amused to find that it has original directions in Italian with the English translation (I took just enough Italian classes in college to get myself in trouble). I admired like the artwork on the box & cards from Werther Dell'Edera. It reminds me a lot of "Samurai Seven", one of my favorite anime series based on Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic "Seven Samurai". Can't wait to play it! But it takes at least three people. Darnit. Time to use an excuse to catch-up with friends in order to play this game!

While I do wish The Book Stan' would have had more miniature hobby related products (i.e. paint, basing materials), I understand they're focus is more on comic books, gaming, and collectibles. I'll definitely be back if I'm ever in the area. It's the place you could visit many times and always discover something new that you didn't see before. Given the convenience of online shopping, it's really nice to know that "mom 'n pop" stores like the Book Stan' are still around!

Basing Blues

I admit it: Basing terrifies me. I can't explain why. It's like one of those mental blocks that keeps you shackled to your comfort zone-- like why I've had the same [lack of] hairstyle for 3+ years because I'm afraid if I change it, I may not like it. Needless to say, I'm not a risk taker and I like to stick to what I'm good at. For me, the fear of being bad at something often keeps me from jumping in and trying something new.

Today, after some encouragement and courage-gathering, I decided get over myself and give this a shot. A few weeks ago, I ordered some bases from MicroArts, bought some Milliput & a micro drill at the local hobby store, and purchased some Loctite super glue on a recent trip to a hardware store. Wish me luck!

[fast forward 15 minutes] 

Ok, I know I sound dramatic, but this... THIS is why I don't take risks: fear of failure suffocates me and I just now choked. I was attempting to separate Maralise from her metal base and my hand slipped and I pretty much cut off her feet. I ruined her. I shouldn't have tried basing this already-painted mini. I should have left her alone and now I'm battling a minor panic attack. I don't know how to sculpt. I don't know how to fix her feet. I'm chalking this up as unsalvageable until I know more about basing. I'll figure it out another day-- maybe base her & hide her feet in tufts of grass. I won't give up, I just can't look at this objectively right now and need to walk away. 

 Argh, I'm so incredibly mad at myself right now. I should've known better. I need a drink. 

My Weekend of Hoarding & Stripping

I have a small treasure trove of miniatures I've collected over the past several years. This Friday night I did some cleaning and decided to organize my hoard. Here's the "before" picture:

I also organized my rack of colorful paints (my neutrals are kept in a shoebox):

I also stripped my miniatures that had been poorly primed and left to collect dust. I went out and purchased gloves since I'd be scrubbing the heck out of them with Citristrip:

And here they are! Much better. 

After that, I did some more work on Maralise-- she's 95% finished. I just need to go in and give her face some more shadows, finish up her staff, and figure out what kind of a base I'm going to give her. I know, I know, I should have thought of that before I painted her. Lesson learned! 

Other than that, it was such a nice & relaxing weekend. I watched some World Cup soccer while I painted and rested before the upcoming work marathon-- my next day off will be June 28th. However, I'll hold myself accountable for continuing to blog every Monday & Thursday during the mayhem. Let the challenge begin!