On the Painting Desk 246

 Last week there wasn't an update, as my father has passed away after a long struggle against cancer.

So with the funeral and all, my mind hasn't been on making video's obviously...

But now the mourning process has begun, and in order to loose myself in thoughts, I have been painting to regain some focus, as life moves on and we need to be there for Thorin as school also started again.

So the goblins... Those did get finished, huzzaaah, leaving only the lord and the warriors to do now.

Let's try to make some strong progress in the coming week, and get on schedule for a beginning of october finish.

1883

 After all the sci-fi of the past weeks, it is time for some good old historically footed amusement in this Yellowstone spin-off prequel.

And I found that with the series 1883, which follows the Dutton family in their journey across the Great Plains towards Montana.

Starring the always delightfully grom Sam Elliot (so this is what Bufford was up to after Gettysburg!) as Shea Brennan, a Pinkerton agent leading the expedition.  He had lost wife and daughter to the smallpox, and just when he was about to commit suicide his partner Thomas arrives, convincing him to take a job at the Pinkerton agency in Fort Worth for an escorting job across the Great Plains.

Together with the Dutton family, whose father is a Confederate civil war veteran, and a group of Slavic and German immigrants, the wagon train sets out.  The tensions between the immigrants and the american members of the train strain though, and leading to the death of Dutton's niece Mary Abel.  The inexperienced travellers find themselves victim to nature's harsh reality like dysentry of rattlesnake bites, as well as thievery amongst the group.  Shea forces the cullprits out, while Dutton's daughter Elsa takes on the cowgirl style of life, becomming smitten with one of the cowboys in the caravan, Ennis.

With food running short as one of the food wagons gets lost in the crossing of a river, as a group of bandits wants to raid the wagon train.  In the ensuing fight, Ennis is killed, and Shea tries to comfort Elsa.  They enter the Comache lands, paying the tax to be allowed to cross.  And Elsa befriends a Comanche who just goes by the name Sam.  A storm arrives, scattering the cattle and destroying wagons, but as Elsa is confronted by rustlers as she tries to gather the cattle, Sam and his partner save her.

Shea wants to cut the journey short now that their supplies and wagons are destroyed, but Dutton challenges the decision and wants to push on to Oregon.  Elsa has fallen in love with Sam, and taking their ways marries him.  She will accompany the train to Oregon, then return to Comanche territory to be with him.  But in Lakota territory, the dwindling group suffers more casualties, and when they find a massacred group of Lakota women and children, Shea and Thomas realize they will get the blame.  As Shea, Thomas and Dutton find the murderers, the rest of the settler's have retreated towards a nearby US army fort, but a Lakota attack kills a number of them before Elsa defuses the situation, but getting seriously wounded.

The Wagon Train moves on into Wyoming territory to find help, but find no surgeon to help Elsa.  Threatened by the Crow tribe, she realizes she will die, and at their advice travels with her father to a valley called Paradise to find her burial spot and a place for her family to settle.  Here, she dies in her father's arms under a tree.  A year later, Shea arrives at the Pacific Ocean, and his promise to his late wife fullfilled, shoots himself on the beach to be back with her as the other's start to build homes for their new life...

So, this was an intense series for certain, and worth the watch.  And of course, Sam Elliot always adds to a series, he just is one of those enthralling, gruff actors.  And the finale was so "bold" it dare to do what a lot of other shows don't.

The Haul Report 372

 Thrift hunting.

I always loved doing this, but it has been YEARS since I got round doing it.

But this week, I stumbled upon the Kringwinkel in Wijnegem, and went in for some good old fashioned scavenging.

But when watching the video, I thought "heck, I should have taken that as well", so three days later I returned for some more grabbing...

 

 

In between, I also went to Kruidvat to pick up some Lego investment boxes, as it was a second at half price action.  And they are already listed higher then what I paid, so let's give it a few years before putting them out there.

So, a good haul, and some nice additions to Noshi's collection to boot, so let's call that a win week!

The 9th Age: Infernal Dwarves Vassal Levies

 So we are back into the hobby at a decent rate, and I opted to go the The Ninth Age path in earnest as you could read in the past months on this little corner of the internet.

With of course what other force then the Dawi Zharr...

As you might remember from quite a while ago, I got a whole lot of metal Clan War figures from a collegue at work, and while sorting through the force, some ideas hit me.  

You see, he played Shadowlands, and while the skeletons didn`t float my boat, all those cool and comical samurai goblins seemed like the perfect models for the Levies (aka, the old Hobgoblin regiments).

I started out with a big block of 30 of them, as the whole lot contained 58 of them, and I wanted both a warrior and an archer unit.  I opted for a mixture of linked 20x20 bases (for the duo cast figures) and 2x2 bases, as they tend to die in droves anyway, making packing and handling far easier.  The command standard and musician had some slight greenstuff modifications from regular rank and file models, and the champion got a flaming sword to pick him out in the unit.

For the colourscheme, I went for a beige brown armour, just because that contrasts nicely with their green skintones, and is something else for once to paint compared to all the regular colours I used in the past.

The remainder of all the models I have lying around will, over time, be painted up to expand this unit far beyond it's T9A maximum unit size, but still have them suited then as either goblin slaves for 8th edition and the likes.  But for now, 30 is a nice sized block to act as a speed-bump for my Chaos Dwarf forces to try and flank the opposing units.

Touring after the Apocalypse volume 1 - Sakae Saito

 I can't put my finger on it why I was attracted to this manga exactly, but when I saw the cover I decided to go for this series and picked up volume one from Archonia.

Seemingly, this should be an after apocalypse roadtrip story, visiting places in Japan after something big happened.

At the end of the days, and all alone, two girls undertake a motorcycle trup across the ruins of Japan.  These girls are the impulsive Youko and level headed Airi.  Because now civilisation has ended, they have all the tourist spots to themselves!

Youko has lived her life so far in a shelter, and now makes the tour based on pictures her older sister posted on her social media back in the days.  Though at the first spot they visit, Hakone, they get chased by the AI of a damaged tank.  Airi stops it though, her arm capable of changing into a plasma cannon.

At their next stop in Yokohama, they find Anuld Schwar-chan, a cyborg.  Bringing him to the portside where he used to work, he secretly remembers where his family passed away, and he waits for his battery to die down before falling in the waterfilled crater they died in an explosion.

On the outskirts of Tokyo, they have a break as they go foraging, finding a secured house.  Though it's owner has passed away, they manage to fill up on rations, have a good meal and a solid night sleep before heading to Shinbashi to cross the water across an old railway track.  

Arriving at the Tokyo Big Sight, they stumble upon the remains of the very last Comic Marmot (a reference to Comiket) before going for a swim.  They pick up a radio signal, apparently from Akiba, hinting at the presence of other survivors...

So this was a good book, and even though it isn`t revealed yet why and when the apocalypse took place, nor if it is global or something regional, it does fill you with impending doom.  Every chapter was another location, and it is quite fun how the known spots have been re-imagined after a huge disaster.

Definitly a series I`ll keep following, and I wouldn`t be suprised if this is one that gets an anime in the future...

Asumi-chan is intrested in Lesbian Brothels volume 1 - Kuro Itsuki

 Aaaah, a good old love story about the one that got away...

Though the title might be a hint where she ended up!  So yes, ecchi inside mucho...

Sweet and weird college student Asumi had a childhood crush on her friend Mai, but their first kiss was a disaster.  During a party, she reflects on this with her senpai, and how that disaster came about due to her inexperience.  Her friend thinks she recognizes Mai from a lesbian brothel, taking Asumi for her first visit ever.

The booked girl doesn't turn out to be Mai, but a gentle girl taking care of the very nervous Asumi.  But as the girl returns to her agency afterwards, she seems to live together with Mai, who still cherishes the same picture as Asumi of both of them when they where younger.  When Asumi decides to find Mai on her own, she starts studying some adult DVD's to research what is out in the world.  

Her next appointment is with Jun, a strong, tomboyish girl that afterwards also seems to know Mai.  Because of the expensive nature of her search, Asumi goes out to look for a part-time job.  She gets hired at Izumi's bar thanks to senpai, which turns out is a maid cafe for female customers only.  On her day off, Izumi takes her along for a photoshoot of ecchi cosplay, that goes a bit further and pays well.   Together with senpai, the money is used to book a double date and Asumi ends up with Ena, a soft first timer girl.

Mai meets with the girls, who all have been with Asumi, who herself is becoming a bit the talk of the town.  She follows a collegue booked by this Asumi girl, and discovers it is indeed her long lost love.  As she showers, she ponders what is going on as a message pops on her phone stating she has been booked by Asumi for next week.

And that will be for the next volume.  It is quite innocent in the Asumi character, and given the title no suprise it is ecchi as well.  But to be honest, I`m still in doubt of this particular series, I will keep following it but I am not certain it will become one of my great series that I read in the past in the end...

Transformers: War for Cybertron - Kingdom

 Remember that Beast Wars episode where the Ark is found?

Well, this season gives of a vibe of following on that part, as the Maximals and Predacons enter the fray.

 

With the Autobots and the Decepticons now crashed on Earth, they meet unlikely allies from the future: the Maximals led by Optimus Primal and the Predacons led by a Megatron who received his name from his illustrious forefather.  But Optimus Primal reverts to Optimus Prime as Nemesis Prime, with Optimus having no idea who he is talking about.

 

Megatron, still in possession of the Matrix, receives a Golden Disc from Predacon Megatron, a relic he has seen in a vision from Galvatron.  Both factions realise they are looking at their descendants from a far future, where Cybertron has fallen as Prime didn`t manage to return the Allspark.  In the meantime, Airazor who has been captured is tortured by Predacon Megatron, much to the dismay of Dinobot.  As he engages in conversation with Airazor, he starts doubting his loyalties and honour.  

The Autobots and Maximals band together to free Airazor, while Prime sets out to stop "his" Megatron from obtaining the Allspark.  They manage to free their comrade, but the Decepticons have set out to find the Allspark, guided by visions from Megatron.  Dinobot realizes Megatron must be stopped, and sheds his Predacon allegiance, trying to get the Golden Disc and the Matrix from him.  He bests Megatron in combat, but "Beast" Megatron intervenes, but a critically wounded Dinobot manages to escape with the Matrix.  Optimus Prime finds him, returning the Matrix to his chest and thanking the dying Dinobot.

Optimus reaches the Allspark, learning it is dying itself.  The Allspark and Cybertron seemingly share a symbiotic relationship, one cannot sustain itself without the other.  Blackarachnia and Starscream are scheming together to seize control of the Decepticons, as Optimus Prime learns that in order to defeat Megatron, he must loose.  Inside the temple, the old foes face off against each other, and Prime knows this is where Megatron lost the war.  Megatron, who obtained the Matrix again, steps into the temple, but the Matrix rejects him, returning to Optimus Prime of his own accord.

They know they have no time to loose to return to Cybertron, to save both the planet and the Allspark, and prepare the Ark for launch.  But the Nemesis arrives, battering the vessel's shields even with Autobot and Maximal fighters trying to take down it's weapons.  Starscream in the meantime is having visions of Unicron, and that Galvatron is Megatron in the future, turning him into a rambling madman.  As the Ark is about to be destroyed, it suddenly transforms into a giant robot, as Teletraan One had learned in the Dead Universe that this was a moment in time he needed to do this, and had been rerouting systems and energies by himself to do so.  With the Nemesis out of commission and the Decepticons and Predacons captured, the vessel sets course for Cybertron.

On Cybertron, they encounter not only Galvatron, but Nemesis Prime as well.  While Megatron and Galvatron battle the Autobots and Maximals, the two Prime's square off, allowing Bumblebee to sneak off with the Allspark into the temple.  The evil lords seem to get the upperhand, but when Bumblebee places the Allspark in it's holder, sparkghosts of fallen Autobots and Decepticons arrive, including Elita-1 and her team that fell at the end of the second season.  They make Nemesis and Galvatron dissappear, as the Allspark powers up and Cybertron comes back to life.

An uneasy peace is formed between Optimus Prime and Megatron, in order to try and rebuild Cybertron to it's former glory, as Unicron torments Galvatron and Nemesis Prime for their failure...

So, that concludes the War for Cybertron trilogy, and I must say it was great fun to watch, even though it did receive a heap of bad criticism (mostly for not having it's original voice actors).  Never the less, if you are into Transformers, this was worth the watch.

The Haul Report 371

 After a calm week for some holidays, we are back with the hauls that came in the past two weeks.

Though sadly, my father also passed away in this period from lungcancer, but we keep our chin up as we need to stay happy for little Thorin.

 

The first piece of loot this week is the Seiya in training uniform, from the Cosmo Memoir line, which I won over at TokyoCatch.

 

 

I also received these lovely little guys, a first "test order" to see if I would get a whole heap of models from this Etsy seller. 

So that has been a modest but varied week this time round, and well worth it.

August 2023 Loot

 So another month has passed, and so has summer vacation for the little guy.

But that doesn`t mean I didn't expand my collection somewhat.

As you can see in this little videoclip, and it was some varied stuff once again.

And as always, the links:

 

 

Saintia Sho volume 4: I picked this up through Vinted. 

Dress-up darling 9, Touring 3, Slime 22: these came in my monthly Archonia box.

Modest for sure this month with reason, but more on that in a future haul video