The Haul Report 437: it's not only cold in Felstad!

 Time for another pile of stuff that came in, and this time, it's a big overview!

 

Because I have been focussing on a couple of boxed sets, because living without insane painting deadlines is like not living the hobby life at all lol. 

 

 

The first thing I got this month are some spaceships from Etsy.  I wanted to see how they looked and scaled, as they will be used for my project of "Hashut in Space" that I'm going to start.  Basically Warfleets Dwarf Guilds in my Chaos Dwarf army colours, but I will be kitbashing a force for GrimDark as well based on that idea.

 

And of course, they would need flight stands, so I called my friend Ali and he send it Express to me... 

I also obtained more spaceships through various lots on Vinted, especially older X-Wing edition models for the most part, but also a bit of Armada vessels, again both to be used in Warfleets. 

 

 

On the Frostgrave level, more beasties for the Random Encounter Table fell in the mailbox, as well as the genie for the next session.  Now to all get them painted up in just a few weeks...

 

Something else in space also came up, as I finally got a copy of Settlers of Catan, the Star Trek edition.  Complete second hand, it costed only a fraction of finding a sealed copy these days.  And something else, just because I couldn't resist when I saw that on Vinted...

To round out this weeks haul, I finally obtained the last model needed for the Pit Beasts Regiment of Renown to go with my Chaos Dwarf force.

 

Talking my Chaos Dwarfs, they will be battling it out in the Underworlds in style... and in an arty way as I got my hands on the alternate cards from the OP kit. 

And that's the nice pile of stuff that arrived this period, now to jump in the car and get to a tournament, in the hopes of grabbing some price loot there!

 

A Couple of Cuckoos season 2

 As we keep watching, and catching up, on anime series, it was time for the second season of the romcom A Couple of Cuckoos.

 

Which compared to the 24 episodes of the first season now only numbered 12 though...

 

And to be honest, I liked the original series, but the second one, well, disappointed.  The thing is, in this season they all live together under one roof, and an additional girl comes to join them, set out on Nagi as he was a childhood friend.  Now this all gives just to much A Quitessential Quintuplets vibe (one of the best anime ever made, period!) but, not just up there, if you catch my drift.

 

What follows are various episodes of each of the girl's getting their spotlight moments with Nagi, who is still betrothed to Erika though he tends to go along with them.  In the meantime, it also tries to find out just what love is, as each of them struggles with it in a different way.  But still, the whole engaged boy dating everyone, even if it was sort of arranged, still feels off for this type of series.

 

But, in the end the pieces all fall on their place, as Nagi and Erika choose each other after being confronted with reality and each of the other girls offering their point of view on their relationship.  They realise it might still need to grow, but the opening is left open after all, and to add a bit more to the mix, his own crush also asks him to become her boyfriend...

 

So as I said, a serious Quintuplets vibe on this season, probably riding of the success that series had.  Yet, it just tackles it all a bit uncomfortably, and Nagi comes over as a player more then an innocent guy drawn into the situation.  

 

Not the best thing I've watched this year... 

 

 

Helsmiths of Hashut Tormentor Bombard

 Time to paint the first of (to?) many artillery pieces for my Helsmiths of Hashut force, the Tormentor Bombard.

 

And yes, I have 4 each already of both types, and I doubt I'll stop there...

 

 Because these are the type of war machines that I love, ever since the original Earthshaker cannon from 1994: a big, oversized bombard type cannon.  Surely, it is a lot more refined compared to the old original model, but it still keeps that same aesthetic and effect on the battlefield: the quake being more annoying to the enemy then the actual impact of the shell.  

 

The kit allows to build either this mortar or the missile launcher variant (coming soon as well!) and of course I painted it in the blue and gold colourscheme of my whole (in the process of being repainted) collection.  A process as long as a dwarf patience...

 

But I loved painting it, and it will be fun to add to them to make the Age of Sigmar "grand battery" I used to field in old Warhammer, as I continue to build to at least 5k of Helsmiths for the game.

 

Now to paint the next unit for a 2k tournament in november... 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

 Okay, first of all, I stopped counting how many times "Wakanda forever" is shouted in the movie, but I guess you can be pretty certain you are watching the right movie...

 

That said, let's keep slowly catching up on all the missed Marvel movies and series with the second movie of the Black Panther.

 

Which starts with a heartbreaking farewell to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa before sadly passing away from cancer at age 43.  And then we get a movie basically about african tribes fighting mayan tribes, as namor is introduced and his whole esthetic is Mayan in nature, including his blue skinned people.  The movie is a big mixture of on the one hand the trade issues for the vibranium which T'Challa had promised and the current ruler is unhappy to oblige to, the fact the "not Atlanteans" also have the metal but need more and want trade with Wakanda, and as the Wakandans refuse a war breaking out between the two mythical nations.

 

They set up various characters for the next phase of the MCU in this film, as the new Black Panther, but also the introduction of Iron Heart (I dread the day I need to watch that series for completionist sake) and of course Namor himself.  The film isn't to bad at all, being rather action packed for some brainless entertainment, but to say it is the cream of the crop is overstating by quite a lot.

 

But then again, I'm one of those people who are waiting for the X-Men, never having cared much about the Avengers and their allies even back in my comic days... 

 

Only about a half a year to go... 

 

Star Wars The Clone Wars season 5

 As I wanted to complete or at least reduce all the Star Wars and superheroes series and movies still on my To Watch list (some for years if not nearly a decade), I sat down for the fifth season of Clone Wars.

 

These animated series is pretty fun viewing for sure, and tie in a lot of stories from the movies of the prequel as well.

 

And this season seems to focus mostly on the rise of the crime syndicates and underground resistances, on the one hand the return of Darth Maul who gains more and more influence and takes over Mandalore, and on the other hand Hondo's pirate band as the often go to solution.  And a fun droids only adventure arc, which broke the pace nicely. 

 

But the heaviest arcs lie at the end of the season, first with how Maul is being overcome and recruited by Palpantine to serve him again, though not as an apprentice, and at the cost of his brother's, Savage Opress's, life.  And then we get the big finale arc, where Ahsoka is falsely accused and set-up for a bombing inside the Jedi temple, and how it leads to her leaving the Order as a result.

 

Definitly a very intresting season, with some very strong arcs having been set up.  Now to one day see those final two seasons and complete it all for this animated series. 

 

Dead Mount Death Play season 2

 I didn't get the hype after the first season, though I must say the second was better in my opinion.

 

And the reason for this was pretty simple, less comedy, more mystic horror, which was the premises of the series to begin with.

 

The second season focusses more on the battle between criminal organisations and the police force, with Polka (aka the Corpse God) and his band in there as a wild card.  Heck, one might even say that for a large part of the season, he has become a side character...  until all the arcs start to converge, and his friends get threatened as a result.

 

In order to protect them, he must use his necromantic powers to uncover all the connections and be able to save them, resulting in a large threeway confrontation that bridges bot his old and his new life.  The whole Sabaramond arc gets more intense, which also helps phasing out the often comical relief (or attempts at...) that where in the first season.

 

So yeah, this was a good season, though I won't call myself a fan of the franchise at all, it was let's say in enjoyable in between watch.  But as I didn't get hooked like crazy, took way to long to get through the 12 episodes of the season, so for my next series I'll better pick something that grabs me and wants me to binge through it all to get back on viewing schedule for this year.

 

Let's go and choose something from my to large to watch list... 

Rumble

 A while ago while scrolling through the Netflix catalogue, me and Noshi stumbled upon this 2021 animation movie about monster wrestling.

 

So kaiju and wrestling, what could be wrong?

 

Well actually, not much, this is trulky an enjoyable film.  Of course, with the topic being wrestling, half the WWE has some voice role in it (Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns, ...) but also other sports illumini like Charles Barkley (yeah, the Dream Team one), and the main lead is for Will Arnett.

 

The movie is basically of a franchise threatening to go away to another town and arena after they have been betrayed by their star.  To that end, the daughter of a legendary coach, Winnie, goes out to find another monster, and finds it in the son of a former legendary beast, Rayburn Jr.  Who is used to getting paid for losing on purpose in an underground wrestling ring.

 

Together they start training, but ise very, very unorthodox methods making them a laughing stock, yet keep winning.  When the city is about to sell the lifework of her dad, they challenge the ruling champion (the monster that betrayed them), and defeat him eventually.  Not only saves this the city, but it also brings the belt and the franchise back to it's glorious home!

 

So yeah, it is a bit of a predictable story of course, but it is great fun.  Salsa dancing wrestling moves, a heartwarming coming of age story, and a great finale match for certain with all that typical wrestling drama in it.

 

Sit down and have a watch, the movie is worth it! 

See season 3

 While I enjoyed, but not really loved the previous seasons, I still wanted to know of course how it will all play out.

 

And I must say, I liked this final season actually the most of all.

 

This season is mostly aimed at politics and ways to stop the war before it escalates, as Pennsa must find a way to survive against the larger Trivantian force.  Who also have a secret weapon in the form of boms as Baba found out while hiding in the woods to refresh his spirit and body.  Which is a thing to do when your people are of course being besieged and your son fathered a child with the disgraced Queen Kane... because priorities.  But within Trivantian borders things are stirring as well, as the triadic nature of the council is being played, and Pennsa becomes an unwilling accomplice in this.

 

A scientist, Tormada, backed by the banking arm of the government, has a plan in place for a coup, as the Pennsa send a group to the House of Enlightenment to destroy his arsenal and the production facilities.  They succeed in doing this, but he still has a sizeable stock.  When the Trivantian plot is discovered, he throws in his lot with the escaped Queen Kane to besiege Pennsa and destroy her enemies, leading to a huge battle and the sacrifice of Baba Vos in the end, but the series really picked up pace in this final season.  My issue with the earlier ones was often the slowness of the series, as a lot was literally blind shuffling along a forest or a city.   

 

So yes, I actually enjoyed this season as I said, and not just as background material while painting or building army lists, so that's a good thing for certain.  Doesn't happen to much in my idea that a series goes crescendo instead of dwindling down, and it is all excellently wrapped up at the end, including a very cool revelation...

 

Guess it leaves a good aftertaste then in the end... and it was okay to 'See' it afterall.... 

 

 

Vinland Saga season 2

 Time for the second season of the fantastic Viking anime Vinland Saga, following the life of Thorfinn.

 

A young boy taken from his village, he became a ruthless assassin in the first season, but fell out with the king near the end...

 

Now, the studio that produced this changed to MAPPA, but they brought forth a true gem in animation, art and atmosphere, so that is already one thing you will enjoy.  And for me, it was better on the eyes to be honest then the final seasons of Attack on Titan.

 

It's also one of those animes that runs longer then most, having an episode count of 24 instead of the usual 12 of these days.

 

The season takes place years after the first one, and Thorfinn has changed, becoming a pacifist after reflecting on all the death and suffering he caused.  He has become a farmhand slave for Kjetil, and he meets a slave brought in from England, Einar.  They form a strong bond and look to carve a peacefull life out for themselves.  

 

But slowly, Thorfinn's seemingly broken spirit starts to mend through their friendship, even though he still refuses to take up arms, He stands up to the bullies at the farm, but doesn't retaliate.  In the meantime in England, king Canute is on the march as he tries to conquer the throne of England and unite all vikings and people under his banners.  

 

The story jumps forward several years at times, with Thorfinn and Einar continue to work to their goals, while suffering setbacks along the way.  King Canute wishes to requisition farmlands to support his kingdom, but Kjetil stands up to him, marking him as an enemy and the king sails out to claim the land with his forces.  This results in the old friends meeting up again, and Thorfinn manages to convince Canute to stop the bloodshed.  Kjetil's son, as he is now incapacitated, however decides to surrender and merge into the kingdom, as Thorfinn comes to an agreement with Canute that he will vanish.

 

Thorfinn and Einar travel back to Thorfinn's birth village, where he was taken from all those years, and is eventually accepted back into his family.  Here he explains his plans to travel to Vinland and create a peaceful land, and sets out to put his dream in motion...

 

Another fantastic season, with a totally different tone of the first.  While season one was about vikings and their violent ways, season 2 focusses on the themes of slavery and pacifism, and how lives can be influenced by making peaceful choices. Certainly one of the best anime produced in the past decades, it is well worth checking it out!

 

You won't regret it in the slightest!