An assortment of updates, part the second
Weighted wargame bases
I've been playing around with silicone rubber molds and plastic casting resin, just seeing if I could do something creative and awesome with them. I have yet to accomplish anything that I would rate as "awesome," but I have managed to do something that I think is rather neat.
I've often had a problem with "wobbly model syndrome." That is to say, I often make miniature wargaming models (mostly Space Orks) that tip over because they are oddly posed. This is especially true of the Nobz in the "Assault on Black Reach" starter set and the Shoota Boyz and Burna Boyz that I have assembled from suppliments. They tip over with ease.
But no more!
By making silicone rubber molds of 25mm round bases, and then casting that mold with a combination of standard resin and weighted metal washers, I've managed to come up with a cure for my "wobbly model syndrome." Now, they stay put and won't end up toppling over unless I want them to!
For my friends, if you have wobbly models (and I suspect players with Tyranids or Kroot just might), I can makes you some if you like.
For not-my-friends, they can be made available for a very modest fee...
If I get good at molding and casting, I think I can start to sculpt some supplimental figures of my own (or just cool-looking arms and weapons) for various game systems and sell them at cons. I don't plan do this as a living, mind you, just for fun and for what Scott Kurtz calls "beer and pretzel money."
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Before there was Batman or The Spirit, before there was Zorro, there was The Scarlet Pimpernel.
In the book, Margueritte Blakeney (neé St. Just) is caught in a web of intrigue by the devious Chauvalin, an agent of France's Department of Public Safety who makes it his business to guillotine aristocrats during the French Revolution. Because she is married to foppish Sir Percy Blakeney and is well-loved by London society, Chauvalin wants her to use her connections and clever wits to deduce the identity of The Scarlet Pimpernel, a daring and unknown Englishman whose compatriots have been rescuing French aristocrats from certain doom. To ensure her compliance, he threatens the life of her beloved brother Armand with execution; he is now travelling in France and is a suspected member of The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
SPOILERS!
(Highlight text to see)
The matter is suddenly complicated when Margueritte discovers that the Scarlet Pimpernel is none other than her own husband Percy! She discovers this just Percy has left London for Calais to rescue an aristocrat, Armand, and other members of his League. She follows after him, hoping to warn him of Cheauvalin's trap.
(Should this really be a spoiler, though? The book is over a hundred years old, and the Pimpernel's secret identity is right there in the Wikipedia entry...)
It has action, suspense, romance, and pretty much everything you could ever want in an adventure novel. I highly recommend it, especially if you're into do-gooders with dual identities.