Sunday, October 26, 2025

Japan traveling and painting

                                

            This trip was to happen last month. At first I thought they screwed me and I lost the trip. No I just got screwed differently. Nano till Thursday at noon. Then drive 6 hrs and fly out Friday morning at 05:40. I flew from the expensive shity regional airport and uber-ed there. 

            Delta of course with comfort +. The first advanced to 1st class. No other upgrades handed out. I landed at 14:00 Japan time, 01:00 East coast time. Immigration at Haneda is a pain in the ass. Then delta has a friend at bagage claim removing some bags from the belt and not others. So there I stood minding my own business watch bags go roundy, roundy. Where the hell is mine? I go find the friend. Your shit is here on the floor. Oh and its soaked. 
            After all that bullshit. Then a 50$ or 7200yen cab ride to the hotel. Grand total of 22hrs door to door. After hanging my shit to dry, I hit the rack. Up at 2am Japan time to walk around the city and score some eats.









        Last time I was have in Japan it was for a month. I painted a Tau army to sell from what was left over and part of a cherry picked army. This time its Samurai and a very small kit.


            The desk lamp sucks. It is all there is in the room. The first night was blocking in brown horses.


Thursday, October 23, 2025

Traveling and painting in 2025 part VII

 


            Delta to Boston upgraded to comfort plus. Holiday Inn double points plus 5k. No painting

            Delta to Cali, 1st class all the way. Holiday Inn double points, 4k every 4th night plus 5k a night. No painting. Back to Cali again, same old story. No painting.

            At Sea. 1st night on points Holiday Inn in SC. 2nd night on points Melborne Beach. 3&4th night on Points at the Ft Lauderdale Marroitt Beach club. Mouse time. 10th&11th night on points Miami. 12 & 13th nights Hoiday express for the trip home.
            We paid for everyone's room with points. Save close to 5k. And still spend a grand at the Marroitt Beach Club.

            Back to fixing stupid. 4 hours travel to push 6 buttons. 
            TEL install and the week after and the week after. Every week in the Crown Plaza. The company has a deal with them. It is only triple points, no extras. The desk light is ok. No painting is happening. I have my stuff with but its a shit show.

            The Crowne is full up. I am down the street at the Fairbanks. Only double points.

I will paint mine like these dudes!

            At the end of the month they are sending me back to Japan for training. I will be staying in Kai prefecture. The home of Takeda Shingen! I have the 49 campaign with me.


        I been prep-ing sprue and planning paint load out for Japan. 

        I want to see 4 of the original 12 castles also. I could be forced into hippie backpacking and train hopping to make it happen. Weight and volume would be an issue. I want a full load out option and a limited scale pack out. I am hoping the factory will hold my bags as I bounce about.


            The only way to take enough dudes to make it worth the squeeze is to paint on the sprue. I was originally going to paint them on the sprue. Atlantic is very attachment point heavy. I started triming then said fuck it paint sticks. I will need a way to transport the dudes on sticks.

Monday, October 20, 2025

The Great Sell Off part IX

 


                    Since my father died, I am left to sell his collection. I know jack all about his collection, the value, or how to sell it. I don't know the market. Over the years he told me this and that. I did not pay close attention or memorize what he said. Now I sit here trying to sort it all out and get Mom the most out of it's sale.
                    In an effort to save my family from the circus the Great Sell Off. I don't want my kid or my wife to have to deal with the massive amount of soldiers I have. They know a few mates in passing. They don't know what anything is, it's value, or where to find buyers. I will be selling off everything I have never used, sat in a box since the NY days, and those treasures I snatched up, opened the box, and they remain in that same box.

        Life has interfered and in doing so has delayed or prevented me from actively selling off my stuff. Additionally Life has stopped me from buying stuff too. I did grab some nice war gaming reference books.
            A lot of great Spanish conquest pictures. Waldman is a non Spanish historian. He is much more in the weeds for North American Woodland Indians
        About the same as the first. But Dillon is a Plains Indian guy. Both are a miss for me. 

        2 Custer books out the book for 770. Well one was a 40 page pamphlet. The other "the custer tragedy" 1st ed very good condition with DJ.

        The Epic army I bought long ago is gone. 1500 to the same guy that bought my Nids.

THE MOUNTAIN

Bought = 95 + 7 armies
Sold = 445 + 9 armies, 42 terrain

Painted = 259
28mm = 126
20mm = 0
15mm = 0
10mm = 0
Epic = 17
Terrain bought = 46
Terrain painted = 82

Printed Terrain = 30
Minis Printed = 0

Games 
Played = 16
Games hosted = 1

Books 
Bought = 5
Read = 12

2024

Bought = 739, 2 armies
Sold = 553, 29 detachments, 7 armies, box set

Sunday, October 19, 2025

Epic Times 3rd monthly game day

 


             I missed the 2nd monthly game day. My Aunt had died. The 3rd day day was in NJ at Top Deck. I drove down from Albany and stayed about 20 minutes away. I was in a Holiday Inn express on points. 


               In the morning the door would not open. The mechanism inside the door was stuck. A dude that looks like he eats other dudes kicked the door in. So if you were ever thinking that your safe behind the hotel door in a steel frame, it is not true. I think a much smaller dude could have kicked his way in.

                Then I got outside some dude's car would not start. I hooked up the battery pack. No nada. His shit was cashed. And he was like I must have left something on. No shit, ya think. Any ways I left the pack with him and told him he had to help someone when he come across a dude in need. Not cause I am a nice dude. His boy was playing travel ball, soccer. I remembered the shit my father went thru for us. So....

                Top Deck is a massive place. There had to be at least 10 people on staff. 2 were collecting money for tables, like a pool hall. It was nice enough, kind of far from home with Philly inbetween. 











THE MOUNTAIN

Bought = 95 + 7 armies
Sold = 445 + 8 armies, 42 terrain

Painted = 259
28mm = 126
20mm = 0
15mm = 0
10mm = 0
Epic = 17
Terrain bought = 46
Terrain painted = 82

Printed Terrain = 30
Minis Printed = 0

Games 
Played = 16
Games hosted = 1

Books 
Bought = 5
Read = 8

2024

Bought = 739, 2 armies
Sold = 553, 29 detachments, 7 armies, box set


Monday, October 6, 2025

Spanish Peninsula Town

 


            All printed in filament by some dude in England. All paid for with a Delta reward. All primed Otter Brown.


            The church and the chicken houses. For the church I went with the white rock they built things out of in the Caribbean.


            The roofs will be blue this go around. I primed the roofs with rattle can Ink Blue. Then a dry brush with free AdeptiCon paint Ocean blue 09418 and a light dry brush of Light blue 09264.




THE MOUNTAIN

Bought = 95 + 7 armies
Sold = 445 + 8 armies, 42 terrain

Painted = 259
28mm = 126
20mm = 0
15mm = 0
10mm = 0
Epic = 17
Terrain bought = 46
Terrain painted = 82

Printed Terrain = 30
Minis Printed = 0

Games 
Played = 14
Games hosted = 1

Books 
Bought = 5
Read = 8

2024

Bought = 739, 2 armies
Sold = 553, 29 detachments, 7 armies, box set