Is This Year Over Yet?

 

Due to an administrative snafu, my job at Castillo de San Marcos just fell through. 2020 is really going out with a bang, isn't it? Guess I should start unpacking my paints and supplies.

I'm still moving forward with my plans for a 28mm War of Jenkins' Ear army though. I'm all about those obscure conflicts. 

Castillo de San Marcos

I hinted at something in my last post by saying that there was potentially something big coming down the road. Now it's happened and I can tell everyone what it is!

I've accepted a position at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in Saint Augustine, Florida! I've dreamed of working here for a long time and now I finally have the chance to do so. I don't have an official date yet, but I'll likely start there in early February.

I'm going to miss working my the awesome team we have at the National Mall, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to do so. I'm going to miss the DC area and all the friends we have in it too. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I'm absolutely terrified. But I think this will be good in the long run (for personal and professional reasons). Did I mention that I'll also get to fire cannons in Spanish? But I'm really not looking forward to packing everything up...especially my explosion of miniature stuff in the basement. 

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update IV

"It's been a long road getting from there to here..."

Well, it's been a long time! I wrote my last COVID update about six months ago and so figured I was overdue for another.

Last time I ended on a bit of a down note by announcing that Jimmy had cancer. At the time he wasn't doing well at all... Teresa and I thought that he only had a few weeks left.

Jimmy had other ideas.

Not only has he pressed on, he's also spunkier than ever! This photo was taken just a week or so ago, and so you can see that he is quite alive and well. Jimmy's appetite is also the best that it's ever been! Despite the fact that he can't use his back legs, he still scoots around really well (his front legs are SWOLE) and can be quick when he wants to be. He's definitely a miracle cat!

I went back to physically being at work in July, though only for a few days at a time. In October the Washington Monument reopened so I've been in most days since then. Because of that, however, I really haven't had much of a chance to work on figures. 

That's pretty much been it. Nothing too exciting, I know, but there may be something down the road that will be exciting. But that's for another post! 

A Day Long Remembered: My First Introduction to X-Wing

 "Several fighters have broken off from the main group. Come with me."

Hey everyone, it's been a while! Hope everyone is doing well.  

Just realized that on this day in 2015, my friend Ben introduced me to the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game! I flew two TIE Interceptors and did fairly well as I recollect. The rest, as they say, is history.

There's also a comic by Dave Direman that I also think about fairly frequently.

Comic courtesy of Direman Press.

Mistakes were made. But it was all worth it! 

The Great Wargaming Survey 2020

It's that time of year again! The Great Wargaming Survey 2020 is up and it's time to let your voice be heard about the state of the hobby. I mean...it's not like we have much else to do what with the pandemic and all. 😑

Did I mention that they also give you a gift voucher for taking part? AND enter you into a raffle for some cool prizes?

 You can take the survey here!

* NOTE: I am not affiliated with the Great Wargaming Survey or WSS in any way, shape or form.

To Boldy Go...

For the last month or so, I've taken a break from miniatures and returned to one of my first hobbies from long ago: customizing action figures. I only ever did Star Wars figures though. But also I grew up collecting Playmates' line of Star Trek action figures and have come back to it after over 20 years. So I decided that I needed some random crew members working in the background and it seemed logical to start customizing again. 

These are all pretty simple head swaps. Since boiling water tends to discolor the plastic these days, I've been using a hair dryer. However, I had to use silicone sealant on a few because either the neck pegs broke off or the neck post was too thin. It works though.

Firstly, I wanted an Andorian for my crew. They're a classic alien species and were one of the founders of the United Federation of Planets. It's bugged me (and others) that they weren't seen in The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, or Voyager. I decided to make him a Command Division ensign because I wanted to have that sort of representation that we didn't get in the series. Beside him is a Science Division lieutenant.

I wanted quite a few Operations Division officers, as they seem to be the most ubiquitous aboard the Enterprise. Most of these figures were made from SeaQuest DSV figures that Playmates also put out at around the same time. I really wanted the figures to have that awesome 1990s hair that everyone knows and loves, and I was lucky to get a good deal on a lot from eBay. 

All in all, this has been pretty fun! I've got enough different figures now to satisfy my needs (though I still have a few bodies in search of heads...sounds weird taken out of context). I'll probably do a few more of these random crew members then call it good. 

Odyssey Games

In a surprising twist, it looks like Game Empire Pasadena may not be quite gone after all! It appears that it’s going to be reborn as a new store: Odyssey Games.

The new owner is a member of the Game Empire community and promises to continue its legacy. Everyone was always friendly there, be it staff or patrons. The vibe around Game Empire was a positive and friendly one to be sure.

The store is currently undergoing renovations and hiring new staff. They're really taking a lot of care in refurbishing the space and it's really nice to see. I can't wait to check it out the next time I find myself in California!