Game Empire San Diego: The Return

I’m visiting my family in California for a few days after not seeing them for nearly 3 years. One of our traditions is to visit Old Town San Diego, which we did yesterday. Since this isn't really a travel blog I'll spare you the details...but it's got some super cool sites like the Whaley House, El Campo Santo Cemetery, and the Old Town Model Railroad Depot (I'll write about it some day). It also has some really great restaurants (Barra Barra in particular is our favorite).

Anyway, I digress. 

After dinner, I realized that we were close to Game Empire San Diego…the sister store to the now-closed Game Empire Pasadena (now Odyssey Games...going to see if I can hit that before I fly out on Saturday). It was at this particular store's previous location that I played my first game of 40k in 2007 with my friends Kyle and Ben. I was visiting them in San Diego and I still remember how much nerdy fun was had. We were also successful in getting the store to sing “Men of Harlech” as my Praetorians were having their last stand against the mighty Valhallan horde. 

This was my first time back in 15 years.

I only had about 40-45 minutes to look around before the store closed, so I couldn't comb through the bits bins as carefully as I normally would. But I did manage to find a few things...including a pile of skulls and a figure that looks like John Travolta from Pulp Fiction. The used book section also yielded some Bolt Action goodness!

Also, the display cases had one of the largest collections of Praetorians that I’ve ever seen in person! I seem to recall a much smaller collection in 2007...perhaps the ranks were bolstered after the XXXII Praetorian's massacre that fateful day in 2007.

All in all, it was a nice little visit! Next time I'm in San Diego I'll definitely need to spend a little more time here. 

RIP Jimmy

Today we said farewell to Jimmy, my longtime painting buddy. I’m really going to miss him...he was such a special little cat. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you're probably already familiar with how much Jimmy meant to me. 

For years, he would come into my hobby space and either a) demand to be picked up and held or b) jump up into my lap himself. Once he lost the use of his back legs 2 years ago, he'd still come downstairs to squawk at me (he didn't meow like most cats) and tell me it was time to finish up. He definitely had a large personality!

Saying goodbye to Jimmy was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. It, however, was time and he let us know that he was ready. At least and Bogey are reunited at the Rainbow Bridge now. 🌈

Meanwhile, it seems that Gizmo has now assumed Jimmy's hobby-related duties. 😸

Happy New Year!

May you all be happy, healthy, and safe in the coming year!

2022 Hobby Goals

Making the rounds on Instagram is something called an “ovelist.” Apparently it’s a sort of way to chart your hobby goals that got its start last year. Again, I’m all about jumping onto bandwagons and made one for 2022.

Some people are listing nine or more, but I’m keeping it simple at 6 (I know myself a bit too well). I pretty much have all the figures I need for these…got to whittle down the Pile of Shame! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Art vs Artist 2021

I've been seeing the hashtags #artvsartist and #artvsartist2021 making the rounds on Instagram lately, and I'm always willing to jump on a good bandwagon! These are just a few of the figures I've done over the last year between my time in Virginia, Washington, and New Mexico.

Given all the chaos of this year, I confess to finding it hard sometimes to sit down and work on stuff. Sometimes months went by without me picking up a paintbrush. I'm striving to be better at this in the New Year, as I really do enjoy the sense of accomplishment in finishing a figure (let alone an entire project). Let's see where the hobby takes me in 2022!

O (Miniature) Christmas Tree, O (Miniature) Christmas Tree!

As we get closer to the holidays, I finally did something I've been wanting to do for a long time: set up a miniature Christmas tree for my hobby space. I actually ordered it last year, but it was backordered and didn't arrive until mid-January 2021. 

But this year, after finding some miniature glass ornaments and tinsel from Target (the lights are built into the tree), I finally got a chance to set it up! Shortly afterwards, I found a set of four Dept56 pewter toy soldier ornaments from their Tiny Trimmings line. I immediately snatched them up. As you can see in the photo below, they're not very tall....maybe 1.5" at most. 

I also found some artificial poinsettias at Michaels for 40% off...

The set consists of four toy soldiers, of which three are distinctly British: a Grenadier Guard, a Life Guard, and a Yeoman Warder (popularly known as a Beefeater). The last figure appears to be George Washington holding a musket. It's an interesting choice, but I'm not complaining.  

They came in plastic boxes that say "Made in Taiwan." I don't know exactly how old they are, but I estimate them to have been made in the 1970s-1980s based on that fact alone.

The paint jobs are a little sloppy in places, but I still appreciate the fact that these are nonetheless hand-painted. They're unique because of that. I'm still in search of appropriately-themed miniature ornaments for the War Room but I feel that this is the start of a nice little collection.