WOOHOO!

Once again... WOOHOO!!!

After more than three years, closure has been achieved in the CSM Tome of Horrors I & II Kickstarter/Ponzi -Scheme boondoggle. I got a box of miniatures yesterday.

In fact, I got a box of outstanding miniatures and took many pictures of same. Worth the wait? Let's not get crazy, folks. Three years is three years, after all.

Still.. some great sculpts, unusual subjects,  & quality casting. Behold:

Babbler

Basidirond

Blindheim

Boneneedle

Bullywugs ( AKA Tsathar)

Cassomolar, President of Hell

Catterwaul

Dire Corbies

Disenchanter

Flumphs

Gorbel

Iron Cobra

Jaculi

Kamadan

Splinterdrake

Overall, casting quality is excellent. The only exception being the flanks of the Disenchanter, just below the hump, on both sides. Here the mini's surface is deeply pitted. A picture on Pacesetter's Facebook page shows an example with the same issue so mine's likely typical in this regard.

Cassomolar may be the best sculpt of the bunch. Fine work by Patrick Keith. Its small size was a big surprise, however, in view of its price ($16.95). I can't complain though, technically it was one of my free selections.

The Dire Corbies, on the other hand, are larger than expected... absolute brutes.

In making my selections I focused on certain sculptors (Keith, Kline, Williams, Prow) and subjects tied to the old Fiend Folio (11 of 15).

Very seussian

Finally, a word of gratitude to Bill of Pacesetter Games. He really pulled the fat out of the fire here. Well done, sir.

PS - Love the flumphs.

PPS - WOOHOO!!!

The Saga Continues...

 

Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.

Michael Corleone

For every ailment under the sun

There is a remedy, or there is none;

If there be one, try to find it;

If there be none, never mind it.

Mother Goose

Center Stage Miniatures and the Tome of Horrors Kickstarters... I & II. 

These words alone make my heart sink and my blood pressure soar. That's even before mention of former CSM top banana and paragon of virtue Matt Solarz.

Go to your happy place, Finch. Go to your happy place.

No screed today. Only this:

Pacesetter Games has acquired the assets of CSM. Assuming resolution of outstanding IP issues this will include miniatures from TOH I & II. I learned of this a couple weeks ago and have been in a hobby funk ever since. Seems I really dislike being reminded of this fiasco and, more pointedly,  my own gullibility.

Should I be pleased at the prospect of finally getting some long sought after flumph miniatures (and other stuff)? Absolutely. 

Should I continue to stew over being so thoroughly hosed by the aforementioned Mr. Solarz? Absolutely not.  

Will I continue to stew over being so thoroughly hosed by the aforementioned Mr. Solarz? Hopefully not.

Bottom line #1: I may yet get my flumphs (and other stuff) if I'm willing to pay for them a second time (albeit at a substantial discount).

Bottom line #2: I should take Mother Goose's advice to heart and resign myself to things as they stand.

Additional observation: I need to get back to painting things.

Tanked

Normally, two outta' three ain't bad. In this case, it's not so good. I have once again failed to complete this month's Helping Hand Challenge miniature. It's in the works... but not finished.

I spent most of November severely aggravated over CSM's Kickstarter ponzi scheme. Getting fleeced puts one in a decidedly foul mood, I've learned. No point going over old ground but miniature painting simply wasn't in the cards. That said, wallowing in self-pity wears thin eventually.

Long story short: I recovered late, started & finished two miniatures for Naval November, and began work on the HH Challenge mini.

One of the NN minis is shown at the top of the post. The other just managed to get out of frame before the picture was snapped. Slippery devil. They'll both get proper treatment once I've caught up with my Helping Hand commitment.

Speaking of slippery devils, I now close with a picture of Center Stage Miniatures' Matt Solarz.

Hang on to your wallets, miniature fans. Uncle Matt's in the house.

PTS VI: Mojo Reacquisition

Just a short post to prove that I'm still actively involved in painting miniatures (or prepping and priming them at any rate). I was really in the groove during October hobby-wise. Zomtober was a blast and I was unusually productive both painting and blogging.

That all came to a screeching halt with November and the revelation that Center Stage Miniature's Tome of Horrors Kickstarters were little more than a ponzi scheme. All the smart kids are now of the opinion that funds from those campaigns were diverted to fulfilling the earlier Demons and Devils Kickstarter (LINK).

I'm not a smart kid. I'm just a dope who got swindled.

This concludes the "woe is me" portion of the program.

The bottom line is that my brushes sat idle all month as my heart really wasn't into painting. Hopefully I'm emerging from this fraud-induced funk. Time will tell. If nothing else, there are a few items now on the table awaiting paint.

The Otherworld pack-bearer is part of The Helping Hand Challenge and should be done on time. I also have two minis (not shown) in the works for Naval November, the creation of Roy Williamson over at R.W.'s Hobby Blog.

A sinister form glides behind the unsuspecting pack-bearer.

Boondoggle

The CSM Express is now departing.

Very disheartening news on the Kickstarter front. One may quibble over semantics, but it seems that Center Stage Miniature's Tome of Horrors One and Two projects, and CSM itself, stand on the verge of collapse. A third party (Mortal Arrow LLC, established by a backer of the same name) is in negotiations to acquire the company's assets. Under the terms of one proposed resolution backers would then get to buy the minis at reduced cost (a 2 for 1 credit essentially).

Hardly what I signed on for.

I left the following in the TOH1 comment section earlier today:

___________________________

I've been watching this slow-motion train-wreck and withholding comment until I had something constructive to contribute. While that hasn't happened, I'll comment anyway.

@Ruth Philips: I shared your friends' misgivings re TOH2 but ignored the red flags and pledged anyway. In fact, I'm in deeper on TOH 2 than TOH1. Hindsight being 20/20, I now see that I was guilty of willful ignorance. I have no one to blame but myself for my involvement in TOH2.

I apologize to anyone whose backing of TOH2 was substantially influenced by my enthusiastic support of the project here, in the TOH2 comment section, and elsewhere.

It occurs to me that Matt might actually be paying the lawyer MA mentions with funds from TOH1&2. All that to negotiate a deal detrimental to those projects' backers. How's that for irony?

I fully expect that I'm wrong on the above point, but given the complete breakdown in communications one is left to speculation. There's nothing like being played for a chump to lead ones mind down dark and unexpected paths.

As for any resolution that leaves Matt obligated to fulfill TOH1&2 commitments, what can be said? I'm sure he'll take such obligations as seriously as he has taken others to date.

I apologize further if the above seems disjointed or excessively caustic. I've not commented in a while and felt the need to vent a bit.

@Mortal Arrow: Thank you for becoming involved. I see you've been accused of being a capitalist. You should wear that as a badge of honor. Had a certain unnamed party gone into this endeavor with more of a capitalistic impulse we might not be in our current predicament.

As you might imagine, I'm not enthusiastic about paying again for something I've already paid for. (and yes, I appreciate that Kickstarters are inherently speculative in nature, not merely pre-order schemes.) That said, my enthusiasm isn't especially relevant here. What is at issue is what can be salvaged from this sorry situation.

Bottom line: I'm inclined to think that your 2 for 1 credit proposal is acceptable assuming that it may be applied to TOH1&2 minis and that said minis will become available in short order.

I'll reserve further comment until a certain unnamed party deigns to descend from Mount Olympus and treat with mere mortals.

___________________________ 

Someday my flumphs will come... or not

I used this blog as a platform to promote both projects and apologize to anyone persuaded to support either or both as a result. This applies especially to TOH2, where my enthusiasm for the project caused me to ignore the little voice in my head urging that all was not well.

In retrospect, one should NEVER back a project created by someone who has yet to fulfill one or more other projects. Lesson learned... at considerable expense.

The End is Nigh

 

This is where the Studio 2 Publishing Revenant stands at present. As with my other recent undead, I mixed in a lot of grey throughout to achieve a desaturated look.

Not much left to do except a few touch-ups and the base after which he will be enshrined as The Fiend Folio Project's newest member.

Also nearing completion is CSM's ToHC II Kickstarter; a potential treasure trove of heretofore unseen Fiend Folio Minis. Caterwaul, Blindheim, Disenchanter, Crabman, Gryph, Volt. Reads like my FF wishlist. Definitely worth a look-see for anyone whose taste in minis tends towards the old school.

If that failed to sway you, check out these flumphs, sculpted by Enos Kline. The one on the right is from ToHC I and the one on the left from ToHC II.

It's Go Time

Here follows a post largely unrelated to the miniature hobby. I beg your indulgence, dear reader.

Super Bowl XLVIII will shortly unfold a few miles from where I now sit. Through circumstances that defy rational explanation, this life-long New Jerseyian is also a life-long fan of a team from the other side of the continent: the Seattle Seahawks. Those same Seahawks are one of the two teams playing in said Super Bowl.

I go all the way back to the teams inception in '76 when I was a mere lad. Decades passed and the team never won it all. That changes tonight.

GO HAWKS!! 




While, this post is largely unrelated to the miniature hobby it isn't entirely unrelated. I'm backing CSM's TOH Complete II Kickstarter. Looks promising... 36 hours in and it's already hit its funding goal.

Fiend Folio Update

The Fiend Folio Project rolls on with the completion of two Fenris gorilla bears.

Painting their faces was thoroughly enjoyable but concerns over whether their fur looked too bland caused some agita for me. Ultimately I convinced myself that the fur looked fine and moved on.

 A verdant forest/jungle look was the goal so everything but the kitchen sink (including some scavenged aquarium plant bits) went onto the bases. The purple flower is from a model railroad store. 

Elsewhere, Center Stage miniatures revealed the first of two Dire Corby greens as part of their Tome of Horrors Kickstarter. Sculptor Drew Williams did an outstanding job. As a project backer I'm in line for this and other forgotten FF classics. (Sadly, the flumph is still under wraps.)

Because my lead-pile isn't nearly vast enough (yeah, right), I picked up a couple items with Fiend Folio potential. Chief among these is a Wyrd jackalope with "al'miraj" written all over it. I ask you, what miniature collection could be called complete without at least one  killer-unicorn-bunny?

Crunch Time

I have pledged on the Otherworld Miniatures forums to paint at least one OW miniature per month throughout 2013. I haven't missed a month yet but my on-time performance has been nothing to write home about.

Punctuality is not one of my virtues it seems (at least within the realm of miniature painting).

Pictured above are some minis intended for May & June (hoping to get a jump on next month). From left to right they are: a cleric/monk from Gamezone, a gnome from Center Stage, A medusa from OW, a demon from OW, and a cyclops from Heresy. The cleric/monk & demon will be paired up for May while the medusa and cyclops are meant for June. 

The gnome is the odd-man-out. (or is that odd-gnome-out?)

A great little Patrick Keith sculpt from the recently concluded Torn World Kickstarter. I removed his integral base and sculpted a replacement. A lot of detail in a confined space on this one. Should be fun.

Center Stage's current Tome of Horrors Complete campaign is picking up steam as it nears its end. The work of sculptor Drew Williams has been especially impressive. Check out these WIPs.

Nice. They may call them tsathars but they look like bullywugs to me. Hopefully CSM gives Mr Williams as much work as he can handle.