October Thoughts 6/10/2020

So in the last thoughts in September, I talked about different generations and their views of cartoons and what some considered weird cartoons. Since then I decided to watch a bunch of compilation videos featuring the intro's to cartoons of the 80's and 90's (which I did over a number of days as they took up quite a few hours to watch and look up). I must say, there are a number more that I would now consider weird, but more so that I would like to actually watch.

So there are a bunch I now want to track down and watch. Some are ones I do remember watching and would like to see again, while others are ones I had never heard of and am just interested to see. Of course, that's easier said then done as beyond the shows intros, much of the actual content is extremely difficult and some almost impossible to find (so far Charlie Chalk is the only one I've found as a full series). This is rather frustrating, as you can't get them on DVD or anything and with very few online videos, it feels like a big loss. That said, feel like I've got a better chance of finding episodes for most of those shows then I have of finding a single episode of Commander Crumbcake online.

If I find some I may actually do a few Animated Reflections on them, given that I'm trying hard to return to doing that series again.

October 2020 Projects

Just an overall update on all projects, with most now on hold while I sort some stuff out. If things do happen then I'll certainly do an update, but for the moment I'm just keeping things on hold and hopefully they'll start back up soon, though it might not be in this month.

My Crash Bandicoot 4 Opinions

So finally beat the final boss and have had some time to process my thoughts. As such, I felt the need to write this since everyone else seems to be voicing their views, though I feel mine might infuriate most fans of the game (I don't mean too, it is just an opinion after all). Also, my history with Crash games is mostly limited to the N.Sane Trilogy and CTR: Nitro Fueled and beyond that I've played like one level from the first crash game on the original Playstation, so I don't have the long term nostalgic history to have a full on discussion about the franchise (though I have seen the cutscenes and gameplay of other Crash games). As such, I'll break down my thoughts in sections and yes, I'll put in a light Spoiler Warning just in case.

Gameplay:

So since this is where most of my problems lay, this is where I'll start. Most of the mechanics are the same as the previous games, though I don't feel the slide-jump is really used as well like in said games (except in the Flashback levels). I'm also not sure if there are any response time differences in the various versions as there was in the N.Sane Trilogy, though that's because this time I only got the Xbox One version. Perhaps down the road someone will have a comparison out, simply cause at times I felt the Xbox version didn't respond quickly enough to my actions.

I did have some issue with Tawna's wall jumping ability in a few spots, but I feel the biggest issue I had was with depth perception. Certain parts of levels became unnecessarily difficult for jumps and landings plus some of the obstacles on the rail sections, but at least the side scrolling sections were great (though that last level was such a pain). While I did expect the game to be very difficult (they did say it would be harder then Crash game), some of the levels were just really annoying, particularly the second half of The Crate Escape and the last level Cortex Castle.

I did enjoy Dingodiles gameplay and felt it was the most fun to play out of the three addition characters and feel he should have had more levels. I do feel the level design was alright for the most part, though I felt there needed a few shorter levels thrown in as some of these levels go on for far too long. I feel they went for a more epic scale at times. The masks and their abilities were great for the most part, but they become less fun or interesting towards the late game (also, Akano is the least interesting of the mask powers). Bosses are a mixed bag. Thought both the N.Gin and the final boss were the most creative and fun to battle while some others were more annoying.

There is some multiplayer aspects, but considering the difficulty, I don't think anyone I know would want to play it. As such, I can't comment on it. Gems are also a thing, with each level having six (one for getting 40%/60%/80% of total Wampa fruit in level, all boxes, dying no more then three times and a hidden gem) and once you unlock N.Verted Mode, there are the same six gems in each levels N.Verted stage. Each level has a skin to unlock with a number of gems needed to unlock them. The first few worlds only require six gems, but once you pass the point in which you unlock N.Verted mode, those levels going forward require more gems to unlock the skins (with the final level requiring all twelve to get). There are also Flashback Tapes in certain levels which you need to get too without dying in order to collect and unlock the Flashback level (basically, challenge levels themed as Cortex experiment chambers). So as far as unlocks go, there are plenty.

Visuals & Sound:

People seemed to have mixed opinions on both the character designs and the art style. For me, I place the character designs below those of N.Sane Trilogy and CTR:Nitro Fueled, but above everything else (especially that of the Titans/Mutants game). As far as the visuals for the levels go, I think they're amazing. Very creative and imaginative, with so many smaller details that really add to design. One of the games biggest positives for me.

Music was alright, still going to need more time on this one as I'm going over the tracks to find a few that will stand out to me. Mostly don't remember really any beyond the first two levels, but that might be just personal taste, so I'm still considering this a positive. Voice work is also great, though once again we have a few characters who have had their voice actors recast again, but Cortex is still the same so I'm happy (though the ending does have an In Memory of Mel Winkler who was Aku Aku's original voice actor, which I'll be honest, I was unaware he passed away so I'm very glad they put this in).

There are references galore in this game. This can be things like the letters on the fridge in the first level that spell Crunch, to pictures of characters from various games scattered about to even box placement in parts of levels that are placed in the same way from levels from previous games. They really put a lot of work into these references and easter eggs and it'll be interesting to see how many will show up on people's lists.

Story:

Oh boy, so for the most part the story is alright, though honestly I feel there was some missed opportunities with this. Taking place after the Crash 3 Warped, the villains of Uka Uka, N.Tropy and Cortex are stuck in their time prison and their conversation does state that many years have passes for them (so did they just age normally or did they transform back because of something is still unclear). Uka Uka exhausts his power to tear open a portal in time and space, with the villains abandoning him to go through. This leads to Aku Aku sensing something serious and sending Crash on his way. 

This game decides to make it a Crash and Coco team story, though it seems Coco has the more prominent roll when dealing with other characters, particularly with Tawna (I think I was on to something when I said she may have seen Tawna as a big sister figure). At least the game confirms what happened to Tawna's world version of Crash and Coco, though what dimension is hers I still don't know as the world map indicated she emerges from a rip in reality instead of just being on a world and getting involved like Dingodile does.

However, they could have done a lot more with this multiverse/timeline theme. Perhaps have levels, music and bosses from the other sequel games to show off how they still exist in alternate dimensions (guess I really just love to have a Twinsanity level with a comedic Cortex escort level with A cappella music track). I mean, they even use time travel towards the end and don't have any conflict with the heroes wanting to use it to prevent certain events from happening. Perhaps down the road I'll look into this plot line and what I would prefer to have seen happened. Overall, still more in the story then in the original trilogy, so a positive I guess.

The humour is absolutely perfect (though that one part from the 100% ending is just dark). I think the moment it fully won me over was when the games credits kicked in and that voice over began. My frustration just washed away with the joy of that comedy piece. It's obviously toned down from Twinsanity, but is stronger then most other games in the series. Oh yeah, there are bonus endings for 100% completion and 106% completion of the game.

Overall:

If you found the challenge of the first Crash Bandicoot game to be fine or easy, then you'll no doubt enjoy the challenge of this game. Trying to get all the gems feels harder then it did in Crash 1 and I wish people would stop comparing games to Dark Souls when it comes to difficulty (I find trying to get all the gems to be a lot harder then playing Dark Souls anyway). While I love the visuals and the references, I just didn't enjoy some of the levels and I doubt I'll play them again. I'd probably have more to say on this game, but for the life of me I just don't know how to word it right. 

So overall, I think most people will love this game for various reasons and if you feel like a challenge then certainly give this game a go.

Animated Reflections: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Cartoon

Ah, Killer Tomatoes. I must admit that it was this cartoon that eventually lead me to seek out the movies. This cartoon was based on the first two movies from what I can see and came out the same year as the third movie (Killer Tomatoes Strike Back), but from what I've seen the third movie has no influence on the cartoon, unlike the first two. Actually, I think the cartoon had some influence on the fourth movie (Killer Tomatoes Eat France) as we see the three tomato characters of Zoltan, Fang and Ketchup being incorporated into it with some minor design alterations and both Fang and Ketchup getting name changes.

So what is this show about? Well, when I said it was based on the first two movies, it really is more a collection of characters and ideas from those movies re-imagined in a cartoon setting. It certainly feels like a different take on the second movie, but with alterations to characters for whatever reason that they decided for these changes. The characters themselves are very much aware that this is a cartoon and will point out things as a result of this. It ran for around two seasons, but never got a storyline finish (but I'll get to that later). It's theme song is also based on the second movies take of the original theme (though still not as good as the second movies theme).

So first off we have the good guys. These consist of Tomato War veteran Wilbur Finletter and the Tomato Taskforce who are an alternate version of the team from originated in the first movie, with Floyd being an alternate take on Greg (both are underwater experts) while Mary Jo is the alternate take on Gretta. Sam still seems to be the same in that he is a 'disguise expert'. This lot are more of a joke team for the most part, with them more likely to get into trouble then to solve it. Wilbur has the most time of the group and runs a pizza shop, always trying to create more outlandish dishes that no one wants to eat.

No, the real heroes are Chad, Tara and F.T. Unlike their movie counterparts, Chad is much younger, but is still Wilbur's nephew. F.T (Fuzzy Tomato) is more active, though more so that it's a cartoon and he's not just a live-action prop, and apart from Chad, Tara and the Villains, most think he's just an ugly dog. He also ends up being forced to taste Wilbur's latest pizza's, much to his disliking. Tara is still one of Gangreen's experiments, but instead of music, it's salt that turns her back into a tomato and pepper that turns her into a human. Tara is also the main reason I remember this show, mostly from her scenes from a season 2 episode that was a sort of Phantom of the Opera parody. Looking through the episodes, I think there may have been more to the character that would have made her memorable to a young boy's mind and it's unclear why in some episodes (I'm looking at you Tomato of the Black Lagoon) there wasn't a gag with the censor lady showing up to protest the more 'mature' style of particular scenes.

Speaking of which, the other characters on the side of good are Whitely White, a television reporter who seems to be everywhere and reports everything. The Censor Lady who is responsible for showing up to censor things as her running gag and finally Tomato Guy. Tomato Guy is more interesting as he is basically that one guy from the first movie who says the word 'Tomato' and causes everyone to flee and while that still is his gimmick for parts of the first season, they do tend to expand on him and give him a much bigger role in some episodes. So credit where credit is due, they took a one gag character and expanded on it, which is a nice change to see. 

Once again, John Astin returns to provide the voice for an animated character he also preformed the live version of. The alteration is that instead of Professor Mortimer Gangreen, he is now Dr Putrid T Gangreen and now has a greenish skin colour to match the look. In season two, he claims to be the first cartoon villain to have conquered the world in a single non-multipart episode and not be defeated. Whether that claim is true I am unable to confirm. One interesting thing to note is that he claims he is not a mad scientist, just an angry one, which got me thinking; Sheep in the Big City also did this gag, but that show was made later on and I have no doubt that this show didn't create that gag, so who first created the 'not mad, angry scientist' gag? Point is, I'm a big John Astin fan and I need to move on.

His minions consist of his Igor, a rather dim surfer dude stereotype who wants to be a T.V personality and it often getting into trouble with the Doctor. Finally we have the tomatoes Zoltan and the gang of five (which strangely, throughout season one only shows four tomatoes). Zoltan and his gang are much of the same joke minions, with Zoltan being the one with any real speaking part. This would change in season two where they are transformed into mutant tomatoes and each one gains it's own unique look and personality. They would successfully take over the world in the second season, though how they manage to keep control of it is a mystery to me. This would ultimately force Gangreen and Igor to team up with the Tomato Task Force (who is now an underground resistance) in an attempt to stop the tomatoes.

Ah yes, the second season. Looking back on my Blazing Dragons reflection, I should never have separated the seasons (mostly cause trying to write the second one up is much harder then I thought), so instead I'll address the issues I have with the second season of Killer Tomatoes here. 

There was a massive change between the first and second seasons of the show, with the most obvious being the animation. It became computer animated and it really does show. Personally, it wasn't for me and looked more like it should have been cutscenes for an early 90's video game instead of a show.

Then there was the intro song. While it remains the same for the most part, they added kids to it both visually and to sing along to it. I'm wondering if it was meant to tone down some of the 'scariness' factor of killer tomatoes, but to me it just feels like a toy ad every time and it's really off putting. The story structure also changed, instead of one off episodes it was now it was a continuous story. I'm still not sure how I feel about that. Some of the humour took a hit and wasn't as good as the first season. Also, Tara also got an outfit change and is now active in tomato form and I believe everyone knows about Tara and F.T being tomatoes, which is very weird.

Seriously? This is the guy who conquered Australia? How?

Ultimately, the show was cancelled before resolving the tomato world dominating plot, which was a bit of a shame. My guess is season two wasn't as popular as beyond the first four episodes, finding any other ones after that is near impossible. I was at least able to find most of season one online and after re-watching most of the show again, I can say I did enjoy it. It is very much your generic Saturday morning cartoon and its main theme of killer tomatoes isn't going to be for everyone, so I can see why most would have given it a pass. Given how critical people are these days, I think most will prefer this over the movies. I certainly found some of the gags of the first season funny and the show was entertaining enough for me to watch for the most part. If you can, check out a few of season ones episodes if your curios.

September 2020 Projects Part 2

 So a quick update on things:

Puppets:

Been put on hold temporary while I figure out what to do space wise. See, the thing is, I did get a lot of the fleece for the head done, but I didn't have the inner mouth. I also didn't have the proper space so I learned that just towards the final part of the mouth stitching, I had too much material. Unfortunately, I obviously panicked and tried to fix it, which made it worse and the more I tried fixing, the worse it got. It hit me fairly badly emotionally and so have had to halt working further on it. Due to space issues (I'm a lodger and so have nearly no personal space to work on such things), I'm having to spend some time trying to plan around it. Since all the stuff to work on props is packed in boxes, it mean the project is now on hold until a solution can be found. This is distressing and frustrating for me, but there really isn't much I can do at the moment.

Miniatures:

While I'm still working on the same models from my previous part, I'm also adding two Hucksters into the mix to finish rounding out The Wild Ones crew. Am also waiting for the next White Dwarf for their Warcry rules for Cities of Sigmar. Going to see if I can look at the possibility of making a Warband for that.

September Thoughts 25/09/2020

Cartoon Era Point of Views?

One thing I've learnt recently is to not delve into videos that talk about 'weird' cartoon series from a particular era. I recently watched one talking about shows from the 80's, yet apart from a couple, I wouldn't call most of them weird compared to other shows from that time. Heck, they even ignored Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, yet put Denver the Last Dinosaur on the list. Then it sort of occurred to me why. See, these people making the list clearly were younger then me and were more familiar with shows from the 2000's then anything else. By this time TNMT was considered a normal, popular franchise and that influence may have lead to the feeling of the show not being considered weird. As someone more familiar with 80's cartoons, I certainly would have placed TNMT on the list as compared to Denver, there are a number of the Turtles' episodes that were more weird then the Denver show itself.

I didn't comment on such videos as I find that it is difficult to have a discussion on such matters, mostly cause I don't know how people will react and if a civilized discussion about animation and cartoons can even be a thing in the current state of the community. I just felt like making a note here so I may one day expand on this thought in a more informed article.

Cross-overs:

Just a quick one here. A few years back I tweeted wondering why we never had a cross over between The Tick and Freakazoid and thinking about it recently, I wondered what other characters I'd love to see a cross over with. While there are plenty, a recent post I'm working on gave me another two I'd like to see together in a cross over: Dr Drakken from Kim Possible and Dr Doofenshmirtz from Phineas & Ferb. Both a the evil scientist stereotype and both are comedic in what they do. That said, I would have them start off trying to out do each other before they are put into a position where they are forced to team up against a greater evil to save the world. Seems like it could work as a one off piece anyway, just a thought.  

Scooby-Doo and the Curse of the 13th Ghost:

As someone who saw the 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, this was one of the few Scooby related material that I did want to check out and having now watched it, I thought it was good. I liked it at least. It tried to remain faithful to the original while still going for the modern style that always seems the way they go with the franchise.

And there lies they problem, it 'tried', but still fell somewhat flat. Sure they brought back Flim-Flam, but they didn't bring back Scrappy, Weerd and Bogel. I know Scrappy has a bit of a reputation, but I feel the main problem with that character is that no one knows how to redeem or make him likable and this was a failed opportunity (also, they brought back this plotline yet have Fred and Velma not know who Scrappy is? Are they just picking and choosing what they want to acknowledge in this franchise at this point). Then we have the two ghosts of Weerd and Bogel, who were the catalyst for the events of the show and were always trying to get the heroes. The fact that they never appear in this feels like they were trying to make it more serious, yet a lot of the humour in this movie was still reminiscent of the original Scooby cartoons, so this one makes no sense to me. Also, the Chest backstory is also confusing. Like there are two running parts with Vince and Mortifer finding the Chest for the first time in Egypt, yet the second is that the 13th Ghost is actually Vincent's ancestor? Even the ancestor is dressed similar to Vincent in the flashback, so how did he end up in the Chest and sealed away in an Ancient Egypt vault? Confusing.

As I said, I liked it (Van Ghoul in particular, voiced by the great Maurice LaMarche), but this was another attempt to use something from the past for classic fans and then missing important points for some strange reason. Check it out if you're a Scooby fan or if you're just general interested to see what it's like.

September 2020 Projects Part 1

So I'm going to the same update style with this month as I did with last month and see how it goes.

So first things first, the Burning Sigil of Tzeentch. Said I was going to get this done and surprise of all surprises, I did.

 

While not the most original of paint schemes, am overall happy with the results (could be a lot worse). But that's not all, for we have a few Warcry Warbands to throw into this mix. First up, we have the Iron Golems.

 

I have to admit, the Iron Golem's is one of those groups that I really have no intention of playing, but they did come with the starter box, so figured that given they are mostly armoured it shouldn't be too difficult to paint up. Thing is, from all that I've worked on over the recent years, it's becoming apparent that I'm just not good at painting skin and cloth and as much as I'd like to improve my skills in this area, Covid has sadly stopped stores from letting staff teach painting skills, so another thing on the back burner. I decided to go with the standard paint scheme for these guys, figuring that the more red colour would show favour towards the Blood God (figured the warriors of Khorne would be their best customers and so what better way to drum up business then to go with the theme). So if I wasn't going to play them, then they are meant to be a rival group for someone. But who?

Enter the Spire Tyrants. Yeah, not my best work by a long shot and I have to admit that I just couldn't get both the colour scheme or the skin textures right. Still, this is one of those warbands that I did want to play and the look and feel of the group is what ultimately drew me to them. I figured that they were more gladiator slaves who were united by their leader (Mr pale ghost skin there) and that the group values loyalty and trust over most other things, as they are the skills that saw them overthrow their masters and escape. Strangely, I also imagine that the Duardin of both warbands have a massive grudge against each other and would try to hunt each other down on the battlefield to fight in their endless personal conflict.

So with that done and dusted, what's next?

Miniatures:

I don't have much GW I want to focus on this month. Oh I have lots to do, just don't have the mindset to work on it. If I do anything, it will be work on a Mangle Squigs model. I recently saw some drybrushing tutorials on a Youtube channel called Artis Opus and I really want to give them a try using the large Squigs. The idea is to paint one in that gloomy green like colour scheme while the other will be ranged from orange/pink/purple/midnight blue as a sort of dusk them. whether or not it will actually work or look any good is another thing, but it requires lots of patience and focus, which I lack at the moment. Should I feel there is a right time, then I'll try and give it a shot.

If anything, this month will probably be Malifaux focused. I had planned to finish my brothers Misaki crew, but some confusion on his half has put that on hold (I mean, it's been what, close to two years now since he played a game and it's changed somewhat in 3rd edition, so I'd be very confused too). Until that gets sorted out, I am working on a few different models, with a focus on completing my Euripides crew, which currently set up as:

• Euripides (Crew Leader) (6 Soulstones in pool)
  
• Primordial Magic (Totem)
• Thoon
• 1x Cyclops
• 2x Geryon
• 2x Gigant

I can always swap a Geryon for a Cyclops if needed, but out of the three Gigants I have, sadly one need a bit more repair work as a bunch hit the floor and got cracked legs, but this ones leg fully broke and I'm having trouble repairing it, but that's ok. Working on getting a colour scheme that I'm happy with, but from what I've got working on so far I'm liking so far.

I do feel that some are missing something. The Geryon's may need something like perhaps blood splatter around the large arms/hands and mouth might work, but I don't want to add it just yet until I'm absolutely sure cause if I don't like it, I really don't wanna try painting the skin parts again.

Also, will also go back to adding more to my old The Wild Ones crew. With the releasing of the Rough Rider rules, now is an excellent time to go back and replace all the Guild stuff the crew once used. See, when 3rd edition came around, Lucas McCabe (the crew whom the nightmare crew is based on) was no longer part of the Guild, the two count-as Mounted Guard models were no longer usable. Now that they have got rules to re-use them, I have looked at crew and models and I think I have the crew worked out. Currently, I am working on a second Miss Anne Thrope model (as they count as Ruffians and you can have up to three) and will finish it off by adding two Hucksters, who actually seem to match the visual theme a bit.

As for anything else, we'll see what happens.

Puppets:

I'm hoping to finally start stitching the fleece together for the test puppet this month. Not going to say much else as everytime I try to talk about this in updates, nothing ever seems to happen so don't want to jinx this further.

Animated Reflections:

So a bit of an explanation for this one. I've been wanting to do more of these, but when I've started writing I've gotten about a paragraph or two in and have not been happy with how it was going. I've tried it for about three different shows, but I just haven't figured out how I want it to be read. I'm not a professional critic or reviewer and really the purpose of it was to let people know these animated shows/movies existed and my own personal thoughts on them. I'm going to try again this month with a show that isn't too much for me and see how it goes.

Speaking of catchy songs

 So just off that last post, this is another movie song I've been hearing recently that I also find quite catchy:

Also, hint of future things I'll be looking at...

September Thoughts 13/09/20

So I'd thought I could try doing these thought posts where I just talk about things I've come across as I find trying to do posts on individual thoughts just never get done. Just going to give it a shot and I'll see how well it works for me over the next few months before I determine if I like it or not. Project updates will be kept as separate posts as will more focused article like posts, though expect some of those to show up over the next week or so.

Comical vs Serious in Warhammer Factions:

So I was reading the Worlds of Warhammer article in White Dwarf issue 455 and it was the part about the not wanting to fall into the trap of turning a more humorous races into a joke. While I get what they were going for, I do feel that they could of expanded more on what they meant. Using the Clanrats as an example was a poor choice in my opinion, as they rarely contribute in any form of story long enough for any meaningful character development. Doesn't matter how many there are, they are just throw away mobs in any monster swarm story, with the real horror coming from their leaders. 

I also think sticking Skaven and Gloomspite Gitz in the same category of humorous race is also a bit misleading, mostly due to how the two factions are written. It's clear they have moved the Gitz further away from the more humorous aspects of the old Goblins and focused more on the sadistic nature of the old Night Goblins, where as Skaven still haven't changed much from their 'Thanquol' days despite removing a some of the random chance problems from their rules. For me, I don't see any real humor (even dark humour) in the Gloomspite where as the Skaven still have that Gremlins 2 movie feel in some sense.

That said, the more comical nature of 40K Orks is something that did draw me to them compared to most other races (mostly cause the other races lack anything that truly grabs me as exciting or interesting). Their simplistic yet brutal nature is easy to understand. They like to fight and it's what drives them, simple violence. Beyond that, they really lack most of the horror tropes to make them scary. It's the more amusing/funny nature that makes them more interesting. After all, this is a race who build stuff that they believe works and does when by all means shouldn't. It's why the pilot story in the Medusa V campaign was so great (to sum it up, Tau shot an Ork plain down and took the pilot prisoner. They studied the shot down plane and figured it should have never flown, let alone now after it'd been shot down. Pilot escaped, jumped in his plane and flew off, the Tau scratching their heads). Also, some of the dialog scenes in Dawn of War Winter Assault and Dawn of War 2 Retribution really show off how the Orks can be a threat, while still having very funny moments.

So is there a real problem in balancing a race being both threatening and humourous or is it perhaps I just find most other factions lack anything to bring in my interests and trying to talk about that is a lot more complicated then I thought.

Crash 4: Tawna Clip:

How do I talk about this one without pissing people off? Let's just say that I don't like the design and by that I mean sure I understand what they were going for, but for me the look is a little confusing. Is she an adventurer? Punk? Rogue? Pirate? I can't pinpoint the design and it somewhat irritates that design part of my brain.

I also don't get her reaction to Crash and Coco. People say that in her reality the two are dead and her reaction proves it and yeah, I somewhat see it, but if that was the case then I would have expected her to show a bit more emotion. I guess some could argue that she has removed herself from emotion to be a lone wolf hero, but then why act that way with the two if you wanted to keep yourself distant from emotion? Perhaps there is a cutscene of two that will better clarify that, so I'll just wait till the games out before looking into character personality traits (I am aware she is an alternate reality version, it's just the look and reactions of the character don't fully match given the information I have at hand is all I'm saying). As for Crash in the clip? he seems curious of her look, but ultimately just feels like he's just part of the cutscene for a gag and reaction.

That said, loved Coco's reactions in the clip. It's clear Tawna meant something to her, as the more she talked, the more she was getting connected and then the disappointment and sadness over Tawna's decision felt like it really hit her. I get the feeling that for Coco, Tawna may have been that big sister type to her early on and that sort of connection is something Coco is obviously wanting again. Perhaps that encounter brought up that sort of emotion for her again and made her realise that she was missing something in her life. As for what happened to their Tawna, they simply mentioned drifting apart, so for all we know is that Tawna and the Nitro Squad have opened up a tourist and shopping village on one of the Wampa Islands and that distance meant lack of communication. Who knows? But I would love to see some sort of resolution to this, just so we can see their Tawna get back into the main series again.

Maybe be like Coco was in the original Crash 3 game being in vehicle/animal levels, perhaps her and the Nitro Squad could go Super Sentai style and form their vehicles into a giant robot and go toe-to-toe with N Gin in a giant robot battle boss fight. Maybe then have Coco have her own levels as she builds her own rivalry with Nina Cortex in their own side story. After all, why should Crash and Dr Cortex have all the fun.

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic:

Nothing I really wanted to say here. Just joyful I found something from my childhood online and thought to share it here (damn that first song is catchy).

Upon reviewing this post, I realise that I am not good with putting thoughts into words (seriously, I don't think the first two ones even had a point). Maybe after a few more posts I'll start getting the hang of it, but open to any tips to help improve this whole 'thoughts into words' posts.

August 2020 Projects Update Part 2

 Ugh, these photos are worse then the last. Oh well.

Anyway, got more of my Tzeentch crew done. This batch includes the two heroes, ten Chaos Warriors and two Chaos Spawn.

So the heroes include the main General, Mevrix the Everlasting Change. Originally Mevrix was based on the morphing arm Marauder from the game Warhammer: Age or Reckoning, but now acts as a Curseling rule wise. I couldn't find all the parts from the original model (I had used some of them for other conversions, while others I think I have now lost), so this conversion isn't exactly what I had in mind.

The Herald is just my old Beast Herald conversion, now re-based and with a familiar to carry his staff and book (so he matches the look of the rules more).

The spawns are also two different types. The first is an old metal model that was once converted to be a Slaanesh spawn, but was re-based and re-painted quickly back when AoS started and now acts as a human turned spawn creation. The second one is more recent, as it was one of two spawns I built for beasts in Warcry (the second being Khorne themed). As such, this one is meant to feel more like a Tzaangor spawn variant. This shot does them no justice.

Ah, my old Chaos Warriors. Once Slaanesh theme (back when the Cult of Slaanesh rules existed in old Fantasy Battle), they now serve the God of Change. They were my more recent experiment, with the paint mixed with a sort of turquoise pearl pigment powder and lightly added around the shield and armour. I wanted to give them a more shine/magic effect more suited to servants of the Lord of Magic. The banner itself is dedicated to the armies view of their God, dedicated to the mutations of the flesh and to their ideal of the Great Spawn, a cross between Daemon Prince and Chaos Spawn, to which all those who follow seek to become (so basically it is a Deamon Prince, who's body is constantly changing and can form into whatever it wants or needs).

The army itself has two focuses, magic and mutation and currently looks like this:

Curseling (Hero - General):

• Command Trait: Boundless Mutation
• Spell: Arcane Suggestion
  

Changecaster (Hero):

• Daemonic Power: Aura of Mutability
• Spell: Unchecked Mutation
  

Horrors (10 Pink) - Battleline

Chaos Warriors (10) -Battleline

• Mark of Tzeentch
  

Flamers of Tzeentch (3)

Screamers of Tzeentch (3)

Chaos Spawn of Tzeentch (2) or 1 Spawn and endless spell: Burning Sigil of Tzeentch

This brings it to 990pts (as of the time of writing) with the last part giving me an option of either 2 spawns or a spawn and spell to mess around with.

As for further expansion, I already have 3 Enlightened Tzaangors on Discs, but I also want to add things like more Daemons, some Kairic Acolytes, maybe more Tzaangors/Slaves to Darkness mortals, but really want to add in a Mutalith Vortex Beast as it would really add to the theme. Maybe the Mindstealer Sphiranx would also be nice.

Next to get done for this army is the Burning Sigil of Tzeentch, which I'll get done along side a few other models currently on the desk.

August 2020 Projects Update

First off, sorry for not getting much done in the way of updates lately. Secondly, good lord what did they do to this site. It seems so much more annoying to use now (but given how other sites have 'updated' themselves, it seems to be a running problem).

Anyway, there were more things moving beyond the quick pic update I did a while ago, but I wasn't the best to do a full post. Now that I'm in the process of switching medications, it seems to have given me a short burst of energy and motivation to do this post. So lets start with miniatures.

Oh The Horrors

So finally have gotten those various Horrors of Tzeentch done. I started with the Pink Horrors as they were the most complicated and then worked my way back with the Blue and finally the Brimstone. My original plans for these guys and their bases had long been thrown out the window and it was only thanks to wanting to get a Warcry warband going that I actually went back to them. That said, took me way too long to get them done and I should have just taken it more casually instead of allowing myself to stress over the finer details.

Now all I need to do is finish those Chaos Warriors of Tzeentch and convert the Heroes and I'll have a 1,000pt Tzeentch army to field. Still deciding what to do with my last hero option as originally it was a Fluxmaster (Herald on Disc), but I could easily replace it with one of the other following option:

- Magister (Mage with Chaos Spawn...err...spawning options)

- Chaos Sorcerer Lord (Mostly to buff the Chaos Warriors)

- Exalted Hero of Chaos (Hero/Monster killing)

- 2 Chaos Spawns

- An Exalted Flamer (More range and buffs my Flamers)

- A Mindstealer Sphiranx (Would have to be an ally as it is the only one on this option list that can't be marked by Tzeentch, but still has that Tzeentch feel to it's play style and the model looks bloody great too)

Going to really need to think about this, but I guess I could prep a few up and I guess choose based on what faction I'm up against. 

 

Update:

So having thought about it a bit more and looking at my options, I've decided to start by using the Chaos Spawns as already have one I re-based already and a second that's been undercoated, so these are the quickest option available. I'll expand later on to try some of the other options, but just want to focus on finishing stuff first before I begin expanding.

 

The Ghoulish

So recently I wanted to expand my Gloomspite, but obviously with the virus going about, the models I was looking for weren't available. That said, I was looking to get a Terrorgheist for my Skellie/Bat Death faction, so just got the Flesh-Eater Courts start set. Why? Well, Warcry of course. Not only do I have enough models for a few various group options, but I can then use the Ghoul King model to count as Lord Splinterbone for that one challange battle from the Tome of Champions book.

For the group itself, I wanted a slightly more dirty ragged sort of look, but with the blood to give the impression that they were quickly stuffing themselves while fighting. Still feel they look too clean given the original idea, but still feel they work well overall. Will probably add a few more basic Ghouls using the Grymwatch crew from the Underworlds game.

The Puppet

So I have finally got around to seeing if I can actually make a puppet. Given this is my first time, I can see every mistake I am making on the way. Gotta be honest, I think I prefer to work with puppets then I do making them, but can't do one without the other and I have to start somewhere. Perhaps when I get some proper space then some of this might become easier, but for the moment it's a slow and steady crawl. Also, never mark your mouth plate for your fingers late at night and your tired, the result means that my puppets head is now designed for the left hand as opposed to the right hand (I'm right handed, so this may cause a few problems in the future. Didn't realise until after I had already glued the finished plate in).

As for the fleece, getting Antron Fleece in Australia is extremely difficult and expensive, but thanks to Covid, it is now impossible. As such, I am using Polar Fleece, which a number of people do use. It is thicker though, so after a number of failed stitching attempts, I have now gotten sharper needles and stronger thread, just waiting for the thread wax to help smooth out more troublesome problems I experienced in my attempts.

I'm also forgoing the hand and rod style for the moment, mostly due to some issues I have with my pattern, unable to find the right size clips and not having the space to create the hand rods themselves. With luck, I'll get this test puppet done before years end and will re-evaluate the project from there.

Quick Pic - Screamers of Tzeentch

So here's the pic I sent to my supports to show my progress a while back, but could never get around to doing a proper shot, so have just decided to upload it here just to show that some work has been done over the past few months.

Project Focus: Videos and Puppets - 2020

So I do want to complete a puppet or two this year. I really want to get the puppets for my main series to get done, but I'm so paranoid about perfection that I may have to consider getting those main characters done professionally (which would also be very expensive). These characters are the ones I really have the most affection for in this project and I want them to be just right for when I start working with them.

As for those that I'll be working on myself, I have a few ideas as to what to do with them, though it will all depend on how they turn out. Even the failed ones will still have a use and purpose, so I'll talk more about that once I have a few test ones finished. Now I just need to think outside the box when it comes to their designs. I'll also be looking at trying out materials like latex and stuff for making more rubbery and fleshy designs for certain characters and creatures (there are elements of sci-fi and fantasy in this after all).

Face and body make-up, along with creating body props (like an alien arm for example) will also be something to look at, depending on which part of the project (and story line) is the focus of that time.

Props and scenery are an important piece for the various videos I want to do, but due to my housing situation, I just don't have the space and storage to work on such things, though that wont stop me from collecting more junk to add to the collection.

VFX and 3D designs are still a bit off. I'm just not sure what to do in this area until I have things like puppets and props to work with. Still collecting tutorials so that I will have some knowledge on what to do, so hopefully my skills in this area haven't gotten too rusty over time.

Yeah, this one was way short compared to the previous one, but that's because this one has a lot more problems and uncertainties to deal with before I can truly get anything concrete out there. Still dreaming and hoping on this one, so I pray for more luck with this in the future.

Project Focus: Miniatures - 2020

So I've decided to sort of sum up what miniatures I'll be working on in 2020 (not including new stuff that may take my fancy). I'll give a brief run down on each group to help better categorize them.

Warcry:

So my current focus is mixed between three warbands: Skaven, Untamed Beasts and Disciples of Tzeentch (Daemons). I do plan on going back and looking at adding the Gloomspite Gitz and Nighthaunt updated warbands (with expanding options for Nighthaunt), plus looking into Ogors with a Chaos theme, Daughters of Khaine and Khorne Daemons. Not sure about other options, but we'll see what other warbands appeal to me before adding. Am looking at more scenery though, perhaps those starter set packs as I only have the Graveyard board and scenery and would like a few things with height.

For Skaven I have to re-base a few more Clanrats and Stormvermin to have the more hoard-like option, while working on three Stormfiends to have as alternative heavy hitters (plus I can then add them to my Skaven force.

Untamed Beasts just need painting and am already working on a Chaos Sorcerer and have a finished Spawn to use. I'll probably add more beast thralls and maybe a Mindstealer Sphiranx as the groups monster option.

Finally, I'll dust off and paint up those Daemons of Tzeentch and give them a proper go. They all need to be painted, so this one will probably take longer to paint, but will be filled before the Untamed Beasts get their full options.

Age of Sigmar:

Well apart from a few re-basings and the painting of the Stormfiends, the Skaven of the Claw of Skith are ready to go, though perhaps I should look at Endless Spells and those Gnawholes to really complete them.

Gloomspite Gitz still need some work, partly on the Endless Spell conversion and the other being on what option to field them as. A mixture of Gitz and Squigs is fine if Glibbins is involved, though a part of me really wants to run a Squigalanche type group. Would need a Mangler Squig of course, but more Squigs was never a bad thing.

Death is more of a mixed beast at the moment and has sort of frozen still. I do have models to work on like Fell Bats and Black Knights, but apart from a few Skellies and a Terrorgheist, not sure what I could add to feel it could work.

Cities of Sigmar has the 1,000pts needed to play, but needs to be painted up. Still looking as to what I could add to get it to 2,000pts without spending too much more money on this one.

This brings me to a venture that has been long in the making, but slow to start. My Tzeentch faction. Wanting it to be a mixture of Tzeentch units from both Disciples of Tzeentch and  Slaves to Darkness, this one will be focused on magic and mutation. I have various Chaos Heroes like Heralds, Chaos Sorcerers, Chaos Lords etc, while unit wise I have a basic unit of 10 Chaos Warriors, 10 Pink Horrors (with the split option of up to 10 Blue Horrors and 10 Brimstone Horrors), 3 Screamers, 3 Flamers, 3 Tzaangor Enlightened on Discs and 1 Chaos Spawn (and oh boy, do I want more Chaos Spawns). Obviously I want to add more to this army and certainly I may look to this year as the one to do so. We'll see how well painting goes before I make that decision.

Necromunda:

Still converting the last of my Escher crew. Once their finished and painted, will probably add some characters like Belladonna to the group. Not a very big option, but I haven't played it so I don't know how far I want to go with projects for this game.

Blood Bowl:

So they no longer sell the 4 pack of Gobbos, so in order to finish my Underworld Denizins team I'm going to have to get the Goblin Team in order to complete it. Still unsure if I'd ever play the game, but still want a my themed team none the less.

Malifaux:

Obviously, Gremlins is still the main, but apart from working on my Nightmare Ulix box set and add-ons for the crew, I'm just waiting to see what else I can add to the Gremlins later in the year.

I will try to finish up my Jakob Lynch crew at some point as they are my next fav group, but as for the rest? Well it all depends on how I feel. For instance, is it worth working on the Colette crew when there is a new set with new models in it? Do I go new models over the old ones? These questions are something I have to really think about.

Moonstone:

While I wait for more Faun stuff, I want to at least finish enough models for both Humans and Faeries, which will also include the option of a Giant for each. This stuff I've let go for far too long and I really need to get cracking on painting them soon.

Burrows and Badgers:

I still want to add more to my Riverbank crew, but I also want to start getting enough of a collection for a second opposing crew. The Kickstarter gave me both a Border Collie and a Mole to add to the mouse thief I have, so I'll start ordering models in groups of two, one for the Riverbank crew and one for the opposition. Once Riverbank crew options run out, then I can just keep adding to the opposition. The main goal is to have enough options to have a variety of crew customization's.

Other Miniatures:

Still up in the air on these ones. I have all sorts just sitting in containers that I want to do, but given this list, it might be some time before I give them another look over (this could change depending on the situation).


With this as my year goal, hopefully I wont stray too far off the path and at least get half of what I planned done. This list is more of a reminder to me that these things need to get done and what I should be focusing on and not getting too far over my head (too late!).

The Curse of this Virus

So yeah, even in Australia we still have problems with this Coronavirus and even being in Queensland hasn't helped (our state is third on the highest numbers in the country). As such, people like myself with physical conditions (I have conditions Asthma, a current sinus problem that I'm still on the waiting list to have looked at, plus a few others) and my own family members has vulnerabilities, have been 'advised' into self-isolation (so we can no longer visit each other). And while I understand the necessity for it in order to better control this outbreak and protect our physical health, it has put a serious strain on our mental health as a result.

This has been more complicated for me, as I am a lodger (meaning I pay to rent a single room and to use the facilities) in a small two bedroom unit. I live with the owner, who is a friend I knew at high school and who constantly drives me up the wall. My room is half the size of his and it contains not only my bed, but my draws, T.V, computer and computer table, etc. So it is a small, tight space that limits what I can do (and if your wondering why I haven't left, it's down to the fact that it's cheap and trying to get a place in the private rental market is just about impossible these days, though I do have some assistance that is trying to help me in this regards).

As such, I already felt like I was living in a prison, now it really is kind of a prison. However, I feel like there are so many more people that are now in a worse situation then myself. With the lack of physical social interaction from support services, I fear we will see a rise in suicide rates, on top of those in domestic violence situations feeling more like there is no way to escape. Sadly, our Government has been slow to react on this and I can only hope people will see this as an opportunity to reach out and seek support.

I do hope people out there stay safe during these times and we use this opportunity to bring out to start bringing out the best in us and to move forward in a more positive and productive light. It will take a lot to recover from this, so remember to look out for one another and to show support for those who need it.

Lets try not to go too insane while we're all stuck inside. Stay safe.

Warcry: Skaven - First Battle

So recently I got to have my first Warcry battle with my Skaven crew. I fought against the Daughters of Khaine and the results were....less then stellar. It was a secure objective mission and I lost 1-0, with only two Clanrats and a Packmaster surviving the battle. My crew consisted of:

- Fangleader (Leader)
- 2x Stormvermin with Shields
- 4x Clanrats with Rusty Blades
- Packmaster
- Rat Ogor (2 Claw Arms)

Numbers wise, I was 9 models to his 10 models, but it was clear how green I have become with the game. For starters, I placed me models into equal number groups (Shield, Dagger & Hammer) which was a big mistake as my hard hitting team of Rat Ogor and Packmaster were in Hammer and showed up last, while my Leader and his Stormvermin bodyguard (and a single Clanrat) where my Shield and where on the board first turn. My opponent had both of his melee serpent ladies (one of which was his leader) along with two basic Daughters meant he had a good weak force to secure one objective while his heavy hitters went straight for my Leader and his buddy. This meant I would spend the whole game trying to contest as opposed to securing objectives. From what was explained to me after the match, the Shield group has about a 75% to start first while I believe the Hammer has the weakest chance of showing up first. Clearly I need to think harder about strategic grouping instead of clean numbers.

The second was the Skaven crew abilities and their effectiveness in a game. As such, the Rat Ogor got his charge ability off along with the Packmaster giving him a bonus attack action ability. There was no point of the Clan Pestilens one as I will not add one into my crew (perhaps down the road I'll do a pure Clan Pestilens crew), while there was no point running my Clanrats away from combat as they were trying to contest and combat was the closest I could get to the objective. The Leaders bonus attacks to friendlies couldn't be used as they killed his Stormvermin buddy first, which also brings in the problem of not being able to use the bodyguard ability when they ignore the only nearby model to attack them first. It's clear grouping my numbers may improve this problem.

Finally, perhaps I should have skipped the Rag Ogor & Packmaster for more Stormvermin/Clanrats for more numbers, or maybe the ranged Rat Ogor to shoot at the tougher ladies. Either way, I'll need to do up a few lists to try out and learn to better design around the factions I face. Was still a fun match and have learned new things as a result of this game.

Am also working to get a second Warband going, with the Disciples of Tzeentch Daemon crew in the works to test out at a later date.

Stephen Colbert Villain Facial Hair Mask Sketch

Finally, the true face's of villainy can finally be protected, the world can now rest easy.....I think?

Miniatures Update February

Bit late on this one, wanted to get the recent Burrows & Badgers models that I just got in with this as well. Also, sorry for the poor quality of the photographs, will make sure that the painted versions are done better. This was sort of a late minute rush job just so I could get something up to show progress. Also, due to the basing paint, it seems the bases have blended in on the blue cloth I had them on for some reason (may have been the light I used). So let's start with Moonstone:

The First Set is Boris the Bunny Summoner and his Murder Bunnies, The Jackalope, Gloom and Chubs. After I undercoated them I noticed the gaps more clearly and have begun fixing them with green stuff.

The Second consists of Drunk Fritz, Anotnia, Danica, Zorya, KS exclusive Zorya, KS exclusive Gwendoline and KS exclusive Loubard. Fritz was probably the hardest to put together, but a few of these minis were also difficult to clean up.

Finally there is the Burrows & Badgers stuff that arrived. We have a Magpie, a female Hedgehog archer, a male Squirrel warrior, the KS Mole and a large female Border Collie warrior. The first three will be added to my own crew collection, while the last two will be the start of my second crew collection, which I'll start adding to later this year.

With any luck, I'll start feeling well enough to begin actual painting of these miniatures. I know that with the cooler weather coming over the next few months, that it should make it easier for me to get back into painting again. Let's hope so.

The Quest For Footage

So one of the biggest problems I found when I first started Animated Reflections was that there are many shows out there that have little to no footage on the internet. This problem is made worse when you realise that many of those ones also don't have DVD versions either and that the ones that do tend to be region locked to places like the USA/Europe. Thankfully, there are things like multi-region DVD/Blu-ray players and even video player programs on PC that allow you to view these, which has been a big help lately (recently I've begun looking back at the 80's/90's Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoons and thanks to a few programs I have I can now acquire some of the limited available US DVD options to view the shows).

But it's not just limited to animated shows, but to a large variety of them, including puppet based ones. Over the last few months I've been trying to find out anything I can on a show called Commander Crumbcake and as such there is little to no knowledge on it available. Even the few clips I've found a poor recordings of the theme and a few short clips of the first episode (which really doesn't give me much to go on). There are a couple of VHS tapes on ebay, but I need to unpack my old VHS player first to see if it works and even then there is no guarantee that the will work. At least Puddle Lane has a few clips up I can watch.

And these are for the shows I can remember. There are a few in my head where I remember a single scene and for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the show or even find something that comes close to it. Robo Story was one of these ones that I only recently discovered over the last few years and so had to do one on it.

Hopefully with the way old footage keeps popping up more recently, I may get a chance to finally find or at least recognise some of these great classics from the past.

Sonic Movie Was Amazing!

OK, so let's start off by clearing a few things up. I am a Sonic fan and as such that probably helped swing my enjoyment of this movie a little. Second is, this is clearly set up as an origin story for both Sonic and Dr. Robotnik/Eggman and as such, this isn't going to please all fans off the bat. That said, thank goodness they re-designed Sonic from that original abomination, cause damn did that make a difference in being able to view this movie. So I'm going for a spoiler free round up, so as such there are a lot of things I can't talk about sadly. That said, their choice of actors for this movie was brilliant.

There's no looking past it, but Jim Carrey was the perfect person to play the outlandish Dr. Robotnik. His performance has been refereed to by many as 90's Jim Carrey, but for me it just seems he was having a blast playing the character and really enjoyed getting into the role. The character of the Doctor is an egotistical genius who cares only for himself and his machines, with a complete disdain for humanity and believes himself to be always right and unbeatable. This leads to some really great moments between Robotnik and other characters in the movie. To Robotnik, he is the greatest person ever to have existed and everyone else is as nothing to him. It really is all about him and his invulnerable brilliance and he can't stand it when it isn't.

Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic was another great choice. He nails it as a lonely, but fun loving youth who just wants to belong and have friends, but is forced into a life of hiding because of his powers. As the movie goes on, the character begins to slowly evolve into one we are more commonly familiar with, but still lacking some of that full confidence of the current version from years of battling the Doctor. He's a mixture of 90's Sonic mixed with things associated with modern kids, which may not appeal to all fans. He is also incredibly hyperactive, so also keep that in mind. I also believe (theory) that the energy he uses is also an explanation for why he can smash robots up like he does in the games, though he doesn't really spin dash in this movie much (he doesn't really understand the power or know how to really control it. So yeah, origin movie).

While I hate movies that take characters from their settings into our modern world (WTF Smurfs, Seriously?), this movie was probably one of the least problematic ones, given that it made some sense from a story stand point and Sonic has interacted with modern earth like elements in the games, so it has a better believably to it. Another problem with such movies is that it focuses too much on the human character rather then the main stars and feeling more irritating then adding to the story, but in this movie they seem to have avoided a lot of that, with a focus on fewer characters and more on the main ones and their interactions.

This is where the character of Tom Wachowski (played by James Marsden) comes into it. He's a small town sheriff who wants to join a big city police force in an attempt to feel like he can save lives and not just be someone who spends his time on pointless animal chasing and empty roadside speed camera runs. He is given enough time to get the audience familiar with him with out the character overstaying his welcome and his interactions with Sonic do come off quite genuine, as does his annoying of Dr. Robotnik. For a human companion to a cartoon hedgehog, this one worked really well.

There are also some rather nice references to not only the parts of the Sonic lore, but also to the fandom and online jokes (Sanic anyone). Also, stick around after the mid-credit sequence (done in a classic Sonic game style) for a scene which sets up a sequel.

Given the reaction in the theater, many of the kids and adults really like this movie. I absolutely loved it. Not only did it succeeded in satisfying the Sonic fan in me, but the movie overall was just fun in general. I have no doubt that if given the chance, I would definitely go see it again. It may even be my favourite video game movie now (going to really have to compare the enjoyment or re-watching it vs the Mortal Kombat movie, as that one was the original top spot to see which one now has that spot). Needless to say, I want a sequel and I want it badly. There is so much they can do with this now and the fact that they changed the movie for the better before release means they are on the right road to creating an even better sequel.

Either way, it's a great kids movie and a must see for any Sonic fan (might also be if you're a Jim Carrey fan too).  

February Update

Quick update, just recently started a new medication and damn have those side-effects have hit me like a train. So heads up if you don't see too much over this month.

Positive side, my Moonstone Kickstarter has arrived. Due to the casting and molds used for the models, there is quite a bit of cleaning up to do (they're a small company, so I'll let them off the hook for that), but once I clean them up and base them I'll do a little update and review on them. Needless to say, I am looking forward to getting a Faun/Animal crew up and running.

Update 9/2/20:

So quick update, while trying to clean up the miniatures, I ended up cutting myself. Blade slipped off while trying to fix up one of the models hair and pain ensured. Fun times. Anyway, there may be a slight delay on the clean and setting of the models because of this (due to not being able to hold them properly with the cut), but will try to get back on track as soon as I can.

2020 Plans and Goals

Trying to look back at 2019 is pointless for me as I have great difficulty pointing out all the good from the bad, so instead, I'll use this to focus on what I want to work on in 2020 in the hope that I can achieve some of it, so lets go.

Miniatures:

So cutting back on the whole 'big armies' thing this year. It seems that due to the current situation, trying to build and paint so many miniatures is just not possible at this point in time. As such, my focus will be on smaller projects, mostly based around Skirmish games. This includes expanding on Warcry, completing my Daemon Kill-team, an Escher Necromunder crew, finishing that Skaven/Goblin Blood Bowl team along with adding some more to Malifaux, Burrows & Badgers and finally Moonstone.

I'll probably look at adding more scenery too so I can have enough stuff to run games with however games with me.

Moving:

Yes, at some point this year I really want to move into a place of my own. For those who don't know, I have been lodging with an old school friend for some time now in a Unit. While it was meant to be temporary, the rental market has made getting housing all but impossible. As such, much of my stuff is cramped up or boxed up and there isn't the kind of room to work on projects (which only adds to my lack of motivation).

While there are some new options for me in this regards, there is no guarantee that I can find a place suitable for one with the mental health conditions that I have. Still, must try to keep positive about this.

Puppet Project/VFX Project:

The main goal out off all things, this one has by far been the roughest by far to deal with. Limited space to work and trying to find solutions to all the problems associated with such an endeavor has still left me stuck in a sort of planning phase. While I do have some materials and a tone of various tutorial videos, nothing has really moved forward.

This year I hope to change all that and get progress moving again. Recent videos have also shown me that you can still achieve the basics even in limited space and while I doubt I'll get much more done where I currently live, should I find myself in a place of my own then I'll have the space to really get the ball rolling. This is one of those things I really want to achieve in getting base completion done this year, so will have a little more focus on it later in the year.

Animated Reflections:

So behind on this one. I've really been questioning the format of these short look backs as they still feel too much like a full on review instead of a nostalgic reminder of past shows/movies I watched over the years. I do expect to get back into it soon (I've watch a number of animation show Youtube reviewers, so I am trying to motivate myself to get back into this one too).

Blog:

Which finally brings us to this site/blog itself. It is still woefully in need of a serious update and some better content. I plan on trying to add more to it in the future, but am still trying to figure out what to talk about. Maybe I'll do some actual reviews or perhaps talk about current things that are happening, but I want to steer clear of a lot of negative things (we all have strong opinions and sometimes mine my slip the gaps of this rule) and ultimately just want to talk about things that I feel comfortable talking about or that I enjoy talking about.

Again, what that will be is still unknown, but then 2020 is still very much an unknown year to us all, so let's see where it takes up.


Till next time. 

2020 - Still Here

Just a quick update, 2020 is here and so am I.

Last few months have been bad (holidays + mental illness = no good), but I'll probably do a post on plans for the year and all that.

Should be out sometime during this month.