Wednesday 30 March 2016

Vampifan's Views 77 - Monthly Musings 52

A new month and once again I start with a wonderful painting of the gorgeous Vampirella by Joe Jusko. This busy montage shows Vampirella surrounded by some of her allies and enemies from the regular comic series.

On 18th March 2009 I wrote the introduction to this very blog. Seven years later and it is still going as strong as ever. Happy birthday! Back then I only posted once a week. Now I regularly post twice a week. I have enough material to keep on going indefinitely. This seems like a perfect opportunity to tell you of big changes that are afoot. I am seriously thinking of upping the frequency of my posts but will be launching a new blog to run alongside this one. It's all early days yet and is still in the planning stages but I hope it will happen and I'm keen for it to happen. The new blog will be dedicated to all things Chibi and more importantly, will be run as a joint venture with a good friend of mine, Steve Gilbert. I know that some of you don't appreciate the whole Chibi genre whilst others love it. It's kind of a Marmite thing. Anyway, I happen to feel that the Chibi side of my hobby should be kept separate from my normal gaming. Vampifan's World of the Undead will continue in its current format with its emphasis on all things undead, including reviews of books, figures, games and scenery, and of course, batreps. The Chibi blog will initially concentrate on Super Dungeon Explore by Steve and me, Chibi World by Steve and Ninja All Stars by me. My tentative plan is to post the Chibi blog every Monday and my Undead blog on Wednesdays or Thursdays and on Saturdays. Watch this space for further news and launch announcement.

Hobby-wise, March has been another good month for me. In my humble opinion, the best figure I painted and converted this month was a Chibi Vampirella. She is soooooooo cute! She won't be appearing on this blog but will most likely be one of the first things I review on the new Chibi blog. I also managed to paint another 18 Zombicide: Black Plague zombies and I'm well on the way to painting 15 Crossover Miniatures Ninjas as Foot Clan Ninjas to use against the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Also on my painting table are a small bunch of 6 Black Scorpion Tombstone figures for use in my Weird West and Wild West games. My Weird/Wild West project will be ongoing throughout the year but will progress at a more leisurely pace so as to avoid burn out and indeed to avoid spending too much in one go. I'll spend a little bit on it each month as I slowly add to my figures and scenery collections. Getting the Deep Cut Studios mouse-pad steppe terrain mat earlier this month was a big step forward.

I am backing the new Hollywood Havoc Kickstarter project by Studio Miniatures, which runs to Sunday 3rd of April 2016. Thankfully, it's not as costly as some Kickstarters I've backed. I'm in for less than £50 so far. Late add-ons may push that up slightly. We'll see. The Walking Dead Kickstarter by Mantic Games was successfully funded and came to a close at the start of this month. $685,853 of a $50,000 starter goal was raised, making it Mantic's most successful Kickstarter to date. I backed it heavily but the free stretch goals on offer made it extremely attractive financially. I backed it for $205 but for that I'm getting well over $400 worth of product!

Next month will be cops and robbers month. I'll be reviewing lots of 1970's and 1980's style cops and villains miniatures from Crooked Dice Games and Killer B Games. These posts will be the prelude to my début 7TV2e batrep. To get myself in the right frame of mind I have been watching my DVD boxed sets of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, as well as The Sweeney films. Such fun and all the better for being totally politically incorrect! As the great DCI Gene Hunt once said as he prepared to lead his team on a raid, "A word about police brutality. I want lots of it!"

34 comments:

  1. Wow!! happy birthday Bryan and I for one am looking forward to your new Chibi blog. I dare say it will finally get me painting up my considerable collection as a result, which can only be for the best :-) Although to be fair you could start a blog about all the different sorts of cardboard boxes are made out of and I'd still love every posting, such is your wit and good humour ;-)

    I am really looking forward to seeing your Weird West stuff, and like you, have been sucked into the Hollywood Havoc stuff. Next month looks to be a cunning plan too and I'm certainly looking forward to your "7TV" BatRep :-)

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    1. Thanks, Simon. I knew I could rely on your support for my new blog. We're still working on a name for it.

      The Weird West figures by Black Scorpion that I've almost finished painting are absolute beauties and in my opinion, the best Weird West villains I've seen. Check out the Old West Terrors on their webstore if you want a sneak preview, although theirs are unpainted.

      I backed "Hollywood Havoc" because I want the Tomb Raider and Elvira figures!

      I've yet to play my first 7TV2e game but it's going to happen very soon.

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    2. I do like the "Black Scorpion" minis but don't like their resin, having previously collected their stuff when they were metal castings. As a result I'll be really interested to see your thoughts on them and how your paintbrush got on.

      It just goes to show how much I looked at the Hollywood Havoc KS as I never even saw the Elvira stretch goal. I was in from the start as I just love Universal Monsters... and was rather delighted with Peter Cushing's Baron being unlocked :-)

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    3. Simon, the resin figures by Black Scorpion are top quality - full of detail and they take my acrylic paints very well. I have nothing but praise for them.

      As for Elvira I have always been a fan of her.

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  2. 8 years?! B*****y Hell, that's good going! (even if 2009-2016 is 7 years by my reckoning). I'm having great difficulty in posting twice a week myself - even once is sometimes taxing - so I have a lot of appreciation for the effort you put in. Long may it continue!

    I have mixed feelings about multiple blogs run by the same person. If they're completely unrelated then fine, but in this case I think there's a certain amount of overlap. I can't imagine how much more effort it must be to keep 2 or more blogs running, though!

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    1. Good catch, Hugh. It is seven years of blogging and I've duly edited my post.

      I feel that my Chibi passion would be better suited on a separate blog. I know you like them, but not everyone does and some folk will be very glad to see no more Chibi stuff on Vampifan's World of the Undead. I post twice a week as is and could easily post three times a week. I have a LOT of spare time. As for how much effort it'll take that all depends upon my enthusiasm level and when it comes to blogging it is always high! I'm sure I'll manage. Plus, it won't just be me running the new blog. Steve will be contributing just as much.

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    1. Thanks, Clint. You'll be happy to see no more Chibi stuff here!

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  4. Nice one Bryan, keep on blogging! I struggle with time but often can string a run of posts together in a sitting and parcel them out. Like you my enthusiasm for blogging is very high and I often find it drives my hobby as well as I actually finish pieces in order to show them so my output has definitely increased as a result.

    Not sure I'm quite there with the chibi stuff yet dude, maybe if I ever get to play a game it might spin it around for me, but I'll still read what you put out there as I always look forward to your posts.

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    1. I know the feeling about having so much material to post. It has happened to me. Indeed I have a stack of figures for 7TV2e I want to review right now.

      Chibi gaming is very much an acquired taste. I'd say try before you buy if you can. Or just read my blog and I'll tell you what's good and why!

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  5. Congratulations on the 7 years, Bryan! Time runs fast, eh?

    I think having a separate blog for All things Chibi isn't a bad idea at all. At the risk of sounding like a suck up, I still remember how your blog pushed me to Zombie wargaming (although I can't remember how I learned about zombie games at the very start!) and I'm sure there's many like it.

    I digress, I wanted to say it's great to know that there will be a site just like this one for Chibi miniatures as well!

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    1. Many thanks, Mathyoo, and I know you certainly aren't a suck up. I think splitting my Chibi posts from my main blog will be a good one and it makes sense to me.

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  6. Congratulations Bryan! Massive milestone Dude! Your blog has inspired me to start my own attempt, in a way it's changed my life.
    Here's to many more sir. A massive thank you.
    I eagerly await your posts every week and they spur me on when I'm dragging feet.

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    1. And it's fair to say that you and your blog inspires me too, Bob. I hope to carry on blogging for a very long time, health permitting, of course!

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  7. Happy Birthday, Bryan! Thanks for all.

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  8. Congrats old boy, and a busy schedule ahead. Good luck with that. If you want a technical adviser for your cop project don't hesitate to email me. PS if you want a real flavour of the genre, read the 'Horses Arse' books by Clive OWEN, they're the closest my pals and I have come to the reality.

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    1. Thanks, Bob. Of course you used to be a policeman. My 7TV2e cops and robbers project will be based on TV fiction and not real life. But I do appreciate both your offer to be a technical adviser and the book recommendation.

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  9. Wow, seven years? That is impressive. You have set a wonderful example for a great blog. Your batreps are one of the main things that brought me to the zombie apocalypse gaming genre! Hopefully we get many more years of great reports.

    Keep going, and best of luck with the additional blog! Cheers!

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    1. Many thanks, Steve. Seven years and counting - I'm very proud of that achievement. After this summer there will be a lot more ATZ batreps. I'm waiting for a load of new scenery before I restart my campaign.

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  10. I knew you'd been blogging for a while, but looks like you've trumped Mr Awdry! Whilst I've yet to be bitten by the Chibi bug, but I can see the appeal and will certainly be checking it out, if only to see how you're Vampi conversion turned out (especially as I may have had something to do with it...)
    Congratulations on your milestone - you keep blogging and I'll keep reading!

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    1. Thanks, Jez. You are spot on - the Vampirella conversion came about precisely because of your suggestion. I truly thank you for that. It was something I HAD to do!

      I have every intention to keep on blogging. It's a huge part of my life nowadays.

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  11. *smiles* live long and perspire.... no I mean prosper.


    Hey, how about "Chibis in Spaaaaaace"


    *coughs and reaches for the medication from nursie*


    Steve :))

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    1. Never mind the nurse - it'll be the men in white coats I'll be calling!

      Keep 'em coming, Steve. We're nearly there.

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  12. In the opening picture of Vampirella and friends/foes, who is that person with blood seeping from her/his eyes? I have a self made up character in head (at the mind`s eye stage) for my fantasy campaigns what has weeping blood eyes; so it was a nice surprise to spot an existing Vampy char` like it?


    I`m interested to know more.... if only to make sure MY character wont have too many similarities.

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    1. I'd be very surprised if your character is anything like miss bleeding eyes from the Vampirella story She is the Blood-Red Queen of Hearts. Formerly the Whore of Babylon, her spirit became infused with a Queen of Hearts playing card. Whenever a woman touches the card, she magically becomes this topless serial killer. Originally the Queen wanted to marry the mad-god Chaos, and she needed a dowry of seven human hearts. Vampirella's heart was to have been the last, but the Queen's demon lost his eyes and tore the Queen's out in anger. The Queen later cut out Vampirella's eyes in revenge, but the former was killed by the same demon and the latter had her eyes restored by a space doctor. The Queen's "sister," actually another woman possessed by the card, had an incubus kill six women for their hearts and planned to have Vampirella become the bride of Chaos. She then killed the incubus and used his heart to summon Chaos. But his spilled blood drove Vampirella into a feeding frenzy and she broke her bonds. She drank much of the Queen's blood, and then threw her into the mad-god's giant hand. He then took the latest Queen to his hellish dimension. The Queen later possessed Vampirella and her friends in the Queen's Gambit story arc.

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  13. "what has weeping blood eyes""


    Goodness, what ever happened to my English there.... WHO has weeping blood eyes, I mean..

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  14. *thinks to self*

    who did what to whom?


    hmmmmmm


    *think s some more*

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    1. My reply to your question above should answer that.

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  15. WOW..... WOOOOOOW!!! What a story arc. Hmmmmm I may just have to buy this mammoth hardback graphic novel for myself. I don`t suppose the storyline you describe is included in this book though, is it? Sounds like something that developed over many years of telling.

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    1. Alas, you are right. This was a story arc that developed over many years. Sadly there isn't a TPB featuring just Vampirella and the Blood-Red Queen of Hearts. The original stories featuring the Queen were printed in black and white when Vampirella was published by Warren. They are collected in the Vampirella Collection of hardback TPBs but I'd need to check which particular volumes. There are currently 13 volumes.

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  16. DCI Gene Hunt what a guy. I really enjoyed life on mars such a cracking idea and it was so well done. ashes to ashes just carried it all on. 7TV batreps i'm looking forward to all day long the scope of narrative is just endless.

    You've had a great March here's to April being just as good

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    1. DCI Gene Hunt is such a brilliant character, Damon. April is already gearing up to be a great month with lots going on.

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