Hobby Studio Build: Part III

It's been several months since I've posted an update on the hobby studio. Well, it's been bumbling along in fits in starts, but progress has been made. 

The main overhead door was installed in January after a 5 month delay. It was sourced from an American company. Apparently being a 'favoured trading partner' has its limits, as our order was bumped 4 times by later-arriving domestic customers. I was not impressed. Anyway, better late than never, here is a shot of the door, finally installed. Funny thing is that, being a gaming studio, it hardly gets opened, but it looks nice and I'm sure the next owners will make good use of it. 

We plunked down for a model that offered a bit more insulation, which should help during the colder months.

After living with it for a few months we found the west wall of the studio was rather bland looking, and so decided to retrofit it two thin horizontal windows (found at the ReStore recycling) to add a bit more visual interest. They're also nice in that they introduce a little more natural light into the space.

As the interior was not yet insulated and heated, the onset of Old Man Winter enforced a pause on the project.

Early this spring we picked out our siding, and after four months of delays (again due to Covid) it was installed just last week. 

This is the interior side, facing into our courtyard. That's Eddie, our siding contractor, doing his thing. 

For the exterior siding, we went with a vertical bat profile as it seemed more in-line with the design of our house. We also decided to clad the four corners of the studio in teak stained pine boards for it to better tie-in with the other design elements on our property. Here are a few before and after shots:

We hope that the overhead door and corner cladding adds a bit of warmth to a fairly austere design.

Next up in this project is completing the eavestroughs and the exterior lighting. After that, we'll finally get into the fun stuff: the interior work to finish the game room. 

Thanks for dropping in folks - I hope you have a terrific week!

- Curt

'Boris the Bunny Summoner', his Murder Bunnies and the dreaded Jackalope

I know, I know, I said I'd do an update on the gaming clubhouse, but I'm waiting for some stuff to be installed, so I thought I'd wait and do a post after those are completed.

So what do we have today? Well, let's continue on my current fixation with all things Moonstone by looking at a few new additions to the Faun contingent.

When I first showed Sarah the Moonstone figures she was immediately attracted to the Faun as they had 'Boris the Bunny Summoner'.

Well, it's true, Boris is pretty darn awesome. While his personal stat line is not that impressive, he does have one ability that absolutely rocks: he can summon rabbits. Oh no, these are not normal rabbits, boys and girls. Nooo, our Faun Boris can summon a bloodthirsty trio, a fluffle no less of Murder Bunnies(!), AND if the stars align, he can call forth the ferocious (and slightly ridiculous) Jackalope! 

The Murder Bunnies individually are not especially powerful, but with Boris being able to control them remotely, a trio of them can cause quite a bit of mischief and mayhem.

The Jackalope is, literally, a different beast entirely. Very dangerous and quite manoeuvrable, this huge horned hare is a force to contend with. Once Boris manages to summon it (no easy task in of itself), the Jackalope is treated as an additional character for the Faun player to use. 

This floppy-eared apex predator can handily leap over very large obstacles, takes great delight in skewering enemies with his spikey antlers and can chomp them with his 'nasty, big, pointy teeth'. Essentially, the Jackalope is Elmer Fudd's nightmare, writ large.

Thanks for dropping in folks! I hope you're having a terrific day.

Next Up: Gnomes!

Faun Troupe for 'Moonstone'

Yes, the 'Moonstone' fever rages on with another faction for the game to explore. Today we have the Faun who populate the forest glens and green meadows of the world of Taubur.

A little more rustic than the Humans and Goblins, the Faun provide a very characterful contingent for the game. These are not the crude, brutal Beastmen seen in Warhammer, but rather are more along the lines of Shakespeare's 'Puck', or the 'Faun' from del Toro's 'Pan's Labyrinth'. 

In game terms they are a relatively resilient, quick-moving faction, utilizing magic that manipulates nature and summons animal allies to assist them.

These three 35mm figures are cast in resin and compose the 'Hunting Horns' box set. 

'Hoff' is the leader of this group. He's quite solid in close combat (with a ferocious charge ability), and can also give his fellow Fauns a movement boost by giving a blast on his hunting horn.

'Jayda' is a straightforward soldier type. Fleet of foot (hoof?), great with her bow, and also can be quite nasty in close combat.

'Mr. Toodles' (his name cracks me up) is the classic faun, more along the lines of what you'd encounter in Greek mythology - all about booze, music and merrymaking. He's essentially a healer, but can cause all kinds of mischief with his flute and various 'elixirs'.

Next up will be an update on the Gaming Studio and some nifty buildings for Moonstone.

Thanks for dropping in! I hope you're having a terrific day.

-Curt

'Dim & Dimmer', Two-Headed Giant for 'Moonstone'

Continuing on with my obsession with all things 'Moonstone', here is 'Dim & Dimmer', a rather cantankerous two-headed giant, out for a stroll and a bit of lunch. 

Again, similar to many of the models for this game, there is a wonderful sense of whimsy and character to this fellow (these fellows?). I love the cow over their shoulder and the 'bagged lunch' hanging from their belt.

I had a bit of fun painting the tattoo on their belly. I figured the ubiquitous t-shirt meme 'I'm With Stupid' (with a Giant's take on the spelling) would be a suitable tag on their expansive gut.

In game terms, 'Dim & Dimmer' is quite unpredictable as they're largely governed by random card draw, but if the stars align, then opponents are likely to end up as a bagged lunch. :)

Thanks for dropping in. I hope you're having a terrific day!

-Curt

Goblin Airship for 'Moonstone'

Today I present to you a Goblin Airship. 

I know, demented, isn't it? When I first saw it on the Moonstone website I knew I had to get one for my collection. It's just so charmingly whacky.

The 'airship', a poor frog whose been bunged up to contain its 'hot air', provides some 'vertical dimensionality' for the forces of the goblin 'Dominion'. 

I used Kermit the Frog as my muse for this model. I shaved down the pupil of one eye, so it could painted with the eyelid closed. I think it helps convey the poor guy's sense of distress. For the flag, I kept the same blue and white checked livery as my existing goblins.

I scrapped the stock stand and replaced it with a magnetic ball and gimbal set-up, so it can be easily separated for transport.

If you look hard you can see that the gondola has a little goblin peering out, manning a Maxim gun, (really it's a 'pea shooter', with the hopper for the peas at the end of the barrel).  He also has a cup of tea (cappuccino?) sitting precariously next to him. You know, for when he goes on union breaks.

Love. It.

Next up: A Two-Headed Giant(!) from Moonstone.

Thanks for dropping in folks! Have a terrific day!

-Curt