Marvel, Batman, Warmachine, X-Wing, 40K and more in North Cornwall

Hey folks,
Are you in or around North Cornwall UK?

I new club has started up at the Poldark Inn, Delabole on a Friday night.

The LEG Tabletop Wargames play all sorts from Marvel to 40K. X-Wing to Warmachine and Across the Dead Earth to Batman.

You can find the clubs Facebook group HERE. Or if you are not on the book of faces, just show your interest below and we can sort out contact.

Here are a few shots from the last couple of weeks.

Hope to see a few of you there in the future (They have a bar!)

- Hendybadger

Tabletop Art - Crystal Tech Energetic Vault

Recently I had contact (using the Contact Hendybadger link to the right) from the guys at Tabletop Art suggesting I check out their website. They thought I would like some of the scenery and bases they make. They were right!
When they then said to pick some things I like the look of to review on the site I was spoilt for choice!
One thing stood out above all the other goodies though.

Crystal Tech - Energetic Vault

Looking at this awesome scenery piece in the above pictures it would be a PERFECT objective for a Necron force or to build a Tomb World around. As I don't collect 40K, I had a different idea. 
With crystal powered ancient tech being a big thing in Deep Wars, if this was textured a little and painted up in stone it would make a great underwater energy source!

The Vault comes in a sturdy card box with a full colour photo of 2 different views on the front. No mistaking what you are going to get.

When you open the box you find these pieces above. A base, crystal column, 4 supports and a top. All are in resin.

The top and bottom are flat and blank underneath. They didn't need any cleaning up at all as they were perfectly cast. The supports have a little extra resin on the bottom that needed clipping off but as that is where they glue in there is not need to clean it up any more than that.

30mm base for scale

The supports also had a slight mould line running around the thin edges that will need cutting back a little with a hobby knife if you want a perfectly smooth surface for a Necron piece. But as I wanted it rougher anyway, this wasn't really a problem.
The crystal column had a litte flash (thin extra resin) around the ends but that came off just by running my finger over it. As a thin resin piece it wasn't totally straight. when dry fitting the piece I found I had to heat the centre of the crystal a little to bend it straight. I was only a couple of mm though. Nothing major.
There parts didn't have any bubbles or miscasts that you often find with resin which was a great thing.

Onto the building!

The Vault went together perfectly once I have bent the crystals a little. The supports fit snug into the base and the top just rests on them. I did glue it on though so it didn't fall off and get damaged.

As you can see by the good Doctor (28mm mini, 30mm base) beside it, the Energetic Vault is a BIG piece of scenery. With thin supports and a flat top it means it is also a piece of scenery you can play 'on' or 'in' instead of just around.
Personally I will probably cut off the cables on the bottom and give it a VERY light coat of texture for a worn granite or marble effect. It will have been under the sea for 100s of years so isn't going to look perfect!

Price - The Vault comes in at roughly £14 from Tabletop Art. I doubt you will find a detailed piece of resin scenery the same size anywhere else for that price. I was honestly surprised when I looked at how much it was. I expected around £30 minimum.
You can also find an entire range of Crystal Tech scenery and bases to go with it.

Overall - The Energetic Vault is very different from a lot of scenery you see on the market. It would be at home on a Necron board, as ancient tech or even in a mad scientists lab.
With the size, quality, detail and price I am seriously impressed. It is actually as good as it looks!

9 out of 10 Badger Points
If the supports needed less cleaning and the crystal didn't need bending it would have been 10! I really do like it that much!

Check back next week for a look at the Tabletop Art Gabion terrain .

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Paint the City Pink Charity Auction!!!!!!!

The weeks of preparation, painting, judging, chatting to the amazing donors and more have all led up to this.

The First Ever Paint the City Pink Auction!!!!

For those that haven't seen PtCP yet, it all started a long time ago.
Last year we ran an Breast Cancer Brawl WarmaHordes tournament. It went amazingly well and the plan was to run another this year. Unfortunately our local club closed down so we didn't have a venue.
In that time I spotted that the BCB team had contacted Pulp City to arrange a similar system to help raise funds for Breast Cancer Awareness.
This game me an idea.
With more readers on the blog each week it would be the perfect place to run a fundraiser. A painting contest with some awesome prizes donated by some awesome companies. (You can see all the donors, categories and prizes >>HERE<<)
When all the entries were in, EVERY SINGLE MINI would then be put up as an auction with the proceeds going to Cancer Research UK and the Breast Cancer Campaign

The original plan was to use just Pulp City minis. But after a couple of people said they didn't have them or couldn't get them, PtCP was opened up to ANY miniatures.

So here we are.
The painting contest winners were announced yesterday and the auction begins now!

How will this work?
The Paint the City Pink auction will run from today for 2 weeks. Ending at midnight GMT on Dec  22nd
There are 5 groups of miniatures. Each with roughly 10 minis in. Links below.
To bid on a mini, go to the group it is in and comment at the bottom with the name of the mini and your bid in GBP / £ UK Pounds.
The bids are in £ Pounds as this is a UK based site and with readers (and hopefully bidders) from around the world it makes things easier to keep it all in a single currency.

At the end of the 2 weeks the winners of each mini will be announced. The winners then have 3 weeks to pay via the 'Donate' button at the top of the page. Deadline is Jan 12th 2013.. Including the mini name, their own name and address so I know where things need to go!
The 3 weeks to pay takes it past the holidays so no reason to panic.
As this is a charity fundraiser, I do ask that people include £1 for UK postage and £2 for International postage.

The Groups

Group 1 - Pulp City - HERE
Group 2 - Pulp City - HERE
Group 3 - Supers - HERE
Group 4 - Warhammer - HERE
Group 5 - Others - HERE

Auction prizes
There are a couple of prizes at this stage as well.

Highest Combined Auction Donation (payment): 28 Hasslefree Blisters
Highest Value Mini in the Auctions: Half size Card KR Case, Fenris Games Bases

Top 10 Highest Value Minis: Fat Dragon Capital City set, Ltd Ed Freebooter Mini
Random Draw:  Pulp City Mourn Miniature

I would once again like to thank all of the companies that have been kind enough to donate prizes for this fundraiser. It really does mean so much. Please check that all out at the top of this page under 'Blog Supporters'
At the same time I would like to thank everybody that has taken part in the painting side with LOADS of entries and tons of support.

Please share this around to all of your gaming friends out there. The more we can raise, the more lives we can help make a difference to.

With the auction finally upon us, I can now show my own entries!
Top to bottom are Dr Tenebrous, Tangent and the Green Serpent. (Pink Serpent sounded too dodgy)
I am currently try to teach myself how to paint without using just dry brushes and washes so go easy on them!

Happy Bidding

Hendybagder awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Paint it Pink Entries - Loads of Them!

LOADS of Paint the City Pink entries to show you today. Everything from Pulp City minis to 40K and Mordheim ones!

A stunning Nuclear Jones by Cliff the big red dog

Androida literally painting the city pink! By Stefan

A Mysterious 'pink' Man by Scott X

Harrier by Pulp Citizen

A Zombie Survivor by Possum Craft

Blood Angel Space Hulk Terminator by Alexander

LOADS of models by Mars. Everything from Chronoscope to Mordheim. Even some old 40K minis.

Lots of stunning models and amazing paint jobs!
There are still more to see as well!

I keep saying I am doing 3 myself but haven't shown anything yet.
So here is a WIP shot the what I'm doing.

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Menoth Colossal + Galley Wench #3 - How she began

Whats this that has been floating around the net today?
Could it be bits of the Menoth Colossal?

The Galley Wench also has something new today. A little intro into how she started gaming.
Enjoy!

And a questiond for you all.
Is there anybody out there that has some spare Merc Warjack parts? If so, shoot me a message!

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Legionary 2012 Gaming Show, May 5th, Devon, UK

Its almost time for the great con again, Legionary!
Held at the Matford Centre, Exeter, Devon on May 5th. Full details are on the Legionary Website

A word from one of the organisers, Mike:

Exeter Legionary is the biggest wargames show in the South West, and  has been run by several different clubs over its 20 year history. The Exmouth Imperials have been involved as co-organisers for five years now, and in our first year in sole charge hope to make the show even bigger and the most varied wargames event in the area. 
We have twenty wargames traders selling historical, fantasy and sci fi figures, rules and terrain; over a dozen demonstration or participation games ranging from 422BC to manga-inspired sci fi (and 80s Super Heros - HB); tournaments for Warhammer and something out of the ordinary to test your skills in Warhammer 40K; and the usual huge and busy bring and buy. 
So if you want to buy, sell, play or just look at wargames on May 5th 2012 there's no better place in England 

Exmouth Imperial Wargames Society is a wargames club that has been running for over 10 years in Exmouth, East Devon. We meet every Wednesday night in the function room of The Bath House on Exmouth seafront (next to Elizabeth Hall). We play a wide range of games - historical, fantasy and science fiction - and all scales. We'd welcome more players so if you're in the area, feel free to pop in.

North Cornwall Beats and Bionics / Tales of a Tabletop Skirmisher will also be there running Pulp City demo and participation games.

Hope to see afew of you there.
Full report will follow on here after.

Hendybadger out

Product Review: Biostrip 20 - Metal AND Plastic Paint Stripper

At last, a water-based paint remover that REALLY works!

Biostrip is a revolutionary new range of water-based products, specifically designed for all aspects of paint removal. The range includes paint and artex strippers, graffiti removal products, textured paint remover and wheel stripper. The Biostrip range has proven performance and is comparable with traditional solvent-based technology. 

The wonderful team over at Biostrip have given me the chance to review one of their top products.

To start with, here is the info on the Biostrip paint stripper direct from the site.

BIOSTRIP 20 ™ is a revolutionary new paint stripper that is safer for both the user and the environment. It is suitable for use in the home by the DIY enthusiast and also for large industrial applications as an alternative to Methylene Chloride based products.

Product Benefits include:

• Water-based - no losses due to evaporation, non flammable, odour free, solvent free, VOC free
• Non Toxic - safer for the user and the environment
• Non Caustic - Does not darken wood, pH neutral, does not cause burns
• Thixotropic (thickened) solution - Clings to vertical surfaces - no drips or runs, hence no waste, Economical in use.
• Does not give off hazardous or noxious fumes - ventilation not required. Suitable for use indoors or in confined spaces
• Non Irritant

Suitable Substrates:

• All wood types
• All metals, including alloys
• Stone
• Brick
• Marble
• Concrete
• Plastered surfaces
• Most plastics (test a small area before use)

Coatings removed:

• Polyester and epoxy powder coatings
• Water based coatings
• Varnish
• Primers, including aerospace primers
• Chrome containing primers
• Oil based paints
• Emulsion
• Wood stains

 Sound good? It does to me. I have spent several hours with pots of nail varnish remover trying to clean up models picked up from ebay. Usually ending up stinking of the stuff and with a slight headache.

After speaking with a rep at Biostrip, I had a parcel arrive at the door.

A sample bottle of Biostrip 20

(click any pics to view larger)

Before trying it out I did the sensible thing. Read the instructions.

According to the bottle you apply liberally all over the surface then leave for 30-60 mins. After that you wash or scrub the surface to remove the paint.

To make sure I tested it one a variety of different substances, I picked out 4 models.

1 GW metal, 1 GW plastic, 1 Heroclix plastic and 1 Heroclix clear plastic. I didn't try resin to start with as I couldn't find a spare resin bit anywhere.

Following the instructions I covered them with the Biostrip using an old paint brush.

1 hour later, I took the model to the sink and brushed off all the Biostrip with an old tooth brush.

And what did I find?

The metal Chaos Marine used to be an Ultrmarine. It didn't remove all the paint but there were some very heavy layers on there.

The plastic Marine had most of the paint removed. With absolutely NO loss of detail or damage to the plastic. That's a win in my book already. It also removed some of the glue which is why some bits are now missing.

The Heroclix figures were barely touched. I don't know if it was the paint or the plastic but something didn't work. I'm sorry Heroclix users but looks like you will have to stick to quick acetone.

Time for test number 2.

I kept with the 2 Marines from the first test to see if I could get any more paint off.

Then added another 2 figures. A plastic Imperial Guardsman and another heavily painted Marine.

Another liberal slap of the Biostrip over all of them and I was ready to test again.

But this time I decided to try it out for longer than the bottle suggested. An entire 24hours!

This could go badly wrong. 

Using acetone to strip minis before I have often left them over night so the time frame wasn't too bad.

The next afternoon came around and it was time to see if the paint was gone. Or even if the models had gone!

I will show them this time separately

The metal marine had very minimal traces of colour left in the deepest recesses. But apart from that, the rest of the paint had gone. The end result was better than any I have had with acetone.

Plastic Marine from test 1. Small sections of colour where there was glue but on the plastic itself it was all gone. With absolutely no loss of detail or damage.

Plastic Marine from overnight test.

This model had LOTS of black spray and paint to start with. After stripping the blacks did leave some stain on the plastic. The paint though had gone. All this would need is another shot of undercoat and you would never know it had been painted and stripped.

The Imperial Guard from the overnight test.

All I can say for this one is 100% success!

No paint, no staining and no damage what so ever.

At the end of these test I was VERY impressed with the Biostrip. Although it didn't clear the paint after an hour, it does say on the bottle that if there's any paint left you should do it again.

My advice would be to leave it overnight in the first place. Great results from that.

I would have to give this a final score of  9 out of 10 

It would have been a 10 if the bottle didn't say 30-60mins.

I didn't pay for this bottle so cant really comment on the price but looking at the Biostrip Site (link)Warhammer army or large Warmahordes force no problem.

I still have LOADS left after doing the above minis a couple of times.  

Biostrip do a range of other products as well. So if you need to strip textured game boards of the poop deck of you ship, they have something that can do the job.

What do you think of the paint stripper?

Are there any other materials you would like to see it tested on? (Privateer Press plastic, Black Scorpion resin etc)

Is it something you would buy and test out?

I have now posted a second part to this review. Testing the stripper on different plastics and resins.

You can find it >>HERE<<

Hendybadger out

UPDATE:

Set up another 24 hour test with different plastics and resins as people have requested