Blood Angels Space Marines

I was given a combat squad of Blood Angels assault Marines from Blake (BnB, American Steel) from Life After the Cover Save to paint.  I was glad to receive the marines, and look forward to completing them.  I had to add some bits to complete the miniatures.  I also felt the Sergeant needed a more imposing heroic pose, so I included a banner pole in his left hand.  I will be painting up a LAtCS banner and attaching it to the pole.  I also elevated him above his men by using some cork tile to give the Sergeant a bit more height.  I airbrushed the primary red colors, and will be using my brushes to finish off the detail work.  I plan on using oil paints to shade the models after they have added the decals and a layer of clear coat. 

Taken 2

I watched Taken 2 yesterday for lunch and I have to say it was a letdown.    The lead character Bryan Mills is played by Liam Neeson. Bryan continues to be a Hostage Recovery and Personal Protection bad ass.   The action takes in Istanbul, Turkey, but the begining of the movie takes place in the U.S.  The introduction was very stale and sappy.  The script was to invested in establishing family ties.  I know Bryan loves his wife and daughter, it was clear at the end of the first movie Taken.  I'm not sure why we need to revisit his family and friends for 25 minutes at the beginning of the movie.  The viewers don't learn anything new about Bryans abilties or back story.  We do catch up with him in Istanbul, but we never get to see his skill develope as he keeps a client safe from harm.  All the views gets to see is Bryan being given a fat bonus, and then his ex-wife and daughter show up for no reason.  This is where the bad guys get involoved and the story begins to spiral down to its demise.  

  
 I am not sure why every movie shot in a Muslim country has to begin with a Muezzin doing the Adhan, the Muslim call to prayer.  It’s to clique, and I wish Hollywood would stop doing it.  Just tell me their in a Muslim country, I get it.  The movie's bad guys are okay at what they do.  They are typical hairy back Eastern Euros.  I don't blame them for being who they need to be, every movie needs a stereo type to beat on.  All the fight seems one dimensional, Bryan is going to smash all comers.  There's one fight scene that was really good, towards the end.  Bryan fights a little dude Suko played by Alain Figlarz.  The 2 minute fight was great because both characters are using similar fighting abilities, one trying to out maneuver the other.  Of course Bryan defeats Suko, but it was a real hand-to-hand fight to the death.  Bryan pays Suko honors by closing his eyes at the end of the fight, which I thought was classy. 

I'm not sure where Hollywood was trying to go with Taken 2.  I believe the script could have been written to include a darker look into the world of kidnapping and human trafficking.  Instead the movie has over the top scenes where grenades are being thrown out into public parking lots, and The U.S. Marines shoot 50 Caliber Machinegun rounds into a cab and do absolutely zero damage to it.  I couldn't stomach Taken 2, and walked out before the closing credits.  I do not recommend Taken 2 on the big screen.  If you like watch it on Blue ray or Netflix some day in the distant future. 

West Coast Podcast Alliance weekend

Last weekend I attended the West Coast Podcast Alliance Golden Ticket Event in Palmdale, CA.  I was able to do everything I wanted to do.  I met the podcast hosts from Life After the Cover Save, The Independent Characters, and Imperial Vox Cast.  I thanked them for all the time and effort they put into their shows and promoting our hobby here in California. 

I met several LAtCS celebrities while I was there.  Lets see there was Matt "Long Hair" LAtCS Survivor Series Champion,  Dan "The Magnet Man" with a wonderfully magnetised Tyranid Trygon, and  "Colonel Dracus" of Forge World fame.  It was cool to meet the guys.  They were all friendly and easy going people.  We discussed hobby tips and game strategy while we were there.  I think everyone had a good time. Especially after the pizzas got there, Thanks Ed for ordering those pies. 

I was able to play a four-man game with Josh from LAtCS. We ran my Orks and Josh's Eldar/Dark Eldar vs Matt "Long Hair" and Matt "SavageJester" and their Space Wolfs and Blood Angles respectively. The mass infantry of the Orks, mixed with the rapid deployment options of the Eldar are tough to defend against. Our opponents were good sports and fought to the bitter end. Ultimately it was our numbers that kept our team one step ahead of the Marines. We won the game by a hand full of kill points. 

 

Here are a few pictures of the tables that were being used at the event. 

 

Life After the Cover Save recorded their 56 episode while the event was underway.  Here are some pictures of the hosts interviewing the crews of Imperial Vox Cast, and The Independent Characters.

I had a great time at the Thunderdome, and hope the WCPA makes the Golden Ticket Event an annual affair. 

I was at the Thunderdome well after the rest of the hosts and fans had said their good byes.  Late into the night you could still hear laughter and the sound of rolling dice coming form the Thunderdome.