Happy New Year!

I am now back from vacation and have some time.  So I want to wish all my readers and their families a Happy New Year!  After a nice little break I am looking forward to jumping back into the hobby and especially my campaign.  Thanks for all the comments and encouragement this past year and I look forward to another year with all the great people I've met via this blog and hobby.

-Dan

A Christmas Truce...

A Christmas truce has been declared between myself and the pile of unpainted minis.  For the next couple of weeks I'll be traveling to see family and enjoying Christmas and New Years.  That being said I doubt I will have any time for the hobby.  However, before I left I wanted to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I hope you all get lots of loot under the tree and I look forward to seeing everyone's haul.  The computer I just built was my Christmas present so my hobby related presents will be at a minimum this year.  With that in mind I'll leave you a few pictures of my latest build...

I didn't have to paint anything.

But some assembly was required.

Roadside America Visit

On my way to Fall-In at the end of October I was able to convince the wife to make a stop at Roadside America.  Roadside America is a big indoor model railroad display.  I had visited it once before when I was in elementary school.  I remember really enjoying visiting and wanting to build a huge model railroad display when I got home much to the chagrin of my parents.  This visit although I am older I came away with many of the same feelings.  Actually more then anything it was a great terrain inspiration for wargaming.  I would love to be able to wargame across this layout.  Below are some pictures I took.  However, they are not very good due to the light in the building and distance at which was taking the pictures.

This is the view you get when you enter the building.  The mirrors on the back wall, in the upper left of the picture, add great depth to the whole room.

A few military vehicles in one of the towns

A nice manor house with a fox hunt going on to the right.  Notice the wonderful backdrop mural on the wall behind the layout.

Picture from the back wall of the layout.  In far upper right corner there is a small light over the door through which you enter the room as seen in the first picture above.

A small western themed town

Trains running by the Circus and Airfield

Great terrain and another shot of the wall mural.  I want one of those for my game room.

The picture is dark but you can see a river running through the layout, also notice the hot air balloon.

I'm Still Here...

With the beginning of the holiday season I have been struggling to find time for the hobby.  However, my big excuse has to do with my computer.  After saving for a while and concluding negotiations with SWMBO I was able to buy parts and build my first computer.  After lots of researching and deal hunting I finally collected the parts, assembled them and came away with a working computer at a great price.  It was a very rewarding process and I don't think I'll ever buy a pre-built computer again.  That being said I have been neglecting my other hobby in order to get the computer up and running.  However, I did a have a nice enough day that I was able to get out and prime some of my purchases from the convention.  They are now all sitting on my workbench awaiting my paint brush.

I also may have made a small purchase from a guy on TMP of painted figures.  But they will remain a secret until they make an appearance in my campaign.