Presenting March's Mad Hobbyist & Something To Hang Your Hat On

I'm proud to announce Cameron, the proprietor of Rust and the City, as this month's Mad Hobbyist!  Since he created his blog last year, I have looked forward each week to stopping over and seeing all of the great projects he's working on.  There has been a progression to what Cameron has been putting together and it's been a true pleasure to follow along and see his skills as a hobbyist grow.

He hasn't been keeping hush about his methods either, among the great WIP's and galleries he's posted, Cameron has also produced a collection of excellent full-picture tutorials.  One of my favorites is his tutorial on adding rust and weathering to terrain pieces.  More often than not, terrain gets overlooked, not to mention given the care it deserves, so it is even more exciting to see a hobbyist taking the time to do it right.

Cameron's chaos renegades and Plague Marines are projects he's worked on since he first started showing off his creations on his blog.  In the beginning his conversions were relatively simple, the mixing of chaos bitz and Guardsmen.  But as time has gone on his models have become increasingly complex, first with the additions of wire, and then even creating his own sculpts from green stuff.

It is Cameron's green stuff modeling that I really take my hat off to.  When done right, Nurgle sculpts look amazing, and his offerings definitely hit the mark.  Green stuff modeling opens up a whole other world of possibilities when it comes to creating a great conversion and it shows with his Nurgle Marines.

Once again, congratulations to Cameron and the great work he does at Rust and the City!  Keep up the great hobby!

As for me, my hobby has slowed a bit as of late.  Getting a 40k league up and running and taking over the local 40k tournaments at my hobby store 31st Century Games & Hobbies have taken up a majority of my time.

Still these projects are extremely rewarding and I'm glad I have the opportunity to support hobby gaming at my local store.  Here's a sneak peek at some of the promotional materials that will be available after the tournament next month on April 7th.

More information will be forthcoming in the days ahead and I'll be sure to share it as it becomes available!

As for the work that I've been putting in for the upcoming 40k tournaments, here's a look at a couple of trophies that first and second place will receive.

In addition to taking home a trophy, winners will be awarded a nice little windfall of store credit for use at 31st Century.  If you'll be in the KC Metro area on the weekend of the 7th, drop by with a 1,500 point force and take a shot at first place or just come and hang out!

Boatman of River Styx Counts as Black Coach WIP

Before we dive into this week's work in progress, I'd like to take a moment to plug the tournament that I will be running on the first Saturday of April, the 7th.  If you're in the KC metro area and want to get in three games of 40k while taking a shot at winning some prize money and a first place trophy to put on your mantle, drop by 31st Century Games & Hobbies in Olathe, Kansas.  The format will be standard force organization charts at 1,500 points per player and three rounds that will test each competitor's abilities to command the table top in a multitude of classic war game situations (objective grab, kill points, securing table quarters, etc.).  Come prepared for a great afternoon of table top fun as you battle through the veil of treachery and the crucible of battle to war game glory!

Now, to the WIP.  Last time we left off after completing the hull and basic structure of the Boatman's vessel.  This week we continue work by hollowing out those large rib sections to make them contour pieces that fit the bend of the boat.  After that, a plasticard plank was laid down the length of the boat resting on the newly trimmed ribs.  I did this for one reason: with the ribs slimmed down and the plank added we can place floorboards for the boat's decking.

While those pieces are drying I moved on to add a length of board along the seam line of the boat's hull.  This covers up where the hull planks meet in the middle fore and aft.

Returning to the interior of the boat, I cut pieces of plasticard and laid them across to create the boat's decking.  Because the boat is for an undead army, I wanted a semi-decrepit and ramshackle appearance.  To do this, I laid the floorboards haphazardly, and gave them wear and tear. 

A really cool feature of the boat is the lantern post on the bow of the boat.  I made if from many little pieces of cut plasticard, and then sanded them down to created the contour I was looking for.

The aft of the boat will also feature a rudder.  I haven't decided where I'll place Charon, the driver, either fore or aft.  If he's at the back, he'll have one hand on the rudder and another on his scythe.  If he's at the front, then I'll have the boat steering itself, it's magical after all!

The construction of the boat is rapidly drawing to a close, stay tuned next time for the finished boat and as we get started on Charon and his undead passenger!