The Ghostbusters Cometh

        So it's no secret that I'm an advocate of Kickstarter. Since the delivery of Mars Attacks! by Mantic Games, I've been trying to find another Kickstarter campaign that would scratch the same itch and today I think I finally have. Cryptozoic Entertainment launched their Ghostbusters: The Board Game Kickstarter and I have to say, I really like it. While it's a board game, it comes with a ton of plastic miniatures that I look forward to painting (based on the demo images shown so far, they look pretty good).

*Minor side point- Some of the ghosts look they would make excellent Tzeentch Horrors, depending on the actual size of the figures.

     The art style is very cartoony and may turn away some potential buyers, but I think if you're a fan of the movies, this game is something that would appeal to you. They've launched with an ambitious goal of $250,000. Comparing this to Mars Attacks! which closed at over $550,000, I'm confident that this game will fund.

     A lot of the discussion surrounding the game has been about the Add-Ons currently available, which are (at the time that this was written) just the models from the base game with a different coloured plastic and the rules for an "Impossible Mode". For the additional costs, it would be nice to at least see different poses or additional minor details on the figures. Another concern has been about the Glow-in-the-Dark Slimer figures, which are a Kickstarter Exclusive and are only available in the very pricey Retailer Bundle, while many other supporters would like to buy them as well. Finally there is also a lot of chatter about the shipping costs being too high, which I think is the most prominent concern as they were quite surprising. (I'll have to pay $30 USD to ship to Canada, while some other folks in Europe will have to pay as much as $45!) Cryptozoic has promised an update soon, and I'm hoping this will lay many of the concerns to rest.

      I'm anxious for the Add-Ons to start up in the near future. For the $125 Mass Hysteria Bundle, I think the Add-Ons will determine whether it's actually worth the cost in the end. That being said, I only care about these issues because I want this game to be awesome. This is a neat product which I want to see more of, and eventually I would really like to paint up the Ghostbusters. Fingers crossed, and lets hope it all works out for the best.

What are your thoughts on this Kickstarter campaign? Post below in the comments section, or tell me on Twitter (Nothing But Sixes @nothingbutsixes). Thanks for reading! 

Weekly Update: Scientific Advancements and a Touch of Forestry

     And we're back with another hobby update! (Studio audience cheers halfheartedly...) I have exams this week for university, so the progress is pretty light. Honestly it's a miracle that I have anything to show, let alone the time to throw any kind of post. That being said, this week's update will seem even more rushed than usual. My apologies for that, but I've also got some big things planned for next week, so make sure to check in! This week focused on more of the Marian Science Division and some new terrain which I'm particularly pleased with.

     So another five Science Division miniatures down, five left (including Wrex). There's not a whole lot to say about these guys. My one criticism for these models is that once you mix the unit with the Bug Handlers, it's hard to tell which ones are supposed to be which. It'll be in the rules somewhere, but it would be nice if it was a little more clear. I might make some kind of a unique feature to distinguish them later. 

I'm a fan of the Science Division face-masks. It's a cool detail that really differentiates them from other Martians and adds some character to the figures. 

The Science Division heavy weapon Martian is one of my favourite figures in the entire Mars Attacks! miniatures line. He's got an excellent pose and a cool gun.

The cable reminded me of painting the old school plastic Skaven tails from Games Workshop. 

     I've been looking at historicals more and more lately, so I decided to make some terrain for a generic forest environment for future games of interest and double as Venusian Jungle terrain for Warzone Resurrection. I used old CD's for the bases, insulation foam for the rocks, and then Woodland Scenics trees. I also threw in some Army Painter Ivy which I was especially pleased with. Out of any of the scenics products used here, I think the ivy made the most significant aesthetic difference.

     And to finish things up, I started working on the Burning Cattle piece for Mars Attacks. I'm not crazy about the three cows being a single model, but the figure is so much better than the cardboard cutout that comes in the base game.

Thanks for reading, I hope you've gotten some level of hobby inspiration for the week. If you like the Nothing But Sixes Blog, you can subscribe by email or hit the Google +1 button to recommend it to your friends. For more Nothing But Sixes content, you can follow me on Twitter (Nothing But Sixes @nothingbutsixes).

Hobby Update: Attack of the Giant Update!

     I've got another big update this week, thankfully it was a very productive week for hobby work and I was able to get a lot done. At long last the end of the Mars Attacks! project is in sight. That isn't to say that I'm finished, but the number of figures left to paint is manageable.

     First up is Sidney Rose on his flea, Henry. This was a fun figure to paint, particularly after reading the Attack from Space comic. I used the Vallejo Air Leather Brown primer as the basecoat for the flea and I was impressed with the result. I also experimented with Secret Weapon's washes for the first time, using their Sewer Water wash for the flea. I really like the colour and consistency of the wash, but it leaves a glossy finish once dry.

I didn't like this sculpt at first glance, but once painted, I think it looks really good. 

 I used Khorne Red as the basecoat for Sidney's suit. I wanted his outfit to look suitable tacky and ridiculous (as he works at a carnival, it seemed like a fitting choice). 

     I also cracked open the Intact Scenery from the Mars Attacks! Kickstarter. It can be a pain to put together, and the gaps left for the connectors look goofy when assembled. It's still some very functional,  easily accessible terrain and a great way to start off with urban terrain. I would recommend combining the ruined scenery with intact pieces for the best possible effect. 

Each two-story building I made has a door on the front and back of the building. I plan to play it with a houserule stating that models can move through the doors as part of their movement, and then end their movement on the second floor (this action would count as the model moving twice that round, so it couldn't shoot in the same round). 

As you can see, this building is a combination of ruined and intact building components. 

This building was made entirely from the intact scenery components. It looks good, but I like the partially ruined buildings more. I think I will paint this building up as either an ice-cream parlour or a florist's shop. I'm going to use some of the Army Painter Ivy in the hanging plant pot. 

     I also got some more work done on the Martian vehicles, and their pilots this week. I need to find a way to add some more colour to the robots, but I'm satisfied with the saucers as they are. 

I finished off Attack Saucer Numero Two this week, leaving only the resin Crashed Saucer terrain piece to be painted. 

The Big Stompy Robots are a little too paint for my liking as they currently are. I'm thinking about painting the tanks on their backs either red like the Martian infantry or black like their weapons. 

A giddy Martian, ready to smash the pathetic human resistance. 

     I painted up another resin car from the Mars Attacks! Kickstarter campaign. I used a tip from a reader, and used Citadel's Averland Sunset to clean up any unwanted black paint on the yellow surfaces. This proved to be very useful advice and I would recommend it to anyone working with a lot of yellow. 

The taxi is the most intact of the resin cars that I bought, and it leaves me wishing it was a little more smashed up. 

     I also wanted to paint up some more character models this week, so I finished up the Alternate Pose General Tor as well as General Zar from the Attack From Space expansion box. I was impressed with both figures, particularily General Zar. He will likely be my go-to model for using as a Martian general. 

I'm still working on Tor's cape to get the same transition effect on the front side. Red ink will be your friend if you decide to wet-blend something similar to this. 

Zar is a very plain yet characterful figure. He stands out from the rest of the Martian range without having too much added onto his sculpt. He's definitely one of my favourite Martian figures. 

     I finished the first five of my Martian Science Division figures this weekend. I'm looking forward to painting some of the more characterful poses, and I really like the design of their armour. These are great figures and add some colour variety to the Martian collection.

     Lastly, I've continued to paint the Warzone Resurrection Imperials and I've started on painting the Greyhound LAFV. In all honesty, this is one of the few models in this line of miniatures that I don't like. I just want to get it done so I can put in an order for the next batch of Imperials (of including a Hurrican Walker because those things are beautiful models). I painted the dirt onto the tracks using progressively lighter layers of brown applied with a sponge.