Random Reivew: Poppin' Up The Tees

While cruising through Facebook recently, I stumbled across an ad for Pop Up Tees.  I'd never seen them before but they were running a sale for some Star Wars and Firefly themed t-shirts and I decided I had to get a couple.

Rogue Leader and Best in the Verse

It took a little while for them to ship (they don't mail them until 7 to 12 business days after the current sale ends) but they finally arrived and I have to say they look really sweet.

Unfortunately there are some downsides to how Pop Up Tee works.  Apparently they run sales featuring certain shirts for a limited amount of time.  Once the sale ends, they start processing and shipping the orders which as I mentioned is not the fastest of processes.  Another downside is that once the sale ends I don't know when or if they offer those designs again so you need to swing by their site pretty regularly to see just what they are offering at that time.  Last but unfortunately not least, I did find some complaints about their customer service.  Personally I didn't have any trouble with them at all and I'm really happy with my shirts but I think its only fair to let people know that there have been some issues with them in the past.

Even with all this in mind, this is a site that I'm going to keep my eye on because I'm definitely interested in see what else they come out with.  Until next time...

Random Updates: Games On The Go!

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, we headed all the way across the country to visit my folks back in Vacationland.  We had a lot of fun visiting but let's face it, we're a gaming family at heart.  How could we travel all that way and not bring some games with us?  You'd think this would be easy enough... except for the whole luggage fee.  $25 per suitcase one way?  Really?  In the end I decided that the best option was to get them there the old fashioned way; stick 'em in the mail.  This sounds easy enough but how the heck do you fit it all in one box?

The answer... Zip Lock bags.

While some games out there use the space in their box very efficiently (Small World is a perfect example of this...) there are lots of others out there that come with some inherent dead space.  By packaging most of these games into Zip Locks and leaving their boxes we able to get all of these games into that box with a little bit of room to spare even!  Of course the key to doing something like this is making sure you label the bags so you can easily find all the components.  To make our lives even easier I also noted how many players can play in each and also how long each one takes.  While knowing this might not be a big deal if you are just hanging out with gamers, that extra bit of information can be priceless when non-gamers get into the mix.

Unfortunately we weren't able to put our games to as much use we'd hoped but the times that we did made it all worth it in my mind.  Of course I can't wait to break them out again with the gang back here in Vegas... once the games actually make it back here.  Helps to get them back into the mail a couple of days before you leave so they'll be there when you arrive.  Whoops!  Ah well, still cheaper than bringing another suitcase.  Until next time...

Random Updates: Welcome From The Other Side Of The Country!

Anyone else notice that right after I post that there is more coming that nothing happened?  Yeah, well currently me and the family are on the other side of the country for a family reunion/vacation/look at where grew up trip.  It's been a ton of fun but the blog has been the last thing on my mind.  I have more planned for the future though so be sure to check back in a couple of weeks.  Until next time...

Workbench: Retouching The Wreckage

Back in 2004, Games Workshop released the Battle For Macragge boxed set for 4th edition.  I never picked up this set but I did get my hands on the crashed lander terrain piece that came with it.  I had originally done a really quick paint job on it so I could use it for a game of Starship Troopers but there was a serious emphasis on the "quick".  I brought it to the table a couple of times but its been years since I dug it out so its just been sitting around in all its bland glory.

 

 

Its not horrible looking, its just very... blah.  Of late though, I have started to experiment a little with weathering especially with picking out the sharp edges of things to create a worn look and this seemed like a good piece to give it a try with.  It also gave me a chance to work on my highlighting on a larger scale so I broke out the paints and gave it a shot.

Overall I'm very happy with the results.  By repainting the hull green it really makes the piece pop more and also gives a good contrast to the edging that I did.

I also hit the edges of the broken glass with some gray to make the breaks stand out a little more and added some color to a couple of the hoses coming out of the back of the wreckage.  Definitely a good start but I want to touch up the rest of the wreckage as visually its a really nice piece of terrain.  Until next time...

Random Updates: It's Quiet... Too Quiet

Wow.  It's been how long since I posted?  That's just crazy!!!

Regardless of my silence in the blog, things have definitely not been quiet here in Snowman's Land.  My Bones have arrived, I've bought a handful of new games, listened to a handful of new podcasts, and played a ton of games.

I just haven't written about any of it.  Whoopsy!  Guess its time to play catch up so come back soon!  There will be more on the Dispatch soon.  Until next time...