The Garden of Gethsemane

True Mother(s)

I've been after this model for a while now and finally managed to buy her last month. Metal version of Nekima has always appealed to me. The sculpt is dynamic and full of character. The level of detail is impressive too. 

There is one major problem with this version though. It's a heavy model and it is attached to base only at one point. This means that it is bound to break at some point, probably sooner than later. Bearing this in mind I cut the leg at this spot and added a long pin to bring extra stability to the link there. It is not a perfect solution by far and I'm still a bit worried it may not last very long but it is better than the original solution anyway. I also slightly repositioned her wings. Nothing fancy, just a minor change that I thought would add more dynamism.
Painting both was rather tricky as they're large models with a lot of details and large wings that make it harder to access some areas.

The plastic alternative version is one of my least favorite miniatures from the range. I initially bought it to use instead of the original plastic one (which is very nice but much too small) but the model seems to be wrongly scaled. Her head and limbs are just too large. Hair on top of her head looks like it's going under her horns and her wings are not in a position they should be during a charge. I could live with these, the thing that really put me off was her sword that looks like a Christmas tree. I immediately replaced a blade using old WFB bits.

Here are two pictures that compare all three versions. Old metal one is by far my favorite, followed by undersized plastic one, and the latest alternative. I'm going to stick with the metal one as it should  be safe during transport in my A-Case.

I haven't been very active on the blog recently and here's why. Together with my three brothers we decided to take part in Runmageddon. Nothing too extreme, 6 km with 30+ obstacles, but it still meant I had to prepare for the event and spent many evening running and working out instead of painting. It was worth it as we managed to complete the race together. It meant a lot to me as I'd had two knee surgeries and really struggled to get back into shape after the second one. For a while I even gave running up but long months of rehabilitation allowed me to return to mu favorite sport. And being able to complete Runmageddon with my brothers was the icing on the cake. Oh well, enough rambling, just one more picture that summarizes the whole thing to me (I'm the one in the front with outstretched arms).

#20/2017 Mississippi Blood

The final part of  Greg Iles' Natchez trilogy takes place mainly in the court as the trial of Tom Cage finally begins. It is an excellent conclusion to the series as the description of the courtroom proceedings are some of the most dynamic and dramatic Iles has produced so far. Everything is shown through the eyes of his son, Penn, whose frantic attempts to understand what seems like self-destructive drive of  his father and his lawyer. As new witnesses present their testimonies, the atmosphere thickens and becomes unbearable for the family. Two lengthy novels have left so many questions unanswered that being able to finally understand the motivations of main characters is very rewarding in itself. The author takes his time and presents them gradually. Despite this, I was still surprised by the final revelation of who was directly responsible for the death of Viola Turner, which set stage for the whole thing.

The author also reflects on the nature of relationship between races as the trial shows that much of  hatred and rage kept in check for years still exists. All of this played a huge part in what motivated the protagonists to act in a certain way.

I found the descriptions of what happened in court truly captivating and many unexpected twists of plot kept it dynamic. However, I was a bit disappointed with final action segments. These seemed too chaotic and didn't make too much sense. 

Bishop!

I haven't been painting a lot recently as work's been crazy. Despite that I consider acquiring this model a major success. I don't know whether I'll use him much in game but that's one of the best alternative sculpts in the range and I can't wait to start painting him! Hardly any hobby progress but at least there's a collector's achievement to talk about :)