Cancon 2015

Well I survived Cancon with two small people but it wasn’t easy.  3yr olds don’t sleep well in strange hotel rooms.  I went to three painting classes on the Saturday and two on the Sunday.  I’ve never been to a painting class so was a bit unsure of the format.  But they happen pretty rarely so I went in as many as the family would cope with.  Most of the techniques I knew about and had trialled sometime in my life, but seeing them done well by someone who knows what they are doing make a huge difference.  With El Torres I kind of taught myself glazing through trial and error, but having someone else show me how much they dilute paint (which was way more then thought) was great.  I liked the speed of two brush blending but I’m not sure on it over glazing.  Plus licking all that paint did leave a strange taste..

I entered El Torres in the painting competition but missed out.  Talking with one of the judges afterwards I got a number of good pointers.  Most of them tied pretty much directly back into the classes I had attended :)  More contrast, more washes, more ground elements on the base.  Good news is I managed find another 54mm figure in the bring and buy so I’ve got a few options for next year (or maybe even wintercon).  Also most of my items I took to the bring and buy sold.

But now onto the best part of a post convention blog entry, the swag bag…

DBA version 2.2 $10 - always wanted a copy (I first played 1.0 when it came out) and didn’t really want to pay $50 for the new 3.0 version.  It matches up with HoTT 2.0, which the wife plays, so now I can buy those 28mm romans and not feel guilty.

Main Event wrestling $1 - no idea, but I can’t go past a $1 game.  You only have to play it once for it to pay off.  Failing that I get a zip lock plastic bag at least.

Fight City $3 - The Cheapass games are usually pretty good and at that price why not.

GW spider set $4 - for use in dioramas

Small dog by Eureka $1 - 28mm dog, he’s going into the next Dark Age village

Tribal Warrior (orc) $20 - A cancon release for Twelve Elements of War.  A nice looking resin figure who is 40mm tall.  Something different to try.

Allied Vehicles accessory set $5 - some bits missing but much better value than the $15+ retail price.  I’m pretty sure I’ll keep doing the odd 1/35 scale items so things like this are always good.

Lots of Fernvale Scenics terrain - well this was going to be a terrain blog, so I need some more bits :)  Just like the durability of the resin so I picked up two long (flexible) hills, a mid size rock formation and the Oasis.  The rock formation wasn’t anything I couldn’t make myself, but the resin is just going to last so much better over something made from foam (like my old LoTR stuff).  Also when the pieces cost $5-10 each, I’m in.  The oasis I wanted after my last one was ruined by the awful water effect pellets I used.  I also got a small rock formation for free when the owner saw me with the kids.  Seeding the next generation of customers.

MA-19 Albericus, prince of Novograd $10 - a 54mm knight by Soldiers, from Italy.  The figure is helmeted which isn’t great but at $10 I need all the practice 54mm figures I can get.

25mm Hex bases $2 - Last time I wanted hex bases, no one had them.  Now I find 20 of them for $2.  Into the stock pile.

I resisted all the old $10 war-games that needed a good home, I have enough of those now.  Also hats off to the MOAB crew for running the Bring and Buy.  It's always a highlight of the experience.