The Bitz Box

The Hive Tyrant Part 2

2005-08-11T17:25:00.000-05:00

Here is stage 2. The model is not totally glued up. It is pinned in multiple parts for easier painting. I have just dry fit this much together to see the progress.

The main upper body is one piece with the wings pinned and glued. The wings need some green stuff sculpted in and smoothed in with the body. The lower body has the legs pinned and glued as a unit. The tail is not on yet since I will have to bend the tail a bit awkwardly because it is hitting the wing severely .... I will need to play with it a bit.

In the first pic you can see that the left leg is the one hanging off in the air. From the side view it isn't up in the air as much as I thought it would be, plus the weight is pulling that leg down a bit too. I will think about that and whether I want to try and bend the legs any at this point to change the pose.

I started painting the base ... just blacking in the creases right now. I'm still deciding on a final color scheme for both the HT and the Tau.

Comments?

The Hive Tyrant Part 1

2005-08-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

Well, here we go folks!

Here are the parts to Big and Nasty just waiting for more attention.

The body has been glued up. It came in 3 sections and weighs quite a bit.

The base is the big white thing in the middle. It's a fuel tank with a Tau Fire Warrior squatting while "checking his corners". He's not glued down since I will paint him seperate from the tank. The plan is for the Hive Tyrant to be coming over the top of the tank, pushing off with one leg. Here's hoping the vision in my head will actually work!

The wings are bit ordered from the Vampire Counts dragon. I think this will be the hardest part ... figuring out where to attach them and making them look like they belong there.

Comments?

The Hive Tyrant

2005-08-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

Wow, been a long time again!

Ok, this blog was originally set up so I could write about the miniatures gaming hobby, as well as other random junk. Well, seems the random junk took over and nothing gaming-wise has ever been posted, LOL.

Well, here we go. I am starting a project that will be a bit of time in the finishing because I want to do the best job that I can. I ma beginning to build the Hive Tyrant for my new Tyranids army for Warhammer 40k. For those that don't know what Warhammer 40k IS, then check out http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40K/default.htm and have a look around.

I will be posting pics of the progress and hopefully not too terribly long from now I will complete a respectably painted and horribly scary alien!

Please feel free to post comments, suggestions as you see fit.

Right now, here is the way I intend on fielding him with all of his enhancements. If you have suggestions, please leave them soon as I'm building him now.

75 - Hive Tyrant

40 - Winged

40 - Venom Cannon

8 - Scything Talons

10 - Enhanced Senses

25 - Extended Carapace

10 - Acid Maw

6 - Toxic Miasma

12 - Toxin Sacs

226 total points

Shall we call it a victory?

2005-05-17T15:45:00.000-05:00

I'm not too sure.

I've been big my whole life ... except that short time frame back in '83 when I lost 80 pounds and looked pretty darn good. Then my heart got broke, I returned to an unhealthy life, and here I am again. Anyway, upon being scared into seriously doing something about the problem 6 months ago I have been trying to live better. I stopped (well, 98%) drinking soda and all other types of caffiene, I joined the local YMCA and have been exercising fairly regularly. I do water aerobics to keep stress off my bum knee, and will be starting tennis in June (putting stress back on my bum knee LOL)

Anyway, this is NOT bragging because i was really disappointed in myself for not doing better, but I want to share my progress. So I'll update anyone who cares in the coming months about my progress down a late life path to health.

Nov '04 - 308 lbs.
Feb '05 - 302 lbs.
May '05 (today) - 289 lbs.

As you can see, it aint much ... but a downward trend is better than the reverse ;P I was really hoping to hit 220 before the end of June ... I may push it and see how close I can get.

Jars of Clay

2005-05-17T15:13:00.000-05:00

Wow, what an amazing show!

On Saturday, May 7th Stephanie, my son and I went to see JoC. We met Randy, a friend of Steph's there and gave him my extra gold circle seat since Steph's boyfriend couldn't make it. The show was held at Liberty Baptist Church in Hampton, Va. The concert was held in the social hall of the church, which would seat roughly 1800 ... about 2+ times the size of my church's sanctuary!

The opener was Christopher Williams and he was fantastic. I must admit I had never heard him before, but I'm glad I have now. He is an amazing percussionist and did a great set. Christopher also played percussion for JoC on many of their songs.

Next was Ashley Cleveland . I have heard of Ashley but had never seen her perform. Ashley Cleveland is all Nashville. She has a slightly gritty, Elvis blues style that is a real treat. I was very impressed ... and the purple guitar is a great site!

Jars of Clay were fantastic! i would love to see them with a full band one day, but the more accoustic, intimate setting of the night was great. Since they are promoting the "Redemption Songs" CD the night leaned more toward the low key, worshipful side. I have no complaints however ... the show was amazing! They opened with "They'll Know We Are Christians" and ended up doing I guess half of the tracks from Redemption Songs along with a great selection of their other hits. The band had no drums and no bass guitar. Charlie played an electric keyboard and broke out on the accordian a few times! Like I said, Christopher Williams played percussion ... bongo mostly ... when needed and even added a few vocals. Then of course we had Matt and Steve on guitars, not to mention Dan's amazing vocals!!!!

We had a chance, if we had know a bit earlier, to get backstage and meet JoC since Stephanie is our youth minister. We didn't get the info in time though, so I didn't get to meet them. However, the church was drawing 20 tickets from the "gold circle" section to go back after the show and meet JoC. I thought our odds were pretty good and we did get one draw! I let my son go since he is an aspiring musician and would get the most from it. He said it was pretty brief and mostly more of a reception line kind of thing, but still great.

I took a lot of pictures. We were about 8 rows back so I hoped they would come out, but alas, the flash wouldn't reach far enough and the only thing that really came out was the back of the people in front of us =) However, here are 2 ... one my son took backstage of Dan and Charlie, and one I took of the CD cover my son got them all to sign ... sweet!

Dan and Charlie backstage

The CD cover signed by the band

Wow it's been a long time!

2005-05-03T21:13:00.000-05:00

I had no idea it had been THIS long since I have posted anything. Life has been busy with various things and I guess I just let this thing slip by .... not like a lot of people come here to visit ... though I appreciate everyone who does swing by =)

I've just been staying pretty busy lately. I will run a few things that have been going on and maybe you'll see just why I haven't been posting.

I actively (hmm, good choice of words) started losing weight. I go to the doc for a 3 month check up in 10 days so we'll see how I'm doing. I joined the local YMCA to get some work out in .. the water aerobics is actually pretty good.

We've started the demolition process of remodeling the bathroom downstairs. Whew, it's gonna be a long process. My wife chose a fantastic style and the design is great. I can't wait to see it finished.

I finally got a new car, well new to me. It's a '03 Chevy Impala ... fire engine red. My son says even though it's an old man's car, the red paint job boosts it's cool factor just enough thathe'll be glad to drive it next year when he gets his licence ;P

It's been an extremely busy season with the youth group at my church. We're doing more as well as gearing up for our summer mission trip, so it's a bit hectic. I started a blog for the youth, so I spend time there updating and checking on it, time I would probably spend here.

I got a really nice digital camera recently. As soon as I take some really good pics I'll start posting a few. Right now I'm still learning and mostly taking shots of the youth group activities.

Still struggling with a big issue spiritually. I thought I had worked through it before, but I think it's something that will be with me for quite some time. Which means I will be riding a huge rollercoaster of depression/joy for quite the forseeable future. It's amazing how one person can fuel so many emotions in me, I've never felt like this before. Ah, just wish I could talk it out with someone.

Mandy, If you happen to stumble back this way ... I'm finally getting to see Jars of Clay live! They are coming to a local church this Saturday (5/7) and I have been told by our youth minister (also going) that since we're youth leaders we can get to go backstage and meet the band O.o ... I'll let you know how that goes.

In related musical news ... going to Mark Schultz in July and Earth, Wind & Fire / Chicago in August!

Wow, this got long. Hopefully I'll be posting more again.

Cya!

ODU vs. Michigan State

2005-03-18T15:25:00.000-05:00

TONIGHT!

Broadcast on CBS at 9:40 ..... you know I'll have something to say later =)

It's Time To Dance !!

2005-03-07T22:19:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a game!

ODU just beat VCU for the CAA championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. This makes ODU's first trip to the dance since 1997.

An excellent game which ended regular play tied at 55 on a 3 pointer from ODU's Alex Loughton. ODU took an early lead in OT with 4 unanswered points, followed by some nail biting back and forth scoring/fouling. I'm not great with reporting, so here's the link to ESPN's report.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=250660295

Woohoo! on to the NCAA!

ODU: 73
VCU: 66

Just had to add this cool pic of Alex Loughton

Sweet, sweet revenge

2005-03-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

I posted recently about the ODU men's basketball team loss to Hofstra, complete with mediocre pictures.

Well, ODU just beat Hofstra in round 2 of the CAA tournament in Richmond. I listened to it on radio since I couldn't get up there for the games. It was a real knockdown fight back and forth with a great second half rally by ODU.

ODU - 72
Hofstra - 58

I'm sure Stephanie and the pep band were the determining factor ;P

!GO BLUE!

On to tomorrow's championship final game against either Virginia Commonwealth University or UNC Wilmington. 7 p.m. tip-off, radio on.

2005-03-03T18:58:00.000-05:00

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

2005-03-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Better Live?

2005-03-03T18:32:00.000-05:00

I've never had the privilage of seeing Jars of Clay up close and intimate. However, I intend to find thier tour schedule and make it a point to see them live.

Now, I've been a JoC fan since the first CD came out. I love the musical and lyrical style and I think Dan Haseltine has an amazing voice and delivery. However, I brushed off "Furthermore" as simply a best of CD.

So the other day my son calls me from the mall to let me know he's buying the CD. It's on sale and he has a coupon. Cool says I, might be nice to listen to. Wow, was I wrong. It is an amazing compilation. Disc one is a collection of recordings from JoC's garage studio basically. Songs you once knew have been de-commercialized and recorded in simple guitars, piano and percussion. There are a mess of really nice reworks of classic Jars. Disc two is a collection of concert recordings. There is not a downer on the disc. Every song is a great listen, from "Like a Child", "Eleventh Hour" through to the finale ... a terrific recording of "Worlds Apart".

If you passed it by before, go pick this up.

My Planet Music Pilgrimage

2005-02-27T17:26:00.000-05:00

Still feeling quite blue today. I decided to make the 30 minute drive out to Planet Music. I've never been there before. HUGE store full of anything you'd ever want to listen to. I figured some new music couldn't hurt my disposition. sometimes it's the only thing that helps.

So I spent a couple hours there wandering around checking everything out, and this is what i came home with ...

U2 : How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Delirious? : World Service
Josh Groban : Closer
Beethoven : The Greatest Hits 2 disc

Oh, and a sticker for my son that says "I'm Not Weird, I'm Gifted" for him to put on his guitar case.

A nice eclectic mix there. Good stuff all though.

2005-02-26T19:40:00.000-05:00

Deep, dark depression, excessive misery .....

Just thought I'd share my mood ... not that anyone cares, just feels a *tiny* bit better to write it down.

ODU drops a close one to Hofstra

2005-02-23T22:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the final home game of the season and I didn't want to miss it. I decided to take a digital camera along to see what I could get. Being a total digital camera novice, along with the fact that there's no zoom, made for some far away shots. I cropped them down and here they are (well, a few of the ones I took).

The game was a nail biter even though it shouldn't have been. ODU couldn't sink a shot for most of the game. Defense kept things close until the end. A final desperation 3 pointer failed to drop ending in a loss for ODU.

No worries, they hit the CAA tournament in Richmond soon. Wish I could go !

ODU: 63
Hofstra: 66

Stephanie works her MoJo

The students yelling kind and happy thoughts to Hofstra

Ready ... OK!

Air Time!

The Hofstra bench

Piano Smoothies

2005-02-22T17:16:00.000-05:00

So I've been feeling a bit nostalgic in my musical listening for the past few days. So I start pulling out CDs from back in the day, mostly early to mid 80's. I can't go back much further than that without pulling out the turntable. Although getting some old stuff on CD is quite appealing.

Anyway, after some Huey Lewis and Earth, Wind & Fire got me going I found this one collecting dust and put it in the CD tray.

David Foster: The Symphony Sessions

Some really good stuff on there. I remember specifically buying it because i thought the "Winter Games" song was so cool while they were on T.V.

Just thought I'd share some of my listening pleasure with you all. If I knew how to set it to play on here I would. Hmmm .... another project.

Journey's end

2005-02-20T20:09:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a journey can last minutes, sometimes they last years. Mine took about 2 weeks.

The specifics of this particular journey will remain unaired. Besides, the details are not what's important and not what i want to get across here.

The point I want to try and get across, in my inept and inarticualte (or is it unarticulate?) way, is this. it's all about trusting God to get you to the end. The pathway through may be bumpy and extremely twisting, but if you trust in God to see you through, and you listen to what he's trying to tell you along the way, you will make it to the place he wants you to be.

Twice in the past week I have encountered a particular part of Abraham's life. Once I was the one leading the study, and yet I still didn't realize I was the one being taught. You see, God asked Abraham to pack up his comfortable life and head out .... somewhere. Abraham didn't know where he was going, how long it would take or how he was supposed to get there. All Abraham had was trust. He knew God was going to take care of the details and get him where he was meant to be.

My particular journey was not a result of God leading me somewhere so much as it was I who decided to try and get to a place I had no business going and God gently bopping me on the head until I finally listened and turned toward home. The whole time I was trusting alright, trusting that God would find a way to get me where I wanted to go. The trouble is that I wasn't open and listening to where he wanted me to go. I even came real close to jumping off of a cliff a couple times "trusting" that what I wanted would be waiting at the bottom. The beauty is realizing (finally) that what i wanted was not what I needed nor meant to have in the first place.

The best part of reaching the end of this journey is the sheer joy of looking back and seeing how it could have gone so horribly wrong if I did not have my dear saviour there to lead me home.

You couldn't smack the smile off my face with a 2x4 =)

Whoa Mama!

2005-02-18T20:35:00.000-05:00

I know it's not healthy to have lust in your heart, especially over something or someone you have no hope in the world of ever being with.

With that said, I still can't help drooling every time I see one of these babies!

Looking for a fix ...

2005-02-18T20:17:00.000-05:00

Man, I could almost kill for a soda.

I have lived a rather long and happy life with very few vices. My big one has always been my love of soda. Mountain Dew Pitch Black being (until recently) my fuel of choice. Now it's gone, all of it ... and I'm feeling it.

At the prodding of my doctor I have given up soda. Cold turkey. I tried backing off of them slowly, nope, doesn't work. So, the big cut off was this past weekend ... not quite a week. The major reason was caffeine ... trying to get the old BP down. The other side effect being a severe decrease in my sugar consumption, which can't be a bad thing right?

Except when I'm sitting here jonesing for a bottle, convincing myself I really don't want to put on coat and shoes to head to 7-11 for a fix .... LOL

I'll make it, and be better off for the suffering .... as is usually the case in most things .... "this too shall pass" and all that happiness.

New CD - Salvador

2005-02-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

I picked up a new CD the other day. The group is called Salvador, the CD is called "So Natural" and it's a great CD, especially track 3.

If you like christian music, and a south texas flair, check out Salvador and give thier new CD a listen.

It's just too bad they aren't heading to the east coast any time soon =(

First entry - The Virginia Wind

2005-02-18T15:20:00.000-05:00

Well, here we go folks.

If you've bothered to read this far, then thanks ... LOL

I had the great pleasure this past week of finally going to a performance of The Virginia Wind Symphony. Having heard Stephanie play many times in the past I knew the flute section had to be great, I just didn't know how great the whole shabang sounded .... amazing!

If you live here you owe it to yourself to see them. If not, drive on down for a visit ... haha.

http://www.virginiawindsymphony.org/