The Wolfling Project

Since I'm done with the Techno Router SBU (and taking the ShopBot SBU tonight) I'll need some practice on the machines -- and 3D software.

1 ft. square battle board with hill and large crater, made in SketchUp

We machined a small (about 2 cu. in.) 3D form out of blue foam on the Techno router, which had a good amount of detail with smooth surfaces.

A common interview question is "what do you see yourself doing in five years?" Usually the interviewer wants to hear something about how you'll be in the same job, with 50% more responsibility for the same money (i.e. "corporate growth opportunities").

My answer?

The job I have now didn't exist five years ago, and the job I'll have in five years doesn't exist now.

A corollary to this theory is that most of the jobs phase out in close to the same five-year time frame.

Here's a series of jobs that used to exist, that I've held, and now have vanished:

A combat squad of the Lamenters prepare to defend a ruined Sanctum Imperialis.

Detail work on the buildings, such as drybrushing the zillion little Grim Skulls of the Dark Future, takes forever.

Brother Herod, a Dreadnought of the Lamenters Space Marines.

I borrowed two recreations of Revolutionary War flintlock muskets from my stepfather ... plenty of work to do, cleaning these up. There's pitting and rust on the inside and outside of the barrels.

Time for 0000 steel wool and plenty of bore butter.

Photos will follow.

Picked up a few deals:

• Imperial Guard Leman Russ tanks (including one unprimed) and Basilisk @ $5 each
• Entire Grey Knights squad, tabletop quality painted, for $10
• Most of an Armorcast resin ruined cathedral for $10.

Also, for future flea market vendors: most paint jobs and assembly jobs are below tabletop quality. $20+ for a splotchy paint job on a Chimera is too damn much.

I took the TIG Welding SBU at TechShop today. It went well, but I'll need some more practice before taking the Level 2 class that handles joins. Fortunately the TIG welder schedule looks pretty clear.

Also about half-done with a few Corel Draw plans for more laser-cut items. Time to pick up more scrap @ TAP.

Wolfling: a science fiction term from David Brin's Uplift novels. A race that claims to have evolved to higher intelligence without the aid and tutelage of, and indentured service to, a Patron race. In the novels the older Galactic civilizations view this as dangerous, uncouth, and possibly fraudulent.

I picked up the Daemonhunters codex, to add some nice cheese to my Traitor Guard. I'm thinking an Inquisitor Lord and retinue, Assassin, and a unit of Grey Knights. My traitor versions?

• Foul Corrupter: Reaper's Angel of Death as Inq. Lord.
• Mutant Sorcerors: Various magic users (including a squiddie) as Mystics
• Zombie with a chainsaw as either a servitor or a hierophant.
• Deep ones as servitors?
• Death Guard as Gray Knights!

I prepped some artwork in PhotoShop and tried some photoengraving on the laser this morning.

I was able to test-burn a scrap piece of basswood, as well as two pieces of acrylic. The smoke-colored one was slightly thicker than 1/8", and required either multiple vector passes or very high power (7% speed, 88% power) to cut.