Since coming back from Adepticon 2011, I've taken a break from 40K by slowly and steadily working on my FSA forces for Dystopian Wars. I started with the FSA box set and carrier, though the carrier's since been pushed to the backburner. By the time I got to it, I was sick of painting ship hulls. I'll probably tag-team it with the Dreadnaught when I get one. Currently painting up the five bombers when I'm not working on terrain (see below), though I'm not as enthused about them as I was the Lee Scoutships (both in game and aesthetically). The airships are just so damn cool.

FSA Navy Fleet with Air Corp attachments: just the painted stuff...

FSA Navy Battleship: turrets and generators magnetized

FSA Navy Frigates: still trying to figure out squadron identifiers...

FSA Navy Cruisers: generators still in progress

FSA Air Corp Fighters: rudder color lets me run as 2 squadrons of 3 or 1 of 4 with 2 recon

FSA Air Corp Torpedo Bombers: what I typically run these guys as

FSA Air Corp Torpedo Lee Scoutships: two flights of two, one with red/white tails, one with yellow/white

I plan to go back and add free-hand embellishments to all of 'em in the form of FSA and/or squadron identifiers. I just have to figure out how I want to do it first. I've been inspired by several different techniques used on this forum and am having trouble picking which one(s) to use.

I've also begun work on terrain, the start of which you can see beneath the ships. I've got three 2' x 4' sheets of 1/4" MDF done up with the stippled-sponge technique made famous here. Have some test patches of glass-coat curing to see which application method I like the best. This time to tomorrow I expect to have that sorted out and hope to slather the boards in resin over the weekend.

I've also begun testing out a foam cutter and sketching up various islands and sandbars to break things up. My goal is to have a fully-playable Dystopian Wars game board in-house by end of summer. Then I can start back on either an Iron Warriors or Badab War force for Adepticon 2012's Combat Patrol.

Wow. It's been another year. It's wild to think that two little people who've only existed 6% of my life are practically 100% of my reason to live. I wrote a year ago that being a father was "a frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting and insanely rewarding ride." That hasn't changed. Kyla and Lucas have grown so much in the past year, both mentally and physically, that if I wasn't witnessing its rapidity myself, I wouldn't believe it.

To illustrate the point, I've chosen snapshots from each month that represent important life lessons Kyla and Lucas have learned in the past year.

Year 2.01: We're damn cute!

Year 2.02: The principles of flight.

Year 2.03: Don't let children watch Sons of Anarchy.

Year 2.04: Sedation is fun! If you're the one sedated…

Year 2.05: Always be ready to bail when a woman is behind the wheel.

Year 2.06: Tilted camera angles make cool album covers.

Year 2.07: We clean up goooood!

Year 2.08: CGI is hard to work with.

Year 2.09: It snows in Dallas.

Year 2.10: You can talk and drive. At the same time!

Year 2.11: Walks with dad end with treats.

Year 2.12: Being 1 is exhausting…

Year 3.01: …let's try out 2!

It's exhilarating to see them interacting with their world in new ways every day to develop and grow into honest-to-God people. While I want to hold on to 'em like this forever, it blows my mind that this time next year we'll be having conversations. I can't wait.

Well, it's May. That means it's once again time to brush the cobwebs off the ol' site and, at the very least, update with the latest 24 Hour Video Race entry from the SmokingCrayolas. It's also posted on YouTube.
 
We screened against five other films in our division (Hollywood) on Wednesday and were one of three films to advance to the finals. I've seen all our competition and think the top prize is a longshot, but several audience members told me our film was their favorite, so I'm hopeful. Anybody who wants to come out to the Angelika (Dallas) on Monday, May 23 @ 9:30PM and cheer us on is more than welcome to.
 
In other news, I'll try to get a fatherhood update and a hobby update posted in the next few days. I need a better repository for my model pictures. Trying to figure out if I want to add a "gaming" section to the site, or just subsidize it with its own section under "arts."

Someday, he will inherit the mantle "CrayolaSmoker"...
 

Holy crap! Kyla and Lucas turn one today. I don't think a single year of my life has flown by as fast as this one. Over the past 365 days have we've watched the twins go from this...
 

...little more than lumps that eat, sleep, cry and poop, to this...

...highly mobile, highly vocal miniature people that have learned/are learning just how easy it is to interact with their world. Sure, they still eat, sleep, cry and poop, but who doesn't?

I am continually amazed by these two. Both in their similarities and their differences. They're both generally happy babies, with infectious smiles and inquisitive natures. However, Kyla is very methodical in her inquisitions, testing the food, toy, thing she's climbing, incrementally until she understands it. Lucas, on the other hand, barrels forth towards his goal with little regard for the process of getting there. Kyla is consistently using sign-language to communicate her needs. Lucas? not so much. Lucas has begun walking. Kyla? Still thinks she needs a finger to hold, despite being able to lean almost 90 degrees over and still get back to standing. What they're going to do next is impossible to predict, and it makes our future crazy exciting.

When anyone asks, I tell them that fatherhood has been a frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting and insanely rewarding ride. And I mean every word of it. It's the fastest roller-coaster I've ever been on, with the sharpest turns, lowest lows, and highest of highs. As far as I'm concerned, the ride master can just leave the harness locked, 'cause this is a ride I don't ever want to get off.

H A P P Y   B I R T H D A Y   K Y L A   A N D   L U C A S ! ! !

I'm very much looking forward to seeing you two have many, many more!