Painting Guide – Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress – The Dreaded Ambull

Posted on by dultoriminis Leave a comment

Painter: Dultoriminis

Model(s): Ambull from Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress – The Dreaded Ambull (discontinued)

Paints(s): Chaos Black spray, Night Lords Blue, Temple Guard Blue, Baharroth Blue, Naggaroth Night, Scale75 – Inktense Blue, Vallejo – Glaze Medium, Rakarth Flesh, Guilliman Flesh, Averland Sunset, Yriel Yellow, Fuegan Orange, Zandri Dust, Screaming Skull, Agrax Earthshade, Mephiston Red, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Screamer Pink.

Method(s): Spray Chaos Black for base coat,

For the main body, I’d recommend using an air brush though all steps can be achieved with a heavy dry brush.

Airbrush the whole model Night Lords Blue, next mix Night Lords Blue 2:1 with Temple Guard Blue, air brush this at a 45 degree angle above the model, its very important to not come from under the model as this is how we create shadows with the airbrush. Next mix Night Lords Blue with temple guard blue 1:1 and repeat the previous step, this time at a lesser angle from above the model (roughly 30-35 degrees). once that is fully dry repeat again with pure Temple Guard Blue at a 25 degree angle. lastly once that’s fully dry a light dry brush with Baharroth Blue will tie the model together nicely.

Next base claws and feet and carapace with Naggaroth Night. for the highlight mix 2:1 Naggaroth Night and Temple Guard Blue and highlight edges of carapace and feet/claws.

To create that shiny carapace we mix 1:1 Scale75 – Inktense Blue with a Vallejo – Glaze Medium, (any glaze medium will do, for example, Lahmian Medium, contrast medium, green stuff world glaze etc) the inktensity range has a very strong gloss effect but this works great for the carapace. With this mix we are just going to paint on the whole carapace like you would with any standard wash. once this is fully dry we highlight again with our previous highlight mix (2:1 Naggaroth Night and Temple Guard Blue)

For the hive boils (this term seems appropriate) base with Averland Sunset, wash with Fuegan Orange, and highlight with Yriel Yellow.

Eyes, base Mephiston Red, highlight Evil Sunz Scarlet.

Bugs, base Rakarth Flesh, wash with Guilliman Flesh

Mouth tendrils, base Screamer Pink

Tusks, base Zandri Dust, wash in a downward motion with Agrax Earthshade, once dry, repeat this only covering the bottom 75%, and once dry repeat at 50% and then again at 25%. finally highlight with Screaming Skull.

Paint Time: 12-14hours

Admins and Manholes

Posted on by Mark Myers Leave a comment

This is something that I’m seeing more and more in business but historically has always been a problem in IT,

It is the little known and little appreciated individual doing a sterling job and no one noticing them.

Now before I get started on this, I’m going to differentiate between them, and the rest of us, We all consider ourselves underappreciated, and we could all do with a pay rise or a promotion or whatever. but if your boss knows that you consider yourself underappreciated or you complain about it, then you are not one of these people. I’m talking about the database admin that does their job each and every day without a complaint. I’m talking about the firewall person who makes sure all of the tables and all of the structures are working for all projects without being chased, so that a working network is taken for granted, the person that manages something buried deep that everybody uses but is unaware is vital for the state of the nation.

https://xkcd.com/2347/

XKCD did this excellent drawing which visualises the issue from an IT perspective, but I personally prefer the term: ‘manhole admin’, which harks back to the old Nintendo game and watch. It was an awful game, I hated playing it, but in it, you control a person leaping around trying to cover up every one else’s problem. No one notices anything when he does a successful job they just go on their way with no thanks, but when he screws up Ohhhh does he get blamed. Such people exist all over the place. Often they are dismissed with a ‘no one is irreplaceable’, and while it is true, such people deserve recognition. and if they got such recognition on a regular basis, the roles they play would be revealed to be vital.

However there is a slight twist to this lesson, when you acknowledge such work don’t do the knee jerk reaction of “oh this is suddenly important, we better outsource it to a team and thus if it fails it wont be my fault; it will be someone else’s”, keep that person in charge of the deliverable and acknowledge their value, yes put in contingency, and backup people, But don’t take this persons work that they take pride in away from them.

“Acid Sam” Run No. 8

Posted on by Mark Myers Leave a comment

Welcome to Episode 8, as I continue trying to get a really good “Acid Sam” time 1, An “Acid Sam” 2 is 100 Kettle bell Snatches followed immediately by a standard “Acid Bath” fitness test.

Progress and attempt times

For details of the test please see the bottom of this post

This week I set the hard goal of under 12mins, I managed 11:56, so I am very happy, this time I remembered to set up all the equipment correctly and that saved a good 10 seconds, but I think the big difference is that I set a final “reasonable goal” interval at the end as currently I know I wont get to 11mins, but now that I know I have the timings right it seems stupid to mess with them, so I just bolted a final interval on the end, and aimed for that

  1. 20 Snatches Off hand (0:58)
  2. 20 Snatches On hand (0:58)
  3. 15 Snatches Off hand (0:43)
  4. 15 Snatches On hand (0:43)
  5. 10 Snatches Off hand (0:29)
  6. 10 Snatches On hand (0:29)
  7. 5 Snatches Off hand (0:15)
  8. 5 Snatches On hand (0:15)
  9. Transfer Over to Acid Test (10 seconds using the Kettle Bell time, 10 seconds using the Acid bath time) (0:20)
  10. 500m Ski Erg (1:55)
  11. 500m Row (1:55)
  12. 1km Bike Erg (2:00)
  13. This weeks Goal time 12:00 (so final interval is 1:00)

Test Details

100 Kettle Bell snatches

Sam is prepping me so I can match the “Russian Kettlebell challenge certification Requirements” , so I use a session kettlebell of 24kg which is a basic standard for someone of my size 3

Time: between 5 – 10 mins, with under 5 mins without the Kettle bell touching the floor as the strict challenge (see details).

Details: The proper details of the challenge ( taken from) + the no set down rule:

Begin by getting into position, Hike-pass the kettlebell back and snatch it overhead in one movement, ending with a straight-arm lockout.
    • You may swing and change hands as much as needed
    • You may set the kettlebell down and rest as needed
Acceptable hand-coverings for the test include: tape, socks, Dragon Skins™, and minimalist gloves (i.e. cotton gardening gloves). You may use chalk and reapply it during the test, if needed. You may not use belts, thick or padded-gloves, wrist wraps or any other equipment designed to support your body.
No Count Criteria
    • Not locking out the elbows.
    • Rebending the knees on the way up.
    • Failure to stop all movement at the lockout.
    • Pressing out the kettlebell to finish your lockout.
    • Touching the chest with the working arm or passing through the rack position on the way down.
    • Placing a hand on the knee or thigh.
Failure (strict challenge)
Failure on the strict challenge will occur if:
    • You Touch the kettlebell with the non-working arm, unless you are switching hands.
    • You drop the kettlebell rather than setting it down with control (at the end).
    • You run out of time before completing the required number of reps.
    • You set down the kettlebell on the floor before the end.
Snatch Test Requirements:
For the snatch test, the sum of both arms is scored. There are different requirements based on gender and age group (Only the Open ones are listed here). They are as follows:

Men’s Open Class:

  • Up to 135 pounds     18kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 136-150 pounds       20kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 151-165 pounds       22kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 166-250 pounds       24kg 100reps / 5 min
  • Over 251 pounds     24kg 100reps / 5 min
  • Over 251 pounds (mad option) 28kg 100reps / 5 min

Women’s Open Class:

  • Up to 100 pounds     10kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 101-120 pounds       12kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 121-135 pounds       14kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 136-200 pounds       16kg 100reps / 5 min
  • Over 200 pounds      16g 100reps / 5 min
  • Over 200 pounds  (mad option) 18kg 100reps / 5 min

Acid bath

Details: The “Acid bath” is a standard fitness set which consists of the following:

For standards these all have to be done on the concept2 range of equipment.

Time: Men are supposed to do this under 6 minutes and Ladies under 7.

I monitor all of this with “Seconds Pro” as the best app to time it and here is the current set for you to use.

  1. , A Base goal of 11 minutes and a perfect goal of 10:30 seconds.[↩]
  2. Named after my fab PT Sam Bradley. [↩]
  3. The weight you would take into a class.[↩]

Cool Corporate Phrase: “Swift Tansley Effect”

Posted on by Mark Myers 2 Comments

Definition:

“The cumulative outputs from a group of highly skilled, disciplined professionals all studying the same problem, and routinely sharing their findings. Each new independent finding becomes a common input into everyone else’s process. The Tansley Effect is an endless positive feedback loop. How quickly the solution would reveal itself against such an onslaught!” – Alex McClung

Explanation:

This is a phrase I first read in appendix B on the original Dune book, some 20 years ago, and I’ve never had a chance to use it in real life, but I’ve just done so. And I’m so happy about it!!, So I’m actually just sharing. It’s the world’s coolest sounding phrase. And it applies to when you’ve got to be absolutely perfect in a corporate environment.

Enjoy 

“Acid Sam” Run No. 7

Posted on by Mark Myers Leave a comment

Welcome to Episode 7, as I continue trying to get a really good “Acid Sam” time 1, An “Acid Sam” 2 is 100 Kettle bell Snatches followed immediately by a standard “Acid Bath” fitness test.

The details and timings are:

100 Kettle Bell snatches

Sam is prepping me so I can match the “Russian Kettlebell challenge certification Requirements” , so I use a session kettlebell of 24kg which is a basic standard for someone of my size 3

Time: between 5 – 10 mins, with under 5 mins without the Kettle bell touching the floor as the strict challenge (see details).

Details: The proper details of the challenge ( taken from) + the no set down rule:

Begin by getting into position, Hike-pass the kettlebell back and snatch it overhead in one movement, ending with a straight-arm lockout.
    • You may swing and change hands as much as needed
    • You may set the kettlebell down and rest as needed
Acceptable hand-coverings for the test include: tape, socks, Dragon Skins™, and minimalist gloves (i.e. cotton gardening gloves). You may use chalk and reapply it during the test, if needed. You may not use belts, thick or padded-gloves, wrist wraps or any other equipment designed to support your body.
No Count Criteria
    • Not locking out the elbows.
    • Rebending the knees on the way up.
    • Failure to stop all movement at the lockout.
    • Pressing out the kettlebell to finish your lockout.
    • Touching the chest with the working arm or passing through the rack position on the way down.
    • Placing a hand on the knee or thigh.
Failure (strict challenge)
Failure on the strict challenge will occur if:
    • You Touch the kettlebell with the non-working arm, unless you are switching hands.
    • You drop the kettlebell rather than setting it down with control (at the end).
    • You run out of time before completing the required number of reps.
    • You set down the kettlebell on the floor before the end.
Snatch Test Requirements:
For the snatch test, the sum of both arms is scored. There are different requirements based on gender and age group (Only the Open ones are listed here). They are as follows:

Men’s Open Class:

  • Up to 135 pounds     18kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 136-150 pounds       20kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 151-165 pounds       22kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 166-250 pounds       24kg 100reps / 5 min
  • Over 251 pounds     24kg 100reps / 5 min
  • Over 251 pounds (mad option) 28kg 100reps / 5 min

Women’s Open Class:

  • Up to 100 pounds     10kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 101-120 pounds       12kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 121-135 pounds       14kg 100reps / 5 min
  • 136-200 pounds       16kg 100reps / 5 min
  • Over 200 pounds      16g 100reps / 5 min
  • Over 200 pounds  (mad option) 18kg 100reps / 5 min

Acid bath

Details: The “Acid bath” is a standard fitness set which consists of the following:

For standards these all have to be done on the concept2 range of equipment.

Time: Men are supposed to do this under 6 minutes and Ladies under 7.

I monitor all of this with “Seconds Pro” as the best app to time it and here is the current set for you to use.

Progress and attempt times

This week was 12:28, the 100 kb snatches are still proving to be an issue to do solidly and correctly, there was a lot of puffing and panting and I have ripped my palm, I have moved to dry chalk over liquid chalk to save a bit of time, but its just going to be down to practice,

On the Acid Part of the test, I wasted about 10 seconds as I had not set up the machines properly (also I had put the bike out of camera shot), but the pace is settled, the SkiErg pace should be about 1:47/500 split, then the row should be 1:50 (so I can catch my breath), then go hell for leather on the bike.

The allocated times seem to be good, its just a case of actually hitting them.

  1. 20 Snatches Off hand (0:58)
  2. 20 Snatches On hand (0:58)
  3. 15 Snatches Off hand (0:43)
  4. 15 Snatches On hand (0:43)
  5. 10 Snatches Off hand (0:29)
  6. 10 Snatches On hand (0:29)
  7. 5 Snatches Off hand (0:15)
  8. 5 Snatches On hand (0:15)
  9. Transfer Over to Acid Test (10 seconds using the Kettle Bell time, 10 seconds using the Acid bath time) (0:20)
  10. 500m Ski Erg (1:55)
  11. 500m Row (1:55)
  12. 1km Bike Erg (2:00)

  1. , A Base goal of 11 minutes and a perfect goal of 10:30 seconds.[↩]
  2. Named after my fab PT Sam Bradley. [↩]
  3. The weight you would take into a class.[↩]