Next Gaming Project: Girls und Panzer

I have just discovered my next gaming project: the new Japanese anime series Girls und Panzer. I got my inspiration from today's email from Dragon Models USA, announcing the release of their new 1/35 kits for some of the tanks from the show in their Platz Models range. My current favorite is the red Stug with the banners, though I really wish they had the pink M3 Lee. There is just something special about school girls driving a pink tank into battle. Ok, I'm being silly. But these are real models for a real TV series. I don't build 1/35 kits, but if they were 1/72 diecast I probably would get them just for kicks. Come to think about it, Girls und Panzer just might make an interesting convention game.... I am so doomed. 

The Pink M3 Lee

Operation Amsterdam (1959): Early WWII in Holland

This evening on Netflix, I watched one of those WWII films that has totally gone under my radar: Operation Amsterdam (black and white, 1959). From the Film4 page for the film: "Stark WWII adventure dramatising a real Whitehall-backed operation to smuggle industrial diamonds out of Amsterdam before the advancing Nazis overrun the city. Starring Peter Finch and Eva Bartok."

This is a chilling movie shot in a stark, matter-of-fact style without all the emotion of most WWII commando or espionage films. It captures the tension perfectly--slow at times, chaotic at others. Like the characters in the film, you never know who is on your side. Are those soldiers ahead real Dutch soldiers or German fallschirmjager disguised as Dutch soldiers? I'm glad I found this film while browsing Netflix. Lately, I've been highly drawn to the early war period. I give Operation Amsterdam an 8/10. Watch the trailer, check IMDb, and see what you think. Or better yet, skip the somewhat spoiler-laden trailer and just watch the film one chilly evening. You'll be glad you did!

"Tears of Steel" Short Film

The 12-minute video below, "Tears of Steel," was made using Blender, a free open source 3D software package. The effects are top notch, along with the story. I was very impressed and enjoyed it. Filmed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Check Blender.org for more info and to download the software and Tears of Steel's website for lots of info about the making of the film, which was crowd-funded. I like the robots, which remind me of robots from Critical Mass Games.

Assault Girls: Worst Sci-Fi Movie Ever

In nearly 50 years on this planet, I have never proclaimed a sci-fi movie to be the worst sci-fi movie ever made until I watched the unwatchable Assault Girls on Netflix the other night. Sure, over the years there have been some bad science fiction movies. The series Mystery Science Theater 3000 made a living poking fun at such bad movies. But even they would be hard pressed to find anything to poke fun of in this movie because there just isn't anything there! Acting? What acting? Characters? What characters?

Synopsis:  "In the aftermath of global thermonuclear war, three battle tested women wage war in a virtual reality videogame against giant mutant sandwhales. All of them seek to kill 'Madara Sunakujira' the game's end boss but find that despite their high levels, are unable to engage it alone as they wish, forcing them to form a party to defeat it together."

Ok, sounds kind of stupid and bad, but this is a movie from the director of Ghost in the Shell, a far superior product. Yeah, Assault Girls gets horrid reviews on Netflix, but I have enjoyed many supposedly bad movies. And sometimes they can be so bad that they can be fun for me to watch. Boy was I wrong!

I should have known it was going to be bad when the movie starts with something like 15 minutes of exposition explaining what the future earth and its society will be like. Unfortunately, its rambling mess of exposition lost me within minutes. Then the movie (and real pain) begins. Just take a look at the trailer, which I did not see until writing this post. I think it speaks for itself. I had to stop the movie after half an hour--I just could not take it any longer. Come on! Even Battleship has to be better than this movie!

Finished Babylon 5: A Great Father-Son Experience!

Last week we finally watched Season 5's last episode, "Sleeping in Light," which was the original end of the series meant to air at the end of Season 4. When the show moved to Turner and was picked up for one more season, JMS and crew filmed a new ending for Season 4, which was actually the first episode the crew shot when they reunited for the fifth season.

We had finished all the shows but the last one a few weeks prior, but had to wait until we were "psychologically ready" to end it all. I know this might sound odd, but it really felt like losing a friend. I'll be honest, I had some mourning symptoms afterward! It really felt different for me the second time around because I knew this ending was final (knowing now that the continuation series, Crusade, would collapse quickly and be a continuity mess). Also, the entire five months we were watching the series, I kept thinking about the cast members who have died and how much the others (including myself) have aged and grown since the pilot was filmed in late 1993. Wow, 19 years have passed since then!

In the end, I was very happy to share with my now-21-year-old son my favorite television series of all time. He also was happy, and will have those memories of us watching one episode a night at 10pm for all those months. What could be better than that?

The real kick is that we now have these little B5 catch-phrases we toss around at each other, and sometimes break out into our really bad impressions of our most annoying villain, Wade (from Season 4), who talks with a bad speech impediment and went on way too much about historical evolution, saying "Mister Garibaldi" way too many times. We mock his death scene, where Garibaldi finds him just barely alive, Wade once again pointing out the obvious while slurring. Instead, we have him say in a Shakespearean manner, "Mister Garibaldi, I'm dead!" Blech, that character was annoying!

To The Future!
Ok, so now we move onto the movies and maybe...maybe...the short-lived Crusade. And some of the episodes with JMS commentary turned on. But we need a bit of a break. Because when those are over, it's really really over. Then we move back to watching Deep Space 9.

And so it begins.

BTW while typing this post I just had to listen to my Best of Babylon 5 soundtrack CD. Jeremy has begun collecting many of the numerous B5 soundtracks. Ok, that's enough for today! Just beware Vorlons bearing gifts.

Interwar Pulp Western Back-of-Beyond Excellence: The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008)

If you like crazy spaghetti Western action. If you like crazy interwar Pulp action. If you like crazy Mad Max action. Then you will love The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008, Rated R) from South Korean filmmaker  Jee-woon Kim. You can watch it streaming on Netflix or pick up the DVD or Blu-Ray on Amazon for about $11. Do not let subtitles put you off from watching this film. I give it 5/5 stars, which is rare for me. The train robbery at the beginning alone is worth the price of admission! The ending has some nice twists. Check the official UK website for more info.

This movie is really hard to describe. According to IMDb, "The story of two outlaws and a bounty hunter in 1930s Manchuria and their rivalry to possess a treasure map while being pursued by the Japanese army and Chinese bandits."  I'm horrible at writing reviews of anything, so just let me say that this move has everything I love, plus the soundtrack is amazing. I kept asking myself, I wonder where I can get figures for these characters! (You can bet that I will be blogging about that soon!)
 
The directing is over the top and often tongue-in-cheek. The R rating is for violence and some language. (Ok, it's not a family film.) I had been fearing a lot of guts and gore, but there really isn't any of that. Kim makes you imagine the gory parts, such as someone's finger getting chopped off, which I find better than seeing it.

One last bit of advice: keep watching into the beginning of the credits. Like most Asian films, the "real ending" is in the credits. After that, they just show stills from the movie while finishing up the screen crawl.

Western Gaming Inspiration: Warlock (1959)

I getting ready to expand my Wild West town and am looking to purchase some of the new GameCraft Miniatures Wild West 28mm buildings. As a result, I did some "research" early this morning (woke up way too early and couldn't fall back asleep) and watched (on Netflix) the 1959 classic western, Warlock, staring all my favorite actors: Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Anthony Quin, DeForest Kelley, and more. The blurb at IMDB reads: "The town of Warlock is plagued by a gang of thugs, leading the inhabitants to hire Clay Blaisdell, a famous gunman, to act as marshal" You just know there will be problems! I won't spoil the movie for you!

As I often mention, I use the blog as a visual notebook for myself. Below are a series of screen shots I captured for inspiration, ranging from building shots to outfits. Why should I guess what colors to use for buildings or figures when I can screen capture? I know this post is picture-heavy, but the images are fairly small, averaging less than 200k each. If this is too many photos, please let me know. I'd hate to bring folks's readers to a crawl!

The opening scene of the town Warlock. I need a model of that water wagon!

The saloon, very muted. This will be repainted white later in the movie.

The stone sheriff's office is great. I love the other buildings, too. Must remember to dirty up my models!

This is a great outfit. Must paint stubble on my figures.

Seeing this photo, I realized we need figure facing rules in Western games, for that shot in the back.

A nice collection of dusty outfits for painting inspiration.

Inspiration for townsfolk painting.

Windows are not empty. Remember to add curtains!

The villain gamblers always wear flashy vests. I doubt the small print pattern will survive shrinking to 28mm.

Masked bandits. Remember to make a handkerchief green or blue! Red gets old.

Love the livery colors. I need water troughs (basic water boxes are fine it seems) and wagons.

Another collection of great costumes to paint. Notice how gun barrels are not black?

This doesn't look good!

Richard Widmark makes a stand. Again, love the costume.

Is Henry Fonda a good guy or band guy? Classic outfit and pose.

I love that jacket on the right! I must try it. Plus, buckskins! Nice inspiration for painting.

What We're Watching Now: Babylon 5

Last week, we began watching season one of Babylon 5 on DVD (the remastered version). Though I watched the series when it first aired, this is Jeremy's first time watching it. I've been chatting up the series with him the past 15 years (Jeremy will be 21 in March!), but he's never really been interested until now. He's always been a Star Wars fan, and recently a Star Trek fan (we had been watching Deep Space 9 until last week, stopping in the middle of season four. I kept telling him how DS9 was a poor ripoff of B5.)

I haven't seen these Babylon 5 episodes since they first aired and then rerun during the same season, waiting for the next season to begin. Plus, there were episodes in season one that I have missed, until now. Tonight, we just finished watching the episode "And The Sky Full of Stars," which I missed back in 1994. Wow. It's amazing how each episode has little clues (sometimes major clues) about the storyline/plot! Great foreshadowing as well. I try my best not to divulge anything to Jeremy while watching, but it sure is hard. I keep making little comments and sounds when something important is said or happens.

He's enjoying the series, though he's not as impressed with the Mimbari ships as I am. Oh well. Plus, the cheapness of the medlab's set bugs him, like it has always bugged me. As he puts it, the lab looks "so random," like a lot of the show's sets. But he's quick to mention that story is key, not glamorous sets, especially when the show's budget was a lot less than Star Trek. The lack of Star Trek Tech Babble is also nice.

Gaming: Late to the Show
Ironically, he's now interested in B5 but all the B5 miniatures and games are hard to come by. I still have my 2nd Edition of Babylon 5 Wars box set (never played) and the Babylon 5 revised boxed version of A Call to Arms ship game (played once). Sadly, no miniatures to go with them. I really wanted to get the Fleet Action ships back in the day. I was disappointed to hear that Mongoose went with the larger ships, and that their quality was spotty as I remember it. At least, ACTA has the paper counters. Looks like ebay will have to be my friend for B5 gaming.

A Spot of Luck!
Jeremy bought Season 1 on Amazon with his own money, paying $14 for it new. On Monday, he and I went out doing some shopping on the other side of the county, with the plan to hit Cool Stuff on the way home to pick up some new games, which we did. (More on that in another post.) On the way back, we decided, after much hemming and hawing, to stop by a Goodwill thrift store, one which we hadn't been to in a long time because we usually find nothing there. Well, just as we were leaving the store empty handed again, I saw a small rack of DVDs we had missed. There sat Season 2 through 5 of Babylon 5! No Season 1, but we owned that anyway. And the price? $9 each, in nearly new shape! So I plunked down my money. (Funny how I wind up buying all the other season sets???) We now have the entire series on DVD for only $50.

Taking a Slow Boat to Babylon 5
We tend to watch one episode an evening at around 10pm if there is no hot football or basketball game on. (Jeremy is a basketball freak,while I don't get the game.) I'd like to watch more episodes an evening, but he likes one a night. Hey, as long as he in enjoying quality sci-fi, who am I to complain?

Fun Audio Dramas

A recent thread on The Miniatures Page got me thinking about one of my favorite pastimes since I've been a young kid: listening to audio dramas. I grew up listening to vintage radio dramas and comedies from the golden age of radio. Then to mysteries broadcast every night on our local AM radio station. Later, I would listen to Hitchhiker's Guide, Ruby: Galactic Gumshoe, and other neat shows on public radio every Sunday evening in the early 1980s.

I thought I would mention a few recent audio dramas I h've enjoyed. Jeremy has gotten most these for me as presents over the years, or I've recorded them live. When possible, I've included links to Amazon in the section titles. Often, you can pick them up used for a few dollars or download them as MP3 files. I hope you enjoy.

Superman Lives

This was a 2.5 hour BBC 5 production from 2005, originally called "Doomsday and Beyond" when it aired. Here is a brief synopses of the story: "Epic action, thrilling suspense, and a rollercoaster ride of mounting excitement are all featured in this incredible audio experience, chronicling not only Superman's duel-to-the-death with the monster called Doomsday and how he ultimately returned, but also the story of his love affair with Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane and the true fate of his arch-enemy, Lex Luthor. The fastest-selling comic book story of all time comes to life like nothing you've ever heard before!" Yep, the classic 90s story in audio. I love it!


DC Universe: Trail of Time

The CD's in this series of "Graphic Audio" releases are an interesting combination of traditional audio books with a narrator reading the text combined with actual audio drama, complete with sound effects. There are many titles in the series. This happens to be the only one I have at the moment. It is wild, featuring many of my favorite characters.

Synopses from Amazon: "Clark Kent is living in a dark world where he has no powers, no memory of ever being anything other than human. His world is controlled by mystical forces no one can challenge, with the triumvirate of Vandal Savage, Mordru, and Felix Faust calling the shots. The Demon and Phantom Stranger approach Clark and tell him that he is really Superman, that alterations made more than a hundred years ago to the time stream are causing space-time fluctuations that will result in this particular reality becoming the sole reality, unless something is done. Since Superman is powerless in this reality, and since the alterations were made in the past, the three heroes have to travel into the past, specifically into the American Southwest of the 1870s, where Jonah Hex, Bat Lash and other DC Western heroes help them set things right again" Cool stuff!

Judge Dredd, Blakes 7, Dr. Who, and More

Check out Big Finish Productions for many audio dramas of great comics and sci-fi BBC shows. You can buy CDs or download MP3s. I own the Dredd collection and love them. Once again, these were BBC productions.

Just a note. BBC Radio 4 Extra has Blake's 7, Doctor Who, and others you can listen to online. You might want to check it out. You can record these programs right off the Internet while listening to them using a free program, such as my favorite Audacity, and save them as MP3 files. I've done this many times over the years.


Any Other Suggestions?
Well, there you go. Some ideas to get you going. If anyone has any suggestions for some good fantasy, sci-fi, or historical audio dramas that you think I or others might like, pop down and mention them in the comments.