After years of wishful thinking, I’ve finally made it into the pages of White Dwarf! (No, this is not a specialist mag for height-challenged caucasians, but the official Warhammer monthly… and no, Warhammer is not a radical militia group, but a table-top strategy game with little figurines.) See the article by Alessio Cavatore. I don’t paint figurines, but I have a great view of them being painted… and if I’m not allowed to watch, I can go to http://www.la-tour-blanche.com. (The site is in French, but if you like little fantasy figurines painted in such detail it makes your eyes water just to think about it, take a look -note site no longer active-)
Christmas early…
I am now the proud owner of a reproduction of the Shards of Narsil, complete with certificate of authenticity, signed by the designer… me! I signed five thousand of the things, which is four thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine more than if I’d signed a cheque, come to think of it… But, it’s a lovely piece of work and will look great in the attic! No, I mean in the studio, sorry! (The attic is already jammed full of armour, weapons, costumes and who-knows-what.) There’s also a massive wall plaque with it, but I’m already considering how I can extract the Shards themselves and display them in a fashion closer to the movie… now if I could only get hold of that statue that’s in Rivendell…
Check out the selection at http://www.unitedcutlery.com
Now, given that my Bic makes a line 0.03 cm wide, that makes 48 square centimeters, a bit less than the palm of my hand or a bit more than the surface of a ping-pong ball. Isn’t this great? Okay, it’s pretty stupid, I admit, but journalists do this to us all the time. How many times have you read that something is the weight of 14 elephants, or as long as 18 semi-trailers? But, how often have you had the occasion to weigh up an elephant? Next time I’m caught in a traffic jam, I’ll find the right truck driver and say «Hey, did you know that you and the other 17 poor unfortunate guys stuck behind you are as long as the Starship Enterprise? » I bet THAT would make his day.
Why can’t we be treated as adults? Do they think we can’t understand numbers and estimate quantities? Are they trying to appeal to the child in us? Enhance the mysteries of the universe? («It’s a big world out there, you’ll never really grasp it, but let me give you a comparison which isn’t one, just to confuse you.») At any rate, it’s a mystery to me…
Still Christmas…
Received a catalogue from Jeff de Boer today, all the more a treat in that it is long out of print. (But Jeff, you forgot to sign it! Nobody will believe I got it from you! I’ll have to show them the envelope too… lucky I kept the stamps.) It’s not that often that I can be ecstatic about someone’s work, but Jeff’s is a revelation. And even better, he’s from Canada too!
You can’t get the catalogue, but you can go to: http://www.jeffdeboer.com and take a peek.
(Credit for the discovery goes to my chum Alex: http://www.olofsgillet.org.)
Getting in touch:
I’ve done it! I always thought post office boxes were expensive, required spotless criminal records, signatures in blood and all that, but it turns out they are free and easily acquired.
So, it’s done.
Should you wish to write or send anything or whatever, you may do so to:
CASE POSTALE 2521
2001 NEUCHÂTEL
SWITZERLAND
On the Drawing Board:
More Map of Numenor pieces. Have just finished the vignettes, now for the border and the map itself.
On the Road…
The Tolkien exhibition is in Rennes in a day or two, and will be going to Charleville-Mézières next. However, there might be something ELSE in Geneva at the same time, in early May. More news to follow…
See you next time !
