Blue Table Painting

3000 Projects

2009-07-15T21:54:00.002-07:00

Blue Table Painting has now completed over 3000 projects. That's the equivalent of about 500 full armies. Probably more. Yay!

Cruising Speed

2009-07-15T21:00:00.005-07:00

Picture: grav tank from Heavy Gear.

I feel like I am spinning my wheels. No matter how I work I can't seem to move the studio ahead. I've been in the "badger hole" for 18 months and there's no end in sight. Granted of course we're having a groovy old time.

Wood Elves (4500 pts) are out of the assembly-works for the Pandora's army special. There are extra points in both of these armies to account for a heavy amount of heroes. Each army is at least 2100 pts without magic items.

Deathguard (4000 pts) ... ditto. Ready to paint starting tomorrow.

Imperial Guard Strike Force (2000 pts) ... also ready to go. We used about 60 space marine scout bodies with cadian rebreather heads to make a delta-force looking army with FOUR valkyries as transports. And plenty of support units, a lot of them converted up.

That's the rest of the five Pandora's armies ready for paint. The 4000 pts of Tau are already underway. Test fire warrior was completed this morning and looking sharp. Red and white is one of my favorite color schemes. It stands out very well.

Follow BTP on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bluetable

Plan on doing a Batrep with the Death Korps of Krieg (with client's permission).

I also got an inventory done of the Khador we have (new in box/blister). You can buy the models at half off (bulk deal for all) for $495. Retail is $990. Email me at bluetablepainting@gmail.com if you are interested.

Unit Name
QTY

The Butcher of Khardov
1
The Dark Prince Vladimir
1
Komandant Irusk
1
Karchev the Terrible
1
Old Witch of Khador and Scrapjack (2 models)
1
Fenris Dragoon (2 models)
1
Epic Kommander Sorscha
1
Greylords of Ternion (3 models) L4
1
Behemoth
1
Berserker
1
Destroyer
1
Devastator
1
Juggernaut
1
Marauder
1
Spriggan
1
Iron Fang Ulhans (box of 3 models)
2
Doom Reavers (box of 6 models)
1
Iron Fang Unit Attachment (2 models)
2
Iron Fangs Pikemen (box of 6 models)
1
Kommandos (box of 6 models)
1
Kossite Woodsmen (box of 6 models)
1
Manhunter
1
Manhunter alternate pose
1
Man-o-War Demolition Corps
3
Man-o-War Kovnik
1
Man-o-War Shocktrooper
3
Mechanik Chief & Assistant (2 models)
1
Yuri the Axe
1
Widowmakers (box of 4 models)
1
Winterguard Field Gun and Crew (3 models)
2

Evil v Evil

2009-07-15T06:44:00.003-07:00

First off, the Pandora's Army special is back. Deatils are a few posts down. But if you're too lazy you can click here. This is one of the best deals we've ever done. Possible the best.

This Saturday we'll be having a studio match. Renn vs Skymarshall Anonymo playing Warhammer Fantasy. Vampire Counts vs Warriors of Chaos.

We painted up a unit of Marauders with Wulfrik and a Shaggoth for the game. Yum! The Batrep should be up on www.youtube.com/bluetablepainting early this coming week. I'll be referee-ing and and taking footage of the battle.

What's Hot

2009-07-13T20:48:00.005-07:00

First off, the Pandora's Army special is back. Deatils are a few posts down. But if you're too lazy you can click here.

The first week in August I 'm making terrain. It's not going to be a huge thing. I just want to make some for the studio and for personal enjoyment. But if you want me to make you a set, just set a budget (of $200-600) and give some general parameters. A typical set will cover a table heavily, and two tables reasonably. With a higher budget I make it more detailed, expansive or just make more pieces (or even different sets). As usual I need half-down.

Cities of Death: Testimonial

2009-07-13T20:30:00.008-07:00

Dear BTP clients and future clients,

There's a group of us, all old friends who now live in different parts of the country. We started with Spacehulk back in college, and now play 40K. We try to all get together about twice a year, set up a table or two, get out the armies, and go to war.

Its always a great weekend of too little sleep and, no matter how much we play, not enough 40K.At the last get together we all started talking about Cities of Death and so myself and another player picked up some of the sets and a third from our group (who's not a modeller) sent us a couple more. Well life got crazy, as it often does, with the date of our next mass get together less than two months away we start cataloging the CoD scenery that we've been able to complete.

It's not good.I start making phone calls. People still want to go CoD for the next get together, but its just not going to happen. Finally one of the other guys says, "Who did your Chaos Space Marine Army? Do they do scenery?"I thought they did, so I log onto the Blue Table web site and start digging through the galleries. It doesn't take long before I'm sending out links.The emails start to come back, everyone is liking what Shawn and his crew have produced in the past and they're saying that its exactly what they were hoping to play on.But we're around seven weeks out and we want to get an Omega size table worth of stuff done. I'm not thinking this is going to work, but I fire off a message to Shawn at Blue Table anyway.Its big, its crazy, but Shawn thinks he can make it happen. I'm looking at all the plastic, most of it still on the sprue, and I know I can't do it in the amount of time I have left.We work out the details and one of the other players and I split the deposit. I get all the unfinished kits that we have and I box them up.

Shawn starts ordering the extras that he will need.The next weeks were just a blast. Because of the tight schedule Shawn and I stayed in regular contact. He kept me up to date on the progress and tantalized us all by including the scenery in his YouTube vids.I got home from work the day before our big gaming weekend to find two big boxes sitting inside my front door. It was all I could do to wait until some of the other guys showed up that night, but I knew it would be better if we opened them together.

I think we took over an hour to carefully pull those models out of the boxes, gently unwrap them and carefully remove any Styrofoam peanuts that insisted on tagging along. Each piece was carefully and critically examined from every angle by multiple sets of hands before it was placed on the table. It quickly became apparent that Shawn and Blue Table had really come through for us, the pieces were exquisite.And that's how the next day went. The guys would show up with their armies and spend long minutes appreciating the new scenery. Then they would get out a codex and start working on a list for the Cities of Death. Everyone wanted to play on that table. We got a lot of use out of the scenery that weekend and I know we will get a lot more in future gaming sessions.

Pandora's Army Special: Take Two

2009-07-13T20:12:00.003-07:00

The Pandora's Army special was one of the most exciting things we've ever done. I'm ready to do a run for August (they should be done near the end of August). There are six slots.

$850 for a 1500 point army (half-down deposit pulls the trigger).
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Three nixes (specify three armies that it can't be).
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Options as follows:

Plus $250 brings it up to 2000 pts.
Plus $100 reverses the nixes (you specify three armies, we pick which one it gets to be, we are limited to those three).
Plus $250 upgrades the painting level to a L4/6 split.
Save $100 by going with painting L2/4 split.

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The catch? We pick everything. You only choose 40K or Fantasy. We will produce at least a reasonably competitive list. And nothing weird for paint scheme.
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Painting Level is L3/5 split (ie L5 for heroes, L3 for everything else-- what you mostly see on our site). You can also nix THREE armies; meaning you can pick three armies you don't want it to be. Point cost includes reasonable upgrades (ie we won't inflate the point total by giving every piece of wargear possible).
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I'd be really excited to do anything with this special because I always have a lot of ideas cooking. Artists produce their best work when allowed to operate freely.
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We accept almost any form of payment you can imagine. Don't forget that we have a trade-in program (that can take the edge off!).
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The normal refund options are not available for this. It's non-refundable. That's fair, I think, since we are making concession on price in exchange for artistic license.
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Normal shipping rates apply. That's $9 flat in US, $25 flat overseas. Overseas pays actual shipping if it's over $50 (ie we absorb extra cost up to $50). This is rare but it does happen.
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I will be reasonable. I think that this deal will produce good armies. No "four high elf special characters and two units of archers" or stuff like that. I have full good will in this matter. I really want to have free reign to make some dream armies.

Not Going Back.... to the Wild West

2009-07-13T19:43:00.002-07:00

I was watching the Daily Show tonight and the book featured sounds like the exact opposite of what I've been reading. So I'm going to get it and read it!

Justin Fox: The Myth of the Rational Market

The thesis as far as I can tell, is that when left to themselves people would make a worse situation than is had with government interference.

Perfect, a book with a counter-argument. I'll let you all know how it goes.

The Inner Light

2009-07-12T10:14:00.006-07:00

Hello all. For some reason people seem to be interested in this blog, so I keep plugging away.

Let's go back to Saturday. I took the boys out to a burger place and let them play on the little indoor playground thing for a few hours while I takked away on the laptop. I'm constantly working it seems. Does that make me a workaholic? I do make/take time for family and other areas of life, so I suppose not. Then we headed out to Wal Mart to pick up some fruit.

I am working on the Terradons for the Lizardmen army, which will complete that force. Everything is done for the entire 3000 pts, even movement trays. It's a really nice army. I'm proud of it.

My wife went out grocery shopping Saturday night, which is an all afternoon affair. I am well aware that this is a time for her to get away from her regular routine. She likes to do it. We are always well stocked. She doesn't shop for shoes or clothes. She shops for food. So that's a good thing.

I spent a good part of the afternoon making army lists and dreaming of a new army. Wood Elves? Kroot? What would be fun to play? But best to concentrate on a new round of Pandora's armies. I am very excited for the second run, which I will open the door for this Monday.

The whole house finally conked out around 11pm. We just sort of dropped where we were in random beds or couches. I woke up at 2am, and momentarily refreshed watched my favorite episode of Star Trek ever. It always brings a tear to my eye. The Inner Light.

When I was a boy of about twelve, we had just moved back from Alaska and were living next to my father's best friend. They had an enormous house, four levels in all. He was a woodworker and was constantly improving the home with decks, balconies, and add-on rooms. During the summer I would go over there and watch Star Trek, a small pile of penny-candy on my lap. The mother, Marilyn, was dark-haired and with a warm face, always kind and ready with cookies and milk and a kind word.

I am hoping that my own kids will discover Star Trek, dusting off my DVD-seasons of them.

For young people reading this I give a word of encouragement. Keep an eye on the horizon. Things will get better in ways that you do not envision at this time. You are worthwhile.

Here's what I believe. The galaxy is not empty. The opposite is true. It is full of life, hardly any place uninhabited by the celestialized race of mankind. It is we on this earth who are in quarantine, thinking we are alone. That's what I see when I look up the night sky.

Spirited Away

2009-07-11T19:43:00.001-07:00

If you haven't seen this movie, you're a dope. Here's a clip.

Junkyard Kroot

2009-07-11T17:42:00.008-07:00

[Pics from http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/ These weren't painted by us.]

I've been percolating a new army.

I'm thinking of doing Kroot. The problem is the Kroot Mercenaries list is really sad.

But then I noticed that Kroot are a Troops choice in the Tau list. The concept is to make a Kroot force that has put together a ramshackle force with Tau leftovers. Instead of battlesuits I'll have Knarloc Riders. The hammerheads will be these ramshackle things with kroot gunners in the hatches (for smart missile systems). The whole thing really looking like it's tied together.

Anyway, back to the Knarloc Rider "battlesuits". If I can, I'm going to get two riders on there and they will not necessarily have tau versions of their weapons. For example, they might have an imperial flamer, or a space marine meltagun. These guys are scavengers.

This will also account for the multi-tracker upgrade. Hmmmm... or maybe a guy on foot nearby.

Three units of Kroot: ten kroot and ten hounds form the core.

Six Knarloc Rider "battlesuits"

One Knarloc Rider leader (or two)

Three Knarloc Rider "broadsides"

Two Hammerheads

That would be a start.

The tactics here present something unusual. For a shooty army, like Tau, the enemy keeps advancing until they are broken or they clean up on the weak-in-combat Tau. But what if there are giant units of close combat troops coming in from random board edges?

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Since this poste I have got a lot of input. Here's one:

BTP,

your blog comments are limited to team members only, or so it seems.

I wanted to comment on this post - http://bluetablepainting.blogspot.com/2009/07/junkyard-kroot.html as follows:-

If you want some good inspiration along these lines, take a look at Marco Chulze's Kroot Renegade army, who have captured a Tau Ethereal and forced the Tau to do their bidding - http://www.hivefleetmoloch.de/kroot_renegades.php

Remember that for a codex-legal Tau army you need 1+ battlesuit commander and 1+ unit of Fire Warriors. You can proxy these, of course.

It might be worthwhile taking a look at the Kompletely Kroot 5th ed Kroot Kodex as well. It is unofficial, but very impressive nonetheless. Perhaps you could make an army that works with the Tau and Kroot codexes.

Lastly, on the subject of Kroot units in Tau armies themselves, I use two units of Kroot all the time. I prefer large units (10 Kroot & 12 Hounds). They are good for so many things, they are practically indispensible. 2+ cover saves in woods/ jungles, deploy to push back deep strikers, droppods and daemon armies, infiltrate to deny enemy scout movement (esp Valkyries and Vendettas) and outflank to attack backfield armour or to threaten objectives. Oh, yes, they are fairly handy in close combat as well if you pick your fights ;)

I have lots of Kroot, inc FW Kroot, so I am looking forward to seeing what you do with this one.

DM

Pure Genius

2009-07-11T12:18:00.005-07:00

This just in from the geniuses at MSNBC.

Since Obama signed the stimulus into law, the economy has lost more than 2 million jobs and the unemployment rate has climbed higher than the White House predicted it would have ever reached without the stimulus.

Some companies say stimulus money helped avoid layoffs. Independent government auditors found that stimulus aid to states helped keep teachers off unemployment lines. But overall job numbers continue to suffer.

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Well, duh! If you have a magic printing press to make money, a magic international credit card to borrow money, or can take money from the working masses by force, you can do all sorts of things for teachers (and other government workers).*

I offer this humble insight. Whenever government acts, it must proportionately suppress in another area. This is a very real phenomenon for Blue Table Painting. Every month I get a little slip from my accountants. It has a dollar amount on it. The dollar amount is equal to about 15-20% of the total payroll. Half of it represents "with-holding", the tax levied on the labor of the worker. This effectively means that for every ten working years, they must spend one of those laboring for the Federal Government. The other half represents the "employer contribution" which is the matching portion that the company pays.

The "employer contribution" is a business expense that indirectly holds down wages, in my estimation. If that money were freed up, I believe that the free market would see most if not all of that money into the pockets of the workers. If you do not believe this, then you need to explain why every job in existence doesn't pay minimum wage (the free market is what lets you earn $15.00 an hour when the law says only $7.25).

So, I go in every month to the bank (shudder) to turn over the fruits of our labors. One army in every six we paint goes to the government. And not the government that provides police, roads, firemen (that's local government, or paid by gas taxes). If I did not pay that money I could hire one or more new workers. But those sweet BTP jobs in the private sector never materialize because the money is funneled elsewhere. We have to make do with a smaller studio, buy less materials, and spend less on advertising. Less jobs for all the people that provide those things.

The tax accountants (who are in the floor above us, and now next to us) took over two-thirds of our studio space even though they produce no good nor service that anyone would want were the sixteenth amendment (income tax) to be repealed. They grew and I shrunk. How can that be? Plus I have to pay them for the privilege. I pay for my own tax collector's wage.

The Federal Government has told my workers that the with-holding money is safely put in a trust for them in the case of disability or old age. Do you believe it? Take a look at your last Social Security statement. It says, effectively, the program is going to be broke before they get benefit from it.

The generation before me stood idly by while the Social Security program (remember that little slip that I take to the bank with a bag of money every month?) was added to the general fund. The Feds then blew the money on other things.

What can you do about it? Use your power of communication to spread sound principles to other humans. And vote independent. And vote for candidates that will shift power of any kind to a more local level. The real problem in my estimation is a lack of education on the part of the common man. I count myself guilty here. For twenty years I waved my little flag and exulted in a feeling of "patriotism" instead of asking questions.

So, there you have it. Everytime you see a bridge built by the government, there is another project (which may have actually been demanded and needed by private citizens) that was destroyed/aborted/obliviated by taxation.

PS- This is only one side of an argument. I welcome differing views. Look here for more comments.

*I also might point out that teacher's wages are funneled into unions (by force, again) that in turn are generally supportive of Democrat party candidates.

Pandora's Army Special: Tau

2009-07-11T11:21:00.002-07:00

All right folks, the first Pandora's army is out of Assembly. We are doing two Tau armies (there are seven armies being done currently for this special). Each one has a Forge World battlesuit for the commander.

One client sent some Forge World battlesuits as extras for us to work with, so you'll see those in one of the two, but that's not part of the normal 2000 point spread.

We did some magnetization on the battlesuits, giving options for weaponry. Battlesuits also have extra systems modeled to give some option there.

We also made one of the Hammerheads so that it could double as a Skyray.

The color scheme we plan on doing it red armor with grey, white, and black as accent colors. It's going to look hot.

They should both be completed within 10 days.

Here is the base army list.

HQ: Commander Shas'o (1#, 112 Pts)
1 Commander Shas'o @ 112 Pts
Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker

HQ: Commander Shas'o (1#, 112 Pts)
1 Commander Shas'o @ 112 Pts
Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (3#, 231 Pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuit @ 231 Pts
Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Shield Generator

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (3#, 231 Pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuit @ 231 Pts
Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Shield Generator

Elite: Stealthsuits (6#, 184 Pts)
6 Stealthsuits @ 184 Pts
Burst Cannon (x4); Fusion Blaster (x2)

Troops: Fire Warrior (13#, 220 Pts)
12 Fire Warrior @ 220 Pts
Pulse Rifle (x12)
1 Devilfish @ [100] Pts
Burst Cannon; Smart Missile System; Landing Gear

Troops: Fire Warrior (15#, 200 Pts)
12 Fire Warrior @ 200 Pts
Pulse Rifle (x12)
1 Devilfish @ [80] Pts
Burst Cannon; Gun Drones; Landing Gear
2 Gun Drones @ [0] Pts
Twin Linked Pulse Carbines

Fast Attack: Pathfinder (11#, 215 Pts)
7 Pathfinder @ 215 Pts
Add Shas'ui; Markerlight (x7); Pulse Carbine (x7); EMP Grenade
1 Shas'ui @ [30] Pts
Bonding Knife; Markerlight; Pulse Carbine; EMP Grenade
1 Devilfish @ [80] Pts
Burst Cannon; Gun Drones; Marker Beacon; Landing Gear
2 Gun Drones @ [0] Pts
Twin Linked Pulse Carbines

Fast Attack: Gun Drone Squadron (8#, 96 Pts)
8 Gun Drone Squadron @ 96 Pts
Twin Linked Pulse Carbines (x8)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (1#, 160 Pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship @ 160 Pts
Railgun; Smart Missile System; Targeting Array; Landing Gear

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (1#, 160 Pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship @ 160 Pts
Railgun; Smart Missile System; Targeting Array; Landing Gear

Total Roster Cost: 1921

This is the list without any optional upgrades or equipment. With a reasonable amount of that included, it will easily clear 2000 pts.

We are working on Deathguard, Wood Elves and Imperial Guard.

Mantis Legion

2009-07-11T07:36:00.003-07:00

Sometimes referred to as the Mantis Warriors[1]. The chapter was birthed from the Mordriana System, near the Eye of Terror[2], though they have had their right to a homeworld revoked and so currently reside in their space fleet.

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Though a successor chapter, Mantis Warrior gene-seed is unusual and is rumored to allow the Mantis Warriors to enter a haze-like state in which the warrior's perception of space and time are slowed down, allowing him to react and fight at an accelerated speed. This battle haze is a permanent state and the marine is caught in it until he dies. Their melee combat is also helped by the notched adamantine blades attached to the lower arm armor.

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Mantis Warriors who are veterans of the Tranquility Campaign are formed into Sniper Squads known as 'Tranquility Sniper Squads'. These marines are known widely for their use of the Sniper Rifle and their yellow and black tiger-stripe armour.

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The only other non-Codex troops mentioned are the elite 'praying mantidae'. This elite cadre are selected from the most driven and pious members of the chapter and live for the sole purpose of hunting the Red Corsairs in order to bring honor back to the chapter. They are recognisable by snake-like tattoos covering their body, extending high up their necks.

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The Badab War
Mantis Legion was one of the three chapters that joined the Astral Claws in rebelling during the Badab Uprising. However they later rejoined the Imperial forces and joined the attack on Huron Blackheart and the Astral Claws.[3] At the end of the rebellion, they were granted the Emperor's forgiveness, subject to undertaking a hundred year crusade. The Mantis Legion's homeworld was forfeited to the loyalist Space Sharks.

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Post Badab War
Since the Badab War the chapter has been treated with suspicion and are under constant scrutiny. Before the rebellion they had an above average induction rate for the Deathwatch, but since rebelling only a handful have been accepted. They are no longer banned from recruiting by the Inquisition, although the chapter size is still dangerously low.

War Machine and Hordes Sale by Miniwargaming.com

2009-07-11T07:04:00.001-07:00

Sinkhole

2009-07-10T21:41:00.003-07:00

I thought this would be the year. The year I didn't get supremely irritated during family pictures. What's better than family pictures? Family pictures outdoors in 99 degree weather after driving an hour in rush-hour traffic. Well, better luck next time.

The day started well enough. It was Paint Fest, and in spite of a dismal turnout a good time was had by all. I managed to finish a Scorpion Grav Tank, you can see the video for that below. That brings the Oceanic Eldar up to an un-sell-able 3000 pts ($1750 if you want to buy the army now, limited time).

I am having a periodic "bad day". I'm glum also because sales are down. Nothing spectacular, just the regular dip. But I don't have to like it. Speaking of which, we are wide open for August. I am caught up on my Inbox (well, like three emails left), so I am just standing here waiting for a call or email.

Yawn.

Maybe it would be best to retire to the couch and watch some Star Trek.

H2O

2009-07-09T21:44:00.005-07:00

My wife reminded me yesterday that we had a family outing today. And by "reminded" I mean told me for the first time, but then insisted that she told me already. "Well, you must have just forgot." she says. So, how can I tell the difference? Does anyone else have this problem?

I've started requiring that she email me everything and get confirmation.

But it is all right. I left laptop, books and everything behind and headed out with my darling family to the water park. Floating slowly along in an innertube, little baby girl nestled on my lap, was a bit of paradise. She was wearing a little yellow outfit with a floppy yellow hat. She is the mildest, most darling baby; so tender and happy. I just love being around her.

I did manage to squeak in a few hours down at the studio, just getting everything sorted. I am wringing my hands a bit-- I need to get projects set up for August.

I plan on re-launching the Pandora's army special again. It got a lot of support. We are currently working on seven armies for it (four different types), each one quite exciting. About half of them feature something from Forge World.

The Pandora's Army special is probably going to reincarnate as this: $850 for a 1500 point army ($450 deposit pulls the trigger). Three nixes (specify three armies that it can't be). Options as follows: plus $250 brings it up to 2000 pts, plus $100 reverses the nixes (you specify three armies, we pick which one it gets to be). I wanted to present some armies first, but if anyone is ready to go, then by all means let's proceed. This adventure has been received very well by artists all around. There is a special excitement on account of the broad license to do as we please. I think it makes for a much better result.

To strike a balance between private interests of banks and the centralized responsibility of government

2009-07-09T09:50:00.003-07:00

[Here is an article for your consideration. I am extremely interested to hear/publish a counter-argument. Does anyone have one? Sometimes I imagine a picture-perfect universe if only X would happen, but maybe that universe is not so rosy.]

July 9, 2009

The Fed Must Be Stopped

Written by: Ron Paul

Our country currently finds itself in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the 1930s and, as during all economic crises, people search for the answer as to why this has happened. Not only have large financial firms been affected, but also mainstays of American industry such as GM and Chrysler, all the way down to the Mom & Pop stores on Main Street. The easy way out is to blame the traditional scapegoats: foreign governments, fraudulent businessmen, and greedy speculators. But the real villain is far more sinister; the organization entrusted with maintaining a stable dollar and touted as the guarantor of economic stability – the Federal Reserve.

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In the United States, monetary policy has been the domain of the Federal Reserve since its inception in 1913. Since that time we have had a number of cyclical recessions, each one following a boom caused by the Federal Reserve's loose monetary policy. The problem with the Federal Reserve is that it interferes with market pricing functions. Interest rates are a price just like any other and arise because of the fact that people prefer to consume in the present rather than in the future. The extent to which people defer present consumption is reflected in interest rates, which in a free market are determined by the spontaneous interactions and decisions of millions of people.

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Fed intervention to set prices throws markets and interest rates out of equilibrium. When the Federal Reserve pushes interest rates below what the market rate would be, everyone wants to borrow money for long-term projects. Shortages of loanable funds would occur, except that the Federal Reserve has the ability to create bank balances out of thin air. The Fed can create a bank ledger on paper, or on a computer, establish a balance of millions or billions of dollars, and then spend these dollars out into the economy.

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Loans become cheap, and the result of these lower interest rates is an economic boom which eventually manifests itself as a bubble. Beginning in 2001, the Federal Reserve pushed interest rates to as low as one percent, which after adjusting for inflation meant that the real interest rate was negative, so businesses were actually making money by taking out loans. This was the fuel for the housing bubble and the reason there are 19 million empty houses today.

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Because of this awesome power to create money out of thin air, the Fed has jumped in to stabilize ailing financial firms by pledging over $7 trillion through various guarantee programs and credit facilities. This is equivalent to over half of the entire nation's GDP. Over $1 trillion of this is already in play, propping up banks and other institutions that should be allowed to fail. All of this has taken place with no oversight by Congress. The Fed was created by Congress, and it is unconscionable that we have allowed it to act in such a way without our oversight.

Currently the Federal Reserve's credit facilities, open market operations, and agreements with foreign governments and central banks are all exempt from any sort of audit or oversight. Earlier this year I introduced the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, HR 1207, that would remove all restrictions on Federal Reserve audits and call for a f ull audit of the Federal Reserve System to be completed by the end of 2010. At this writing, 245 of my fellow Congressmen have cosponsored this bill and we hope to have hearings in the near future. In the Senate, Republicans Jim DeMint, Mike Crapo and David Vitter have cosponsored S. 604, companion legislation introduced by Bernie Sanders. I am very encouraged by the tremendous growing momentum on Capitol Hill.

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Our Founding Fathers never intended for a single entity such as the Federal Reserve to have this much power. In fact, there is no authority in the Constitution for the federal government to create a central bank, to enact legal tender laws, or to print paper money. The Tenth Amendment is quite clear that “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The states themselves are prohibited from emitting bills of credit, i.e. paper money, arising from the Founders' negative experiences with paper money during the Revolutionary War. Cheap, un-backed, easily counterfeited paper money nearly lost the Revolution, until the government returned to minting gold and silver coins. Unfortunately, like too many other lessons learned by the Founders, the painful experiences of paper money have been forgotten by those living in the pres ent. We even ignore the experiences of Germans in the 1920s, Argentines in the 1980s, and Zimbabweans over the past decade. The Fed doubled the monetary base last fall in a matter of months, and God help us if any of this high-powered money begins to make its way through the economy.

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An audit of the Fed is only the first step towards returning to where our Founders intended this country to be. The Founders knew that paper money could ruin a country, and drafted the Constitution in such a way that they thought would ensure sound, commodity-backed currency. Unfortunately, the Constitution was dispensed with long ago, and we find ourselves now suffering under an unconstitutional regime of un-backed paper money.

Until we abolish the Federal Reserve and return to a stable currency that is not able to be manipulated to create boom and bust cycles, we will continue down the path of economic ruin.

Misfire

2009-07-08T22:44:00.003-07:00

Well, the call of Tzeentch has been heard. The pic is of a figure by a company from Spain. The game's name is Hell Dorado. The figures are pretty disturbing. They're sort of hard to get. I happened across a few, so I have an unpainted version of this vulture creature thing. I'm going to use it as a Changeling.

I was up at 7am this morning, answering emails. I am standing by to set up projects. We've been clearing things out at record pace. I have in my heart that I want to keep BTP's excellent crew busy. Will you do us the honor of putting us to work? It is a high compliment that someone would trade part of their life (time to produce something that is sold for money) for part of our life.

Once at the studio I realized I was pretty much caught up. So, when the good wife called and said she was going out to run some errands, I jumped on the bandwagon. All six of us in the van, then lunch at Sam's Club (hot dogs, ice cream, pizza and soda). Then when we got home, Tamie had to run an errand (some school meeting) and asked if I could stay home with the kids. I find it nearly impossible to say no to her. I just love her so much and want to be useful for her.

But it didn't stop there. I went to sleep on the couch to an episode of Star Trek (now in season five). So, I managed to get back to the studio around 4pm. I stayed late and wrapped up almost every loose end. There are still some projects waiting to have pics taken.

Bubble Machine

2009-07-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

Got this little treat from an observant reader:

I could be wrong, but the issue of inflation seems like small potatoes compared to other questionable ways that banks make money. About a week ago, Matt Taibbi published a pretty amazing piece in Rolling Stone about Goldman Sachs that has drawn the ire of the company.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/28816321/the_great_american_bubble_machine

What do you think?

Meltdown Review part 01 of 04: Shell Game

2009-07-08T10:19:00.007-07:00

How the Federal Reserve Causes Inflation

Here are some quotes from the book "Meltdown" by Thomas Woods (2009) followed by my own comments. I think it is important for humans to understand the world in which they live. I live in a world where I will spend ten to twenty years of my life working indirectly for bankers. I will sweat, they will eat the bread.

I am not upset about this. There is an abundant and gracious God in Heaven who has opened my heart to the beauty of the world. I will only be here a short while. He will make all things right in the end. Nevertheless, it is the song of every soul to improve the world, and to bring truth to light.

And so here I go.

The Federal Reserve controls the American money supply and can influence interest rates either upward or downward; it can also function as a “lender of last resort.” Although people use the phrase “printing money” as a kind of shorthand for what the Fed does, the Fed increases the money supply not by printing cash and putting it into circulation, but by what are called “open-market operations,” which involve the purchase and sale of assets. Strictly speaking, the Fed can purchase any kind of asset it wants, but it normally purchases government bonds. If it wants to increase the money supply, it purchases, say, $1 billion in bonds from a bond dealer. It makes the purchase by writing a check on itself for $1 billion and handing it to a firm like Goldman Sachs in exchange for the bonds. It creates this $1 billion out of thin air.

Goldman Sachs then deposits this $1 billion check from the Fed in its bank. That bank doesn’t put the e$1 billion in a special vault with “Goldman’s Money” on the door. Instead, the bank will lend out most of that $1 billion, since the law only requires it to keep a small percentage of its deposits on reserve. (Most of the banks’ reserves, incidentally, are kept in its own account at the Fed, with a small amount in cash in its vaults to satisfy normal day-to-day requests for cash by the bank’s depositors.) When the bank, in turn, lends out the money, borrowers spend it, and it winds up in accounts in other banks, which use most of that money in still another round of expansion, and so on. With a reserve requirement of ten percent, the initial $1 billion will have supported $9 billion in additional lending by the time this process is complete. All of this $10 billion has been created out of nothing: the initial $1 billion check from the Fed, and the additional $9 billion in loans that the fractional-reserve banking makes possible, were produced out of thin air. Should the Fed wish to contract credit, it follows this procedure in reverse: it sells the bonds to the banks, and the money it receives for them—and the further increase in the money supply that the fractional-reserve system then created on top of it—are withdrawn from the economy.

…

Although people often define inflation as a general rise in prices, and economists themselves employ that definition as a kind of shorthand, inflation is actually the increase of the money supply itself (which in turn leads to higher prices than would otherwise have prevailed). Specifically, it is an increase in the amount of money in circulation not backed by the monetary commodity—in other words, an increase in paper-note claims tot gold not backed by increases in gold itself. Under a fiat standard, which the countries of the world have now, in which the monetary system is not backed by a commodity, we can define inflation simply as an increase in the amount of paper money in circulation.

…

Consider this question: in what order and in what way does the new money make its way through he economy? When eh government inflates the money supply, the new money does not reach everyone simultaneously and proportionately. It enters the economy at discrete points. The earliest recipients of the new money include politically favored constituencies…: banks, for example, or firms with government contracts. These privileged parties receive the new money before inflation has pushed prices upwards… the privileged firms that are lucky enough to get the new money benefit from being able to make their purchases at the previously existing price level—thereby silently looting those from whom they buy. When the average person gets his hands on this new money… prices have already been rising for quite a while… The value of his money was diluted by the new money before it ever reached him.

…

Now imagine a situation in which business firms or banks connected to the government receive a new influx of money courtesy of Fed credit expansion. That money comes out of thin air, not from the sale of some previous good or service. Thus when these favored firms spend this money, they are in effect taking goods out of the economy without providing anything themselves. Here we see very clearly how they benefit at the expense of the rest of society: they take from the stock of goods without giving anything in return. The money they pay for their goods didn’t originate in a good or service that they themselves had previously provided; it came from nowhere. The analogous case under a system of barter would be one in which, instead of trading my bread for your orange juice, I just [drink] your orange juice.

-- Thomas Woods, Meltdown (2009)

Shawn's Comments
I have read this book twice now, underlining and taking notes. The first third of the book is an overview of recent history; the bailouts (even a few notes about those in the last few decades), deregulation, regulation and nationalizing banks. Then the meaty parts: the core mechanics of how things work; what is money? what is inflation? The book ends with a chapter entitled "What Now?" which gives suggestions about how sound principles can restore some sense of reason

All of this has been of profound effect on me. I wasn't expecting this book to help me in the micro-economic function of my business, but it indeed helped me to understand my universe better and to act on it. I have cut the banks out of the loop. I have started integrating the ideas of commodities, barter and real money into my life. I have started living more within my means.

I don't like conspiracy theory. Even if it were true, what could I do about it? That's why on this blog I try to take a more "common-man-bolts-and-nuts" approach.

One profound impression I had is that the common man is indeed capable of understanding these things. Indeed, I think that each citizen would do well to put down the game-controller for a month and gulp down a few books on economics.

It doesn't take a genius to know that if every dollar were suddenly twinned, then prices would go up.. how much?

Why are homes and college educations so expensive? These are sectors where credit expansion is the most rampant, and where government has distorted economic reality the most.

If a house were to cost $50,000 could you buy one outright? Could you save up over time?

Right now, home prices are seeking their real, true value.

It's starting to make sense.

As usual, I invite differing viewpoints. Is this book wrong? Are there factual errors? Am I not seeing the whole picture? I am just an average guy trying to put it together.

Phrase-ology

2009-07-08T07:53:00.002-07:00

I was reading this article on Ron Paul's bill to audit the Federal Reserve:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31784137/ns/business-us_business/

Note the words used:

It's an "attack" on the Federal Reserve (he's not questioning or advancing).
Ron Paul has a "gang" (not a coalition or alliance)
It's Ron Paul's "little" bill (what's little about it?)
He has a "vendetta" against the Federal Reserve. He's a "radical" (not a forward-thinker or a leader).
His "gang of 244" (since when is 244 people out of 435 a "gang"?)
Congress is "upset" and "doesn't like" the Fed.

The Fed is only going to "intervene responsibly" when "necessary". Oh thank goodness! The good and wise Federal Reserve is always there to lend a helping hand!

Remember, the Federal Reserve is a private entity. It controls the one thing that you can't trust anyone with: the money supply. In fact, the very definitioin of money has been warped in the last 100 years (since 1913 when the Federal Reserve was established).

This bill (HR 1207) is only so we can take a limited look inside. It amazes me that this is considered to be extraordinary. The commoners want a tour of the castle, the mysterious castle from which the decrees are issued. We wait with baited breath while our betters make the decisions.

These people are not smarter than you.

Quote of the Day

2009-07-07T16:09:00.002-07:00

"They were in the Broadway production of Corsairs."

- S. Purser

New tag line for War Machine: "That does what now?"

Trade-in Rates for July 2009

2009-07-07T13:05:00.004-07:00

Here are the trade-in rates for July 2009. I'm offering service credit in trade for models. Read this completely as I have recently improved several aspects of this program. Notably: I am now trading in army books. Also, you do not need to figure out the retail prices of your trade-in items.

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You can usually get a much better deal going to the secondary market (local shop, ebay) on your own. However, the advantage of trading in with us is that you are likely to be able to unload disparate items without a lot of hassle (e.g. finding various buyers, setting up payment, lots of minor questions).

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If you want to trade in, we need a list of what you have. You do NOT need to calculate the retail value, but it helps. Please tell me the condition (e.g. new in box, new on sprue, assembled, primed). The rates below are a multiplier. If the entry says 0.30 it means you would get $30 for $100 worth of retail items. Just take the retail total and multiply it by the number. You do not need to figure this out; you can just send in your list of stuff to bluetablepainting@gmail.com

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In the past I have only allowed for half or less of a project to be paid in credit this way. But for the time being I am lifting that restriction.

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I just know there's someone who goes out to their garage, surveys the mass of unpainted models, sighs then turns out the light. This program will hopefully allow someone with the "white primer horde" to finally show up with a painted army. As an added bonus, your models will get a good home where they will be painted and loved.

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We don’t need painted figures. Exception: if they only have a little bit done with them; not too thick, not too many layers. Primed models are OK, again not too thick.

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You can also get a credit of at least $10 to help with your shipping costs. This is on request. .
If you want to trade-in figures, but don't have a project ready, that's OK, I will confirm your total and then you will have it on tap for when you want to use it.

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This trade-in is recorded as a payment on your project. It is non-refundable except at our discretion (eg you can’t refuse the project and then get your trade-in amount refunded as cash). Trade-in can be applied to cost of models, assembly or painting as you wish. This means you can also just get models sent to you (this is limited to models that are commonly available, eg not Forge World).

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Generally, we only need in-print models that are currently in production.

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These rates and conditions may change so it is recommended to check in every once in a while. I am likely to update the numbers about once a month. The plan right now is to update every first of the month. Fairness is the guiding principle.

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Forge World 0.49
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Army books $8 credit (must be current edition, no OOP)

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Assault on Black Reach Models:
Complete set of orks $9 credit
Complete set of space marines $9 credit
Space Marine Dreadnought $5 credit
Small rulebook $5 credit
Template sprue (complete) $3 credit

. Chaos Space Marines 0.24

. Daemonhunters 0.20

. Daemons of Chaos 0.30

. Eldar 0.20

. Imperial Guard 0.34

. Necrons 0.20

. Orks 0.25

. Space Marines 0.25

. Tau 0.25

. Tyranids 0.26

. Witch Hunters 0.24

. Warhammer Fantasy 0.30

. Hordes 0.32

. War Machine 0.20 (Cryx 0.30)

. Battlefleet Gothic 0.11

. Lord of the Rings 0.17

Standing By

2009-07-07T07:02:00.003-07:00

I am caught up at the studio and standing by (as always, even if we are busy!) to set up new projects.

You should know that I am completely at your disposal.

I have some clients who will call me and set up everything by phone. I will take dictation about army specifications and also offer advice and help with army theme and list.

Alternatively, you can set up a project on your own, to any degree.

Email at bluetablepainting@gmail.com
Phone number is (801) 372-8545
Facebook ID is bluetablepainting http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=633040196
Google Chat ID is bluetablepainting

Stacked to the Ceiling

2009-07-06T22:49:00.003-07:00

The studio was an absolute wreck today. There were kits and packages literally stacked to the ceiling. I had a mind-boggling amount of tasks to accomplish. I made some serious inroads and I'm mostly caught up.

I painted up three Razordons (and handlers, all nine of them) and a third Kroxigor. This brings the point total of the studio Lizardmen to 2625 with no magic items. Pretty much going to be 3000 pts. But I need to also paint up four more models: three Terradons and the whimsically named Tiq'taq'to.

I got a new HD camera, but turns out it only records in .mov which is incompatible with the editing software I use (windows movie maker, which I love). Working through that. I plan on doing a few shorts for Hordes tomorrow.

We're ready to get projects set up for August (best to start now in the process).

Pandora's armies are getting assembled this week. The four army types turned out to be: Deathguard, Imperial Guard, Tau, and Wood Elves.