And now, to ramble on collecting the Arts!

Time to change topics for a moment, from waffling to other things;
the arts, and in this case, miniature tabletop Fallout gaming. 

I like the arts; I like tabletop games, like Chess. I'm addicted to many variants of Fallout rpg atm, very fun and can be used as scenario tools for people to visualise, if they are paranoid and prefer to not use computers (yes, there are still Y2K people out there... *shudders*)
 I acquire many different mixed media miniatures from all around the world: New Caledonia, Germany/Spain, USA, Russia, China, Argentina, UK and Japan. and Norway, can't forget Norway! It's like a win-win: penfriends, and you get a figure too!
There are so many talented people out there, that have so many skills. For example, some whittle out of wood... some use mixed glues and clay polymers... others a type of papier mache. Some of the rarest figures in my collection are napoleonic mixed media tin soldiers, along with some from circa 1920-1940s germany (they made rare mixed media toy soldiers, with hideous bodies but porcelain heads; they're worth a mint, and my favorite minis). I even have some Ivory minis from long ago: back when whaling and ivory were cool, and thought to keep the populations of animals down. I certainly hope they don't make those today... but as they're heirlooms, I enjoy keeping them.

I prefer 1/48th-1/52scale for most things; its just a nice scale, has a lot of utility and lets you trade across a bigger spectrum. My partner collects ATC's, artists Mixed Media Trading Cards. These things are one of the coolest aspects of secret womens (and increasingly, all kinds of artist) business;
they're made from a huge range of mixed media from jewellery (pressed and embossed metal) through to fabrics and translucent materials. They're cool, and if you're into trading cards, these might just be the best thing!

So here's a new acquisition for my collection;
Below, a naga monk custom made for my fallout campaign that will be set in Harlan Ellisons Middle-East-Asia. He's a statue come to life, turned pirate. The toothpicks will be replaced with maces and axes at a later stage, (and armor and an eyepatch, he's a pirate afterall)... This baddie lurks around Angkor Wat or Wat Arun, Wat Pho or any of the other Wats they're building over there: its all concrete, to replace the wooden ones...

When he's not bumming around the temples, he'll be on his own custom boat, surfing and plundering the high seas. The Fallout probably mutated him, or I'd like to think it was an animatronic statue in a Wat that came to life. I was tempted to have another made with many guns, but don't we see enough of those already?

So, once this figure is done, I'll have to see if other naga monks and pirates can be made to tag along... I'm looking forward to painting this when i receive it.

I'll be sure to keep you posted, and I'll have to give a shout out once this is done,
cheers!

Q's for the Reader:
Do you collect anything? any numismatists out there (coin collectors)? What about stamps, crystals/minerals? Tektites? Skulls... (only a few people I've met have come up to me and said: "hi there! Do you want to see my Human Skull collection?" Cool collectables for sure).
Are you into tabletop gaming or RPGing with people, face to face?
Do you collect ATC's?

What do you think of the Naga Monk? Should the face be a little different?
I feel its reminiscent of one from a Wat I've been to, and if I can find the photo I'll have to put it up.
Should the mace be mid-air posed - like Heroclix action poses they have now (they've really set the bar in terms of all my other 1/48th scale stuff now)? or should the mace be flat on the ground, being dragged behind this roboslug?

I'm also hoping to have some objective markers made, to match a bunch of the stat-cards that are on the forums.

EDIT: PROGRESS!

We can see above, with a WOTC mini for scale (no coins or tapemeasure to hand in the lab).
The maker is making the mini, and they're doing a great job! This space pirate Naga Monk will be up in no time making an appearance at the LGS or at RPG outing. If the arms are right, and the weapons look generically sci-fi, I could probably also use it as a Fallout Mutant for asianic campaigns.
I'm told there could be many generic insect variants etc... and that there might be female versions as well... I'll be sure to keep you updated on the wheres and whens as they unfurl.