May the Fourth be with you!

On this May the Fourth, the feast day of St. Carrie, may the Blessed Rebel Queen shine her light down on you giving your enemies the middle finger, reminding you to take your meds and laugh it off. 

Cardboard Spaceship for #StarGrave part 2

In my first post on this project, I ended with the first coat of primer applied. It took a while for both the weather and my free time to coincide. This past weekend, that happened. After letting the ship collect dust for a bit, I finally got back outside and added a second coat of primer. I then took the family on a long walk in the park. When we got back, and had dinner... well... what else was there to do but work on my ship!

I started with a very rough overbrush of a tan paint that I had mixed up at the local home improvement store for a project some year back. We still had more than half the can, and well... I'm a little lacking in craft paints. 

I thought I got pics of that, but apparently not. 

After that, I mixed in some Ultramarine Blue, and then brushed over the tan with that.

Then I used Metal Tone on the engine bits and the hatch on top. 

After that I added in some variety using Redstone, Cavalier Orange, and more of the Ultramarine Blue. Then, using a sponge and some black craft paint, I added more weathering, and using Filagree Silver, some highlights to the exposed metal.

I also added some spots of what I think of as blaster scorch marks. 

Overall I'm very pleased with my first attempt at making a cardboard model. it's a little rough, but will still look great on a table covered with sci-fi terrain. 

That isn't to say I would make my next one exactly the same way. For one thing, I didn't measure nearly well enough, and while I started with a plan, I was winging it way more than I should have. I was inconsistent in how I did the paneling. I should have figured that out before I started gluing. I also made the top structure way more complex a shape than I should have. Yes, card bends. That doesn't mean you should be making curved surfaces. I should have put in some detail under the top hatch. 

However, now that this is done, it's time to start thinking about the next ship I'll build. Something a little smaller I think.

Cardboard Spaceship for Stargrave part 1

While Stargrave is still months from being released, there has been some info that's made it out into the wilds, and one bit is that there will be a scenario that takes place in a hanger bay of some sort, and requires 4 ships/shuttles. 

Now, I've been watching a lot of Star Wars lately, from Clone Wars to Rebels to The Mandalorian, and got this crazy idea to scratch build a small cargo ship. I even dreamed about it. So, after work one evening I got to it. 

I started with a sketch and some basic dimensions.

Then got cutting. Mostly the ship is made from regular cardboard, glued together with hot glue.

Here I've got the basic structure coming together.

And then the overall ship shape.

The basic construction took about 2 hours tops. I was really pleased, overall with how it was coming along.... but then I got more into it and... 

When I got the second engine on... I realized that they weren't quite the same size. I did a bunch of fiddling trying to get it to work.

Then ignored it, and added more structure to the top of the ship.

This is the top of that little 3 legged thing that comes with pizza to keep the box from squishing the pizza. Loved the shape, and figured that'd be great detailing for the ship.

Then I cut off the engines and replaced them with these cylinders made from tissue box and a pair of Reaper bases.

You can also sort of see the pencil sketching on the hull where I thought different bits of plating should go. 

And speaking of, I got started on it. Here you can see the hatch on the port side. The paneling was done with the same tissue box card applied with wood glue.

 The paneling was a bit too busy, and I'm not real thrilled with how it looks here. Maybe it'll be better when painted.

Up top, I'm wishing I'd been more symmetrical with the panels.

I went with a cleaner, less busy look for the starboard side.

And here you can see the aft main hatch.

Adding detail to the prow and the front of the engines. Still not sure how I'll detail the rear of the engines.

Working on some landing gear. They're made from GW 20mm bases, kabab skewers, and the inner tube of a roll of dog poop bags.

Given how tall it is, I added some washers for weight to the bottom of the hull.

And here I'm adding the clear plastic to the cockpit. I want the smooth surface for when I paint it up. 

Then I built out the cockpit cladding and here you can see the fins added to the engines...

And the detail added to the back of the engines. 

Then it was primer time!! It's gonna need a second coat, and then onto painting, but that's for another post. 

Retro-Review: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Back to my Star Wars reviews... 

The conclusion of the original trilogy!

After the bit of a downer end of ESB, we find our heroes rescuing their friend Han from the clutches of Jabba the Hut. As with the entirety of the original trilogy, the practical effects, the puppetry, and the shooting locations help ground this movie in a way that to many modern movies and shows fail at.

One thing I'd specifically like to take a moment to comment on is Slave Leia, or, most appropriately, Hut Slayer Leia!! Carrie Fisher does such a wonderful job in her role as Princess Leia. I really love how over the years she embraced the fandom, in spite of her own difficulties. She really did become the space mom we all need, flipping off the haters, and spreading love and glitter wherever she went.

RotJ does suffer a little, coming after the powerful ESB, but it makes the best of it, hitting all of the powerful beats it needed to. Luke going off to confront his father and the emperor, the struggle in the throne room as he watches his friends fighting and dying, the moment of temptation as he reaches for his lightsaber in anger, and of course the redemption of Anakin Skywalker.

Then there's the ewoks. I get that they aren't the most impressive things in the universe, but they are kinda impressive in not only how they helped to take down the empire, but in how they had so many traps ready for the fight!

The original celebration on the forest moon of Endor is added to in the new version that shows celebrations on planets all over the galaxy. While I appreciate them showing it that way, it fails to blend in as seamlessly as I'd like.  

All in all this is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. 

Next up: The Force Awakens!

Retro-Review: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

The Death Star has been destroyed! But the Empire's grip on the galaxy is still growing tighter. The rebellion is staying just ahead of Darth Vader...

It's generally accepted that ESB is the best of the Star Wars movies. It's darker than the first, introduces some amazing new characters (including Lando, Yoda, Boba Fett, and Willrow Hood), and has one of the most repeated (and misquoted) plot twists.

The special effects are even better than before, from the yeti monster to the AT-ATs to Yoda himself. There's something so amazing and timeless and real that comes from practical effects. As good as anything in the prequels, the effects here far surpass them.

As with ANH, I watched the "updated" version for this review. I actually had to go and look up to see what had changed. It was far more seamlessly done. Plus the shots of Cloud City I have to say were much improved (IMHO) with the changes.

So, is it weird that I praise the old effects on one hand, and then praise the updated effects that were cut in? Maybe.

Either way, as Lando and Chewie fly off, leaving Luke and Leia behind to go find Han, things wrap on a bit of a downer, and you're left feeling rather emotionally drained... Time for a short break, then we Return for the next Retro-Review!

Retro-Review: Star Wars A New Hope

We're back to the beginning... A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...

There's been so much written about Star Wars since it first lit up the big screen back in '77 that there is literally nothing I could say that hasn't been said in fan discussions, college papers, books, magazines... It is literally a cultural touchstone, a cinematic masterpiece, a sci-fi work that everything that has been made since is compared to.

And look, I'm a Star Trek fan at heart, but even I feel the stirring in my chest when Luke stands out watching the twin suns set and John William's score kicks off.

In the decades since, with prequels, sequels, books, comics, cartoons, and everything that has come from this first movie, it's impossible to watch it with the innocence of someone in 1977. Can you watch Alec Guinness and not think about Ewan McGregor? (or James Arnold Taylor?) Can you watch and not think about Chewie knew Yoda, or how Vader is Luke and Leia's dad?

That said, I tried my best.

A New Hope stands the test of time. The special effects are still special, the music is AMAZING, the acting is better than a silly sci-fi romp deserves, and there's little that needs improvement. I have watched both the original versions and the improved ones, and honestly... Some of the improvements are actually improvements. I like the extra characters in Mos Eisley, and the slightly expended landscapes.

But one thing that absolutely needs to be said: HAN SHOT FIRST.

That said, A New Hope is wonderful... though i kinda wish we could have gotten something a little closer to this fight.

Star Wars Re-Review: Rogue One

I originally reviewed Rogue One back in 2016. You can click here to read that review.



Taking the time to go back through the galaxy spanning saga that is Star Wars, this is the movie that I find myself returning to. Is it weird that my favorite movie is one that doesn't focus on the Skywalkers?

I only barely touched on Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang as Chirrut Îmwe and Blaze in my previous review, which is a crime. These two brought so much to the movie. And sure, they were the stand ins for the Jedi, but given the focus on the Kyber Crystals, it makes sense. Given what's been shown of the Jedi Order in the movies, it's nice seeing others with Force connections. And yes, there's Finn, who is clearly force sensitive, if not yet a force user, but here in Rogue One we have 2 very different force users. Blaze with his heavy blaster cannon and broken faith and his friend Jiang, blind but so connected to the force that he can take on an entire squad of storm troopers with just his staff or shoot a tie fighters out of the air with his blaster bow.

We see these two adrift, their temple raped, their order destroyed, and the boot of the empire crushing all beneath it. Like everyone else in this movie, the inexorable crushing machine that is the empire is rolling over them, pushing them to the brink, and this movie is about how some individuals choose to face it, knowing the odds.

It isn't a perfect movie, but it is good in spite of some of the storytelling flaws, and carried by some excellent acting from some excellent actors. And in the final analysis, I think that this may be the best Star Wars movie so far.

Retro Review: Revenge of the Sith

Apparently I got my posting order wrong, and posted Solo before this. Ah well...

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We all know where this is going, where it has to go... how it has to end.



One of the downsides of doing direct prequels is that the story has to end up where you know it will, and because we know who the key players are, we know who lives, and who dies, though we might not know exactly the route taken to get there.

For example, how does Padme die? How are the Jedi killed off? How does Luke end up on Tatooine, while Leia ends up on Alderaan?

Episode III continues to suffer from much that plagued Episodes I and II, namely the terrible dialogue (which leads to flat performances), and an over reliance on CGI. So little of the prequels feels real in the way things felt real in the original trilogy largely because they aren't real. There's nothing there for the actors to see, to interact with. Green screens and characters that aren't really there make for a boring performance.

But I do have to give the CGI artists props for their work. It is all very grandiose, appropriately visually stunning as a good space opera should be. I just wish more of it had been real. Thankfully this is a lesson that the later movies and shows are taking into account, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Chancellor Palpatine has played everyone, from the Jedi Council to the Senate to the Separatists... and as he corrupts Anakin rather blatantly, playing on his fears of Padme's death in childbirth, he admits to being the sith lord, and then waits for the Jedi to come to him. Serious power move on his part. Anakin's fall is possibly the best bit of acting Hayden Christensen performs in the movies. At least it's the first bit I actually believed.

Kenobi's heart break also felt real. When he watched the security footage of Anakin killing the younglings? When they crossed sabres on Mustafar, when he left him for dead... I believed that too.

One of the worst parts of the movie, and the one that gets brought up regularly (and deservedly) is Padme's dying of a broken heart. But did she? Palpatine couldn't let her live. Did he kill her? Honestly, that seems much more likely... I wish the idea was better supported in the movie though.

Star Wars Re-Review: Solo

2 years ago, I watched Solo: A Star Wars Story, and then wrote about it here.



Watching it again, my feelings are much as they were before. This was a completely unnecessary film that was still a blast to watch. I really appreciated more this time all the little touches on the Corellia shipyards that I missed the first time around. The stack of partly assembled Tie fighters in frames ready for shipping? It helps make everything feel more connected. More real. Like the Empire really is a massive force that takes over everyone's life in some way, shape, or form.

Plus Han grubbing around in the mud like some poor trooper? Captured that feeling of war from the perspective of someone too smart to be in one and charging for that next muddy hill without a good reason.

And as before, I'm still mourning the fact that we haven't gotten a Lando movie after this... We've seriously been robbed.

Star Wars Retro Review: Attack of the Clones

Episode II: Not as bad as Episode I, right? Well... maybe?



Here's the thing... no one in these movies is a bad actor, but the force preserve us, they had some bad direction.

And look, I get it, Anakin is supposed to have flaws that Palpatine uses against him, uses to turn him to the dark side, but... What a whiny little brat. Kenobi is kinda obnoxious, Padme is... just... it was all painful, ok, and instead of a cool sith lord like Maul, we got an old dude.

Okay, yes, the old dude just happened to be Christopher Lee, and he worked it for what it was worth, and yeah, he got a LOT more to work with than Maul did. But I'm still bummed that Maul got so little when he deserved so much more.

And you can see that they're trying to address the shortcomings of Episode I, but... I don't know, it just lacks something that, for all that was wrong with it, Phantom Menace managed to capture.

Not helping things is the fact that the Jedi council is just blind and dumb for all they attempt to be wise and all knowing.

On the other hand, there were lots of cool ships, laser swords, big battles, and I have to admit the whole Clone Army was kinda great. (Again, the Jedi are so dumb...)

May the Fourth Be With You

In celebration of Star Wars day, I'll be watching Revenge of the Sith tonight!

What's your favorite Star Wars ship?

Mine is the Ghtroc light freighter, cause one of my old characters had one!

Retro Review: The Phantom Menace

I recently got Disney+, because why not. We're living in a pandemic, and it isn't like I can go out for a fun night on the town. And they've got the Star Wars movies, and since I'm going to be stuck inside for a while, why not watch them all? It's been a long time since I've seen most of them, especially the prequels, even though I listen to the soundtracks pretty often.

So, Episode I:

The Phantom Menace.

Everyone remembers how bad this is, right?

Well... maybe not as bad as you remember.

And look, I'm not saying it's GOOD. It has some good stuff in it, but... a trade blockade? Senate maneuverings? This isn't exactly exciting stuff to be basing an action adventure movie around. And yes, the performances are a little wooden, and the dialogue is kinda painful, and yes midichlorians.

We don't even need to get into the racism. Others have covered it way better than I ever could.

I get it. I could honestly fill several blog posts with criticism. But it's all been said, and it all overshadows the fact that there is a lot to enjoy in The Phantom Menace.

You get some amazing jedi action, fun call backs to the original trilogy, the pod race is actually kinda fun, and the music is amazing. Droid armies are cool, getting to see Coruscant, bounty hunters, death sticks, air speeders, the jedi council, slightly younger yoda, Darth Maul!! While criminally under utilized, Darth Maul was great, and anyone who says they didn't want a double ended lightsaber is LYING.

I really do with that George Lucas could have had someone on staff to help clean it up though, and maybe someone else direct it.

It was also built up with such hype that it couldn't have ever lived up to it. Look at what happened with Episodes 7-9.

Episode 1 isn't a great Star Wars movie... but it's an okay one. Give it another shot when you get the chance. There's some stuff to celebrate.

Review Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the generally satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga.

This post contains spoilers, but first, the non-spoiler review.

Overall I enjoyed this final installment of this trilogy. It gave me everything I want and expect from a Star Wars movie, delivered in a slick Disney approved package. There were lightsabers, an extravagant amount of new ships and exciting space battles, new aliens, new planets, old planets, familiar old faces, and the battle between the light and dark sides.

It's no spoiler that Palpatine is back, and no shock, pulling the strings. I wasn't sure I'd like how that got fit into the story, but it worked. It wasn't necessarily the way I'd have done it, but then there were a bunch of story choices in it that I'd have done a little differently. None of it was bad, just... it never really reached what I thought could be great.

Also, for a 2.5 hour long movie, it actually needed another 20-30 minutes. Everything was just so rushed, and the movie, the story needed a little extra time to breathe.

Spoilers below

I appreciate how much of the story is Ben Solo's story. His arc is as important as Rey's, especially as it's such a good mirror of hers. He struggles to embrace the Dark Side, has to work at it... and in the end fails. His cracked helmet is the most visible sign of the struggle. He is redeemed, at least a little. He's still responsible for the deaths of countless individuals, the destruction of multiple planets. So by any measure, he's a war criminal of epic proportions, but at the end he found redemption in his sacrifice. I wish that they'd have skipped the kiss at the end. I get it, he and Rey have a connection, but...

Rey and Ben's fight on the Death Star was interesting. I really appreciate how everyone has different fighting styles, and how much is communicated through them, and what I got most out of that fight was that neither of them actually wanted to be fighting the other. Especially Rey. She seemed to be working really hard to just get on with her mission, and Ben was just in the way. She wanted to stop him, but a lightsaber battle wasn't gonna get it done.

Rey's battle with the Dark Side continues to show just how seductive it is. I really felt it was all cheapened by the revelation of her parentage. It was just so unnecessary. The last thing the story needed was to tie her in to the Palpatine bloodline, especially as there was no hint that Palpatine was married, or had kids, or a clone, or... something, anything?

Fin being force sensitive makes sense. Poe being a former drug smuggler wasn't much of a shock either. Scoundrels do bad things. Even if they have hearts of gold.

The way the movie handled General/Jedi Master Leia Organa worked. I do wonder how much of that was forced by Carrie Fisher's death, and how much was planned.

The Knights of Ren were, hands down, the biggest disappointment of the movie. They didn't really DO anything, they never SAID anything, they were just sort of... there. And lacking lightsabers or force pikes or anything... just. Eh. Such a waste of a cool idea.

Overall, it was a solid movie. I'll certainly watch it again, but probably not while it's in the theater.

Sunday Inspirational Image: Abandoned

All empires fall...


by Oliver Wetter

Sunday Inspirational Image: Crash Site

by Etienne Beaulieu

Sunday Inspirational Image: VCX-100

By Shane Molina