Day: July 6, 2018

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OGRE Designer’s Edition

This monstrosity has been sitting in my house for the better part of 4+ years.  With the release of the 6th edition, in a smaller box, and the upcoming re-release of OGRE miniatures, my interest has gone up a bit in the last year or so.

Today I cracked open the Designer’s Edition for the first time in years, and found a bunch of unpunched counter sheets, which I proceeded to punch, along with reorganizing a lot of the smaller counters into ziplock bags.  The smaller counters were loose in the box and spilling over and out of the compartments that I had placed them in.

Earlier this week I found an unassembled OGRE Mk. III-B in metal, which I probably picked up during some sale at Steve Jackson Games when the original OGRE Designer’s Edition Kickstarter was running.  I proceeded to put it together, and tonight I sprayed some primer on it so I can paint it up.

OGRE tanks usually have 4-letter names, so of course this OGRE will be named…

PORG

Heck, the two main batteries scream PORG!

At least I have a paint scheme figured out.

Dark brown hull, light brown/orange around the batteries/missile silos/treads, silver/metallic detailing.  And maybe paint the nose/mouth in front.

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Ditko

Spider-Man was the second comic book super hero that I liked as a kid, after Superman.  My first Spider-Man comic had a cover by John Romita and interior art by Ross Andru.

I later got a copy of The Origins of Marvel Comics, and that’s where I first saw Amazing Fantasy #15, the debut of Spider-Man, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

It was a different look from what I was used to seeing, to be honest.

When I was 11, my parents bought me a set of paperback books that reprinted the early days of Marvel Comics, with the first 6 issues of Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, and the first 12 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man.

And that’s when I really fell in love with Ditko’s work.

I think he’s why Doctor Octopus is my favorite Spider-Man villain.

Ditko also created other favorites of mine, including Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle and Doctor Strange.

The one character that I had no idea that he had a hand in creating?

Squirrel Girl!

All I really knew about the man was that he was a recluse, often compared to J.D. Salinger.

Coincidentally, The Catcher in the Rye is my favorite book that I read in high school.

Today news came out that Ditko had died late last month.

This loss hurts a lot because of his contributions to comics and to my personal development in my tastes in comic book fandom.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Ditko.  Thank you for all you did.