Sunday just keeps going and going...

First up, I'd like to welcome A Thousand Hats to my humble blog...

Welcome to my Blog!

So what has been going on today then? Packing, packing , packing...and a bit more packing. Oh not to forget cleaning and a bit of shopping.

I'm watching Son of Rambow. What a strange little film.

Every day it rains...

Catch you on the Dark Side.

Sunday Boredom...

I guess it's time for a Sunday update...and there isn't one.

All my stuff is packed away apart from my paints...but with nothing to paint, there is no point to them being out. I just need to pack my paints and a few little pieces and that's it...done.

One of the things about not having my hobby stuff to hand is that I get to think about things.

The Votoms Project.

I have chopped the lower part off the Scopedog pictured in the blog. In doing so, I have discovered that he can be disassembled quite easily. I have also discovered that the upper legs were plastic after all.

My plans have not changed though. I will need to make shorter legs, a bulkier 'skirt/abdomen' and maybe shorten the arms. The only trouble with shortening the arms is that they won't be able to reach around the chest (so the Scopedog won't be able to use a conventional style of rifle). the lower part of the legs will need to be completely re-made but I reckon I can just shorten the thighs and add a ball for positioning purposes so that shouldn't be too much of an issue. The visor will need to be completely re-made as well because it is made of a rubbery type of plastic that I'm not convinced will cast. It also means that I can add a bit of variety by making different ones for different weapon layouts.

I already have in my mind how I am going to make the pieces fit together and what joints will need to be made. Every joint will be completely loose so will need to be glued in place (there will be no pivots so without glue/pins, the limbs will fall apart). I am not making a toy, I will be making kits that need to be stuck together.

Grymn Bike Platoon.

I have a lot of Lego components set aside for this project. Currently I have enough for 8 bikes but if all goes well, more components will be ordered. I am saying no more on the subject as I have very fixed ideas of how I want to progress the project...and I want to keep the design secret until I have a finished product.

Dark Grymn Project.

The original grey faced Dark Grymn was only supposed to be a diversion from my normal painting routine. Instead he has become the focus for a small raiding force of Dark Grymn to be put together. I am not going to go too mad on this one but there will be 3 Grizzly Battlesuits and about 20-30 troops, with some form of transport to ferry them around in.

Resin Projects...Various.

The 6 Tiger APCs will remain packed, as will all of my Old Crow tanks, until I get my airbrush. I see no point in trying to paint any vehicles until I have a streak-free way of doing it. The same will apply to my 3 Pilum Dropships and my Phoenix Starship (which will need to be stripped, anyway). I doubt if they will be unpacked for quite a while...

Grymn Urban Army.

The close-combat platoon will get finished first. I plan on leaving everything else packed until I can achieve this. I need to finish the platoon so that I can move on to other infantry. The other infantry will have a simpler camo scheme that doesn't involve painting hundrds opf tiny little squares...otherwise I will go completely mad!

As for the army composition, I have all the units for a close combat platoon, 2 light infantry platoons, a heavy infantry unit, a Kindred scout unit, a Clanker platoon (Vulkan Walkers), a couple of support units and 3 Pilum Drop ships. I also have 5 Glaive APCs (which will be used by the light infantry - but I'll need to get a few more for other units). Apart from vehicles and tanks, I still need to sort out a command platoon and a few powered armour units (when they get released).

The Grymn Urban Army is my big project and it is likely to be the one that gets the most attention (distractions allowing).

Genetic Infantry Project.

Still ticking along. I have a good bunch of troops for the army and may be using the Halo Warthogs for a bit of transport for them.

Miscellaneous Projects.

I will eventually finish the stealth fighter, the BIG TANK and all the other scratch built stuff.

My desert veterans army (Grymn) will eventually get finished but I really need to sort out my Urban Army first.

All of the Macross kits need completing (however I plan to do that).

The Super Zaku Mega Robot Fighting Team GO! project will be worked on SLOW TIME...

That is about it for projects (I'm not even thinking of Tyranids, GW stuff, OGrymn squads...etc, etc, etc...)

WOW!

It's only when you start writing everything down that you realise the enormity of everything!

See you on the Dark Side!

Tuesday.

It's all over.

The only thing I haven't packed up is the stealth fighter-bomber.

My cupboard is bare :(...

...On the bright side, it means that the move is getting closer and closer and soon I will be able to unpack everything and get to work all over again.

So...things will be a bit quite for a couple of weeks in Inso's World. Don't worry though, in the words of Arnie...

"I'll be Back!"

See you in the funny papers.

Another Weekend Update!

I haven't really done much hobby stuff this weekend but I did manage to tidy up a few holes in the stealth fighter-bomber. As you will see in the following pic, I have added a little shape to the wings, filled the holes in the lower structure and fitted a bomb-bay. I've also tidied up the rear a bit and added vents to the rear exhaust area. I still have a long way to go but it is ticking along nicely at the moment:

Click the Pic!

Now it's not very often that you come across fellow model maker in the work-place but it just so happens that the newest member of my team happens to be a collector of Alien model kits (from the Alien films...with Ripley in). On the other side of the coin, she isn't a very good model-maker (that's what she has told me...I don't know because I haven't seen any of her work) so I have been sharing advice with her. One of the things she is dreading is painting her large alien figures so I gave her an idea of what I would do and said that I'd knock up a quick paint-job at the weekend to show her how easy it could be. The next pic shows half an hour's work on a spare Tyranid miniature I had lying about. I haven't added any specific details (like colouring teeth, claws etc.) because the aliens in the films are pretty much monochrome and also, this was just a quick demo of what could be acheived with very little effort (and would show that with a bit more effort, you could get a very passable paint-job). Sorry about the poor pic:

Click the Pic!

The whole process was:

Undercoat: Chardonite Granite.
Basecoat: Boltgun Metal.
Drybrush: Chainmail.
Wash: Devlan Mud.
Wash (in small areas): Leviathan Purple.
Wash: Devlan Mud.
Varnish: Gloss Polyeurethane.

No accuracy was required so it took very little time. I think that when it comes to painting the larger figures, an airbrush and a few extra watered down washes will be required to make the best job...but I think she'll be happy with something like this.

See you on the dark side!

Double Jeopardy!

I haven't done any hobby stuff today, I've been too busy cleaning, shopping and doing the family thing to get my hands on anything hobby related. However, I have managed to get a couple of pix taken.

First up, here is an idea of how big the Stealth fighter/bomber is:

Click the Pic!

Next up is a pic of the 1/60 scale Scopedog out of its box and with a Grymn next to it for scale. You'll also notice my conversion in the pic just to show his size as well:

Click the Pic!

Some things to note about the Scopedog:

1. The head, Body and leg tops are a single die-cast piece. There are no hip, waist or neck joints.
2. The arms are plastic and one piece as well. There are no joints other than where they attach to the torso.
3. The lower legs are plastic and only have a joint where they attach to the die-cast metal upper legs.
4. The visor is plastic and raises to show a hole for the pilot to look out of.

Plans for the Scopedog:

1. Chop the arms off.
2. Chop the torso off the top of the waist.
3. Separate the lower legs from the upper legs.
4. Remove the visor.
5. Segment the arms and shorten the various pieces.
6. Shorten the lower legs and segment them.
7. Build a new abdomen and upper legs.
8. Make all of the new bits in a way that can be cast, in component form so that they can be positioned in a number of ways.

The result (hopefully), will be a Scopedog with torso, arms and legs that can be glued in a number of positions. The arms and legs will be shorter (to reflect the pilot being a Grymn and not a human) but the body will be the same size. I will also be adding a bit more detail, sorting out the hands to look a bit better and making a better rifle for the thing.

I plan on this taking a long time...but I hope the end result will be worth it.

There you have it!

See you on the dark side!

Saturday Surprises!

Before I start all of the usual stuff, I'd like to welcome the newest follower of my humble Blog; Gaz.

...WELCOME GAZ! I hope you enjoy perusing my meanderings through the hobby world.

So, why a Saturday post this week? Well, I received a parcel that I wasn't expecting from my friends at Hasslefree Miniatures. Inside was a die-cast Scopedog in just the right scale:

Click the Pic!

I mentioned on various forums that I needed one for my future projects and Kev said he had one to send me with my next order...but I didn't make an order and he turned up any way! How cool is that? Well, not nearly cool enough as it happens. Why? Well a few months back there was a 'Sculpt a Kev' competition on the Forum of Doom. A 'Naked Kev' miniature was sent out to all those who wanted to take part so that it could be converted in what ever way you felt. I, like so many others, sent my conversion off to Hasslefree and waited for the response. Well, below, is the response:

Click the Pic!

Yes, that's right, everyone who sent in a conversion got their miniature cast! That means that I now have my first work 'In the Metal'! You can see a pic of my efforts below:

Click the Pic!

It is a future warrior wearing armour similar to a Grymn and armed with an auto-gun and power-glove...you never know...it may become available in the Hasslefree shop in the future!

...So to say that I was awoken with a great surprise this morning was a huge understatement!

My huge thanks go out to Sally and Kev at Hasslefree Miniatures!

...By the way...Happy 40th birthday Sally...you'd better have a great one!

Catch you on the sunny side!

Thursday THUNDER!

I have had a bit of time to play with plastic and glue today. As a result, I have added a bit more to my stealth fighter:

Click the Pic!

As you can tell, I'm still fleshing out the shape but it looks a bit more substantial now. In fact, it may end up a stealth fighter-bomber if it gets any more substantial.

Well, there is a lot of trimming to do and a few more panels to fit before I get anywhere close to detailing but I think it is going in the direction I want.

Comments are welcomed!

See you on the flip-side!

Wednesday is Cutting Day...

I have been driven to dig out the plasticard and have a go at something new. As you will see, this is only at the very early stages of filling out a shape but here is the beginning of a Grymn stealth fighter:

Click the Pic!

There are a few things to note about the design. First, the two intakes will merge into a central exhaust outlet that will be shrouded for stealth properties.

The front will have a narrower 'pod' which will jut out further than the front is now and will have a pair of canards for control and frontal lift (what with the wings being quite far back) and will also contain an angular cockpit.

It will have a standard tricycle undercarriage (with wheels).

Weapons haven't been thought about yet...

...So, who do we blame for this sudden burst of plastic chopping madness? Brandlin:

http://brandlin.blogspot.com/

Check out the drop ship...it is very inspiring.

See you on the dark side!

Monday with a bump.

Rain, rain, rain...anyone would have thought I had the day off work...

I have been on-line a lot today and have ordered a few bits and pieces to satisfy my current craving. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a plastic kit of a Scopedog in 1/60 scale but I did manage to find a die-cast action figure in the required scale...so it wasn't all bad. I also had to buy a few extras to meet the minimum order cost...so I have a couple of 1/35 scale Votoms kits coming as well. It is a shame that I couldn't get the kit that I wanted but I think what I did buy will at least be a point in the right direction...we'll see I guess. The downer is that I had to send them to my mother-in-law's because I'm in the process of moving so I'll have to wait a few weeks to get my hands on them.

In between bouts of web-wandering, I have managed to finish off my Interpol troops:

Click the Pic!

Yes...I could have added a few more highlights...yes I could have added some insignia...but I think that they look OK as they are and have a certain dark-inconspicuousness so that they could be standing at a street corner and you wouldn't really notice they were there...

...well, apart from varnish, they are done so they will be packed away for the move very soon.

As you may have noticed, I am not quite as dour today. I haven't drunk a bottle of Merlot and I am not dwelling on the sadness of war. Every now and then, it seems that these things just catch up with you...better out than in and all that.

I haven't a clue what hobby meanderings will be gracing these pages over the next couple of weeks because all but a few of my miniatures are packed away and I don't feel that I can get my teeth into a big project until I'm unpacked in my new home...so you never know, there may be a surprise or two.

See you on the dark side!

A path well trodden...

Another Sunday and another post on the blog. I have had a week of this and that and in amongst things I have traveled to England, got the keys for a new house and even managed to slap a bit of paint on my Interpol troops:

Click the Pic!

As you can tell from the pic, they are far from finished but they have progressed quite a bit since the last pic.

I am currently in crisis. I have been getting completely obsessed with Armoured Troopers Votoms lately and it just won't go away. It is getting to a point where I will HAVE to get hold of a 1/60 scale Scopedog kit or I will go completely mad (well...madder than I am now...if that is possible!).

I have a plan, you see...

...rank upon rank of piloted robot suits with transport vehicles, technical back up and a few defensive troops (just to protect the suits when they are not being driven).

The only problem is that even if I manage to get hold of one of the long out of production (OOP) kits, I won't be able to get hold of enough to satisfy my obsession so that means I have to use the kit as inspiration, build my own out of plasticard and green-stuff and then get to casting them up (something that I have never attempted)...I guess we shall see where that takes me (and whether anything comes to fruition...). Obviously, they will be Grymn based...

On another note, I bought a book of poems to keep me busy whilst waiting for my plane at the airport. I must have got some funny looks because I laughed out loud on a few occasions while I was reading.

With great sadness and in memorium, I will now re-produce one of the poems to remember those British soldiers who have recently died, with honour and distinction, in Afghanistan.

The Soldier
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever Britain. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
a dust whom Britain bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of Britain's, breathing British air,
Washed by the rivers, blessed by sons of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by Britain given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under a British heaven.

I have changed 'England' to 'Britain' in order to reflect the fact that Welsh, Scotish and N.Irish soldiers are serving in afghanistan...and some are amongst those who have fallen.

This is the only poem that I know of, that completely sums up how I feel about the situation.

May they rest in peace.

See you on the dark side.

The Loooong Sunday.

It has certainly been a long day today. I was up at 06:15hrs and went into work to play with my helicopter. Once I'd waved it away and got back home it was nearly 10:00hrs so it took a little longer than I was hoping...but that, as they say, is life in a blue suit.

I was up late on Friday night watching a film (Magnum Force...a classic) and got disturbed early on Saturday morning by 'the neighbours' so today I am feeling a little jaded. When that happens, I generally don't feel like doing very much in the way of painting or hobby stuff but I always become agitated and can't decide what I want to do (it drives my wife to distraction). Well, on this occasion I had a bit of a root through my cupboard and found a bunch of old minis hiding away. There was a pack of ten with cast on bases but two had their bases 'crudely' removed (along with bits of their feet). Normally, I would have left them as they were and looked else where for something to tinker with but for some reason I decided to dig them out and base them up. After basing them and repairing a few feet, I started painting and here is where I am at the moment:

Click the Pic!

The miniatures are from East Riding Miniatures and they are Interpol troops from their Corporate Wars range. The little chap is there just to show you how tall they are (taller than a Space Marine from GW even!). They are extremely simple sculpts with no extra detail but they are quite nice to put paint on. I think they are supposed to be a bit like future SWAT troops but I'm painting them with a military slant. I may get more in the future but I doubt it...these are being painted because I'm not worried about messing them up (as they aren't in any of my big plans...unlike all my Grymn).

What else have I been doing? I've been reading 'The Watchmen' graphic novel.
Is it a good read? The comic bit is but all of the superflous rubbish isn't. Why spoil a good comic book by having proper book pages in it? Hardly very fair is it? I am enjoying the read though (mostly because I have been ignoring the book pages).

This week I get to see my new home for the first time. I'm sure it will be just as 'adequate' as this one but it always makes me feel aprehension. At least it will be in Blighty! I'd live in a box to get back there again!

Well...that is about all I have at the moment so I'll bid you farewell for the time being.

See you on the dark side!

Friday.

What a week! So much to do with so little time. Sleep? What the hell is that? It's too damn humid to sleep! On the bright side, it's Friday at last. That means I have a couple of days to get away from it all...apart from Sunday (when I have to go to work in the Morning...but at least I get to play with real helicopters...so it can't be ALL bad, can it?).

So...with packing aplenty and lots of trips to the dump, I guess I'll not have too much time for the hobby this weekend...but you never know :).

Well, I've finished painting Sola:

Click the Pic!

You could say that she is painted in an explosion of colours but I think it makes a change from a lot of the drab stuff I've been painting lately...

...mind you, looking at all of the crew so far, I guess they aren't as drab as they could be:

Click the Pic!

The last one (before the release of the mystic Panda), is the robot and he still needs a bit of putty work before paint goes on and I doubt that he'll get any before the move.

To be honest, I've got a lot on my mind at the moment...a fighter squadron for a start...a group of 'giant robot heroes' (made from super-deformed Zakus), a 'Dark-Grymn' gang (to go with the Grizzlies), a tank squadron backed up with APCs and infantry...but it is all on hold until I've moved, unpacked, put in a few orders (for TOYS!!!!) and bought an airbrush...THEN I can start on the Macross mechs, Pilum dropships, Tiger APCs and a host of other projects...

...obviously I'm thinking about the move...but that's just boring, isn't it?

Tree Poem

If I was a tree,
I'd have green leaves
And live with other trees
And all together,
We'd be a wood...
...Now wouldn't that be good?

See you on the dark side :).