Oh...My...Days!

I paced the room. I fidgeted. I switched the modem on and off. I even re-set the computer a good handful of times...

...but nothing worked.

I have been without internet for two whole days and it has made me realise two things.

1. I don't like being without internet.
2. I REALLY DON'T LIKE BEING WITHOUT INTERNET!

As a result of that and being completely shattered...I have done very little with my hobby this weekend.

So...what HAVE I actually done? Well yesterday I sat down with my various bits boxes and sorted them out. I got rid of lots of little bags, clipped things of sprues and sorted them all out into little partitioned boxes. All of those stray miniatures were gathered together, taken out of the boxes that they arrived in, removed from the back of drawers and put in yet another partitioned box.

What has that achieved?

I now know that I don't have the right Grymn spare to use as tunnel fighters (so I ordered some).
I have more sci-fi weapons than I could possibly use for conversions...so I may build a piece of scenery in the shape of an armoury at some point.
I have more Heresy miniatures than I thought (which wouldn't be a bad thing if I had painted a few of them).
I have a LOT of Void 1.1 miniatures that need some attention.

It is a good thing to have a sort out once in a while because you uncover stuff you forgot you had. I found a bunch of Heresy 'Hellmites' that are likely to come in handy for tunnel creatures, four Hasslefree Mawes which will end up as the big brothers to the lesser Mawes I hope to buy in the future (when they get released) and a bunch of fantasy stuff that I had forgotten about.

So, when it comes to actual hobby stuff...what have I achieved? Well, I've painted my 'Dress-a-Kev' sculpt and have started painting another Human sci-fi figure from Hasslefree. I have assembled six Grymn with shotguns, added the Pig-Iron heads but still need to sculpt the join and hunch back on them and I have added a bit more putty to the robot sculpt. I have also added a few claws to my Tyranid Gargoyles...but they are a bit of a mix-and-match so I'm not as happy as I could be about them...but they will do.

I've also been doing a lot of thinking about tunnel vehicles. There will be more about them in the near future.

So much writing and so few pix? That's right...I haven't taken any! I'll get some taken over the next day or so because I will have the time...seeing as I am on a week's holiday.

Have a lovely Sunday evening and if there is nothing to cheer you up, just check the web for the British gold medalist for the Skeleton at the winter Olympics. Plain she may be but she has the biggest smile you'll ever see!

See you through the fields of Daffodils.

As a footnote...have a look at the Rambling Corner blog over on the right. If we take a bit of notice, it will get updated more often and that will be good for everyone.

Just a quicky!

I just wanted to post a quick note to say hi to our newest follower Rob Alderman. Hi Rob! I hope you enjoy your stay and find a few ideas worth expanding on while you are here.

While I'm posting, I thought I'd show off the latest six painted tunnel fighters:

Click the Pic!

That makes 23 finished now. I have nearly run out of usable Grymn so I will have to order a few more very soon. I have managed to find another six to add to the ranks though. They are all holding shotguns and although they are all the same miniature, I have made them look a little different by putting the heads on facing different directions. Once I have finished converting them, I'll post pix.

That's it for now!

See you through pastoral curtains!

Sunday mutterings

So, there I was minding my own business when, out of the blue, an idea struck me...aren't Spartans an awesome idea? I don't mean the ones from Halo...I mean the Greek heroes from times gone by. I watched 300 with my son and I didn't want to 'go and do other things'...in layman's terms, that means I really enjoyed watching it again, especially seeing as my son enjoyed it so much too.

So I have another project on the go now...you'll never guess what it is...and I mean...you'll NEVER guess what it is!

So...apart from starting off the thought process in a completely random direction, what the heck have I been doing this week? Well, I have finished the latest batch of Tunnel fighters; adding seven to the growing masses. I have also converted and undercoated the next six whilst simultaneously working on the boss and his robot companion. Here's a pic:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, the boss still has a long way to go but he is starting to get the look of a leader, don't you think? You'll notice that the robot isn't in the pic...that's because I'm not going to show you what he looks like just yet...probably because the difference from the last pic isn't really worth showing at the moment. Once he has a bit more to show off, I'll post pix.

In addition to all the tunnel fighter progress, I have actually managed to pick up a brush and paint a bit of Bubonic Brown on my Carnifex. I must admit that I haven't painted very much...but a little is a lot more than I have managed recently on my Tyranid menace.

To change the subject, I have been reading the Void 1.1 rulebook and have even gone as far as getting some shiny new dice to play the game with. Does this mean I am going to start gaming again...after an absense of over 20 years? I really couldn't say...but it is looking like it. I think that one of the reasons is the different way the game works...rather than waiting while your opponent takes his entire turn, with Void 1.1 it is 'I go - you go' with each unit so there is less time sat waiting and more time getting involved. It all sounds fun to me.

I am starting, slowly, to get the hang of shift work. It is very tiring and the way the shift pattern is laid out, it isn't easy getting a sleep routine...but I am slowly working it all out so I am becoming less tired...which is good :). I am really enjoying my work, even though the pressure has increased...I am relishing all of the new challenges that are coming my way. There is so much going on that I don't even have time to slow down so my days are flying by...I may even be off to foreign climes again soon...just for a couple of days and somewhere 'non-hostile'...which is nice.

That's it...I've said enough. Keep an eye on my Grymn blog and remember to watch the skies!

See you through the looking glass!

Dig deep, lads!

Another Sunday and another update to Inso's World.

It has been a weird weekend and as a result, I haven't got as much done as I would have liked. On Saturday, I went into town as usual but ended up going to the cinema with my family as an extra. What did we go and see? Well my son has just read 'Percy Jackson and the lightning thief' and he was keen to see the film so that is what we went to see. What did we think? I thought that it was very much a children's film with little interest for a parent. My son (14) thought it was 'okay' but had very little to do with the 'awesome' book he had just read. My daughter (12) thought it was a good film and my wife thought it was 'enjoyable' and she wasn't bored by it. From the beginning, you can tell that it was directed by one of the Harry Potter film directors because the music and cinematography was almost identical to that franchise...

...would I go to see it again? Not unless I really needed a sleep.

After the film I became exceptionally drowsy, ended up dozing off on the couch a few times before dinner and then went to bed by 20:30hrs in the evening. I also got up late this morning and ended up going food shopping at lunchtime rather than the usual morning trip...so everything has taken a big slip to the right.

Excuses aside...what the heck have I been up to?

Well, I'm sorry to say that the Tyranids have taken a back seat at the moment and since I have just received a batch of heads from Pig Iron, I have been putting together a few more Grymn tunnel fighters. The plan is to have a bunch of fairly standard troops with a few characters in the mix for a bit of variety. If you look in the pic below, you'll see a bunch of standard troops, a character Grymn WIP and also a robot character WIP:

Click the Pic!

Robots will be a big part of my tunnel fighting force so watch this space for new and entertaining models to fill the roles. I also plan to use some native creatures to act as sentries. I haven't got any yet (because they haven't been released) but they are Lesser Mawe and will be available from Hasslefree Miniatures at some point soon:

Lesser Mawe

The above pic is linked from Hasslefree Miniatures so I hope they don't mind!

I'm thinking that a bunch of these, with leads on them, being held by a Grymn/robot handler, would look very cool.

On a completely different subject, I have been reading the Void1.1 rulebook that I recently purchased and have ordered a bunch of ten sided dice to go with them. Does that mean I plan to play a few games? Who knows? (well, actually it means I will be playing a few games...but don't tell anyone, they'll think I've lost the plot!).

I have also been adding a few bits to my latest Grymn venture:

It's Grymn out there!

Take a look and take note of the statement at the end about sending me information for the blog!

Well...that's it for now. I'm on night shift this coming week so I have no idea what other plans I have.

See you through the hail of bullets!

Hmm...is it Friday tomorrow?

I thought I'd just drop by quickly to welcome my new follower Martini Henrie.

WELCOME!

I hope you enjoy your stay at Inso's World.

On a different note...I'm starting something.

Have a look and you'll probably ask why it has taken so long...or not?!

http://grymnoutthere.blogspot.com/

I've put a link to it on the right of the page and although it is very small at the moment...I have a lot of stuff to fill it with.

See you through the time-stream...

Sunday update.

Another Sunday...another update and to start off I've finished the last six of the Grymn Tunnel Fighters so I now have a grand total of ten:

Click the Pic!

I have ordered a few more heads from Pig Iron Productions and will be pausing on the Tunnel Fighter project until they arrive. That doesn't mean I haven't got lots of ideas:

1. Robots with shields on both arms to walk in front of the Grymn, soaking up incoming fire and shielding the Grymn from harm.
2. Robots with heavy weapons to support the advance into tunnels.
3. Low height robots for general duties...maybe even IED clearance.
4. Native creatures to act as 'sniffer dogs' to hunt out the enemy (this one could be VERY interesting!).
5. Bikes for scouting ahead (recumbent style, low slung with lots of lights!).
6. Some sort of transport...I haven't decided what yet...
7. Characters (both Grymn and robots).

Lots to get the brain ticking over!

On to the Tyranid threat now and I have finished the first layer of highlights on the Carnifex's plates:

Click the Pic!

I had to do a bit of research to decide whether the chimneys on the back were body or plates...but I got there in the end. I am now confident that I can continue painting the next layer without worrying that I've missed anywhere!

Still on the Tyranid theme (but with no pix yet), I have started work on the second Carnifex. I will be bulking it out considerably and turning it into my Hive Queen (which will be a Tervigon for rules purposes). At the moment I have started bulking out the abdomen with Milliput ready to start on the Green Stuff work later on. The beast will be very similar to the Carnifex (it will have two legs and four claws) but will have an orifice for dropping out lots of beasties...oo-err!

That is about it for now!

See you through the mist!