The End...

...of the year is usually a time of reflection and maybe a bit of forward thinking or planning. Sometimes it is a time of making resolutions...

...but enough of all that!

I have heard it said that 'failing to plan is planning to fail' but my retort is 'no plan survives contact with the enemy'...

So instead of making plans, lets just throw a few ideas out there with wishes instead of plans...that way, if I don't manage to achieve some of them, I won't feel guilty!

2010 has been quite a year for me. A change of job, a change of shift pattern, a visit to Kenya, a failed sculpting commission and many other exciting things (not all of them good things) but I have managed to achieve a lot of hobby stuff. At the start of the year I converted my first tunnel fighters and now I nearly have a full army of them:

Link to Tunnel Fighter units.

Amongst those, I have painted my Tyranids, some Halo Grymn and many other individuals...quite a haul considering the time I have been out of the country and working odd shifts. To finish off the completed miniatures list, I can add my latest Tunnel Fighter:

Click the Pic!

Click the Pic!

I reckon this OGrymn will be joined by a few standard Grymn with mini-guns to make one very effective anti-infantry unit!

So what have I got in mind for 2011 then?

I'm hoping to finish off the last of the Tunnel Fighter squads, the Votoms mechs that join them and then make a start on some transport vehicles (APCs then maybe some mech transporters/repair vehicles).

I'd like to build a decent sized drop-ship and maybe even a proper giant mecha...one could say it would be a titan build ;).

I have some Void VASA stuff that I want to get painted up and I also want to make a start on my Urban Grymn; especially because I am keen to get some of the new Grymn that are on their way and they will fit in perfectly with my Urban Army plans...

...then of course, there are the Grymn fighter aircraft that I have got the components for...and any new miniatures that spring up during the year.

I also want to get my sculpting MOJO back...I have been out of the sculpting game for a while now and I have lost a lot of my finesse with the old sculpting tools so I really would like to get practising again. The only thing is, I can't force the issue otherwise I'll end up not being able to sculpt a thing!

In the real world, I have a couple of trips to Kenya to deal with (along with various courses) and I am planning on helping out the guys and gals at the HF stand at Salute again this year. My poor neglected motorcycle needs to get back on the road and I seriously need to do a lot of consolidating where my 'stuff' is concerned...I fear a few trips to the charity shop coming up!

Being happy and enjoying my family goes without saying ;).

So there you have it. A host of rambling with a lot of stuff in amongst it. The good thing is that I can look back on the blog and see how well I did when New Year's Eve arrives at the end of 2011.

I'm not sure whether there will be an update on Sunday as I fear I may be rather busy over the next day or so. It only remains for me to say thank you to all of you reading my blog. I am always humbled to find that people enjoy some of the stuff I do and it spurs me on to keep things fresh.

Oh...I almost forgot...

Have a very Happy New Year's celebration but remember to go mad, have a wild time but stay safe!

See you through the booze-fuelled blur and the wonderful array of fireworks!

Boxing Day News.

Well, it's Boxing Day and I've been enjoying a really quiet week. I was due to travel a bit but the snow put pay to all that...so I was forced to relax and watch the world go by. Can't be bad, can it? Well, it hasn't all been sweetness and light because I seem to have picked up a little virus and have had a bit of a head cold. Fortunately, I have had plenty of time to keep myself busy so that I didn't start feeling sorry for myself and I managed to get some painting done.

First of all, I painted the nine Grymn members of the latest Tunnel Fighter squad and added the already painted comms drone to complete the unit:

Click the Pic!

Once the squad was painted, I base-coated the mech that had already been painted gun-metal before:

Click the Pic!

Next up will be another squad...if I can muster the concentration to convert it :(.

So...Christmas...I have been the very lucky recipient of a wonderful Christmas jumper (just like Monkey's) and a tiny Apache helicopter that I can fly round the living room :). I am also very fortunate to receive some GW vouchers at just the right time to replace a few dead paints...so I am very happy :).

On a different note, I have recently dug out all of my 'Dawn of War' games and uploaded them onto our PC so I have had a couple of games on those to keep me 'sci-fi'd up'. I'm hoping I can keep my concentration going so that I can work on my projects, rather than feeling sorry for myself whilst I have a cold.

Well that, as they say, is that...well for today anyway. Enjoy your week and stay careful if the snow and ice is affecting your home area.

See you across the frozen lake!

Season's greetings!

T'is the night before Christmas
And I've a sore throat,
I should have gone Pagan
and slaughtered a goat!

The tree's by the telly,
The presents are there,
There's plenty of spirit
For us all to share.

The snow's on the ground,
The weather is cold.
I should be elsewhere,
But I'm just not that bold.

It's Christmas at home,
Instead of with Dad.
I'd be in a hotel
But the weather's too bad!

So tonight I'm reflecting,
On what it's about.
It's not all the 'things',
It's family that counts.

So I'll tilt my glass,
to all you out there,
And to those you hold dear,
And this Christmas you share!

Have a very Happy Christmas and a merry New Year...and if you don't do Christmas, have a great holiday and I hope you spend it doing what you want!


See you through the tinsel!

What?...Already?

There I was, sat down, minding my own business, when my wife says...

"Are you going to have anything for your blog tonight?"

For the first time in a complete age, I had forgotten it was Sunday and that means blog day!

So it is with port in hand and a positive thought, that I am now updating Inso's World.

It has been a long time since I have actually managed to complete any sculpting to any decent level. I have been able to throw together quick sculpts on the pilot's arms in my Votoms mechs...but they were very simply detailed and took a few moments...they didn't really need to be seen after all...

So it was with great trepidation (and a lot of fidgeting) that I took the plunge yesterday and started the latest squad of Tunnel Fighters...and I have just finished converting them a few moments ago :). These are the nine Grymn members of the latest Tunnel Fighter squad and they will join their (already) complete comms droid when they are finished and painted:

Click the Pic!

They are another basic squad and they will be the eighth squad in the army (with the exception of the command squad). I'm really glad they came out okay as I am desperate for something to paint that doesn't mean starting a new project...and I am in the right frame of mind for painting Grymn.

It has been snowing here...about 5 inches. It is very nice to look out of the window on a crisp, white world. It isn't so nice thinking that I am going to have to brave the roads to go and get some food shopping done over the next couple of days...I'll take my son and it will be a bit of an adventure...I guess...

I have been thinking about two things recently...my drop-ship and a giant war-walker (a bit like a GW titan...but more sci-fi looking). Both ideas have a lot of design work living in my mind but neither of them are completely sorted enough for me to embark on the cutting and glueing yet. Maybe I'll start something soon but in the mean time, I will be thinking a lot about where to start, what they'll look like and how I am going to build them...whether or not they will be modular enough to replicate through resin casting as well...

Well...seeing as I am pretty snow bound, am on holiday and have plenty of time to relax, I expect that there will be a few more posts pretty soon...

See you through the blizzard!

And so it starts...

As of today...I am on my holiday leave :).

It has been a torrid week of work just to make sure everything was in order or we would have been working over the weekend and following week as well.

So tonight...a bottle of vintage port and a big chill out session in readiness for the chaos that is Christmas.

Now normally I would be welcoming the two new followers I have this week...but I can't tell which ones they are...so if you are a new follower this week, I'm sorry I don't know your name but...WELCOME! This place is a diverse place so there should be something amongst the posts of interest to you.

At the moment, I can't show any new hobby stuff because I haven't even looked towards my work area this week. I have been thinking a lot about 'STUFF' in general and have various ideas for various projects but that is all I have managed...thoughts and ideas.

...still...

...I'm on holiday now so I have a little time to spare.

Keep watching the skies!

It'll soon be holiday time...

Sundays are coming around far too quickly at the moment but to kick off this update, I'd like to welcome our newest follower; David Terian. Welcome to Inso's World and I hope you find something of use in amongst all the other stuff.

This week has been very similar to the one before and I have been pretty slow with hobby activity again. In fact, if Monkey hadn't helped out, I wouldn't have had anything to show off this week! As it stands, I only have one picture for you...a group of Dvarg:

Click the Pic!

Now I know it isn't a lot...but it is all I have had the enthusiasm for. I couldn't see the point in taking more pix because I want to save that for when the heavy is finished...so watch this space for a small amount of progress at some point.

This coming week at work is one of mixed shifts...to be honest I would call it a complete 'dick-dance'. I'm starting at different times and finishing late...I have a few compulsory PT sessions (including one in fancy dress...), a few meetings and a lot of work to prep everything for the holidays. I am also having to go into work during the holiday (which, to be honest, has REALLY narked me) so my mind is completely elsewhere at the moment.

As a result of all the nonsense, I have had trouble sleeping and am pretty much burnt out...I can only hope that things will improve once I know what the hell is going on at work.

I have seen something awesome...a kit of such awesomeness that it has got me thinking...

Maybe it is time for some 'big stuff'...

See you through the red mist!

I guess it's a random sort of Sunday...

What a week! I have been on late shifts and have had my sleep patterns blown out of the water...I fell asleep on the sofa yesterday! Saturday afternoon...one of the only full days I have to get to grips with stuff and I fell asleep...

...so, this week I have been mostly on-line and not doing hobby stuff. It is a real shame and it actually irritates me greatly when I can't get any hobby stuff done...it's almost like I feel guilty! Fortunately, while I have been away, feeling sorry for myself, Monkey has stepped in and taken control. Here he is; caught in the act whilst painting a Dvarg from Black Hat miniatures...

Click the Pic!

As a result of being overly tired and Monkey hogging the painting area, I have been incredibly lax with regards to finishing off the mechs for my tunnel fighters and have only got this far with the last mech:

Click the Pic!

...I guess that there is a little progress; seeing as I have under-coated him, painted him silver and painted his pilot but I would have really liked to have had his base-coat finished and the next mech assembled...ho-hum and all that :(. By the way, the next mech will be a Brutish Dog...

Fortunately, the orders from Em4 and GW turned up and I now have enough bits to make all of the pilots and enough bases to stand all of the mechs on. I also have 10 small plastic mechs to...try and find a purpose for, some bike bases for...another project and a pair of Lord of the Ring Dwarfs to finish off a small Dwarf raiding party...so it isn't all bad.

I mentioned to my mum that I had settled for a naff phone sock because I couldn't find the one I liked. I mentioned that I wanted one that looked like a woolly hat...guess what turned up a few days later?:

Click the Pic!

The lads at work have certainly got a lot of mileage out of my new phone sock but they just don't appreciate the style :)...I love it!

So why the heck aren't I at my quality assurance course? It was cancelled! So I have a lovely week at work to look forward to...including a trip tomorrow for a bit of team building! I can't wait.

On to a completely different topic...

I must be a very lucky man indeed...

...I am in the wrong job. I have known this for a very long time and have just ticked along, doing my best and going where I'm sent. I have been promoted (sometimes later than I would have preferred), changed tasking (sometimes the tasks were better than others) and had to move house a few times (some better than others) and all the time I have known I was in the wrong job. I should have joined the Army...or gone to college and learned how to do my hobby as a way of life...but instead I joined the Royal Air Force (RAF).

...Don't get me wrong...I made the right choice.

I work on helicopters. Helicopters are the missing link between the Army and the Royal Air Force and as a result, we are often sent where the Army goes and live in similar conditions. I have been to 'war' (I think it was called peace-keeping...) and have carried out my duties under fire and at those times I have felt such a huge amount of pride in both what I am doing and what my fellow servicemen are achieving that I realised that this was as close to being in the Army as I could get...without being in the RAF Regiment or actually joining the Army...and I like it!

How many people can say that they are enjoying their working life, knowing that they are in the wrong job? Not many, I can assure you.

I remember the first time I walked onto the flight line after arriving at my first posting after training...

...I had been at the station for about two weeks. In that time, I had been a tool monkey for a junior tradesman (I had higher rank but no experience...I think I was 'learning my place' in the team) and because the aircraft was near to flight test, had not been assigned to any work-sheets...I had to learn the ropes! Finally the maintenance was finished and the helicopter (a Puma...XW231...and yes, I can remember to this day...and for your information, it is the same Puma that has tiger stripes of the 1/72nd scale Revell kit and it is 'pre-mod' on the front of the Airfix 1/72nd kit) was ready to go to the flight line for air testing.

I hadn't been on the flight line before and took a back seat as the aircraft was towed out and parked on the pan (helicopter landing pan...the sort of thing that in civvy-street would have a big 'H' on it). While we were waiting for the pilot to arrive, a bunch of Chinook were towed out on to the airfield and a bunch of Pumas from the Squadrons joined them. The air was a bit cool but the sun was shining brightly...one by one, the aircraft fired up and either carried out ground-runs or took off...filling the air with the smell of burnt aviation fuel and the noise of rumbling engines...not forgetting the thump-thump-thump of the Chinook rotors as they dragged themselves airborne...

...I knew this was as near as I could get to my perfect job...it was 'Apocalypse Now' without the need for a strange plot...if Ride of the Valkyries had been playing in the background, I would have sworn I had died and gone to 'Irony Heaven'...

I could have joined the Army...I could have gone to college...I could be making a living sculpting and casting...but I chose the Royal Air Force and do you know what?...I wouldn't have changed it for the world :).

I was 17...I didn't know which direction to take...I talked to my English teacher (Miss Penny Duncombe; a woman who was my rock in secondary school) and she asked me what I thought would be a good direction for me to go...I said the RAF and she told me to take Monday off school and visit the RAF information centre...the rest is history! 22 years service...a wife...2 children...not one of my friends at school would ever have predicted that.

Most likely to be a bachelor until I died and end up on job-support as soon as I left school...

...yep...I'm happy to be in the wrong job!

See you through the rose coloured spectacles of reminiscing...