Tick... Tock...

Before I start with today's post, I'd like to welcome Greblord and demi_morgana to my humble blog. Welcome to both of you and I hope you enjoy your stay. There is all sorts to be seen so make sure you check out the view and feel free to comment on whatever you see.

So... this week has been... interesting to say the least. It started well but then on Tuesday I discovered a massive phone bill that my son had run up. Nearly half-a-grand British Stirling. Well... that sort of put the damper on the rest of the week and my enthusiasm for hobby stuff sort of died.

That said, I have managed to get a small amount of sculpting done but mostly on the commission pieces that I can't show off. I did however, find the gumption to start the next Dwarf and continue with the gift miniature:

Click the Pic!

Okay... it isn't much but it IS something.

This week has seen a bit of nostalgia creeping in over at LAF. Warzone is the topic of conversation and that stirred something in me... so I have been assembling and converting again and can show off the fruits of my labour:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, there are nine Vulkan / Victor battle-suits in the pic. The four at the back will be getting re-marked and will form part of a nine Clanker unit. The unit will be led by the Victor (the large one) and will have a pair of anti armour weapons (in the process of conversion - an auto-cannon and a las-cannon). The unit will have an additional comms-robot to make it up to ten (just like the rest of the Tunnel Fighter units). 

It will be easy to convert the planned miniature and it will suit the heavier stats of the Clankers (it will count as an un-armed Clanker). You can get them HERE and I think it will fit in with the style of the other comms-robots I have in the Tunnel Fighter arm.

That is about it for now.

See you from the top of a tall tree!

Sunday stuff.

I'll start today's post with a bit of bad news. Ainsty Castings was the victim of theft this weekend and it has hit them hard. Please follow the link to find out more about it:

LINK

If anyone out there sees any of the stolen stock for sale, please let the police/Ainsty Castings know and maybe we can all do our little bit to nail the scum that has carried out the theft.

It leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

Well... it has been a week this week. I would love to say that I have achieved a huge amount of hobby stuff but I haven't. The Space Cowboy has moved on considerably but everything else has been about sorting out basics with nothing really positive to show off.  The only bit of positive progress that I can show off is on the Space Dwarf:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, I have started to add all of the body armour on the Dwarf and once I have got that sorted, I will tidy up the rest and look to find somewhere to get a few cast... but I'll be sculpting a few more torso/leg poses to a similar level before I get any cast up (may as well get five or so sculpted up and get a few masters to play with).

You may have noticed that there is a more human sized armature in the pic. Well, that is a sculpt that I have planned for a while as a gift. As you can see, he is in a very early stage of sculpting but when he is finished he will have a long coat and a big smile... he may even be wearing a fez. Who knows?

On the motorcycle front, my CB500 has kicked me in the proverbials again. While draining my front brake, the reservoir was over the tank. I pumped the brake a bit to drain the fluid from the brake unit and didn't notice that there was a leak from the master cylinder... I now have a lovely patch of stripped paint on the fuel tank and will need to spend £70+ on a new master cylinder and that doesn't include the cost of the tank re-spray. Fortunately, I managed to remove the seized bolt from the rear-set using some screw extractors so I can now sort those out (flaking paint and corrosion)...

...however... when I was on my course this week, I was taken to a bike shop and got a chance to have a look around and I have seen some very nice bikes. Add to that the fact that next month I finish paying for the car and need to get another loan to maintain my credit rating (that is my excuse and I am sticking to it) and it may mean that I end up with a nice new bike to keep me entertained while I renovate my CB500.

... Hmmm...

... New bike :).

See you from Thruxton!

Happy Friday!

It is a very good Friday today.

First of all... it's Friday and the start of the weekend.

Secondly, I have finished my Puma conversion course (from Mark1 to Mark2 aircraft... a big step towards the peak of modernity for the old girls) and passed the exam with flying colours.

Thirdly, I collected my E-Bay win from the post office and I now have three of the heavy weapon versions of the Vulkan Battlesuits from the old Warzone range of miniatures. That means that I have 24 Vulkans to turn into Clankers for my Tunnel Fighter army. If you are not sure what 24 Vulkan Battlesuits look like... here's a pic:

Click the Pic!

My plan is to eventually end up with three squads of ten Clankers, each led by a heavy weapon version. At the moment, I have three squads of eight. To explain the picture:

• Top left: 4 Clankers. There are six arms that are being converted for these and the ones below.
• Middle left: 4 Clankers. Two arms short, see above.
• Bottom left: 3 Clankers.
• Top right: 4 Clankers.
• Middle right: 3 heavy weapon Clankers (leaders) 
• Bottom right: 6 finished Clankers LINK LINK

As you can see, I have a lot of converting and assembling to go. The most time consuming bit will be to sort out the weapon arms that I have started to convert and then to add the hatches to the top of each one and Green-Stuff a visor. I will be trimming off all the base tabs and mounting each one on a 40mm base (50mm for the leader Clankers because of their wide stance).

So there you have it... far too much money's worth of old OOP stuff but they will look fantastic as a platoon... won't they?

Excuse me, I am off to do a happy dance :) (only six more to find :) ).

See you from the sunshine that I am walking on!

Sunday with a whooosh!

It has been a weekend and no mistake. Yesterday, I spent seven odd hours sorting out a computer for my father-in-law and although it took ages, I was very pleased with the results (now all I need to do is sort out the printer and we are cooking on gas!). As a result, I didn't really have the time or enthusiasm for much hobby stuff yesterday but there you go.

Today I have been ticking along with this and that. I have got a little further with Goliath:

Click the Pic!

What you don't see is the huge amount of work that has gone into smoothing out his back... but the head is finished. I have been working on the arms as well but need to sort out the boots, gloves and then smooth everything out properly. I'm quite pleased with him so far but am finding his size to be a pain due to handling while the sculpt is still setting (and because he is on a plastic base, I can't really hurry things along with a heat source).

Next up is a pair of legs:

Click the Pic!

I am happy with the legs/boots and will be slowly sorting out his body-armour over the next couple of days... I am thinking of having this one as a blank (so no arms/head) to get some casts made so that I can make a few different sculpts from it... I haven't decided yet.

As I mentioned, I bought a Storm Talon kit from Games Workshop. I have been fiddling with the kit and have assembled the cockpit with a replacement floor and have realised that it is more than big enough to house a Beetle-bot as a gunner/navigator and a Grymn pilot. In fact it is much larger than I expected... take a look:

Click the Pic!

I have also decided that I will be making the ship into something more than just a gunship... eventually... so watch this space.

In other news... I have won something cool on E-Bay! As you may know, I have a bit of a model-crush on the old Warzone, Vulkan battle-suits. In fact, I decided that 22 is never enough so I have been bidding on a further 3. These are the special ones with the rocket launcher on (that I didn't have any of)... Well, I won them and I am rather happy about it. They will look great in my Clanker units for my Tunnel Fighter army.

...And finally...

I have another week of being at training-school so I need to get my head straight for the exam on Friday! Crikey, who said an old dog can't learn new tricks?! At the end of this week I will know what the difference is between a Puma Hc Mk1 and a Puma Hc Mk2...

...But I can't tell you that because it is a secret (and of course, I'd have to kill you ;) ).

See you from the corner!

A strange week...

Starting work on a Wednesday for a three day week is strange. It is almost like stopping before you start.

I started a two week course today and I am learning all about an updated aircraft. It looks like it will be fairly interesting so I think I'll enjoy it... but it is still strange to only be working for three days.

I received my Storm Talon from GW today and I have started to convert it. I think that there will be plenty of room in the cockpit for two smaller occupants so I am thinking of a Dwarf pilot with a robot gunner. It will be a slow process to convert because I need to sculpt a pilot, convert a Necron and build the contents of the cockpit from scratch... Yay!

In other news...

... roll on Friday.

See you from the edge of reason!

Happy Diamond Jubilee.

Today is another bank holiday and it is to celebrate her Majesty The Queen's 60 years on the throne. I watched the Thames Flotilla and was impressed that Her Majesty stood for the whole occasion. Today will be epic :).

I have been busy with a little sculpting lately and have got further with two of my commissions (not able to show off), started the next Space Dwarf and have even managed to get a bit further with Goliath:

Click the Pic!

I am happy that his legs and pants are finished and I have been busy smoothing things out to get rid of the lumps and some of the more stark divisions between muscles.

I still have a lot to go... starting with his boots, then his head and finally his back and arms/hands. He is a big lad so he is taking much more time than my usual stuff which is a bit frustrating... but that is the way of things.

So... Space Dwarfs. 

I have already mentioned that I have started the next one and he will have:

• Body armour
• Crotch guard
• Shoulder sleeves (you'll get what I mean when you see them)
• Knee pads
• Open hands for any weapon (r.hand holding pistol grip, l.hand open for a stock)
• Beret (no beard)

I have decided to have the hands open to avoid any complaints about the weapon. If I don't put one on, no one can complain that it is the right sort of weapon, can they?

There will be pix once he is finished... no WIP shots because he may never end up finished (and I don't want to get hopes up with a part finished sculpt).

I've got a bit of family time to come so I'll see you from the hot seat!

Watching TV on a Sunday afternoon.

After pottering about in town today, I am currently watching the Thames pageant for Her Majesty the Queen's Jubilee celebrations. It is a graphic demonstration of British spirit at its finest. It is pouring with rain and everyone is enjoying themselves and even standing on the bridges...painting!

The eccentricity on display makes me proud to be British.

Well, I think it is about time I showed this off:

Click the Pic!

Some details:

• It is a TEST sculpt to judge the proportions
• It is not dressed the same as following sculpts
• It is not castable (due to the pose and undercuts)
• The weapon is likely to stay the same for future sculpts (the size is about right)
• I will be sculpting the weapons onto the miniatures (one piece casts)
• Future sculpts will be getting some body-armour
• I may go for the separate head option
• There will be a leader and some support troopers
• I have no plans for anything other than a few troops
• I do plan on getting a few cast up

I am quite happy with the way he has turned out and I quite like the proportions so I have already started bulking up the next armature. I have also bought some moulding rubber so that I can get the torsos to look the same... so a bit of a departure there and I hope it works. 

If you have any comments on this little project, feel free to share them.

There will be more posts to come over the next couple of days so watch out for them.

See you from the bench!

God Save The Queen.

Even though I took a sneaky days leave yesterday, my Diamond Jubilee weekend starts today. I have four whole days to make merry and celebrate the 60 years that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, has been our sovereign ruler.

I have no idea what I will be getting up to so I thought I'd post something today, just in case I am busy on Sunday.

Well, I went to work on Friday... got there and decided that it would be an excellent opportunity to go and do something else so I put some leave in. Before I left, I made sure that I shared my Twiglets with Jack. Jack is a Labrador/Rottweiler cross and he is a lovely chap. He is a lodger in the office during the day and we have become good friends... it is a good thing because it is like owning a dog without all the fuss of owning one.

...Anyway...

I went to various bike shops and spent a few pounds and now I have all of the oils/lubricants/batteries I need to get my bike back on the road. Yesterday, my Honda CB500 fired up for the first time in a couple of years and it was great to hear her purring again. To say that I had a grin on my face would have been a massive understatement. Once the engine ran for ten minutes and thoroughly warned up, I tried the gears and they all worked too (I hoped that circulating a bit of oil would free the gears up and it did). All the lights, horn, kill switch... everything works.

On the 'to-do' list is filling the forks, changing the oil and filter, changing the brake fluid, renovating the chain, changing some pipe clamps, cleaning everything and then getting it to the bike shop for an MOT. Even though I am doing a lot of work on her, I am likely to get a full service just as a bit of TLC. I reckon she'll be on the road in the next two months.

YAY!

I have been busy with sculpting and have been concentrating on Goliath, Gizzit and Space Cowboy. I have also been fleshing out a smaller armature that I'll show off when complete (it is a Space Dwarf... but don't tell anyone). I will make sure that I post some progress pix over this weekend.

I would like to extend my thanks to any of you who have made a donation to Niamh's fund. The kindness of strangers (and friends) is what makes the world a better place. If you don't know what I mean, here is a link to the Forum of Doom post:

LINK

... and here is a direct link:

LINK

As you will see, the fund is growing but there is still a long way to go. All I ask is that you visit the link and make your own choice.

Well, all that remains is to say...

God Save the Queen

See you from the flotilla!