A small amount of paint.

The weather has been a tiny bit kinder to me this week and I have managed to slap a bit of paint on a few things... BUT I did have a bit of a mishap that could have been a lot more troublesome than it ended up being.

I have a single bottle of game colour (white) and I made the mistake of gently squeezing the bottle when it was a little blocked. This resulted in a little spitty volcano of white flying all over the place INCLUDING on to some of the miniatures on my work table. Fortunately, the only really problematic one is one of my Mantic dwarfs... but I am sure I can fix it.

So what have I been painting? Well, I am currently tidying up the first Mhurni for the Reptiliad project and will be looking to have the wash applied later today. I have also been painting my space Dwarf... and here he is:

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It is a fairly utilitarian paint job but he looks OK. You can get a good idea of how big he is too.

In addition to that, it has mostly been a case of squeezing in an odd moment to continue with base coating on the other miniatures on the table while the temperature is OK... which sadly hasn't been nearly often enough.

In other news, my Reaper order from Miniature Heroes has arrived and as well as a bunch of Goblins, I have also got a rather beautiful Silver Dragon too. Now I was planning to get straight on with the Goblins but I don't have the correct bases so I have put in a small order from Fenris Games to get some of their round lipped, 25mm, deep recess, resin bases. That should be perfect for my purposes. I won't be working on the Silver Dragon for the time being because I have a lot on the go already.

This week, I have been busy at work but have also had the opportunity to let my hair down at the annual families day. There was an air show with stalls and a fun fair in addition to an evening of entertainment in the form of a disco and band. A good day was had by all and it was nice to spend a little time with both of my children (even though my lad went his own way after a while). As well as the families day, I have now put my name down for the Battle of Britain Formal dinner so me and my wife get to dress up again in September. It should be a great night.

Have you ever been to a school reunion? Well I haven't. However, I will be this year in November. I'm not really sure whether it is a good idea or not but now I've said I'll go... that's what I'll do. God help them all, that is all I'll say!

Finally... I am on holiday for two weeks. The first week I am at home and will be doing my own thing so I hope to get some painting, creating and writing done. The second week I am going of the radar and will be away but I will be taking my lap top to get some more writing done. It should be a great opportunity to unwind in the most wonderful of country settings. As a result, next Sunday will have no blog update as I won't have internet.

That, as they say, is that.

See you from the back of the bus where all the cool people sit!

Goblin Aid news... amongst other things.

The Modern Goblins that were sculpted for Goblin Aid are now available from Ral Partha Europe. The latest release includes my Judge Gobbo sculpt amongst others so get along and spend:

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Obviously, I am rather chuffed to see another of my sculpts being cast up BUT that wasn't the reason I sculpted it... I did it to help out a fellow sculptor so make sure you pop along and support the effort.

In other news, Miniature Heroes has a bunch of pre-orders up for the new Reaper Bones miniatures. They are for Chronoscope, Dark Heaven Legends and Pathfinder. There is also news of a new range being available on the site; Kabuki Models. 

Finally, I have received some master castings of my Space Dwarf sculpt that I did a while ago:

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Here is one of the casts after being based and primed:

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At the moment, it has just been mastered but hopefully, in a few months, it should be available from Grekwood Miniatures so keep an eye on the site.

Well... that's it for now.

See you from a bright and shiny place!

Pacific Rim.

I went to see Pacific Rim at the cinema today. I saw the 2D version so I can't comment on the 3D effects.

Without any spoilers, the film was exactly as I expected it to be BUT was really more polished than hoped.

It is a film about Giant Robots (Jaegers) fighting Giant Monsters (Kaiju). The Kaiju attack cities and the Jaegers protect them... that is the story.

What makes this film a bit more interesting (even though it is utterly predictable) is how the crews integrate with each other and their machines. In my mind, it takes it above the B-movie status the film should have had.

Every plot twist is predictable. Every possible cliché from many, MANY films is in there but in enjoyment terms... it's awesome... it's Giant Robots fighting Giant Monsters!

I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would recommend that anyone who wants to go and see the film should leave their 'critic' head behind and be realistic about what to expect. If you do that, you will LOVE the film. If you want to find interesting plot shifts and lots of characterisation... you'll be disappointed.

This film is a bit like Avatar. Avatar was awesome but it was the overall spectacle and easy going nature of the film that made it great... not the rather weak plot. Pacific Rim is just like that... a spectacle that hits you in the face like a giant, acid-spitting Kaiju and doesn't stop until the end of the film. You don't need to think about how it will go... it is predictable... so you can just enjoy the ride.

I loved the film and so did my wife and daughter. That makes it worth every penny in my books.

See you from the maroon chair!

A week of perspiration.

I have never been a fan of the heat but travelling to places like Iraq, Kenya and Kuwait has taught me that I CAN function in warmer countries because of the arid nature of the heat. It isn't the heat that slows me down it is the humidity... and low and behold, that is British heat for you.

I would dearly have loved to get some proper painting in this week but the humidity has made it impossible. It is all down to sweaty hands and paint drying too quickly. Every time I pick a miniature up to paint, I am leaving sweaty finger prints around the base and it is making them difficult to hold (especially with the rounded edges of Warmachine bases).

So I decided the only chance I had of getting anything done was to hire a paint monkey...

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But for what I paid him, he was a disappointment... and only half base-coated a Space Dwarf. That left me with the only option available... prep & prime. Here is what I have on my work bench at the moment:

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In it, you will see a little progress on the Dragon, a base-coated Mhurni, two Dwarf slayer novices, two Human slayer novices and a Human slayer. It isn't a lot to show off but it is definitely progress.

In other news, I went to a work BBQ with my daughter and managed to get a lovely sunburnt head... but we had a good afternoon with friends and colleagues (and my daughter got to see what a work function was like). I managed to catch up with all of my work projects so I will be able to have a two week holiday very soon (I CAN'T WAIT!!!!)... I plan to take my laptop and get some writing done for the Reptiliad project.

Did anyone mention getting things cast? No? Are you sure? Oooohhhh... it was me! Yes, it looks like getting my sculpts cast is the thing of this week because the goblin I sculpted for Goblin Aid is being mastered and should be ready for sale in around ten days from Ral Partha Europe. I also have another sculpt which I sent over to Carl at Grekwood Miniatures that has also been mastered and I should have some copies to show off soon. the final miniature will be up for sale in the next couple of months (possibly) but is destined for the Grekwood Miniatures shop at some point. I am really happy about this.

A Tribute.

This week marked the second anniversary of Gareth 'Grekwood' Sutherwood's passing. As much as I was saddened by this, I was also uplifted as I looked back at some of the things that have gone on since he left his family and our community. He obviously made a huge impact because his birthday is always remembered on the FoD and the various other forums he visited. Everyone speaks fondly of him and always mentions his thirst for life and his cheerful enthusiasm (not to mention bananas... lots and lots of bananas). His brother has built up an internet business and was inspired enough to start sculpting miniatures and selling them, along with his brother's work... this has branched out to other manufacturer's products. I was moved to sculpt a miniature as a tribute to him and so was Kev White over at Hasslefree Miniatures and painted versions are now at home with the Sutherwoods. Andy Foster at Heresy Miniatures named the armour that his Sharclons wear 'KERG' armour... I wonder why? Various charitable donations have occurred and various charity auctions have happened to raise money to research the disease that caused Gareth's untimely demise.

So... from someone I never met who became a friend, so much good has happened.

A fitting tribute to a life so cruelly cut short.

RIP Gareth 'Grekwood' Sutherwood.

See you from a humble place!

A varied week.

Another Sunday has arrived and it is another gloriously sunny day.

It has been a really busy week at work and the amount of computer work I've been doing has meant tired eyes so I have not really painted too much.

The bases arrived from Fenris Games and they are perfect for the job so this week has mostly been about getting the dragon based and primed. Here is the Dragon on it's new base:

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You will notice that I have cunningly concealed the face of the statue with rocks and have added texture and a more natural look to the base as a whole... and before anyone says anything, he was never going to be red. He is at the very earliest of base-coat stages so the colours and look will change immensely by the time he is finished.

In other news... I have a few little miniatures to show off. These are the first of the Dragon Slayers and at some point soon they will get a write up over at the Reptiliad blog... but that isn't the place for WIP or miniature pix (without a little scenery) so here are the pix:

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Most are from Privateer Press, bought from Wayland Games but the human is from Hasslefree Miniatures. These signify the end of my Muse-drought.

I was in town yesterday and saw that Modelzone was closing down so I was forced into a decision to buy the Merlin I was eventually planning to get. With £11-40 off, I couldn't really say no... so here it is:

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I put the pen on the box to show how big it is. The kit will be packed away for a later time when I can focus on doing a proper job on it. It will be getting the following look:

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Do you remember Goblin Aid? Well the first batch of casts are available to buy now so get over to Ral Partha Europe and buy the Historical Pack now.

Finally, while I was in town I also met my regular Big Issue seller, Al. He was in fine spirits and was enjoying the sunshine. He is back on his meds so he was feeling on top of the world (even though he has terminal bone-cancer). The cancer spread had slowed, which means he has more time now but it was really good to see him up and about instead of hunched under a blanket. 

It makes you think of the important things in life.

So continuing the theme of important things, my lovely wife is off racing for life today so I'm thinking pink and hoping that everything goes well.

See you from behind the kaleidoscopic eye of a fly!

The muse has returned!

It is amazing what a complete change of direction can achieve when you have been struggling to follow the same path for a long time.

I have actually managed to pick up a brush and get some painting done.

I reckon that Sunday will make an excellent day for a showcase of some of the painted miniatures for my Reptiliad project... and I may even have the Red Dragon based up and primed by then as well.

I am rather chuffed with the way things have suddenly sorted themselves out and I am genuinely keen to pick up a brush again. Hopefully, sculpting a few rocks on a few bases will expand to some proper sculpting at some point but the main thing is that I have actually finished a few bits and bobs.

So stay tuned and make sure you catch Sunday's post.

Here's a gratuitous Kylie pic to entertain you while you wait:

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MIAOW! 

See you from the gates of the Dwarven keep at Cloor!

A hot, sunny Sunday.

Well, it is Sunday again and I have had a long weekend so far. Friday was my daughter's prom night so I took the day off and we both went out to for her to get what she needed for the prom. Fortunately, it was a case of getting her nails done and enjoying a coffee but a bit later it was all hair, make-up and corsets so it did get a bit hectic. On the bright side, when it was all finished, she was happy with her look and, to be honest, she was the belle of the ball:

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I assure you that her gloves were correctly pulled up before she arrived. There were a lot of stunned looks from her friends too... especially the boys.

So... last night I watched Scott Pilgrim Versus the World again and I thought to myself "am I wrong to really like this movie?" I really enjoyed it and it was worth stopping up for. I was going to stay up for Tenacious D and the Pick of Doom but I got halfway through it and got bored... Jack Black is the same in every film, isn't he? Maybe the novelty has worn off.

So today, I have been filling in gaps on my Reaper Pathfinder Red Dragon:

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I still have the gap around its waist to sort out but I need it to be primed first so that I can see if there is still a gap. I used Araldite for the body bond and it dries clear so I can't really tell how much of a gap there is. The model will be getting a base from Fenris Games and the statue it is standing on will be reshaped to look like natural rock. I will be painting the Dragon in greys and blacks because it is going to be a mountain Dragon in Reptiliad. The human is there to give an idea of size and also to demonstrate that I have no fantasy miniatures!

Well...

That isn't strictly true...

I do have some fantasy Dwarfs, some other creatures and maybe a few steam-powered knights... and I may have ordered a few more things to go with them...

All will be revealed in good time but for now I am going to take a leaf out of Charmmy's book and chill out:

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See you from the world of Dragons!

A blog update

I just thought I'd take a moment to mention my new little venture. It is a fantasy world called Reptiliad and can be found HERE. Just in case the link wasn't subtle enough, there is a link in my list of links on the right of this page.

At the moment, it is just a case of setting the scene and building up some background but it will hopefully expand to include all manner of things.

Something to pass the time?

See you from the keep!