A reawakening?

To start today's post, I'd like to welcome David Dale to Inso's World. There is all sorts of stuff to be found here so make sure you dig around and if you find stuff you like, be sure to post comments.

I'd like to say that I have slept well this week and that I have achieved huge amounts of hobby stuff... but I haven't. My main focus has been to get some sculpting finished and up until yesterday, I couldn't get on with anything because my focus was shot... however, it seems that I have managed to get a small amount of kip this weekend (YAY!) and I am left with putting a single integral base on the last of the three sculpts I am doing for a commission. So it isn't all bad. I would put pix up but I don't think it is a good idea until I have talked with the 'owner' of them.

So... I ordered a few spoons a week or so ago and they haven't arrived yet. This has been a disappointment because I have stuff set aside for a conversion that is waiting for the spoons to arrive. Without a pair of spoons, I can't do a thing... so hopefully they will turn up very soon. What am I working on? I'm not telling you (I need to see if it works before I share anything... hence my annoyance at the spoons not arriving).

A long time ago, I put together a squad of Grymn that wore jump packs and had tiger stripes:

Click the Pic!

This led to a little story which died on the old Forum of Doom but I have resurrected it HERE. With the advent of Grymn Powered Armour and some jump-packs that I saw over at Puppetswar, I thought that it maybe time to upgrade Torge's Tigers with some new kit. Here is the first of a small squad of newly equipped, Torge's Tigers:

Click the Pic!

He's a basic trooper with a flamer and power claw. I have four more troops to go but that may not be the end of it. In the first pic above, there is a rather large reason for me to continue the little project to include just one more trooper (at least)... can you spot it? Obviously, it will have to be scratch-built but the idea factory is working on it already.

Work is going to be interesting for a few months. I am not only dealing with my work BUT I am also deputising for my manager. It isn't something I can't handle but it may further erode my hobby time so a little patience may be required for those who like to see lots of pix on here.

That, as they say, is about that.

See you from the bottom of the deep blue sea!

Grymn Power!

Before I start, I'd like to welcome Maj. Dysst Rakkshun to Inso's World. I hope you enjoy the trip along the pathways here and gain something from your visit.

This week has been a continuation of my sleepless woes and I have really struggled to motivate myself to do anything... let alone hobby stuff. Insomnia is a real pain sometimes. That said, I have been setting myself little goals that have not required too much intricate detail and have been ticking along (assembling, filling and slapping on rough basecoats).

First up, I have been beginning the basecoating process on my Grymn Powered Armour platoon and have got this far:

Click the Pic!

I am actually quite enjoying the process at the moment. I haven't sorted them into units yet but there 7 units of 4 troops (one being the command unit, the rest being identically assembled fireteams). There is obviously a very long way to travel... but slow progress is better than no progress.

Continuing along the Grymn theme, I ordered five more Grymn in powered armour for a special little distraction. A while ago, I ordered some Air Strikers from Puppetswar Miniatures; mostly to see what the jump packs looked like 'in hand'. I decided that they would be perfect to lift a Grymn in powered armour off the ground so with a little bit of trimming and filling, I assembled the first five of a very special unit:

Click the Pic!

I think they look great and they will be perfect for newly equipped Torge's Tigers. If I get these painted the way I like, I expect that I will expand the unit in a rather random way... they are a single fighting entity and don't necessarily behave like a standard platoon might. Sometimes it is a healthy thing to be completely random.

Dare I say it? Speaking of random, I ordered 20 plastic spoons the other day. They are double ended and have a different size at each end. They will come in very handy for the other Grymn project that started this week. It all began with a very small delivery from E-Bay... but it wouldn't be fair to tell you everything all at once, now would it?

See you from the armoury!

Grinding forward.

Before I start, I'd like to welcome Tarkiss Broode and Joe Kushner to Inso's World. I hope you both enjoy your stay and gain a small amount of inspiration from within the grounds.

I am sorry to say it has been another slow week. I have been quite tired; what with going back to work and still not being able to sleep so my concentration hasn't been great. That said, I have powered through and set myself tiny goals which I have been meeting... so I am hoping that slow and steady wins the race. Unfortunately, the one thing I really want to be doing is sculpting but I am not able to at the moment... so I have been painting when I can  and assembling when I can't paint. As a demonstration, here are some WIP pix:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, the top row has three Grymn in Powered Armour with the new back-pack heavy weapons attached. They are freshly primed ready for base-coating. The lower row has the next four troopers all washed and ready for the highlight stage and basing. Looking at the fire team on the bottom row, one of the troopers with carbine and sword will be replaced by one with the back-pack. 

That means that all of the standard fire teams will have the following:

1 x Leader - Pulse Carbine and Power Glove.

1 x Trooper - Minigun and Power Glove.

1 x Trooper - Pulse Carbine, Power Sword and weapon Back-Pack.

1 x Trooper - Pulse Carbine and Power Sword.

The command squad will have the following:

1 x Leader - Pulse Carbine and Power Glove.

1 x Trooper - Pair of Power Claws.

1 x Trooper - Pair of Power Claws.

1 x Trooper - Pulse Carbine, Power Sword and weapon Back-Pack.

The Platoon will consist of:

1 x Command Squad.

3 x Infantry Squad (each having a pair of standard fire teams)

As I have always maintained, a plan never survives contact with the enemy and we should always be prepared to adapt and be flexible. The release of these new back-packs is a good demonstration of this.

So... hopefully, I'll get a bit more sleep this week and finish my sculpting, otherise I may start to panic!

Am I the only one who has noticed that Grymn have crept into my mindset again? It's funny because I may have ordered something to distract me further and put me firmly in the Grymn world again.

More about that when the said item arrives.

In other news, I came third in the Unofficial Diorama of Doom and received a lovely little Goblin as a prize. Thanks to No Hed Ned for that. I'll be kicking off the next Unofficial Diorama of Doom soon.

See you from the pilot's seat!

Hmmm... a bit of a collation...

I posted on a forum the other day and someone said that they were amazed at my hobby output. I was quite surprised by this... so I have been back through the blog and have tallied up 2013's hobby output. To be honest, I am quite surprised at what I have done... but here is the list anyway:

Sculpts:

The Goblin Judge for Goblin Aid.
The Three-Eyed, Moustachioed, Hairy Groper.

Painted:

30 x Clankers (Vulkan Battlesuits with RAFM Walkers and Viktors too).
3 x DoD 2012 trophies.
2 x Mushroom Men.
5 x Velard Space Dwarfs.
1 x Dhurn (space Dwarf).
1 x Meg in Powered Armour.
5 x Pugs in Powered Armour.
2 x Mondrian Traders.
1 x Mondrian Tank.
10 x Sharclon.
5 x Grymn Judges.
5 x Superheroes.
1 x Enforcer Captain conversion.
1 x Nexus Walker.
1 x Space Dwarf (my sculpt).
1 x Grekwood (my sculpt).
4 x Reptiliad Slayers.
2 x Reptiliad Mhurni.
1 x Reptiliad Tribal Chief.
1 x Reptiliad Automaton.
1 x Reptiliad Dragon.
1 x Big Terminator.
2 x Chaos Marines.
1 x Goblin Aid Goblin (my sculpt).
1 x Christmas Goblin conversion (from my sculpt).
1 x Tunnel Fighter Ambulance conversion.
1 x Puppetswar Air Striker.
8 x Grymn in Powered Armour.
1 x Grymn in powered Armour with 15mm kit on it.
1 x Forge Father with Hammer.
1 x Diorama of Doom 2013.

So... that is over a hundred paint-jobs a couple of sculpts and countless 'half-jobs' that didn't make the list. I don't think it is too bad considering that I have had a real issue with my hobby this year.

Sheesh... it's amazing what a bit of boredom can uncover, isn't it?

See you from the thinking chair!

A Grymn start to 2014

First up, welcome to Lee Morley. He's the first new follower to be welcomed this year. I hope you enjoy your stay and comment on stuff you feel the need to.

So... this is 2014. Am I going to make any resolutions? No.

I often say that I will finish this or start that and just end up getting distracted... it is just how I roll. That means that any resolutions will simply be empty gestures.

That said, I am planning to thin down my hobby stuff, reduce the money I spend on new stuff and get working on some of the backlog that has accumulated over the last twenty-plus years. I have already made a start on this so part of the plan has already come to fruition. I have also sorted out a box full of stuff I want to sell and that money will be going to a very special project that is all about getting someone home.

Reptiliad will be getting worked on. Sci fi will be getting worked on. Sculpting will be done too (with a view to getting back upto speed to complete a few commissions... again to put the money towards the special project)... so I don't plan on being idle.

Well... before I bore you any longer, here are eight painted Grymn in powered armour:

Click the Pic!

They are made up of the four that have been painted for a while (the command unit) and the second four that make up the first fire team. However, there has been a disturbance in the warp and that means that Hasslefree Miniatures has upset my plans again. Why? well, they have only gone and released these:

LINK 

So I have had to buy some and that means that I have had to find a way of adding them to my squads... which I have done. That also means that the squads in the pic above are now incomplete and will be changed to include some of the weapon back-packs.

In addition to the weapon back-packs, there is a conversion kit to turn your 28mm Grymn trooper into a smaller scale mini-mecha:

LINK

Seeing as I was sent a lovely little gift of a Powered Armour Trooper body and the new arm pack from Hasslefree Miniatures, I decided it would be nice to put together a fully up-gunned mini mech to show off:

Click the Pic!

I think it would work really well as a small mech for 15mm space Dwarfs... but regardless of that, it looks cool and the weapon back-packs will be perfect for my troopers.

I think that about sums it up. Happy New Year!

See you from the flooded plains!