Are you going to Overlord?

This is just a quick post to alert you all to the Overlord Wargaming event in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, this weekend:

Click the Pic!

It is a small event but there is always plenty to see so it is worth a visit. There is also a canteen with cooked food and drink so you won't go hungry. Here's a bit more information: LINK.

I may see you there.

See you from the hockey pitch!

More Votoms thinking...

I was wondering just how to go about chopping down the Votoms kits so I managed to find a nice full frontal picture on line so that I could chop it about. Here is what I came up with:

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All I did was remove a small portion from the arms and legs (as the picture mentions) and I think it has improved the look of the Scopedog immensely. I still think that I need to adjust the shoulders so that they are a bit more robust... and possibly widen the torso a small amount. I may also need to flatten the tummy a bit due to the shorter arms... that way, he'll be able to hold his rifle properly. I am just milling everything over at the moment so everything is transient.

I have tried this sort of thing with a diecast version of a 1/60 Scopedog before but the model wasn't the most friendly of things to chop up... so it didn't turn out as well as I would have hoped:

Click the Pix!

The main areas that were disappointing were the feet and the abdomen area... but when sawing through diecast metal with a hacksaw, it sort of deadens your enthusiasm for perfection.

As you may already be aware, I am quite a fan of Votoms and already have a small selection of the larger, 1/35 scale versions in my Tunnel Fighter army:

Click the pic!

If you asked me why I like these particular mechs, I wouldn't be able to give you a good answer but I think it is the mix of them skating about, being quite clunky looking and also quite vulnerable (they get blown apart all the time in the cartoons)... I just like them.

See you from the mech workshop!

A quiet week.

I'd like to say that I have made loads of progress on hobby stuff but, unfortunately, I have been kept busy with work this week and as a result, I have only managed to paint three of the Grymn in powered armour. I don't have pix because the bases aren't finished yet. I'm a bit disappointed but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

In other news, I have become obsessed with my 'retirement' project and have been investigating 1/60 scale Votoms kits. I now have six of them in various forms and am still looking to get another couple (namely a Fatty and possibly a Berserga). The idea is that I use the various kits, trim down various components and make them more Grymn-like... also, make it so that the various limbs etc are cross compatible. Once I have improved the joints, shortened the various limbs etc, they will be cast and used to build a 'glorious army' (for personal use only of course).

Part of the obsession has seen me watching various Votoms films and it is great watching hordes of skating mechs flitting about while blowing the crap out of each other... here's an example:

 

I reckon that this week will also be a bit busy but hopefully, I'll manage to produce something by next Sunday... who knows?

See you from the cockpit of a Scopedog, Turbo Custom, ATM-09-STTC!

Will the rain ever stop?!

It has been a week of further heavy rain, gale force winds and flooding all over the country. As a result of the atrocious weather and flooding, my fellow servicemen have been called forward to help with flood defences and rescue operations and as part of the effort, I have been busy in the background with my team; helping with the modification process to enable the Puma Mk2 helicopter to carry underslung loads (namely, sandbags). As a result, the helicopter is now cleared to fit a 'load-pole' which can carry loads underneath the helicopter... and all done in just two days! Now that the gales have lessened, the helicopters should be 'humping and dumping' from now on.

As you can guess... it has been quite a week at work.

From a hobby perspective, I have been plodding along with my powered armour and have finally sorted out the first three sections. They have now got a heavy trooper in each section and the place holder miniatures have been removed to join their own sections:

Click the Pix!

The painting programme will now switch to 3 miniatures at a time so that I can space out the painting of all those angles. 

Obviously, this week has not been a sculpting week but I should hopefully manage to get some sculpting done to my commissions in this coming week. 

That is all I have today.

See you from the edge of the dam!

The Grymn march continues.

Well... that was a week.

I have been working hard, I went to a mess function on Wednesday, suffered on Thursday, fell in the shower on Thursday, suffered on Friday, didn't sleep at all on Friday night, had an extremely productive Saturday (considering I was so tired) and today, I woke up late and have been struggling to stay awake!

So... what have I managed to do? Well, to start with, I spent a very frustrating hour or so on Saturday afternoon putting decals on my Tigers. They are now all finished but I have no pix because there is gloss varnish on them at the moment and that doesn't photograph well. When the gales have passed and I am able to spray them matt in the garden, I'll show them off.

Sculpting wise, I have started the next commission sculpt. It is an unusual beast and is really quite large. All I have done so far is make a basic body shape from a mix of milliput and green stuff and I've also sculpted a basic face (which will be mostly covered by a hood:

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He is about 42mm tall but will be around 50mm once I have finished (not including his long staff). I have a very long way to go on him but I am happy with the general shape at the moment.

In other news... MY SPOONS ARRIVED! Yay! I contacted the seller and they resent my spoons so I have 20 double ended medicine spoons to mess about with now. That means that I was able to start my little 'spoon related' project and I am quite pleased with it so far. It's a secret at the moment as I am debating whether I will turn it into a greater project or stick with just the one. Once it is finished, I will be able to decide but at the moment, it is progressing nicely.

The progress on my Grymn is still pretty good. After finishing the five Tigers, I continued with the NMA Urban Powered Armour and have finished another four... so where there were eight, now there are twelve:

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I have started on the next four which will comprice of 3 wearing the heavy back-packs and one with a pulse carbine/power sword combination. Once they are finished, the 3 units above will replace one of their number with a heavy back-pack trooper and that will make them complete. So... twelve down, sixteen to go!

Hopefully, I can keep the momentum up... we will just have to see.

See you from the gates of the harbour!

Goblin Aid Master.

Just to let you know that my Goblin Aid Green is for sale on E-Bay

HERE IS THE LINK!

For those who can't remember what he looked like:

Click the Pic!

Please pop along and put a bid on if you are able (it's for charity).

See you from the end of the pier!

Of Tigers and sculpting.

This has been a very interesting week.

I mentioned in my last post that I was stepping up and becoming acting Flight Sergeant for a couple of months. Well, it seems that during the same period, I am going to have to cover for my boss as well. This essentially means that I will have to work a bit of overtime in order to cover my own work and the that of my newly assumed duties. That may sound a bit rubbish but just recently, I have been struggling with motivation and it seems that the added responsibility has fired a bit of enthusiasm... so it may well end up being a very positive thing. As long as I don't screw things up, it will also look good on my staff appraisal.

With that metaphorical 'kick up the arse' cam a little bit of positive news on the hobby front. I have been busy painting this week and have managed to finish off the small unit of Torge's Tigers that I have so far collected. I still need to add a few decals but I will need to put some gloss varnish on and mess about with decal choices for that... and that doesn't generally photograph well so here is the 'finished' squad:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, there is a tan coloured tiger and a white one as well. The tanned one is a Sgt and the white one is Torge himself. I thought that in order to identify leaders in the heat of jump-pack mellee, it would be a good idea to have them a completely different colour to the troops. I am debating whether I will add rank markings to their helmets (like my other NMA troops) but I will have to think on it for now. As it stands, I am just glad to have a temporary respite from painting stripes!

Now that the small squad is complete, I am in the process of deciding how I am going to build an OGrymn in powered armour with a jump-pack. It may take a while but I hope I can achieve something that works.

As I have mentioned, I managed to complete a couple of commission sculpts last week. Well, I have been given permission to show them off and here they are:

Click the Pic!

The sculpts are for a project over at Matakishi's Tea House and he was happy enough with the sculpts to offer me the task of sculpting a few other bits and bobs... so watch this space for more updates. I have already started on one of the larger pieces.

Well... I am a bit annoyed that my spoons haven't arrived yet so I am now waiting on a response from the E-bay seller. I hope it stirs things up and I get some spoons dished out soon (Stirs? Dished out? Can you see what I did there?). That way I can try out my idea that has been patiently waiting for spoons to arrive.

I think that about sums everything up at the moment.

See you from the old workshop!