Father Nurgle's Gift

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

What can I tell you? Well, first up, I finished sculpting my Space Dwarf, Standard Bearer:

Click the Pix!

As you can see, he's just a little bit larger than his brothers (by design) and wears slightly different armour that helps him to stand out as a champion who is worthy of holding the company standard. The banner topper is about 10mm tall and is supposed to depict a Dwarf version of Thor, sculpted in a 'rustic' style.

The Standard Bearer will be sent off for casting when I have finished a few other sculpts... speaking of sculpts...

I currently have five miniatures on the corks; a Medic, Heavy Flamer, Lasgunner, Captain and Colonel. My focus is on the first three because they have the same boots, armour and webbing pattern. I'll get their bodies finished and then move on to do the same with the officers. Once that is done, I'll go back to the first three and finish them before I finish the officers. Once they are all finished, they'll get sent off to Macrocosm Miniatures, with the Standard Bearer, for casting up.

Speaking of Macrocosm Miniatures, the recent Kickstarter has successfully completed. I am very happy that Chris has done so well on the Kickstarter and also that so many people are happy to buy my work. It certainly helps with motivation for sculpting.

So far, I have provided 21 miniatures (including the Standard Bearer) for the range (this includes full sculpts and head-swaps), with another 15 or so, on the list so I still need to maintain my focus and keep churning them out!

So... life.

I can say with certainty that COVID-19 sucks. I have had it for three weeks and I have had breathing issues, troubles with dizziness/feeling faint and a general lack of energy. LUCKILY, I haven't been bad enough for a hospital trip so it could have been much worse but it has really affected me being able to move about. Sitting down is fine... it's the moving that is the bother.

This week I went to the funeral of my mother-in-law. It was a lovely little service and she was laid to rest with dignity and care. It was strange that only a few people were allowed to the service and that we couldn't gather together, afterwards but at least everything went without a hitch. I drove to the town (about 6 hours driving, each way) and was fine... up until I had to walk anywhere... that was a struggle and I nearly passed out on one occasion. It took an age to recover from even the shortest of walks... but at least I managed to get my wife and daughter to the funeral so that we could all pay our respects. That was the only time I've left my house since Jan 16th... and I'm off to the doctors tomorrow so that'll be a nice trip out...

Anyway...

I'm still here, I'm still sculpting and I'm still happy so it isn't all doom and gloom.

See you from the manufactorium!

A new year...

 So here we are again... welcome to Inso's World.

I just thought that I'd share a bit of news. Not only have the 2 Sgts and 3 Junior Officers been sent off for casting:

Click the Pic!

... but Macrocosm Miniatures are currently running a new Kickstarter for a bunch of my sculpts:

Macrocosm Kickstarter Link

The mortars aren't my work and I think there's an odd head or two that aren't mine either... but it's a great way to add a few troopers to your Space Dwarf army.

Over the next few weeks/months, I will be working on a Standard Bearer, Heavy Flamer Trooper, Medic and 2 Senior Officers... and after that, a bunch of Lasgunners and additional Comms Troopers... but I am focusing on the first batch for now.

In other news, I am isolating because I have got COVID-19 at the moment, with a mild cough so I am hoping that I can get things done and not get particularly sick... fingers crossed, eh?

See you from behind the mask!

What a year 2020 was.

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World. I'm sorry that we are in the confines of a bunker but after the year we've all had, I felt that a bunker would be the best place.

So... 2020.

I'll start with the inevitable COVID bleating. It's been tough for us all. Everyone has been touched by the repercussions, lock-downs and restrictions that have rocked the world. I'm not going to say too much more, other than reflect my hopes for a better year in 2021.

BREXIT. The UK is now alone again. I, along with everyone else here, am holding my breath to see how this will affect us. I predict quite a few stark realisations and some shortages of things (short term) that we are quite used to having. I was a remainer... but now we all just have to deal with the new order and get along with it, the best we can. We must all be positive and try to make the best of it.

Health. I went mad this year. I've been in therapy for a year and am finally getting back to being myself again. It was a journey but it was necessary. The only thing I will say is that, if you are feeling depressed or anxious and you are in the depths of something you can't control... talk to someone. It helps and may reset you. At the worst, it's a shared problem. At best, it could erase the problem and help you get back to a better place. 

Physically, my frozen shoulders have stopped hurting so much and I have recovered about 80% of the mobility in them so that is great news. 

Work has been wonderful but challenging. Dealing with the death of our residents has been hard but a privilge. Luckily, COVID wasn't a factor because we have worked really hard to keep it away from our setting... it was Dementia that did it... and with Dementia, there's no getting out alive. 2020 took a heavy toll on many residents who have been there for a long time.

In other areas of life, things have been up and down, with a few personal losses (family and friends) and some new friendships.

My hobby has been one of the things that has consistently helped me to both hide and achieve. The biggest news is that I am working with my friend Chris, at Macrocosm Miniatures, to create a range of Space Dwarfs... so far I have sculpted and converted about 20 miniatures and am continuing to sculpt more for the range. Chris has been creating Kickstarter projects for them and they are also available in his shop. From the beginning, this project has always been about me, creating an army for myself... with the added bonus that other people can buy the troops as well. As a result, in between the sculpting, I have been trying to paint a few as well... and I have plans for a company sized army but need to continue sculpting, in order to get the right miniatures to achieve it.

Here are a few images of what I have finished/started painting:

Click the Pix!

Here are a few of the latest sculpts:

Click the Pix!

In addition to the range of miniatures, I have also been trying to put a few things together for my other Squat army and have managed to convert and paint a few vehicles... some of which had been sat for ages, waiting for some love:

Click the Pix!

I've also managed to get hold of a few kits that I will probably share at some point... but needless to say, they are awesome!

My Bike is still awesome:

Click the Pic!

But my other one hasn't changed and is still waiting to be worked on... maybe 2021 may finally be the time to start on it.

What will 2021 hold for us all? Who knows... but I know that I'll be facing it with a saound mind and a little more positivity than last year. 

What do I have planned for my hobby? Well, I hope to continue building the range of Space Dwarfs and hopefully get some painting in, when my sculpting muse is away.

Finally, I wish everyone a better 2021 than 2020 and hope that you all get through, unscathed. Everything else is going to be a bonus.

See you from the beginning!

The range gets bigger...

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

It's been a little while but the big Squat project is continuing and I have had some casts sent to me. The following image shows the different casts but I got multiples of each so that I can convert some for the range and paint/convert others for my personal army. Anyway... here are the casts:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, it has casts of all of the greens from the last post. Now that I have some casts, I have been able to both continue sculpting from scratch and also beginning the work to convert some of the casts. The following image shows my work bench:

Click the Pic!

Back row: Sgt, Lasgunner, Jr Officer, Jr Officer, Jr Officer.

Front row: 3 Comms Troopers with comms kit removed and bodies repaired, ready for infantry heads. 2 Lasgunners waiting for new heads.

As you can see, I have a little way to go on these WIPs but it will be a nice bunch of troops to add to the range, when they are done. It will also mean that there will be officers available; something that is lacking at the moment.

Looking at the casts/headswaps, the other casts that were shown earlier, will also get similar treatment so that I can add even more variety to the range. That means that I will have a selection of Sgts, Comms Troopers, and Specialists as well as a good selection of different Lasgunners.

It's all coming together nicely.

See you from the work bench!

More grist for the mill.

Hello again. It's been a while but welcome to Inso's World again.

Since the last time I posted, things have been pretty settled and have ticked along better since I have been allowed to go on unnecessary journeys, riding by bike. If I get bothered and have the time, I can just jump on my bike and potter over to look at the sea... which has improved my demeanour greatly.

From a hobby perspective, I have been very busy sculpting more Space Dwarfs. First, I needed to sculpt a couple of extra heads on Lasgunner 2... then I set out to sculpt another (advancing) Lasgunner and two Special Weapon Troopers. Well, I got the two conversions finished... and finished the Advancing Lasgunner but stalled on the Special Weapon Troopers... so I started (and finished) a Comms Specialist and a second Sergeant. Finally, I managed to find the right motivation and finished the two Special Weapon Troopers... but I still have to sculpt their separate weapons (they are currently WIP and are a Meltagun, Plasmagun, Grenade Launcher and Flamer). It all sounds a bit confusing so here are a few pix:

Advancing Lasgunner (Click the Pic!)

 Sergeant 2 (Click the Pic!)

Comms Specialist (Click the Pic!)

The Group, Including the two Lasgunner Conversions (Click the Pic!)

The 'Weaponless' Special Weapon Troopers (Click the Pic!)

So you see, I haven't been idle. I am gradually getting the Special Weapons sculpted but they take a while because they are small, difficult to hold and need tiny bits sculpting before a lengthy drying time... so it is very much "little and often". However, that said, I am looking forward to sending these off to Macrocosm Miniatures (when they are finished) so that I can get some copies back and have them available in the store, for everyone to enjoy.

I hope you have enjoyed the show and tell today.

See you from the front of the queue!

Things are afoot!

Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

Time goes by and so does life, in the crazy, virus affected, world. Work has happened... Holiday (at home) has happened... Even a tiny bit of motorcycling has happened, now that restrictions are slowly being lifted. On top of that, we have worked on the garden and what was once a "verge of villainy and corruption" is now a flower bed with seedlings breaking through... with an added, paved area for a little bug house. We have decide that the verge is going to be a meadow so we have bought some Bee Bombs and planted a load. At some point, we may even have a meadow (hopefully).

All that aside, I have been sculpting and painting...

Stuff I have painted:

Click the Pix!

I also converted and painted a little gift for a friends of mine. He wanted an unarmed miniature, painted with a rainbow... so he got this:

Click the Pix!

Note the gratuitous use of a plastic Shot glass as a display dome. 

I have also got some WIP sculpting done but still have a way to go so I'll post pix when I finally get them finished.

Finally, I'd just like to inform you that Macrocosm Miniatures is now selling space Dwarfs on their site again. If you would like some... pop along and fill your boots:

SPACE DWARF LINK

That's all for now.

See you from the petrie dish!

Extra chances.

Hi everyone.

Just a very quick post to alert you to a new kickstarter that not only offers a range of miniatures including Squat bikers and Genesteler Squat bikers but also another chance to pick up my Squat sculpts...

Click the Pic!

 Here's the link:

Kickstarter Link

Get on board and enjoy!

See you from the trenches!