The 6th of May...

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again. As promised, I will be adding a few more "reflections from Salute 52", now that I have had a chance to land and look back with a clear, less exhausted, mind.

So here goes...

All the travelling sucked.

Yes, I have travelled afar in my previous life but now that I have settled in Cornwall, my will to travel... or even leave the place... has really died. I found sitting on a train full of people who didn't want to chat, a bit weird and wasn't really happy with the cushioning on the seats either. The air-conditioner wasn't really on top form and the train was packed (luckily I reserved seats for the to/from London train). Thank heavens for Sudoku.

My lack of familiarity with getting around London didn't matter because the underground is very easy to navigate BUT I over spent on unnecessary tickets due to not realising I could just tap my debit card on the Oyster pads. Also, the closure of the Chiltern line, over the weekend, meant a few diversions which added time and uncertainty to the journey.

Overall, I wasn't unhappy with the "travelling tools" at my disposal but the time it took and the cost of travel was hard to rationalise for me. It was a whole weekend of traveling for 5 hours at a show... I could have done a lot of things in the same time, had I not gone.

Sleep?

Nothing to do with the event BUT I had little more than a couple of hours of sleep over the three days of travelling/being away from home. This was caused by a mix of excitement for the show, anxiety about travelling/tickets and my insomnia. It was a real shame because the bed I was "sleeping" in was extremely comfortable. The lack of sleep and all the travelling, coupled with my "post long COVID lungs" and polluted air, meant that I was pretty exhausted before I even got to Salute... which was a shame.

The show.

The South London Warlords put on a cracking event. There was something for everyone, the staff were amazingly helpful and surprisingly friendly considering some of the nonsense that I expect they had to deal with. The venue, as always, was perfect for the show and the food-courts were varied and really not as expensive as I could have expected. The ticket price was very fair and although I arrived a little too late for the extra free miniature, I got a nice little bag of freebies; of which a small part, are on my workbench. If I could think of a negative from the show perspective, it would be a lack of a place in the hall to get a cold drink without having to go out into the food court areas (assuming that there wasn't one that I never noticed)... but that's a really small gripe.

The crowds.

I'll be the first to admit that the crowds bothered me a lot. I wasn't expecting it to be the case but I was quite overwhelmed by the floating masses. I can't fault the courteous nature of people... I experienced no rudeness or bother from anyone at all; in fact, everyone was friendly and willing to chat and those I wanted to interact with, were brilliant. The problem I had with the crowds was the unrelenting nature of them. I am not one to sharpen my elbows and push-in so I found that I was standing around in a bit of a daze for a lot of the show... waiting to steer around people to get to areas I wanted to go. As a result, I lost my bearings completely and had to look at the map a lot more than I would have expected. The daze also meant that I missed going to stalls that I wanted to visit, didn't realise some of them were there at all, forgot about others I planned to visit and became so overwhelmed by everything that I felt I had to leave the event earlier than I wanted to.

When I tried to find a quiet spot, away from the crowds, it was like I was being followed by people who just wanted to be in the space I was in... so I felt like I couldn't escape... and the longer it went on, the more anxious I was getting.

... and the crowds didn't die down... they remained pretty constant throughout the whole time I managed to remain at the event. It was great for the show but too much for me.

I had a nightmare trying to find people that I planned to meet up with. It was lucky that most of them found me, even though I was really trying to find them. I had some lovely chats with them and met some people for the first time, even though we'd been chatting for years on Facebook. I missed a few people that I really wanted to see but I was so overwhelmed by the event that it was inevitable that I wouldn't see everyone... and at the end, I ejected so rapidly that I didn't have time to shout out a warning so missed others who may have wanted to connect.

It would appear that living in a quiet Cornish town has had a dramatic effect on my ability to deal with large gatherings of people.

The vendors.

I really can't fault a single one! Every vendor was happy to chat (when the crowds allowed it) and I was able to enthuse about their products or listen to them enthuse about them. I connected with lots of people I knew from past Salutes, met new ones and did a bit of networking and chatted with people about new products that I hadn't seen before. The stalls were interesting, well laid out and there were many little add-ons / freebies floating about if you wanted to find them (like the colouring table at Bad Squiddo Games, for example).

Overall or TLDR...

The event was brilliant, the people were brilliant, the stalls were brilliant, the crowds sucked, the travelling sucked and my ability to deal with crowds hampered my enjoyment of the day a little.

Would I go to another one?

If I was to go to another Salute, I would need to be lodging nearer the event to save on travel time. I would need to go with someone who could take my mind off the crowds and I would need to find a way of getting some bloody sleep! If I managed to arrange that, then I would go again... but not for a couple of years because I need to land properly.

The End?...

On to other things... and I have a week off work! That means that I have had a lot of sculpting time and have been busy sorting out a Servitor and another Engineseer. This is the Engineseer (all primed, ready for paint):

Click the Pic!

... and this is the WIP Servitor:

Click the Pic!

The Servitor still needs a bit of tidying up and also three heavy weapons sculpting... but it's really getting there now.

In OTHER, other news... this Thursday is Flora Day; my favourite day of the year. I will be out a lot over the next couple of days so there won't be much hobby going on but it will be for a good cause... my enjoyment!

In less happy news, it has been three years since I lost my handsome Sam on 6th May... I miss him very much...

Click the Pic!

...

...

See you from the heart of the community!

Salute 52 plus other animals.

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again... and this post is going to be a little longer than usual because of Salute 52 and a bunch of other stuff that has been going on since the last one.

So... here goes...

First up, this:

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The above image is of the Space Dwarf army box and as you can see, everything in it is painted! That's right, I painted the whole contents of the box. At some point soon, I'll have another few miniatures to fill the Astropath and Servitor components (six miniatures in all), especially seeing as I have finally got a design sorted for the Servitors and am in the process of sculpting one... and that will be the army finished!

While I was looking at the troops, I felt that a couple of the Advisors were a bit "out of theme" so I decided to convert a couple more. These were purely for my army so I quickly painted the conversions and added them to the army:

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The (painted) guys on the left are the new Airforce and Artillery Advisors. They replaced the "sweary" artillery Advisor and the Airforce Advisor that represents me in miniature form (the one wearing glasses with a dog leaning on him). They had extra patches and insignia that didn't fit with the rest of the army so they needed to go.

In related news, I have a WIP Servitor on the bench that ACTUALLY looks like it may have a chance of being finished and looking the part. I don't have any pix of it because I don't want to jinx it... but so far, it looks promising so watch this space. That said, I won a VERY cheap lot on Ebay that may or may not have influenced the direction that I have chosen...

Click the Pic!

Now lets talk about the big adventure to Salute 52, at the Excel centre in London Docklands.

Friday 11th April:

Bus from Helston, Cornwall at 08:17hrs. Train from Redruth, Cornwall at 09:41hrs. Tube from Paddington to Marlylebone and then on the Chiltern line to Aylesbury... finally arriving at around 17:30hrs. An evening in the company of my father-in-law followed by a sleepless night in a very comfy bed, worrying about tickets and things...

Saturday 12th April:

Train replacement bus from Aylesbury at 07:50hrs. Tube from Amersham to Liverpool Street Station, then Bank, then the DLR over to Station House and the Excel centre for Salute 52, arriving at around 09:45hrs.

Finding the queue was easy and once the event opened at 10:00hrs, it took about ten minutes to get into the event. As is usually the case, the South London Warlords did a cracking job of organising the event and it seemed to go very smoothly. 

Once inside, I realised that I had not considered the effect that having so many people around me might have on me... OBVIOUSLY, living in a quiet town has ruined my ability to cope with crowds so I sort of went into a bit of a zombie-mode. I was trying to meet up with a few people but ended up being found by people, rather than finding them. Luckily, I got to meet up with almost all of the people I planned to but sadly, I missed a couple of them which was a real shame... however I managed to dish out a few keyrings that I prepared so that was a good thing:

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Here's the queue outside in special "blurry vision" and the only selfie I took, once I got inside the event:

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The best bit of the show was meeting up with people and chatting... closely followed by seeing the "Bunny Badger Gaming" table, that I had made a couple of miniatures for, being used in anger as a "turn-up and play" gaming table:

Click the Pix!

I was particularly impressed when I found out that the table went and won the "Most Innovative Game" award which is brilliant for the guys after all the work that went into the table, the rules and manning the game during the day. 

As well as reconnecting with friends from past events and finally meeting friends that I've been chatting to on Facebook for YEARS, I also did a bit of networking and chatted with a lot of the stall owners... as well as also meeting Annie's (from Bad Squiddo Games) mum and we had a lovely chat about her recent trip down to Cornwall. A big thank you to everyone I met; I won't name names but I really appreciate everyone who took the time to find me and share a bit of time for a chat.

... I had planned to stay until the event closed...

... but at !5:00hrs, the wheels fell off and a very tired Inso decided he had to get the flip out of Dodge and get back to Aylesbury. The tiredness, the travelling and the massive crowds, finally took their toll and I needed to make for the DLR and go back to Aylesbury.

OBVIOUSLY, while pottering around the event, dodging people and watching the skies for invaders, I managed to buy a few bits and bobs so here's "the haul" (along with the freebies):

Click the Pic!

A Mammoth Walker, 20 paint brushes, 3 packs of basing tufts, a highland Space Dwarf, a "Salute 52" mug, 16 variously sized wheels, a sprue of Quar (free), a "Salute 52" Highlander miniature (free), "Salute 52" dice (free), some stickers (gifted) and some samples (free)... and not pictured, the Salute carrier bag and programme (free). 

Not a massive haul but enough... end everything I planned to buy; plus a bit extra.

Three hours later at around 18:00hrs, I was back in Aylesbury having a cuppa and chatting with my Father-in-law.

Sunday 13th April:

On the train replacement bus from Aylesbury to Amersham at 07:50hrs, then over to Paddington Station for the trip home to Cornwall... finally arriving at Redruth at around 18:00hrs to be collected by my lovely wife for the last half an hour drive home.

Reflections:

First of all, the event was a brilliant success. There were big crowds, lots of games, lots of traders and all sorts of other bits and bobs to keep you entertained... a triumph for the South London Warlords.

The Excel Centre had plenty of places to get food and drink and (once stamped) you could leave and enter Salute to get fed and watered freely... and the prices weren't ridiculous either (city prices but not CITY PRICES!!!).

I tried to find people but was so distracted by the crowds that I was found by them instead. I missed a few people and a few traders because of the crowds and I have been quite surprised to see some of the traders in photos that I never realised were there. The meet-ups were great and it was lovely to chat and share news. I talked to some traders I've never met and have got a few people interested in possibly commissioning me at some point so that is cool. I am sad about not meeting up with everyone I planned to but I must admit that I was REALLY distracted by the crowds. I think that I've become more of a "small town" chap than I thought.

Travelling about was easy and I have no complaints... but the time I spent on getting to Salute and home again was a big investment for what turned out to be five hours at the event. I would have to think very hard about whether I would repeat it in the future.

On the whole, it was well worth going and I really enjoyed the event. I wish I had been able to sleep, I wish I didn't get so tired out (my post "long Covid" lungs and air pollution DON'T mix) and I wish I wasn't so distracted by the crowds but them's the breaks.

I will probably write another post once I've properly landed again.

I reckon that's about all I have to say (for now).

See you from the pit!

The times, they are a changin'

 Hello and welcome to Inso's world. 

I know it's been a short while but the world continued to turn so it's all good.

What news? Well... after just over two years of volunteering at my local Cornwall Air Ambulance shop, I am having to think about getting paid work again. I was hoping to get an opportunity to try for the shop manager's job but circumstances have stopped the job coming up so, after giving it six months to appear and with no clear picture of when the job might turn up... I am having to think about looking elsewhere for paid work.

The question has been asked... "why not sculpt for a living?". There's a simple answer to that; it's my hobby and if I turned it into a job then I'd not have a hobby. The other reason is that I don't sculpt well with too many restrictions and deadlines kill my sculpting mojo... so it's not an option.

I am thinking that a return to care-work may be on the cards.

That aside, I'm happy with my lot... although a few issues with sleeping and other little illnesses have really slowed down my hobby work but things are picking up and I currently have eight finished sculpts on the table, with seven more WIP ones. 

Here's what's finished (I posted a couple in the last post that are still on the table so I won't repost them):

First, I have the adventurer I mentioned was nearly finished... it's now finished:

Click the Pic!

He was loosely based on the old GW "Colt Stoner" Squat. I think he turned out well, even if I swapped a few things (the original had a flamer with an axe head attachment...). Next up, we have the first of a small group of miniatures for Macrocosm Miniatures... this one is a stealthy Chaos Squat who like to hunt down anyone foolish enough to enter into his zone of operations:

Click the pic!

There are WIP sculpts for a small team that may be out to get the Chaos Squat... but they're not ready to have pix yet. 

Next up, there's a pair of human snipers that have flown to the USA to join another company:

Click the Pix!

Away from commissions, I decided to finally get my head around sculpting something that I've wanted to do for ages... a small diorama that I want to turn into a charity thing for the Royal British Legion (RBL)... it's early days and it isn't completely finished yet (I still need to finish the base) but here's where I am at:

Click the Pix!

As you can see, it's a distraught soldier being comforted by one of his comrades, at a grave site. The final pic shows the base prepared for texturing and leveling things out so that the comforting chap's hand rests properly on the sitting chap's shoulder. Ideally, I want to get this cast up and have profits go to the RBL... but like I mentioned, it's early days yet :) .

Finally, I have tried to use up waste putty on random sculpts... so now any spare bits that I would normally throw away get used to create some random alien zoology. This has led to a Rattle-Tailed Spiker (Squat for scale):

Click the Pic!

... and a Cyclopean Gill Worm:

Click the Pic!

There are more on the way with a small, hairy, creature coming up next.

So... TLDR: I am going to be entering a time of change, I've had a bit of a sculpting drought but I'm back at it with a vengeance and I'm in a good place...

... So I'll see you from the front of the queue!

Wake me up... when September ends...

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

It's the start of September and that means that I haven't posted in three months... so I guess it's about time :) .

It's been a standard summer in Cornwall... so I have been avoiding the crowds and my motorcycle hasn't left the garage in ages. I'm happy, my family is happy and the cats are all happy, work is continuing and life has just been ticking along.

I have been getting a bit of running in but have bit hit by one thing after another... broken toe, shin-splints, summer cold etc... so I am hoping to get back into it very soon. After all, a marathon won't run itself! I have another charity page for the marathon but I'll not share details until I have got into a routine of training.

Hobby wise, I have been fairly constantly busy with much more painting than sculpting... in fact, I don't think I have finished a single sculpt since May. There's a few bits on the corks that I have been fiddling with but I may end up starting over and that is probably one reason why sculpting has stalled: indecision. 

With that in mind, lets get some of my painted work up on the blog, shall we? First up, I'll be posting a few repeats but the first infantry platoon is complete:

1st platoon command:

Click the Pic!

1st platoon support:

Click the Pic!

1st platoon infantry squad 1:

Click the Pic!

1st platoon infantry squad 2:

Click the Pic!

Onwards with the painting and the second platoon is also complete:

2nd platoon command:

Click the Pic!

2nd platoon support:

Click the Pic!

2nd platoon infantry squad 1:

Click the Pic!

2nd platoon infantry squad 2:

Click the Pic!

The only other thing that I have painted since May is Thor:

Click the Pic!

... and I felt that a little fun was in order...

Click the Pic!

In other hobby news, I have been looking at the WH40k 10th edition index cards for the Astra Militarum and have discovered that I need to make an Astropath, in order to include any advisors so that is one of the sculpts on the corks (that may end up restarted). I also need to sculpt four servitors to go with the Engineseer... again, I have two on the corks but I'm not enthusiastic about them and will probably restart them.

Furthermore, I have been thinking about the next big thing... which was supposed to be Beastmen (that went for a ball of chalk) but is now going to be Stormtroopers/Scions instead. It's VERY early days but I have some very solid ideas about how I am going to construct them...  so watch this space.

With that said, I am still in a painting sort of mood so I am hoping that I can get the army finished soon... before I need to sculpt the final troops (Astropath/Servitors)... but my muse is a fickle beast so who knows?

That's about it for now.

See you from the gallery!

Mayday, Mayday!

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again. It is May already and May always signifies a lot of change for me; this May being no exception... so let's start.

First of all, I have been working away at the Air Ambulance shop and have been enjoying all aspects of work; especially the social side of things when I am working at the till. I am constantly surprised by the donations and stories that go along with some of them and understand that part of working in a charity shop is taking in donations from people who have lost loved ones and are clearing their possessions... so I am also required to be the oil for troubled waters... my previous work in care has stood me well.

Flora Day has come and gone and although it was a little less sunny, it was a great day. It is definitely my chosen day of the year to celebrate community and inclusion.

I have also completed my "20 a day until May" charity push-up challenge, in aid of the Alzheimer's Society. I am still a way off my target but the page is open until the 30th of May so there is still time to donate:

Push-Up Challenge LINK

With the push-up challenge completion comes the next big challenge... the running of a marathon! My plan is to run a Marathon before next Flora Day so I have roughly 12 months to get training and deciding which marathon fits the bill best. I will be running for Marie Curie and the Cornwall Air Ambulance so I will be putting up a new charity page very soon. 

As for the hobby, I have been (mildly) busy with painting and sorting out divers... Here's what has happened with the diver project:

First the sculpt:

Click the Pic!

Then the resin master casts:

Click the Pic!

Then a few more resin masters casts and a host of metal casts:

Click the Pic!

Then tabs were removed and and the polishing started. The one (on the left) is now a pendant being worn by the chap who commissioned it:

Click the Pic!

Another eight have also been de-tabbed and polished up, marking the official end to the commission.

In other news, I have been painting things...

First was an Infantry Squad for Blue Company:

Click the Pic!

Followed by an Engineseer:

Click the Pic!

With a Heavy Support Squad coming up next:

Click the Pic!

I have also base-coated the second Infantry Squad for Blue Company but before I could finish it, I became distracted by preparing the divers for delivery and the painting of one; just for the fun of it:

Click the Pic!

I thought a traditional look would suit it well but I have another one in the process of being prepared for a more up-to-date paint job.

With painting in mind, I have also continued to paint a Beer Seer and Wine Witch that I have converted. They will be finished soon and will have a specific leaning to their decoration.

Other plans include finishing a sculpt for a charity, completing the Infantry Squad and then starting the next platoon.

With marathon training on the horizon and plans for another range of miniatures, this year is shaping up to be quite busy!

See you from the finishing line!

Time is Marching on...

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

Time has been flying by and not very much has been happening so I have pretty much been ticking along, enjoying life and just getting on with things. OBVIOUSLY... there may have been a small amount of procrastination and for the last few weeks my sculpting muse has been on holiday but work has been great and I've been able to enjoy myself again.

The big question, I guess, is what I've been up to with my hobby...

First up, I have sent a batch of minis off to be cast by Macrocosm Miniatures. The miniatures sent were: The diver, the two advisors, the engineseer with his servo arm and Thor. They have all been cast in resin and will be sent to me soon... all that will be left to do is wait for the diver to be cast in metal.

While I've been waiting, I haven't been sculpting because I think I've just burnt out a bit and needed a break from it. As a result, I dug out my Dougram conversion and have been working on that. I have got much further with it and it's down to the filling and detailing stage now. I am having to pause with painting it until I get some liquid mask to mask off the window so I think my mojo has waned a bit, as a result. That has meant that I've been working on another Chimera proxy. This one has been converted from a Meng "World War Toons", King Tiger (with Porsche turret), much like most of my other tank conversions. I decided to make this one a bit more "Russian" looking and I think you'll see what I mean in the pix. Here's the conversion:

Click the Pic!

... and here's the conversion with it's first layer of paint (tying everything together):

Click the Pic!

While I'm at it, here's the Dougram mech conversion (Ironfoot):

Click the Pic!

I still need to get some plastic filler before work continues, just so that I can properly fill the seams and smooth it all out. I use Green Stuff a lot but it just doesn't work as well as Squadron green for filling plastic kits.

While work continues on those two projects, I am looking to get my sculpting hat on again and convert a Halfling/shields for Old School Miniatures, sculpt two tiny pairs of boxing gloves for a Frothers game at Salute and sort out the casts that I receive from Macrocosm Miniatures.. so I have plenty to be getting on with.

Outside of the hobby, I continue to work at the Cornwall Air Ambulance shop and am still enjoying it very much. I am also continuing with my charity Push-Up challenge, for the Alzheimer's Society and have now completed 123 days (2460 Push-Ups). I would have liked to have received a bit more support but I am very thankful to those who have donated. Here's the link:

Push-Up Challenge for the Alzheimer's Society

Only two more months and 1200 push-ups to go... then it's Flora Day and after that, the marathon training begins...

2023 has definitely been a massive improvement over the last couple of years (so far) and I hope it continues.

That's about it.

See you from the lobster shack!

Random is as random does.

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

The dust has settled and 2023 is ticking along in earnest. I caught "the lurgy" a few weeks ago and am shaking it off... but it meant a few weeks off work and not much getting about. It also meant that I could get some sculpting done but a lack of "peopling" was annoying. I'm back to working in the charity shop now so things have improved.

I have finished going to psychotherapy now. Last Tuesday was my last session after 38 months of visits. If I look back at how I felt at the beginning and how I feel now, the two are incomparable. I haven't felt this light for MANY years so it may have been a tough journey but it was very much necessary and worth it.

I am currently doing this "dry January" thing so I haven't been drinking this month... not that it's been an issue... especially with being poorly... so Wednesday, I'll be able to toast my birthday and finishing therapy... YAY!

I am still ticking along with my charity push-up challenge and am up to day 86... that's 1720 push-ups for the Alzheimer's Society... even though donations have been non-existent... I'm still plugging along. Hopefully someone will bite the bullet and start the donations rolling in... or not... at least I'm trying. Here's my donation page:

Push-up Challenge Page

In other news, as mentioned earlier, I have been getting some sculpting finished. First of all, I have finished sculpting a diver for a friend to wear as a pendent. It's been sent off for casting so I am waiting for copies to arrive for clean-up and giving to my friend:

Click the Pic!

I am hoping that the metal version will polish up nicely. When this was sent off for casting, I also sent Thor, the Engineseer and a pair of advisors so they should be turning up soon. The only miniature that hasn't been posted here is the last advisor... the Air Force advisor:

Click the Pic!

He's the only Dwarf I've sculpted that doesn't have a beard (apart from the Wine Witch... who happens to be a female). 

I have also been busy with other sculpting... a conversion of a Hasslefree Miniature into "Leeloo" for the Frothers table at Salute 2023 (to go with Cousin It and Paddington):

Click the Pic!

I have also been asked to sculpt a couple of pairs of hanging, boxing gloves (28mm sized) for tractor decoration so that will be worked on very shortly. 

Finally, I finished a long delayed sculpt for the Politicos range... a certain Labour Party Leader:

Click the Pic!

He's been sent off and they are happy with him and that means that I am too. 

I have obviously been sharing these images online, in other places and have, as a result, been asked to sculpt other commissions. It's nice to be appreciated but I don't like to get too many or it puts me off sculpting... that said... it's still nice to be appreciated.

What's on the corks now?

• Two laughing Buddhas
• A superhero caricature
• Two tiny pairs of boxing gloves
• Another politician caricature
• A Hobbit conversion
• Two shield conversions

I also have a chess set to paint, a large scale (about 12" tall) lady to sculpt and paint and a couple of 28mm Servitors to finish... not to mention my OWN projects (currently building a Mech for my Squat army) ... so I am pretty busy at the moment... with other commissions banging on the door... madness!

That's it for now. Once I get a bit more to share, I'll share it!

See you from the back of the god-damn lunch line!