Sunday again.

Seeing as it is Sunday and I haven't been putting any work into the hobby lately, I thought I'd dig out a few more bits and bobs for army pics.

First up... the enemy that lurks under the earth on the Tunnel Fighter's world:

Click the Pic!

The bugs are Tyranids (of course) but instead of being the GW idea of bugs, these are indigenous to the planet and occur as a result of bug-like breeding. I have deliberately not used any form of ranged weaponry to add to the 'naturally occurring' look of them. I deliberately chose a desert theme because they are on a desert planet and have naturally occurring camouflage. There are more of these in the 'to-do' pile but I doubt very much whether they will ever get done.

Next up; this next little army started out as a WH40K patrol force and expanded a little:

Click the Pic!

This little army was put together using an older Imperial Guard Codex where platoons could have partial squads in them. The army has a command HQ, a storm trooper squad, 2 special weapon squads, a heavy weapon squad, 2 platoons, a sentinel and an ogryn squad. One of the platoons has an extra five troops because I happened to have them sitting around. All it would take is the addition of some transport and it would make a good starter force.

This next little army was the one that started my Grymn obsession all those years ago:

Click the Pic!

The army has a few conversions (including the only female OGrymn alive - scratch sculpted apart from the hands and weapon), features the very first incarnation of Torge's Tigers and is still very close to my heart (even though I couldn't finish the army due to TOO MUCH BROWN).

Finally today, we have a selection of specialist troops:

Click the Pic!

At the front, we have an inquisitor with a small retinue. Behind him are a couple of small stormtrooper units. Behind them, a few Grymn Spartans and over to the right are some Judges with a bit of support in the form of a justice department riot control walker.

Well... in other news, I purchased a Revell starter kit (wiith paints, glue and brush) today... a 1/144 A-10 Warthog. I just felt like I needed something to take my mind off everything while I was alone in the house. It is tiny :).

Well, it will soon be Christmas so I hope you all have a great one. I also hope that Christmas, for you, is the way you would like it to be... and if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope that you have a great time during your religious celebration / holiday and spend it doing the things you want, with the people you love.

See you from the undergrowth!

Thursday for a change...

Before the post is started, I'd like to welcome Ray Hepburn to Inso's World. As is usual, I hope that you share comments and take away some inspiration from my blog.

So why update on a Thursday?

Why not?

So I was sat at the PC the other day and saw a kit that would finish my collection of Megaro Zamac kits. I got all excited and threw a bid on it at a value I would expect to win at. I smiled for a moment and then thought... "hang on a minute" before checking my cupboard. I looked inside to see the complete set... I had already bought the kit! So... almost £20.00 later, this arrived:

Click the Pic!

As it happens, it is in better nick than the one I already had so it isn't all bad... not to mention that I like the kit... so hey... maybe I'll build it rather than save it for my retirement. 

Does anyone like Halo? I've got one of these:

Click the Pic!

It was a random purchase and now that I have it... I don't really want it so it will no doubt get offered up on the forums somewhere.

On an actual hobby related topic, I have base coated and washed my Tunnel Fighter ambulance:

Click the Pic!

It still needs highlighting and detailing but it is getting there now. On a side note, I won't be putting on the number plate digits/letters because I have got some decals that I will be using to replace all of the badly hand-painted ones I have done on the rest of the vehicles... so when I get them all together to sort the mess out, this vehicle will get number plates as well.

This week, I have been doing a 'manual handling - train the trainer' course and I have to complete a presentation for tomorrow... so I have some homework to do tonight... nice. As a result, I have been running around the house pretending to be a Velociraptor, which my daughter found hysterically funny. Charmmy, however, was less impressed:

Click the Pic!

Well, that is about that.

See you from the study room!

Lazy Sunday...

Hello and welcome to Inso's World. It has been a bit of a slow week/weekend and I haven't got as much finished (or even started) as I would have liked mostly due to it being quite humid and my heart really isn't in it today. Instead of being hunched over my painting table, listening to the endless drone of the motor-racing commentary, I decided to go into town with my son and get an ice-cream instead...

...So the Scope-Dog is no further on that it was and there are no new little projects on my table to be ticking along with.

On the other hand, I did manage to finish off the artillery piece for the HALO Grymn and here is is with all of the other squad members:

Click the Pic!

Here is a round the world pic of the little diorama too:

Click the Pic!

One thing you can't see in the pictures is that the gunner is not positioned quite right so he isn't actually holding the handles of the artillery piece...but I am happy with the piece, none the less.

I lied a bit earlier...I have actually got a little further with the Scope-Dog...I have washed it in Devlan Mud and have started the highlighting process but at the moment there is nothing worth showing off.

If you aren't aware, I have posted a couple of updates over at my Grymn Blog which touch on the subject of walkers and characters in a Grymn army. There will be more updates and a few ideas as to how to add a bit of character to your Grymn forces...so it is worth a look every now and then. I know I don't update it as much as this blog but what I put on the Grymn Blog is fairly narrowly focussed so needs to get a little more thought and planning.

I have another week off. I have a lot of general stuff to achieve (assessments, packing, tidying etc...) so I am going to be very busy. I can't promise any hobby stuff but we'll see. I'm sure that, if nothing else, the Grymn Blog may get a few updates but they will likely be text and rules ideas.

Well...that's all I have for tonight.

See you through the paisley-patterned drapes!

Sunday...a lot of a distraction...

Before I start today's ramblings, I would like to welcome Bagpuss to my humble blog. I have been watching his work over at the ammo-bunker forums, building up a Kryomek force and it is worth a really good look at (click the link):

Kryomek Thread

Welcome to my blog Bagpuss, I hope you find something to keep you interested here.

So...I have been busy not really achieving much. I am sort of in limbo at the moment...I know I have a lot of work to prepare for my jolly adventure to Africa...but I am a fan of normality so making the switch is difficult for me...

...as a result, I haven't bothered packing, sorting or preparing. Instead I decided to carry on regardless and start building the next big thing...another HALO miniature. In this case, I haven't got too far so I have a WIP pic to show off. I plan on having a small diorama on a 50mm base. It will consist of an artillery piece, someone firing the thing and someone using the shield for cover while he has a blat too. This is what I have so far:

Click the Pic!

I was going to have the crewmen the same colour but I have decided that the gunner will be the same colour as the artillery piece but the other one will be different.

So the big question is 'why haven't I got this finished?'

Well, the reason is, I have been distracted by the fact that I should be preparing for Africa...and also, I've been distracted by something that I remembered from the past. A couple of weeks ago, I sold some vehicles off to a couple of people on line. Whilst on my travels, I found a pair of these in the box I was looking through:

Click the Pic!

It is a 1/60th scale Scopedog toy from the Armoured Trooper Votoms series. It is part plastic and part die-cast metal. I really like the series and ideally wanted to get a plastic kit but unfortunately, I missed the boat so I have had to make the best of what I could get...namely two of the toys. The trouble is that the toy just seemed too tall and gangly...it needed bringing down a peg or two...so after a lot of cursing and almost as much cutting, gluing and shaping, I ended up with this:

Click the Pic!

The above pic shows my version on the left with an 'out of the box' one on the right. The Grymn in the middle is purely for scale purposes. Below is a round the world shot of the little beast:

Click the Pic!

I think it looks much better and more in proportion now. The driver sits in the torso and drives the walker. I have another one of these to convert but I think I will do something a bit more with it...maybe go for a Brutish-Dog instead of a Scope-Dog? I would show you a pic...but that's what a search engine is for ;).

So...not much sleep...major headache...lack of enthusiasm for change...lack of will to leave my home and family for a few months AGAIN...Uniform inspection on Tuesday...

Life is a challenge sometimes.

But the Japanese have a system where they look at things in a different way. They don't look at a problem like it is a bad thing. Any failings are viewed as an opportunity. Problems and challenges are viewed as an opportunity to find ways to overcome them...sometimes, it is good to have these problems thrust at us because sometimes it is hard to choose to face up to problems...I have no choice so I'll deal with it and be a better person for it (in the end)...They are pretty switched on, the Japanese.

I have no idea when the next update will be...I am just so fickle!

see you through the ozone layer!

Oh dear...

I just can't seem to shake off this Grymn Halo stuff. As much as I don't want another project, it always happens...I get an idea, then it just keeps going and going. Well, Purple has just joined the party:

Click the Pic!

...and again, here's an all round view of our newest recruit:

Click the Pic!

Purple doesn't have the drastic contrast that the others do but I was determined not to paint her pink so I am happy that she is just a little more dull than her brothers in arms.

Where next?...I'll tell you. I have a piece of field artillery that is a one off and would look pretty good as part of the unit. I am mounting the thing on a 50mm base and will be having a pair of troops on there to operate it. It is going to be a bit difficult to get everything sorted on the base but I'm sure I will work things out. The gun itself is a resin piece so I am having to be careful not to break it. It is a really mean piece of kit though :).

At this moment in time I have been awake since yesterday morning at 10AM. I am getting to the 36 hour point and things are staring to get a bit wavy...it's a bit like being drunk without the nauseating feeling...so it's quite entertaining.

Well, that's about it. I have a lot to do this weekend so I am not anticipating a huge update on Sunday...but, like I say really often, you never can tell!

See you through parted fingers!

They call me mellow yellow...

...although Yellow may not be that mellow:

Click the Pic!

Here's a round the world pic:

Click the Pic!

So, I've got the HALO bug and it seems that I can't shake it off. I have another one on the go (a female one) and have started to build a drop-ship to carry them about in. I think I'll also end up making an off road vehicle to go with them...but I guess I have to take one step at a time.

Time is ticking on and I'll be away for a while very soon...

I'll be packing things up over the next week or so...so the updates will be getting few and far between.

Just stick with it and there will be a host of further updates once I get back.

See you through the tall grass.

A Monday morning update?

I'm on night-shift tonight...so why on earth am I up at this time of the morning? Well, my baby girl has just turned 13 and I wanted to be around when she opened her birthday presents...13...13!!! GOOD GOD where has the time gone!??

Well, seeing as I'm here I'd like to welcome the latest follower to Inso's World; digitarii. Welcome! I hope you enjoy your travels through my world of...stuff!

What else? Well I worked feverishly on Blue yesterday but didn't get it based in time to get photographs taken last night...so I've got them for you this morning instead. Here is Blue with his friends Red and Green:

Click the Pic!

...and here's the all-round view:

Click the Pic!

For the more observant amongst you, you will have noticed that the WIP picture of this one didn't have the channel around the helmet filled in with Green Stuff...this one (like the others) has had the channel filled in.

Have a nice day!

See you through the reed-beds!

Sunday's update and...where there was one...

...now there are two...

Click the Pic!

Here is an all round view of my first HALO Grymn:

Click the Pic!

On to an all round view of the second one:

Click the Pic!

This picture has been taken, to show where the additional bits of armour are placed. This one was a little more tricky to build because I ended up having to sculpt fingers on to the stock hand:

Click the Pic!

I don't see myself making many more of these because they seem to be super-soldiers so you don't need many of them...that said...I have been known to change my mind sometimes...

So...where do the HALO Grymn fit in to the big scheme of things? Well, I thought they would be a nice addition to my Grymn urban army. I think the urban army is the one that is most representative of the ground forces in the video game so that makes them perfect for the HALO Grymn to join.

Speaking of the Grymn urban army, I have been thinking about how to paint the ground forces so that they aren't covered in little squares. With that in mind, I have come up with a couple of similar schemes; with one being slightly darker than the other. Have a look at this pic:

Click the pic!

If you are feeling VERY helpful, please leave a comment to say which one you like the best... either the light armour on the left of the screen or the dark armour on the right. At the moment, I am erring on the dark armour side but I am open to suggestions...please leave a comment to help me decide.

If you don't want to leave a comment that's fine but could you please vote in the poll over on the right hand side...I'd really appreciate the input :).

What else has been going on in Inso's World? Well, I guess I buckled. I wasn't going to just yet...but I ended up ordering six A10 tank-buster (Warthogs) from an on-line model shop. They have since arrived and they are very cool. They have a LOT of additional missiles/rockets/bombs and are perfect for my idea to convert them to Grymn ground-attack aircraft. I have gone for 1/144 scale for the kits because I wanted to keep them small...they won't, however, end up looking too much like an A10...I have bigger plans for them :).

I have been busy wheeling and dealing and have sold a few bits and bobs from my unpainted collection. That means that my Pay-pal account is starting to collect funds for buying more Grymn for the tunnel-fighter army. I have decided to make my collection fund itself...how long that will last, I can't say...but it is a nice thought.

On a final note...the weather is absolutely stunning today. I am off to the supermarket very shortly and I can imagine that the day will follow on with the F1 Grand Prix and football on the television...ah the joys of a sport-mad family...that means I won't get disturbed while I am painting!

See you through the purple patch!

...and to his surprise...

The commander saw a very tiny streak of fire, high in the atmosphere. As he watched the streak of fire got larger and larger as it grew into a fireball and got closer to the citadel where the group of leaders mulled over the fate of their people.

With an ear-shattering sonic boom, the fireball struck the ground outside; showering the earth with debris over a diameter of a hundred metres or more. when the dust settled, all that could be seen was a bright, glowing orb about the size of a standard passenger car. With a deafening blast, the orb shattered outward, cutting through the assembled masses like a knife through butter...

...all that was left was a lone figure, poised and ready to exact terrible vengeance on the opposing forces...

Stay tuned for more on Sunday.

See you through the wasteland!

Tuesday Musings...Halo Warthog Review.

After his spur-of-the-moment spending at the weekend, Inso has opened up one of the Warthog collectible miniatures from McFarlane models. Being a tinkerer, he has put together a few pix to show it off with a few miniatures for scale purposes. You'll need to click on the pix to read the script on some of them but here are the pix.

First a basic pic with some miniatures for scale and a shot of the base:


Next a selection of scale pix:


This pic shows the multi positional ball and socket joint that allows you to pose the Warthog in all sorts of positions (although, with no driver it does seem a bit odd):


Finally a pic showing the Warthog taken to pieces:

As I have already mentioned, you'll need to click the pix to see some of the text.

Here are a few words from Inso:

From a conversion perspective, the model is really easy to dismantle and is not glued at all. The whole thing is held together with 8 little screws and when stripped down it is easy to re-assemble.

The fact that the cockpit is removable means that fitting drivers (of your own choice) and painting them will be very easy and also painting the underside of the screen supports will be easier too.

The whole thing is made of a hard styrene plastic except for the ammo feed and the aerial (which are made of a bendy rubber) so if you choose to glue it you shouldn't have any trouble.

The wheels rotate and so does the gun platform. The gun is fixed so it doesn't elevate at all.

The base ball joint just pops in and out of the base of the Warthog with no fuss at all.

For £3-99 it is a great buy and has a wealth of flexibility for converting to a number of different types (think of all of the types of the Humvee and you'll know what I mean). I have seen these fitted with Cadian drivers (Cadians are Imperial Guard, made by Games Workshop) and I will probably end up putting a few of my Rogue Troopers in as drivers (using plastic Catachan Imperial Guard...also from Games Workshop).

I'd really recommend these Warthogs (if you can find them out there).

Well, that's it from Inso tonight so I'll catch you later!

Father's Day in the UK.

Today is Father's Day in the United Kingdom and Inso has been out and about in Belfast and the surrounding area instead of his usual Sunday antics.

Being Father's Day, he got a couple of hand made cards from his children (he won't let them buy him a present because he likes their cards better) and then decided that a nice cup of Starbucks coffee was on the cards so off they all went to Belfast.

Whilst on the subject of Starbucks, have you ever tried the Granola bars that they sell? Well, Inso loves them and always buys one when he visits. The down side to that is that it costs him extra because he can't just buy a cake for himself; he has to do the honours for the whole family!

On his travels today, he has bought three CDs: The Mission (Tower of Strength) and Bob Dylan (the Times They are a Changin' and Freewheelin'). He also bought a few more interesting goodies:

Click the Pic!

...it is the soft-back graphic novel of the Watchmen and a pair of Halo Warthogs by McFarlane collectibles.

The Warthogs may become part of his Rogue Trooper force but he just bought them because they looked cool and once he had them he could decide what to do with them at his leisure.

On his return from shopping it was re-cycling time up at the club so he is now sitting picking splinters of glass out of his hands! Still...it could be worse...he could have to go and call the bingo again tonight...oh wait...he IS going to call the bingo tonight! Isn't he lucky?!

So, what is on the hobby cards for Inso this week? Well, on the painting table are the warrior and pilot for the star ship crew, four Grymn assault troops and a Grizzly battle-suit (from Star ship Troopers). Whether or not anything happens to them, I daren't say because he has a habit of changing directions quicker than a shoal of sardines!

Catch you later!