A Momentous Week.

Hello and welcome to Inso's World again. A lot has been going on this week so I shall take a deep breath and plough in.

Nearly 20 years ago, my son was born. This week, he has left home and joined the Royal Air Force. Ever since he was old enough to have a mind of his own, he has wanted to join up and now he's done it. It was a bit of a wrench to say goodbye, when I dropped him off at his training unit but it was also a very proud moment for me. It takes a certain kind of person to join up and take on the responsibilities that go along with military service and to think that my son has taken the big step makes me very proud.

I wish him the best of luck in his future career and am really looking forward to going to his pass-out parade (even if it means that I have to polish and press my No 1 uniform).

As you can imagine, it has been a very strange week of trying to get my head around the situation and sort out the wake of everything left behind... but I have sort of landed and have managed a tiny amount of hobby stuff.

So... I have managed a small amount of sculpting on the command squad but nothing much to show off. The same can be said for the second Primaris psyker (Beastman Jedi)... again, not enough to show off. I have also gone and done this:

Click the Pic!

I could be cruel and say "can you guess what I'm planning" but I'm not going to...

... a while back, someone suggested that I should have some veteran Tyranid hunters in my Squat army and it has been playing on my mind ever since. First I needed to decide what I wanted to create and the first thought was this:

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For those of you who don't recognise him, he is a recruiting sergeant in the film Starship Troopers. He is also missing his arm and both of his legs because he was in the mobile infantry; fighting the bugs. This really struck a chord with me as any survivors of a Tyranid invasion would likely be in the same boat... so, here's the back-story:

When the Tyranid invasion hit the Squat homeworlds, the war raged. Towards the end of the massacre, the Kings of the strongholds made the decision to launch escape ships with all of the wounded, some technicians, medical staff, children and women on board... as well as scientists and practical people; in order to start again elsewhere. As the ships disappeared into the vastness of space, the shockwave created by their dying world washed over them as a grim reminder of what the Tyranids had done... but they were saved and needed to get to safety.

Sadly, the huge amount of wounded quickly became a problem too great for the crew on board to deal with and they needed to urgently seek help. Many of the wounded had suffered multiple amputations and severe burns and needed urgent treatment or they would succumb to their horrendous injuries. Fortunately, the ship entered Mechanics space and was hailed by the princeps from the planet below. Quickly, the enormity of the situation was realised and bargains were struck between the Squats and the Mechanicus... engineering knowledge in exchange for the 'repair' of the injured.

When the Squat ships landed, the Mechanicus servitors swarmed aboard them, quickly removing all of the injured Squats and taking them to the infirmaries. The creators of the Skitarii were hugely involved in the repair of these Squats and without stopping removed both legs from each of them, closely followed by any injured limbs. These were replaced with mechanicus prosthetic limbs. Where burns were found, the flesh was removed and replaced with vat grown flesh. Dead eyes and ears were replaced with cybernetic implants. Struggling organs were repaired or replaced. It was only be sheer luck that one of the Squat medics saw what had happened with the leg amputations and was able to prevent the poor injured having the full Skitarii treatment (brains augmented with data-collectors, eyelids removed etc...).

When the wounded left the infirmaries, they were changed in body and spirit. Their chests were now encased in a special carapace that was linked to the power pack that enabled the various cybernetic components to operate. They all had robotic legs and some had robotic arms. Some also had robotic facial implants, eyes and ears and some were so badly disfigured that they now wore a mask of metal.

These Squats had been altered in spirit too. Who knew what suffering they had gone through during the repair process... but one thing was certain; their hatred for the Tyranid race was all consuming and they would be at the forefront of any fighting if there were Tyranids involved.

So... there you have it; Veteran Tyranid Hunters.

The only issue I have now is deciding how I am going to slot them into the army. There are four options:

1. Skitarii Rangers.
2. Astra Militarum veterans with carapace armour.
3. Militarum Tempestus troopers/platoon.
4. Space Marine Scouts.

To be honest, I am tempted to go for Skitarii Rangers because of the bonuses that are provided for the bionic bodies but scouts would work to explain the extra buffs due to the mechanical components. However, I am interested to hear any thoughts you people may have.

In other news, I have been lucky again and have managed to get hold of another 1/60 scale VOTOMs mech; the Snapping Turtle:

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All I need now is a basic Scope Dog with parachute pack and a Diving Beetle (both in 1/60 scale) and I will be happy.

Well... that is it for today.

See you from beside the sign that reads 'Per Ardua Ad Astra'!

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:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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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!

A time of reflection...

It is Sunday again. The nights are drawing in, the air is starting to acquire a chill feel and the impetus for life slows down as the Winter months loom ever nearer.

All around, the trees are starting to shed their leaves and the cobwebs become more visible as the branches are laid bare by the encroaching time of death and re-birth.

The Hedgehogs are all around us, in the quiet hours; rooting through the leaves and stocking up on tasty slugs so they have enough fat for the coming hibernation. The birds are filling their bellies with autumn berries and there is the beginning of the end for this season's growth...this season's life.

It is a time for reflection and a time for a bit of a sort out. The mind wanders to all those things that have been put off for too long...those little jobs that nag and bite at your conscience...the ones that you should have done a long time ago but got sidetracked and never got around to doing.

For me, the last few weeks have been torturous to say the least. I have had no enthusiasm for the hobby but have managed to keep ticking along with all those mundane little jobs that I have put off for so long. I have been so tired that I have been unable to achieve ANYTHING with my sculpting tools...apart from filling gaps in a plastic base or two...which has been very frustrating as the jobs on that front are mounting up. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel and, as my previous posts this week have shown, I have been catching up on basing and varnishing and painting the odd thing that didn't need too much detailing. My Tyranids are now finished and awaiting varnish but there was one member of the group that had been missing from their numbers...until now. This is the Carnifex. Before anyone says 'he is detailed and needed a steady hand' I would like to say that the smallest brush I used on this one was a size-1...in fact...it was the only brush I used:

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He is painted the same as the rest and will be acting as the boss until the queen turns up...but that will be in the future when I can start sculpting again.

I am not looking forward to varnishing all of the Tyranids but until I do, I have no space in my cupboard for anything else...so I guess, the sooner I do it, the better.

As a result of varnishing my Urban Grymn and getting a new case from Kaiser Rushforth, I have re-packed my Temperate camouflaged Grymn into a shiny new case and have left room in the old one for the Tyranids...once I have varnished them. Also, the new case is so perfect that I will be getting a few more to cater for my various armies...then I can get rid of the GW cases that I own and that have been 'chopped' a bit...everything will be tidy :).

With a view to having a bit more cash for cases, I have been selling a few bits from the cupboards...all unpainted stuff that I collected and never got around to assembling. That means I'll have more money for cases and more space in the cupboards for storing the stuff I want.

...Yes...Autumn is a time for reflection, change and the passing of an era...but from all change comes new ideas, new ways of thinking and new ways of doing things. In order to build the latest temple/building/bridge, the old one has to be destroyed or flattened...to build upon an old structure means that the new one will only be as strong as the weakest part...and that is likely to be the old, crumbling, out-moded components that should have been washed away.

So...

The Carnifex is no longer on the table :).

See you through the falling leaves.

Consolidation...

Another week has flown by and it is time for a Sunday update again. I would love to say that I have started another project or sculpted something new...but this week has been a bit of a consolidation week. For starters, I have been systematically varnishing this lot and they are now varnished, ready to go into storage:

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They are my Urban Grymn...a platoon of jump-pack assault troops. Once I had varnished them, I moved onto the next little job that has been sat in my cupboard for ages...my desert Tyranids. These needed basing and that is what I did:

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The Warriors (big ones) and Gaunts (medium sized ones) just needed the bases painting but the Rippers (smallest ones) needed to have their bases made from scratch.

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As you can see in the pic above, each of the Ripper bases has three Rippers on it. If you look at the pic on the far right above, you will see a Ripper lying on it's side; showing off the little magnet that holds it onto it's base. Each of the bases have magnets in them and each ripper has one on it's bottom; that means that they are removable so that each time the base receives a wound, one can be removed to represent it...it also means that I can make another batch of single bases if I need to change them onto individual bases for some reason.

Next up is a selection of Gaunts. These are Termagants with Genestealer claws:

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The next two pics show the Hormagaunts:

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Once these are varnished, the only troops on my painting shelf will be my Tunnel Fighters.

You may ask why I have been plodding along with this stuff. Well, I have had a torrid time with sleep and after I attempted to do a spot of sculpting, I not only dropped the mini a dozen times but also managed to stick the sculpting tool into my finger...so I thought I needed to work on something simple. That has led to me sorting out my cupboard and finishing off all of my basing/varnishing. I have also packed away my Temperate Grymn army into my new miniatures case from Kaiser Rushforth...which leaves space in it's previous case for the Nids to go into :).

It is all terribly logical when you look at it.

...so...Drop-ship...Lion Marines...Tunnel Fighters...varnishing...

...Mmmmmm...Drop-ship...

See you over the pulpit!

Sunday update.

Another Sunday...another update and to start off I've finished the last six of the Grymn Tunnel Fighters so I now have a grand total of ten:

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I have ordered a few more heads from Pig Iron Productions and will be pausing on the Tunnel Fighter project until they arrive. That doesn't mean I haven't got lots of ideas:

1. Robots with shields on both arms to walk in front of the Grymn, soaking up incoming fire and shielding the Grymn from harm.
2. Robots with heavy weapons to support the advance into tunnels.
3. Low height robots for general duties...maybe even IED clearance.
4. Native creatures to act as 'sniffer dogs' to hunt out the enemy (this one could be VERY interesting!).
5. Bikes for scouting ahead (recumbent style, low slung with lots of lights!).
6. Some sort of transport...I haven't decided what yet...
7. Characters (both Grymn and robots).

Lots to get the brain ticking over!

On to the Tyranid threat now and I have finished the first layer of highlights on the Carnifex's plates:

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I had to do a bit of research to decide whether the chimneys on the back were body or plates...but I got there in the end. I am now confident that I can continue painting the next layer without worrying that I've missed anywhere!

Still on the Tyranid theme (but with no pix yet), I have started work on the second Carnifex. I will be bulking it out considerably and turning it into my Hive Queen (which will be a Tervigon for rules purposes). At the moment I have started bulking out the abdomen with Milliput ready to start on the Green Stuff work later on. The beast will be very similar to the Carnifex (it will have two legs and four claws) but will have an orifice for dropping out lots of beasties...oo-err!

That is about it for now!

See you through the mist!

Sunday...a day of much hobby action...

I have had quite a busy hobby weekend and have managed to get on with quite a lot of one thing and another. First of all, I have managed to wash and start the plates on my Carnifex:

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The Carnifex will need a little bit of extra work because the wash pooled in so many areas that I need to cover things up a bit. As a result, I am using some Tau Sept Ochre to base paint all of the plates instead of just going straight for the Bubonic Brown. I can't see it making too much difference in the overall scheme of things but it will end up looking tidier than if I didn't add the extra paint layer.

On a further Tyranid note, I have been busy removing Rippers from bases and cleaning them up. The Rippers in question were from E-bay and I now have another 31 plastic and 5 metal ones to fill another 10 bases. I still have 15 more to clean but I have really made a dent in them. I've also started the base preparation for the ones I have already painted. I have the magnets and the bases 'hole punched' I just need to get some Araldite to glue things together then I will be set.

On a completely different note, I was in 'Allworths' (it is where Woolworths used to be) and saw some very cheap 'Connect 4' games. I bought four and will be going back for another four at a later date...why? Because the counters will make excellent tank wheels for my APCs (I just can't bear to cut up bits of dowel for so many wheels) and the game boards will make excellent chassis components for...something else...

Keeping on the 'completely different note' theme, I recently received a parcel from Pig Iron Productions that contained a bumper pack of head sprues. I wasn't planning on doing anything with them just yet...but one thing led to another AND:

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These are Grymn (from Hasslefree Miniatures) with the inner guard heads from the sprues. The pic shows 5 that are currently waiting for conversion to be finished and 4 that are already finished. All I have done for the conversions is to chop off heads from the grymn, chop off heads from the sprues, pin one to another and then build up a 'hump' on the backs to bulk the Grymn up a bit.

I am thinking that these look like tunnel fighters so I put little lights on the side of their helmets. It is good to be back in the Grymn thing again.

Well, that's it for now! Enjoy the rest of the day.

See you through the nostalgia!

A brief intake of breath.

I have started to paint the finished Carnifex. I have so far undercoated and base painted the whole thing Bubonic Brown, ready for applying the washes and it has taken AGES!!! I really wish I had an airbrush...ho-hum...something that I will eventually get.

I have also had a little success on E-bay and have won a couple of lots of Rippers...I have 16 so far and another 25 on the way so that makes another 10 bases worth. Once I have them all together, I'll put them on their cardboard painting strips and off I'll go...again.

Unfortunately, I haven't been so lucky with a cheap Carfnifex...so I'll have to be patient if I am ever to start building my Hive Queen / Tervigon...I have plenty to be getting on with while I wait.

Anyone going to Salute this year? If you do, it looks like I may be hanging around the Hasslefree Miniatures stand...AND I was invited too! Maybe I'll see you there.

See you through the throng!

Little and ...rarely...

Well, it is Sunday and that means it is update day.

What have I got for you today? Just a couple of things...

First up, do you remember that I ordered a turreted APC from Fenris Games? Do you also remember me saying that I was unlikely to use the turret? Well, I decided that the turret made a great little scout vehicle for 28mm Grymn or a main tank for 15mm...here's my Grymn adaptation (Grymn only shown for scale):

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All I have done is add a skirt using Milliput (leaving lots of fingerprints to make it look like cloth), some bags and a door. I also replaced the main gun with a small HMG from the Grymn range of accessories from Hasslefree Miniatures. The tarnished effect on the paint came as a result of laziness. Befor I started working on the turret, I forgot to wash the resin. I realised that there was relaese agent all over it when I had finished the converting and also that I couldn't wash it because of all the Green Stuff...I may have washed it off. I decided to use a spirit based varnish to coat the vehicle and this would effectively de-grease it. It was taking a while to dry so I painted on to the tacky varnish...hence, dodgy paint-job. I know it could use a few markings but I did the thing as a 'see what you can do' sort of thing rather than anything specific...so it may or may not get markings.

To Keep the Tyranid theme going, I have assembled the rest of the box of Gargoyles to the same standard. I currently have ten Gargoyles with no weapon arms fitted. I need to make twenty talons for the arms and to be honest, I haven't had the enthusiasm for it...so I did a little more work on the Carnifex and left the Gargoyles to it:

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The Carnifex now has a scythed tail and both pairs of arms finished. I still need to do a bit of filling on his carapace but he is nearly there.

On to other things...my hobby at the moment.

As a result of the change of job, odd shift patterns, extended working periods and general 'LIFE GETTING IN THE WAY', my hobby has taken a lot of a back seat recently. This is likely to continue for a good month or so while I come to terms with all of the new demands that have been placed on me. As a result, updates will be sparse and they may also be quite random in subject. The reason for this is that I need to keep things interesting or I quickly lose interest because I am so fatigued at the moment.

At the moment it is pointless asking whether 'this project' or 'that project' is getting worked on or nearer to completion because what I post will be all I am doing. Things I am hoping to finish (in no particular order) are:

1. Desert Tyranids.
2. Urban Grymn.
3. Desert Veteran Grymn (including Cavalry).
4. 15mm Space Dwarfs.
5. Vulkan Battlesuit platoon (part of the Urban Grymn army).

These are my PRIMARY completion targets (I have so much other stuff that it defies description!) and if I get bored with one, I will work on another...unless I get the muse to try something in between.

Please don't ask how I am getting on with stuff as it just puts me off and I end up working on something different. It isn't me being awkward or anything, it is just the muse being cruel...she is, after all, a very cruel mistress!

So...there it is. I am working hard, enjoying the challenge and trying to squeeze the hobby in where I can.

See you through the gas curtains...the air is yellow and smells of almonds...

Whew! What a week!

It has been a hectic week and next week looks to be more of the same. I am really enjoying work at the moment and the shifts are flying by. I am running a shift so I am kept busy all the time and this coming week will be a day shift...so lots and lots of flying and lots of things to fix!

Excellent!

Sooo...what have I been doing with myself? Well I went to a Games Workshop yesterday and spent my Christmas vouchers. Like I have already said, I don't plan on spending cash with GW but I can't really do much else with vouchers, can I? I'm not throwing them away (especially as they were Christmas gifts).

With my current Tyranid frenzy in full flow, I decided to buy the new Codex (for reading material) and a box of the new plastic Gargoyles. I will need to change the fleshborers for claws but apart from that, they are very nice little minis.

Whilst reading the Codex, I found an interesting beast that would fit in with my Hive Queen idea; the Tervigon. It is a Carnifex with a brood chamber that spits out Termagants during a game...perfect :).

I have managed to pull my socks up and finish off my little Rippers:

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As with all of my Tyranids, they still need bases but they are done apart from that.

Speaking of bases, I have just ordered a bunch of magnets from Hasslefree Miniatures and when they arrive, I will be basing up all of the Rippers...so until then I guess I'll be working on my Carnifex and Gargoyles.

I think that is about it for now...

See you through the green.

Another one bites the dust!

Another quick update...the Warriors are finished except for the bases:

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...and my Fenris APC turned up today as well but I'll worry that one tomorrow as I am due to go to work again soon...

...shift work is a strange beast.

See you through the murky conditions!

What?...Again?...

I just have a small update this time and it is a demonstration of be not being in the right frame of mind for painting today. Here is a WIP pic of my Carnifex:

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I have been shortening the claws, bulking up the arms, filling gaps and trying to sort out the carapace. I had to rip the arms off so I am also having to re-build the shoulders. The front claws (the ones not fitted) are supposed to be a bit like a Mantis; they are 'flicky'. I shortened the claws to make them a bit less awkward looking for a crouched forward beastie like this one.

Still lots to do but it is my excuse for not painting again :).

See you through the thawing snow!

They're everywhere!

Gaunts painted (except for the bases):

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Warriors almost finished (last highlight required...and bases) and Rippers VERY WIP:

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See you through the flurry of scything claws!

Wednesday.

I wasn't going to post today but seeing as I have got two new followers, I thought I'd change my mind.

Welcome to The Bearded Snot and ARTE EM PAPEL RECICLIADO CARLOS! They are both well met and are both from Europe...so I can say I now have international connections! I know the Bearded Snot from some on-line trading (tanks for Kroot) and have also visited ARTE EM's site, which has some interesting and artistic ways to recycle paper.

SNOW!

There is about 6 inches of snow outside and I am off to work in about 20 minutes time. Fortunately, it is a reasonably short walk as not a lot of the roads are clear. I am on night shifts at the moment and am enjoying playing with the helicopters again! Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of flying going on at the moment so all the work we are doing is just to keep them READY to fly...

Onto other things, my Tyranids are ticking along nicely. I now have all 20 Gaunts painted (only the bases to go...I will paint all of the bases at the same time so they all look the same) and have got on to the highlighting stage of the Warriors. So far, the Warriors are base-coated, washed and have had the first layer of highlights on the plates. They also have had their mouths all painted up...so one more highlight on the 3 of them and they will be done (except for the bases).

I have been quite lucky too. I had 29 Rippers and needed one more (I plan to put 3 on each base)...after a bit of a root through my bits box, I found one extra so I am ready to make ten bases worth! I have gone for 3 each base due to the Codex stating that the little swarms have 3 wounds...so I will be magnetising the Rippers to remove them when they take wounds (effectively, they become their own wound markers). Currently, the Rippers are all basecoated and washed ready for the next stage.

The Carnifex is a big beast and has been assembled for ages. That has caused me concern as I may be taking it to bits to change the arm positions a bit...that could be interesting!

I have to go to work so I'll say farewell for now.

There should be pix of the finished Gaunts and Warriors very soon!

See you through the misty breath of a cold, cold evening!

The first Sunday of 2010.

I guess it is Sunday again but alas I have failed to get anything done AGAIN!

All I have managed to do is badly paint the eyes on the 20 Gaunts and the tongues on the ones that have them stuck out a bit.

...but enough of my horrendous failings (I had so many plans for the Christmas holidays that I'm not surprised I didn't actually achieve any of them)...I did manage to do other stuff.

Today, after going food shopping, me and my lad went for a nice little jog around where we live. I don't think he did too bad seeing as it was about 4 miles...we didn't stop or walk at all...so I was quite impressed.

I have finally gone wireless...I was putting it off because I thought it would be a lot of hassle to sort out my BT Home Hub...but 20 minutes later and we were all getting broadband on all of our laptops...which impressed the children no-end.

I also managed to watch a DVD the other evening (I already mentioned it as I watched it on New Years Eve) that I was wanting to see for a long time...District 9.

So...District 9...How was it?

Well it was completely different to what I was expecting. It is basically a film about a bunch of aliens that turn up on Earth, they are undernourished and as a 'humanitarian' project, they are put into an area to live on Earth. The trouble is that they keep reproducing, crime increases and the local human population are up in arms...so a government agency is sent in to move them to a new area...cue all sorts of excitement.

What got me was the similarities to the way the Nazis dealt with the Jews during WWII. They first moved them into the ghettos and then moved them on to concentration camps...

I also realised that there wasn't a decent human in the film...even the 'star' just carried out his duties like he was sweeping the drive...there was a point where he was unplugging the food supplies to 'baby' aliens in pods whilst saying "it's easy to abort them...just unplug this tube and they go to sleep..." Completely awful due to it being so matter of fact.

That said, I found the film compelling to watch. The back story was enthralling, the special effects were great (and just the right amount) and some of the 'sci-fi' bits were very well designed...especially the robot-suit. Be warned though, there were quite a lot of people being burst apart by the alien weapons...so if a bit of gore isn't your thing then this film won't be.

I personally thought the film was well worth watching and I would recommend it to anyone (as long as they were above the age of the 15 rating).

Tomorrow, I start my first night shift at work so I have the day to prepare and maybe tidy up the mess I made of all those Gaunt eyes. I have to go to town to get my lad's hair cut ready for school but apart from that I will be building up for work...which is nice! I know what I'll get when I turn up..."where the hell were you over Christmas...you said you'd visit"...Ahhhh the best laid plans...

See you on the flip side!

Shhh...can you hear it?

It's Christmas Eve and it is time for me to wish all of Inso's World's visitors and followers a very Merry Christmas.

I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow so I won't be posting anything on here. Just to keep everyone happy in the meantime, I thought I'd post a bit of progress on my batch of Tyranids:

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They are all painted to the same standard; all they need is the eyes, mouth and bases painting and they will be finished. I still have three warriors and a carnifex to go after these but things are plodding along nicely.

Well, that's me. Have a great day tomorrow!

See you through the snow!

Wheeeww!

That is IT!

It's all finished!

I don't have to go shopping again for a good few days!

We have a nice Goose for Christmas dinner, we have all the trimmings ready to be prepared, we have all sorts of boozy treats and we have plenty of food in the cupboards to last us a good week (including venison, partridges, pheasants and all manner of less gamey stuff).

That means...I have time at home to chill out (until tomorrow because I will be prepping veg for Christmas day...I cook at Christmas, it is our own little tradition).

Now onto something more akin to what you would expect to see here (although...I wouldn't necessarily say that anything was particularly predictable in Inso's World!).

In a bid to prepare for Christmas, my painting area has been dramatically reduced due it being part of the dinner table...so all that is on it is a bunch of plastic, two Grymn cavalry and my sculpting tools...not to mention two pots of paint and my painting tools.

...A bunch of plastic?

...What bunch of plastic?

...Weeellll...I'm sorry to say that I couldn't resist the urge to dig out my Indigenous Tyranid army. There are a couple of reasons I have done this; They are basic to paint, I really like the look of them, they are nearly finished, I am VERY tired at the moment and simple is all I can manage...and the whole world seems to be advertising the new Tyranids that will be coming out after Christmas so it got my 'alien building' juices flowing.

Now a muse is a funny thing. Sometimes it visits and hangs around to a point where you want to send it home! Other times, you sit there; waiting for it to call and it never does. There are plenty of things that can help a muse turn up but often a muse is an uncontrollable and unpredictable beast that turns up while you are busy and doesn't when you have time to burn.

Take the Cavalry for example. I have had the miniatures in the cupboard for at least 2 months. I knew what I was going to do with them the moment I bought them but I didn't have the muse so they just sat there. A week or so ago, the muse arrived and in a couple of days 'BOOM' one complete cavalry model and one half finished. Now you'd think that I was now in 'the Grymn cavalry' groove...but it would appear that the muse has deserted me again. Why? I have no idea but the thought of chipping away at the Baruk conversion just doesn't fill me with joy.

THAT is why I suddenly decided to go up to the loft and dig out my Tyranids again...hopefully, I'll be able to get them to a state where I am happy before I run out of muse...

I'm sure that there are people who visit my blog in the hope of seeing one or another project finished but I'm sorry to say that I have no control over what I do...I reckon that may be one of the reasons my blog is a bit different...frustrating, maybe...but different none the less.

See you through the tonal shades...

Another Weekend Update!

I haven't really done much hobby stuff this weekend but I did manage to tidy up a few holes in the stealth fighter-bomber. As you will see in the following pic, I have added a little shape to the wings, filled the holes in the lower structure and fitted a bomb-bay. I've also tidied up the rear a bit and added vents to the rear exhaust area. I still have a long way to go but it is ticking along nicely at the moment:

Click the Pic!

Now it's not very often that you come across fellow model maker in the work-place but it just so happens that the newest member of my team happens to be a collector of Alien model kits (from the Alien films...with Ripley in). On the other side of the coin, she isn't a very good model-maker (that's what she has told me...I don't know because I haven't seen any of her work) so I have been sharing advice with her. One of the things she is dreading is painting her large alien figures so I gave her an idea of what I would do and said that I'd knock up a quick paint-job at the weekend to show her how easy it could be. The next pic shows half an hour's work on a spare Tyranid miniature I had lying about. I haven't added any specific details (like colouring teeth, claws etc.) because the aliens in the films are pretty much monochrome and also, this was just a quick demo of what could be acheived with very little effort (and would show that with a bit more effort, you could get a very passable paint-job). Sorry about the poor pic:

Click the Pic!

The whole process was:

Undercoat: Chardonite Granite.
Basecoat: Boltgun Metal.
Drybrush: Chainmail.
Wash: Devlan Mud.
Wash (in small areas): Leviathan Purple.
Wash: Devlan Mud.
Varnish: Gloss Polyeurethane.

No accuracy was required so it took very little time. I think that when it comes to painting the larger figures, an airbrush and a few extra watered down washes will be required to make the best job...but I think she'll be happy with something like this.

See you on the dark side!

Sunday Progress.

Yes, it is Sunday again and that generally means an update. This Sunday is no exception and although things haven't gone as quickly as he would have hoped, Inso has sent over a few pix of his Tyranid progress.

So far, he has put the base coat on the plates of 6 of the Gaunts. This is purely another coat of Bubonic Brown:

Click the Pic!

He has also gone a stage further and finished the plates on 8 of the Gaunts. This was done with a watered down coat of Bleached Bone applied to the edges of the plates:

Click the Pic!

Inso has mentioned that the 8 Gaunts in the last pic are made up of standard Termagant bodies with Genestealer Scything Talons added. From the beginning, he has wanted to keep his Tyranid horde more 'natural' than the norm (for Tyranids) so he has no ranged weaponry and all of his Tyranids have claws instead. The idea behind it being that a few Tyranid organisms got stranded on a planet, left for millenia and evolved to become an indiginous species...a bit like the bugs in Starship Troopers.

Well, it is bingo tonight so I doubt if there will be more painting done but tomorrow is a bank holiday so Inso will have time to get a little bit further.

That's it for now.

Catch you later!

Saturday and the Horde is Taking Shape!

First of all, I'd like to welcome the latest follower of our humble blog; Bandit86. He has a blog as well and it is well worth taking a look (especially because it has Grymn in it). Welcome aboard!

From grey plastic to this in a few short days:

Click the Pic!

Inso seems to have been fairly busy and has managed to get all of his 20 Gaunts to this standard. They have been undercoated, base coated with Bubonic Brown and washed with Ogryn Flesh wash. The next phase is for the plates to be highlighted. Then it will be teeth and eyes, bases and varnish...and they will be finished.

These are not the only Tyranids in the box...there are three Warriors and a Carnifex with an additional plethora of Rippers but Inso is concentrating on getting the Gaunts finished at the moment.

As you can probably tell, they are only going to be tabletop quality and have had a scheme chosen that will enable them to be painted quickly but to a fairly acceptable level.

In other news, Hasslefree miniatures have updated their workbench page and Inso is enthusing about a certain 'Mystic Panda' miniature. Here is the link to the workbench page (the Panda is top left):

http://www.hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/wip.php?PHPSESSID=aad3f977966e5bd4d8f94348ffc4c1d2

He reckons that it will make a perfect companion for his starship crew (which is still WIP):



There are a few interesting sculpts on the workbench and Inso is looking forward to a few...especially all the Grymn and little Megan in powered armour.

On a Grymn note, Inso recently received his order from Hasslefree and apart from a command squad and a platoon leader, he has his Grymn urban army all bought and ready for preparation. If only the mortar spotter on the workbench was ready to buy...

Well, that is about it for today.

Catch you later!

Tuesday TERROR!

Well, it is Tuesday and there seems to have been some activity in the followers section so I'd like to welcome MrTeufel and Jenova Painting to our humble blog.

Why Tuesday TERROR? Well I happened to spy Inso's painting table today and aside from the 5 Genetic Infantry and two WIP greens, there were TYRANIDS!

Yes...TYRANIDS! It would appear that after an absolute age, Inso has begun digging his plastic horde out. He will be painting them in the publically chosen scheme (as shown here):

Click the Pic!

BUT...he painted the test Gaunt above before he got hold of the new Games Workshop washes so he has mentioned that there may be a slight difference in the shading because he'll be using the washes instead of watering down the standard paints.

Currently, Inso has 8 Gaunts on the table. 4 are undercoated in Deneb Stone and 4 are base coated in Bubonic Brown (which is a mustard yellow...for some reason?!?).

Well, that's it for today.

Catch you later!