Monday procrastination.

As you may have noticed, it isn't Sunday... but I'll get to that.

Before I do I would like to welcome Nobody667 to Inso's World. I hope you enjoy your visit and make sure that you check all the corners... you never know what you may find.

I was going to post yesterday; as usual but I din't have anything to show off so I thought I'd let it slide until today... and I still don't have anything to show off. That is because I've had a lazy week where I have socialised a bit too much and not been really bothered to do any hobby stuff.

First up, I went on a leaving do at the Reading Beer and Cider festival on Thursday and on Saturday, I went out with my lad and a few of his mates... and in between, I have been shattered with no enthusiasm for hobby stuff.

In the news, I have been ticking along on a few little bits... namely the commission sculpts. It is very difficult putting tiny spines on the back of a 20mm tall creature...but I am getting there. I reckon that I'll soon have some pics to show off (even though the sculpts are currently around a month late).

I have also bitten the bullet and have five more Squats in progress. They have currently been shortened, had their legs and bellies sculpted and their backpacks fitted (a comms, loader and special weapon ammo pack). That means that when they are finished, there will be a squad (that just needs to be painted).

In more Squat related news, I managed to bag me 20 plastic Squat miniatures from Ebay. They cost me £29.00 including postage... which is an amazing price if you think that some of the buy it now prices are ridiculous (a box of 36 for £300.00? Mental). They are new on sprue and have all the arms and weapons but not the bases and one head is missing (not a problem when I am already sculpting Squat heads at the moment). That makes mw very pleased.

So... I've been nominated for  Liebster Award...

I must say I've never heard of it so here is a link to what it is all about:

The Liebster Award

If you don't read it, you'll never know what it is about because... I am not explaining it!

The eleven truths:

1. I have an alternative personality... it is a Velociraptor and it lives here: Being a Velociraptor.
2. I have had some of my poems published on line as part of 'The New Ulsterman' webzine.
3. I am married with two teenaged children who aren't quite embarrassed enough to stay at home when I go out (but I am working on it).
4. I have seen the future (Christmas) and it involves some of THESE with lots of pads and a helmet.
5. I am in the Royal Air Force (and have been for nearly 27 years) and am currently involved with getting the Puma Mk 2 helicopter fully into service.
6. I love eating fresh Lobsters... and preparing them is all part of the enjoyment (BASHY, BASHY!).
7. I have a little bit of a crush on Kylie Minogue... but don't tell anyone.
8. I once walked into a cheetah's cage and stroked it. Luckily, it was eating its dinner at the time (and so were the other two).
9. I could drive a forklift before I could drive a car... and was a qualified motorcyclist before I could drive the forklift (work that out).
10. I currently have five different sculpts for sale in various shops (including Hasslefree, Grekwood Miniatures, Matakishi's Tea House and Impact Miniatures).
11. I have been a passenger in a helicopter that landed on Ben Nevis in Scotland.

Now the questions I have been posed:

1. You have been marooned on a desert island with paints and brushes... what miniature would you take to paint?
Answer - The Heresy Dragon.

2. On that Island, you later discover a shop that sells one hobby accessory... which one?
Answer - A decent lamp.

3.  Said shop is run by a hobby related individual, past or present. Who are they?
Answer - Christopher Lee (he was in Star Wars amongst MANY films and used to make wargaming miniatures out of sculpted paper mash).

4.  You have been rescued by Superman and brought back home. Your entire collection has been sold; apart from your paints. What is the first miniature you would paint?
Answer - I would sell my paints and not start up again. I'd find a more practical hobby to do... it would be the freedom I have long craved.

5.  If you could have any past miniature range, in its entirety, which would it be?
Answer - GW Squats... and in multiples. Basic troops, support weapons, Exos and Hearthguard but not the bikes (dreadful).

6.  A miniature manufacturer that you don't think should ever have existed.
Answer - Defiance Games (and any other company with any links to Tony).

7.  Your likeness in miniature, sculpted by whom and in what clothing?
Answer - Kev White (Hasslefree Miniatures), as a Grymn in light weight powered armour (like the humans he sells).

8.  A complete range sculpted by your favourite sculptor? Choose range and sculptor.
Answer - Kev White, Squats (of my design).

9.  You get the chance to interview someone on your blog. Who do I choose (living or dead but hobby related)?
Answer - I'd bring Tolkein back from the dead and ask him all about his thoughts on the film versions of his books.

10.  You are elected as head of Games Workshop by the board. What is your next move.
Answer - Reduce prices by about 25%, reintroduce the Squats (but with an improved design), get rid of the new look Visions and White Dwarf and release White Dwarf as a proper magazine with other manufacturers being invited to add articles. Finecast would be scrapped, Forgeworld would be used for the resin casting instead and that company would have its QA department fired and replaced with a more stringent team (to improve reputation)...

11.  The Grim Reaper finally claims me but resurrects me. Which area/time do I choose (but not who... that is in the lap of the gods)?
Answer - Tokyo, Japan... now.

I will nominate my blogs and dish out questions a bit later.

See you from the Septus Nebula!

An empty blog post.

Apart from Welcoming ChicoDeSatanic to Inso's World (Welcome Chico!), I don't really have any updates today.

To be honest, I started the week full of enthusiasm but that was quickly cut short when I decided that I would varnish a few miniatures. Unfortunately, the varnish I used (Humbrol matt acrylic spray) didn't like the conditions (it was a bit of a damp atmosphere) and as a result, ended up coating my lovingly painted miniatures with a frosty coating. Once I took a sharp intake of breath, I made sure everything was dry and set about repainting the areas that were worst affected.

The rectification has been completed (not perfect but acceptable) so I have lost my hobby enthusiasm for the week.

I have also stopped everything to focus on my commissions that have been lagging due to a lack of muse (obviously, I have been more enthusiastic about converting Dwarfs... rather than trying to get to grips with my commissions). That means that I have got further on them in the last day or so than I have for the last month or so. 

In other news, I have now received my Velociraptor painting from Jacob and have framed it up ready for hanging at work. It is awesome and will always give me something to smile about!

Well... that is it for today. I'm sorry that I haven't got much to share but this week hasn't really been a good hobby week.

See you from inside the stage-coach!

Easter Sunday

Welcome to this week's blog update. I'll start by saying hi to my two newest followers; Darcy Perry and Fred Jackson. Welcome to you both, feel free to get involved and share your thoughts.

Where do I start?

Let's start with this:

Yes, it's 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Me and my better half went to see it and I won't share any spoilers but here are a few observations:

• It is a couple's movie (one to take your significant other to).
• There is a lot of romantic angst.
• Spider-man is pretty cool (he is so much better than Toby Maguire ever was or could be).
• Gwen is a cool character.
• Electro is very cool... he gets better and better during the film.
• Green Goblin is very sinister... the best representation of the villain yet.
• The Rhino is a big mechanical suit (rather than a cybernitc body suit)... so it was different.
• The Rhino is only in the film for less than 2 minutes! 

It was an OK film but I was pretty disappointed to see so little of the Rhino. The door is very much open for a sequel. I'd say that it was a chick-flick with some decent action and nowhere near as good as the Avengers films.  

Do you like art? Sometimes I view life as art and part of life is making altered egos. One of my altered egos is a Velociraptor and when I saw a dinosaur picture on Facebook I asked the painter to paint me a picture of a Velociraptor. It will be arriving soon... here's a preview:

Click the Pic!

It's by a very talented artist called Jacob who is just five and a half years old and I think the picture is brilliant. I can't wait to hang it on my wall (I did, however, insist that he signs it first). 

OK... let's talk about Miniatures. First of all, I have been busy adding decals and varnishing lately. My Powered armour platoon is finished and if you would like to see it, and the rest of the NMA (what has been finished so far), then check out this link:

LINK.

You will soon see why I have put it on the Grymn blog... but that is not all. I have been ticking along with the Squat program and have managed to get a bit more sculpted... and the Dreadnought painted:

Click the Pic!

The Squat on the left is the first spotter for my sniper unit. The other two are troopers for the first squad (currently up to five models now... the Squat with the bolter is going to be part of the command squad). I think I am likely to add some decals to the dreadnought at some point but he will do for now.

In other news... my resolve is weakening for this:

Click the Pic!

It is available from Puppet's War and has been on my radar for a long time but a reduction in price has made things worse. I am likely to get one soon to see how big it is and if it is suitable, it could be used for all sorts... watch this space.

Well, that is that!

See you from the edge of the dam!

From little acorns...

... Giant oak trees grow.

What do I mean by that?

I have completed all of my Grymn powered armour troopers for my NMA (including Torge's Tigers).

They are all decalled up and matt varnished ready to have some photos taken tomorrow evening.

My painting table will look quite bare without them but they will be leaving soon and joining the rest of the NMA.

I am very happy about this... I just thought I'd share that!

See you from the edge of darkness!

Decals and varnish... amongst other distractions.

Hello again, it's Sunday and that means another blog update.

But before I start, I'd like to welcome Shaun McTague as the newest follower of Inso's World. Welcome aboard and I hope you find something to inspire you... and feel free to comment on things.

In a week of ups and downs, I have manged to continue with my current project and throw a few distractions into the mix as well. Hmmm what first? I guess I should start with the latest IG to Squat conversion...

Click the Pic!

As you can see, he is armed with a las-carbine like the last one but apart from that, he's just a bit more of the same. Unfortunately, I haven't painted number three or four yet... but I did manage to find a random distraction in the form of this:

Click the Pic!

The mech on the left is going to be a dreadnought for this little Squat force and the guy on the right is a Squat made from Tau and Catachan parts. The rifle is a pulse carbine without the grenade launcher. He's a little bit taller than the otherSquats I have been making but not so tall he doesn't fit.

This week, my decals arrived from Dom's Decals and they were screaming at me to be adhered to my Powered Armoured Grymn... so that's what I spent four hours of today doing! Yes... 4 hours! 84 tiny little decals are now attached to my Powered Armour platoon and have been varnished over. I haven't taken any pix yet because the troops are still gloss but once I have matt varnished them all, I will show them off. I am glad that the little task is done... I don't have a lot of patience for decals.

...and finally...

Do you remember these?:

Click the Pic!

Well, they are now available to buy as a part of a pack of Leets from HERE. It is always nice when your own work gets put into a shop.

That's it for now.

See you from the end of the space-time shift!

Squats... Tau... Vulkans and Bikes.

It's Sunday again and the follower count is slowly approaching 200 with the arrival of Steve63 and Ironworker in Inso's World. Welcome aboard and I hope you find something of interest as you stroll along the twisting paths here.

So... this week saw a 'how to' on Tuesday. That has since moved on and the subject of the how to has been base-coated and washed but not finished. In the meantime, I have been converting Squat number 3... here he is:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, he is the first of the 'bent leg' troopers and I have decided to use the IG helmet as well. He was given a chin-beard and not a full beard just for a bit of variety. The las-carbine is a trimmed down Catachan weapon and will likely be the standard weapon for the troopers. I think that it is a perfect size and it was very simple to convert... so is easily repeatable. One thing I noticed about the donor body was that it was less detailed around the shoulders so needed a bit of extra work. I also had to chop off the bent leg at the groin and shorten it slightly so that the knee joint looked right. Not too much of a problem but additional work.

The next one will be the other 'bent leg' pose and will also have a helmet on... so watch this space for that.

In other hobby news:

• I have bagged another three Vulkans. Why? I have no idea (I truly think I have an addiction!) but they are currently submerged in dettol. 
• My Mantic Kickstarter 'first wave' was completed. The missing bonus booster was sent after I wrote an email... so I now have all of my Rebs and will be waiting patiently for wave two to be produced (Forgefathers).
• My Dom's Decals haven't arrived yet (but I have another two weeks before I need to worry).
• I have a shiney new box of Tau firewarriors. Why? Hmmm... let me think about that... Allies?

In other, other news...

I have passed on my motorcycle to a new owner who will give it the TLC and maintenance that it needs to get back on the road. It wll be getting a new rider... a newly qualified, lady biker who will, I am sure, love riding my reliable little steed... sorry... HER reliable little steed. I am just glad my lovely little bike has gone to a great home:

Click the Pic!

I will miss her... but it is for the best.

Parting with my bike was the reason I bought some Tau... comfort shopping.

I have also baked a cake today (three layers of a sponge cake) that I will be finishing off later so that I can take it into work (I should have sorted a cake out ages ago but I haven't... so I have made the extra effort and made one myself).

I've just watched the Amazing Spiderman film with Lizard in. It was good. Much better than previous Spiderman films... now I can look forward to the next one. It should be fun.

Well... that is it apart from...

Back this KICKSTARTER!... I want some mechs.

See you from the bus lane!

A short 'How To'... Space Dwarfs.

Hello. I know it's only Tuesday but I was asked by someone on Facebook to put together a guide for making my Squats from the old plastic Imperial Guard sprues... well here it is:

Click the Pic!

Click the Pic!

Click the Pic!

So there you have it. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment.

I have started painting this one and have cleaned up the next donor so there should be more to see soon.

See you from the funny farm!