Many things.

Before I start this week's post I'd like to welcome Nysse to Inso's World. Welcome aboard and I hope you have fun travelling around and sharing ideas.

This week has been a really disjointed one. From a hobby perspective, I have finished the troops for the second Squat platoon:

Click the Pic!

So now the 2nd platoon looks like this:

Click the Pic!

And the two finished platoons look like this:

Click the Pic!

Now that the two main platoons are finished, I have started work on the army command squad and once that is finished, I may well start painting the army.

In other news, I was looking at one of my various online resources and I saw this picture which immediately changed my perspective on the sort of vehicles I want for my Squat army:

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It was created by a guy called John Donaghy on Facebook and it is a really nice mix of armoured vehicle and Amphibious transport and it got me thinking that this sort of thing would be more practical than a hovercraft so I have started something else:

Click the Pic!

Obviously, it is at a very early stage at the moment but already, I have got much further and should have some nice pictures to show off next week. I am planning on making this modular with the base, front top section and rear top section (then of course I need to deal with the tracks... but I haven't even considered what I am going to do about those yet). I will keep ticking along with it and see where I go... and yes, I am notoriously rubbish at finishing things like this so it may well be another glorious failure!

On to ther things and my EBay selling is going nicely. Unfortunately, I haven't worked out how to sell internationally yet (pricing is awkward) so I am keeping things UK only for now. Sorry about that. The current auction ends at 18:30 hrs British Time and my next auction starts at the same time. If you are interested in seeing what is on offer, click here:

Metalvest on EBAY

In completely different news, on Wednesday, I attended an award ceremony and was presented with a Commander JHC Commendation for the work I have been doing on Puma HC Mk2 helicopters. I now have a nice certificate to hang on my wall... which is nice.

See you from the deck of the AAV-7!

More progress and the machine has started to whirr.

Before I start this week's blog update, I'd like to welcome Robert Locklan to Inso's World. Welcome aboard, Robert and I hope you enjoy your travels around my little piece of the interweb.

This week, I set myself the job of completing the first squad of the second Squat army platoon. Fortunately, I managed it and here it is:

Click the Pic!

I have already got the next squad on the table; ready for some work. Once the second squad is finished, I can get some serious work done on the army command squad and then... it may be time to dig out the paints and start painting a few units.

In more Squat related news, I have been wondering what to arm my second Sentinel squadron with and have had a look through my various spares boxes with a view to swapping weapons. The Vulkan miniatures come with a heavy bolter (not an option for Sentinels) and a heavy flamer. I have put the feelers out and a heavy flamer isn't necessarily the best weapon for an armoured Sentinel... so I will most likely give my next Sentinels the las-cannons that I got when I bought some Centurion weapon sprues. It just goes to show how important not throwing stuff away is.

Not necessarily Squats... but a bit space Dwarf related, I ordered some Sharclons from Heresy Miniatures this week and they have arrived. They are awesome miniatures so I'd recommend getting some soon... because they have a slight resemblance to a certain Dr Who race and may have to be withdrawn from sale as a result... here's some that I painted a while ago:

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This week also sees more sales on EBay. Here's my page: METALVEST and here is what I have for sale at the moment:

EBay Link; Deathcultists.

EBay Link: Gaunt's Ghosts.

EBay Link: Preachers/Priests.

EBay Link: Sisters of Battle Squad and Cannoness.

So please feel free to pop along and put a bid on. The next lots will be Eldar.

Well that about says it all for today. Have a good week.

See you from the surfboard!

The rains have started...

Welcome to Inso's World and this week it is a mixed bag. First up, I handed over the finished driver to my friend who had returned from foreign travels and it is now fitted to his 'Sunday Best' radio controlled, car shell:

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He was happy with it... so I am happy.

Also this week, I have completed the five heavy weapon teams for the second platoon... and here they are:

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The strange back-packs are transportation tubes for the missiles that go into the launchers and will obviously look much less strange once they are painted in a more 'normal' colour. As it stands, I have brought the first squad back out from the storage box and have started work on them again. After them, the remaining seven troops will complete the platoon and I can get to work on the army command squad.

So... what the heck is the storm thing all about?

Well... I need to thin down my hobby stuff. Not just a little bit... but a LOT. I am downsizing to a smaller house in a year's time and I have far too much stuff to take with me. As a result, I have started to learn about EBay selling and have my very first sale in process now... here it is:

EBAY LINK

It is for a Tyranid / assassin conversion. It was the nearest thing I had to hand to try out selling on Ebay...

... but it is by no means the last of the items. 

So basically, I am having to overcome my hoarding tendencies and sell loads of stuff that I have collected over the years. It is difficult... but I'm sure I'll feel much better once I have lessened the burden a bit. Keep an eye out for all sorts of stuff from boxed sets to sculpts and conversions that I have done... I am having to be pretty brutal so there will even be Grymn in the mix!

Continue to watch this space because... IT HAS STARTED!!!

That's about it for now.

See you from outside of my comfort zone!

There's a storm coming...

... and I don't like the look of it...

'Short' and sweet.

This week has come and gone... as many weeks do but now is the time for this week's blog post.

Hobby wise, I have been trying to get my heavy weapon teams finished for the second platoon but have not quite managed it. Here is what I have finished:

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The picture shows five gunners and five heavy weapons (from Anvil Industries) all ready to join two infantry squads and a heavy weapon squad. I have yet to finish the loaders but they are on the work bench waiting for the second layer of their arms to be put on, then glove cuffs and then backpacks with missiles. I have managed to find some small tubes that will work as missile containers so hopefully, I'll get the loaders sorted at some point this week.

Unfortunately, my week has caught up with me and today's sculpting plans have completely stalled due to me being completely shattered.

So what else have I been up to? Well, the driver 'bust' is currently sitting with a layer of gloss varnish on... so it is finished (photos will be taken when it is dry enough to handle) and I have also been working on my first Bullgryn. Here is an early WIP:

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He is shown on the left with a human from Hasslefree Miniatures and a classic Ogryn from Games Workshop (OOP). He has moved on a little since the picture was taken but I just don't have any motivation to take photos at the moment.

Here's a question... why do I painstakingly sculpt so much when I could easily make a few sets and then cast up as many as I like?

Well... I have been sculpting stuff for almost 30 years and I have become quite tolerant of the process. I can usually create roughly what I want, to a standard that I can put up with. It doesn't use a huge amount of materials (putty and wire), doesn't take up too much space (a pencil case for putty, wire and sculpting tools) and is an artistic process that I sometimes quite enjoy. Add to that the fact that a sculpt is unique and there will never be one exactly the same and it all mounts up to quite an enjoyable experience.

Casting is for bulk stuff (usually) and uses lots of smelly chemicals, takes lots of equipment and needs a lot of space (especially if you have pressure pots and the like). It also takes a lot of preparation... and no matter how carefull you are, moulds run out and resin misbehaves and things get expensive very quickly.

I think that some people are under the illusion that I am not just a hobbyist. Yes, occasionally, I take on commissions but I try not to make a habit of it because, quite frankly, I'd rather be sculpting for myself. Recently, I completed the Squat commission and I really enjoyed that... but only because it was a spin off from what I was doing for myself and also because each of the miniatures was a character in its own right... so it kept me entertained. Not every commission has done that and, regrettably, there have been commissions that I have hated to a point where I have had to stop and return money. That is why I am very reluctant to take them on.

As a hobbyist, I never plan on making stuff for mass production because I don't normally need that many. There is also the warm feeling you get after sculpting/converting a unit of troops and it is all hand sculpted. It is an art-form... not just a process. 

All that said... my retirement project DOES involve casting but that, as they say, will be a whole new ball game and will be so riddled with Intellectual Property implications that it is unlikely to see the light of day, let alone be publicly available for sale.

So... why do I sculpt instead of casting bits?

Because it's my hobby and I bloody want to!

See you from the ball turret!

There once was a man from Nantucket...

Welcome to this week's blog and I'm afraid I have nothing that much to share with you.

From a hobby perspective, I have been painting little bits on the driver figure and have also been working on the gunners for the heavy weapons in the second platoon. but apart from that, not a lot.

I think the main thing about this week is that I have finally landed from the Falklands and have shaken off my, dare I say it, abject lack of motivation for anything... so that means that my head is straight and I can now start planning and clearing things, ready for the big push to freedom next year.

One thing that I plan in the future is to work on my retirement project which involves lots of converting and casting of 1/60 scale VOTOMs mechs. It will be just for me but it is something I have been collecting towards for ages. Unfortunately, one of my favourite mechs is the Diving Beetle and I have been unable to find a 1/60 scale, plastic kit for them (only a die-cast version which is no good for my needs). Fortunately, I have been able to gather most of what I want and yesterday, this one turned up:

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It will be very useful because it is a Scopedog so I have more flexibility when it comes to chopping them up (the more I have, the more mistakes I can get away with) and also, there are the back-pack and other weapons that can be messed about with and added to other mechs too.

One day, my army will be complete and I will rule the world (in 1/60 scale) MWA HA HA HA HAAAAAA!

See you from my evil lair!

A single minded post.

Hello again.

This week has been a productive one. I seem to have shaken off my lack of enthusiasm for everything and managed to acheive a few things (mostly home/work related) but most importantly of all, I have finished my secret project.

It has taken a good few weeks to do but I have finished a commission that I took on, not long after returning from the Falklands. Basically, it was to put together a squad of Squats in the same style as the ones I am building for myself... something I knew I would actually be able to finish because I was already sculpting my own and was enjoying it.

So... without further ado, here is the finished project:

Firstly, here are all the troops:

Click the Pic!

Secondly, here are Gunner and Larry with a relay trolley so that Gunner can control aerial drones as well as ground based ones:

Click the Pic!

Thirdly, we have the whole unit complete with names:

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As you can see, most of them had berets but there are two with helmets. Tom and Tim are twins and they are new to the unit so they have been given helmets so that everyone knows who they are in a firefight and they can be watched. Tom is also the unit medic because he's a junior and no one else wanted to do it. The boss, Bill, is a berserker who is very experienced and has a fighting Mastiff that counts as a close combat weapon. Meat has been beefed up around the neck because he is always lugging his trusty meltagun around with him.

The drones that will be used for this unit are from Anvil Industries and are AERIAL and GROUND.

From what I understand, the unit will form part of an Imperial Guard army... but I'm not sure. 

They have already been sent off and I hope that the guy who commissioned them has as much fun painting them, as I had making them.

See you from the rocking chair on the porch!