TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 51)

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!   According to WordPress this is my 300th post!

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This figure by Hasslefree Miniatures is titled “Wierd West Boudi”.  I thought I would try a different background for the photo shoot.  The first couple were taken using a white background while the others were done using my usual black one.  Have yet to decide which I prefer so will use both backgrounds again on another figure or two and see how they turn out.

I have also found a supplier who sells 25mm oak cubes, ideal plinths for elevating figures and making them stand out a bit more.  I really like these so going forward I think I will use these for the figures I think are more deserving of a better base and where, in my opinion, I’ve done a decent paint job too.

Pinning a figure direct to the oak is very difficult given how hard the wood is and I didn’t want to use anything like Milliput so I then bought some 25mm square MDF bases to put the figure on before adding it to the cube which explains the dark brown band which runs round the top of the base.  I added wooden coffee stirrers to the MDF base to create floor boards and Boudi was then pinned in place.  All very simple but I didn’t want to detract from the figure.

Although I am pleased with the figure looking at the images I might need to tone down the nose and chin highlights.  I thought they looked fine to the naked eye but I will take another look.

 

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Well It Made Me Laugh …

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Back In Business

Having removed the figures I had up for sale on Ebay I have now put them back up again!  My biggest concern was how to post items that I might manage to sell given my personal family lockdown circumstances.  Pre Covid-19 I never needed to look for alternatives as I simply had items weighed at the post office and off they jolly well went.  Well it turns out I can pay online, download a label and simply pop the little chaps into the post box without so much as seeing anyone or touching anything!

What will they think of next?

I can also report that the sytem works as a very nice chap based in Germany kindly bought one of my Hasslefree figures.

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Coronavirus – Self Isolation Week 10

Day 64 – For obvious reasons apps such as Zoom have become increasingly popular and with it a new form of vanity has grown.  I saw today that people have been working on their background images.  Not wanting the world to see that they live in a shit hole some people have been going to great lengths to portray a better image of themselves to impress others.  I can’t be having with it.  I’m content to simply sit outside in the back garden and people can make of it what they want.

Day 65 – Much to my surprise my kids continue to handle the lockdown situation well.  The reality of our lives is a simple one.  For She Who Must Be Obeyed and I 80% of our life style remains unchanged.  Of the other 20% I would at a guess say the changes forced upon us have produced positive results.  Cancelled holidays and not being able to go to the pub have been the biggest disappointment, neither of which is a really big deal.  For the kids though the figures are reversed with 80% of their world having been turned upside down.  By now I would have thought we would have killed one another but currently the wounds are superficial.

Day 66 –  Notwithstanding that some lockdown restrictions have been eased little appears to have changed in our world.  My best efforts to try to obtain materials for jobs I have the time to do but not the stuff continue to fail.  Well that’s what I have been telling SWMBO.  Fortunately model suppliers remain largely unaffected.  Such is life.

Day 67 – The press continue to pour out nonsense.  Why is the UK behind France when it comes to getting back on track some have asked?  Well as I understand it Covid-19 is highly contagious which leads me to think more densely populated places will find it harder to come out of lockdown.  Having spent all of 30 seconds on Google I can tell you that the UK and France as at 2019 both have a population of 67m people.  France however is 2.3 times bigger.  Now I’m no expert but maybe, just fucking maybe that has something to do with it!

Day 68 – Came across this today.  As far as I can determine it isn’t fake news.  If it is correct then it tells me two things.  Another one will follow.  Something has to be done about China.  Not sure which one worries me more.

1957-1958: H2N2 – originated in China.
1968-1969: H3N2 – China.
1997-2004: H5N1 – China.
2003: Sars –  China.
2006: Bird Flu –  China.
2013: Porcine Pestivirus – China.
2020: Covid-19 – China.
2009: Swine Flu – some say  it originated in America. But most agree it was probably China.

Day 69 – My growing concern is that more and more emphasis is being placed on using common sense as a means to combat coronavirus.  When I look at the people in my area and consider they are the result of the winning sperm I don’t hold out much hope.

Day 70 – Today I had two things I needed to do.  Twenty minutes would have gotten both tasks done.  I managed neither.  Worse than that they were carried over from the day before.  It may have taken 11 weeks to achieve it but I think I have finally unwound and learnt to chill.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Lola” by the Kinks.  This song came out in 1970.  It’s a classic.  Whilst the theme does nothing for me the track and lyrics are excellent in my opinion and just goes to show that some people were just as sexually “confused” back then as they are now.  The subject matter, popular in todays society it seems, isn’t therefore new, just more fashionable it strikes me.

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This week TIM has been watching…

The BBC series “Clique”.

Having watched “Normal People” a couple of weeks ago BBCi Player suggested among others that I might like to give this a try.  There are two 6 part series.  I enjoyed the first, it was a bit different.  The second series was OK but I might have done better to have left a gap rather than watching one after the other.  Worth a watch though given the current circumstances.

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Remember…

Sometimes understanding what a woman wants is very difficult.  It’s like trying to figure out what colour the letter seven smells like.

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TIM