TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 78)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Musings, Uncategorized

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks miniature is another from the Hasslefree range and the young lady goes by the name of Mythic Helen.  Another lovely sculpt as far as I am concerned and a relatively straight forward paint job with just a freehand eye painted to the shield.  

The more observant of you might have noticed that the last couple of figures have not been stuck to the small oak plinths like other more recent figures.  Part of the reason for this is I feel I have lost my way a little with my base work.  I need to get my act together on this.  Even though the bases are only 25mm square they could be a little more interesting.  I need to do some research.  If I can go back and add to the bases then I will.  If not I will try and sell them on Ebay and start over.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Speed Painting

On a personal level I have never seen the point of speed painting.

I get that Gamers might prefer painted figures to non-painted figures and want them on the table quickly, even if they have been painted badly.  I can see why a commercial figure painter would want to churn things out as fast as possible.  I can even see the fun of a competition too but as none of these apply to me then I just don’t get it.

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Slow Painting

I am happy to chug along at my own pace enjoying the painting as I go.  That said a I have noticed a worrying trend.  Whilst I have never been a fast painter I am getting slower and slower.  An age thing for sure, mental as well as physical.  The good news is my hands are still steady but on the flip side they periodically cramp up and my eyesight is not what it used to be.  For now all is well but I am starting to realise that at some point in the future I’m gonna be fucked and not in the way I had envisaged!

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Give Me Five

This week I thought I would go with my top five greatest groups of all time.  Now if I’m being honest this one was a breeze to do and the reasons for that are simple.  To many groups these days are manufactured, last all of five minutes and their music is shit.  To be honest I feel sorry for young people these days.  Not only is the future of the planet fucked for them but they have no decent music of their own era to listen to either.  In no particular order:

  1. The Beatles
  2. Queen
  3. The Rolling Stones
  4. The who
  5. Led Zepplin  

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Time Warp” from the Rocky Horror Movie.  Now I am no dancer but when I have had sufficient to drink, by which I mean I am drunk, then in my own mind I am awesome at this!  She Who Must Be Obeyed might argue that though.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“Ocean’s Eleven”.  Oddly this film and its various sequels had passed me by.  No reason for that specifically but having been reminded of that fact I thought I would give the film a go, after all it has quite a cast.  Now maybe because the film is a few years old now or the fact that I am becoming more and more of an old git but the truth of the matter is I didn’t think that much of it.  It was OK and it was watchable but some how I expected more and my overall conclusion was one of disappointment.

Ocean's Eleven - Steven Soderbergh enlisted George Clooney (in the Frank Sinatra role) and a rat pack of other… | Ocean's movies, Oceans eleven, Oceans 11 movie

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Remember …

With Christmas coming up remember to jingle all the way, nobody likes a half arsed jingler.

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TIM

38 thoughts on “TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 78)”

  1. Great work on the model TIM. sometimes a less cluttered base works, and it certainly does for this model and the previous one.
    As for the speed of the painting, everyone paints at their own pace, in recent years I’ve managed to pick up the pace, without sacrificing the quality, and I paint for my enjoyment, as well as getting product done to display.
    Top 5 bands would be Knickleback, Pink, Magnum, Queen, and Warlock (all but Queen I’ve seen in concert, and were fantastic)
    Didn’t mind Ocean’s 11, was entertaining enough, for me the worst in the series was Ocean’s 8.
    The joke was very apt for now ! LOL

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    1. Thanks Dave. You are right of course about the speed of painting. I do marvel at those who seems to paint effortlessly and at a steady pace, a skill level I never really acquired and am less likely to now as I am I am coming down the mountain! Some interesting bands too and a couple I am not familiar with so thanks for some new music for me to tune into when I am painting. Didn’t appreciate Oceans went back as far as 8. Perhaps if I had seen them from the very start I might have had a different take on them. I think half the problem for me right now is lockdown. With everything in my life becoming more and more repetitive I am increasingly becoming more and more of a miserable old git! ☹

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      1. 8 was actually the latest movie, and the fourth to be released.
        The lockdown has changed so much for so many, and were each trying to find ways to cope, and things we may have enjoyed normally can be soured by the situation. The best we can do is enjoy what we can, and support online friends as much as possible

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    1. Thank you. I rather liken figures and poor bases to buying a new suit and wearing an old scruffy pair of shoes, you can but does it look good? For me bases are the finishing touch. They shouldn’t distract from the figure by either being to good or by being to poor. Basing is an art in itself and something I need to do more with I think.

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  3. Like Mythic Helen! Very nice! 🙂 Not sure about my greatest groups list, but it’d probably include ELO, Tom Petty and The Heartbtreakers, The Offspring, Motorhead and Nickelback. I’ve never seen any of the “Oceans” films, so on your recommendation I probably won’t bother. And I do think I can paint faster these days because, despite spending less time painting, I seem to be able to turn out my fair share of crap – the scale of my figures being smaller makes it harder for the rest of you to notice! 😉

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  4. I totally get that we will have to stop one day, as my eyesight too is getting worse and worse as I type! I too have never seen any of the “Ocean” films, if a film doesn’t have Monsters, Robots or Spaceships in I always feel somewhat cheated! (though saying this Kelly Heroes and The (original) Italian Job are my two all time favourite films!)’

    Heard something today that might amuse you, apparently they ran a poll on Twitter….”If you could have Christmas dinner with anyone living or dead, who would you choose?”

    and one of the answers was…..”Nigel Farage……..DEAD!”

    Cheers Roger.

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  6. Basing can be a tricky business can’t it? I know I tend to end up doing the same thing every time, which is fine to a degree, but often makes me feel like I should be pushing myself more. On the one hand you need something there or the model isn’t finished. On the other hand there’s only so many different landscapes that a model is likely to stand in. The base contextualises the model, but the model also limits your options for how to base it. Helen there for instance would look a bit odd if she was walking down a modern tarmac road (or she’d look like she was heading to a fancy dress party). Plus you don’t want to end up with something that distracts from the model. Do something too crazy and creative with the base and, even if it works well, the viewer ends up looking at the base more than the model – which surely defeats the purpose. I think of it like someone attending an event where everyone is dressed formally. If he’s not wearing a tie people will notice. If he’s wearing a loud, ghastly coloured tie, people will notice. If no-one pays any attention he’s probably got it right. Anyway, I guess this is a roundabout way of saying Helen looks great and the basing is absolutely fine and good enough, which is essentially the aim of the exercise.

    As for speed painting, I too prefer to take my time, for me it’s the aim of the process and the end results are mostly a by-product. That said I’ve grown to appreciate speed painting more in recent years. It’s easy to become frustrated with the number of ideas I want to be exploring and all the models I could be painting. I used to always push myself to make everything the best it could possibly be, and preferably always better than the last one had been. In time though that just started to take the fun out of it for me. I’ve found ways to paint quickly without painting badly (I think!) – and if I want to take longer then I can. I don’t want my ideas to end up badly painted but I don’t want them gathering dust in a box with only an undercoat either! It’s all about striking a balance.

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    1. You are so right about basing. It shouldn’t distract from the figure by being either to good or to bad. That said I think basing is an art form all of its own. Typically not big enough to think diorama but at the same time how to make something so small varied and intersting? Something I need to look at more closely I think but as you say there is to some extent a limit of the options any given figure can be placed in anyway. I like your approach to painting too. Some figures are worthy of more time and accuracy andas you say there is a balance to be struck. One way or another out of this weeks musings post I have come away with plenty to think about! 🙂

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  9. For basing ideas, Youtube is your friend. Searching for “Warhammer base” or even a specific kind of base you might be interested in (such as jungle, lava, etc.) will provide you with a lot of material to watch and chew on. I find basing immensely satisfying and I think creating variation in height is key for making a nice base. For Helen, I’d add more rocks and more grass of different tones (some grass is drier than others in the same patch for example) and height to get a nice natural appearance going. That is another tip, using nature as a guide can really help too. I hope some of my ramblings are of some use and I think this can and hopefully will be a fun area of the hobby for you to explore further 🙂

    Speed painting is definitely for gamers or people getting paid to paint. A lot of miniature games require large amounts of painted minis so if you want to game, you need a way to get the job done fast. I may be a whippersnapper compared to you (I say that with all due respect, of course!) but I often think about deterioration of physical abilities and painting. I fear it greatly and try to paint as much as I can while I’m in my painting “prime”!

    Finally, all those bands you listed are old and terrible so keep in mind that the youth of today feels the same way about your music 🙂 A great punk cover band, Me First and the Gimmes Gimmes, introduced their version of “Strawberry Roads” as saying it is by one of the overrated bands of all time which always gives me a chuckle 😀 Not sure if it would get a laugh out of you however, I’d wager! 🙂

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    1. We are never to old to learn so tips where ever they come from are always welcome. I think the problem with basing for me is trying to be creative and different with every figure I paint, especially as I don’t do armies whereby the base work would essentially be the same. Having produced hundreds and hundreds of figures over the years making every base unique is becoming much harder.

      Make the most of your modelling time and life in general, the time as any older person will tell you goes far quicker that you realise at the time. As for music, yes, every generation relates to their own. I remember my own parents calling my music rubbish compared to what wthey listened too and so it goes on from generation to generation. My generation was still the best though! 😉

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      1. I can relate to what you’re saying on basing. I always look for ways to improve and new things I can try out but sometimes you do just want to get on with it. I think randomness when making bases helps. Try putting rocks in different places, try different tufts and flocks out. You can even experiment with different dirt colors and textures. There are lots of options out there (which require spending money to test out) but I find that part a lot of fun and worth it.

        I second everything you say for the 2nd paragraph except for your generation having the best music of course 😀 Agree to disagree as they say 😉

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      3. Well good on you for that! 🙂 You really don’t have to and I applaud you for doing so! Me First and The Gimmes Gimmes are exactly what you’d expect from a punk band. Fast and loud. They distinct because they are strictly a cover band, so they have performed a lot of songs you know for better and possibly worse! If it makes you feel any better, I’m on a Heart and Jimi Hendrix kick lately so I don’t have complete disrespect for the previous generation’s music. I just don’t quite go back as far as The Beatles, I’m afraid 🙂

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  10. Lovely figure – Mythic Helen is wonderfully alluring. As for speed painting, I put quality over quantity (at least I try) but I need sufficient quantity for gaming. And bases must always be good enough not to detract from the model. In my humble opinion. Great group list, though I like the Beatles, they’re not in my top 5. Absent individuals (like Bowie) I offer in no order as well: 1. The Rolling Stones 2. Led Zep 3. The Who 4. The Cars 5. Lynyrd Skynrd 6. The Eagles (I know I gave an extra one). Cheers and love the joke

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  11. Damn, that’s a nice mini! Your paints aren’t too shabby either! I like how that vibrant blue adds some pop to her skirt. So nice!

    The eye on the shield is nicely painted, but it feels a little stark to me. Like maybe it needs some wavy solar lines around the edge. But hey, I suck at freehand, so I can’t really talk!

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      1. Yep, there is always the “next one”, and with your output, there are certainly more and more. It’s been a hard thing for me at times, to resist the urge to fix things. I just picked up a finished mini today, and immediately thought “Oh, I could add this…and fix this…”. Meanwhile boxes of grey plastic lay weeping! 😉

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  12. Oh I like Helen. She reminds me of a teacher I had in year 8 when I was 13. Yeah speed painting isn’t my thing either mate. Batch painting is though, especially when I’m painting a squad of basically the same looking dudes. If anything my painting has become much slower because I’m trying harder and concentrating more. Great choices on your top five. I find it hard to say top five because I have the privilege of growing with the old school bands as well discovering cool bands from the 90’s in my youth. It’s rare if I find a band or song that is current that I enjoy. Anyway, here goes with my top five… 1. The Rolling Stones. 2. SNOT (They’re better than they sound errr if you know what I mean but I almost guarantee you wouldn’t like them) For me SNOT is about the energy, the drums and the weird but cool combination of groove, funk and punk. 3. Nirvana. 4. Rob and/or White Zombie. (another one you wouldn’t like). 5. Led Zeppelin. I reckon that’s my list today though. Ask me tomorrow and Metallica would probably be in there or Faith No More, The Beatles, The Animals, Pantera, Sepultura, Pearl Jam hahahaha sigh… The list goes on.

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    1. Music is always a tough one to list, films are no easier come to that, truth is there are so many that have to get left out. Still the idea of a list gets people thinking and as a result I have now got a list of YouTube searches which might throw up some new music for me to listen to. 🤗

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  13. Seriously well done. Her hair and face look so clean. You did a real good job creating a still feminine looking face with just enough softness.
    I agree with you on Speed Painting. I don’t see the allure, although I wouldn’t mind getting minis faster done (if I were not to game or do my uni-stuff right now hehe). Maybe as a challenge it might be nice otherwise, I don’t really see the fun in it as well, as it is just forcing yourself.
    5. Zepplin is a great choise, I can also go a mile with The Who, Queen is in my opionion overplayed in the radio, so I can’t listen to them anymore and Beatles are classic.

    Ocean’s 11 was a seriously good flick, maybe 12 as well.

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  14. Hey mate you must have been having a bad day when you savaged the music of our youth! a bit harsh mate! I’m with you on the classic bit but after listening to these for so long I changed tack and for the last six years have tuned into the young folks music stations and have so far put more new stuff than old onto the music machine they call an I pod. Having said that I did put some really early Beatles songs on the other day,one they never play.
    My five would be Suzi Quatro. Blondie, Bruce Springsteen,and Slade ,you just have to love Noddy Holder !!!
    Helen looks great, I’m not sure how I would change the base as its not my forte, but the shield is fine in its simplicity with just that beautiful eye you have painted,great work there matey!

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    1. In fairness Pat there is a lot of good music out there but they all seem like one hit wonders to me or just manufactured by the music industry. Still, good music is good music whenever and by whomever. Can’t fault your selection and if it were a top 10 or 20 they would all be in mine too.

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