Category: Miscellaneous

This figure is from Hasslefree and is based on the character Snake Plissken played by Kurt Russell in the 1996 film “Escape From LA”.  I decided to paint this one up as a single figure but since doing that have typically had several little diorama ideas, accordingly this figure will almost certainly be bought again at some point.

I went for a simple base made of a small piece of carved plaster board.  The more I use this stuff the more I love it.  It produces great texture and as it is naturally absorbent it produces instant shadows.  Add a little dry brushing and viola, all done.

TIM

For various reasons I found myself with very little time to do any modelling, in fact I count myself lucky that I even got this one done.  The figure is from Crooked Dice and if it has a name I can’t remember what it is and at this moment in time I am feeling far to lazy to look it up!  What can I say, it’s been one of those weeks.

Not a great deal to say about the figure itself other than I decided to experiment with some much darker shadowing than I normaly would for the seams of her dress.  For me it made the figure more striking and I rather liked the end result.  You good reader may think differently and if you do then please feel free to comment below.

TIM

I don’t know if the sculptor of these two Hasslefree miniatures intended for them to go together but for me they are a natural fit.  The female figure goes by the name of “Pulse” and is one I have painted before.  How you get so much sex appeal into a 28mm figure I will never know.  The chap is called “Oscar”.

The idea of the two figures simply walking along was an obvious one given their design.  In my head Oscar has just said “It’s time to go” and then picked up his gun and bag and walked off leaving Pulse with little choice but to follow him.

The base was a very simple affair.  Dust and dirt ground work with a couple of bricks and a few pieces of wood (coffee stirrers, what else?) thrown in.  No need for anything more elaborate, the figures tell the story.

Images below.

TIM

I thought I would enter this one in Azazel’s Jewel of July as well.  Why?  Well it might be a small piece but I think it is cool.  How can a 1960’s Mod, a Lambretta and the Who not be?  Feel free to argue.

So what do we have here?  Well first and foremost this is a TIM conversion!  OK so it’s only a hand that has been changed but it is still the only figure in the world like it.

The figure itself is from Crooked Dice and one I bought a while ago.  It is one of three scooter figures, this one being the gang leader.  I knew what I wanted to do with it immediately I saw it but there was a problem to be overcome.  The figure, a picture of the original little chap appears below, was holding a gun.  Not in keeping with 1960’s Britain so it had to go.  The trouble was I didn’t have an alternative hand.  Move forward a few months and a new supply of figures in the post and as luck would have it one of the figures I had bought came with an arm alternative and voila, up and running.  Eat your hearts out Wudugast and IRO!

Thereafter the figure became a paint job and an opportunity for a little freehand.  Do I paint the classic who logo on the back of the parka like the Crooked Dice images or a Union Jack?  I decided on the latter, I couldn’t do the same and besides I had settled on the Quadrophenia album cover for the base.  Slightly thicker black around the eyes for eye shadow and a registration of WHO1 plus my initials painted to either side of the front of the scooter and there you have it.   If I could only have added some mirrors it would have been perfect but hey ho!

I then decided the front of the wooden base could do with a lift and I managed to find a little print which made reference to the Brighton Beach clashes between the Mods and the Rockers in 1964 which was also the central theme of the movie.

Job complete.

For me this is a little nostalgia piece and as cool as it comes.  I was only seven in 1964 but I remember my dad talking to my mum in the kitchen and showing her the front page of the Daily Mirror and saying “Whatever next!”.

Images of the model below.

TIM

The Crooked Dice images of the original figure

 

 

 

Yes I know you spell clown with a “C” but this is the title that Reaper have given to this 28mm miniature.

Of all the types of humour out there slap stick is my least favourite (that and over elaborate pranks which are so sophisticated that anyone would fall for them) and thus I have never really found anything about clowns particularly funny.  In fact the complete opposite is true.  As a kid I found them scarry.  Clearly I was not alone in seeing a sinister side to them as numerous movies have chosen to play on this and portray clowns as creepy fuckers, one of the most recent being Stephen King’s “IT”.

Despite my dislike of clowns they are very colourful and offer a very nice painting challenge.  It was with this in mind that I decided to buy and paint Bonzo.  I think Reaper do another clown too and at some point I may well do that.  If I can find others then who knows, there might be an opportunity for a creepy diorama to follow.  I might not find clowns funny but this one was fun to do.

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Drum role.

Ring Master: “Ladies and gentlemen, the Circus of Horrors proudly presents Bonzo The Killer Klown”.

Queue music.

Curtains part.

Bonzo enters the ring.

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TIM

 

 

This is my last post for 2019 so here’s wishing you all a great Christmas and a Happy New Year and I hope you get the models you bought yourself!

For my Christmas figure I decided to go with this chap – “The Old Fiddler”.

The figure is a 54mm miniature produced by Andrea.  It’s a figure I have had my eye on for a while and when I saw it several pounds cheaper at Telford I took the plunge and bought it.  I’m not sure it is but in my own mind the figure felt seasonal.

Other than adding some fallen leaves to the base it is just a paint job.  Even if I had wanted to do more it would have been difficult to see how to add or attempt to better the original composition.  Images below.

Until next year!

TIM

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This weeks 28mm mini is a figure from the Artizan Thrilling Tales range and goes by the name of “Mr Harries”.  No real reason for buying this figure other than the fact that I quite liked the character and thought he would be nice to paint.

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What Colour?

In general women have a lot of qualities I admire.  Top of the list has to be that two women can go to the toilet together and nobody bats an eye.  A bloke would never ask his mate the same question.  Lower on the list is their ability to be pissed off, never show that they are but never forget that you annoyed them.  They mark your card and bide their time.  I believe Black Widow spiders act in much the same way.

Now a while ago She Who Must Be Obeyed bought some new towels for our en-suite bathroom.  “What colour do you want?” she asked me.  I had a choice between a plum/purple colour or a jade/green.  To be honest I couldn’t get excited either way and simply said “They’re just towels, you choose, I’m not bothered”.  She smiled sweetly and chose the jade/green for herself and that was the end of the matter.

A week or so later I was sitting at my desk painting.  Messing about with a Reaper Wizard figure that I had picked up and put down more times than I care to remember.  Dutifully bringing me a nice cup of tea I took the opportunity to ask her “Do you think I should paint his cloak blue or purple?”. “It’s just a figure” she said “I’m not bothered one way or another”.

Even though she had her back to me I swear she was smiling.

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Buying Rules 

Looking at my stash of models and figures the other day made me realise that perhaps things had gotten a little out of hand.  The days when I would work on one model at a time before starting on the next project has become a thing of the past.  It was time for some self imposed discipline and the establishment of some rules.  From now on I will only buy things as  I need them to complete my ongoing project unless …

… I have a discount voucher to use up,

… I see something special at show trade stand,

… there is a sale,

… the supplier is offering free postage for a limited period,

… I have nothing else I want for a Christmas present or to spend birthday money on,

… I just want it.

Now, as long as I stick to the rules it will only be a matter of time before I gain full control.  Everyone needs a plan.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

… Alice Cooper and “School’s Out”

 

With our holiday less than two weeks away and my daughter now finished school for another year this seemed appropriate.  Takes me back to 1972 and a period of teenage attitude.  Happy days!

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This week TIM has been watching …

… Darkest Hour starring Gary Oldman.

Must have watched this a few times now and each time I do it never fails to highlight what a bunch of wankers some of our politician’s were.  Sadly little has been learnt and the current crop leave a great deal to be desired too.  The more I read or watch about WW2 the greater my respect for the fighting men and women of the era.  Civilians too are equally deserving of praise.  That said, it’s amazing how twists of fate and not just strategy and bravery alone often proved significant to the outcome of not only this war but countless others as well I suspect.

A couple of years back I took my daughter up to London to show her family roots.  As part of the trip we did the tour of the Houses of Parliament.  Standing in the House of Commons I tried to soak up all the decisions which had been taken in that room which changed the world.  If you have never done it do yourself a favour and take the tour.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

Having failed miserably to meet the challenges for May and June I thought I ought to get my finger out for July.  The challenge was to produce a centre piece, never particularly easy for someone who tends to concentrate on vignettes and dioramas.  Fortunately I remembered that I bought a bust (not any old bust but an Ork bust) at the Torquay model show a few weeks ago.  It seemed like now was the ideal time to get it done.

I have never painted a bust before, partly because they never really appealed to me but mainly because of the scale.  I knew it would offer a whole new painting experience and I wasn’t sure if I was up for that.  I don’t claim to be an expert but moving up and down the scales requires different techniques.  What you can get away with at one scale you cannot get away with on another and the large scale associated with a bust is pretty unforgiving.  Still, as I had bought the bloody thing I reckoned I might as well do it.

So here you have my first attempt (and probably my last too) of painting a bust.  Some photo’s, including a few work in progress ones appear below.  For scale I have also include an image of the bust along side Lord Flash.

On this occasion I used no oil paints.  As if painting the bust wasn’t challenge enough I decided to only use acrylics this time.

If only I could have come up with a better name for the model though!

TIM