Category: Musings

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

Following a few more sales on EBay (yes I am still trying to sell some!) I needed to paint a few more figures for listing.  Having not tested the market so to speak with SAGA figures I bought a few from Gripping Beast.  This is one of four Anglo-Danish Huscarl’s.  He doesn’t have a name of his own so I am calling him Brian.

Images of Brian below.

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New Paints – Experiment No: 3 – Citadel Textured Paint

After the disappointment of my Crackle Paint and Metallic Medium experiments I am pleased to report that my view on Citadel Textured paints is far more positive.  I purchased two pots – Mordant Earth (left) and Martian Iron Earth (right).

Applied thinly I didn’t think it did much but applied thickly and allowed to dry it shrank and cracked providing a very nice finish.  I then decided to cover a couple of old round bases in some coloured paint which I then left to fully dry.  Next I applied a nice thick coat of the textured paint and was pleased at seeing the paint show through after it had all dried and cracked.  Definitely better with the Mordant Earth in this instance.

This has already given me a few ideas for future uses and I will let you know how I get on with it.  I already have one little diorama in mind for using this effect on and I will leave you to guess what it might be.  If you are guessing on volcanic lava then great idea but not what I have planned!

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Stash Review

With Christmas not that far away I thought I would review the various items I have waiting to be done.  I figured it would also allow me to compile a list of items for Santa.

The bad news is I have more than enough to do without buying anything new.  The good news is I couldn’t give a fuck about the bad news and have an extensive list of things I want to have.

Applying some basic maths I reckon I will have enough to last me until the year 2077 by which time I will be 120 years of age.  Here’s hoping for further breakthroughs in medical science.

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Worthy Causes

Begging on the streets of Plymouth is on the increase in the lead up to Christmas with everyone it would seem trying to get in on the act.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who.  Classic 60’s Mod band and a classic song with some great lyrics such as “new boss just like the old boss”.  So true and I’m sure we have all experienced that at some point!

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This week TIM has been watching …

“Sully” starring Tom Hanks.

My brother recommend this one for me and as we generally share similar tastes in film and TV I thought I would give it a go.  I was familiar with the true story of the crash but not of the hearing which followed.  An excellent film.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

My attention is back on the Old West and Knuckleduster miniatures.  As my collection so far consists only of male figures it was high time I added a token female to the collection.  This little lady goes by the name of Dicey Lee.

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New Paints – Experiment No: 2 – Vallejo Crackle Medium

On the face of it Crackle Medium seemed like a good idea so I took the plunge and bought a bottle not quite knowing what I would ever use it for (ideas welcome!).  The instructions were clear and simple.  Do not shake the bottle as bubbles will form.  Paint over a base coat.  Allow to dry and then go over with a contrasting colour.  Simples.  Well yes it was simple but the effect was essentially non existent.

Naturally I had another go but the outcome was no better than the first time around.  Wearing my magnifying head visor I could just about see some cracks but nothing was visible to my naked eye.  Hence no images to post either.

Mark Morin, picking up on last weeks post commented that he found Vallejo Crackle Medium disappointing but that AK Crackle was much better.  I might experiment a bit more, not least of all because I have a bottle of the stuff, but it rather looks like I need a better alternative.  Hopefully it’s me but given Mark’s review I think I am being optimistic.

Hopefully I will have greater luck trying out my Citadel textured paints this week.

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Has anyone seen IRO?

What with it being Orktober I thought IRO would have been back blogging by now but alas he is either busy working or still setting up his super duper new modelling room in the new house.  He did reappear briefly but all has gone quiet once again.  Has anyone heard from him?  If not I shall drop him an email to see if all is well.

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Parenting

As a kid I was always told by my parents never to talk to strangers and never, never get in a car with one.  Sage advice which I in turn passed on to my kids.  However, due to an ever changing world, it was also incumbent upon me to advise both my kids that they should also never meet people they may get to know on the Internet alone.  You just do not know what weirdos are out there.

Now I hear there is a thing called Uber where you get in touch with a complete stranger on the internet who you then meet alone and get in a car with.  Every day the world becomes more and more fucking stupid.  Either that or I am just getting old.

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If like me you ever wondered …

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Rock and Roll” – Led Zeppelin.

Best played loud!

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This week TIM has been watching …

Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

It’s always nice to sit down and watch a modern classic.  Stands the test of time as far as I am concerned but was simply mind blowing when first released.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This week we have a Christian Priest from Gripping Beast.  I don’t typically do a lot of SAGA based figures so this represented a nice little change and I may well do a few more in due course.

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New Paints – Experiment No: 1 – Metalic Medium

Now don’t get to excited by the title.  Firstly what is new to me will I suspect not be new to you.  Secondly this is a mini series of only three experiments and my first impressions, therefore a brief review if you like.

A quick introduction.

I needed to replace a couple of paints so I went online and deposited the relevant items into my shopping basket only for the invoice cost to be doubled due to the cost of postage.  With free postage if you spent over £20.00 I decided to do some more shopping and found myself buying Vallejo Metalic Medium, Vallejo Crackle Medium and a couple of Citadel Texture paints.

So, Metalic Medium.  Simple to use, just a 50/50 mix of the medium and whatever acrylic paint you want to turn metalic.  The only thing to note is the original colour is diluted by the medium and so the end result will be a lighter colour.

How did I rate it?  Pointless to be honest.  Firstly, I could have achieved the same result by mixing a colour 50/50 with the metalic silver I already had.  Secondly, I consider it to be inferior to my preferred method of making metalics which is – Humbro or Revel silver enamel mixed with whatever other colour enamel or oil paint you chose and thinned with a little white spirit if the mix is to thick.  It’s all about personal opinion but this mix I find produces a far better metalic finish.

Try to contain your excitement for next week when I will deliver my verdict on Crackle Paint!

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Matrimonial Top Tips 

Time spent alone modelling often provides time for personal reflection.  Today I found myself mulling over the nearly 40 years of my life spent with  She Who Must Be Obeyed.   Now I am no expert when it comes to marriage but I do feel qualified to pass on a couple of pieces of advice to those of you with less matrimonial experience.

Top Tip No:1

If your wife says “Do what you want” do not under any circumstances do what you want.  Stand still.  Do not blink.  Do not even breathe.  Play dead.

Top Tip No: 2

No man has ever won a game of “Do you notice anything different about me?”.  Never ever play this game.  Feign a heart attack.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

Thriller by Michael Jackson.

Well when I say listening I also mean watching too as this is the full length official video which was ground breaking at the time and has been seen over 618 million times.  Stunning in its day but still OK now.  Even Michael himself looks normal!  I’m contemplating doing a zombie based model.  No idea what to do yet but thought this was a good place start some research.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“Shaun of the Dead” starring Simon Pegg.

Sticking with the Zombie genre and the need for further research this was an obvious source.  A classic and one of my all time favorites!

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This week we have another Reaper wizard.  This little chap goes by the name of Anuminar Winterbeard.  I have no idea what the owl is called to I have decided to name it Eric.

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The Cornwall Model Show – A further Update 

Last week I mentioned that I attended the Cornwall Model Show in Penzance.  Since then a few things relating to the show have been posted on the clubs Facebook page including an article which was put together by a chap called Greg Martin.  I had a nice chat with Greg who took some interesting photo’s but at the time I had no idea who he was.  Post the event and thanks to the Facebook post I learnt that Greg is a photojournalist and was at the show to do a write up.

The write up can be seen via the link below.  I am featured along with a few other modellers.

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/gallery/large-men-captured-dwarfing-tiny-3346593

A slightly edited version of the same article also made its way to the Online tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail.

While I was talking with Greg and he was taking some photo’s of my models I asked him if he would be able to take a photo of my boxed diorama “The Wizard Library”.  As you know my own photo’s, which you can see again via the link to the original post below, were far from ideal.

https://theimperfectmodeller.wordpress.com/2019/06/01/the-wizard-library-28mm-box-diorama-part-3-final/

My skill level for taking photographs isn’t great at the best of times but through glass and close up it is non existent!  Greg kindly obliged and then emailed me the result.  I think you will agree that his photo below is far better than mine!

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Modelling Retirement Planning  – Step 10 “The Domestic”

This week sees the conclusion of this series and how to achieve more time for modelling when retired.  If you have followed steps 1 through to 9 then all things being equal you will have no need for this one.  If, however, you have failed miserably then this really is the last port of call!

In essence Step 10 is an easy one.  The problem is that it could have either far greater consequences or much higher rewards pending your point of view.  The aim is to pick a domestic dispute which will allow both of you to go off and sulk with each other for few days thus leaving you to paint and model uninterrupted for at least 48 hours.  Much depends on the strength of your relationship.  Ideally you will be talking and “making up” in a few days and after a suitable period of time you will be ready to have another go if you have still not made progress in any of the other previous steps.  There are, however, some downsides.

Almost certainly during a period of sulking you may end up having to cook your own meals.  That said baked beans on toast doesn’t take long and if you get your timing right any issues around clothes washing shouldn’t present a problem.  The bigger issue is that prolonged use of this step could lead to divorce.  But is that a bad thing?

In all honesty most women in their 60’s are past their best.  If SWMBO is anything to go by she could do with a good ironing to smooth out a few of those wrinkles.  As a general rule they complain endlessly of being tired and under appreciated, something I just cannot get my head around.  Hardly a day goes by when I do not encourage SWMBO to sit down and take a break because she can always get on with whatever chore she is doing later.  Might as well be talking to the wall.  Only the other week I was away for the weekend only to return to a torrent of abuse because she hadn’t stopped working, walking the dog and looking after the kids.  Quite how I got the blame when I wasn’t even there is beyond me!  Still, at least I got a lot of modelling done that week.

So there you have it, TIM’s 10 Steps to a modelling retirement heaven, a series inspired by none other than John over at Just Needs Varnish.  Whether you are retired, planning to retire or just feel the urge to try these tips out please keep me posted.  I have listed the laptop in my part of the divorce settlement so I should be able to maintain contact with you all.

Meanwhile please remember …

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“I Predict A Riot” by the Kaiser Chiefs.

It’s been one of those weeks and this sums up my mode!

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This week TIM has been watching …

“The Victim”, a four part TV series set in Scotland.

Trawling through my BT player I discovered this series which I had recorded back in April but for whatever reason simply had not watched.  An excellent four hour  binge over two nights even if I did struggle with the Scottish brogue at times!  I have no idea if it is available to watch still but if you missed it at the time then well worth giving it a chance.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This week I have a Reaper Wizard to show you, a Dark Heaven Legends figure by the name of Arakus Landarzad to be precise.  A couple of things to point out in respect of this little chap.

Firstly, a shout out to my next door neighbour Kerry.  Having seen my Dad’s Army figures based on wooden cotton reels Kerry mentioned that his hobby is wood turning and that if I wanted him to he could make me some bases.  If I wanted him to?  I nearly bit his arm off and a few days later he called in with half a dozen for me.  The images below don’t really show the base off but I will do a better job for next weeks post.

Secondly, Flow Aid.  I mentioned last week that I had bought some and now I have managed to use it.  It gets a big thumbs up from me.  Now I am not saying I am using it properly but I gave it a go and was pleased with the result.  The acrylic paint did flow better in my opinion and gave me a confidence boost in terms of free hand experimentation.  The photo of the back of the wizard shows what I came up with.

Nothing more to add.  Hope you like the little chap.

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Modelling Retirement Planning  – Step 9

This week we have reached the penultimate Step in what I am sure has so far proved to be a valuable and informative guide to young and old a like!  Key to success of course is down to your understanding of women and your own wife/partner in particular.  I have done my best to summarize the information into 10 easy to follow steps but feel free to undertake your own research in light of the publication below.

Step 9.

It is impossible for the women of the house to take time off completely.  In reality washing and ironing are best kept on top of and meals need to be prepared and cooked three time a day.  It can be quite tiring work and let’s face it, if she doesn’t do it who else is going to?  Well not newly retired you that’s for sure, those models wont paint themselves will they?

With this in mind it is a good habit to at least twice a day make her a cup of tea and tell her to take time out while you both go and sit down to drink it.  This move displays your caring side and earns brownie points.  It might even pay you to provide her with a slice of cake as well.

All being well she will nod off in her arm chair or get engrossed in a magazine article or whatever book she is reading.  Quietly slip away to your modelling desk and if she does nod off then under no circumstance wake her up until it’s time for her to cook the dinner.  As a general rule there is at least an hour or two of hobby time to be gained from this one.

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IPMS Cornwall

Last Saturday I attended the IPMS Cornwall model show with a few of the guys from the Plymouth Model Club.  The Penzance venue was very nice and attendance on the day appeared to be very good.  It isn’t the biggest show by any means but they hold a competition and I wanted to enter a couple of items to gauge some feedback.  I should explain that they run their competition a little differently in Cornwall which is why I was interested.

Other competitions I have entered generally have the same class categories and within each a first, second and third place (or Gold, Silver and Bronze) is awarded.  Some also award a “Highly Commended” and elect an overall show winner.  At the Cornwall show your entry is judged on its merit.  The judges look at the model and assess it under 5 categories – Workmanship, Finishing, Presentation, Attention to Detail and Creativity.  The number of points in each of the 5 categories varies slightly due to the entry class but overall they all add up to 100 points.  If the model scores between 90 and 100 points a Gold is awarded.  Between 80 and 89 Silver, 70 to 79 Bronze and 60 to 69 is commended.

Under this scheme it is possible to have more than one Gold (or Silver or Bronze) awarded in a class or none at all.  A different system but what I liked about it was being able to gauge how highly the judges who are fellow modellers rated your work.

For my part I entered 3 pieces – “The Wizard Library”, “What The Fuck Was That?” and “Easy Boy!”.  The first two have appeared as posts on this blog but the third hasn’t yet.  It is my intended post for this weekend so I will say no more about it for now.

I was chuffed to be awarded a Gold Medal (not real Gold!) and accompanying certificate for all three of my entries and am now need giving serious consideration to Telford.  I’m not under any illusions, the standard of that show is very, very high and I have no desire to make a tit of myself but a part of me is saying you will never know if you do not give it a try.  I still have time to make up my mind so I shall deliberate for a little while longer.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

Jethro Tull and Living in the Past.

A nice little oldie for you kids out there.  I was 12 at the time but I remember my oleer brother buying the album “Aqualung” and like a lot of the stuff he bought it rubbed off on me.  As for the title it pretty much sums up where I’m at these days.

Nostalgia rocks!

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This week TIM has been watching …

500 Days of summer starring Joseph Gordon-Levit and Zooey Deschanel.

A quirky little film which I have watched several times and did so again the other day.  Several people I know didn’t like it but personally I really enjoyed it and particularly liked the way it was edited together with the counted days going backwards and forwards rather than consecutively.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This week we have one of the Hasselfree figures I chose not to use in my recent “Rats” diorama.  A young lady who goes by the name Dakota.

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Modelling Retirement Planning  – Step 8

So this week we move to Step 8 and with only two more steps to follow we are nearing the end of what I hope you are finding a valuable resource either for now or at some point in the future.  The image below provides an ideal introduction to this weeks step – Coffee Mornings.

As we can see from the above illustration, taken I am reliably informed from an original Paleolithic painting which is over 40,000 years old and can be found in the Franco-Cantabrian region of Western Europe, women have been talking for a very long time.  In truth some never stop and it is this weakness that Step 8 aims to exploit to the modeller’s advantage.

Quite simply always encourage the wife to meet up with family and friends at every opportunity.  Promote as much as possible the idea of Coffee Mornings.  It really doesn’t matter whether these take place in or away from your home but the latter will add travel time which is clearly a bonus.  Once you get a gaggle (collective noun?) of women together they will never stop but you can.  You can stop whatever you were doing and simply start modelling or painting instead.  Why should you work when they are not?

By my reckoning you should aim for two Coffee Mornings a week which potentially will give you anywhere between 2 and 16 hours of hobby time.  Happy days!

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Movie Special Effects

Maybe it’s because I consider myself a modeller but I can always tell when they use fake Dinosaurs in the movies.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye.

Having recently been to the cinema (see below) I saw a trailer for Documentary/Movie about Motown.  It inspired me to dig out a few classics and I decided there was nowhere better to start than here.

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This week TIM has been watching …

Once Upon a Time In Hollywood starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Brad Pitt and the extremely hot Margot Robbie.

A midweek trip to the cinema with my son who was on a weeks holiday to see the 9th Tarantino movie.  Probably not everyone’s cup of tea but we loved it and the 2 hours and 40 minutes flew by.  Hopefully the DVD will be out for Christmas, my 93 year old father and 88 year old mother will enjoy it, they love a happy ending!

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This week we have a Reaper Pathfinder figure which goes by the name of “Kaer Maga Dusk Warden”.

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Flow Aid

I was asked by Mark Morin following my most recent Dad’s Army post …

https://theimperfectmodeller.wordpress.com/2019/08/31/dads-army-part-5-28mm-figures/

… if there was any secret to how I painted pin stripes.  The simple answer was “No”.  A steady hand, practice and a willingness to go over the lines time and time again until they look straight is pretty much all I do.  A good brush and appropriately thinned paint are also essential.

Now having said all that the other day I learnt about a product called “Flow Aid”.  This was knew to me although the product isn’t and I suspect most of you have heard of it either under that name or something similar.  In theory it thins the paint and improves the flow without diluting the pigment and is ideal for detailed work such as thin lines.  It also reduces the drying time and should aid colour blending too.

I have ordered a bottle and will let you know what I think of it in due course.  In the meanwhile I would be interested to know what experience any of you might have of using it.

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A Friend In Need

My painting and modelling plans were disrupted earlier in the week when the lady next door asked if I could help her bury a rolled up carpet in the woods.  Apparently her husband would have done it but he’s had to go away for a few days.

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Modelling Retirement Planning  – Steps 5, 6 and 7

Well hopefully by now you are all either well underway with steps 1 through to 4 or you have printed them out and kept them somewhere safe until you reach your time for retirement.  As these next steps are all “Kitchen” related I thought I would bunch them together as they rather neatly lead from one to the other.

Step 5

Another task which will almost certainly come your way in retirement is an expectation that you will take your turn at cooking the evening meal.  Now I know that in this modern world some men actually enjoy cooking but just try to remember that it takes time.  Pending what you choose to cook it can take a lot of time and that is all time lost which could have been spent painting and modelling.  You must stay focused on the objective!

If you are coerced into cooking a meal, any meal, constantly ask where things are kept.  Patience is needed for this one but as modellers we have it in abundance and it will only be a matter of time before the little lady will tire of it and realise it is quicker to do it herself.  When this happens you must always, repeat always answer with “Well OK darling as long as you are sure” and follow that up by making a very quick exit before there is the remotest chance she might change her mind.

Step 6

Now if step 5 went according to plan then this step might prove unnecessary.  Assuming your other half has the measure of you, and let’s be honest she probably has, then you should undertake this step.

To the average women the kitchen is on a par with the man cave/garage/modelling desk.  If the little lady entered your space and didn’t put things back properly (see Step 3 – “Dusting”) you wouldn’t like it would you?  Well neither would she so if you find yourself still doing some cooking you must, repeat must put things back in the wrong place.  With luck you will never have to see the inside of the kitchen again.  If you still find yourself up against a brick wall then it is time for Step 7!

Step 7

Now step 7 follows the same basic principles as step 6 in that it is geared to invading their space.  If you have failed with steps 5 and 6 then this one is for you.  You could of course jump straight to this step but I would encourage you to resist the urge to do so.  Women are persistent creatures and you can be sure they will come back to the idea of you doing some cooking at a future date.  With this in mind it is far better to adopt a staged approach based upon my experience.  Don’t play all your cards at once unless you absolutely have to.

Timing is the key to this step.  Open every single kitchen cupboard door and wait for the little lady to enter the room.  Looking thoughtful declare that the contents are all over the place and that no wonder you cannot find anything (notwithstanding the fact that you have put things back in the wrong place under step 6!) and thus you are planning to completely reorganise the place now that you are at home and have the time.  It goes without saying that your proposed ideas on how to do this must be absurd!  If that doesn’t do it then to put it bluntly you’re fucked.  Always remember with this one that the bruising will go eventually and the eye you can still open should be firmly fixed on the end game which will be in sight once the double vision has cleared.

One reason for potential failure could be your knife rack.  If you have one like this then you are dealing with quite a difficult creature and I would suggest you tread carefully!

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This week TIM has been listening to …

… Roxy Music. Very much a 70’s group and one which I expect divided opinion but personally I loved this arty stuff and there earlier albums still take some beating as far as I am concerned, especially with head phones on.  The album covers were classics too and well worth checking out.

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This week TIM has been watching …

… Blazing Saddles.

Going through the Knuckleduster website I noticed some new additions – “Sheriff Blazer”, “Mangus” and “The Chaco Kid”.  All three figures clearly based on the film.  This prompted me to dig out the DVD and give it a watch, something I haven’t done for donkey years.

I expected it to be politically incorrect and doubted some of the humor would have stood the test of time.  I was right on both accounts but it was fun too.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This weeks miniature is a Reaper wizard which goes by the name of Kenrik Thistlemoor.  I enjoyed doing this one, partly because I rate the quality of Reaper figures highly and partly because painting wizards provides a great opportunity to use pretty much whatever colours take your fancy.  I’ve since ordered three more Reaper wizards to do.  Hopefully they will prove to be fun as well.

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Modelling Retirement Planning  – Step 4

This week we will be looking at another task that will most likely come your way in the early days of retirement when you offer to help … grocery shopping!

Hopefully you will find this challenge far more easy to complete.  I got the distinct impression that some of you weren’t up to the idea of breaking any of your wifes treasures while dusting for fear of death.  Hopefully this task will not only prove to be less onerous but may also provide an insight to how you have been had for years.

Now I expect at this point most if not all of you think this step is all about simply taking the shopping list you have been given and fucking up by not buying half the items on it.  Well you would be wrong.  You can adopt that approach by all means but it is predictable and your other half will anticipate it.  Remember, she knows you are useless.  The key to this task is to buy everything on the list as well as lots of things not on the list.  Why?  I will explain.

If you are about to retire then you are of a certain age.  If you are of a certain age and been able to resist the pathetic urge to become a modern man then there is a good chance that you are/have been the main bread winner (get a life, this is how it used to be!) and have provided your good lady with “house keeping” money.  Now women are good at managing this financial pot, in fact they are very good, they could all be accountants. Why is this?  Well, by being frugal they get to save money and with the money they save they get their hair and nails done.  So when you buy more than was on the list you aren’t blowing the house keeping budget you are stopping them from being able to have their “cosmetic essentials”. 

Now of course they will complain that you have done the shopping badly but they will not, even at the risk of calling out the Spansih Inquisition, confess to the real reason.  By continuing on your spending spree you can be certain you wont be allowed to for very long. 

Remember.  Women always complain they don’t have enough house keeping but always manage to squeeze money out of the money they are given to get their hair and nails done.  You wont go without food but they wont go without their beauty essentials either so the likelyhood you will ever have to do this more than twice is minimal.  With them continuing to do the shopping you are free to model!

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The Positive side of Obesity

The thing with a hobby such as modelling is that a great deal of time is spent sitting around which has serious potential for unwanted weight gain.  Fortunately walking my dog ensures I remain reasonably fit and healthy,  However, should I find myself expanding my waist line I will take some consolation from the fact that the more you weigh the harder you are to kidnap!

With this in mind I am adopting the following mantra.

“Stay safe, eat cake”.

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Cars, New or Used?

My little convertible is fine but unsuitable for transporting models to shows and the family car whilst extremely practical cannot be described as a cool ride.  With this in mind I started to think about changing one or the other.  I’ve always tended to buy from new (something about being the first) but as my annual mileage is so low a quality used car would allow me to spend the equivalent amount of money but on a superior vehicle.   What to do?

I continued to deliberate until I saw the advert below.  Maybe it is the power of advertising but a used vehicle now seems quite exciting and besides who wouldn’t like an Aston Martin?

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Fake I.D.” by Big and Rich and featuring Gretchen Wilson from the remake of the film “Footloose”.

Of the two film versions I prefer the original but I do like this track and the line dancing scene from the remake but above all I like the lead lady Julianne Hough!

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This week TIM has been watching …

Top Gun starring Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis.

Corny for sure but still a classic as far as I am concerned and soon we will have Top Gun 2.  Will it be any good?  Well you can be sure it will be predictable and more than a little cheesy but I suspect it will have some good stunts and be fun.  Looking forward to it.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This weeks figure is a Jomsviking by Gripping Beasts.  They do make very nice miniatures and this one was no exception.

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Birthday Presents

Just over a week ago it was my birthday and in the lead up to it I was unsurprisingly asked by She Who Must be Obeyed what I would like by way of a present.  Naturally my first instinct was to consider asking for the services of a young women with the oral suction power of a Dyson Vacuum Cleaner but decided I might be pushing my luck.  Besides I couldn’t see SWMBO spending that much money on me.

Instead I decided on a set of Artis Opus brushes.  I remembered that back in April Alex of the Leadbaloony bought a set at for his birthday at Salute.  The sensible thing to have done would have been to ask him what he thought of them before tasking SWMBO with the purchase but then again Alex is a smart lad and if he thought they were good enough to buy then what more justification did I need?

Up to now I have been using Winsor and Newton Series 7 which are fantastic and comparable in price but by all accounts these brushes are the dogs bollocks so in due course I will let you know what I think of them.

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Modelling Retirement Planning  – Step 3

Imagine you are a raw recruit having been handed a loaded weapon and for the first time in your life you are required to shoot someone dead.  Are you ruthless enough to do so?  Remember it is you verses them.  Now Hang on to that image as I take you through the finer points of Step 3 – Dusting!

Now if you have stuck with the program so far then you will have:

1. extended your weekend from 2 days a week to 4,
2. only be doing jobs 3 days a week in the mornings,
3. completed all the indoor jobs on your to do list,
4. be ready to make good on your promise to help your other half with her household chores.

The first thing to remember when you ask your other half “what can I do to help you darling?” is that she has her own routine, her own list of regular chores and that on that list of chores are several she hates doing.  If you think you are going to get a nice job delegated to you then forget it.  You are going to get a shit job and because she probably doesn’t trust you to do anything properly you will almost certainly be given the job of dusting.  After all what could you possibly do wrong?

Phase 1

To begin with it is important to do the job in a slap dash way.  This should come easily to you because it is shit job that you do not want to do anyway, however, you must see this as an opportunity.  It is important to remember that nothing, absolutely nothing must go back in the right place.  This is also a great chance to break things she has on display which you do not like and have hated for years.  Try not to wreck the place but it is vital that things get broken.

The chances are the first thing you break will not cause a problem.  You may be called clumsy but the job of dusting is still yours.  In due course you must up your game.  Focus less on how much you break and more on the sentimental value of the object itself.  At some point you will inevitably have to break something which she holds dear.  This is where you need to try to retain the image of the raw recruit.  Are you a man or a mouse?  If you answer “squeak” then you are stuck with dusting forever.  Sad to see her cry I grant you but don’t lose sight of the end game.  Remember, life can be harsh.

Having completed your mission of breaking something she values the task of dusting will almost certainly not be given to you again.

Phase 2

If you have been making the most of your additional painting and modelling time then you have almost certainly produced more items for storage and/or display.  Now that you are no longer charged with dusting the time has arrived to start putting some of these completed items on display around the house.  I would recommend doing this once your relationship with your other half is back on an even keel or she will start to break them.

Having these models spread around the house will inevitably increase the time taken for her to properly dust.  Instinctively you will know the right time to say to her “Dearest, I have an idea on how best to make the job of dusting easier for you”.  She will bite your hand off for any forthcoming solution which leaves you free to spend money on another display case.

Simples!

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This week TIM has been listening to …

T-Rex and “Get It On”.

Not surprisingly I love the music of the 70’s, it was my teens after all.  Meaningless lyrics and dodgy fashion but brilliant none the less.  This was a great track when it first hit the charts and T-Rex and Bolan were huge at the time.  Sadly I used to drive passed the place where Bolan was killed in a car accident every time I went to watch Chelsea play.  I guess some people are destined to die young.

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This week TIM has been watching …

The Untouchables staring Kevin Costner and Robert De Niro.

In the final episode of Peak Blinders (series 4) reference was made to Al Capone which was all the inspiration I needed to dig this classic out of the cupboard!

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Until next time.

TIM

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

A return to Knuckleduster.  Keeping up with new releases is proving difficult with so many great figures being made available but I am trying my best.  Clearly modeled on Clint Eastwood this is in my opinion a great sculpt.

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Understanding Women

A wise man once said …

“Only when you accumulate the understanding to know why a pizza is made round, to be put in a square box and then eaten in triangles, will you then be able to understand women”.

… which leads me neatly on to …

Modelling Retirement Planning  – Step 2

Get your jobs list done and out of the way.  OK, OK this sounds like a contradiction but there is method in the madness so let me explain.

When you are newly retired you are still very much in work mode which is to say you are used to working at a certain pace and with a certain discipline.  The good news is it wares off when you realise you are not on holiday for two weeks but for the rest of your life.  So while you are waiting for reality to kick in get the jobs done but don’t work all day and only do indoor jobs to start with.

If you went about Step 1 properly then you should have 4 days a week to call your own.  Having allowed the 4 day routine to settle into normality you now need to agree that on your 3 “working” days you plan to work on the remainder of your jobs list in the morning and have time to call you own in the afternoon.  Having been a good boy and done most of the indoor jobs you were assigned this should not be a problem if you time it right.  You might also try explaining that once the list is eventually complete you will then be able to share her household jobs.  Encourage your other half to work in the same way and insist that she takes a break too.  She probably wont of course because she has her own routine but make her a cup of tea every now and then and show her your caring side.

All being well you now have 4 day and 3 afternoons for painting and modelling.  However, for at least half the year in the UK it is wet weather.  Nobody likes working outside when it is pissing down so as long as you have concentrated on doing only the indoor jobs as mentioned above then on those wet days there is nothing to do but either help your other half (as “promised” above) or spend more time painting and modelling!

You are now on track for having 4 days, 3 afternoons and 50% of the working day mornings to call your own.  Next week we will start on how to deal with “helping” your other half so that you can claw back the other 50% for yourself.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

Shotgun by Georg Ezra.

This years holiday song which I am dedicating to all you folks in Australia!

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This week TIM has been watching …

Band of Brothers.

This series completely passed me by and despite being told how great it was I still never put myself out to watch it … until now.  Two parts in with eight to go.  Great stuff.  Should have got my arse in gear and watched it sooner!

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Until next time.

TIM