Category: Musings

Welcome to this weeks Musings!

Pessimist, Realist or Optimist? Post Telford Update

… and the winner was … The Realist!

Well not really a surprise but as predicted the audience and participants pretty much comprised of ageing men and fathers and their sons.  To be fare there were women about but they were very few and far between, either that or they were simply avoiding me at all costs.  As a consequence I never got to discuss the finer points of “how far do you think I  should dip my brush” , “do you have a favorite tool?” and “the best way to strip a lovely figure”. 

I shall retain my optimism and hope that next year I will meet the young lady featured in The News at TIM – Mid Week Musings (No: 33) but suspect by then that the following may well be more applicable!

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Post Telford Review

As mentioned in previous posts this was my first visit to Telford and hopefully it will prove to be the first of many.  I was told prior to attending that it was the biggest event of its kind in Europe.  I don’t know for sure if that’s true but it is without a doubt a very sizeable event.  I appreciate such events aren’t every ones cup of tea but as a participant and as a visitor I did thoroughly enjoy it.

To help those of you who have never been a photo below to provide some perspective.  The photo is of one of three equally sized exhibition halls.  There is also a very large space dedicated to competition entries.  The photo was taken before the doors were opened to the general public which is why it looks sparse.

Over the course of the two days I managed to talk to a great many people both in respect of my own models, those of the Plymouth club and of course their own modelling interest.  All very nerdy I grant you but its my hobby and it’s nice to spend time with like minded people rather than have the piss taken out of me by my son and daughter even though I love them both dearly.

If I’m honest the event favors those who are more into kit building, be that planes, tanks, cars or whatever, rather than figures.  The traders pretty much mirrored this too.  That said there were plenty of figures being exhibited and several traders had figures to sell so I was kept more than happy.

On the down side, or the up side pending your take on it, it was very easy to spend a lot of money.  I went with a budget and am pleased to say that I spent far more than I intended to!  Initially I wasn’t concerned until I realized I had to get everything passed SWMBO when I got home.  Fortunately I conceived a cunning plan on the way home.  By stopping at the motorway services a couple of times to grab a burger and shake I was able to return home late enough for her to be in bed given that Monday was a school day and she had to be up for our daughter!  From talking to other modellers this kind of clandestine approach is not uncommon which leads me to think modellers would make great drug smugglers.

I was tempted to provide you guys with lots of photo’s but since arriving home several video’s have sprung up on YouTube which will provide a far better insight than I can.  If you’re interested simply search under “IPMS Telford 2018”.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

Edwin Starr.

The nice thing about a 4 hour car journey to Telford (and back again) is I get to play music as loud as I like and without being moaned at by either SWMBO or the kids.  As a consequence I got to listen to a lot this week, far to much to mention really so I picked out one track which was relevant to the journey home.

I should perhaps point out that I was about 100 miles away at the time and driving!

Best played very loud.

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This week TIM has been watching …

The above track always reminds of a film called “Adventures In Baby Sitting”.  It’s a film my kids both enjoyed when they were both a bit younger.  But for one “F” bomb it’s a great family film if your kids are of a suitable age and it also has a great soundtrack which includes Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones and Real Wild Child by Iggy Pop.  Anyway, nostalgia got the better of me so I’ve been watching it while trying to make progress with my current diorama.

The 1987 film stars a rather hot Elizabeth Shue and arguably worth a watch for that alone.

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Until next time!

TIM

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Musings!

Telford

This weekend is the Telford International Plastic Modelers Society (IPMS) show.  I can’t speak with any authority on the event as it will be my first visit.  I’m told it’s a huge event and that I should take a lot of money with me!  I’m not sure how tempted I will be, plastic kits aren’t generally my thing, but I’m attending with an open mind and will provide an update in next weeks Musings.

Getting ready for the event as well as being away for four days has resulted in not being able to model as much as I would like since last week.  Hopefully I will be able to complete a figure for my Saturday post but my planned update on my “Operation Overlord” diorama will have to wait for at least another week as I simply haven’t done enough on the third building.

Pessimist, Realist or Optimist?

Pending who you speak to some people would describe me as a Pessimist.  Of course there are times when this would be accurate.  In reality there are times when I would argue that the glass isn’t so much half empty but actually it has fuck all in it.  Fortunately such dark days are in the minority.

Now personally I would argue I am a Realist who on occasions is extremely optimistic.  In an attempt to prove this let’s consider Telford this coming weekend.

If I put my Pessimist hat on then I would envisage an event which is not as good as I have been led to believe and with very few people in attendance.  I don’t see that happening.  I’m not a Pessimist.

Wearing my Realistic hat I foresee a huge event, well attended by an audience made up almost entirely of old men and dads and their sons.  Would anybody bet against this being the case?  Probably not.  I am a Realist.

Now if I put my Optimistic hat on top of my Realist hat, which I’m inclined to do every once in a while, then I anticipate the following …

I’ll let you know what transpires.

This week TIM has been watching …

Bohemian Rhapsody.

Yes, I’ve been off to the cinema once again, this time to see Bohemian Rhapsody starring Rami Malek who is simply stunning in his performance of Freddie Mercury.  If you like Queen I can’t imagine you not loving this film, it is simply superb and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it isn’t the biggest box office film of the year in the UK, it certainly deserves to be.

This week TIM has been listening to …

Queen.

Given how much I enjoyed the film it was almost impossible not to come home and get my Queen CDs out.  I love this group so picking a couple of tracks for this post was quite a challenge.  In the end I settled for posting the link to their iconic performance at the Live Aid concert.  If you watch this and get to see the film the comparison (all be it with a couple of track omissions in the film) is stunning.

Live performances don’t get better than this!

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

Welcome to this week’s Musings!

Inspired by a recent comment by Azazel I bring you …

TIM’s 12 Laws of Modelling

1. The “To Do List” only gets longer;
2. The increase in the neglected pile is directly proportional to the number of recent items bought;
3. Modelling is only stress free when you don’t give a shit what the end result looks like;
4. How right it looks matters far more than how accurate it is;
5. Only when a figure becomes obsolete do you realize how much you should have bought it when you had the chance;
6. Only when you have implemented a solution to a problem do you find a better way to have resolved it;
7. No matter how much you clear your working space there is always something in the way;
8. Only when you sit down to start modelling will you remember (or be reminded) that there was something else you had to do first;
9. Disruptions only happen at critical construction/painting moments;
10. Essential items required to complete a model only run out when the shops are closed;
11. The item you have set your heart on will always be out of stock;
12. The model show you most want to go to will always clash with another event you cannot get out of.

Please feel free to add to the list or highlight a favorite!

This week TIM has been listening to …

Robert Palmer.  Two classic tracks, firstly “Addicted to Love” (Tina Turner does a great cover of this too by the way) followed by “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)”.

Oh, and for anyone who thinks the two videos are a tad sexist for today’s sensitive community check out Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Women” video produced many years after Robert Palmer’s.  I wonder where she got the idea from?  That’s equality for you!

This week TIM has been watching …

The Detectorists.

Had my brother not put me onto this series it would have passed me by and as it turns out that would have been a shame.  For those of you who may not have heard of the show it features Mackenzie Crook (The Office, Pirates of the Caribbean), is set in rural England and is about a Metal Detecting club and its members.  Sounds bazaar but it works.  Well my brother and I think it does.

So far there have been three series of six episodes along with a Christmas special or two.  A bit like Marmite (Vegemite) I guess you will love it or hate it but I’ll throw it out there for you to make up your own mind or comment on if you have seen it.

One thing that it does highlight for me is that there is comedy gold to be had in all walks of life regardless of how random the subject is.  When the time comes to put down my painting brushes I think I’m going to have a go at writing about the adventures of the modelling and blogging community.  An untapped source if ever there was one.

From here on in you better watch what you say!

Did you know …

Viagra is widely used in hospitals to stop little old men from rolling out of bed?

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Until next time.

TIM

We’ll come to this week’s Musings!

They Shall Not They Grow Old

I mentioned last week that I was off to the cinema to see the Peter Jackson documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old”, a documentary about the Great War timed to remind us of its conclusion 100 years ago this coming November.  The viewing I went to was the films premier and included live coverage of the red carpet entrance and interviews followed after the film with a live Q&A session with the man himself, Peter Jackson.  In short it was a great evening and the film itself is quite remarkable, as were the various insights provided by Peter during the Q&A.

Once I got rid of the image of Jackson looking remarkably like a Hobbit and focused on what he actually had to say it became apparent very quickly just what an incredible individual he is.  Inspired by his own family connections to the war he has produced an amazing film.

It was my intention to provide a more in depth review but the day after the film a BBC critic published his own account so I thought it would be easier to post a link to that instead (See below).  The only thing I found myself disagreeing with him on was the length of the film.  As a critic I guess he has to say something negative and if this is all he could come up with then it’s rather pathetic.  I can only conclude that he has prostate problems as personally, and from talking to one or two people afterwards, they could have bolted on another 3 or 4 hours and it wouldn’t have been too long as far as I am concerned.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45910189

Perhaps the thing to note is that the film is due for a more general release around the 11th November and according to the critic is scheduled to be shown on the BBC too.

Each to their own but I would urge anyone to see it.

Think I’m going to have to do a few more WW1 dioramas!

What Goes Around Comes Around! 

Money is generally behind everything and so it was when between the years of 1996 to 2005 when I worked at the HSBC Group Management Training College. One of many responsibilities that I had was to manage the training departments multi-million pound budget, something which was much easier said than done.

The biggest problem was the trainers themselves. A great bunch of people and without a doubt the most creative group of individuals that I have ever had the privilege to work with. The problem was that their creativity knew no bounds and they would not be constrained by costs. Although I admired many of their ideas I repeatedly found myself telling them what they couldn’t have and what they could.

It’s probably reasonable to assume that similar situations exist within modelling companies. A designer is sitting there somewhere with all manner of wonderful ideas floating around his/her head.  Unfortunately someone somewhere else in the company has a keen eye on a budget, how much a customer is willing to pay and therefore just how much can be invested in design and creativity.

And here I am now moaning from time to time about creativity being restricted by some arsehole who controls a budget!

This week TIM has been listening to …

… The B-52’s and Love Shack, the 12″ Remixed Extended Version.  Very fond memories of an office party decades ago … !

This week TIM has been watching …

Inspired by having been to see “They Shall Not Grow Old” I decided to watch “Blackadder Goes Forth”.  A classic series and just as funny every time I watch it.  If I had to pick a favorite episode then I’d have to go with “Private Plane” featuring Rik Mayall as Lord Flashheart, his character just cracks me up.  So, for a bit of nostalgia quite a few Flasheart quotes!

 

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welocme to this weeks Musings!

My Hero

I’d forgotten how long ago it was that I published my first hero post so the next one is well overdue!  Next up is …

Bruce Lee (1940 – 1973)

As I mentioned in my original post some time ago my hero’s come in all shapes and sizes and with no obvious logical link, well not to me at any rate.

Why Bruce?

To answer that question I need to firstly go back and reflect on life in the 70s and how I remember things.

When I was a teenager in the 70s screen hero’s, be it at the cinema or on TV, followed a pattern. They were lean, mean, tall (e.g. Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry) and sometimes suave and sophisticated (e.g. Shaun Connery as James Bond 007). What they weren’t was small and Chinese. Martial Arts wasn’t a familiar term and although I’d heard of Judo and Karate nobody really participated in these sports. Even if there had been sufficient clubs, which there were not, it simply wasn’t the done thing.

Then along came an Cowboy Western TV series called “Kung Fu” which starred David Carradine as a western looking Chinaman who possessed a few basic but cool skills for dealing with thrown punches and flying arrows which few of us had ever seen. It was tame but different and served as a small taster of far better things to come.

Word had arrived of a guy called Bruce Lee who could take on a small army with nothing but his bare hands. It was possible in some cinemas to see this with your own eyes providing you were willing to suffer dreadful dubbed dialogue and equally dreadful story lines. Bruce’s first films – Fist of Fury, The Big Boss – were in limited box office circulation but the fight sequences were awesome in there day. “The Way of the Dragon” was a significant notch up and featured Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee in an epic fight sequence set in the Coliseum, Rome which is still held in high regard to this day. You can find it on YouTube and it’s well worth a watch in my opinion. However, it took Hollywood to set Bruce on the path to super stardom and to catapult Martial Arts into the minds of every young adult male of that era. The film of course was “Enter the Dragon”.

With a decent budget Hollywood produced what I believe was the first English speaking Martial Arts film of the day.  Today the film looks dated and the story line is pretty poor too but the fight sequences which at the end of the day was what it was all about are as good today as they were back then. Choreographed for real by Bruce himself they have stood the test of time. The film was a major box office hit and I can remember having to join a very long queue in order to get in to see the film. When I did get to see it I was blown away. Hard to imagine in this day and age that something was so original and so different to anything which had gone before and so exciting too. I saw the film four times when it came out and have seen it numerous times since on DVD.

We now had a hero who didn’t conform to the cultural norm and for a while every boy at school wanted to be Bruce and wanted to learn how to fight. I can’t recall any other film of my generation having such an incredible impact. I was completely absorbed by Bruce, had posters on my bedroom wall, subscribed to magazines, collected cards and read what ever I could find. My favorite book was “Bruce Lee King of Kung Fu” by Felix Dennis, a biography which I still have a copy of to this day.

For me though Bruce wasn’t just a screen hero. His real life fascinated me just as much. He was born in San Francisco, ironically in the Chinese year of the dragon but raised in Hong Kong from the age of 3 months.  He was bullied as a small boy, didn’t like the experience and wanted to do something about it. He was taken in hand and saved from a wayward life. He learnt not one martial art form but studied them all to the point where he created his own form, a collective mix which he called, Jeet Kune Do. Not content to be good he wanted to be the best and that is what he became. He moved to America, married an American and became a teacher of his art to many including James Coburn and Steve McQueen.  His party trick was to pick on the largest guy he could find and floor him with a one inch punch!

Sadly his life was cut short at the age of 32, the result it is alleged of a fatal reaction to taking an aspirin tablet. James Coburn was one of his pull bearers. He was buried in Hong Kong and his funeral parade was witnessed by thousands who lined the streets.

At the time of his death he was filming his fifth film called “Game of Death”. The fight sequences had been completed and Hollywood was eventually able to bring the film to the big screen. An OK film but not a patch on “Enter the Dragon”.

From a modelling perspective there are a few which are clearly based on Bruce Lee. As things currently stand my favorite is a Reaper figure.  I thought I’d get it done for this post.  I thought the mirror added a nice “Enter The Dragon” touch but with hindsight I should have taken photos before I added it.  Bloody difficult taking photos with mirrors in!  I need to take some better ones, these were done in a bit of a rush for this post so I might up date them in due course.

This week TIM has been listening to …

The Beatles and “Hey Jude”.  This video is of the fab four and their live performance on the David Frost show.  I remember seeing it live on TV with my brother.  Not sure either of us appreciated what an iconic performance this was at the time.  With 124,438,271 hits on YouTube at the time I was watching it’s obvious their popularity has not waned any.  Then again it could have been just my brother watching it over and over and …

I have also been listening to The Hollies and “A Long Cool Women in a Black Dress”.  Now I’m no Hollies fan, if anything they were one of my least favourite bands back in the day but I do like this track.  Made all the better with the lyrics to follow.

This week TIM has been watching…

Terminator.  It’s been a while since I watched the original film and I’d forgotten how dark it was.  Arnie only had to be himself which made the film all the more realistic!

Classic lines – “Fuck you, asshole” and “I’ll be back” spring to mind.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

Welcome to this week’s Musings!

This post is dedicated to my dad who today turns 92.  Not that he’ll read this of course and I won’t show him it either.  It’s hard enough dealing with all his bloody questions on how to use the mobile phone we bought him.  Anyway, happy birthday dad and see you for lunch in a few hours time.

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TIM’s off to the Cinema!

Not the most riveting news I grant you but I thought some of you might be interest in what I am off to see.  Peter Jackson, the director chap behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films has made a WW1 documentary called “They Shall Not Grow Old”.  He has trawled the national archives and heaps of black and white film and produced a film documentary using original footage.  To quote from the link below – They Shall Not Grow Old utilizes cutting-edge technology to colorize historical footage and photos from WWI in 3D for the first time”.

You can see a trailer for it by accessing the link below.

https://screenrant.com/peter-jackson-wwi-documentary-shall-not-grow-old-trailer/

The film is being shown simultaneously at various cinemas in the UK on Tuesday 16th October, I’m off to see it at Plymouth.  I suspect it will come out on DVD at some point in the future.

I wasn’t aware of this event until my friend John brought it to my attention and as one good deed deserves another I thought I’d make you folks aware in case some of you wanted to see it.

I’ll let you know what I thought of it in a future “Musing”.

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The Battle of the Sexes

Not sure this article has anything to do with modelling specifically beyond the tenuous link of using the word “battle” in the title but I felt obliged to share with my mainly male audience the fact that the war being waged between the sexes is being won by the women.  The following (true story?) highlights how weak men have become and how ruthless women have.

You’ve been warned.

The CIA had an opening for an assassin.  After all the background checks, interviews and testing were done, there were three finalists; two men and a women.

For the final test, the CIA agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun.  “We must know that you will follow your instructions no matter what the circumstances.  Inside the room you will find your wife sitting in a chair.  Kill her”.

The man said, ” You can’t be serious.  I could never shoot my wife”.  The agent said, “Then you are not the right man for the job.  Take your wife and go home.”

The second man was given the same instructions.  He took the gun and went into the room.  All was quiet for about 5 minutes. The man came out with tears in his eyes, “I tried, but I can’t kill my wife.”  The agent said, “You don’t have what it takes, so take your wife and go home”.

Finally, it was the woman’s turn.  She was given the same instructions to kill her husband.  She took the gun and went into the room.  Shots were heard one after another.  They heard screaming, crashing, and banging on the walls.  After a few minutes, all was quiet.

The door opened slowly, and there stood the women, wiping sweat from her brow.  “The gun was loaded with blanks”, she said.  “I had to kill him with the chair.”

—-000—

Sorry, I only speak English 

It occurred to me the other day that as a non gamer half the time I haven’t got a clue what many of you are talking about.  There is a language out that there that many of you guys (and girls) speak that simply goes over my head.  Some of the terminology I did know and some I’ve picked up on thanks to Google but most of it continues to remain a mystery.

I guess the obvious question therefore is why am I bothering to follow many of the sites that I do?  Well the best I can offer is I can’t speak french but I do like french wine and cheese.  In other words I might not have a clue when it comes to some of the gaming words and phrases you use but it doesn’t prevent me from admiring the quality of the figures and boards that you put together.  Hopefully over time I’ll learn more, not withstanding my “old git” status.

In the meanwhile please feel free to adopt my approach when visiting abroad.  Just shout louder and louder in English until the person you are speaking to understands.

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A Domestic Top Tip

A little trick I picked up while She Who Must Be obeyed was away that I felt I should share.

Are you tired of boiling water for pasta?  You are?  Then why not boil a few gallons of hot water up at the beginning of the week and freeze the rest for later!

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This week TIM has been listening to …

Tina Turner.

I like a good few female singers but right now I cannot think of a better performer than her.  I believe this concert took place in 2000 and the whole event is available to listen and view on YouTube.  This track, Proud Mary, is one of my favorites.  It has a slow start but if it’s too slow for you then fast forward to about the 4 minute mark.  Personally I’d crank the volume right up.

The dancer on the right is Claire Turton.  Sadly we’ve never met otherwise I’m sure we would be an item by now.  She’s so hot she could melt my asbestos pants.

—000—

This week TIM has been watching…

Bugger all, I’ve been to busy.  But next week …

—000—

Until next time.

TIM

 

 

 

We’ll come to this week’s Musings!

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Am I a Gamer?

I’ve mentioned on several occasions that I am not a war gamer.  I love the figures and enjoy painting them and putting them into little scenes but I do not play.  Or so I thought.

If asked to share my thoughts on gaming I would describe it thus.

A game whereby two people try to outwit one another using stealth, strategy and tactics in order to achieve a winning position.  To this end the players must prepare well by planning their actions and using everything at their disposal to out wit the other.  The greater their understanding of how the opposition thinks and acts will increase their odds of winning significantly whilst at the same time they must endeavor to be unpredictable at all costs.  They must be brave but not reckless.   They must be cunning but not stupid.  The must be confident not arrogant.

As I say, I’m not a gamer.  But then I realized I was.  In fact I’ve been playing this game for more than 36 years.

It’s called “Marriage”!

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No Longer Home Alone – The Final Update

She Who Must Be Obeyed is home, she returned on Saturday and I can report that she missed me!  Just how she managed to do so given the size of the object she launched in my direction however is a mystery.  The women possesses the traits of a cat in so much as she could smell a rat.

To be fair my cunning plan would have worked had it not been for the fact that I had overlooked one key factor.  SWMBO  is far more cunning than I am.  After 36 years of playing our own war game she knows me far better than I know her.

I should have picked up on her opening remark when she said “We’ll the house is still standing and the kids are still alive so I guess we can say you coped while I was away”.  To which I replied “I did more than that!  I fed the dog, got all the washing done, cleaned, made the bed and did some shopping.  I haven’t stopped!”.

Anticipating praise for my actions I was then informed – “I told Jenny (our daughter) to do the washing, cleaning and, if appropriate the cooking, although I’m surprised you didn’t go to the pub more often, I told Robert to expect you most evenings”.

What the fffff……k!!

The penny dropped.  I’d been completely out maneuvered not just by SWMBO but by my bloody daughter too!  The bar had been set so low I could have done nothing and not failed.  As it was that’s not to far from what I actually did but knowing that she knew how I would operate in her absence was a scary revelation.  Even I didn’t know how I would cope!

We did at least venture to the Blacksmiths as I’d planned and had an enjoyable meal and a few drinks.  Then, following her near three week absence, an early night was in order!

I wont bore you with the sordid details, I’ll just say I managed to finish my book!

Now, at last, I can openly get on with my modelling!

—000—

This week TIM has been listening to …

The Rolling Stones, Dire Straits and ELO.  Now if there is one thing I do like it’s a brilliant musical introduction.  Preferably one which starts slow and then builds up into something powerful.  That’s the common theme with the three links below.  If you care to listen then may I make one suggestion, turn the volume knob up as high as it will go for maximum pleasure.  These should be listed to VERY LOUD.

First up is a link to The Rolling Stones and “Gimme Shelter”.  There are loads of versions of this track but I’ve gone for the official promo version.  Keith Richards is awesome but how the guy is still alive is one of life’s many mysteries!  As someone said, one thing is for sure he can’t be killed with conventional weapons.

Some of you will recognize the intro, it’s been featured in numerous films over the years.

Next we have Dire Straits and “Money for Nothing”.  One of the best intros ever in my opinion and some of you will recognize it from the opening sequence in the film Kingsman.

Finally for this week we have The Electric Light Orchestra and their version of “Roll Over Beethoven”.  The classical start followed by electric guitar is inspired and one of my all time favorites.

Enjoy and don’t forget to turn the volume up.  You might do better to put your paint brush down for a few minutes too!

—000—

This week TIM has been watching…

The Godfather trilogy.

The Godfather, based on the book by Mario Puzo was released in 1972.  A period piece which stands the test of time.  It’s as compelling now as it was back then.  The book told the story of The Godfather 1 and 2 but in the order of the Don’s life from his childhood in Italy to his move to the US and finally to his death and empire transfer to son Michael.  I assume the film didn’t follow the same route due to the length of it, thus following the success of the first film with an equally excellent sequel and the flash backs to the early days of the young Don.  The BBC did broadcast an edited version of both films a long time ago which followed the sequential route that the book did.  It was done over a couple of evenings and was awesome but as far as I know that version is not available to buy.  Pity.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

Welcome to this weeks Musings!

I’ve had a lot to muse over this week so lets get started.

Model To Do List Update 

It was my birthday back in August and as luck would have it I was fortunate enough to receive a tidy sum of money which all went towards buying models and figures on my wish list.  The only problem was I got a little carried away and manged to spend far in excess of the amount I was gifted.  I suspect this is something most of us have experience of .  Anyway, having got carried away I thought I ought to update my “To Do List” before buying any more.

So, having updated my list I thought I’d provide you with a partial insight to what you can hopefully expect to see over the weeks ahead.  Make that months, I’m not Azazel!  In no particular order:-

• Three more Reaper fantasy figures to complete;
• Neglected model for this months challenge to be finalized providing the base I ordered arrives in time.  This figure is a return to my 54mm Old West roots and made a welcome change but more on that when I post details to the blog;
• The Plymouth Model Club have decided to go with a D-Day theme for next years show as the beach landing will be having its 75 year anniversary.  For my part I aim to have a couple of 54mm figures done, two or three 28mm vignettes, three or four single 28mm figures and a 28mm diorama hopefully featuring a building or two;
• At long last Hasselfree Miniatures have delivered a couple of figures I’ve had my eye on, one of which is “Ray” from the film “Shaun of the Dead” so a Zombie based model is very much on the cards;
• I’ve also taken delivery this morning of a few more Reaper figures.  One is a Bruce Lee figure which I have a few ideas for, a couple of pirates which I thought would make for a change (and I want to see if I can make my own palm trees too) and another Wizard.  I’ve only ever done one boxed diorama and it was the toughest model I’ve ever done so I fancy the idea of doing another one and the Wizard is intended for that;
• An order for quite few Old West figures is due from Artizan any day.  It wasn’t the original intention of the order but some of these figures will most likely be my contribution for the October challenge.  No Orcs though.  To be fare the idea of doing one appeals to me but right now that ain’t gonna happen;
• Finally, I bought 18 figures which all relate to the TV series “Dads Army”.  Great figures and hopefully a bit of fun to do.

Not a comprehensive insight as I’ve mostly only featured recent purchases.  I’ve a pile of other stuff I ought to do but for now chunks of that look like they are heading to the “neglected” pile for now.

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Modelling, Musings and Music

If other peoples blogs are anything to go by it would appear that a great many of us enjoy listening to music while we are modelling.  I’m no different but would add watching films, TV and Football too.  Those of you kind enough to follow my blog will be aware that generally my posts tend to concentrate primarily on modelling and weekly musings which, for the most part, have a modelling link no matter how obscure the content might be!

I’ve no plans to deviate from that particulalry, it is first and foremost a modelling blog after all, but as music features so much in the background of what I do I’ve decided to include a small weekly feature of what I’ve been listening to during the previous week.  Sometimes there might be a little more of a tangible link to modelling/war, as is the case this week, but this wont always be the case.  My taste is varied to say the least and as far as I am aware there is no common thread other than I just happen to like a particular song, band or singer.

Make of it what you will.  Here is my first offering …

This week TIM has been listening to …

The Dixie Chicks.

The link below is to a song by the Dixie Chicks called “The Travelling Soldier”.  If the link doesn’t work then you should be able to search for it easy enough on YouTube.

So why start with this track?

Firstly, it provides an example of what YouTube can randomly throw up. Until quite recently I had never heard of the Dixie Chicks, you may have but I hadn’t. Some how YouTube figured that I might like a song of theirs called “Goodbye to Earl”, probably the best song ever written (possibly the only song ever written!) about wife beating. I loved the song and its lyrics (link below) and so searched for more of their tracks, the result of which led me to “The Travelin’ Soldier”.

Secondly, the song itself is an anti war protest song.  Now one way or another most of us in our modelling world are depicting figures of war, be they historic or futuristic. War is historically interesting, futuristically fascinating but also frighteningly real and gruesome for those unfortunate to experience it first hand. As a consequence protest songs have grown up over many years aimed at highlighting the down side of war and seeking a peaceful resolution to prevent loss of life. This seemed like a good link to modelling and therefore a neat introduction to music as a theme.

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Home Alone – Domestic Progress Update

Only a few days to go before She Who Must Be Obeyed returns home and mild panic has begun to set in. If I’m being honest the first signs showed themselves yesterday when for the first time I put the washing machine on. The instructions SWMBO left were indeed as basic as she described. Load after load and before I knew (well it took most of the day actually) it was all done. Bloody marvelous. What will they think of next!

Tip of the day – if you let the dirty washing spill all over the utility room floor like I did for the last couple of weeks then the floor doesn’t get dirty meaning one less to clean!

Next up I decided to make a check list to make sure I had all my bases covered.

• The Blacksmiths Arms – what happens in the pub stays in the pub, Rob’s rules, no chance he will spill the beans, besides he wants my business if SWMBO has to go away again. Check.
• The daughter – needs my agreement to go to a party at the weekend and, more importantly knows the money she gets from me will dry up if she let’s the cat out of the bag. Check.
• Credit card bill – bill should arrive before SWMBO does. Paid for most things by cash anyway but just in case will take her to the Blacksmiths when she gets home in case the next bill has a rogue entry on it. Check.
• Washing – up straight, happy day’s. Check.
• Ironing – create pile of stuff to be ironed and claim it’s only just been washed. Check.
• Floor cleaning – tell her it was spotless until the bloody dog made a mess (make note to give dog a treat to make up for the guilt!). Check.
• Shopping – make claim Ì was just going to get a few bits in when she came through the door. Check.
• Modelling – only leave one out that I’m working on and put the rest away for now to reinforce the claim I’ve had no chance to get any done. Check.
• The Cunning Plan – make her a cup of tea and then reveal. Check.

The Cunning Plan.

Now one of the first thing SWMBO is going to say when she gets home is something along the lines of “now you know how to do these jobs you can do it more often”. The hell I am!  (Spoken in a John Wayne voice).

Now as luck would have it at about the time SWMBO gets home she is due her Annual Appraisal (seriously known of you do this?). To be fare she’s due a good review and aside from a few minor blips she has achieved her objectives for the year. I’m pleased with her. Going forward though, based on my new found experience, things need to change.

In reality they don’t need to change at all but there is something you need to know about SWMBO. There are only two ways of doing something, her way and no way. By implementing changes a pound to a penny says she will hit the roof at which point I will say “have it your way, I’m having nothing to do with it”.

What could possibly go wrong?

—000—

Until next time.

TIM

 

Welcome to this week’s Musings!

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How to find a lost Mojo

Before I went on holiday a couple of comments surfaced about losing inspiration for painting and modelling. Responses generally amounted to the same thing, it happens to us all and it will return in due course so never fear. Against this background I got to thinking about my own inspiration, where I get my own ideas from and what I’m most likely to do to try to get my mojo back the next time I lose it.

I guess the first thing I’d say on the subject is that I’m lucky. Lucky in the sense that I’m not stuck on any particular period or genre. I do have my favourites of course but I’ve an open mind to doing something completely random. This I think is a big help and if you are willing to explore and do something different, even as a one-off small project, then I think this offers the best option for rekindling interest. I’m also into dioramas and vignettes rather than army building which might make things a little easier too. Of course you still need to be inspired, something has to ignite the flame.

The following is a list I’ve put together of my go to ideas to get my creative juices flowing. It’s not exhaustive by any means and from time to time I add to it. It might be of interest to you, it might not but I have found that it works for me.

In no particular order I typically check out:

• Google and/or Pinterest using suitable search criteria. Often I search “28mm dioramas” which invariably throws up all manner of ideas across all genres;
• Book titles, either those in my own book collection or which might feature in a google top 100 list or similar. Classics such as Treasure Island and The Last of the Mohicans have been inspirational for me but so to has Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, a contemporary classic;
• The cinema as another medium to tap into. Films old and new, historical or futuristic are responsible for numerous items which appear on my Modelling “Wish List”;
• Quotations, often as a derivative of film, although not exclusively so. There are some great movie lines out there. Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character had some great lines as did Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator. Figures for both exist and are also on my modelling “Wish List”.  A Google search will offer an almost endless supply of ideas;
• TV in the same way I consider books and film. There are some great programs out there, Game of Thrones immediately springs to mind;
• Other people’s blogs. A relatively new one for me but significant all the same. The fantasy genre which has dominated my more recent work was inspired by the work of many of you guys;
• Modelling shows.  These have proved very useful too.  There are some amazingly talented people out there and there is nothing quite like seeing things in the flesh;
• Historical anniversaries such as WW1 which, care of my modelling club, set me on a journey of discovery I would never have embarked upon.

As I mentioned earlier, this is not an exhaustive list by any means. Please feel free to comment as I’d love to know what has provided inspiration for you so I can add it to the list. Who knows, in the future we might help ourselves as well as others.

Alternatively we might become suicidal having decided to give up completely!

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Home Alone – Domestic Progress Update

The continuing absence of She Who Must Be Obeyed (she is currently looking after her poorly sister in Edinburgh and not due back for at least another week) has seriously limited my modelling time.  On the positive side her absence has so far taught me three things.

1. The house keeping budget doesn’t go nearly as far when you spend it on going out for a meal every night;
2. I’ve probably used up more energy trying to avoid doing any domestic chores than it would have taken to have done them;
3. Advertisements can be misleading (see below).

Domestic progress during the continued absence of SWMBO has been slow, one could say almost non-existent. In other words everything is going to plan. Well my plan that is, not the plan I was left by SWMBO.

Some top cooking tips from Aussie bloggers, doubtless skills learnt from a hard days graft working in the bush, has provided me with some nutritious lunch options. The local pub has as planned provided excellent evening meals with the added benefit of a pint or two and no washing up! Eating out has pretty much resolved the need for shopping as well, another little bonus. So far the need to use domestic appliances has not arisen although I’ll swear the washing machine is looking at me, almost daring me to use it!  Maybe at the end of the week I will but for now the floor area surrounding the over flowing laundry basket still has space.

As for cleaning the house I thought I’d cracked it by chance when looking for modelling inspiration on Google images. I typed “28 to 54 Models” into Google and found myself looking mostly at scantily dressed attractive women between those ages rather than the anticipated military figures and dioramas that I expected to see. I was about to try again when amongst the various images there was an advert for “Discreet Domestic Services”.

What a great idea I thought. Why not get someone round to clean and tidy the place before SWMBO gets home from visiting her poorly sister in Edinburgh! Better than that, someone who’s discreet would enable me to take all the credit for the place looking all spick and span.

Brilliant.

Has to be worth a go right?

So I rang the number…

“Hello?”

“ Hi, I’m phoning in regard to your advert and wondered if I could ask you a few questions?”

“No problem, what do you want to know”

“You sound foreign?”

“Yes I’m from Russia. Is that what you wanted to know?”

“Ere no, I was just expecting someone who is English”

“You want English girl, I can get you English girl”

“No, no you sound fine. How much do you charge?”

“Basic service is £50.00”

“That sounds fine, just as long as you can lick things into shape”

“You want extras?”

“What, like dusting?”

“You call this dusting in England?”

“I think so. I’ve never done this sort of thing before so I’m not completely sure”

“OK but dusting is extra”

“No problem, I might as well go the full monty and keep the wife happy!”

“You want me to provide service for two?”

“No, no just me. The wife’s away you see so I thought I’d get a few jobs done discreetly. You are discreet aren’t you?”

“Yes, yes I am very discreet, all my clients demand it”

“And there I was thinking I was the only one! How often do you think you will need to come?”

“Normally I come once but I can come as often as you want me to?”

“I’m sure once will be fine, it’s not that dirty. Just as long as it comes out looking nice and clean. Talking of which, do you bring your own cleaning products or do I need to get some bits in?”

“I always bring tissues”

“Is that all? No vacuum cleaner or anything?

“…………”

“Hello! Hello! Anyone there?”

Can you believe it, she hung up just like that. Hardly the way to run a cleaning business in my opinion.

So, despite my best intentions I’m back to leaving it for the wife to do when she gets back. At least I can say I tried, well sort of. A high risk strategy according to some of you but as the Dr Pepper advert goes, what’s the worst that could happen?

Still a week to go before she returns.

Time enough to formulate a cunning plan!

—000—

Untile next time.

TIM

Welcome to this weeks Musings!

Modelling Versus Housework

Yesterday morning She Who Must Be Obeyed left me!

I should qualify that statement.  She left to look after her sister in Edinburgh who is very poorly following major hospital surgery.  She will be gone for the best part of two weeks.  Her parting comment was “you know where everything is”.  This is undeniable.  I know where the cooker, microwave, washing machine, tumble dryer, vacuum cleaner, iron, dish washer, etc. are but do I know how to use them?  Do I fuck.

So now I have a dilemma.

If I do all this stuff I will have less time for modelling.  Furthermore, if I show myself to be too resourceful I’ll be expected to do more upon her return to the love coop which will also lead to less time for modelling!

So what is to be done?

Well some of these things are easily got round.  The local village pub serves excellent food and Robert the landlord will be happy for my company on the quiet mid-week evenings.  On a personal front I have enough socks, pants and shirts to see me through.  Other matters require greater consideration.

The daughter could begin to pull her weight domestically.  If she is old enough to fraternize with a 16-year-old lad from Rugby (see last week’s Musings) she can bloody well do her own washing and ironing!  The son has plans to spend more time at his girlfriend’s so nothing to worry about there.

That leaves me with only some other washing to deal with and of course house cleaning.  As I see it the options are:

1. Get the daughter to do it? (A little unfair as she is seriously studying for GCSE’s)
2. Get my mum over?  (She’s 87, has a dodgy hip and is riddled with arthritis but is a game old girl and wants to feel useful but can’t drive so I’d have to collect her)
3. Do it myself?  (Analytically this is an option but seriously?)
4. Leave it until SWMBO gets back?

Well I’m sure you will agree with me that the only possible solution is number 4.  If for no other reason than it will teach her to go off and leave me in future.  A daring strategy for sure.

I’ll let you know how it goes!

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Colour Wheels

While I was bobbing along on the crest of a wave one day on holiday and enjoying my fourth cocktail at two thirty in the afternoon I found myself thinking about Colour Wheels. Some, She Who Must Be Obeyed for example, would claim such thoughts were the psychedelic effects of alcohol. I on the other hand claim the inspiration for such a musing was the cosmic result of seeing a rainbow appear over the yard-arm. I’ll let you determine the truth.

Now I can’t remember when I first learned of the existence of colour wheels but I’d hazard a guess and say it was back in the late 80’s, most probably care of Military Modelling Magazine and an article it might have contained. I thought it made for a sensible purchase and so bought one at a local art shop. I’ve had it ever since and do find myself referring to it from time to time.

From an early age I was very much aware of the three primary colours, red, blue and yellow and knew that from these colours all other colours, with the exception of black and white, could be mixed. I’m not sure how I came by this basic knowledge, I presume school, as I cannot think where else, unless it was something my parents or older brother may have passed on to me. I also knew the combinations needed to create secondary colours as well as combinations of three or more to create colours such as brown. The colour wheel served to confirm all this and act as a reminder in the event I should ever forget.

In addition the colour wheel also provided me with the terminology of “tint” and “shade” by simply adding white or black respectively, something I was doing naturally but without knowing there was a name for it. What I didn’t know about at that time was complimentary colours and, more significantly there use in shading and highlighting.

Now a basic colour wheel can be made up of any blue, red or yellow that you happen to have at your disposal. From these three colours can be derived purple (blue/red), orange (red/yellow) and green (blue/yellow). At the risk of stating the obvious the secondary colours will vary based on the ratio of, say, red to yellow and will vary again if you add black or white. In any event, once the secondary colours have been mixed the complimentary colour to Blue is Orange, to Red it is Green and to Yellow it is Purple.

Now I’m generalizing I know but I suspect many of us when we are shading and highlighting our figures do so with lighter or darker versions of the same colour but here is the thing, you could use the complimentary colour instead. This is not something I’ve done a lot of but when I have the results have been very pleasing to my eye. Which leaves me wondering all the more why I have not used the complimentary colour far more often.  So much so that I intend to go down this route more at some point in the future to gauge the results.

So now I’m wondering – how many of you use complimentary colours for shading and highlighting or is my suspicion that we all mostly use lighter or darker versions of the same colour, mixed or simply from another bottle, justified?

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Until next time.

TIM