Category: Musings

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks miniature is from Reaper and the female figure goes by the name of Almah, Merchant Princess.   A lady not to be messed with and for inclusion in Alex’s Fembruary Challenge.  I went for a simple paint job but am now regretting that I didn’t take the opportunity to see what freehand work I could have considered doing.  Always next time.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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The Wednesday Whinge

I hadn’t intended to start with the subject of Racism but then two things happened.  Firstly IRO did a podcast on the subject and then I had an issue with eBay.

I’d never thought of Racism in the hobby but I thought IRO was good to bring the subject up and it did get me thinking about it.  I’m not intending to get into a great debate on the subject but before I get onto my whinge a couple of observations.  Firstly, having attended numerous models shows up and down the country I have rarely, if ever, seen many ethnic minorities in attendance.  I might be wrong but culturally within my sphere it appears they have little or no interest in the hobby.  Then again they may all be at home painting away.  Secondly, the military subjects which dominate from what I see tend to be “white” conflicts.  Of course there are plenty of ethnic campaigns too but the point is do they sell?  I remember a manufacture telling me that for every cowboy figure he sells he can sell 30 or more WW2 figures.  The bottom line is it’s about the bottom line.  Now on to my whinge.

My whinge is in two parts.  The first is very simple.  Now maybe it’s just me, and it probably is but it strikes me it is impossible to have a grown up conversation about racism without someone immediately calling you a racist.  Even IRO felt awkward talking about the subject.  Why?  To my mind if you cannot openly talk about the subject then you are more likely to create new racists.  Yes, black lives matter but so does every life.  I could go on and on about the subject but quite frankly I can’t be asked to address the inevitable abuse.

Now to the second part of my whinge.  Remember this little chap that I posted a few weeks ago?

Well I decided I would put the little chap up for sale on eBay where he sat for a few days and then I received a message from eBay of which this is an extract.

Quote:

We had to remove your listing because it didn’t follow our Offensive material policy. Listings that promote or glorify hatred, violence, or discrimination aren’t allowed.

Now of course everyone is free to draw their own conclusions.  Personally I fall into the camp which says history is history and we should learn from it and not pretend it didn’t happen.  I’m also of the opinion that anyone who is offend by an inch high figure is a sad fuck and is simply indicative of a sad world where political correctness has gone mad.

As someone who worked for a vast global company for 32 years I have worked with people of all races and from all over the world.  Truth be told I have found people generally fall into three categories.  Those I like, those I don’t and those I have no opinion on at all.  Colour of skin is immaterial, if your nice your nice if you’re a shit you’re a shit.

Simples.

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Give Me Five

Before I get abused for being insensitive and racists I thought I should keep the ethnic theme running by this week listing my top five ethnic actors/actresses.  In no particular order:

1. Sidney Poitier
2. Morgan Freeman
3. Denzel Washington
4. Rami Malek
5. Thandie Newton

This week TIM has been listening to …

“When Tomorrow Comes” by the Eurythmics.  I do think Annie Lennox is a great singer and together with Dave Stewart they made some excellent music.  Will doubtless line up some more of their tracks in the future but today decided to go with this one.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“Bulletproof” a TV series set in London.  This one passed me by but I have managed to watch the first series and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The good news is there is a second series of six parts, just like the first, and a third comprising of three episodes.  Now looking forward to watching those too.  Oh, and the two black actors, Ashley Walters and Noel Clarke, are very cool and no I’m not just saying that.

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Remember …

Don’t assume it is your people skills which are the problem, it is more likely to be your tolerance of idiots which needs working on.

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TIM

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks miniature is another Knuckleduster figure and my last one, well for now at least anyway.  This little chap goes by the name of “Valentine” and is based on the character Liberty Valance played by Lee Marvin in the film “Who Shot Liberty Valance” which also starred John Wayne and James Stewart.

The figure is the 4th of the six figures in the “Bad Guys” faction.  I will get around to doing the other two at some point but for now I feel the urge to paint something different.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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The Wednesday Whinge

I’m thinking of making this a new feature.  Bottled up indoors as we go through probably our longest and most dangerous lockdown in the UK I feel the need to vent my spleen on somethings which make my blood boil.  If I don’t get some of them off my chest I will simply explode.

Will you agree with the my rantings?  Possibly, possibly not but please bare the following in mind.  Firstly, my aim is to get things off of my chest, in other words this is therapy for me and not to be confused with rational behaviour.  Secondly, I am always willing to concede to a better argument or explanation as to why I might be wrong in my ranting.  Worst case scenario we can agree to disagree.  In any event we will kick off next week.

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Give Me Five

As we are in Fembruay I thought it only right an proper to consider the best 5 female movie characters having done the chaps a week or so ago.  In no particular order my top 5 are:

1. Sarah Connor – Linda Hamilton, Terminator franchise
2. Ellen Ripley – Sigourney Weaver, Alien franchise
3. Clarice Starling – Jodie Foster, Silence of the Lambs
4. Hermione Granger – Emma Watson, Harry Potter franchise
5. Katniss Everdeen – Jennifer Lawrence, Hunger Games franchise

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Mama Weer All Crazee Now” by Slade.  I felt the need for a return to my teens and to clear my head with a good blast of loud music.  Classic BBC Top of the Pops recording with no speakers or anything plugged in!

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This week TIM has been watching …

“The Serpent” starring Jenna Coleman.  Given my on/off love affair with Jenna Coleman (she’s not phoning me again at the moment!) I was always going to give this eight part mini series ago.  Based on a true story it is a little creepy at times and you do have to concentrate because it jumps backwards and forwards all over the place.  Nevertheless an excellent watch in my opinion

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Remember …

Every time you talk to your wife the conversation will be recorded for training and quality purposes.

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TIM

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks miniature is another Knuckleduster one from the faction pack of six that I recently acquired.   The Knuckleduster website has this guy down as being called “Duvene”.  A lot of the Knuckleduster figures are based on film characters and this one appears to be a take on Boss Spearman played by Robert Duvall in the movie Open Range.  A great film by the way if you haven’t seen it and one I am now reminded to watch again.  The only oddity of this figure is that it appears in the Bad Guys faction pack and Boss Spearman was a good guy.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Back To The Future?

My recently finished diorama, “Fools Gold”, went as well as it could have done and unusually I can’t recall a single glitch along the way.  This last week though I have been trying a few base things out for some little diorama ideas that I have and for whatever reason I have abandoned every attempt.  Modelling it seems to me can be a bit like golf.  You play a few good holes and just when you think you have cracked it your game falls apart.  Frustration sets in and from there the only way is down.

In truth this is not the first time I have experienced this unwelcome phenonom.   In days gone by I would allow my frustration to get to me, my temper would rage and things would get broken to the point where whatever I was doing truly had to be adandoned.  These days I am more mature.  I stop before I break things!

In conclusion it is time for a time out by which I mean a return to simply painting figures and allowing my mind to forget all about base work for a while.  It isn’t a mojo thing, the enthusiasm is there along with the ideas but the solutions and execution aren’t.  Invariably a Back To The Future stance works, the mind relaxes, the fog clears and the solutions magically appear.  Hopefully it will happen again.

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Give Me Five

A couple of weeks back I posted my top five dinners and asked for meal idea so I could get She Who Must Be Obeyed to up her game and get off my back by continually asking what I would like to eat.  It says a lot about this blog that I probably had more comments on food than figures!  Perhaps I need to change hobbies?

Thanks to you guys I now have a much expanded dinner menu but now need to move on to puddings.  By all means give me you ideas on them but let me say straight up healthy options probably wont make my list.  Puddings even more than dinners are about over indulgence.  My five in no particular order are:

1. New York Cheesecake
2. Ice Cream
3. Chocolate melt in the middle pudding with custard and cream
4. Pears with toffee sauce and cream
5. Eton Mess

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“I Predict A Riot” by the Kaiser  chiefs.  A great track with a title which may well come true at some point if the UK lockdown continues with no end in sight.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“The Three Amigos” starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short.  An old film with a great cast and one I had not seen in a long while.  Shows its age but still very amusing in places – “Sew like the wind!”

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Remember …

If you sit on the toilet at 11:59 and the clock strikes midnight it’s the same shit different day.

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TIM

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks miniature is the second one I have done from the Knuckleduster Bad Guys Faction which goes by the rather odd name of “Blue Duck”.  Of the six figures in the faction this one is probably my least favourite.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Hold Tight!

Some habits are hard to break and gripping figures to tightly when I am painting them is something I am finding impossible not to do.  Unfortunately it is now becoming a physical problem in my left hand.  For a while now I have started to find if I paint for too long my hand cramps badly and I can’t continue.

Unable to break the habit, something I have been trying to do for some time now, I have started to set the alarm on my phone to remind me to take a break after a certain amount of time.  So far, so good but the up shot is I have found myself painting less.  In itself that’s not a problem, in fact longer term it will help me with my ever growing storage issue.  The concern I do have is more with the blog.

Whether or not I can produce a figure for Wednesday’s and Saturday’s might become an issue.  I will continue as I am but if I have a bad week, and if things continue then I can see that happening from time to time, I might have to substitute a newly painted Miniature & Musings figure for one done some time ago adopting my Memory Monday concept.

Time will tell.

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Give Me Five

This week I thought I would consider my top 5 male film characters excluding Science Fiction and Fantasy as I will deal with the likes of them another time.  In no particular order I came up with the following:

1. James Bond  – Various Actors but Daniel Craig is the best for me
2. Vito Carleone – Marlon Brando, The Godfather
3. Indiana Jones – Harrison Ford
4. Hannibal Lecter – Anthony Hopkins, Silence of the Lambs
5. Harry Callahan – Clint Eastwood and the Dirty Harry series

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“One Step Beyond” by Madness.  I do like Madness, they’ve produced some fun music and this particular track is one of my favourites.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“Planes, Trains and Automobiles” starring Steve Martin and John Candy.  John Hughes directed some great films and this one was one of the best.  Certain scenes still makes me cringe.

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Remember …

Practice your sarcasm because torturing people in your basement is frowned upon.

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TIM

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks figure sees a return to Knuckleduster and a cowboy I very, very slowly painted between Christmas and the New Year.  I was very sluggish over the festive period and barley painted at all but bit by bit this one some how came together.  Nothing to do with the figure just down to me in a mood where between eating and drinking I simply could not be asked to pick up a brush, well not for long at any rate.

The figure goes by the name of “Big Bob” and is one of the six figures in the Bad Guys Faction pack.  Wherever I can I am trying to introduce some freehand painting on my miniatures.  Cowboys offer little opportunity to my equally limited imagination so striped trousers nearly always stand a chance of being done and so it was on this occasion too.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Fembruary challenge

Until IRO mentioned it recently I had forgotten about the Fembruary challenge run by Alex over at the leadbaloony.   I have participated the last couple of years and plan to do so again but having forgotten to put such a key event in my diary I am reminded of the need to purchase a figure.  Unfortunately I am at that age that if I don’t write it down I forget things.  The bigger problem is that I am also of the age that if I do remember to write things down I invariably forget what it was I intend to make a note of and, even more relevantly, where I put the note!

The ageing process is such fun.

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The Makings of a Plan?

Having made a slow start to the year I decided I ought to at least have the outline of a plan.  Nothing to rigid (what would be the point?), just enough to have some focus.  Dio-Bolical Monday takes care or itself at the moment and following that up with the Wizard Tower will keep me amused for a good many weeks.  I also have five more Knuckleduster cowboys to do from the “Bad Guys” faction for Christmas, although one of the figures is badly cast so I might not end up doing that one.

The other thing grabbing my attention right now is the apocalypse.  I really fancy doing more on that genre and I recently placed an order for a shed load of zombies.  More on that once the order arrives and I have had a chance to review what I have bought.  I also need to review the format or the blog.  No rush on that, not least of all because I have no alternative ideas just now but I need to consider my commitment to it in terms of three posts a week and how to breath more life into it for my benefit as much as anything.  Any ideas on that score would be greatly appreciated.

As plans go it’s a start but it’s pretty vague and very fluid.

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Give Me Five

I can cook but I don’t.   She Who Must Be Obeyed does the cooking in our house and the arrangement suits me just fine but for one minor thing.  Without fail she asks every few days what I would like for dinner in the days ahead so she can do the food shopping.  In itself that is not the problem.  The problem is she moans at cooking the same stuff week in week out.  To be fair the menu is not that repetitive but her moaning is.  So, this week I thought you could help me out.  Listed below are 5 of my favourite dinners.  Your job is to identify some of yours so that I can appear to be creative when she asks me later.  If that works then we might move on to puddings!

1. Steak and chips (with mushrooms, peas and onion rings)
2. Spaghetti Bolognese (with loads of Parmesan cheese and garlic bread)
3. Homemade Pizza with loads of Chorizo
4. Chicken Kiev
5. Sunday Roast (Lamb, Beef or Pork)

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Common People” by Pulp.  I do love this song and its increase in tempo part way through.  Jarvis Cocker’s lyrics are pretty cool too.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“The Rhythm Section” starring Blake Lively and Jude Law.  One of those films where the trailer was better than the film.  Watchable but no classic.  I’ve also just realised there is no vowel in the word Rhythm.

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Remember …

If you’re sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat next to you, just stare straight ahead and say ” Did you bring the money? “

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TIM

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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According to WordPress this is my 400th post and to celebrate this momentous occasion this weeks miniature has not been painted by me, it has been done by none other than my hobby son, IRO!  Let me explain.

Towards the back end of 2020, around about October as I recall, IRO had the idea that we should each paint a figure for the other and then exchange them.  Doing a collaboration when you you are 12,000 miles apart is nigh on impossible and so this seemed like a neat idea.  There were no rules to speak of and the options were relatively simple – do your own thing completely, try and do something which the other would like or try and step into the other persons world of modelling.  You get the idea I hope.  To see what I did for IRO you will need to take a look at his blog.

I didn’t know what to expect from IRO (who would?) but with impeccable timing a parcel arrived from Australia a couple of days before Christmas.  With a combination of excitement and trepidation I duly opened it.  I confess to being surprised but certainly not disappointed.

IRO knowing I have more than a keen interest in the Old West decided to go for a figure in a genre I love.  He also went for a 54mm figure of an iconic character, namely Lee Van Cleef from the movie The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.  The figure represented a major departure for IRO it seemed to me.  Firstly a step up in scale is not easy, the period is also something he is not typically associated with and, in order to be true to the film character, painting something in a single colour is, as I know myself, far from easy.

The composition of the figure is excellent, the rustic wooden base is very in keeping and the dry brushing has been done very well too and provides the necessary lift which is needed to break up the dominant black.   All in all I think IRO did a fantastic job but the biggest thing I take from this figure is that he stepped outside of his comfort zone to do something which he thought I would like.  I can report that I am delighted to say I am now the proud owner of a original IRO painted figure 🤗.

Hopefully this exchange of figures is something we will do again.   Not a competition but a very nice way of seeing up close someone else’s style and a neat way of some how making the world a smaller place and bringing the blogger community a little closer to hand.

I must point out this is not an exclusive exchange between IRO and myself.  If anyone else is interested in doing something similar just let me, or IRO, know.  If you want an original TIM or IRO figure in exchange for an original of your own just let either of us know and we will work something out.

Images of IRO’s figure, the original of which now resides in one of my display cases, are below.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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New year plans

I was planning to do a separate post on my plans for 2021 only to decide it wasn’t worth the bother.  Don’t get me wrong I have plenty of ideas and things I want to do but the reality is I have very little control over making them happen as proved last year!

The New Year will be eventful I am sure.  The family world of TIM has a lot going on this year but will any of it go to plan?  Being realistic I doubt it, the early signs are not great.  Take modelling for example, unless the date is put back, it is hard to see Salute taking place in April but maybe there is a chance that Telford might in November.

One way or another the family and I will muddle through in the best way we can much as we and everyone else did last year and whatever does take place, be it modelling or otherwise, will doubtless be revealed through this blog.  We will therefore play things by ear.

I did however set myself one key objective which if achieved will allow everything else to slot into place.  To live.

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Group Shot

Last week saw the completion of a small batch of American Civil War confederates but as rightly pointed out by Wudugast I omitted to include a group shot.

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Give Me Five

A very controversial one to kick off the New Year and one if you are interested in that will get you putting your thinking caps on.  I very much doubt we will get much agreement on this one.  In fact I even argued with myself knowing that I have cast aside so many fantastic music scores from so many great films.  I have barely scratched the surface with this topic and if the truth be told I’m not entirely sure how I came to these five.

1. American Graffiti
2. Pulp Fiction
3. The Last of the Mohicans
4. Pretty in Pink
5. Top Gun

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“California Man” by the Move.  Roy Wood and Jeff Lynn at their rocking best.  I just love that saxophone.  This track came out in 1971 when I was 14 and still at school.  I will always associate it with a school field trip to the English Lake District when some local lads made some unwelcome advances to some of the girls from our West London school.  To the annoyance of our teachers we boys had a word or two with the locals and thereafter we became the girls shinning knights.  The day culminated in a party atmosphere in the youth hostel where we were staying which had a jukebox in a cellar room and this track was played over and over again.  Happy days.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“The Amazing Spider-Man” – starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.  Was in the mood for a dip into the world of Marvel comics and Spider-Man is one of the best.

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Remember …

You know when you are getting old when one big fart can put your back out.

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TIM

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings! and my last post for 2020.

Before moving on may I wish each each and everyone of you and your families a Happy New Year.  I will do a review of 2020 in due course but I don’t think I will be sticking my neck out to far by saying thank goodness 2020 is over.  The New Year provides optimism for us all and with much talk of vaccinations here’s to hoping we can all return to our individual normal’s as soon as possible.

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This weeks miniature is another double whammy and my last two 28mm American Civil War Confederates by Dixon’s, if not for ever than for this year at least.  Nothing I can say about these two which I haven’t said already about the others and that wasn’t a great deal either!  I can however confirm if you hadn’t worked it out already that the flag is not freehand.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Christmas

Well I hope that despite everything you all managed to have an enjoyable Christmas.  My own Christmas was more than a little strange.  For the first time in I don’t know how many years I didn’t get to the pub on Christmas day as it was closed this year.  As a consequence I was sober while eating Christmas Dinner and in the afternoon found myself still awake where normally I would have nodded off!  All in all a very surreal experience but as (hopefully) a one off it was actually OK.

Santa brought me a few things, a book I have been looking forward to getting and reading and of course several modelling bits and pieces.  Little in the way of figures this year (I really do need to work through my stash) but some much needed brushes, inks and paints which I am looking forward to using.  The main things on my list sadly did not materialise but then again it has been that kind of a year.

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Give Me Five

Christmas having passed for another year made me reflect on what I received but more significantly what I did not.  I end the year with the top five things on my Christmas list that nobody could be arsed to put themselves out to get me!  Maybe next year will prove more successful.  In priority order for a change, just so family and friends are left in no doubt what I want for 2021, I give you:

1. A hot date with Jenna Coleman
2. A hot date with Jennifer Lawrence
3. An E Type Jaguar Convertible (for my hot dates)
4. Three World Cruise tickets (for me, Jenna and Jennifer, never travel without a spare!)
5. Socks

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Rehab” by Amy Winehouse.  For all of us who over indulged at Christmas and will do so again when we say “Fuck Off 2020”.  Drink problem?  I drink, I fall over, no problem!

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This week TIM has been watching …

“Last Christmas” starring Emilia Clarke.  A very enjoyable and seasonal family film.

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Remember …

If someone says you look familiar tell them you do porn.

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TIM

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This is my last post before Christmas so let me start by wishing everyone who reads this a very Merry Christmas.  This year has been difficult for us all and I will reflect more on that at year end, in the meanwhile I hope you and yours have a truly great time or at least as good as the circumstances allow.  I should also add that there will be no Saturday post from me this week as it is Boxing Day and I plan to sit down, eat, drink and watch back to back films!

As far as this weeks miniatures go all I have to offer is two more Dixon Confederates.  The good news is there are now only two more in my little pile to do.  As far as these two go they were just a run of the mill paint job and as Forrest Gump would say “That’s all I have to say about that”.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Christmas Past. Present and Future

I appreciate this will sound like Bah Humbug but Christmas Present for me leaves a great deal to be desired.  I love the food and drink and am happy to see family and friends and play a few games and watch the telly.  I really want to enjoy the occasion and to some extent I will but in truth Christmas Present isn’t that great.

My family is all grown up and this year Covid-19 has pretty much put a block on virtually all the things we would typically do in the lead up to the festive period.  Accordingly I am left with the fondest of memories of Christmas Past from when I was a kid to when my own kids were young.  Christmas is for kids after all and right now little children do not feature in my family.  Hopefully, and all in good time, Christmas Future will address this.

In the meanwhile my only option is to act like a big kid myself.  If Father Christmas does not bring me what I want I will throw a tantrum!

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Thunderbolt Mountain

A shout out to Mark A Morin to say a big thank you for two packs of Thunderbolt Mountain figures which he kindly sent me recently.  Not a manufacturer I had ever heard of but Mark provided the historic details and some amazing information on the sculptor (as only Mark can).  Having been bequeathed them himself but knowing he would never get round to doing them he kindly wondered if I might be interested and duly posted them to me all the way from the good old US of A.

The sculpts are quite different from what I normally do and the scale is a little smaller but I certainly aim to have a crack at one of the sets in the fullness of time.  Thanks again Mark, very kind of you.

If you want to see why Mark hasn’t got the time to do them himself then check out his blog by following the link above to see what he has been up to on his Aztec project.

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Give Me Five

I couldn’t ignore the time of year so this week I have gone for my 5 best Christmas films.  Not a huge list to choose from but I actually had to leave out a couple of films that I really like.  Decisions must however be made and as such here are my top five in no particular order.

1. Love Actually
2. Die Hard
3. Home Alone
4. It’s A Wonderful Life
5. Last Christmas

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Happy Christmas War Is Over” by John Lennon.  Being Christmas I thought it appropriate to have a festive song this week and as December 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of his death outside the Dakota building in New York  I couldn’t think of a more appropriate song.  R.I.P. John Lennon.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“Motherless Brooklyn” starring Edward Norton who also directed the film.  Not the greatest plot but not a bad film despite that.  Worth a watch in my opinion if only for some fantastic acting by Norton himself.

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Remember …

If your wife says you are a skeptic don’t believe a word she says.

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TIM