Category: Uncategorized

TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 137)

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Musings, Uncategorized

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks miniature is, disappointingly, only one of the three remaining Footsore Baron’s War figures I have left to do.  I’d hoped to have them all done but it wasn’t to be.  Life as always got in the way.  It happens.  The good news is I hope to have the final two done for Saturday.  Then I can aim to get a group shot or two done before then taking some time out to concentrate fully on my diorama.  What we have here is my final crossbowman.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Time For A  Break

As mentioned above I should finish my last two foot figures for my Baron’s War army project in time to post this Saturday.  Any duplicate figures and the remaining mounted knights (and any new stuff I might buy!) will get done throughout the year but as and when the mood takes me.  My time now will be spent exclusively on my diorama project which has quite literally taken over both in terms of space and hobby enjoyment.

Dealing with only one project, albeit a big one by my standards, will allow me to get a better hobby/life balance as right now I have to many other things jockeying for my time.  Doing this has, as I have mentioned before in a previous post, a knock on effect to blogging and as a consequence this will be my last Minatures & Musings post.  I see this as a temporary situation and not a permanent one.

To those of you who will miss these posts all I can say is sorry.  To those of you who are disappointed they will be returning all I can say is sorry!

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Give Me Five

As this is the last Miniatures and Musings post for a while I thought I would give you five Well It Made Me Laugh’s to keep you going.  In no particular order:

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Paradise By The Dashboard Light” by Meat Loaf.  I’m not the greatest Meat Loaf fan but I did enjoy much of his music and theatrics and with his recent passing it seemed an appropriate musical choice  for this week.  This is one of my favourite tracks.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“Clarkson’s Farm” with Jeremy Clarkson.  Clarkson is one of those people who is often likened to Marmite, you either like him or hate him.  I love him and think he is a great narrator and I found this to be a great series to watch.

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Remember …

Always give a 100% unless you’re giving blood.

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TIM

Dio-Bolical Monday No: 30 – “Death & Taxes: The Earls Visit – Part 8”

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Dio-Bolical Monday, Uncategorized

This week I started work on the river section that the Mill sits on.  This is a piece that will take quite a while.  Not so much due to the painting but more to do with the drying time when later in the process I add layers of Woodland Scenics Realistic Water.

The first job was to get the section primed and then to get the areas of brick work which are aligned to the base section of the Mill building painted to match what I had already done.  In the image below you can see that I have started by painting the brick work with the basic grey colour I had used before.

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For my next step I painted the river bed with some burnt Umber and applied some early dry brushed highlights.  The three unpainted areas in the image below are where the Mill and the Wheel Support will be positioned later.

You might also notice that I have two problems to overcome.  Firstly, the river section isn’t as wide as the base the diorama is going on. It was therefore necessary to create an additional river piece section at the back and this I made from some plaster board which was then carved to blend in.  You can see the additional piece in its basic form at the top of the image.   It will be a little higher than the river section because I want to create an image of some faster flowing water in due course as this is what would make the wheel turn.

The second problem is one of leveling the base section of the Mill.  When placed on the river section the base is raised a little.  I used some old plastic slotter bases, the sort that come with figures you buy, as these proved to be the ideal height.  You can also see that I’ve started playing around with some slate chippings from my garden.

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The next step was to lay down some Daz air drying clay and to fix the base section of the Mill in place.

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With the base level in situ and no longer wobbling it was time to start building up the area  around the front, back and sides of the Mill and getting more colours and dry brushing added to the river bed.  Due to the drying time for the Daz clay this was a slow process but I did manage to make a start and also managed to add some fine grit between the rocks too.

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Generally base work is something which I enjoy but it isn’t something which can be rushed due to the time for things to dry and cure.  In it’s present state it all looks rather scruffy but all being well that will change when I get to start painting and blending the base work to complement the painted finish on the Mill.  As you might have guessed this will be my work for the coming week.

TIM

Nearly There! – Baron’s War Army

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Dark Age, Uncategorized

With less and less space to work due to the size of my diorama project I decided to press on with getting the final few figures done on my Footsore Baron’s War army.  This week I got two archers done which by my calculations has left me with just three to do now.

In reality I do have about five or six other foot figures to do but these are all duplicates and will get done eventually but not for now.  I’ve put these with the mounted Knights I have to do and will aim to get these done throughout the year but only after my diorama is done.  Without wishing to say too much, as more will be revealed under my diorama posts, I have a dozen mounted figures to paint for that eventually along with numerous foot figures as well.

Not much to say on the archers other than images are below.

TIM

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TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 136)

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Musings, Uncategorized

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks miniature is another double bill as I’m pulling out the stops to complete my army now, well the foot figures that is.  The remaining mounted knights will be done over time.  Just a few more Baron’s War foot figures to go.  Once done I’ll aim to get them all on the table for a group shot.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Give Me Five

This week I decided to take a look at the films of Al Pacino.  It would have been easy to put the Godfather trilogy in for three of the five but instead I just went with the first one but take it that he is great in them all.  For my five I came up with this list which as usual is in no particular order.

  1. The Godfather (1972)
  2. Scent Of A Women (1992)
  3. Serpico (1973)
  4. Francie And Johnny (1991)
  5. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“A Hard Rain’s A – Gonna Fall” by Bryan Ferry.  Roxy Music are one of my very favourite bands and their front man  Ryan Ferry was a cool dude in his day.  He also had a couple of solo albums featuring some of his favourite tracks by other people, in this instance Bob Dylan.  A great track.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“The Killer Nanny: Did She Do It?”.  A three part Channel 4 documentary based on the true case of Louise Woodward a British teenage nanny on trial in the USA.  I remember this case which happened 25 years ago but only have a vague memory of the details.  A compelling bit of TV as far as I am concerned and I guess everyone will have a view of whether or not she was or wasn’t guilty.  Not one to sit on the fence all I’ll say is the jury should have been shot for not paying proper attention to some of the details put before them.

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Remember …

Don’t take criticism from people you would never go to for advice.

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TIM

Dio-Bolical Monday No: 29 – “Death & Taxes: The Earls Visit – Part 7″

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Dio-Bolical Monday, Uncategorized

In last weeks post I mentioned that there were some internal workings which needed to be painted along with the actual water mill wheel itself.  Basically the pile of included parts looked like this.

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The tier two front door canopy and the chimney which you can both see in the top centre of the image have already been painted and assembled on to the main building.  All the pieces which make the wheel are on the right and in the foreground are the bits and pieces which make up the internal workings of the mill wheel as it turns.  Also included is a bag of bits (top left) comprising of boxes and sacks and to the right a small rowing boat and a pillar section which supports the wheel externally.

I wasn’t interested in painting things like boxes and sacks just yet but I did want to get the wheel assembled and painted along with the internal mechanism.  If they weren’t a perfect fit then these pieces would give me a problem further down the line so now was the time get them put together, painted and put into place. 

The first piece to be painted and installed was the internal wheel which can be seen in the image below and is located on tier 1, the ground level of the building.  This internal wheel is driven by the external water wheel which is turned by running water in real life, although not in this case because it is not a working model!      

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On the next level up, tier 2, the actual Mill Stone is turned by the internal wheel below and a series of cogs.  The cogs are supported by a large wooden beam and a box with a chute feeds the grain to the Mill Stone for grinding.  Hopefully you can see all this in the image below.

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Next up was the assembly and painting of the main external wheel.  

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The external wheel is complete but I will not be attaching it until later.  To do so now will hinder my access to the river section which I intend to start on this coming week.  If all goes well I’ll begin some base work too.

As I have said before, the detail on these buildings, both inside and out, is incredible.  Sadly, despite the effort I’m putting in I suspect that the internal work will go largely unnoticed but the thought of not painting the inside just doesn’t sit well with me.  The thing with dioramas is it is hard to know what is and what isn’t visible until it is complete.  By then of course it can be to late so things have to be done now even if further down the line it is proven unnecessary. 

TIM

Sir Tobias Denning (28mm Baron’s War)

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Dark Age, Uncategorized

Continuing to plough through my Baron’s War figures I had a pleasant surprise in that I had a knight to paint which I had overlooked.  Although these figures take longer to do, which then meant less time spent on my diorama project, it was much more fun to paint.  I’ve got out of the rhythm of painting knights so I had to stop and remind myself, especially when it came to doing the freehand star on the shield.

In search of a name I once again delved into my family tree and came up with the name of Sir Tobias Denning.

TIM

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TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 135)

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Musings, Uncategorized

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks miniature is a double bill. Two more Levy’s off the list as my Baron’s War foot figures near their end. I’m determined to get this phase complete and desperate to move on now but with eight figures to go I’m nearly there. In a few weeks time I aim to work exclusively on my diorama project while deciding just where I go from there.

Compared to other figures in the range these ar pretty basic and as such they received a paint job to match.

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Give Me Five

This week I thought I’d take a look at the films of the late great Robin Williams.  Such a sad loss.  In no particular order I came up with this top five.

  1. Awakenings (1990)
  2. Good Mornjng Vietnam (1987)
  3. Good Will Hunting (1997)
  4. Dead Poets Society (1989)
  5. The Fisher King (1991)

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WordPress … Here We Go Again!

It seems I have finally been forced to install and use the WordPress App. I’m sure it’s not a big deal but at this moment in time for me it is. It’s an aggrevation which has arrived at a time when, as I mentioned in my post Welcome 2022?, I’ve started to get tired of posting. I’m keen to keep blogging but I feeI have become a slave to ensuring I get a post published every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Why? I have no answer to that question but I do know I don’t want to continue in this way going forward. A more random, post when I feel like it, approach is currently looking favourite.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Sultans Of Swing” by Dire Straits.  It’s been a while since I sat down and listened to Dire Straits. Long overdue.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“The Outlaws” a six part BBC series starring among others Stephen Merchant, Eleanor Tomlinson and Christopher Walker.  One of those series which comes along where you know nothing about it and it turns out to be very enjoyable. Already looking forward to series two.

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Remember …

Saying to someone “Have a nice day” sounds friendly but saying “Enjoy your next 24 hours” sounds threatening.

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TIM

Dio-Bolical Monday No: 28 – “Death & Taxes: The Earls Visit – Part 6”

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Dio-Bolical Monday, Uncategorized

This week saw the completion of the roof but not of the entire water mill itself.  There are some internal bits to be prepped and painted plus the actual water wheel itself.  All being well these will receive my attention next.

As to the roof itself this turned out to be more straight forward than I anticipated.  It is the size of these pieces that take a while along with drying time after oil washes have been applied.

There isn’t a great deal to say about what I have done this week as much, if not all, of it is just a continuation of the work I had done on the previous tiers of the building.  The basic roof colour, inside and outside, was Artiste Burnt Umber and once dried everything was given a Winsor and Newton Lamp Black oil wash. Thereafter it was all about various shades of dry brushing. Mostly lighter browns, a little sand and some white used sparingly.  The windows were painted in the same way as previously posted.

As far as the Mill building goes l would say it is about 90% done.  As mentioned above there are some internal workings to be done along with the wheel.  These will be done before I then start on more base work and begin the river section.  Further down the line a couple of figures will appear as well as bits and bobs like boxes, bags and sacks.

What I did manage to add was a canopy which sits over the front door of tier two of the building.  This was a seperate piece which needed to be glued into position but the painting of it was very much along the lines of the roof.

For now just a few images of the roof and the building as it currently looks overall.

TIM

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Welcome 2022?

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Uncategorized

Last week I reflected on the year that was 2021.  This week I have turned the spotlight on 2022 and what might be.

At the top of the list and by some distance is my hope and desire to see Covid kicked into touch.  Will it?  The optimist in me says yes, the pessimist says no and the realist which wins the day says we will just have to live with it.  With all the will in the world I cannot see Covid disappearing any time soon and the world cannot carry on doing the lockdown version of the Hokey Cokey.

When it comes to New Year resolutions I really don’t see the point in making them.

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I do see the point in making a realistic modelling “To Do List” though.  Whether it lasts for more than a week of course remains to be seen but having a starting point does have its merits in my book.  As lists go I’m sure mine will evolve naturally over the year just like I expect everyone else’s will.  Some items on the list I will complete, others I will not.  Am I bothered?  Not particulalry.

As things currently stand my modelling list reads as follows:

  • Complete the foot figures for my Footsore Baron’s War army. 

I’m getting bored with this project now but I only have a few to do and I really would like to complete them.  I still have quite a few mounted figures to do but I’m in no rush to get them done and think I will enjoy dipping into them as the mood grabs me

  • Drastically reduce my lead pile.

Like us all I have a pile of lead which needs to be dealt with.  I say dealt with because they are never going to get done.  The aim therefore is to clear stuff out.  I need a purge.  Whether I put stuff on Ebay, give it away or throw it away it has to go.  Just seeing it all is playing with my head and I feel the need for a clean slate.  Well cleaner!

  • Complete my current Dio-Bolical Monday diorama – The Earls Visit.

I’m loving everything about this project so far but it has highlighted a significant problem.  The size of the diorama and the amount of elements to it has completely taken over my modelling area to the point where doing anything else along side is almost impossible.  My aim is to soldier on for the next few weeks to try to get the Baron’s War foot figures done (see above) and one or two other figures I’ve started as well but then I plan to dedicate my time exclusively to the diorama.  The knock on effect is that at some point it will throw my blog posts out.

  • Review My Blog

For a while now I’ve not been happy with my blog.  I’m keen to keep it going but I have grown a little tired of it.  I think the answer is to freshen it, or me, up.  What does that mean?  I haven’t a clue.  Come the time when I concentrate more fully on my diorama my Wednesday and Saturday posts will probably go by the board.  Alternatively for a period there might be  Dio-Bolical Wednesday and a Dio-Bolical Saturday thing going on.  In any event I anticipate some sort of time out.  Come the end of that I’ll probably end up doing what I’m doing now!

  • Sort Out My Working Space

To some extent this will happen naturally when I complete my diorama and reduce my pile of lead.  Not that either will solve the whole problem but it will reduce the size of the task.

  • Model Shows

As things currently stand my aim is to attend Salute in April, my Plymouth Clubs show in June and Telford again in November.  Ideally, unless Covid puts a block on things I’ll attend some others too.

  • Decide Where I Go Next 

All I know for certain is I have no plans to give up painting and modelling.  What is of growing importance is to test myself.  There is so much I can’t do and haven’t tried.  I want to do more freehand for sure so if I can’t think of anything else I’ll start here.

For now that’s it. More modelling ideas will spring to mind for sure as the year begins to unfold.

As to non modelling resolutions I guess much depends on how the year progresses.  Last year wasn’t a great one, neither was the year before.  I’ll keep an open mind for 2022 but based on 2020 and 2021 this is looking favourite …

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TIM

TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 134)

Featured by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Musings, Uncategorized

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks miniature is a simple Levy figure from the Baron’s War range and another one off of my list.  A quick count up and it looks like I only have 10 to do.  Hooray!

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Well It Made Me Laugh

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Give Me Five

Having just recently watched Leonardo in “Don’t Look Up” (see below) I thought I would stick with him for my Give Me Five.  He’s actually been in more films that I realised but picking my top five was easy.  In no particular order:

  1. Titanic (1997)
  2. The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
  3. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
  4. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
  5. The Revenant (2015)

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves” by The Eurythmics with Aretha Franklin.  Hard to know what’s politically correct these days.  Pro women or anti men or just a message?  Bound to offend someone but all I hear is a great track.

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This week TIM has been watching …

“Don’t Look Up” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence.  A Netflix original released over Christmas and very watchable.  Done in a tongue in cheek way but but it’s hard to see government’s or the media acting any other way.  Some might argue they already are.

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Remember …

Women who carry a little extra weight live longer than the man who mentions it.

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TIM