TIM’s Memory Monday (No: 17)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Memory Monday, Uncategorized

When I originally published these posts I did so in three parts.  I thought this time around I would merge them into one Memory Monday post so you can see the build from start to finish.

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Messing About With Realistic Water … Again!

In my last post I mentioned that I had plans to do a model using a canoe as the basis of the small diorama I had in mind.  Well the figures arrived earlier in the week and work is underway.  A few companies do 28mm scale canoes with figures but I settled on buying one from “Black Powder” care of http://www.warlordgames.com.  They do a few different figure options but I decided to go with the Frontiersmen as per the image below.

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The figures are white metal, the canoe plastic.  I had planned to do some selective amputation to the arms to change the poses slightly but the figures appear to be a bit smaller than 28mm (nearer to 25mm).  As even basic sculpting is not an area of strength I have decided to leave them alone and simply position them in the canoe as best I can.

Base work is under construction using some tried and tested methods and a few pictures of current progress appear below.  Key to my design is the sloping base which I bought cheaply online (I really must start looking at making more of my own bases).  The idea I have in mind is for the canoe and its occupants to be riding the rapids.  Getting my head around how to add realistic water to a slope is the next challenge but I have a few ideas to trial so we will see how that works out.

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Certainly doesn’t look great but am feeling confident that it will all come together!!!

In the meanwhile a few additional photo’s relating to my previous post as requested by IRO!

TIM

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Messing About with Realistic Water … Again! (Part 2)

Progress on my canoe diorama continues albeit slower than I’d like.  As a modeller I have a reasonably high degree of patience but the time it takes for this stuff to dry is testing.  As a consequence I am able to share some more progress images but the final model is still a little way off.  Hopefully by this time next week I’ll be there.

Not much to report on the ground work side of things.  The tree and river bed foundations follow tried and tested methods and have been covered in previous posts so I wont bore people by repeating myself.

Although the pictures below don’t show it the tree is now complete and the canoe and figures have been painted.  The problem is that the diorama is on a slope and taking photos are a little tricky while I’m still waiting for the water to set.

While I’ve been waiting for the Realistic Water to dry so I can work with it more I decided to paint a 28mm Greek hoplite.  Not really my historical period of interest but thought I’d have a go at something different for a change.  The figure is from 1st Corps and a very impressive casting it was too.  They have a good range but deal more with Ancients.  I have yet to decide whether or not to paint a few more of these chaps or not and even if I do not entirely sure how to present them.  No doubt I’ll think of something.  Not entirely happy with the completed figure.

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Watching Realistic Water dry is boring to say the least.  Next time I will have to see what other products are out there.  In the meanwhile a Greek hoplite which has no baring on this diorama whatsoever!!

TIM

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Messing About With Realistic Water … Again! (Part 3 -Completed Model)

Well, after what seemed to take for ever the Realistic Water started to set which then enabled me to manipulate it before it was left to completely go off. Together with Woodland Scenics Water Effects I managed to eventually build up the “running water” into something like a fast flowing white water river.  When completely dry certain areas were dry brushed with Winsor and Newton Titanium White oil colour.

Where appropriate, the front of the canoe and by the paddles, I tried to create the image of cutting through the water.  All in all I’m reasonably pleased with this one but I’ll leave that for others to judge rather than me.  To give it some perspective the model stands 6 inches (15cm) tall and is about 3 1/2 inches (9cm) wide.

There is definitely an art to creating water that looks realistic and this is an area I may look to explore more in the future as I have more to learn for sure. For me though the jury is out with Woodland Scenics. Ideally it would be good to find something less liquid that can be molded but still dries clear (bathroom sealent?). It may well be that Woodland Scenics offer the best products for this sort of thing but I can’t help but think there must be others available and possibly cheaper too.  Something to investigate ahead of any future diorama I do with water.

If anyone knows of other products I would love to hear from you!  In the meanwhile some images of the end result.

TIM

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Well, after what seemed to take for ever the Realistic Water started to set which then enabled me to manipulate it before it was left to completely go off. Together with Woodland Scenics Water Effects I managed to eventually build up the “running water” into something like a fast flowing white water river.  When completely dry certain areas were dry brushed with Winsor and Newton Titanium White oil colour.

Where appropriate, the front of the canoe and by the paddles, I tried to create the image of cutting through the water.  All in all I’m reasonably pleased with this one but I’ll leave that for others to judge rather than me.  To give it some perspective the model stands 6 inches (15cm) tall and is about 3 1/2 inches (9cm) wide.

There is definitely an art to creating water that looks realistic and this is an area I may look to explore more in the future as I have more to learn for sure. For me though the jury is out with Woodland Scenics. Ideally it would be good to find something less liquid that can be molded but still dries clear (bathroom sealent?). It may well be that Woodland Scenics offer the best products for this sort of thing but I can’t help but think there must be others available and possibly cheaper too.  Something to investigate ahead of any future diorama I do with water.

If anyone knows of other products I would love to hear from you!  In the meanwhile some images of the end result.

TIM

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Steampunk Alice (Part 1)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Steampunk, Uncategorized

I have begun working on another of my 28mm Twisted Miniatures, this one goes by the name of Alice and is a Steampunk version of Alice In Wonderland.  I cannot claim to be a fan of either the book or film(s) but as with my recent Disney Steampunk model “Chim Chimney” this one gave me some ideas.

Inspired by some of the images on the Twisted site I thought I would try and create a little model featuring some of the things I knew about the character and the story.  I knew a mirror needed to feature along with some playing cards and a chess board so I began to set about the build.

Using some old watch pieces I created the name of Alice for the front of the base.

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Some tiles found in my scenic storage boxes would be used to create the chess board.  Holes were drilled to take certain pieces later on.  The broken tiles will be covered when the model is complete.

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Painting the tiles and sticking them down soon got underway.  Such is the state of my memory that I need to have a yellow postit to hand to highlight that the tiles needed to be layed down in a black and white sequence!  In fairness I had to make sure I got the pre-drilled tiles in the right place.

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A few more little features being worked on but whether I will use them all remains to be seen.

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Alice underway.

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Pending how things go and how distracted I get by something else I have now started will determine if this one gets finished next week.

TIM

 

 

 

TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 48)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Musings, Uncategorized

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This weeks 28mm figure is from Hasslefree and goes by the name of “Wolsey” and is based on the Scooby Doo cartoon series.  There are two verions of the figure, this is the Apocolypse version and the figure was one sent to me for free on account of the fact that I had placed an order over and above a certain value apparently.  Not a figure I would have chosen to buy but as it turned out it was one I really enjoyed painting.  I may now have to get the other figures which make up this little set.

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Well It Made Me Laugh …

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Coronavirus – Self Isolation Week 7

Day 43 – If this is the apocalypse then I must say I am rather disappointed in it so far.  The current situation is a long way from taking on hordes of zombies with a cricket bat whilst trying to reach the Winchester Arms.

Day 44 – The coronavirus has resulted in being able to claim all manner of refunds for things being cancelled.  With this year rapidly going nowhere I’m wondering if I can get my money back on the 2020 wall planner I bought?

Day 45 – In the “Game of Life: Covid-19” addition we have reached the 1st May or as I prefer to call it Level 5.

Day 46 – Now left to go natural She Who Must Be Obeyed’s hair would be completely grey.  As things currently stand she has adopted the appearance of a rabid badger.  Obviously  I have said to her that she looks fine, I’m not completely mental.  Does make me wonder though how many blonds there will be once we are let lose into the wild again.

Day 47 – Although I am not a gamer I found myself once again thinking about the apocalypse.  Now that we know it wont be played out by bat weilding humans breaking skulls I am curious how the figure designers for future games will depict Covid-19.  Any thoughts?

Day 48 – I’m not much of a Facebook user, more a Facebook stalker.  One thing I have noticed though is how few people have updated their profile pictures.  I assume the inability to update ones wardrobe, acquire cosmetics and complete a make over has had a baring on this.

Day 49 – I’m not sure further proof was required that women can be fickle creatures but today I spent a little time contemplating the hypothetical question “Who do I think is the more desirable women between Jennifer Lawrence and Jenna Coleman?” posed by She Who Must Be Obeyed.  

Without a moments hesitation I said Jenna Coleman (possibly the most beautiful women in the world as far as I am concerned but I wouldn’t say no to Jennifer either).   I then simply asked her what she thought of Micala who lives up the road and all hell broke lose!

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This week TIM has been listening to …

“Simply Irresistible” by Robert Palmer.  I love this guy’s music and although I can’t quite work out why I love his video’s too.

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This week TIM has been watching…

“The Irishman” starring Robert De Niro et al.  Very disappointing and three hours of my life that I wont get back.

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Remember…

If all the psychics you know are either depressed or angry then try and find a happy medium.

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TIM

 

TIM’s Memory Monday (No: 16)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Memory Monday, Uncategorized

Those of you who follow my blog will hopefully have seen my most recent attempt at constructing a waterfall and creating the illusion of flowing water in my dirorama OMG!

https://theimperfectmodeller.wordpress.com/2020/04/18/omg-a-28mm-diorama-part-5-final-diorama/

Few of you perhaps will have seen my first attempt.

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Messing About With Realistic Water

Fully recharged after an excellent holiday and with a potential modelling ideas list as long as my arm I’ve decided that my next project will be a small diorama with flowing water being a main feature. The basic idea came from seeing some people out canoeing while away on holiday. Not entirely sure why I’ve settled on this idea from countless others but identifying the models to buy quickly certainly had a bearing. It will give me the time to source the things I need for other ideas while keeping my hand in.

The models needed are on order and should arrive shortly but in the meanwhile I thought I would share some details on the first water themed diorama that I put together a little while ago and before I started this blog. As with most first attempts a lot was learnt but overall I was reasonably pleased with the end result.

The basic story behind this 28mm diorama is mountain man sees stag across the water and is trying to make his mind whether or not to shoot such a magnificent beast. The stag on the other hand is deciding whether or not to leg it!

Rock moulds from Woodland Scenics were used to elevate the background and produce the height for the waterfall. The waterfall was created using a combination of Woodland Scenics Realistic Water and Water Effects. Woodland Scenics have an excellent tutorial on YouTube on how to do this so I’m won’t provide a poor version of my own here.

The rocks were painted with highly thinned oil paints using a spotting technique whereby you dab on  each colour (in this case Burnt Umber and Yellow Ochre) randomly and allow the colours to run into one another before applying a top coat wash of black (Ivory Black). Thinned the paint finds its way into all the nooks and crannies of the well-defined rock face but it’s not until the black is applied that the rock face truly comes to life.

Various bits of foliage were added to the scene along with rocks and tree debris to the plunge area of the waterfall.

For a change all the figures didn’t come from Dixon’s but from War Game’s Foundry, their Abrasoka Mountain Men set. The chap holding the rifle at the front of the diorama a is a great casting and one of my favourite figures.

So less chat and a few images.

TIM

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Covid 19: Lockdown Breakout – (A 28mm Diorama)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Fantasy, Miscellaneous, Uncategorized

Not for the first time it started in China.  A place called Wohun. They called it Covid 19.  It would also become known as the Coronavirus.

The first the western world learnt of it was in eary 2020 but China had been dealing with it since late 2019.  They thought they had it under control, that the virus was contained.  It wasn’t.  Worse than that it was deadly and there was no known cure.

To begin with countries reacted slowly as they failed to comprehend the situation and the speed with which the virus could spread.  It soon became a pandemic and as realisation kicked in so did the safety measures.  To start with populations were requested to self isolate, to keep a mimimum of two metres apart, and the vulnerable were advised to stay at home and go nowhere for twelve weeks.  But as the number of confirmed cases escalated into the millions and the death toll increased daily by the thousands such requests soon became orders and in next to no time countries were in lockdown.  Nobody was allowed to go anywhere while governments worked out how to contain and control the outbreak.

Self isolation became the norm and daily TV bulletins provided statistical updates and medical progress.  People remained surprisingly calm and hopeful but after three months things began to change.  With no medical breakthroughs and food distrubtion in decline questions and conspiracy theories began to circulate.

China pointed the finger at the Wohun animal wet market as the cause of the virus outbreak.  Bat disease crossing over into the human food chain.  But Wohun was also home to the Institute of Virology and suspicions grew that China had after conducting biological weapon tests deliberately let the virus lose on the world.  With a weakened world China would be free to take military advantage.

Alternative theories suggested environmentalists were behind the outbreak and significant improvements in air polution were sighted along with other examples as supporting evidence.  Others bought into the idea that it was a global governmental experiment to see how best to deal with an ever increasing world population.  Decline in travel and the ability to work from home were viewed by many as examples which justified the theory.

Growing unrest was not lost on governments.  Martial law was enforced.  The aim was to calm the public, to reassure them that all was well but it provoked the opposite effect.  It confirmed to a great many people that something of gigantic proportions was going on and there was a need to know just what that was.  While most people remained hostage to the situation others were determined to escape their confinement in search of the truth.

The authorities had other ideas and adopted a policy of continued confinment by whatever means necessary.  Breaking out from lockdown was a life and death situation but for some it was the only way.

It was time to seek the truth.

TIM

 

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TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 47)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Musings, Uncategorized

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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As I have been doing a bit of batch painting on some Knuckleduster figures this weeks offering is another Gunfighters Ball figure – “Charlie Bowdre”.   I’ll move on to something else next week but haven’t decided what just yet.  There is plenty of figures in the pile that’s for sure.

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Well It Made Me Laugh …

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Site Reviews

Thanks to the glorious UK weather I have more or less reached the stage where I have either completed or given up on all the houshold jobs that needed doing.  This will leave me with even more time to “paint, model and blog” (for some reason the words “Shake, Rattle and Roll” just entered my head!) during the many weeks of self isolation which still lay ahead.  Contemplating what to do I hit upon the idea of a new temporary blog feature.  I have decided it might be a nice idea to run a series of site review articles.  I am no expert but I do feel qualified to at least comment on the things I have bought and tried out and to share my thoughts for better or worse.

Over the years I have discovered a great many modelling sites dealing with figures, accessories and tools and have, either through buying items or simply looking at the site, informed opinions on them all.  If nothing else it will either selfishly serve as a reminder to me or at best be of interest in some form or another to someone new to the hobby.  That obviously excludes most of you dear readers but you’re stuck with it until such times as I give up on the idea!

I’m not going to over think the concept, layout or format, I’ll just go with how the mood takes me.  I might deal with a specific genre, several sites at once or just one site at a time.  I’m not planning a regular posting date either.  I will simply publish as and when.  Might be one a week, might be two a week, might be none.

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Coronavirus – Self Isolation Week 6

Day 36 – Today the postman delivered one of my outstanding orders, this one from Haslefree.  Understandably it has taken a while to arrive.  Not complaining given the circumstances but just wish I had put more in the order.  Think I will have to place another in the next day or two if it is going to take that long to be fulfilled.

Day 37 – Before the Covid-19 outbreak I had two trips to London planned one of which was for Salute 2020.  In addition I also had trips planned to holiday in France and Norway.  The London trips got cancelled and the other two will almost certainly follow suit.  In search of the positive it occurs to me I have a nice pot of refunded money to spend on modelling.  I suspect She Who Must Be Obeyed might have other ideas which is why I have told her we weren’t eligible for refunds.

Day 38 – It has only taken 38 days for the penny to drop that I cannot get to the post office.  The significance of this is only that in the unlikely event of someone buying anything I have listed on Ebay (this is a slow time of the year at the best of times without Covid-19 to worry about) I wouldn’t be able to post it for at least another 6 weeks, probably longer.  Nothing to do but unlist all items and see how things look later in the year, although I cannot imagine buying painted figures being high on anyone’s list once this is over.  Still at least time is on my side to build up some stock.

Day 39 – This morning I was woken early by a noise outside.  I say early although I should point out that under normal circumstances I would have been up 2 hours earlier.  Looking outside there was a white van bearing the logo “Kingfisher, Delivering Brixham’s Finest Sea Food To Your Door”.  I love sea food and immediately anticipated a nice load of cockles, winkles and whelks (I don’t like jellied eels) coming my way until I realised no orders had been placed by us for such goodies.  On speaking to the delivery chap it turns out the company had been employed by the government to deliver food parcels to the vulnerable.  It turns out it was a great big box of food for my son and he would now be getting a similar one every week!

Day 40 – Today was spent trying to see how we could stop yesterdays parcel from being delivered every week, a near impossible task it would seem.  Don’t get me wrong we are not ungrateful but we feel extremely guilty knowing we can pay our way and there are others out there with a greater need.  To steal a line from the film Legend where Tom Hardy plays Reggie Kray “I’m a giver not a receiver”.  It looks like the best we can do is accept the deliveries for the time being and drop the parcels off to the local charity food bank.

Day 41 – Another model order arrived today.  Vallejo Model Color paints ordered from a company I had not used before – eModels.  Looks like my day is set, not with painting but reorganizing my Hobby Zone paint racks.  These things have to be placed in order!

Day 42 – Half way there!  Six weeks down and in theory only six weeks to go.  I suspect the reality for those with underlying conditions will be much, much longer but we will continue to take one step at a time as the new world continues to emerge.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

Bachman-Turner Overdive You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.

With time to spare during lockdown I thought I would trawl through my youth over the coming weeks and months and pick out a few songs from yesteryear that I still like today.  This one is from 1975.

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This week TIM has been watching…

“Only Fools and Horses”.  The perfect backdrop while painting.  So many classic lines from this awesome sitcom which ran and ran for years.  Thought I would go with this image that I found to bring things up to date!

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Remember…

“Exiled for the good of the realm” sounds so much better than “Social Distancing”.

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TIM

 

TIM’s Memory Monday (No: 15)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Memory Monday, Uncategorized

One thing I am reminded of when looking at this piece again is that photos taken outside are a much nicer backdrop to those taken indoors using my light box.  I really should put myself out to do this more, if not for single figures than at least for dioramas.

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28mm ACW Confederate Cavalry Diorama – Part 2

With my holiday looming I finally managed to complete this diorama and without rushing it. When I return from a holiday I’m usually full of new ideas so I was keen to clear the work bench before I go.

Not sure there is a lot to say about this one. Overall I’m pretty pleased with it and broadly speaking managed to create the scene I was after. The figures were all from the ACW range produced by Dixon Miniatures (I wonder if they will ever get to see what I do with the figures I have bought from them?). Other than some minor adjustments to each of the horses to free their legs from metal grass tufts used to keep them on their bases they are as purchased.

One of the things I like about Dixon’s is they sell their figures individually. A lot of manufactures tend to sell in bundles which is OK but I usually find I’m only really interested in one or two figures and the rest end up unused in my bit box. Just like buying bundles of socks or pants from M&S, there is always a pair or two that are naff which you never wear!

Images of the diorama below, starting with a few progress photos and ending with the final model. Hopefully my holiday will provide an opportunity to improve my photography skills.

TIM

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“Marise Greyshroud” – 28mm Reaper Miniature (Ann’s Challenge)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Fantasy, Uncategorized

Ann’s April Challenge was a simple one, just get some outstanding crap done.  What I like about a challenge like that is it makes me realise I am not alone.  At some point we all start something which either never gets finished or takes a hell of a long time to get done.  I’ve often wondered why this is.

Personally I think it is down to one simple reason.  I get excited about the next project and move on before the previous  project I was excited about gets finished.  This was the case with this figure – Reaper Miniatures “Marise Greyshroud”.  I had a few ideas for this one but then I got inspired by a bigger diorama and so this one got pushed back further and further until Ann’s Challenge came along.

Not a great deal to say about it.  Purchased early last year but since then it has sat neglected on my desk gathering dust.  Not an exciting piece (although I liked it at the time) and this is reflected in the paint job I think.  A simple bit of base work with a couple of skulls added for further interest and it is now done as far as I am concerned.  Not one of my favourites but if it wasn’t for Ann’s challenge it may not have got finished at all.

Looking at my desk I notice I have several other part completed figures.  I really ought to get these done but I think I will wait for the next challenge!

TIM

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TIM’s Miniatures & Musings (No: 46)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Musings, Uncategorized

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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This week a return to Knuckleduster and another Gunfighters Ball figure – “Dick Brewer”.  There was a time when I could keep up with Knuckledusters new releases but not any more.  It has become a struggle but for now I have the time to work through a new batch I recently purchased.

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Well It Made Me Laugh …

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Basing

I’ve noticed that there appears to be a new trend (well I haven’t noticed it before) to base figures on clear plastic bases.  If there is a reason for this I am guessing the answer might lie within the gaming community.

From the perspective of a painter and modeller rather than a gamer I can see that a clear base makes you focus on the figure itself with no distractions.  A good idea?  Well I guess it is all about opinions and I am not one for sitting on the fence getting splinters up my arse so I will just come right out and say I think clear bases look shit.

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Coronavirus – Self Isolation Week 5

Day 29 – It has become a strange new world.  I have begun to envy people who’s post arrives late in the day.  Ours arrives at roughly 10 in the morning now, it used to be by 9 but I guess a shortage of posties has had an impact.  The point is the anticipation of receiving something in the post, especially if it is modelling related, is a highlight.  Sadly it’s over all to quickly.

Day 30 – A great friend of mine who lives in Galway, Ireland sent me the following web link – http://radio.garden/live – some of you may already be aware of it.  For those who aren’t it is a very cool site which allows you to tune in to radio stations from all over the world using an interactive global map.  Do I have the time to check it out?  Looking at the day I have planned I think I can find a slot between 06:00 and 24:00 to squeeze it in.

Day 31 – Today I am off to Australia.  Yesterday I spent time travelling across the US.  Not sure where I will go after that but further journeys beckon.  Now by tavelling I mean I sat in the garden in the blazing sunshine listening to American radio stations while imagining I was behind the wheel of a little red corvette.  If that wasn’t good enough it got even better.  Did you know that you can even drink an ice cold beer at the same time and its not illegal!

Day 32 – Today I finished my last beer whilst “driving” along Australia’s gold coast.  Apparently beer is not consider an essential item in these days of lockdown.  I disagree but what can you do?  The obvious answer is to turn to the wine rack.  The good news is there is some, the bad news is I prefer red over white and mostly the rack is filled with the latter.  All is not lost however as Charles Stevenson’s Wines of Tavistock will deliver locally.  🤗🍷

Day 33 – Apparently today is Sunday.  I didn’t have a clue until SWMBO served dinner.  We always have a roast dinner on a Sunday and today we had beef.  I am confident of knowing tomorrow will be Monday as there is usually cold meat to be had for dinner after a Sunday roast.  After Monday I will be lost again.

Day 34 – When my world was normal I would generally keep myself busy and occasionally decide I deserved a day of doing nothing.  Such are the times I find myself living in now that this morning I declared I would do something.  In fairness it didn’t amount to more than making a cup of tea but I felt better about myself and besides after so much inactivity I felt it necessary to ease into things.

Day 35 – Think I may have over done it yesterday so declared today would be a day of rest and relaxation and besides the wine delivery is due this afternoon.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

The Troggs and “Wild Thing”.  Every time I hear this I am always reminded of the film Major League with Charlie Sheen.

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This week TIM has been watching…

“Money Ball” starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.  Sticking with the baseball theme.

Unlike American Football, Baseball is easily understood, not that you need to know too much for watching the film.  Spoiler – If it were me I would have taken the job!

Moneyball_Poster

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Remember…

Marriage is all about finding that special person that you want to annoy for the rest of your life.

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TIM

 

TIM’s Memory Monday (No: 14)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Memory Monday, Uncategorized

A small ACW piece and one of my favourites.  Not so much for the figures but the composition, an idea I copied from Andre Miniatures.  Looking at it again I’m tempted to explore another scene along similar lines.  It’s been a long time since I last delved into this genre.

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28mm ACW Conderate Cavalry Diorama – Part 1

Having completed my WW1 diorama I now find myself returning to the Old West, or to be more accurate the American Civil War.  The weather here in good “Old Blighty” is typical for the summer which is to say that it is once again raining in England. Ideal for modelling I hear you say, so thought I but alas it is the school holidays and the family have other ideas.  She Who Must Be Obeyed won over and thus progress on the new diorama is slower than anticipated.  I digress.

This diorama is inspired by figures sold separately or as a diorama by Andrea. Andrea Miniatures produce fantastic figures, mostly in 54mm scale, which are priced accordingly, which is to say they are pretty expensive.  Don’t get me wrong I am happy to spend money on my hobby and I do (no dearest, these were a bargain and cost very little for how good they are) but on this occasion I thought I would try to do my own version using 28mm Dixon Miniature ACW figures.  They have a good range of figures for this period and I was able to find what I was looking for with only minor adjustments being necessary.

Base work needed to be done first as positioning of the figures was key so I set about gathering the necessary materials – slate chippings from my drive, dirt dust from the road outside my house, static grass, dried grass from Dartmoor, PVA, water, Milliput and a few minor scenic bits from my modelling drawer and off course paint. Ordinarily I wouldn’t bother to list the items I use, not that it’s a secret but because I’m sure most people have a good idea of what they need.  No, the only reason for listing the items is it never ceases to amaze me that from such an odd array of crap items it is possible to produce something that looks like a reasonably natural landscape.

Enough chat, some work in progress photo’s.  Hopefully I’ll have the whole thing done before I go on holiday in two weeks time.

TIM

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