The Imperfect Modeller

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This week I have another pair of miniatures for you, both are figures from Artizan and can be found in the Thrilling Tales range.  The first is their take on Indianna Jones which for copyright they elected to call Kentucky Davies.  The figure doesn’t come with a whip so I decided to make one myself.  The second figure is Herr Tohdt which is a take off of Nazi agent Arnold Toht who appeared in Raiders of the lost Ark.

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Amazon Order

I needed a few modelling consumables so I placed an order with Amazon.  In an effort to resolve one of life’s conundrums I also decided to purchase a chicken and an egg.

I’ll let you know what comes first.

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Plymouth Model Show 2019

This Saturday just gone saw me attend my third show but only my second as part of the club, first time around I was simply a visitor.  An excellent day and well attended.  All being well the club will have made a reasonable amount of money which errs well going forward.

From what I was told most of the clubs from the South West area were in attendance and we also had two clubs who came over from France.  Some talented modellers from Caen in Normandy put on a great display and hopefully when I get to review my photos I will find that I have taken some of it!

I did enter a few things into the competition.  Managed a 2nd in the Diorama category, a 2nd and 3rd in Figures Under 60mm and a Highly Commended and a 1st place in the Miscellaneous category.  My Wizard Library was my 1st place winning entry which I was pleased with.   In all honesty I didn’t think it would win when I saw that I was up against an excellent scratch built model.  Generally, scratch built models done well, which they usually are, tend to score additional points giving them a head start which is difficult to make up so I was very pleased to have won.

As always met some great people, in particular a chap called Kev who does some amazing work and who I think administers a website called Planet Figure.  He invited me to join it as he thought my 28mm scale figures would add to the diversity.  He also encouraged me to attend a show called Bugle Call which is held in Bristol in November.  I said I would consider both but of the two I think I am more likely to do the show.

Next up is a trip to Cornwall and the Padstowe show on Saturday.  No competition at this one and a show I have not done before.  Still, should be fun.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

… The Killers and “All These Things That I’ve Done”.

As the Killers were at Glastonbury at the weekend I was inspired to dig out and play the Hot Fuss album.  Classic.

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This week TIM has been watching …

… Legends of the Fall, starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond and Henry Thomas (who has grown up a bit since starring in ET).

Without a doubt this is one of my favourite films.  I do like most genre’s but I do really enjoy sagas which span time and so for me they don’t come a lot better than this.  The cinematography is, in my humble opinion, stunning too.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures & Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This weeks mini as an Artizan figure which goes by the title Group Captain Villain and features in their Thrilling Tales range.  The model has an uncanny resemblance to Dick Dastardly which made him a must do figure in my book.  Crooked Dice also do a Dick Dastardly figure along with Muttley the dog, both are on my shopping list.

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Warning Labels

I ordered some new figures the other day and they arrived safe and sound.  Although they wont jump to the top of my painting pile just yet I was nevertheless keen to open the package and check that the contents for each were all present and correct.  Needless to say included in the packaging was the usual safety disclaimer about containing small parts, that the item wasn’t a toy and it wasn’t suitable for small children as it contained choking parts.

Now in my younger days such disclaimers never existed which got me thinking why that was.  I am sure there are several reasons why we didn’t have them but one over riding conclusion came to mind.  We weren’t that fucking stupid!

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What Do Miniatures Get Up To When Your Back Is Turned?

With the release in the UK of Toy Story 4 I thought this would be a good time to show you what miniatures get up to behind our backs.

This week TIM has been listening to …

… Safety Dance (Dance Mashup), not the original by Men With Out Hats (although I like that too).

Two things I always wanted to be was a great dancer and a pianist.  Some where along the line the dream was lost in the womb and instead I was blessed with a great penis.  That’s the way the cookie crumbles I guess.

Meanwhile I have to listen to great music and watch others gyrate.

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This week TIM has been watching …

… Gran Torino starring Clint Eastwood.  Now I must say I am a Clint fan but the guy is getting on in years now.  Not only is he looking his age but he has gone soft.  How do I know this?  A young Clint whatever the moral of the story would have killed all the little fuckers at the end.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures and Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This week we have two figures for the price of one!  Both 28mm figures are by Crooked Dice and are hopefully recognisable as Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to the Future.

Both nice figures to paint.  Tried my best to get the pattern right on the skate board and added a bit of freehand to Doc in the form of the radiation signage on his back.

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The End Of An Era

The other day I found myself conducting a modelling related google search.  Nothing unusual in that, it’s something I do often but on this occasion one of the suggested links was to a Military Modelling article and I chose to click on the link and explore further.  In next to no time I lost myself following lines of inquiry which had nothing to do with what I initially started out to investigate.  One link led to another until by chance I stumbled upon an old article which announced that Military Modelling Magazine was no more, it was now online only.

In this ever changing world this change in media format made perfect sense but I couldn’t help but reflect on a time gone by.  Military Modelling Magazine was the single biggest influence on my modelling journey so I found it sad that the magazine was no longer.  That said I stopped buying it many years ago so I guess in the scheme of things I played my part in its demise.

One of life’s realities is you cannot stand in the way of progress and change, however, the older I get the more I find myself reflecting on a time gone by and wishing that I could.

Ah, nostalgia, it ain’t what it used to be!

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New Year Resolution Update

As we have nearly reached the half way mark for the year I thought I would undertake an assessment of my 2019 goals.

So far the models from 2018 which I should have done in 2017 after I started them in 2016 having bought the figures in 2015 for the ideas I had in 2014 are still sitting there.

Still, six months to go before year end!

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This week TIM has been listening to …

… Hotel California by the Eagles.  With the weather shit in the UK, or at least down in the south west, I needed the warmth of some Arizona and Califonia sunshine.  Where better to look than this album?

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This week TIM has been watching …

… Walk The Line.  A Johnny Cash bio pic starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.  A great film with an excellent sound track.

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Until next time.

TIM

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures and Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This weeks mini is Balian D’Ibelin, another limited edition figure by Giants in Miniature.  This one is number 324/500.  The figure is based on the character played by Orlando Bloom in the film Kingdom of Heaven.

The crosses on the tunic and shield are all freehand work.  The tunic was especially difficult, trying to get the crosses roughly the same size and shape proved time consuming but overall I am please with how the figure turned out.  The photo’s on the other hand don’t look as sharp on the laptop as they do on my tablet so might have to revisit them at some point!

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The Torquay Show

When I was at the Torquay show a couple of weeks ago I made 3 purchases.  First up was a 54mm Space Marine.  Not sure if it was a good buy in the end or not but at some point I will get around to doing it.

Next up I bought an Orc bust.  I’ve never painted a bust before (although I have seen plenty of busts I’d like to get my hands on!) and thought maybe, just maybe I would give it a go.

Lastly, I bought some weathering pencils.  Had never heard about these but they seemed like a good idea if they work and as they were pretty inexpensive I bought a couple.  Anyone ever used these?  I’ll let you know what I think of them in due course.

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Pinterest

Not sure how many of you are familiar with the app Pinterest but I find it a great source for modelling ideas and must thank She Who Must Be Obeyed for recommending it to me.  The app throws up all kinds of interesting stuff too such as this life quote which I have dedicated to SWMBO.

“Marriage is like a deck of cards.  In the beginning you need two hearts and a diamond.  By the end you need a club and a spade”.

We’ve not quite reached the end game yet and it’s far from clear who is holding what cards but I’m certain SWMBO has a few up her sleeve.

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This week TIM has been listening to …

… Lou Reed.  Transformer is a classic album and a big favourite of mine.  I love every track and could have chosen any one.  Take a Walk On The Wild Side perhaps being the most obvious but in the end I went with Satellite of Love.  Sadly Lou is no longer with us and my youth slowly continues to die and roll a way but …

… the music lives on.

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This week TIM has been watching …

… Straw Dogs.  The 1971 original, not the the 2011 remake which I have never watched.  Why?  Simple, never fuck with a classic, especially one directed by Sam Peckinpah.

Sam Peckinpah who was renowned for his slow motion scenes of violence.  The film stars a young Dustin Hoffman and the gorgeous Susan George.  Kleenex sales rocketed off the back of her performance.  Set in “inbred Cornwall” where many similar real life characters can still be found to this day!

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Until next time.

TIM

 

 

 

Welcome to this weeks Miniatures and Musings!

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TIM’s Mid Week Miniature

This weeks mini is none other than Lord Flashheart himself.  Just couldn’t wait to paint this one so everything else was pushed to one side.  I just had to dooooooo it!

The only comment I would make on the paint job is in respect of his coat.  When you watch the clip (see last weeks post) it is clear his trench coat has a waxed kind of shine to it.  It certainly isn’t matt that’s for sure.  To replicate it I simply applied a medium gloss varnish.

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The Torquay Show

To give the show its correct title it is the IPMS Torbay and South Devon show which is located in Torquay.  For those of you who do not know, Torquay is situated along the coast line known as the English Riviera and is famous for its herds of Wildebeest.  For further information on Torquay you may wish to check out this very informative tourist video clip.

The show isn’t the biggest in the South West, that accolade belongs to the Plymouth show which is being held at the end of next month.  Nonetheless the show is a reasonable size with around 25 plus clubs in attendance along with a good number of traders.  This was my first ever visit and it didn’t disappoint.  Having gone to a few shows now I have started to recognise some familiar faces all of which adds to the enjoyment of the occasion.

There were some great models on display and I never cease to be amazed by either the standard on display or by the variety and imagination of the modellers themselves.  Shows can be a great source of ideas and this one was know different.

I didn’t take many photo’s on account of a low battery but I managed to take a couple.

The event also has an annual competition which I decided to enter.  My first entry was in the Single Figure category and I elected to submit my Rooster Cogburn, True Grit figure.  The model came third overall which I was happy with, not least of all because the category is a popular one.

https://theimperfectmodeller.wordpress.com/2018/09/29/rooster-cogburn-54mm-andrea-miniature-september-neglected-challenge/

In the Fantasy Category I entered The Dragon Slayer.  This one came a very respectable second.

https://theimperfectmodeller.wordpress.com/2018/08/10/the-dragon-slayer-a-28mm-reaper-miniatures-diorama-the-august-challenge/

My third and final entry was in the Diorama Category and I decided to go with my newly finished The Wizard’s Library.

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

Much to my delight this one came first in its category for which I not only got a certificate but a rather nice personal trophy to go with it.  Thinking that was it for the day and feeling more than a little chuffed with my first ever modelling win I then had another very pleasant surprise.  Unbeknown to me at the time, the event also has a Best In Show category which is determined by electing an overall winner from all the individual winning categories.  I’m not often lost for words but I was on this occasion when I heard my name called out.

All in all a great day.

 

 

 

There is a post script to this story though.

As much as I was pleased on a personal level I was also delighted with the recognition of the scale.  My experience to date is a little limited as I have only been to about a dozen shows but typically 28mm/32mm scale doesn’t get a look in.  Considered understandably to some extent as War Gaming scale it rarely has a chance up against the far more popular scales of 1/32nd or 1/35th which dominate every competition category.  Strike one for the mini figs! Category winners, again in my limited experience, invariably seem to come from the WW2 genre so a Wizard win was also something of shock too.  Strike two for mini figs fantasy genre!

So, why did this one win?   That’s a question I’ve asked myself a few times since the show.  Obviously it would be great to repeat a winning formula but that is easier said than done.  Personally I think its success on the day was simply down to the fact that it was different but hey, who cares?

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What Next?

UK Local Elections followed by …

UK European Elections followed by …

The Blacksmiths Arms Survey.

What next?

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This Week TIM has been listening to …

… Madness and One Step Beyond.

I do like a bit of Madness from time to time and this track is a personal favorite.  There is a reason.

I love my football (soccer), have done since the age of about 5 when my dad took me to my first match.  Coming from south west London we are a family of Chelsea fans.  I wont bore you with football tales, of which there are many, this is a modelling blog after all and I’m guessing most of you have little or no interest in the game.  The track however is very popular amongst us Chelsea fans and never more so than last week when we won the UEFA cup.

At this point you are free to boo and hiss!

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This week TIM has been watching …

… The Shawshank Redemption.

It’s been a while since I watched this one but whenever I do it never fails to impress.  Simply an excellent film.

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Until next time.

TIM