Welcome to this weeks Musings!

Modelling Versus Housework

Yesterday morning She Who Must Be Obeyed left me!

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

So now I have a dilemma.

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

So what is to be done?

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

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

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

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

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

I’ll let you know how it goes!

—000—

Colour Wheels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—000—

Until next time.

TIM

Welcome to this week’s Musings!

—000—

Hooray, TIM’s Back From Holiday!

The good news is I’m back and fully rested. The bad news is I’m back and fully rested.  Either way I’m back so not only is my holiday over but so is yours.

Now while I was away internet access was, to say the least, patchy. I’d go as far as to say non-existent, it’s like that in the middle of the ocean apparently. As a consequence I have had much to catch up on, particularly in respect of what you guys have been posting. Over the last few days I’ve been trying to catch up with your posts, at a rough count I would say I had well over a hundred to look at. You have been busy, some more than others but between you all I had plenty to keep me occupied!  Apologies if I missed anyone.

Catching up with blog posts is only one thing I had to do. I had barely walked though the door when I was hit by a number of things which will require my attention over the next few weeks and beyond. More on that perhaps in future musings. Needless to say time to muse and paint is going to be patchy to say the least but hopefully I can keep both going for my sake if not yours!

Meanwhile, to mark my return, something for you to contemplate.

Is it possible to produce models teenagers think are cool?

I suppose I ought to explain the rationale for asking this question.

Over dinner one evening while on holiday my fifteen year old daughter announced out of the blue that modelling was boring and asked why I couldn’t do something more exciting and less embarrassing? Apparently having made friends with some kids on holiday she was called upon at some point to explain what her parents did. She wouldn’t reveal what she said I did do but she was embarrassed to say I did modelling. She would rather have died apparently, harsh but that’s teenagers for you.

I tried in vain to explain why I enjoyed the hobby and the benefits I got from it but I might as well have been talking to an alien. I don’t relate to her world at times and she does not relate to mine. I then remembered Harry Potter and reminded her of the many models we had seen when we went a couple of years ago to the Harry Potter Experience at Leavesden Studios, a stone’s throw from where we used to live before moving to Devon. I pointed out that the model of Hogwarts had bowled her and her brother over as one of the greatest things she had ever seen. I added to this just how much scale models had been used in films to produce great cinema effects well before the days of computer imagery .

After briefly allowing this to sink in she announced “Yes dad, but those models are cool, yours aren’t!”.

Oh the pain, the heartbreak, the … the… the… shit!

I can’t begin to explain the heartache which goes with her words. I felt I had lost my little girl, the girl who used to like what I did (well some of it).

After she left to see friends I asked She Who Must Be Obeyed where this change of attitude had come from. It seemed, according to he mother that one of her new-found friends was in fact a little bit more than just a “friend”. I asked what she meant by that and was informed that my daughter may have been trying to act “cool” having found herself enjoying a holiday romance with a lad named Harry.

What the f..k!

The following conversation with SWMBO ensued.

—000—

“When did that happen?” I asked.

“The second day of the holiday, now don’t go off on one he seems very nice”

“You’ve met him?”

“I’ve not met him but I’ve seen him and your daughter likes him. He’s sixteen, comes from a nice family and goes to Rugby school. It’s a private school and costs around £24,000 a year!”

“You new about this? Why didn’t anybody tell me?”

“Because we knew you couldn’t handle it and you’d go off on one and embarrass us all”

“That’s unfair, I’d never do that”

“If you say so dear!”

—000—

Embarrass them indeed!

Well the holiday is over and I can report that despite my best attempts at under cover surveillance I never did catch or meet the little bastard who was hell-bent on de-flowering my little girl. I know all about 16-year-old boys, I was one once albeit a long time ago. I’m also familiar with the upstairs downstairs class system and if he and his family think they can simply dump my daughter if she ends up pregnant they can think again. I’ll take great delight in using my modelling knife to remove his fucking scrotum!

I am however left with a dilemma. How to produce a model that a teenager thinks is cool?

At this point guys I need your input.  All ideas welcome!

—000—

Until next time.

TIM

Welcome to this weeks Musings!

Hooray! TIM’s Going On Holiday

Yes it’s that time of the year when “She Who Must Be Obeyed” and I, along with “She Who Wants To Be Obeyed But Is Only 15 So Does As She Is Told, Not” are off on our holidays.  As a consequence this is my last post for a couple of weeks or so.  You all deserve a good rest from me, my models and my rantings so make the most of it as I plan to pick up with the blog with a vengeance upon my return.

There is a small chance I might be able to check up on what you guys are up to while I’m away but with internet access likely to be minimal most of the time I can’t bank on it.  Hopefully you will all have been very busy which will give me plenty to look forward to reading in a few weeks time.

I Have A Plan!

OK, so it’s not much of a plan but it struck me that it’s all well and good having lists but a plan to go with them would be no bad thing.  Arguably it is essential.  Now I will give the matter more thought while I’m away but tentatively the plan, in no particular order, is:

• to complete all the Reaper miniatures that I currently have (an incentive before buying any more!)
• get ready for the Cornwall show the weekend I’m back from holiday
• decide what figures/models to take to Telford show (no rush as it isn’t until November)
• decide what models I want to do for the 2019 Plymouth show (the theme is 75 years on from D-Day) and buy the relevant figures
• decide what, if any, competitions and categories to enter and buy figures as applicable
• aim to do a neglected model or two every month

Sounds reasonable and dare I say achievable.

I’m feeling more organised by the day!

The Secret To Greater Harmony And Understanding?

Now because this is essentially a modelling blog I always try to make a link, even a tentative one, to the subject in my Musings. I’m stretching it a bit with this article but I wanted to leave you with something deep and meaningful to contemplate while I’m away.

As I’m sure you are all aware, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.  In itself that is a good thing but not everyone sees eye to eye and when that happens problems occur.  No better example exists than in relationships.  Failure to see the other persons point of view is often a recipe for disaster.  The following is the best explanation I have ever heard for explaining the situation and what needs to be done to resolve it.  It was brought to my attention many years ago by a very old Wise Man (actually he was a Trainer at the Management Training college where I used to work).  It goes like this.

Draw the shape below and sit two people either side of it like this.

Person A

6

Person B

Ask Person A what they see and they will we see the number 9.  Ask Person B and they will say they see a 6.  From where they are both sitting they are both right, neither is wrong.  It’s all a matter or perspective.  The secret is this.  Until Person A or Person B gets of their arse, walks around to the other side and sees the situation from the other persons perspective they will always argue they are right and the other is wrong.  Only when one of them, preferably both, does this is there a chance for peace and harmony.

Easy really.

I should also point out that this Wise Man had a few radical ideas and approaches to training and education.  When he was in Hong Kong a course he was running had two delegates who simply just did not get on.  No matter what he tried they would not cooperate with each other.  He solved the situation by handcuffing them together for 18 hours.  Either they would find a way to get on or one of them would kill the other.  The story, a true one, ended with them becoming the best of friends!  Pity we don’t do this with some of our political leaders!

—000—

Until next time.

TIM

Welcome to this weeks Musings!

How To Deal With a Muddle?

For one reason or another this has been a difficult week.  Time spent modelling has been at a premium as has been the opportunity to type up any thoughts I’ve had, until now that is.  No single cause has been responsible for this, more a case of little things constantly coming along to disrupt any plans I might have had.  More like the drip, drip of water torture.  Uncertain as do the best way of dealing with things I decided to update my various lists in the hope some sense of perspective would lead to an orderly desk and an orderly mind.  Invariably I have tended to find that once I have gained some control things don’t look quite so bad.

The “To Do List”, if I ignore likely neglected models, isn’t looking to bad with 35 items on it.  An evenings work for Azazel but not for me.  More like several weeks, longer if things continue as they are for now (excluding going on holiday in just over a weeks time).  All in all not as onerous as I’d thought, particularly as my desk has been tidied too.

Then I got to thinking!

This is a hobby not a job and the time constraints are self-imposed.  I can always grant myself permission to be late if I need to so why on occasions do I feel a sense of pressure to complete something?  Is it the need to have something to blog about and have I become a slave to my own desire to publish twice a week on the same days and at the same times for fear of failing my own self imposed publication times?  Has my hobby become an obsession leading to an addiction where I cannot survive without it?  Above all how has tidying my bloody desk and updating my lists got me even thinking about such things in the first place?

It’s of concern but am I the only one who experiences such feelings and compulsions?  If I am then I’m beginning to think I might need psychiatric care!

“Wish Lists”, the Pros and Cons

The “To Do List” as previously mentioned isn’t looking to bad, the “Wish List” on the other hand is a concern.  Why, because unless I’m the only one that works and thinks this way, the wish list contains many of the things that I want to do now.  This in itself is a rather bazaar statement because the things on my “To Do List” were the things that were once on my “Wish List”.

Now as some of you are already aware that I am a list person, something I have mentioned on numerous occasions although I don’t have a list of the posts in which I have mentioned this (a list to do perhaps?).  Whilst I’m sure we are not all lists people I do feel certain that we all have a “Wish List”, one that’s either written down or in our heads.  The thing is I’m not sure now how good it is to have one.

Let’s deal with the positives first.

By maintaining a wish list I am ready and armed with ideas to give people for birthdays and Christmas presents (presumptuous I know).  I also eliminate the risk of forgetting something I have seen and would like to have if I write it down (I only need to remember where I put the list!).  It also serves as an ongoing ideas bank and prevents me from hitting the “what can I do now?” wall.  By having the list I can also think ahead as to how I might compose any given figure/model in a diorama or vignette by pre-planning and problem solving in advance.  Something I regularly do when walking Buddy the dog.

Now to the downside.

The idea of buying things when you see them, just in case they cease being available, has become my latest mantra.  The result of this approach is “Wish List” items get bought earlier than planned, arrive earlier than planned and invariably get done earlier than planned.  As a direct result, previous items which were once on the “Wish List” that had been purchased and were on the “To Do List” move lower down the “to do” pecking order.  The knock on effect of that is things that were once on the “Wish List” that were added to the “To Do List” only to later be relegated even further in the pecking order inevitably end up in the “Neglected and Forgotten Pile”.  Still with me?

I feel certain this is a dilemma we all share.  Why do I feel certain?  Well because if this wasn’t the case then none of us would be up for Azazel’s “Neglected Model” Monthly Challenges.

Is there a way around this?

Of course if I didn’t look in the first place then it wouldn’t be a problem at all.  The trouble is that right now I am on what for me is a creative role and it kind of makes sense to go with it in case it dries up.  Well that’s how I’ve convinced myself anyway.  Not buying the figures when you see them is also a risk I’m not willing to take, such indecision has cost me in the past.  Patience is a virtue but this is a hobby not a job  and therefore doing what you want to do next because it brings you pleasure overrides doing things in the order of purchase.  Not maintaining a “Wish List” risks  forgetting things I’ve seen and removes the fun of browsing and researching for ideas, a key component of the hobby as far as I am concerned.

So what is to be done?

In conclusion, I’ve decide to do nothing.  I shall just live with it and, whenever possible, seek to reduce the “Neglected and Forgotten” pile thanks to Azazel’s monthly challenges.

—000—

Until next time.

TIM

 

Welcome to this week’s Musings, a special supplement!

I had considered putting this article in my Modelling Memoirs series but because it didn’t really feature as part of my modelling journey I decided to leave it out.  There is, however, a military theme which I thought might be of interest to some of you.  So, at this point, if you are only interested in modelling articles, feel free to bail out, continue reading or just look at some interesting photo’s as you see fit!

Introduction

For those of you who may not be aware HMS Illustrious was until relatively recently the Royal Navy’s flag-ship aircraft carrier.  My son Tom and I were lucky enough to sail on this iconic vessel in April 2012 when it was on maneuvers between Portsmouth and Glasgow.  This is my story.

Background

In 2012 a neighbour of mine by the name of Steve McCarthy was the Chief Engineer on HMS Illustrious.  Steve’s twin sons, along with my son Tom, all attended Lamerton Primary School together with 42 other children (Lamerton primary is one of the smallest schools in England).  Being part of a small village the dad’s all got to know one another and periodically we would meet for drinks at the local pub, The Blacksmith’s Arms.  It was on one such occasion that Steve mentioned that HMS Illustrious was hosting a public relations event on board for families and friends.  More than that it was a long weekend trip from Portsmouth to Glasgow starting on a Thursday and ending on a Sunday.  If any of us were interested Steve said he would get more details.  I was up for it as was Andy the local Police Sargent and one of the other dads.

The next thing we heard from Steve was that the trip might now be in doubt.  Unbeknown to us HMS Illustrious , Lusty to the crew, was to be positioned outside London during the Olympics as part of the security arrangements.  The trip had now been designed as a full-blown naval and Royal Marines exercise.  The question of safety for members of the public had now arisen along with the administrative issue of public liability insurance.  It was looking like we would have to get our own insurance cover or we wouldn’t be able to go.  Despite our best efforts to get personal insurance cover nobody had ever heard the like before and we hit a dead-end!

As luck would have it a few days later Steve got back to Andy and I to inform us that the navy’s insurance would cover us and the trip was definitely on.  It would be taking place on Thursday 12th April through to Sunday 15th April.  As the ship was due to set sail early on the Thursday we would need to be in Portsmouth on Wednesday 11th April.  He was also able to confirm that my son Tom could go too.  Now the only problem I had with this was that the 12th April was my 30th Wedding Anniversary!  Some how I had to break this news to She Who Must Be Obeyed!

The good news was the trip was a couple of months off so I had plenty of time to prepare a feasible explanation.  I went through the whole gambit – “But we can’t disappoint Tom can we?”; “We’ll do something even better when I get home”; “I’m the man of the house I’ll do as I damn well please!” (not the best idea I ever had it must be said).  Fortunately Steve came up with the suggestion that if SWMBO drove Tom, Andy and me down to Portsmouth then he would arrange to take all of us including SWMBO and Jenny my daughter on a tour of the ship on the Wednesday before setting off on the Thursday.  A master stroke!  Well almost.  I was left in no doubt that I was in her debt, roughly to the tune of several hundreds of pounds being the cost of a necklace and earing set she had seen.

The trip was on!

Wednesday 11th April 2012

On the morning of Wednesday 11th April we drove down to Portsmouth and as pre-arranged met up with Steve at the relevant naval dock yard gate.  Greetings and pleasantries exchanged we unloaded our baggage and Steve showed us to our quarters.  Steve being a senior officer meant Tom, Andy and I benefitted from officer accommodation and dining too.  Brilliant!  We were then off for a quick tour.

Left to Right – On Deck – Steve (who is very tall at six-foot six), Andy, SWMBO (also known as Margaret), Jenny and Tom

Yours truly!

Up in the Bridge

The brief tour laid on specifically for the wife and daughter came to an end and we said our goodbye’s.  Next stop was Portsmouth city centre and a bite to eat and one or two drinks.  As much as I would have liked to have stayed on board the navy were in town and it was time to be ashore.

I have no idea what time we got back but I seem to recall seeing a pizza at some point during the evening and then again the next day.  Top tip – try to avoid drinking with sailors at all costs, especially if you are setting sail the next day in less than ideal sea conditions!

Thursday 12th April 2012 to Sunday 15th April 2012

Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary dearest!

Fortunately my stomach settled down quickly, aided no doubt by a full English breakfast and a huge infusion of black coffee.  First up on Thursday morning was setting sail.

HMS Victory

All hands on deck to say goodbye to Portsmouth and hello to Mike Bannister.  Never heard of him?  Neither had I so I asked him what he did for a living thinking he was a guest of his son or someone  Turns out he was a guest of the ship’s captain and the Chief Pilot of British Airways’ Concorde fleet (retired)!

Mike Bannister is on the far right.

The next couple of days on board were all planned out.  Split into smaller groups we were taken round the ship and introduced to some amazing people. We also had plenty of free time and were able to wander around pretty much as we pleased but with helicopters buzzing about all over the place outside our time was spent there.

We checked out weapons …

We met some Marines …

Played with water …

But most of all we had fun with helicopters, lots of helicopters!

Going Up!

Tom Top Gun!

Now for Steve this was work but there were periods outside of meal times when he was free to join Tom, Andy and me and on these occasions we were given exclusive tours of areas others hadn’t got to see, namely the engine rooms.  We also got to hear some fascinating facts (the ship is very economical and can achieve a travelling distance of one foot to the gallon!) and climb up some ladders, lots of ladders to the tallest part of the ship from the inside.  It was on one of these occasions that I had an accident involving my wrist watch.

For my 40th birthday SWMBO bought me a Rotary gold watch.  An expensive item but priceless in its sentimental value.  It was when I was climbing up a ladder and a  good hundred feet or more up that I caught and broke the watch strap.  The watch came off and dropped like a stone to the floor way below.  I was seriously heart-broken.  Without further ado we started back down.  The outside casing was found part way down but only at the bottom did we find the internal mechanism.  To find it was incredible and had it not been for the amazing cleanliness of the ship we wouldn’t have done so.

I couldn’t be sure that we had found everything but back in the cabin I started to look at the various pieces.  On the face of it all the pieces had been found.  More than that the watch itself was still working!  A broken strap, a broken glass and a few dents but still working!  Unable to put it together myself I felt encouraged that all was not lost and a jeweller could put it right.

When we got home I took it to a local jeweller who managed incredibly to put it all back together save for a few “character” enhancing dents.  I then wrote to Rotary and told them the story for no other reason than I thought they would be interested, after all there can’t be too many stories like this one can there?  Well I can only assume my tale was common place as to this day I’ve never heard back from them!

Our tour with Steve down to the engine rooms

One of the propeller shafts well below sea level and with the sea just the other side!

Climbing up ladder after ladder.  It was here I broke my watch!

We finally arrived in Scotland on the Sunday.  A stunning day with a wonderful scenery backdrop.  Time to say our farewells, take the navy bus into Glasgow and collect our hire car to begin the 8 hour drive home.

With thanks to Steve!

The adventure of a life time and a truly unique experience.

—000—

Until next time.

TIM