Ticking along.

Hello again and welcome to Inso's World.

It is a lovely, sunny day and I've just got back from a nice little trip over to Marazion, with my wife, to see the sea, have a coffee and get some fresh air.

This week has been lots of work, lots of chores and a bit of hobby so I'll get straight on with the hobby stuff.

To start with, I finished Dillon; the last member of the Predator Rescue Team:

Click the Pic!

So I now have a full team:

Click the Pic!

With the team in mind, I have been looking, online, for pictures of 'the chopper' but they all seem to be overly dark and the markings on the aircraft are minimal or indistinct so it got me thinking and I have decided to add a bit of character, with a bit of a personal slant... I am going to add the decals from a 1/48th scale Merlin. Not only that, it will be a Merlin that I have worked on and have added nose art to:

Click the Pic!

I know it isn't from the Predator but it will look nicer than dark green with black lettering and nothing else... plus it adds a personal element.

Now that the predator team has been sculpted and primed, I will attempt to paint them (at some point) but in the meantime, I have been gripped by the sculpting bug (for now) so I have dug out my shotgun veterans to finish off:

Click the Pic!

I just have the arms and a few minor details to finish so I am hoping that I can power on through and get them finished this week. In addition to these, I have also started a conversion for Colonel 'Ironhand' Straken. It is very early days yet so I don't have an image to share but hopefully, there will be pix by next Sunday.

In other hobby news, I recently received a small Ebay order... two Ratlings and four Beastmen from the GW 'Blackstone Fortress' boxed set... I have no idea what I am going to do with them but I have recently been gripped by a desire to add more Beastmen to my Squat army so watch this space.

Well... that's about it.

See you from the shingles!

The wind has changed direction.

Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

This week has been fairly interesting so I'll get straight to it...

My wife braved the shave... (the week before last... but I failed to mention it in my last blog post) and has so far raised nearly £400 for MacMillan Cancer Support, which is very cool. Her charity page is still up and now shows a 'before and after' so pop along and please donate if you can:

Brave the Shave LINK

On the job front, I have now passed all the checks and should be starting work this coming week. I will be shadowing a Health Care Assistant for the week before going for my induction training the following week so things are really getting interesting now. I know that the first few months will be tough because it's all new to me, it's a particularly demanding job and I have been away from a job for nearly two years. I have a feeling that Inso is going to be a very tired chap! I am really looking forward to it and can't wait to get started.

I have finally got my medals sorted out. I sent them off this week to get them cleaned, have the clasp fitted and get them court mounted and treated with stay-bright. They are due to return to me on Monday and I am looking forward to seeing what they look like. I plan to attend the remembrance festival again this year so I want them to look as good as they possibly can. Hopefully, I'll be able to show them off next week.

On the hobby front, a fair bit has happened...

First, I got a refund from EBay for a parcel that wasn't sent... so I used the refund to buy the same thing from a more reliable seller and as a result, I have a new box of Kharadron Arkanauts to convert. I plan on using four for Demiurg and the rest will become the start of a kill team.

Next, I finished the Drone Controller for my Demiurg Air Guild so I now have two complete command units for that guild:

Click the Pic!

With that finished I sat and stared at the Air Guild Drones and thought... "nah!" so I decided it was time to sort out the big dilemma... "how exactly, did I paint my Earth Guild Drones?"... well... that was the plan but I failed because of the effect that shades and under-coats have on colours so I decided to bite the bullet and just pick new colours, that looked similar and start from scratch. Luckily, I only have three painted Earth Guild Demiurg and three of their drones so I can ignore the colour differences for now and if it bothers me too much in the future, I can either repaint them or replace them. Now that I have made the paint-scheme decision, I have noted the colours on my army list so I won't forget them and have begun the task of putting together the first full unit of Earth Guild Drones... and here is where it's at:

Click the Pic!

Looking at the image (left to right), top left  are the three finished Drones (assault). The last one on the back row and the next two on the row in front are re-coloured, incorrectly base-coated drones (I had already base-coated them but the colour wasn't right and I didn't know what colour it was so I took the decision to re-coat them with a green that I knew the identity of)... they are a bomber and two gun drones. Next is a 'first coat of green' bomber, then the two in the next row are shield drones and finally, the one at the front is the last assault drone. Since the picture was taken, the grey ones have received their first coat of green. 

From that little ramble, the unit will consist of:

3x Demiurg Command Staff.

4x Assault Drone.

2x Bomber Drone.

2x Gun Drone.

2x Shield Drone.

Luckily, the Demiurg Command Staff are painted differently and I can estimate the colours better so when it comes to painting the next Earth Guilders, I shouldn't have the same colour problems.

Speaking of colour problems... I don't have very much of the green paint I have chosen (Coat d'Arms - 111 Dark Elf Green) so I have put in an order to Hasslefree Miniatures to get another couple of pots. Obviously, I couldn't just order two pots of paint so I have ordered a STEVE and a SCULPTING DOLLY to make a decent little order. I have no fixed plans for them as yet (apart from the dolly becoming a superhero of some sort)... but I never sit still for long.

Finally, I have so far painted three Primaris Space Marines and have a fourth on the handle... so that little project is ticking along nicely as well.

That's it for this week.

See you from the new age!

A week of getting grounded.

Hello again.

I've just got back from a lovely stroll around Henley with my wife and am sitting with a cuppa so it seemed the perfect time to update Inso's World. Here's the river Thames over at Henley:

Click the Pic!

It was nice just to get out and about in some fairly decent weather. Yesterday, we went to Farmoor Reservoir, near Oxford and unfortunately, didn't get to enjoy the visit as much as we had hoped due to freezing rain and howling winds... but we hadn't been there before and will go there again, once the weather is a bit better. On the plus side, there were a lot of birds over there (including Grebes and Cormorants) so apart from it being a bit of a 'recce', we also got to see something worth seeing.

I really think that sometimes, you need to 'ground' yourself and that is what has happened this week. I have taken a deep breath and managed to land a bit.

Anyway... the hobby. This week has been fairly quiet on the hobby front but I have managed to get this far with the first of the Ghar battlesuits:

Click the Pic!

I am not sure whether they are finished yet... I need to decide if I am going to add any markings or not... but from a general standpoint, they are finished and I am now cracking on with the second set of three:

Click the Pic!

These will get one of the finished ones as a leader and be the first complete little squad. I have already ordered another set; just like the ones above so they should be here at some point this week which will motivate me to get these ones finished before I start assembling the new ones.

One of the major things that has been happening with my hobby lately is tidying. I have been through all of my stored bits and bobs and have sorted them into keeps, discards and sales. I have managed to sort all of the stuff that was stored upstairs into 4 boxes of keeps. Now I have to sell what has been dug out and then I will start on the bare-metal miniatures I have. As a result of all this 'consolidation', I am starting to feel much happier about the hobby situation again so I can only imagine how much better I will feel when I have completely finished the streamlining.

As a result of the tidying, I have anothe couple of things going up on EBay at 16:00hrs today (just three lots) so if you are in the UK, have a look:

EBay Link

I think that, once I start getting rid of the lead mountain, the anvil will be cast away from my neck and I can start focusing on what I want to rather than being constantly reminded of all of the clutter I have built up.

Now... some people might be recoiling in horror when I mention selling hobby stuff but rest assured, I am keeping lots of it too and will be continuing with my hobby projects just like before... it's just that I will be doing it from a more relaxed place that isn't dictated to by 'TOO MUCH STUFF!!!'

I think everything will turn out just fine in the end.

See you from the rescue centre!

Two posts on the same day?

I know that this doesn't happen very often but I have been caught up in a bit of sorting... and in the process have catalogued an army that I will be selling soon. They are called the Soran 8th Army and are based on the old style, metal Cadian troops.

The army consists of:

• Army command Squad with Chimera transport
• Infantry Platoon (Command, two infantry squads and a Chimera)
• Armoured Fist Squad (Infantry squad with Chimera)
• Veterans (Veteran squad with Chimera)
• Support platoon (6 Mortars, a Lascannon and 2 Missile Launchers)
• Leman Russ tank
• Griffon mortar
• Sentinel Squadron (3 scratch-built Sentinels)

There is a mix of standard troops with the odd conversion here and there (the veterans have boltguns). I have also scratchbuilt three Sentinels because I built this army before the latest version of the Sentinel was released (and the previous styles of Sentinel were attrocious).

Anyway, here are some pics (in the same order as the list above):

  

 Click the Pix!

This army is at least 20 years old and has been packed away for almost all of that time... so as much as this makes me reminisce, it takes up space that I won't have when I move so they will have to go. At some point, they will be hitting EBay but I have to work out how to pack them and how much it will cost to post them before they do.

I have decided that my Catachan army will be staying with me. Maybe to be completely renovated at some point... maybe not.

See you through bleary eyes!

The ECO warrior returns

Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

This week I have been away on another course (Energy Management) and have learned all sorts of interesting things like:

• LED lightbulbs are super efficient, don't contain the harmful materials that other bulbs do and also save you money (they use less than 5% of a traditional bulb). The light is very bright and white (so takes getting used to) but is instantaneous and really quite good for painting lamps.
• Methane is much worse for the environment than carbon dioxide.
• In Argentina, they tap cows for methane... yes, they actually stick a pipe in the side of cows and tap the methane which prevents it entering the atmosphere and enables it to be used for energy production... see the video below if you don't believe me.
• Disturbing a bat roost can cost you upto £5,000 per bat.
• If you polute, there is a rule that says 'the poluter pays'... and that can be an unlimited fine and years in prison if it is suitably bad.

I also learned lots of other stuff... but the whole 'cow back-pack' thing was just mad... even before you consider the ethics behind it:

So... apart from the course, I have been ticking along with my Ghar suits and have now got this far with three of them:

Click the Pic!

The one on the left has been roughly basecoated and needs tidying up ready for a wash but the other two are finished apart from the bases (although I am thinking of adding some markings). To continue with the Ghar theme, I have bought another little box of three, this time with ranged weapons. I am thinking that I will assemble little units of four suits which will be arranged like this:

• Leader - Assault suit (as shown above)
• Trooper - Battle suit (claw and scourer gun)
• Trooper - Battle suit (claw and scourer gun)
• Trooper - Bomber suit (claw and bomber gun)

With that in mind, I now have the leaders for three squads and the three additional troopers needed to complete a single squad.

If I buy another two Bomber boxes, I will have 3 squads of four suits and I think that will make a nice little platoon sized unit. If I keep the platoons 'straight out of the box' I can assemble them fairly quickly and give myself the option of spending my converting time on a couple of command units.

So... that is what I think about the mecha-suit side of the Ghar army... what about the troops? Well, I don't want the troops to be a major part of the force so I don't plan on getting very many of them, however... I have been thinking that the Ghar miniatures are a bit naff and I don't like the fact that they are bi-pedal... because it really casts doubt on why a race of bipedal creatures would opt for such a difficult, tri-pedal option for thier battlesuits. As a result, I am thinking that a more alien approach to the troops is in order; particularly Cephalapods like THESE. I haven't decided on which miniatures to use but they will need to be small and the Black Hat ones could be a good choice.

So... there you have it. What other hobby stuff has been going on? Well, I have been keeping an eye on my Squat transports and will be actively chasing components this week as I have been halted in my tracks by events of a logistical nature and I need to maintain some momentum or I run the risk of losing interest. I have also been sorting stuff out for selling on Ebay and I have a few bits and bobs that will be going up at 16:30hrs GMT today. Only two lots but worth a look later on:

EBAY LINK

There is much more to go... but little and often is the way forward.

Well, that about says everything for now.

See you from the platform overlooking the ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS!

Pugs!

This week has been another slow plod but I have managed to slap some paint on things so here's a few pictures.

First up, Pug number two is finished:

Click the Pic!

The bases will all be finished together so that they match the scenic base. 

Next we have a WIP Big Robot:

Click the Pic!

He's the one on the right... The one on the left is another robot conversion. Obviously, I still have a way to go but it is getting there. These two have also caused me to think about putting together a small band of warrior robots... a bit like the ABC Warriors... but I have only got as far as these two and possibly the embryo of a larger one that I have had on my mind for a very long time... but only time will tell what happens there.

The hobby. It is just two words. It means different things to so many people but to me it is a habit that I have built up over the last thirty years or so. What does it actually mean to me? It is a way to pass the time... but it is also a massive time-soak that I could be using for other things. I often look at my hobby stuff and despair... this is my living room (I am not even going to mention the state of the loft):

Click the Pic!

The three cupboards are completely full so I have no space to tidy away all the mess on top of them... and this is my dinner table:

Click the Pic!

If we have friends around for a meal, that stuff gets plonked on the computer table. My life is dictated to by the amount of hobby stuff that I have... it stares at me everyday and there is no escape from it. Last week I was talking to a workmate about it (he's not in the hobby) and I referred to it as an anvil around my neck that I had no emotional attachment to. I simply continue to do the hobby because I have got into the habit and it has cost so much that I feel obliged to keep going with it. I then said that if someone turned up and offered me a fair price for the lot of it, they could take it all away and I wouldn't miss it... it would probably be a great weight lifted from my shoulders.

I think there are many such things in life that you allow to take control of you and it is only when you start tripping over things and are forced to confront them that you realise just how unimportant they are.

To put it into perspective, lets's take a box of plastic space marines (ten tactical marines):

• You buy the box of marines.
• You have to decide how you want to build them... so you need a codex.
• You then need the tools to remove them from the sprues and clean them up.
• You then need glue to assemble them.
• You then need to undercoat/prime them.
• You then need to paint them.
• When they are painted, you need to base them... so you need basing materials.
• When they are finished, they need to be varnished.
• The remaining components need to be stored (either on sprue or clipped off into a storage box).
• The tools need to be stored.
• The glue, paints and basing materials need to be stored.
• The troops need to be safely stored.

Before you know it, you have to think about all of the things above and until everything is finished and stored properly, there is stuff to get involved with. That doesn't take into account having to transport everything (something that happens quite regularly in the military).

All that, just to have ten plastic marines to game with. It makes you think.

I look at my collection and I despair because a lot of it doesn't have transportation storage... so I have to sort it out this year OR sell the stuff. 

It's all on a knife-edge at the moment.

If I get rid of everything, I can start again... but will I get a fair price? If I don't get a fair price, will I regret it? Will the new 'freedom' justify the lack of a fair price? Do I just suck it up and get storage for everything? 

So much to think about.

If you are interested in buying some of my stuff... here's my Ebay link:

EBAY LINK

Things are going slow so you may get a bargain if you are quick!

See you from Lobo's Space Bike!

Preparation and progress...

Today's post doesn't really have very much hobby stuff in it but what there is, I'll talk about now.

I have been shopping on EBay and have managed to get hold of another VOTOMs kit, this time a Scopedog with Round Mover (that's just a fancy term for a jetpack):

Click the Pic!

The box is in a poor condition but the kit/contents are all perfectly fine. This was a strange one because I was convinced that I had a basic Scopedog already but I had all customs... so it was a case of buying it to make up the numbers. I have also got a Snapping Turtle on the way from Japan so I will have some 'swimming' feet for my project (you'll find out what I mean when I post pix of the kit). 

From a Squat perspective, I have started the command squad but haven't got very far:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, I have got the basic plastics glued together, wire in place for their arms and four of them have had their neckercheifs sculpted on. I have trimmed down a few of the beards and have removed the face of the leader. I have also found an old Eldar powerfist to act as the basis for the leader's powerfist. This coming week, I hope to work on these a bit. Part of the delay on these has been deciding what to kit them out with but now I have done that, I can get on with them.

So... the big news is that most of the delays have been caused because we, as a family, have been preparing to send our son off to basic training. Yes, he has followed in his father's footsteps and is off to start his Royal Air Force career this coming week. We have been busy getting kit sorted out and dealing with all the issues that arise as a result of one of your children joining the world at large; and especially a military environment.

We are very proud of him... and there will be strange days ahead.

As a result of a little bit of chaos in our lives, I will not be putting anything up on EBay this week but there is still time to bid on last week's stuff here:

EBay Link

Hopefully, the dust will soon settle and we will be back to normal service very soon... both on the 'life' front and the hobby front.

See you from the platform as I wave you off!

Many things.

Before I start this week's post I'd like to welcome Nysse to Inso's World. Welcome aboard and I hope you have fun travelling around and sharing ideas.

This week has been a really disjointed one. From a hobby perspective, I have finished the troops for the second Squat platoon:

Click the Pic!

So now the 2nd platoon looks like this:

Click the Pic!

And the two finished platoons look like this:

Click the Pic!

Now that the two main platoons are finished, I have started work on the army command squad and once that is finished, I may well start painting the army.

In other news, I was looking at one of my various online resources and I saw this picture which immediately changed my perspective on the sort of vehicles I want for my Squat army:

Click the Pic!

It was created by a guy called John Donaghy on Facebook and it is a really nice mix of armoured vehicle and Amphibious transport and it got me thinking that this sort of thing would be more practical than a hovercraft so I have started something else:

Click the Pic!

Obviously, it is at a very early stage at the moment but already, I have got much further and should have some nice pictures to show off next week. I am planning on making this modular with the base, front top section and rear top section (then of course I need to deal with the tracks... but I haven't even considered what I am going to do about those yet). I will keep ticking along with it and see where I go... and yes, I am notoriously rubbish at finishing things like this so it may well be another glorious failure!

On to ther things and my EBay selling is going nicely. Unfortunately, I haven't worked out how to sell internationally yet (pricing is awkward) so I am keeping things UK only for now. Sorry about that. The current auction ends at 18:30 hrs British Time and my next auction starts at the same time. If you are interested in seeing what is on offer, click here:

Metalvest on EBAY

In completely different news, on Wednesday, I attended an award ceremony and was presented with a Commander JHC Commendation for the work I have been doing on Puma HC Mk2 helicopters. I now have a nice certificate to hang on my wall... which is nice.

See you from the deck of the AAV-7!

More progress and the machine has started to whirr.

Before I start this week's blog update, I'd like to welcome Robert Locklan to Inso's World. Welcome aboard, Robert and I hope you enjoy your travels around my little piece of the interweb.

This week, I set myself the job of completing the first squad of the second Squat army platoon. Fortunately, I managed it and here it is:

Click the Pic!

I have already got the next squad on the table; ready for some work. Once the second squad is finished, I can get some serious work done on the army command squad and then... it may be time to dig out the paints and start painting a few units.

In more Squat related news, I have been wondering what to arm my second Sentinel squadron with and have had a look through my various spares boxes with a view to swapping weapons. The Vulkan miniatures come with a heavy bolter (not an option for Sentinels) and a heavy flamer. I have put the feelers out and a heavy flamer isn't necessarily the best weapon for an armoured Sentinel... so I will most likely give my next Sentinels the las-cannons that I got when I bought some Centurion weapon sprues. It just goes to show how important not throwing stuff away is.

Not necessarily Squats... but a bit space Dwarf related, I ordered some Sharclons from Heresy Miniatures this week and they have arrived. They are awesome miniatures so I'd recommend getting some soon... because they have a slight resemblance to a certain Dr Who race and may have to be withdrawn from sale as a result... here's some that I painted a while ago:

Click the Pic!

This week also sees more sales on EBay. Here's my page: METALVEST and here is what I have for sale at the moment:

EBay Link; Deathcultists.

EBay Link: Gaunt's Ghosts.

EBay Link: Preachers/Priests.

EBay Link: Sisters of Battle Squad and Cannoness.

So please feel free to pop along and put a bid on. The next lots will be Eldar.

Well that about says it all for today. Have a good week.

See you from the surfboard!

The rains have started...

Welcome to Inso's World and this week it is a mixed bag. First up, I handed over the finished driver to my friend who had returned from foreign travels and it is now fitted to his 'Sunday Best' radio controlled, car shell:

Click the Pic!

He was happy with it... so I am happy.

Also this week, I have completed the five heavy weapon teams for the second platoon... and here they are:

Click the Pic!

The strange back-packs are transportation tubes for the missiles that go into the launchers and will obviously look much less strange once they are painted in a more 'normal' colour. As it stands, I have brought the first squad back out from the storage box and have started work on them again. After them, the remaining seven troops will complete the platoon and I can get to work on the army command squad.

So... what the heck is the storm thing all about?

Well... I need to thin down my hobby stuff. Not just a little bit... but a LOT. I am downsizing to a smaller house in a year's time and I have far too much stuff to take with me. As a result, I have started to learn about EBay selling and have my very first sale in process now... here it is:

EBAY LINK

It is for a Tyranid / assassin conversion. It was the nearest thing I had to hand to try out selling on Ebay...

... but it is by no means the last of the items. 

So basically, I am having to overcome my hoarding tendencies and sell loads of stuff that I have collected over the years. It is difficult... but I'm sure I'll feel much better once I have lessened the burden a bit. Keep an eye out for all sorts of stuff from boxed sets to sculpts and conversions that I have done... I am having to be pretty brutal so there will even be Grymn in the mix!

Continue to watch this space because... IT HAS STARTED!!!

That's about it for now.

See you from outside of my comfort zone!