Spending Easter in a proper fashion, sans eggs.

Right, after clearing a bit of the atic and a lot og my hobbyroom like a rabid ferret on Red Bull, I've got in my hobbyroom this monstrosity....

...and all of this needs to be sorted, bagged, tagged and put online for sale. Of course, that will happen after Easter, cause right now is family time. And after a day spent with Kim and the kids and a guest and delivering a killer cola marinated chicken I spent some time in the hobby room with todays arrivals. Cause yes, I have bought stuff. And all of the stuff that had arrived today is now cleaned, built and based.

I received some Viet Minh, to be used as low class VC. Just sanded the bases smooth and stuck them to 1 euro cents with the exception of the LMG, that I put on a miscut 2mm MDF base. When everything has dried I can get to work on the mould lines and find a solution for their heads as every single one of them, with one notable exception, comes with a straw hat. And the bareheaded guy has it on his back...... So I need to find somesuitable heads and use Oyumaru on those to get some proper heads, and I can remove the straw hats or slide them onto their backs, but booney hats would be nice too. I think I have some of those in my Liberation Models box. All Britannia figures these, rather nice, and they should look fine with some work.

The tents, firepits and well are from this set:

The set is from 2010 but easily found on Ebay, not so much in local stores. Not that I need more then 1 set now. Built in all in less then 30 minutes, then some cleaning after the glue had set, cut bases, added and and aned the tents sides smoorth. When ready it will go right in the 20mm Desert Village/City box, until needed. Really nice items, should set you back around 10 Pounds for a box.

Also found a ladder that I had made back then when Mordheim was released. It was bases straight up ona  piece of 3mm plastic foamboard I've long since given to Modhail. Removed that base and made a new minimalistic one for Morheim. I also found some really thin wood that I will use in the same manner for fences etc as it is perfectly 20mm scaled.

One of my pick ups for today from the charity shops, besides 2 more bags of very thin lenghts of wood, are a bag of beads for 5 cents, a cookbook holder which is perfect for mty book collection and a large sheet of woven grassy fabrik, and the pattern will not look out of place on a building from a county in the Pacific. The beads make very fine for sale items at the various shops that I want to build.


That is all for now folks, might be back tomorrownight with more news! Enjoy your Easter!

Just give me a break, would ya? (talking to Life here)

 
Sofar, this weeks "holiday" is completely faling apart. The kids were finally well other then a cough here and there, Kim managed to get a double eye infection so on saturday morning we were at the hopsital for meds, and then Kim's mother insisted we had dinner at her place on Saturday evening (which Kim mentioned after I made tuna pastasalad for me and the kids) so I had some of mine and I had some of hers.....and to be quite frank I've been on the shitter since! (I'm blaming my food, not hers....though if this is a case of the Noro virus I could have picked it up anywhere in the days before so God knows).

Every single time I hit some sort of holiday and my body craps out on me, dammit. This afternoon, after a few days with nothing but water, a few crackers and some vitamins, I felt well enough to finally cook my family a meal (after they had eaten bread and reheated food for dinner since sunday cause Kim wouldn't cook no matter what....I swear, if something ever happens to me she'd starve) and wouldn't you know it, I'm back on the can every hour ever since. I can't do anything cause I'm constantly hopping from left to right, trying to gauge if I have to go or not. I've slept a lot (wel, in 30-60 minute bursts) but it doesn't seem to do anything either.

So, have I studied this week? Nope, nothing. Cleared the desks? Nope.  Well, at least I sold stuff, but I can't go out and actually ship it for fear of soiling myself on the trip back and forth. On top of that, Kim sold our entire baby room (which is a good thing, cause we got a good price for it and we need the money to even out on the new beds, matrasses and assorted stuff), so I have to dissasemble the wardrobe tomorrow, by myself, carry it downstairs, by myself, and then get everything from the attic, and take it downstairs, by myself. Since we have no help, my knee will be fucked for a good few days.

Yeah, great holiday. It's not effing fair :( Now stop crying.....

Right, rant over...

What I can do, is just sweep everything off my desk on thursday as Kim is taking the kids to a friend and her kids (jay, more diseases....), grab the bluefoam, and get cracking on making walls etc to go with my desert village and get it all done cause it has been going on and off since 2013! It would be great to have this done in time for Tobruk, and motivate me to get some Taliban done as well as get cracking on proper scenery for a game of Black Ops. Friday I need to study (or seek medical attention at this rate) in the morning, the afternoon is mine for the hobby. The weekend is for the kids and then it's a normal week again so God knows when I find the time to work on it.

Did you know it's been June 2016 since I last properly painted something? Yes, I was shocked too.

Here is some of the stuff that is keeping me motivated to get things done for this no matter what.....

 I'll glue 2 sheets of foam for each wall (that be 6mm thick then), make as many straight tall walls as I can cause I'll never have enough I reckon, with plenty of corner pieces, shave the tops for the mud wall effect and make a dozen or so damaged pieces and the occasional one with a doorway or a carport....door.....oh you know what I mean. If I can burn through an entire bluefoam sheet to do this, even better, that way I can make sure I'll never run out for a big village.

Matakashi had a very clever idea for doing shops like this. I think I have an even better one. His are fixed to the building, mine will be on loose base, with poles in front (leaning a bit forward) and poles in the back (leaning a bit back, overhanging the base edge) so I cal slot them right up to my buildings, including the ones with metal slider doors, so they blend in better on a WW2 table. Trading goods etc can come later, no priority on that for now, get the basics done and get them done soon.

By the time these are done Tobruk should be about to be released and I can get cracking on building a small force to fight Erik and branch out for the Taliban, Iran-Iraq and Black-Ops with a dash of Pulp in there as well perhaps....God knows the options are endless really once you think of it. Sadly my lifespan as well as my attention span isn't so I will have to make choices.

Also, went out on a limb and made an order with SandS for some upgradekits for various vehicles. I have a lot of selling to do in the near future.....

To boldly go.....pink?

I decided I wasn't busy enough yet and did something I should have done aaaages ago. I set up a Dutch Battlegroup FB page. Now I can finally start to take in how many are interested, what scale or scales they use, what kind of questions they have and perhaps find a way to do a meetup for people who are interested in learning about the game and giving it a try. Well, that is the plan anyway.

Then real life intervened as due to a miscommunication Kim actually wanted me to clear out the girls room and replace everything with new furniture in 2 days time (GREAT) and on the 2nd day, in the eraly hours we got a phonecall from my dad telling us both girls are sick, please pick them up asap as they kept us up all night. Best laid plans and all that....I rushed through the building process, cursing along the way, but we got it finished and Kim picked up the kids as my knees are now really shot. As sick as they were though, they loved seeing ther new layout, beds etc, and fell asleep in record time.

The room when I was finished....Kim then came in for cleaning, matress covers, sheets etc. Supergirly, superpink, and the first thing they did when they saw the bed is stuff their stuffed animals in the little house at the end. So cute :)

Dead tired, but a lot less stressed out now. The payment for school has been sorted, I'm slowly getting the hang of typing blind, and I've sold over a dozen kits in the past week so just made a preorder for 1 box of S-Models Crusader I/II's, 1 box of S-Models Matilda CS and 1 box of Roden Armoured Car 1920 for pick up at the TWENOT meeting at Overloon in March. I had preferred to pick up 2 boxes of Crusaders but alas, he only had one left. This will be the start of my British force for Afrika. I had planned thne Light Mark VI's to have been the start, but the JB Model comes without sand channels so I've put those in the BEF box for later. The PSC Mark 9 is now also put in the Afrika box and one box gives me a full unit. Now to raid the bits box as there should be a spare 40mm Bofors plus tow there somewhere. Troops can come later, Piers keeps dropping hints about something from PSC and I'm pretty curious about it.

And there seems to be some grand conspiracy about getting my room back in order...every time I plan to make an effort of clearing it, something else unexpected pops up and ruins it. And I'm stuck in some mental blockade that I want a lot of this mess gone and sold before I do anything useful hobby wise.

Oh well, that gives me more time to find a Caunter colour I like and can replicate a ton of times (and does not have any blue in it). Oh, and 2 kilos of 0.6mm floral wire is a lot of wire! But it will be fun, I say.

On the first week of school, my teacher gave to me....

A splitting headache, for starters! :D Nothing that unusual, ever since the accident I have them 3-5 days a week, but only in the evenings. It will pass though, I think my brain just has to get to grips being used in a very different then usual. First class on monday (20 minute drive became a 60 minute drive due to traffic jams, I'll have to remember that) was 3 hours on the Dutch language - spelling mostly. I've never been great at spelling tests (aka I really suck at them) but the chapter we got was very to the point and after a good read I was able to finish each set of 20 questions with 3 errors on average. And the errors I did make is something I can work on. Since I made my tests on  my notebook (a old school paper one btw) the test book is still clear so I can repeat the test at my leasure anc check for the correct answers. After about 6 tests the teacher signed me off on this chapter as it was pretty clear I can spell in Dutch and other then refreshing my memory, no real issues popped up. She then took some time explaining the course to me, how it works with exams, that I must attend each lesson and there can be no exceptions unless you are really sick (and I have no intention of skipping any classes as this is very important to me and I'm highly motivated.) And then 3 hours had come and gone already!

My homework for the day was math, and lots and lots of math, all kinds of it. And a calculator is not allowed.....just the way I like it. I'm actually better at it then spelling, and made a lot less mistakes, except 1 entire column where I kept forgetting to add the same thing over and over.....but that's just sloppyness and/or not having done those kind of calculations since 2007 when I left my job as a sales employee (and even there rarely). So I spent a good 2 hours doing my homework and then I just kept it up till the kids came home.

Next day, again school from 9-12 but in a different city and one that is known for it's traffic jams so I though, let's leave 15 minutes earlier then yesterday. And what do you know it, no traffic jams what so ever on my route. I arrived more then an hour before class, I arrived so early the building the class would be in wasn't even opened yet. Jay. When it did open I just took a desk in the lobby, grabbed my homework and starting checking everything with a calculator. The teacher arrived 15 minutes before the class started, and then I took another 3 hours of math tests just to complete the book and to make sure it all stuck in my head. Homework for next week is the first chapter of the Word 2010 book (I have the 2013 version at home) and to put the roster she gave me into my online agenda so I know what to train for and what homework to make and when my tests are. Though what I've done now in 2 days isn't actually covered till 3 months into the course......good reasoning behind that from the teacher. Better see how good I can spell and do math now, then wait 3 months at which point we can't cortrect it anymore. So, 2 mornings a week till the first week of June, and then 1 morning a week till November, and a 6 week holiday in the summer time.

I'm well motivated and I'll setle into a routine quick enough I think. If for some reason I can't study during the day I'll just take a set at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in the evening and work till it is finished. If I need to practice things on the PC I can do that too, but it's rather cluttered here atm so better get that sorted before next week to create a better working environment.

First Aid class is going pretty fast too, we have almost finished the book, we have a week off next week, and after that we will just practice, practice and practice some more till it's time for the test. We have been asked, if we get our diploma's, to help with a big training excercise a few weeks after our graduation. If I got the geste correctly it would be a simulated explosion/fire at the local church so a bit of everything. casualty wise.

Tuesday is a bit manic though, morning class, get home asap and take over the kids from Kim, and then First Aid in the evening and I've declared wednesday to be a resting and reading (and Blogging) day.

Final note before I start on the hobby stuff is that I've placed my updated resume on job sites and I've received 3 emails this week. 2 are a bit of a joke as they are in Ireland and in the Czech Republic, and my resume clearly reads that I'm willing to travel to work no more then 1 hour / 50 km. My knee just can't take much more then that, especially in traffic jams with continuous use of the clutch. But the 3rd one is a for a job at a printers for commercial support staff near Eindhoven Airport (a good 20 minutes from here (45-60 during rush hour) and I have a meet and greet this friday afternoon. I'm not expecting much of it, I mean I just started my training, but it will be a good excercise in promoting myself and maybe making an new contact for the future.

Right, hobby time......

I helped a few friends by reposting their sales posts in the appropriate groups that I'm a member off and both managed to sell everything that same evening. I'm happy, they are happy, and I score some more Brownie points. I sold a couple of kits this week, and some Warhammer stuff, nothing major, and decided to put all the Italians I gathered up sofar up for sale in on big bundle. If anyone is interested,

4x boxes of Italian vehicles (4 tanks, 1 AT truck) for 40 Pounds plus shipping or your best offer, and 4 Italian aircraft (Early to Mid Afrika cmpaign) for 30 Pounds plus shipping or your best offer. Take everything and I will split the shipping costs with you.

They are going because with Erik focussing on the Germans I really should focus all of my efforts on the British, and the Italians, while interesting, just don't seem to capture my imagination so much. So they can go.

Other then that, not much has happend here, but I'm delighted Piers posted a pic from the new Tobruk book....

PSC A9 Cruiser tanks. They look lovely :)

Also he posted the planned release schedule:

April 2017 - Battlegroup Tobruk
Autumn/Winter 2017 - Battlegroup 'Spring Awakening'
April 2018 - Battlegroup Westwall
Autumn/Winter 2018 - Battlegroup Iwo Jima

Discussion is ongoing for a release date for our first non-WW2 release - Battlegroup NORTHAG.

Earlier, PSC posted their planned release schedule for 2017 and onwards.

• 15mm German SdKfz 231 8 rad armoured car
• 15mm British Universal Carrier (and variants)
• 1/72nd German SdKfz 231 8 rad armoured car
• 15mm Modern Soviet T55 tank
• 15mm Valentine
• 1/72nd Valentine
• 15mm Sexton
• 1/72nd Sexton
• 1/72 A10 Cruiser Tank

In the Pipeline

• 15mm Steyr heavy car
• 1/72nd Steyr heavy car
• 1/72nd Tiger I with zimmerit
• 15mm Stuart M3
• 1/72nd Stuart M3
• 1/72nd SU76
• 15mm SU76
• 15mm Lee/Grant
  
• 1/72nd Lee/Grant
• 15mm 250 neue Halftrack
• 1/72nd 250 neue Halftrack
• 1/72nd Universal Carrier Conversion Kit
• 1/72nd 17 pdr with M5 Halftrack tow
• 15mm 17 pdr with M5 Halftrack tow
• 15mm 88mm and tractor 

Of the up and coming releases, the Valentines and  A10 Cruiser are on my wanted list. A 20mm Fastbuild T-55 would be nice but doubtful as the market is flooded with cheap Die casts (which I hate and refuse to use). Of the future releases, I'm looking forward to the Stuart M3, Lee/Grant and the Su-76. The Carrier conversion kit  sounds nice but I have no idea when they would release that and I feel my first 2 sections would/should be done before that.

Good times to do 20mm.

Now a final note before I take some much needed R&R, I've managed to find every single box of Epic that I have and I will be putting that up for sale soon. I had planned to in vest it in Wikkywok buildings and AB troops but lately my PC has been freezing up almost every evening as it just can't keep up with my use.....so I might have to reserve funds so to that sorted first.... 

Take care and cu again later this week :)