Just a slight change of topic. It is my wonderful Wife’s birthday and I made a little something for her.
It’s not all fun and wargames
2
Author Archives: grumpyoldtin
Life in the time of Rona
I have been under the weather for a couple of weeks now but have been testing negative. Earlier this week Number One Son tested positive and I was still negative. Upto this point I had been the only family member to be free from the Rona.
Thursday night I had a bad night with breathing difficulties and a savage sore throat. Not to mention sweats and chills. Friday morning I tested again.
Arse
Got booked that afternoon for a drive thru which has confirmed that I am a positive person. Just waiting on the variant.
About two weeks ago, before this all kicked off, one of the Patreons I sub to posted this picture.
I saw this and had to have a variant of it. Knucklebones had made some scuttling bug-like legs for a previous model. I chopped them up in Meshmixer and cut’n’pasted the bits to extend them. With this I lasercut some bits to make two open troop carriers. I’ll show them in a later post.
That idea lead on to me thinking about about an armoured variant. More parts were lasercut then Papa Nurgle visited. Not really having the strength or motivation I pottered a bit each day making it.
This is the result
The main body is lasercut mdf and card. Bolts are lasercut card. There are resin greebles from Ramshackle Games and 3d printed ones from Knucklebones. The legs are 3d printed and are derived from Knucklebones.
Narrative to my painting
Like most of us, I imagine, I make little stories about the project I am painting and I try and picture the piece in an imaginary world, how it would look and why it was there.
Somehow I stumbled across this model railway enthusiast and the way he writes is so eloquently beautiful.
The First Encounter
The way he talks about when he came across articles in magazines that were light years out of his league as a beginner but we’re so inspirational. This reminds me of looking at figures and dioramas in White Dwarf as a yoof.
Display cases
Dagger and Brush wanted to know what my display setup was. Here is my response.
You will have to excuse the poor lighting, a project for this year. This is the current state of my hobby room. it tends to be used as an overspill while we organise the house.
This was my first display case, from Ikea about twenty five years ago. I thought that I would never fill it. Little did I know.
After moving over here i got these two from a second hand store.
I have recently just got these two. I should really have been a bit more patient because the shelves are only just bigger than A4. Holes have been drilled to add more shelves. The cabinet on the left has nine shelves from its original four and the cabinet on the right has (or will have) twelve shelves. As the bottom shelf was directly sat on the floor and I have built a plinth to raise them up. I have to admit to some pleasure in being able to go to my workshop, cut some wood on my circular saw and make it there and then. Trips to the local recycling are called for to get glass for the shelves. Again (thanks to my Post Grad in Glass) I have the tools and experience to cut the glass to size and linish the edges to make them safe. Illuminating the shelves will be another project for this year.
Painting this year so far
My first paints of this year is a unit of Gnomes.
There are three more units to paint and then I can treat myself with some individual characters.
These wonderful chaps were provided by the OS Miniatures Company.
“Last Christmas…..”
Just before last Christmas I received a mystery package. I knew who it was from thanks to the wonders of return addresses. Curiosity was hold on hold until the day. We actually celebrate twice; once on the twenty fourth, the Austrian one; and on the twenty fifth, the English one.
Those of you two followers (don’t forget the dog!) who have been paying attention may have noticed that I rather like Bob Olley. Getting an original pencil drawing by the Man Himself was something special.
Happy bunny.
Now to frame it and hang it.
Better late than never?
Welcome to 2022. Who knows what shitstorm it will throw at us. Thankfully the last two years haven’t been so bad for us. A combination of a large house and garden and good weather. Hopefully this coming year will be kinder to a lot of people.
As promised here is a round up of the painting from last year.
This is part of my modular terrain
This was a big paint project that I had been putting off for a while. I don’t know what I will use it for. But I wanted it.
I have to say thankyou to Jamie Loft, Old School Miniatures, for the Gnomes AND for the 2021 Painting Challenge on Facebook. Without it I would have not been at all motivated to paint.
And that was 2021
This year has gone in a flash what with lockdowns and isolations. Yes Wife and Number Two Son got it. Thankfully not seriously.
I did manage my 2021 Paint Challenge, but I didn’t finish the scary dozen. Sad face emoji. BUT I got The Dragon finished. Happy face emoji.
For 2022 I have four big projects to finish up. Bloodbowl, all printed up and now to be painted. Heroquest, paint the board and finish printing parts. Spacehulk, all the parts are printed and now need painting. Finally the modular terrain table, all the tiles are assembled and need painting/detailing.
Next year I need to carefully consider what I am printing rather than the scattershot approach of the last two years. And try and finish all the half started projects on my desk.
Yeh right! Like that’s going to happen!
My two products of the year are. Army Painter Dry Rust Effect paint, just brilliant. Secondly I have a new supplier of 3D printing Filament, GST3D. I have been getting some good results and they are European.
https://gst3d.eu/en/product-category/pla/
I need to make a group shot of my painting this year for the 2021 Painting Challenge and I will post it tomorrow (if I do not overindulge tonight).
All that remains is to wish my two followers and their dog a Happy New Year!
Computer says yes!
Finally after six months I have a working computer again.
Painting progress
Due to computer malfunction I kind of lost track where I have been in painting. I will try and amend this by hijacking my Son’s computer.
Lungbursta, inspired by plans from White Dwarf. Back in the day when we were encouraged by G`Dub to make our own stuff. Laser cut body and tracks from Ramshackle Games.
Gobsmasha, again from plans in White Dwarf. All laser cut parts.
Cyclops Demolition Tank. 3D printed from files gathered from a Friendface group.
Troop carrier 3D printed from The Makers Cult.
Sci Fi civilian 3d printed from files by Knucklebones Miniatures.
Sci Fi/Fantasy Librarian 3d printed from files by Knucklebones Miniatures.
Turnip 28 3d printed from files by Knucklebones Miniatures.
Victim of my growing inquisition force.
News from Elsewhere
My customer, Nick Wilker, sent me some photos of his Polystyrene Castle adorned with parts from me.
I am very pleased to see this but also sad because it reminds me to remove my digit and make a set for myself. AND paint it!
Hooray! The dragon is slain!
Some of my older readers may remember my prevarications over the last few years. Well no more! It is done.
This big old beastie was brought to you by Heresy Miniatures.
Addendum
I forgot to add to my last post a commission for Keta Minies.
Last year I had posted about the Kickstarter by this shy retiring sculptor. A whole range of props and accessories for your fantasy adventurers. Brilliantly sculpted.
Keta Minies asked me to paint a mimic sculpt and so I did. Rather nerve racking trying to live up to the quality of the sculpt. Sadly, although packed inside a tin with bubblewrap, it failed to survive the tender ministrations of the French postal system.
I do recommend you to have a peek at
https://www.myminifactory.com/users/keta-minies
Where you will find a growing selection of articles for sale.
Everyone’s gone painting, painting 21!
I have just come to the realisation that I haven’t posted any painting pictures this year. Like last year I have joined the Painting Challenge on Facebook
This year is an extra challenge, which I am trying in conjunction with the main challenge. The main challenge is to paint 52 miniatures over the year. The second challenge is to tackle 12 scary models or projects that have been intimidating and that have been put on a back burner.
I will start with the main challenge.
Now to the 12 scary things
What has been holding me up, but I am plugging along with it, is the Heresy Dragon. I have pledged to myself that I will not paint anything else until it is finished. When I have finished it, which will be another week at current progress, I am going to kick back and relax with a couple of tanks that I have been itching to paint. Plus a couple of projects that are half finished.
Infodump
This is a continuation of “Direction?” and as the title suggests it is an infodump.
Not everything here will be of interest to everybody, these are things that I have discovered that have interested or informed me.
Being a silver surfer I tend to use Facebook as my main social media window. Here are some of the pages I am a member of:
Oldhammer
The Inquisitorium The Beating heart of INQ28
Warmaster (GW)
Battlefleet Gothic
Heroquest
‘Eavier Metal
2021 Painting Challenge
Middlehammer
The Terrain Tutor
3D Printing for Warmaster
3D Printing for WH40K – Facist Free Zone
40.000 Reasons to 3D Print
Titan Printers Society
I Love 3D Printing Miniatures and Terrain
You might find me if you look for Brian Weninger
Next up are the Patreons
Starting with the ones I support
One Gold Piece
The Makers Cult
Knucklebones Miniatures
Soul Forge Studio
Others of note
Forest Dragon
Lord of the Print
Warploque Miniatures
ThatEvilOne
BigMrTong
onepagerules
Geargut’s Mekshop
Bestiarum Miniatures
Anvil Digital Forge
Lost Kingdom Miniatures
Other social media platforms worth exploring
You can find me on these last three, just search for grumpyoldtin
Discord – you will need an invite to join the various groups. Usually if you have a subscribed to a Patreon they will have a Discord channel linked to it.
Twitch – I have not explored this as yet
Websites with paid for, and sometimes free, digital files
My Mini Factory
Cults 3D
Thingiverse – for free models
Yeggi is a useful search engine to find models, paid for and free
For Heroquest resources I recommend
For SpaceHulk visit
Warmaster Revolution
https://www.wm-revolution.com/
If Grimdark is your thang then I cannot recommend enough
PUBLICATIONS
Youtube: who not to include? Here is a list of contributors who have interested me:
52 Miniatures
Tabletop Minions
Teaching Tech
Colin Furze
Angel Giraldez
Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy
Geek Gaming Scenics
The Terrain Tutor
Tabletop Workshop
Vince Venturella
All these suggestions are far from exhaustive and are a matter of personal taste.
I would love to hear from you with recommendations for things that I may have overlooked.
genuine grumpy old tin 