Life with eleven cats and other madness

Posted on June 15, 2023 by grumpyoldtin

As promised, third day in a row!

I’ll start with the “down” part then we can progress towards more positive things.

As part of getting old I had a health check up at the local doctors, blood samples galore. One little thing he picked up on was a slight under production from my thyroid gland. Euthyrox was prescribed and the doctor would review the results after a couple of months after a blood sample was taken at the hospital. I try not to read side effect notes until after a couple of months because I don’t want to project them onto myself, just observe and reflect. I waited until after the check up before I looked and oh boy, tick, tick, tick etc. I then stopped the medication and will look at alternative thyroid medication with the doctor. Life is much better without, crushing fatigue, depression, an inability to really concentrate, shortness of breath, insomnia and eating a small amount of cheese resulted in stomach cramps accompanied by by a trip to the throne room. I’m still fatigued, which might be a complication of covid, but it is not like a huge weight of tiredness. I feel a lot better for stopping that particular medication. Yeah getting old sucks.

And just to top things off it’s pollen season. I have two or three weeks in June where my nose is just pouring. Not even antihistamines help.

Anyway, onwards and upwards!

I have managed to paint and I have been finishing parts for my big projects. Bar some little props Heroquest is ready to paint. Bloodbowl parts are printed and ready for paint and assembly. Spacehulk corridors are ready for priming, this is going to be an outside summer job. Escorts and cruisers have been printed for Battlefleet Gothic. I spot a retro theme going on here.

Some ecumenical advisors to accompany the Baron Figure from earlier this year

And more. I have to produce fifty five bases of Snotlings for my 2000pt army.

And finally the high note! Eleven, yes eleven, cats. My cat Queenie snuck out before we could get her neutered. This has resulted in the birth of some more kittens. They are going to a nice family in a couple of weeks. The family has been visiting to see the kitten’s progress and we have been observing the family. They are kind and gentle with the kittens so we have no worries. It always is a difficult parting when cats leave us.

This is Squeeky. I called her this because you can’t keep a cat called Squeeky. Can you?

We don’t have a name for her, but the family are thinking of Kitty.

My boy Jasper has been a bit freaked out by the kittens so he hasn’t been such a constant companion of late. We do seem to have bred racing kittens there is always a blur of fur. And last thing at night we have to check there is nothing loose on the floor otherwise we have a sleepless night.

“Last Christmas…..”

Posted on January 14, 2022 by grumpyoldtin

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.

Everyone’s gone painting, painting 21!

Posted on April 26, 2021 by grumpyoldtin

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

https://www.facebook.com/groups/461386338087891/?multi_permalinks=783926889167166%2C782822129277642%2C782821865944335%2C782776412615547%2C782319642661224&notif_id=1619204235340920&notif_t=group_activity&ref=notif

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.

Weeks 1 – 12 Light artillery for my Earth Elemental Dragon Rampant Army.

Weeks 13 – 24 Ravening horde for my Earth Elemental Dragon Rampant Army.

Weeks 25, 43 and 44 Some Mousling Rangers from Duncan Louca

Week 26, very iffy photo of Ork Monowheel

Week 27 Colour test for my Iron Hive Army from The Makers Cult

Week 28 figure from Ramshackle Games part of my Greater Good Ecclestically

Week 29 figure from Ramshackle Games part of my Greater Good Ecclestically

Weeks 30 – 42 Helpers for my Greater Good Ecclestically

Now to the 12 scary things

This is the Goblin Chariot that Bob Olley produced for G’Dubs Iron Claw range

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.

Early March

Posted on March 7, 2020 by grumpyoldtin

It has been a busy week what with getting ready for; Austrian Salute (more details soon), redecorating Number Two Son’s room and keeping up with my New Year’s resolution/2020 Painting Challenge.

This week Jamie from Old School Miniatures posted that he was struggling and he proposed a quick challenge to motivate everyone. This was on Wednesday and those who wished to take part had to post a picture of a miniature that had not been started and it had to be finished tomorrow, Sunday.

This is my finished figure. A Halfling drummer from Warploque Miniatures sculpted by the talented Alex Huntley. I will be using him in my “not” Empire army.

http://www.warploqueminiatures.com/

For the regular 2020 Painting Challenge I managed to paint the command group of my Skeleton archers. These are from Scotia Grendel. Not my first choice of sculpts, these were in exchange for some laser cutting, I really wanted something to match my Bob Olley Essex Skeletons. So far I have not found anything that comes close.

https://www.shop.scotiagrendel.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=221_222_46_228

As you can see my photography hasn’t improved much, but I will keep fiddling.

London Loot

Posted on October 29, 2019 by grumpyoldtin

Stand by for a picture heavy post on what I picked up in London on my recent visit. Some were eBay purchases delivered to my friend Seb and others were bought at SELWG.

These were eBay’d. I got them mainly for the pictures. The Fantasy Warlord for the old skool Gary Chalk Iillustration and the fluff is supposed the be interesting. The rules allegedly a bit cack. The High Elves for painting inspiration. I have fallen under the spell of High Elves since the G’Dub boxed set The Island of Blood. The new plastics are superb and lovely to paint.

Airbrush cleaning pot, gradually getting tooled up in this department.

This was and end of day purchase at SELWG and a bargain at £3.50.

It is about time I replace my current painting brush, it has about three bristles left but I can’t stop using it. There should be enough for me and Son Number Two who is interested in painting figures.

This was a gift from Seb. These are some Halflings from a recent Kickstarter run by TT Combat. I can see a use for most of them.

This is the final part of a Renaissance Army Kickstarter that I backed a couple of years ago.

This was something I picked up at Forbidden Planet. I have started collecting a Chaos Army and I quite liked this figure, Typhus Herald of Nurgle. To pick it up on it’s own was silly money. To buy it with the WH 40K Conquest magazine was a more reasonable £6.99.

I mail ordered these figures to have a peek and see if I liked the material. These are the new Bones Black from Reaper. The original Bones was a horrible bendy white plastic lacking in detail. The new Black is more like a resin and at first glance seems very good. I will report back on this, because it means figures within my budget.

This was in a bargain box for 50p and I think I have a use for them to make some alien tribesmen with some Perry plastics.

This little guy is from Warploque Miniatures and is going to be the musician in an Albionnican unit.

Some chickens, ducks and pigs from Redoubt. I am slowly building up my livestock.

A bit T&A but she’ll go nicely with the bowman that was a freebie from Salute a couple of years back.

From the bargain box at Colonel Bills. He is destined to be a statue in my Italianate castle.

I have a little diarama in mind for these guys. I have a Churchill and a Hitler to go with them.

Again a bit T&A, she is to go with my Albion Army.

I have, in a box, a couple of marching Roman units complete with carts. These will help flesh it out a bit.

Pre ordered from Essex, some more Bob Olley goodness for my slowly growing Dwarf army.

Another Essex Dwarf. This guy is destined to be chopped at the waist and nailed to the lower half of a Dwarven rider.

This is from Crooked dice. He will be part of my Beastman Unit in my Not Imperial Guard 40K army.

Crooked Dice from their recent Colony 87 Kickstarter. Adding to my sci fi civilians.

Stetch goals from the Colony 87 Kickstarter. Some are useful, others …….

There you have it! More toys that won’t get painted and just added to the Lead Mountain.

Some adventures in 3D Printing

Posted on September 19, 2019 by grumpyoldtin

Last year I stepped into the exciting world of 3D with an Ender 3 printer. It hasn’t been an easy ride, it is something that needs a big learning curve. It doesn’t quite work straight out of the box, requiring some tinkering. Also having an antiquated computer doesn’t allow for the installation of modern slicing software. The whole process has been a slightly frustrating hit and miss experience.

I seem to collect rule-sets in the vain hope that my Boys might want to play with me or that someone in the area would have an interest in playing. HINT: if anyone in the Salzburg area would like to game, I have a nice gaming area and multiple rule-sets.

One set of rules that caught my eye and seemed to have a following, in the UK at least, was Dragon Rampant by Daniel Mersey. One of the rulebooks published by Osprey publishing. Osprey are producing some interesting and inexpensive rules covering a very broad church of areas. Worth checking out.

This interested me as you could play a game with nice streamlined rules and build an army with relatively few miniatures. I have enough Orcs and Goblins kicking about to make an army with zero expenditure. A friend, David Wood, scored a massive haul of Essex Miniatures Undead and sent me his spares. Some minor expenditure and voila a beautifully sculpted Bob Olley Undead army. A recent Kickstarter provided me with most of a Renaissance army.

If you are not aware of Thingiverse and are into 3D printing I would recommend that you go and visit. It is stuffed to the rafters with Arduino projects, electronics and workshop tutorials and of course 3D printer files.

http://www.thingiverse.com

Browsing through this cornucopia of stuff, this place is brilliant for gaming accessories, I came across some Mud Elementals. They looked so cute I had to print one.

And then another.

And another.

Soon an army emerged.

The Leader
I had some issues with layers so I may reprint.

Light Foot I have another unit of these guys waiting for arms

These all came from a creator called Dutch Mogul

http://www.thingiverse.com/dutchmogul/designs

Check his designs out it is a one-stop-shop for gaming goodness. he also has a Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/IllGottenGames

Now I’m off to check on my printer and maybe do some painting. If I don’t get distracted by kittens.

Paint a Bob

Posted on September 6, 2019 by grumpyoldtin

Another favourite thing. The Oldhammer Community Facebook page is running a “Paint a Bob” competition. During the month of September paint a figure sculpted by Bob Olley. To prevent any duplicity entrants had to post a photograph of their chosen model with this image as a backdrop.