Weekly Waffle #358 – Not really invincible
7th December 2024
For this week’s weekly waffle I have a bit more of a waffle than a hobby update. Don’t worry there is some hobby it’s just that there is more waffle. I’ve been off work this week but had much hobby time. We have been out on day trips and shopping trips trying to get organised early for Christmas. Last year was carnage and we didn’t get much chance to relax. So this year I’ve insisted we get things done early so we can have a more relaxed time. The only downside has been that none of the shopping has involved toy soldiers. But I have spent quite a bit of time in toy shops. And that has been fun. Even if everything I’ve picked out has been deemed unsuitable for my niece’s.
But the upside is that we have done most of the things we needed to and we have even got a lot of them wrapped. We have also had a few day trips which had made the week off seem like a much longer break than it actually was. One of those trips was to Chatsworth House to look at there decorations and light show. We went last year and I really enjoyed it so I was really looking forward to it. Although I have to say I didn’t think it was as good this year as it was last year. It was still a good trip, I’ve got some pictures below, but it felt like the purse strings had been tighter this year than last. What is really amazing about Chatsworth House is that it is still a private residence. Lots of it are open to the public which is what keeps the building open but it is owned by a single family. I just imagine what it must have been like in its prime.
The other waffle I have for you this week is about online purchases. Most of my hobby purchases are done online, as I imagine most people’s are. So you end up with your favourites and those that you try to avoid. The Infinity minis I’ve been working on came from one of those that I would normally avoid. I haven’t used them for a long time and was pleasantly surprised when they turned up a couple of days later. Having enjoyed painting the first mini I decided to order a few more minis. Again they were dispatched quickly and that is where things went wrong. Royal Mail who are usually fantastic with me got this one catastrophically wrong. I got an email confirming delivery but the attached picture wasn’t my address.
And that is where the fun started. I contacted my local sorting office who were really helpful but the parcel hadn’t come via them. They gave me the number for customer services and advised me what to say. I then had to wait ten days for Royal Mail to tell me there was nothing they can do and I should contact the seller and say the parcel was lost. I did this and have to say the store were really helpful but Royal Mail have told them they have to investigate the missing parcel. Despite accepting that they have already investigated it once. But the store have said they will sort me out as soon as they can. So this isn’t anything against the store.
What it does mean is that whilst I’m buzzing to try and expand on my Infinity painting. I actually have nothing more to paint once I finish these first four test minis. It’s not going to stop me painting more once they arrive, fingers crossed they do, but it has taken a bit of the wind out of my sails. But I do feel like this is the colour scheme I’m going to go with and feel I can replicate it across a range of minis. It’s just going to take me a bit longer than I had hoped.
But I do have a couple of minis available to me and I have had a little bit of hobby time this week. And I’ve spent that painting a little mini. More accurately a remote that comes in the box. It looks rather harmless and I have no idea what it does in game terms. But it has kept the paint brush moving which is a good thing. The colours are exactly the same and with each mini I paint I feel I’m getting a little bit more confident. Which I am hoping in turn will end up with a smoother paint job. I don’t think the pictures show it but I feel it’s getting better. Which in turn inspires me to keep going. But what do you think.
You can see more Infinity miniatures at my gallery here
I’ve got one more mini out of this box which I am hoping to get completed this week. Although I have a massive amount of work to get done for a Friday deadline. And it is our Christmas doo this week so I’m going to be busy burning the candle at both ends. But as I’ve mentioned before I have managed to have a fresh mini each week this year so I really don’t won’t to let that slip at this late stage. There is only one more mini out of this box to paint and having got three under my belt I think I can manage to finish this off for next week.
By then I’m hoping I will have some more minis to be able to carry on the process. One thing I think I will do going forward is to switch out some of the paints so that I’m using the same brand throughout. I’m not sure if it will make any real difference but I think in my head using the same brand would give a little bit more consistency. I’ve done a couple of test swabs on my dry brush board and they look the same so will see how that goes on the next batch.
A couple of other things I’m going to have to think about are pushing both the shadows and the highlights a little bit more. I’ve been watching some YouTube videos about highlights and the thing I’ve taken away from it is that not using pure white seems to be the way to go. Using a very light grey, especially if it has a tint to it, so in my case something with a green tint. Would probably work better. I have a few ideas in mind and whilst they may not happen for next week it is something will be looking to introduce going forward.
I’m going to call it there for this week. A little bit on the short side and next week may be the same but hopefully after that normal service will be resumed. I’m also thinking of trying to pull together a bit of retrospective post for the end of the year which is rapidly approaching. But until next week I hope you all keep safe and enjoy whatever you have planned for the week.
