Wargamer-painter.com

Pandemic- forced isolation= lots of hobby time and a new dog.

4/30/2020

Well it’s a scary time with a global pandemic thanks to covid 19. Countries all over the world are shut, businesses closed down apart from essential ones and joe public confined to their homes. What does that mean, well for me two things, time to do or attempt hobby and entertaining my new dog.
After the heartache of losing Buddy I couldn’t face the house it was soulless and empty and I didn’t want to be in it or do stuff associated with it. I simply eat slept and left whenever I could, I later found out people were worried I was losing it and if I’m honest I did a bit, grief is a bugger to deal with and I was failing. Then on a trip out I came into contact with a last pup from a litter, Black and Tan different to Buddy in build and colour but still a jack Russell, what did he do but bark and dive straight on me.

His choosing me like Buddy did was all the nudge I needed and he came home with me smack bang at eight weeks also like Buddy did. His birthday 11th June 2019. It’s been a hectic time training him and he’s a little shit the complete opposite of Buddy wilful stubborn selective hearing and destructive to name but a few of his traits. I should have known when he chose his name, like with Buddy I read through a long list of names without a murmur from him and afterwards say out loud your gonna be Trouble. Hey presto he barks and comes at me so Trouble it’s been for the last ten months. No doubt when the lockdowns lifted we will be off on adventures like I did when Buddy was alive, that’s if I can keep up with the little shit. In the meantime for the most part he’s a tart for cuddles.

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More illness and a pending operation but things still progress slowly

4/17/2019

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Well as the title suggests things haven't been going to plan of late in fact at one point i sincerely felt like captain chaos.

i got flooded out at Christmas with a large hole in the living room ceiling and all my electrics tripping, which exhausted me to the point that i slept through Christmas completely, no Christmas dinner, no Christmas TV and no Speech from my old employer her majesty the Queen.

Since then Ive struggled to remain on top with my health and every step forward has resulted in two back, all very depressing. on a positive note i have managed to get some painting and printing in with some good results and recognition.

i am a backstager on the website Beastsofwar.com and received a golden button a weekly feature recognizing painting posted within projects on their site. it wasn't even for one of my own figures but one i had done for a mate of mine and his son

The golden button is only a bit of fun but the feedback and feature on the website i like was a real lift. ive a couple more titans to paint and my local store manager has asked me to paint some rare Earthdawn troll enchanter figures hes managed to get hold of. Considering the sheer volume of tea i drink at his store while we are gossiping like little old ladies its only fair.

My 3d printer has been very busy though and as well as many Adeptus Titanicus buildings and scenery pieces i have been making some buildings from the Printable Scenery lost islands Kickstarter and the Dwarves and Demons kickstarter. Mainly towers one of which a wizards tower i sent to beasts of war who are now doing a feature on painting and finishing it ready for games.

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ITS BEEN A WHILE ! but hes back and for a change feeling optimistic....

11/24/2018

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Apologies for the delay and lack of progress on anything plus a general lack of material posted of late. The truth is my body once again decided to throw a spanner in the works and really screw with my ability to do normal things or lead a semi normal life. It has been long periods of time confined to the house with my loyal sidekick and wargamer dog Buddy which isn't in itself a bad thing. However, just consider that all of the symptoms and more listed on my about me page were at max levels all competing for dominance and you get that its been a miserable time.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or CFS is a horrible thing you get a full nights sleep 22:00 until 10:00 when the dog wakes you for his breakfast and despite the sleep your exhausted you limbs leaden before the day starts. No matter what plans or aspirations you may have for the day you sit down with a cuppa and a banana to take your meds and next time you recall its late afternoon and the dog is waking you its garden time and so on. Days pass in a sleepy blur and your simply not with it, unable to focus on the TV a book or do hobby, housework or anything. I go see my doctor and he's of the opinion that its just a severe flare up or i could have something else like diabetes or an under active thyroid on top of all the other shit MAGIC! its then a whole group of tests and bloods taken leaving me bruised and sore, plus the mandatory flu jab which set off a localized allergy response ( i never have a quiet spell).
Then out of the blue i get a glimmer of hope yesterday i woke not as sleepy and groggy and managed to catch up on housework both upstairs and down. yes i was exhausted and sore afterward but after a nights sleep woke feeling like i could tackle the day. Today me and Buddy went for a social at my local Gaming Store and post catch up and coffee i was surprised to receive a parcel of wargaming goodies from the owners simply for painting a few things during this last year for the shop and conducting a tip run (recycling center visit) whenever the shops full of cardboard and im in the land of the living. it was nice to feel appreciated when things are so messed up with my health in general.
i wasnt expecting anything at all for helping out i just did it to help keep my local store running and as a refuge for when im feeling ok and can come see friends. I am hoping the approaching new year will allow me to volunteer more at the store and with local school projects they support a means of giving back doing something i love watch this space for hopefully more updates.

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Japan comes to Hull

4/17/2018

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By the time my back pay from the missed Benefits was paid, my poor old Nissan Micra was starting to develop a few problems. Faulty ignition switch, problems with the imobiliser, oil pressure warnings, speakers blown the list was starting to spiral beyond my capability to put right. So with that in mind the search for a better more reliable car started, hoping the micra would last long enough to act as a trade in on a newer one.

to cut a long story short i wanted something easy to get in and out of good on petrol but mainly versatile, space for buddy, spacious seating, and a boot big enough to drop the seats and go off like a van. so what fit all that well another Nissan actually a Cubic. i was the first UK owner after it was imported from Japan and from day one it has put a smile on my face and proven itself a great city car meeting all my requirements so far. Its a mix of Nissan Micra and Nissan Note parts all thrown together into a car people stop and stare at. My neighbours adult daughter moans that its ugly and ive exercised the most restraint ever seen by not retaliating lol

i like the strange little car and can see why it was a hit with the Japanese.

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VICTORY at the tribunal, justice at last

4/16/2018

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The lack of input of late has been a result of the Tribunal held to fight for my medical related benefit. It has been all consuming and with the worries of money on top quite a mess. On the day of the Tribunal i turned up to hull magistrates court and was placed in a room with a load of scruffy ill kept youngsters stinking of weed. Now i am no fashion guru or trend setter and am known to be practical preferring to have functional clothing rather than style. That said amongst these Herbert's i looked like id stepped out of an Armani shop. One youth next to me took a call and told the caller he was being done for possession of class A with intent to sell. the others around me hen took their time talking about their similar charges while i sat there mortified.

The tribunal itself was for me humiliating bordering on the obscene, the judge sat with a doctor, care worker and a representative from the DWP and once started, bombarded me with questions like a mastermind final. No consideration was given for my ill health or if it was then it was soon glossed over and forgotten as they tried to twist confuse or deny the doctors and specialists letters in front of them.

when all was said and done and i was asked to leave the court while they deliberated on my outcome, the charity supporting me through this stated that they had only one word to describe what i had been put through and that was CRUEL. All i wanted was to go home and chill with my dog. i didnt expect to be placed with a bunch of druggies beforehand and to be treated like i had been and afterward i was completely exhausted both physically and mentally. At home it was cuddle up with the dog try to relax and sleep it off.

Given the past year of hell without my benefits and having diagnoses of incurable, inoperable and degenerative in the mix you would have thought i might have a few years of peace but no i have it all to do again at the start of 2020. However the charity have already instructed me that when it comes around they will fill out the paperwork as they dont want to see me fighting for the scraps again, once being enough!

since then its been a case of waiting for the back pay to be paid so i can settle outstanding bills sort out my transport and donate to the charity who fought for me. In recent days i managed a little more progress on my printed terrain and even managed to paint and finish a few pieces, although a mountain of to do stuff still remains. Pictures will follow once ive mastered some semi decent photography.

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The terrain odyssey continues.

1/15/2018

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As the title suggests the terrain odyssey continues whilst my printer is awaiting spares. It would already be up and running had not the mosfet sent be faulty.. I wasn’t too happy having to wait again for a replacement but shit happens as the French say.In the meantime my dining room looks like a workshop.

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Terrain, terrain and more bloody terrain

1/7/2018

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Well with the purchase of a 3D printer comes the excitement of being able to print great stuff for pence whilst watching the TV, painting ones figures or anything else for that matter. It keeps printing for hours on end and it’s like plastic crack so addictive and a hell of a buzz when it’s all goes well. You tend to finish a project then start another in seconds all the while building a backlog of things to paint for the tabletop.

I only really noticed how much stuff I had made when I needed to put up a bookcase and several shelves to accommodate it all. Even then it didn’t really sink in until the dice God’s intervened and cursed my printers motherboard with Nurgles rot causing it to melt and go up in smoke. Yes I am totally serious the motherboard melted and while I’m down awaiting spares I had to get painting. In truth these painting projects have been done over many weeks in small increments as I’ve simply not been well enough to go at it hard and blitz the to do pile.

I am pretty pleased with the results though and they look great on the tabletop.

firstly I had to do these gun turrets for my cygnar force as proxy Block houses, the source files were from Rocketshipgames who do a number of free stuff on Thingiverse and have had a recent successful kickstarter of which I was part. I loved playing about with the weathering powders for the rust, but ended up with an orange Jack Russell as he’d been layed down under my desk.

All of the above designs were free on Thingiverse my thanks to the creators Dutchmogul & Rbross as all I had to do was resize them for what I wanted. These will be a great edition to my Wild West Exodus table.

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3D printing, hospitals, tests and chronic fatigue OH! and only a new year

11/23/2017

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Well the wait continues to just get a date for my tribunal with the DWP. Life in the meantime continues at a snails pace only interrupted by hospital visits, medical tests periods of chronic pain, fatigue and the usual. As per the age old saying "same shit different day" some of my symptoms have really flared up and had me off my feet feeling very low but with a Jack Russell in my life that doesn't last very long before he brightens me up enough to put best foot forward.
i would like to write that i have done lots of painting and gaming with my friends however, that has not been the case. Life has been pretty shitty and with the drop in overall weather conditions my body responds like its a bloody barometer. It has been days wasted to a medication induced haze a myriad of symptoms and broken sleep compounding the whole situation. For weeks now my mood has been very low and i got to the point where i could have just given up were it not for my dog. i don't mean do anything silly but just getting to a point where all i wanted to say was fuck it in a big strong voice to everything and everyone. to make matters worse my best friend, confidant and the only one i will let near me to help with the more embarrassing symptoms, was taken ill herself and after several weeks up in the air needed to move county for better medical treatment and family support. This was perhaps my biggest blow and only served to feed that feeling of isolation that comes with dealing with a chronic health condition.
That said in true Phil style i plodded on and kept my 3D printer going making all the gaming terrain i wanted but never could afford. Hour after hour busily printing away until i had quite a backlog of stuff to paint. i suppose it would still be going now were it not for a slight hiccup as boy is it a buzz when you get a project done. i have made so many pieces over the last weeks between blog entries that i had to put a plethora of shelves (all car boot finds that have been in my shed for ages) up in my gaming room to house them all tidily.
So what was my hiccup? nothing short of sending my printer up in flames. yes you read right, i am about to set the printer to print the finishing piece of a project when i smell burning plastic and see wisps of smoke coming from the motherboard. luckily i was sat next to it and hadnt wandered off so it was an easy save, but scratch one printer motherboard that was now dead. i suppose the upside of this is that i have a window of opportunity now to catch up painting the backlog and when done i will post pics crediting the owners of the design which is only fair..

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He's back sort of ish.......

9/6/2017

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It has been a significant time spent away from the Blog and my aims to sort my self out get more hobby done. In all honesty the will to get stuff done is there but nature has had other plans and what time i have had has been spent in other areas trying to get my medical benefits reinstated.
The Personal independence payment or PIP benefit as its known was meant to replace my disability living allowance and allow me to live independently. I was not overly concerned initially as i have all the medical records to prove my entitlement, from the Armed forces who classed me as disabled to specialists doctors etc the list was numerous and the conditions both incurable and degenerative. Hell even the DWP's own doctors classed me as disabled unfit to work and placed me in a support category. So what could go wrong?
Well much to my surprise apparently a nurse if she works for a company called ATOS can overturn the lot without any explanation or facts. I went for the assessment called a face to face and she couldnt even get my weight or build right with me sat in front of her it was the quickest diet ive had as she classed me as a man of average build her exact opening statement on her report. The truth however is far from this as i am just short of six foot and near to twenty stone clinically classed as obese. You think that such a glaring mistake would be rectified but no it was even upheld at a mandatory reconsideration and all my benefits removed bar for the basic ESA (Employment support allowance) which as stated above the doctors classed me as disabled needing support.
As a result now i am awaiting a court date as they are forcing me to a tribunal, lots of needless waste in both my time and taxpayers money. To get my blue badge reinstated i had to undergo an independent medical examination which classed me as disabled and gave me back my badge for three years. All of the staff involved seeing the report that removed it in the first place saying it couldn't be mine as it bore no resemblance to me at all.
So now at this moment both my local council and the DWP class me as disabled post medical exams yet the ATOS shower of shit with a dodgy report are stopping my benefits needing a court appearance to fight them its ludicrous almost a comedy sketch if it were not for the financial worries and increased stress which affects my illness it has bought.
Today however, im back and its the Beast of War hobby night live tonight which i am hoping will get my mojo back

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SALUTE 2017.

4/23/2017

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well it was that time of year again and time for my Yearly treat. It was touch and go wether I could attend the show when my car was withdrawn but as per my previous post I was saved at the 11th hour my replacement wheels getting dropped off less than 12 hours before our planned departure.
The show as usual was a visual treat and a chance to catch up with old freinds and gossip like an old woman. I always travel the day before stay over in a local hotel to recover from the journey and then hit the show refreshed. This year I was glad I did as I had to sit and chill numerous times the pain and lack of stamina a real problem slowing me down. That said I had a whale of a time even though by the time I got home I was in hell with the pain and fatigue.. here's a few titbits and teasers from the day.

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