Another busy week, dominated again but the publication of examination results, has put paid to any great progress on the painting table. I tinkered with a hay cart and pondered a plague doctor,* but sadly they have come to naught. What I have noticed, however, is that in these periods of inactivity, I become more susceptible to the dangers of UXB - Unexpected Buying!
*not a statement you would want to say out loud too often!
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| £2.90 on the left and £5.10 on the right! |
Having 'flocked' my 'Dark Wood' base with the remnants of my static grass, I found myself in need of a resupply. Now being inherently lazy the thought of catching the train into the Sunshine Coast's mighty Metropolis was about as appealing as root canal treatment and so a spot of web based research was called for. Before long, I stumbled upon the fact that '4Ground', those purveyors of fine MDF buildings, were now selling the very basing material I was after, and at a fraction of the price that our local 'Workshop of Games' was charging - superb news!
Not knowing what the best match for my grass of choice was,** I plumped for a tub of Winter and a Tub of Autumn.***
** again something you should probably not say aloud too often
***I can now reveal that these are pretty much identical, with the Winter having a hint more brown to it!
It was at this point that the inevitable happened; having been robbed of precious hobby time for a couple of weeks now, surely I was entitled to a little treat? Well Before I knew it a timber framed shop was in the basket, hidden beneath a verdant covering of fresh grass, here it remained undetected and sailed through the checkout unmolested. Beware the curse of UXB, still at least I have something to do on what promises to be a damp Bank Holiday.
¤ground makes great building... looking forward to see it done and ready.
ReplyDeleteHoping to have a go at it tomorrow as expecting rain all day!
DeleteAwesome looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
ReplyDeleteCertainly should be fun if the last ones are anything to go by.
DeleteLol…sailed through the checkout unmolested – I've had a few 'treats' do that before today!
ReplyDeleteIt keeps happening, it's a curse, I tell you.
DeleteUXB-I fell foul of that very condition recently. In order to avoid the wrath of the good Mrs G. when the package arrived a simply feigned amnesia!
ReplyDeleteThat's priceless Mark, I might have to try that myself.
DeleteNice smuggling operation Michael!
ReplyDeleteNeeds must Rodger.
DeleteHola
ReplyDeleteBuena mesa te as preparado
un saludo
Looking forward to finishing this one.
DeleteAll this talk of grass and smuggling is leading to more than one raised eyebrow!
ReplyDeleteI think the less said about that the better, otherwise there might be an unwelcome knock on the door! ;)
DeleteNice to see another UXB sufferer. Is there a support group out there?
ReplyDeleteI jolly well hope so, its costing me a fortune!
DeleteUXB claims another victim. Had a touch of the malady myself of late. Wound up adding some undead (Zombtober is right around the corner I reckon) and a sabre-tooth cat to the lead pile.
ReplyDeleteZomtober, of course another perfect excuse for more shopping!
DeleteDANGER UXB! We all fall for it some of us quite frequently!
ReplyDeleteI can testify to that Clint.
DeleteUXB is a danger to us all but PMP (Paying More for Product) is unforgivable. Woodland Scenics makes the flock these games companies are selling at huge mark-ups http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/ You can buy direct or use their dealer locator to find a dealer near you I put in Great Britain and counted 108 dealer before I got bored of counting.
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly not a fan of PMP, I'll have to do a bit more investigating.
DeleteGreat purchase there, I mix one summer and two autumn flocks to get my mix. The best thing is I don't need to keep to a single brand so the mix will get more exotic as I add fresh supplies.
ReplyDeleteIan
That sounds like a good idea; I shall probably mix these two together as they are relatively similar.
DeleteI am a,so feeling the UXB, it feels like indulging the hobby when I don't have the time or inclination to paint. Oops!
ReplyDeleteI've also noticed that there is a worrying correlation with alcohol consumption too!
DeleteOh look, GW is more expensive*. Now there's a surprise.
ReplyDeleteSame thing applies to paint, GW's paint range is supplied by Vallejo. All GW do is rename it and sell it in smaller pots and for a higher price than Vallejo.
For scenic flock et al, I find the model railway companies much cheaper than the wargaming supplies.
*aka "ripping the customer off" (tm)
I had no idea that Vallejo was the base to GW paints! The train store seems to be the way to go, thank you for the tip.
DeleteGlad to be of help. :)
DeleteThere's a paint chart here that shows the Vallejo paint equivalents to the renamed GW ones - http://www.tinyworlds.co.uk/blog/paint-comparison-chart-citadel-vallejo-game-colour/
That's a great resource, thank you.
DeleteI used to enjoy writing "Danger UXB" into wet concrete, once upon a time. Many a shed in North Yorkshire's sitting atop one :))
ReplyDeleteShame on you! :) I seem to remember that it was a cracking television program.
Deletewhoops! forgot to mention that I'd help lay the concrete first. I didn't go around doing random acts of vandalism :)
Deletedanger uxb is one of my favourites. along with the first series of secret army and colditz, which I got to see for the first time when it was broadcast on itv4 last year.
Michael you should know by not to always expect the unexpected. Glad to see your as easily sold as the rest of us!
ReplyDeleteIt is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one that is afflicted!
DeleteI suffer from UXF (Unexpected Frugality). In other words I always expect to suffer from these sort of purchases and on the rare occasions that I don't it is quite a surprise!
ReplyDeleteNow that's an interesting twist. I have noticed that there are some websites that are harder to resist than others though!
DeleteWhere's a UXB disposal specialist when you need one? Well, since it's too late to blow the UXB in place, you're going to have to do it the hard way, go in with clippers, glue and brushes.
ReplyDelete4Ground kits are great, have fun with that one.
I think you're right Michael, there seems to be nothing for it - I'm going in!
DeleteJust want to say that over the last two weeks, I've read every single post on here and it provided very enjoyable and inspirational reading. Also, you've inspired me to get into Victorian era gaming. Hopefully my blog will be on your level someday. Well done sir!
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how thrilled I am to hear that you have taken some enjoyment and inspiration from '28mm Victorian Warfare'. It is incredibly kind of you to take the time to say so, thank you.
DeleteThere is no cure for UXB!
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to realise this!
DeleteGreat stuff there Michael especially as I need more static grass and you have pointed me in a good direction to find some.
ReplyDeleteAlways pleased to help Pete.
DeleteUXB like SBe Shinybloodyeyetus is a common and debilitating illness that many a gamer suffers from time to time, For example even though the brush hasn't been picked up in anger since the end of Curt's Challenge, I still find myself on eBay buying figures that I have no hope in hell painting....why you may ask.......I don't know is the answer?????
ReplyDeleteAnd I like the look of that 4ground building.... dammit!!!
It's terrible isn't it, we're all doomed. It helps to know that I'm not alone!
DeleteUXB! You have identified the condition precisely! I have had hardly any time to paint because of work and found myself ordering a box of Victrix's new plastic Republican Romans.
ReplyDeleteIt strikes again! I've just caught myself looking at toy dinosaur carcasses for goodness sake!
DeleteI look forward to seeing the timbered building. I UXB'd a Mansions of Madness boardgame myself.
ReplyDeleteHoping to have a go at the building soon, Mansions of Madness sounds interesting though.
DeleteNice terrain stuff - BTW, for static grass I've been getting Army Painter vs. GW. Best, Dean
ReplyDeleteThank you Dean, I'll definitely have to have a look at the Army Painter stuff too.
DeleteGreat looking building...great stuff!
ReplyDeleteThank you Phil, looking forward to putting together tomorrow.
DeleteI also have run out of static grass and am thinking of going with woodland scenic. They have six different shades and they come in a large shaker bottle which is perfect for applying it on your terrain.
ReplyDeleteThose 4ground buildings are great though, you are staring to get yourself quite a collection.
Judging by some of the comments Woodland Scenics might be the way to go - although these will keep me going for a while!
DeleteThank you for the information about the 4ground static grass! The next show I visit I will look around for this! Great house!
ReplyDeleteGreetings
Peter
Look forward to seeing it completed
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