Rick the Grumpy Gnome

Life is good….

It may sound odd to say “life is good…” right now with all the global problems humanity is facing. There are plenty of things to be scared, angry, or worried about. But our hobbies make excellent coping mechanisms and in addition to having hobbies I am fortunate enough to have an amazing family. Surrounded by love and support my free time, of which admittedly there never seems enough of, allows me to pursue my artistic passions and for that… life is indeed good and I love both Mrs. GG and Little GG very much.

First off let me say my decision to follow the path of Mike Thorpe’s Anyaral: World of Twilight (ie “The battle fraggles”) has been a good one. He has shown himself to be a top bloke, with excellent customer service in addition to his outstanding artwork and world building.

This is why I did not hesitate recommend to Mrs. GG that we back his latest Kickstarter, Rivers of Anyaral.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/anyaral/anyaral-the-rivers-of-anyaral/description

A lot of the effort I have put into getting rid of discontinued project materials has been to I could reallocate resources to both the Quar from Joshua Qualtieri of Zombiesmith and the various creatures from Mike Thorp of Anyaral: World of Twilight.

https://zombiesmith.com

and…

http://worldoftwilight.com

Both have the excellently grimsical aesthetics of Hagglethorn Hollow… which always reminds me weeks of Brian Froud and Jim Henson.

Now I want to meld the worlds of both Mike Thorp and JoshuaQualtieri for my own sprawling project. Think of this as my take on something like the world of the Dark Crystal.

I must admit even thinking about this in passing puts a smile on this grumpy old Gnomish face.

That is why I put so much effort into trying to be efficient in how I pass on my unfinished project materials. Trading for other things is a big part of it, that is generally how I tend to get Games Workshop products since they are so expensive when bought retail.

I will explain at further length in a future blog post about my plans for GW products in relation to our current projects.

And some of the things I trade are repaired/kitbashed/converted miniatures. There is something very rewarding about restoring a discarded toy. Even if I only build, base and prime them rather than completely finish them. It feels a bit like the Island of Unwanted Toys that Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer visited.

Here is an example I particularly like… one of the Dwarves from the Hobbit from Games Workshop that was missing arms. I added archer arms from the Wargames Atlantic Halflings set.

I like the model so much I may keep it… but then that would defeat the point of what I am doing. Hard decisions like this are what kept me from backing the recent Dead Man’s Hand 2nd Edition Kickstarter from Great Escape Games. Such a brilliant Kickstarter with outstanding plastic figures, buildings and scatter terrain but I really can not justify another genre. It took all of my self discipline to pass on it… especially as Mrs. GG also likes the Western genre.


But there just is not enough time realistically for me to do all the projects I want to. The difficult truth is that I have to prioritize. And avoiding new distractions as well as continuing to trim down what I already have let’s us focus our resources.

In addition to backing the Rivers Kickstarter we put a considerable amount of the resources we reallocated from my cancelled projects into a second order from Mike Thorp.

One of the things I really like about Mike’s stuff is the care and attention he puts into his products. From the labels to the data cards he makes.

Currently my plan is to paint the minis to match the data cards but that may change. And I am unsure if I will use the lipped bases that came with some of them. But I really look forward to eventually getting around to painting these up for some properly grimsical gaming.

Another event that put a smile on my face was the surprise arrival of a parcel from Belgium. Remember when I was disappointed about the damage done by the postal service to the Aeronefs I purchased from hobbyist in Belgium?

Well it seems that kind hearted gentleman felt terrible about what happened and sent me some gifts!

Quite out of the blue for me, I had intended to get just this book for the project but had not gotten around to it yet. A very generous gesture from a top bloke. I am not the biggest fan of humanity these days so it was quite a nice experience.

And the Aeronefs will be crewed by Quar!

In other news, Mrs. GG and I finished several shows since I last discussed my opinions on TV and Film projects.

Ms. Marvel was better than we expected.

Quite an interesting glimpse into the culture of Americans of Pakistani descent. A bit typical teen superhero drama other than that. But no where near as bad as I heard from reviews.

It took quite awhile to get through Moon Knight but it got better the further we got into it.

Except the final episode. Disappointing finale but overall another interesting Marvel show.

Secret Invasion was also not as bad as I had heard, but it was not great. It was only OK.

Nick Fury was fine, but I think a lot of viewers seem more capable of accepting physical wounds than mental wounds. PTSD and burnout are mental injuries that veterans suffer. I empathized with Nick Fury. However character Gaia was a mess. Terrible writing regarding her plot. A messy, poorly edited mess of a tv series. But watchable. Barely.

In addition to Moon Knight I finished Black Knight, the Korean post-Apoc drama.

It got better the longer it went on. Halfway through it finally caught me. Worth watching if you like dystopian future society.

Purge: Election Year was a nice surprise. I enjoyed it even more than the Purge TV series…. which I liked quite a bit.

The political plot points resonated with me. I definitely see the USA differently today than I did even just a few years ago. The Purge movies have helped me grapple with my view on violence and politics in America. The original Purge came across like a horror movie but since then the man behind the movies and TV series has been making some profound political satire with the various plotlines. I highly recommend looking between the lines when watching it. On par with Robocop.

Lucy was not at all what we expected. It was much more bizarre but we enjoyed it well enough.

Excellent cast. Decent writing. But definitely an odd movie. It felt like an extended episode of Black Mirror or the Twilight Zone.

Seven Kings Must Die, the TV movie made to wrap up the Uhtred TV series. It was ok.

The finale differed too much from the books though and annoyed me. I will miss the actor playing Uhtred with his interesting accent. Looking at the costumes I am sure some of them were made by an old mate of mine from the UK larp community. Quality work, although with something of a fantastical rather than historical flavor.

Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Some of the better Walking Dead recently but that is not saying much.

It seemed to favor style over substance, looking good but with disappointing choices in the writing. I do really like the character of Daryl though and enjoy watching him deal with the world. A lot more black powder weapons in France than the USA apparently.

Season three of the Orville was surprisingly emotional and gritty. Mrs. GG and I enjoyed it.

It definitely moved away from its comedic origins. But it was very compelling to watch. Lots of fascinating moral and philosophical plot lines. Excellent costume and set design. Gorgeous special effects. Great music. Mrs. GG and I have grown quite attached to several of the characters. The season finale was an example of how to do a season finale. Upbeat, no cliff hanger, the various loose ends generally all tied up. We are still looking forward to more though. Hopefully the show does not get cancelled. It was considerably better than most of the recent Star Trek shows… although the few clips of Star Trek Strange New Worlds I have seen does make that seem OK. And we enjoy Star Trek Lower Decks… which we still need to see the most recent season of.

There just never seems to be enough time to do all the things we want to. But that comes along with life being soooo good!

As always I look forward to reading your opinions so please leave a comment!

32 comments

  1. Some great additions to your Quar project GG, and basing your world idea off of Dark Crystal, is a great starting point from my perspective, look forward to seeing what you do painting wise. Sounds like the person from Belgium is a beacon of light in the darkness, wish more were like him. I know what you mean about removing distractions, and it is far too easy, to go one more project wont hurt ! LOL

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    • Thanks mate! I did not want to look like I was “flexing” but did want to show that I put my money where my mouth is. I try to support good hobby suppliers and artists. And Mike Thorp of Anyaral: World of Twilight has been a sound bloke to deal with. His sculpts are a great addition to our project.

      Still wish I had time for some Wild West gaming though.

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  2. Ms Marvel had a confusing start for us in that first episode (we came in with zero expectations) and soon hit its stride. Really enjoyed all the intermixing of historical events and current day situations in the Marvel Universe. (Since family members have cosplayed in the past, that tone hit home pretty true.) If the series is a one-and-done, they ended it on an ok note, but would definitely look forward to watching further “adventures”.

    Lucy is an interesting movie for me. I really like Scarlett as an actress and gave the movie a shot soon after it came out. Liked it and it is the genre/class of movie that I tend to continue watching if I happen to channel surf onto it. I might not seek it out again, but if it is there on my screen…I get hooked again. Kind of like certain Lord of the Rings movies.

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    • We could watch more Ms. Marvel and will see the Marvels movie when it hits Disney+.

      Mrs. GG and I are big Scarlett fans. I seem to be one of the few folks that liked her in Ghost in the Shell.

      We also really like the MCU and have been tolerant of even its less spectacular efforts… She-Hulk and Eternals come to mind. Watchable… barely… no where near as good as Dr. Strange, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy etc… of course we do wonder what Gunn will do with the DC universe.

      Always nice to hear your thoughts on this stuff mate!

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      • You know as much as it was an absolute mess Eternals is probably the only Marvel, movie I regularly find myself thinking of again.

        But I quite like big swings and misses lol playing it safe more likely to make it forgettable

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      • A very fair point and I quite agree about the need for producers to be daring in order to create masterpieces… like Master & Commander or Bladerunner.

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  4. I am always impressed at your media appetite I find most episodic television impossible to watch through I just get bored! Love the Quar content those little dudes and their tiny homicidal wars so cute!

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    • Almost all of it is consumed after Little GG has gone to bed but before Mrs. GG and I fall asleep. Time where I am too tired to work on my various hobby projects. Getting older has been tough but it is better than the other option. As for the Quar, grimisical for the win!

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      • Grimisical is a great word! Ahh mine don’t go to bed early anymore so we trey to accommodate a range of their interests. We did just watch House of Usher which was OK but not my favourite Flannagan series.

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      • Little GG is on track so far to be a big fan of fantasy and Sci-fi gaming. I was curious about House of Usher but it has to compete with quite a few shows to get our limited viewing time.

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  5. Hobbies and family are wonderful coping mechanisms for the modern world. Grateful to have both, for sure.

    I’m so far behind on my MCU consumption. I’ve got a compulsion to take all of the content of a given IP once I commit to it, but mannnnnn I know there’ll be some mediocre Marvel stuff to wade through. I do owe Lucy a re-watch. Have you seen “Push” with Chris Evans? Lucy always makes me think of it.

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    • Mrs. GG and I tend to be committed to an IP but Marvel is just too vast. We nibble when we can but we understand we can not possibly consume it all. And as you say, some of it is quite mediocre. I have not see Push. I will need to look it up, thanks for the tip.

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  6. I’m glad to hear that life is treating you well and that some good things have happened too. Your new acquisitions look great and the hobby inspiration is infectious as well! That repurposed dwarf looks very nice. You and Bret have a knack for conversions and I can see why people would want to acquire something you’ve worked on.

    Your thoughts on Marvel are interesting as always! Ms. Marvel is one I doubt I’ll ever get to because I read some of the comic that launched the character and just could not get into it. Maybe the show is better somehow? I don’t know if I can find the time to take a chance on something I may or may not like.

    I’ve heard Moon Knight was disappointing to some which is a bummer. I had high hopes with the cast that it would be a really great show. I would typically say or think that Moon Knight is too obscure to have a movie though Marvel seems to be giving everyone a movie these days so what do I know! One of the great things about Moon Knight is that he can be a lot of different things and he is an unreliable narrator. I think the show delves into at least some of that and hopefully it does that stuff well.

    As I have done in the past, I commend you for being able to watch all of these things. The goal of catching up on Marvel and Star Wars content seems to be getting more and more daunting to me. Truthfully, I’ve made no progress on it for months now too. I have so many video games to play and then there are tabletop games I’ve been neglecting. If only I could create more free time for myself somehow!

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    • I think the cast and the more unusual cultural references were the strongpoints of both Ms Marvel and Moon Knight but Mrs. GG and I are all about diversity. The plot writing on both was a bit weak but the rest was good enough to carry the shows.

      We have made very little progress on catching up with the Star Wars animated material, much as we wanted to. There just is never enough time.

      And I do still crave my old PC games but I just can not see myself ever getting back into that when there is just so many other things to do.

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  7. “There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”

    I feel that our hobbies, our families, saying Good Morning etc are our ways of fighting, not necessarily a coping act but more of a balancing one.

    Glad to see your chosen hobbies coming along, will be interested in seeing how GW products tie in.

    I had watched the Uthred ending a while ago and knew it didn’t please me either. When back and watched it again, rather a hokey ending vs the books. I preferred the older Uthred keeping his sword at hand awaiting death.

    Just watched Resident Evil Death Island on Netflix, more of a game theme complete with a boss fight at the end. But since I like the games I enjoyed it.

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    • Well said mate! Excellent reference and you make a great point.

      I honestly do not understand why they felt the need to change the end of the story for Uhtred that way. It is a very rare exception when a tv show or movie can improve on its source material book… Princess Bride is the only one that comes to mind immediately.

      Thanks for the tip on Resident Evil Death Island. I will go research it.

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  8. Glad you’re enjoying everything you’ve got going on at the moment! 🙂 I like the look of Rivers of Anyaral! I’ve got the Imperial Skies rulebook and the plan is to eventually get my aeronef games back up and running using those rules (and I just love the cover of the book). It would help if you could download aeronef stats since the rules don’t cover more recent models, but I might just make digital record cards and do everything via my Kindle or Chromebook.

    Glad you’re enjoying your TV series! I have now finished watching all seven series of Voyager (started in March) and did enjoy it. I realised I must have missed a lot of episodes when the series first ran and overall there were only about four episodes that I thought were a bit weak! Re-watching Enterprise next!

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    • Anyaral and the Quar are my two favorite projects right now but I still have a lot of things I love, from sci-fi to fantasy, post-apoc to Golden Age of Piracy, Ancients through Dark Ages to Medieval. So much to do, so little time!

      Easy to access stats for all Imperial Skies Aeronefs would be nice.

      We enjoyed both Voyager and Enterprise more than many people from what I have heard. Did you like Neelix? Mrs. GG and I seem to be the only people I know that liked him. Tuvok certainly should have gotten his own spin off show with him as Captain. Same as Sulu. And Worf.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to hearing what you think of Enterprise.

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      • You’re right about too little time!

        I’d agree with you about Neelix and Tuvok! Both good characters with a few aspects to their characters that you saw from time to time that took you by surprise! I also thought the Doctor and Seven were good characters as well, always putting in a strong performance. Captain Janeway has been my favourite captain and I think Chakotay worked well as her second in command. Paris, Kim and Torres never really did much for me. Species 8472 was brilliant I thought!

        I did watch the Enterprise series as they came out, but probably missed a few. I liked the temporal war theme, although I got the impression that just seemed to die off. And the Xindi (not sure I’ve got the spelling right) theme I liked as well. It will no doubt help me watching them all end-to-end (as it did with Voyager) so I’m looking forward to it!

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      • We seem of like minds generally but we differ on Janeway. Chakotay was ok, but things like his love of boxing, seem a bit out of character. Janeway was sometimes great but all to often out of character. So much so that even the actor I seem to recall making a comment about so many writers making it feel like she was playing a character with multiple personalities. So rigidly Starfleet one episode, the next being willing to torture a Starfleet officer because she felt “betrayed by that officer’s Captain.” Paris for me was meh, although I liked his bit with the pulp sci-fi holodeck stuff. Kim was cool but his never getting promoted felt awkward. Torres is one of the few Klingon characters I really dislike.

        Species 8472 was a brilliant antagonist. An excellent addition to Star Trek. Especially the conflict with the Borg with Starfleet caught in the middle. Also lots of fun to fight in Star Trek Online. I have a lifetime membership and while I do not have a PC anymore, I got my money’s worth back in the day with many hours spent in the digital Star Trek universe. A good bit of it fighting Species 8472.

        I think the show would have been better if it had shown more evolution during the journey, the ship changing over time, recruiting more locals like Neelix and how they would integrate (or not) into the crew. And seeing new alien tech replacing worn out Starfleet tech. More wheeling and dealing for supplies/info but in more grounded plot rather than the high stakes adventures that were just a little too common.

        Enterprise starts strong I think but gradually grows weaker. I hate Section 31. One of the worst sins of Deep Space 9 and if just made worse in Enterprise because it helps solidify the idea that Section 31 is real and not just the imagination of one rogue Starfleet intelligence officer.

        I like the concept of the Xindi. I keep hoping for an Insectoid Xindi Starfleet officer in a future Star Trek show.

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  9. Rather in depth post – definitely agree on the need for hobby prioritization, lest the dreaded hoarding take root. I don’t know how you get so much TV watching in – I’m hard-pressed to keep up with Bruins games! Then again I wish I could.

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    • What watching we do, and it never seems enough, is firmly scheduled with some discipline in the evenings. It has become routine now and so we fit in 1-2 hours of tv viewing an evening. We try to save movies for the weekends and tv series for week nights. We try to avoid channel surfing although sometimes I fall foul of falling down the YouTube rabbit hole after checking for new movie trailers.

      It is a bit sobering to realize to look around and realistically estimate that you can not live long enough to paint everything you currently own and ever actually play a game with any of it.

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  11. GG you said this: “But there just is not enough time realistically for me to do all the projects I want to. The difficult truth is that I have to prioritize.”

    Truer words were never spoken. I hit 60 years old in January 2024. I really need to start culling my miniatures collection and selling off some board games. I love to play both and just don’t have the bandwidth to do it all — at least with everything I’ve already got. These past few years it has started to feel more & more like a heavy weight around my neck. And hobbies shouldn’t feel like that. Bottomline, I’ve gotta follow your advice!

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    • Possessions can definitely feel like a burden. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy having a home and all my cool toys but I remember the sense of freedom that comes from being on the move with just what I could carry. I suppose it is not the greatest tragedy that we have to prioritize the cool stuff in our lives because we have access to so much of what we enjoy.

      I never thought I would live this long but I am not quick to give up and will continue to resist what eventually comes for us all.

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