Salute here we come!

We are now on our way 'up country' as they say to the great, magnificent Londinivm. Really looking forward to the show tomorrow, and should hopefully get a chance for some moules frittes tonight and a beverage with some good friends at the hotel later.

Models are safely packed and on the table in front of me. I'll try to get some more updates later.

Plinths and nameplates

The plinths and nameplates arrived for my salute entries yesterday and I just wanted to share...

Name-It! and Oakwood-Studios have come out trumps for me at short notice to sort me out a couple of plinths and some nice name plates. This is a bit of a new foray for me as I don't usually leave my plinths wood coloured (I almost always go black), and I've never bought a nameplate, but I think these look pretty good...

The nameplates are gloss black with gold detailing, but have a thin protective plastic film on at the moment. They should really stand out when I pull it off. I might not do that until Saturday morning.

Whilst we are talking about the Name-it has a really old school website, and no automated online store, and I must say, that is partly why I have never used them. Being a bit of a techno-phile, I was unsure about the sort of service I would get... I must say though, I would definitely use them again. The website tells you to print out an order form, fill it in and send it to them which really wasn't a great option considering I had just one week before the competition - time was at a premium... However, after dropping them an email it ended up being a very easy process - I emailed them with what I wanted and they sent me the stuff! The slightly scary bit was that I didn't hear from them for a few days after confirming my order by email - I had pretty much given up (not that I would get my goods, but that I would get them before Salute). But Monday I had an email letting me know the nameplates were in the post! Thanks go to Julie at Name-It!

The Oakwood-Studio plinths are also pretty good. The edges are really sharp, and the larger one in the photo above (with the pig-man) has some really nice grain in it. I know that there is a certain amount of luck involved in that, but it makes me feel confident that Richard at Oakwood-Studios has a pretty good eye for the wood he uses. I also think that the best customer service isn't necessarily perfect service, but the way you handle any issues which may arise. This was the case with Oakwood. They accidentally sent me the wrong plinth for my pig-man, but after I contacted them to let them know, they made a real effort to get me my replacement before the show on Saturday - thanks Richard at Oakwood-Studios!

Anyone else heading to Salute?

Bugle Call 2012 swiftly approaches

Its that time of year again, and the big BMSS show in bath is just round the corner.

Bugle Call is definitely one of my favourite shows of the year with a really good mix of impressive club stands, a very solid painting competition (which uses the 'open' style of judging where you present a small display of your work which gets judged as a group) and some great traders. We attend every year and thoroughly enjoy it every time - if you can get to Bath on Sunday 25th November, this show is HIGHY recommended.

Toosh and I will be exhibiting there and doing some painting demonstrations at our table. We will also have MrDee with us - Golden Demon Winner and thoroughly nice chap. Pop over and say hello!

Bugle Call
Sunday 25th November 2012, 10:00 - 16:00
The Pavilion
North Parade Road
Bath
BA2 4EU

There is more information here

Bugle Call

Just a quick heads-up to anyone in the vacinity - its Bugle Call this Sunday (20th Nov). This is one of the best model show's I've been to, with some really spectacular models on show and attended by some of my favourite painters from The Basement and WAMP as well as a lot of great traders.

We'll be there with our stand and doing various demos throughout the day (basically painting soldiers and having fun!)

More info here.

On our way to Euro Militaire

We are now leaving London Kings Cross (after the obligatory sushi fix) and heading down to Folkestone for the show.

Looking forward to seeing lots of shiny new toys and having a good natter with old friends (and maybe a few beers and some good food).

Thoroughly looking forward to it!



- Posted from the high seas

Aargh! Clash of the Titans - Salute Vs Adepticon

Why, oh why, did they have to be the same weekend...!

After my fortunes at Salute 2011, I won tickets to go over to Adepticon in 2012 to compete in the CoolMiniOrNot Crystal Brush painting competition. 'Fantastic' I hear you say - yes indeed, and I am still mega-chuffed about it. The cloud to the silver lining is that I will be missing my favourite show of the year - Salute! So no defending my title next year, but a chance to compete with some of the best painters in the world...

The only other thing which might prove a downer is that there were a lot of the Platoon Britannica guys and gals who religiously attend Salute talking about heading over to Adepticon next year... I wonder who will win that battle - Salute or Adepticon.

Salute - 21st April 2012, Excel Centre, London Docklands, ENGLAND
Adepticon - 19th-22nd April 2012, Westin Lombard Yorktown Center, Chicago, USA

With the flights paid for, its a bit of a no-brainer for me - Chicago here I come!!

So, Torbay show, the low-down

So another Torbay show has been and gone - spoke with lots of people and generally ranted and raved about the hobby. I always end up frothing at some point at these events, and yesterday was no different! We had two six foot tables and split the stand between painting and display, and sat doing informal demos all day. Here are a few pics of the stand:

Before the show opens

We are set up and ready to go!



- Posted from the high seas

Torbay Military Modelling show on Saturday 23rd

Well, the next Bodgers attendance is nearly upon us - its the Torquay show this weekend! I am hoping to get some photos of the show and some pics of our display and post them up here, but I am usually pretty rubbish at remembering :P

Maybe this blog will give me some motivation!