Timey Wimey Stuff

The Tenth Doctor

28mm

"Okay, that’s scary."
"You’re scared of a broken clock?"
"Just a bit scared, yeah. Just a little tiny bit. ‘Cause you see, if this clock’s broken—and it’s the only clock in the room…" tick tick tick "Then what’s that? "

 

I've had this great, but sadly OOP, Heresy model of the Tenth Doctor for a while... and recently I heard that David Tennant was returning to play the Fourteenth Doctor.  So, the perfect time to paint this!

With this finished, that leaves only one Doctor model in my unpainted collection... the First.  And his young "granddaughter" Susan, both Black Tree Designs models I bought ages ago.  Maybe I'll paint those up sooner rather than later.  I unfortunately don't have the Second, Sixth-Eighth, or a few of the modern ones.  Good thing I'm not a completist ;)

Is there Life on Mars

Lord Izlyr and Sssorg, Ice Warriors

28mm

Oh why, oh, why should love ever come
To couples, like you and me
Whose cold, cold wars are never done

The Martian "Ice Warriors" were second tier villains in Doctor Who starting with the Second Doctor.  Their first appearance was in a serial where Earth scientists thawed them from beneath glacier ice and they sought to conquer the planet.  

I first saw them in the 1972 Third Doctor serial "The Curse of Peladon", which these figures are inspired by.  Alien delegates (quickly joined by the Doctor and his companion Jo Grant) are meeting on the planet Peladon to decide whether to admit it to the Galactic Federation.  When the Peladon High Priest uses a hidden monster to attack the delegates and prevent the admittance, the Doctor and his companion are suspected of murder.  But the Martian delegate Lord Izlyr defends them, telling the Doctor that his people have embraced peace.  Along with his underling Ssorg, he helps the Doctor reveal the murderous plot.

The Ice Warriors returned more recently for two episodes, "Cold War" and "Empress of Mars" featuring the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors.

These figures, from Black Tree Design, sat half-painted in my lead pile for a good fifteen years until I decided to finish them off last weekend.  As they say, it's never too late to do the right thing 😄

"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!"

"But if she's the Earth representative, then who are YOU?"
"Gosh, look at the time!  Gotta go!"

Ice, Ice, Baby

Ice Warriors
28 mm

You might have to be a real Doctor Who fan to appreciate these old enemies who made a reappearance this past year, in the Eleventh Doctor episode "Cold War".  As with the recent reappearance of the Zygons, I think they managed to update the concept while keeping the same goofy 60's-special-effects charm of the original design.

"That one!"  "Duh-okay boss!"

I really liked their appearance in the 1972 (Third Doctor) episode "The Curse of Peladon", where, while abrasive, they weren't the bad guys any more, and ultimately helped the Doctor discover the real villains and maintain peace.  These two figures depict the Ice Lord Izlyr and his bodyguard Ssorg from that episode.

ARE YOU MY MUMMY?

The Empty Child
28 mm scale

A basic but tricky conversion of Hasslefree's "Rose" mini, which was obviously inspired by the super-eerie Doctor Who episodes "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances".  Which also featured a character named Rose.  We're down the rabbit hole here, people!  Anyway, a lovely little figure, and I'm happy with the final result.

Goes nicely with Heresy's Ninth Doctor..  I mean "Doctor Malcolm Ecclescake".

"You'll have to act creepier, Captain Jack is stealing the episode."

Time War Veteran

The Ninth Doctor
28 mm

The Doctor: I'm The Doctor, by the way.
Charles Dickens: Doctor? You look more like a navvy.

Finally done!  I'm not 100% happy with some aspects of this guy, but are we ever?  Mostly his skin seems too dark, #9 was actually pretty pale.  And in retrospect, some brown tint on his leather jacket would have looked good.  I thought of adding a tattered British war poster ("Keep Calm and Timey Wimey On"?) to the base but that might clutter it.  Maybe later.  Anyway as I mentioned last post the base is supposed to be vaguely London Blitz, brick rubble and dust.

Eccles-cellent!

A couple of new projects:

Ninth Doctor
28 mm

Heresy's "Doctor Malcolm Ecclescake".  Great name, and so horribly British ;)  Again, the likeness is uncanny.  I gave him a "London Blitz" themed base, to tie in with one of my favorite episodes:

"Are you my mummy?"

Star Pilot
15 mm

A figure from 15mm.co.uk.  Just your classic space jockey, as found in every grimy fictional space port ever.

I wear a fez now, fezzes are cool!

The Eleventh Doctor
28 mm
 

Well, he's done!  I'm not entirely happy with the photos, but I do like my paint job (I'm allowed to do that, right?).  I didn't even try for that subtle tweedy texture on his coat, I just got on a roll last night and did the blending on it and that was that.  I would have highlighted the pants more, but IRL they're this super dyed denim that barely reflects any light.  His skin looks more yellowish here than it really is, I may try to reshoot these if time allows.

In other news, I've done some painting for Khurasan Miniatures, and I'll post those whenever I get the greenlight to show them to you.  A few new sculpts of amazing quality, with a hint of 90's TV nostalgia...

11th Doctor WIP

So far, so good.  A good sculpt makes all the difference; I don't think I've ever had an easier time painting eyes. 

I don't usually complete parts of the mini before touching the rest this way, but for some reason I felt I needed to give this guy some "life" before I moved on to fussing over his clothes etc.

This one goes to eleven!

The Eleventh Doctor
28 mm

"I wear a fez now.  Fezzes are cool"  (relevant "Doctor Who Confidential").  Miniature is the Nerdlord from Heresy.  A lot of people don't like this Doctor, but it's just been announced that they're killing regenerating him off, so there's that...

I'm not sure if the fez is too high on his head, it was awkward to sculpt on without mangling his existing hair in the process.  Feedback needed.

A Girl and her Dog

Sarah Jane Smith and K-9
28 mm

Finally done!  I'm pretty happy with this piece - not action-packed, not dramatic, just a couple of characters I like, together.  Sarah Jane Smith was a fun companion to my favorite Fourth Doctor, as well as his predecessor, and she was involved in some of the Fourth's coolest early adventures.

The eyes look pretty bad in this shot, for some reason...

I was really happy when she was brought back to be in an episode with the Tenth Doctor, as well as having her own show (aimed at teens, admittedly, but it doesn't suck).  Sadly, actress Elizabeth Sladen passed away in 2011, so Sarah Jane will never return.

"Again, K-9?  It's a good thing I brought bags."

Under the Sea

Sea Devil
28 mm

Whether you call them Sea Devils, Deep Ones, or CODENAME BLUE HADES, these quasi-amphibianoids have lurked under the waves since before humans tamed fire... waiting for their chance to reclaim the planet from uppity apes.  Consequently they and their Silurian relatives clashed several times with the Doctor, who was sympathetic to their wish for a living space on Earth, but not their violent methods.

Video: Doctor Who - The Sea Devils

Despite the simple colour scheme it was surprisingly difficult to finish this one.  The base had to be ripped apart and totally redone, as my first attempt at water (using clear acrylic medium with a little paint added) made it look like he was emerging from an ocean of green Kool-Aid.  So now it looks a little rough, unfortunately.

K-9 (sort of finished)

K-9 Mk IV
28 mm scale

Sarah Jane Smith isn't finished yet, but here's K-9!  On a quick temporary base so I can admire him while I work.

K-9 Mk IV was given to Sarah Jane Smith by the Tenth Doctor, after the events of the episode "School Reunion".  He appeared in the spin off series "The Sarah Jane Adventures" which I've never seen, but suspect was only average.

Three (More) Doctors

So these recently arrived in the mail from Heresy:

From L-R, the Ninth (Christopher Eccleston), Tenth (David Tennant) and Eleventh (Matt Smith) Doctors.  Simply incredible sculpts, 9 and 11 especially capture the respective actors amazingly well without being exaggerated caricatures.  They also happen to scale perfectly with my older Doctor Who figures.  I'm terribly slow painting anything 28 mm these days, but I'm hoping I can paint at least one of these up soon.

Two Doctor Who projects

Our whole household has been sidelined by a nasty flu this past couple of weeks, but just as a sign I'm still alive, I'm currently trying to work on a pair (trio?) of classic Doctor Who figures:

Sarah Jane Smith with the cybernetic dog K-9, and a Sea Devil, all from Black Tree Miniatures.  Not much done so far, I'm afraid, but... yeah.  The flu sucks :(

Savage Sidekick

Leela
28 mm

Leela was a warrior of the savage Sevateem, a tribe of regressed humans. She joined the Fourth Doctor on his travels and with him fought for good causes. Although quite clever, she knew little of technology, and was continually amazed by her surroundings and the tasks she faced. Leela never lost her primitive edge, and remained quick to take up arms throughout her time with the Doctor. - Tardis Index File

Yay, another Doctor Who mini, though one that might not mean anything to non-fans.  I like this character because, starting in her debut in the excellent Tom Baker episode "The Face of Evil", she was never satisfied with not understanding something, rejecting magical beliefs and trying to rationally comprehend even the most bizarre things she encountered.  A scientific mind, despite her stone-age origins.  Although attempts to make her a proper Victorian lady failed ("The Talons of Weng-Chiang"), she eventually settled on Gallifrey, home of the Time Lords.

I again used my jungle base technique for this mini, effectively I think.  And it's always nice to have time to do 28 mm minis, they are where I started in this hobby.

"I know, there's no such thing as magic."
"That's right. To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained."

"You're just a mechanical man!  You're not real!"

Third Doctor & TARDIS

The Third Doctor & TARDIS
28mm

I don't do a lot of 28mm painting these days, and these pieces probably demonstrate why.  I got the TARDIS as a Christmas gift last year, and quickly basecoated it... and yeah.  Just finished it this week.  As for the Third Doctor, I've definitely done better paint jobs.  I tried to set up a contrast between his grey wool cloak and his flamboyant clothes underneath, but overall he just isn't that interesting-looking.  Also, there's some pretty slapdash layering on this one :(

The signs on the TARDIS were actually made using this image, printed off on a regular laser printer at 10% zoom.  The result looks amazing, IMO:

Jungle Bases, and a Third Doctor

Still working on these Huntarr...  The figures themselves are largely done but I'm trying to make some credible jungle/forest floor bases.  Not easy in 15mm!  I thought about sculpting them from greenstuff but in the end fell back on the old, reliable spice rack, in this case, oregano.  It's very hard to apply without seeing it stick up in an out-of-scale manner, and I always end up filling in gaps by fussily tweezering individual tiny flakes into place.

Come at me bro!

I'm having a bit of a creative block deciding what material (or rather, species) the chieftain's cape should be.  This is just a placeholder, I swear.  I really should have just sculpted some fur onto it before I painted him.  Too late now.

---

The Third Doctor
28mm

Meanwhile, to give my eyes a rest, I thought I'd hit a 28mm project for a change.  This is yet another Black Tree Miniatures Doctor Who figure: John Pertwee's flamboyant, ruffles-wearing Third Doctor.  He's flagantly violating Edna Mode's rule: "No capes!"

Some works in progress...

The Doctor's TARDIS
35 mm



The TARDIS. It's blue. When it's done, it'll be less-patchy blue, with a nice base.

Riflethings
15 mm



I thought I'd do these guys a little differently, to show them working as a team. Or, you know, hanging around a trash barrel, but whatever.

We come from the land of the ice and snow

Robot Yeti
28 mm



In between probing the mysteries of cancer biomarkers and looking after No Such Agency Jr-ette, I managed to paint this up. It's a Yeti from the 1967 Doctor Who serial "The Abominable Snowmen"... but I guess you could use it as a regular Yeti, too.

Alas, I think this guy really got his mother's hips.



"No, YOUR line is 'AAAAAAGH!'"

The Christmas Loot

I hope everyone had a good holiday-of-your-choice. For me it was Christmas... and I finally got some hobby-related gifts! From my brother:




Yep, that's a 28mm scale TARDIS among the resin stuff in pic 1. Also some nice resin industrial/spaceship bases and a Lovecraftian pillar thing. I'm eager to try out the magnifying visor whenever I have time to paint my next project :) Might make painting eyes easier on my rapidly-aging eyes.