Sunday 19 March 2017

"I'm Doctor Martha Jones. Who The Hell Are You?"

"But I can't. I've got exams. I've got things to do."
This 28mm scale "pewter" model of the medical student, Martha Jones, is produced by “Warlord Games” and forms part of the five-miniature strong "Tenth Doctor And Companions" boxed set. "Recognised for her skills both in the field and in medicine" by the paranormal military organisation U.N.I.T. and Torchwood, the "bona fide expert on alien life" was first seen in the March 2007 BBC television story "Smith And Jones".

Initially undercoated with a double layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, the time traveller's shoes were picked out with a combination of Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, whilst her 'faded' jeans were painted with Heavy Warmgrey and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. I then applied a thick wash of Agrax Earthshade to Martha's leather jacket and used Doombull Brown for her flesh. Finally, her earrings, necklace and bracelet were delicately 'picked out' using some Ironbreaker and a touch of Nuln Oil.
"The Return Of Doctor Mysterio" WIPs - Both models have been undercoated black and dry-brushed charcoal
With the very last of my Seventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge submissions finished, and sticking with the Nottingham-based company's "Into The Time Vortex" miniatures game, I have started work on one of their more recent releases "The Return Of Doctor Mysterio". This two-figure set came as something of a surprise to me when it was first announced by "Warlord Games", as the small box's contents are based upon the 2016 Christmas Special and features arguably two of the strangest antagonists the Timelord has encountered since the programme's revival in 2005.

Indeed, I'm really not sure how an all-powerful superhero, blatantly based upon "DC Comics" Superman, or a single "brain-swapping" alien, will fit into the forthcoming "battle" game. Certainly, neither the sculpt of The Ghost nor Dr Sim sadly appear particularly dynamic or inspiring to paint, and should prove reasonably straightforward to complete once I fully turn my attention towards them.
Karanak WIPs - The Khorne Flesh Hound is slowly having all of its facial details 'picked out'
Top of my current painting queue however, is this incredibly detailed resin figure of the three-headed Karanak for "Age Of Sigmar". I had originally intended to keep the "Games Workshop" Flesh Hound's palette fairly simple, using a base layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade", but have subsequently added some purple face-markings to the Khorne beast in order to help mark it out from the rest of its brethren. This decision has undoubtedly resulted in the 'chosen hunter of the Blood God' taking far longer to progress than I had anticipated.

24 comments:

  1. Nicely done with Martha. A favourite character of mine, and one I wished had stayed longer.

    Looking forward to seeing Dr. Mysterio. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Leon. Martha was meant to have played a much larger part in the "Doctor Who" Universe, with a second season in "Torchwood" and an appearance in "Sarah Jane Adventures" too. Sadly the actresses busy schedule meant neither event would come to pass...

      Delete
  2. Martha looks cool mate, loving the Who focus. The Flesh hound looks good so far.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Andy. Lots of "Doctor Who" and "AoS" to come over the next few posts.

      Delete
  3. Martha looks great Simon, I'm sure you'll find a way to make the uninspiring models more interesting with paint.
    Nice idea with the purple on the nose, if you put a red wash over that area will help tie it to the rest of the model while still standing out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Dave, and a great idea Ref the purple nose. I'll see about doing just that :-)

      Delete
  4. Wow, you've really captured Martha extremely well. Just superb, Simon! I haven't bought the two 2016 Christmas special figures yet and to be honest, they are well down on my shopping list. I could probably find more uses for them in other games than in Doctor Who. However, I do look forward to seeing how you paint them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Bryan. Much appreciated. I'm afraid you may be waiting a long time before I post up those two 2016 Christmas Special minis again though.

      Delete
  5. Martha ? Another character I've never heard of but the sculpt looks to be very usable in ,amy genres.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Martha could certainly be used with many genres, apart from the fact "Warlord Games" scale for this range is rather larger than normal 28mm.

      Delete
  6. Looks great Simon although like Joe, I need to do more research. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Michael. David Tennant's second season has some great stories imho; including "Daleks In Manhattan".

      Delete
  7. Martha is top notch mate. My fav' episode involving her was "The Shakespear Code".

    Still yet to see the 2016 Xmas special, so I've no idea who those new chaps are. You're right though, those sculpts aren't exactly exciting by any stretch of the imagination. I'm sure your painting will help bring them to life tho!

    That purple is an inspired choice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Much appreciated praise, Dai, and I literally only watched "The Shakespeare Code" yesterday, to get me in the "Doctor Who" mood. You're not missing anything Ref 2016 Christmas Special imho...

      Glad you like the purple on Karanak. Dave's suggestion Ref a red ink has really helped tie it all together with the red scales etc. There should be another WIP of the three-headed brute in my next posting, as I continue to work away on him.

      Delete
  8. I plead ignorance on where Martha falls in the Who universe but the miniature looks great. Nicely done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Finch. Personally I rather liked Martha, and this model of her too.

      Delete
  9. Are the Doctor Who figures from Warlord Games compatible with 28mm miniatures? I'd heard that they are rather taller than that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sadly not all that compatible, Hugh, as the "Warlord Games" minis are quite a bit taller and slender compared to others. I posted up a comparison photo here: http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/silence-later-you-will-be-questioned.html

      Delete
  10. Yep nice paint work on Martha, though the figure could be better in my opinion, same could be said for the other two DW mini's (who I have no idea who they are). The Khorne beast of an impressive chap isn't he, there are some nice mini's in the GW range these days aren't there. Gladly there is nothing here that will make me break my no figure buying rule for this year though, inspiring as your painting of them might be.

    Cheers Roger.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Roger. I rather like the Martha model, though it is a tad slight in build, and soft in detail. Karanak is awesome imho, and my latest acquisition, Slambo, is equally as impressive as hopefully my next posting will attest.

      Delete
  11. Martha looks great! Look forward to seeing Doctor Mysterio painted up, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Gordon. I've the tenth Doctor to post up next...

      Delete
  12. A very nice job on Martha and I will admit that the figures do capture the likenesses of the characters well - still not happy about the size though.
    And I also thought that the characters from the last Christmas special were an odd choice for release.
    Karanak is a lovely model and I'm guessing is quite a substantial presence on the table - he looks huge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jez. I'm increasingly liking the "Warlord Games" models despite their size. The Christmas Special minis though are a bizarre choice imho. Karanak is rather large, and should be finished very soon.

      Delete