Tuesday 9 May 2017

"This Is Not War. This Is Pest Control."

"I am Dalek Sec, leader of the Cult of Skaro."
This 28mm scale plastic model of Dalek Sec is produced by “Warlord Games” and is one of the twelve Kaled Mark III travel machines found within the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" "fast-paced tabletop miniatures game". Conceived by Terry Nation and designed by Raymond Cusick in 1963, this particular sculpt is based upon the warrior race's Time War shell, which first appeared in the April 2005 BBC Television series story "Dalek".

As I plan to use the genetically engineered mutant in order to play the game's introductory scenario "A Meeting Of Metal", and resultantly required an individual-looking figure to represent my force's Dalek Leader, I decided to paint him using the palette of Dalek Sec. "Known for being given the capability to think beyond the normal scope of a conventional Dalek", this particular pitiless alien commanded the Cult of Skaro, and initially featured in the July 2006 episode "Army Of Ghosts".
Clockwork Androids WIPs - The repair robots have all been based and undercoated
Originally primed with two layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, this survivor of the Last Great Time War was subsequently dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then picked out his eye stalk, control arm and multi-range variable power destructor with a combination of Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil, and his audio scanners with "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey quick drying transparent acrylic. As a final touch, I then used some more "Citadel" Abaddon Black to make the former commander of the Seventh Incursion Squad's fender stand out from the rest of the predominantly black model.

Sticking with "Salute" purchases, I have managed to find the time to base and prime six "Doctor Who" Clockwork Androids. These repair robots are sold by "Warlord Games" in boxes of three single-cast metal miniatures, and are all "dressed as [18th Century] French courtiers and wearing ball masks". The detail on these figures is frightening in places, with lots of buttons and retractable repair tools on show. However, even simply just super-gluing the 'male' models onto their bases made me blanch on occasion due to the sculpts' fragile ankles; which worryingly appear inclined to bend whenever the automatons need to be handled for painting...  
Herald Of Khorne WIP - The Chaos Hero has been primed, washed and dry-brushed
Lastly, I have also found the time to finally assemble this month's addition to my "Age Of Sigmar" Nurgle Host, a Herald of Khorne. This seven-part "finely detailed resin kit" by "Games Workshop" should hopefully help give my force's 'allied' Khorne contingent a bit more 'bite' as the Chaos Hero will actually allow my unit of Bloodletters to immediately pile in and attack after him.

This "Citadel Finecast" miniature has taken a little while to get on my painting table as it came without instructions, and whilst the limbs were simple to super-glue in place, it was a lot more difficult identifying how to attach all the skulls trailing from his hip to the ground, without doing some research on the internet; something which I find a little annoying considering the model costs £15 and comes with a large 'bendy' Blade of Blood...

30 comments:

  1. Great work on SEC Simon, with the male clockwork droid, try running a pin up through the base to strengthen the ankles. Great start on the Herald of Khorne, you can do the same with his sword by running a pin through

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    1. Thanks Dave. I will certainly have a look at your pin suggestion for the miniatures. I think it'll be easier to do on the Herald than the clockwork metal minis.

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  2. Terry Nation would be proud!

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  3. I do like Dalek Sec and I look forward to seeing him lead his Dalek force to victory over the Cybermen. Yes, I'm more of a Dalek fan than a Cyberman fan.
    Those Clockwork Androids look lovely and are high on my shopping list. Have fun painting them!

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    1. Cheers Bryan. I'm rather hoping "Warlord Games" pause in their "Doctor Who" releases for a while, as I have a fair few now to paint up; including Peter Calpaldi's set, the rest of David Tennants, as well as six Tetraps...

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  4. Nice progress mate, I'm looking forward to seeing the daleks running out against the cybermen

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    1. Thanks Andy. So am I, as it'll mean I've finished painting them all ;-)

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  5. Very nice indeed Sir! They do look great Simon and just soon as I have sorted out my Pygmies (long story) I may have to have some!

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    1. Cheers Michael, and that's splendid news indeed. I look forward to hearing the long story of the Pygmies too :-)

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  6. Dalek Sec is coming along very nicely!

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    1. Thanks Gordon. I'm hoping to have the other six Time War Daleks completed over the coming weekend.

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  7. Great work on the Dalek Simon,the clockwork robots look nice too but don't tell me about narrow ankles, I remember having a similar problem years ago with my Lancashire Games 20mm ww2 Rumanians! I think they're were more casualties while I painted them than there were in any of the games I used them in!

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Cheers Roger. The Clockwork Droids are a little worrying tbh. I can jut imagine your wilting mojo as your Romanian numbers dwindle whilst painting them :-)

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  8. Very nice, I do like the Clockwork Android figures, they'd go well for my Donnybrook skirmish??? Hmm?

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    1. Thanks Ray. Donnybrook skirmish droids!?! That'd work for me :-)

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  9. The Dalek looks great (and very Dalek-like); they're very diffcult though to get excited about imo, few variaitons in anything other than the occassional weapon type differencce and colours of course.
    The male android looks like he definetly needs pinning, it'll probably be nwell worth it in the long run.
    Your Herald looks a dynamic and exciting figure, looking forawrd to seeing what you do with him

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    1. Cheers Joe. I've six of the 'gold' Daleks on the go currently, so I'm not sure when the Clockwork Droids will get done. The Herald of Khorne is a great sculpt imho, but will take a bit of time, I reckon, to finish.

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  10. Nice work on Dalek Sec, Simon. You've managed to make an essentially one colour figure really stand out.
    Those ankles are remarkably thin - I know they went for 'realistic proportions' with the range, but you would have thougbt the sculptor would have realised and compensated.

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    1. Thanks Jez. The Clockwork Droids are frighteningly thin in my humble opinion. Hopefully I won't have any breakages...

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  11. Daleks look incredible and those Clockwork Androids are simply divine. I would be interested in those for other non Doctor Who settings. But are they 35mm? If so I would have no use for them.

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    1. Cheers Hils. The Clockwork Droids are taller than your average mini imho, as the "Doctor Who" scale is a little larger than normal Heroic 28mm - which presumably allows for the more slender sculpts.

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  12. This was what I thought. Sadly no good for me as I need them for true scale 28`s (which are more like the old 25mm of yester-year). I do so wish some of the big companies weren't moving into 35mm nowadays (which they try to tell us is for out own good, but in truth is due to new moulding techniques which basically required re-standardising of the old machines.

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    1. Hils, there's an interesting interview with Paul Sawyer here, where he talks about the scale size issue for "Doctor Who":
      http://www.warlordgames.com/doctor-who-into-the-time-vortex-an-interview-with-paul-sawyer-part-2/

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    1. The fact that none of the not-Who miniatures which have been made over the past decade obviously can't really be used with the "Warlord Games" models was clearly never a consideration ;-)

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  14. Sec looks like, well, Sec. AS he should. :)

    Those robots look super fun to paint! But those ankles yes - be careful mate.

    Never seen that Khorne piece before...

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    1. Heh heh. Very well done, Dai. Glad you like the Dalek as I've a few more to come. I'm not sure when either the Clockwork Droids or Herald of Khorne will be progressed, but they're on the painting table for now...

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