"You Stay There, K-9. You're In Charge."

"Affirmative Master."

This 15mm-tall resin model of K-9, is produced by “Gale Force Nine” and is currently available for free when “you buy all six doctors” in the “Warlord Games” “fantastic multi-buy set!”; a deal which includes the First, Fourth and Tenth Doctors, as well as the Fifth, Eleventh and Twelfth. Never “intended to be a recurring character”, the robot dog was created by Bob Baker and Dave Martin for the October 1977 “Doctor Who” adventure “The Invisible Enemy”, and later went on to become the central character in no less than “three of the series’ television spin-offs.”

“One of the doctors most loyal companions”, the figure had to initially be somewhat delicately pried off its stand's rectangular-shaped peg, in order to be permanently affixed to a 28mm lipped circular base. He was then primed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal, washed with “Citadel” Nuln Oil and subsequently dry-brushed with more “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal.

Ogron WIPs - The hulking mercenaries have been layered using various "Vallejo" brown paints

With the basic layering now completed on Professor Marius’ invention, I ‘picked out’ his tracking sensors (ears), side insignia, radio signal booster antenna (tail) and dog tag with some “Citadel” Ironbreaker, and computer visual display unit using a dab of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey. I also coated K-9's servo-mechanism for articulating his neck through the vertical plane with some “Citadel” Abaddon Black and shaded all of these aforementioned areas with Nuln Oil.

As a final stage I painted the radio-controlled companion’s retractable data-com probe and visual orientation circuits with “Vallejo” Heavy Red and washed them “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson. I did consider whether to try and ‘highlight’ some of the buttons and switches on his operator’s console for manual programming, but felt that as the minute detail appeared so fiddly, it was probably beyond my skill with a paint-brush (or at least mental sanity) to try ‘spotting’ the odd red button here and there.

Ogron WIPs - The aliens will be shaded using "Citadel" Nuln Oil & "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade

Impressively, despite this "Scientific Genius" being a "freebie" manufactured by a 'rival' company, "Warlord Games" have still released his PDF rules for "Doctor Who: Exterminate!", and a fearsome travelling companion the diminutive robotic dog makes too; armed with both a Laser Scalpel and Muzzle-mounted Shock Wand. Indeed, the "Good Dog" can not only transfer any wound upon himself if he is "within 6 inches of The Doctor or a Companion", but can also form part of the Timelord's crew without counting towards the faction's Recruitment Card total, if he is instead 'called' by the Adventure Card, "K-9 Whistle".

Having been lucky enough to watch a preview showing of the "Doctor Who" Christmas Special, "Twice Upon A Time", I have perhaps unsurprisingly turned all of my hobbying attention towards "Warlord Games" "Into The Time Vortex" range, and made good progress on half a dozen Ogrons. These hired mercenaries of the Daleks have momentarily proved a little puzzling to paint on account of their rather dark and dour palette. However, I've now settled upon a seemingly suitable concoction of brown paints and shades, and am thus carefully making my way through their belts, straps, holsters and hairy arms...