Monday 3 December 2018

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" December 2018

General Staal WIPs - The Sontaran Commander will be accompanied by two clone soldiers
Presumably just like eighty-three other participants I am currently busily prepping and priming a multitude of miniatures in order to have them ready for the Ninth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) which starts towards the end of this month. However, last year I actually decided not to enter Curt Campbell's three-month long event so as to instead predominantly focus upon simply reducing the minor mountain of models which I had previously dabbled with, yet failed to finish.

This time round I actually aim to have a go at both, and for starters try to wade through one of my hobby drawers disconcertingly packed with half-completed "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" figures produced by "Warlord Games". Rather embarrassingly I have been pottering around with General Staal and a sizeable Sontaran faction since "the Undefeated" was first released as a boxed set in May 2018, so the first 'goal post' for my Partially-Painted Pledge is to finish the commander of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet along with a handful of his armour-clad troopers I've started pigmenting in the past.
"The Time Warrior" WIPs - Commander Linx and Irongron has been based and primed 
Alongside these "militaristic clones from the planet Sontar" I have also pulled out my somewhat ploddingly progressed Draconian faction, and a similarly stalled collection of Daleks which I had intended to use as The Cult of Skaro. Fortunately, many of these miniatures only require a minimum of concentrated hobby-time so as to be ready for a protective coat of varnish, but there are a few other half-finished forces, such as my Tetraps and Vervoids, which will need more tender loving care before being tabletop ready.

Stepping away from the "Into The Time Vortex" figures I have already started painting in the past, I have additionally started prepping and priming a considerable number of other previously unopened miniatures from the range, especially those which I can potentially use for a few of the AHPC's fortnightly themed Bonus Rounds. One such set is the Nottingham-based manufacturer's two-figure set based upon Jon Pertwee's 1973 four-part story "The Time Warrior", which contains the characterful sculpts of Irongron and Commander Linx.
Dalek and Ogron WIPs - The Kaled Mark III Travel Machines are almost finished
According to the TARDIS Data Core Jingo Linx "was forced to make an emergency landing on Earth while on reconnaissance when his ship was attacked by a squadron of Rutan fighters", and that makes the Sontaran Commander in the Fifth Sontaran Army Space Fleet, alongside the "robber baron and leader of a local bandit gang", absolutely perfect entrants for the AHPC 'Reconnaissance' round.

Slightly less straightforward will be my use of the Tomb of the Cybermen Collectors Diorama as a 'Water Feature'; as the ice-bound underground hibernation complex starts to melt when the silver giants awake.  This metal and resin "miniature tomb" comes complete with "two highly detailed metal Tomb Cybermen", but ideally I want to additionally add the four figures from the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" "Tomb Of The Cybermen" boxed set to the mix, as well as their Cyber-Leader...

14 comments:

  1. Nice progress mate. It will feel good to clear off some stuff before the year ends.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks very much Simon. Clearing off some stuff is certainly the aim :-)

      Delete
  2. Good luck with both challenges, it looks like you have lots on the go

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Dave, I've still got a bit of a horde of 15mm to clear through too, LOL :-)

      Delete
  3. Great to see you returning to "Doctor Who" in a big way. I wish you well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Bryan, loads of "Doctor Who" coming over the next few months.

      Delete
  4. Many of us have failed on the mountain!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL Fran, it's certainly going to be a steep climb over the next few months.

      Delete
  5. My mountain remains as scary as it ever was. -__- But my resolution for the year is to purchase no more minis at least until June. So that's 6 months with no miniatures purchases - wish me luck. LOL

    Do like the Sontarans. They are such silly potato heads, but I really like their background.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do indeed wish you luck, Dai. I'm going to try and stay strong until "Salute" 2019, or at least until the next show I attend. LOL!! I too am a huge Sontaran fan, and hope to showcase several potato heads over the next few weeks.

      Delete
  6. Sontarons and Daleks are always good to see imo, who along with the Cybermen are probably the most recognisable Dr Who opponent's-especially for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Joe, hopefully you'll recognise plenty of the 'classic' Who monsters I'll be painting over the next few months.

      Delete