"The Androids Are Being Overrun."

"Numbers four and nine, fall back to final defence posts. Four! Number four!"

This 28mm metal automaton is produced by “Black Tree Design", and can be bought as Code DW518 Sharaz Jek Android from the company's "Doctor Who" miniatures range. Designed by Sharaz Jek, "an outlaw who specialised in androids", to help take control of the spectrox refinery on the desert planet of Androzani Minor, these robots were eventually all destroyed by General Chellak and his federal troops during the conclusion of the March 1984 BBC Television story "The Caves Of Androzani".

Used "to harvest spectrox, as it was too toxic for humans to handle", the model was primed with two coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, vigorously dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and later had its scruffy dark-coloured clothing shaded with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The programmable machine's submachine gun was then pigmented using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil.

"Black Tree Design" WIPs - A Silurian, a Myrka and a Silurian Attacking

Lastly, I applied a double layer of watered-down "Vallejo" White over the android's head, and washed this area using some "Vallejo" Pale Grey. As a final touch the humanoid's almost featureless face was dry-brushed with (more) White so as to ensure its cyclopean eye was made somewhat distinctive from the rest of the automaton's cranium.

Staying with "Black Tree Design" and their extensive collection of "Doctor Who" sculpts, I have managed to almost finish the first three of my pilot pieces for a Jon Pertwee era Silurian invasion force, as well as finally complete all the shades and dry-brushing upon a suitably large model of a Myrka. Admittedly, I have 'bottled' trying to pick out the tiny yellow eyes on the "reptile-like humanoids", yet at least have managed to 'spot in' their 'brain boiling' red third eye, alongside their hand claws.

"Frostgrave WIPs" - A Zombie Snow Troll and White Gorilla

In addition to plenty of science fiction themed painting subjects, and undeniably aided by my listening to Robert E. Howard's "Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian - The Complete Weird Tales Omnibus" on audio, I am also making some progress on a few of my old, partially-painted "Frostgrave" models by "North Star Military Figures". I have been somewhat 'picking away' at a few of this fantasy skirmish wargame's combatants for what seems like an age, but have at long last finished all the base colours on a gigantic White Gorilla, and even taller Zombie Snow Troll.

Disappointingly, neither of these towering monstrosities will be eligible for the imminently concluding Ninth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. However, I still hope to get the pair of formidable-looking creature encounters finished before the end of the month, so as to try out a few simple fights using "Robert E Howard’s Conan: Adventures In An Age Undreamed Of Roleplaying Game" by "Modiphius Entertainment".