"I Am Drathro, An L3 Robot."

"I am not immortal."

This hefty 45mm tall metal miniature of the "maintenance robot created by the sleepers to watch over them" on the planet Ravalox is produced by “Black Tree Design", and can be bought as Code DW603 Drathro from the manufacturer's "Doctor Who" miniatures range. Built in the Andromeda Galaxy and “placed as guardian… in the underground Marb Station (part of UK Habitat)” the automaton appeared in Robert Holmes' September 1986 BBC Television story "The Mysterious Planet".

Somewhat roughly cast with a couple of jagged edges disfiguring its detail, the model was initially smoothed down in places, particularly around its pincer-like hands, with a humble nail file and primed with two layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. “The Immortal” was then painted “Citadel” Ironbreaker, shaded using some Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) Ironbreaker.

"How is it that you were able to walk past my androids?"

Finally, I applied some additional “Citadel” Nuln Oil around Drathro’s waist so as to quite considerably darken it, and ‘picked out’ his torso markings with either “Vallerjo” xxxx or “Citadel” Abaddon Black. This is actually the second L3 robot I’ve painted, as I acquired one back in the Late Nineties when I believe the licensed range was owned by “Harlequin Miniatures”. However, I bemusingly based that towering figure upon an undersized 25mm circular base and ‘protected it’ using a thick gloss varnish which over time has somewhat ‘browned’ with age.

Sticking with “Black Tree Design" and their “Doctor Who” miniatures range, I have additionally completed the last two of ten automatons I plan to field as part of an Androzani Minor force. Available as Code DW518 Sharaz Jek Android (Code DW518) the figures were primed with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, vigorously dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and subsequently had their scruffy dark-coloured clothing shaded with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As a last step, the pair’s submachine guns were pigmented using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil.

"Beyond The Gates Of Antares" demonstration game: Algoryn verses Boromites on a lava planet

This past weekend I was also able to play a demonstration game of "Beyond The Gates Of Antares" at the “Warlord Games” Open Day in Nottingham, in order to reacquaint myself with the rules. Played on only a portion of a considerably-sized lava planet, I volunteered to take on a couple of Algoryn units using my beloved Boromites, and was resultantly handed a serious thrashing due to some disconcertingly underwhelming dice rolls. Indeed, I lost count just how many times my opponent apologised for my bad luck and shook his head at my lamentable fate in the hands of the gaming gods.

Fortunately, despite consistently defying the law of averages with some highly inept close combat fighting, I not only had a thoroughly enjoyable time, but learnt a few tactics regarding my stone-skinned extra-terrestrial miners which would ordinarily supposedly succeed nine times out of ten. Foremost was their apparent ability to charge into hand-to-hand combat, and, despite arriving a ‘bit blowy’ with an extra pin marker, still be able to ‘stick it’ to their far less resilient opponents due to an above average Leadership statistic…