Wednesday 31 July 2019

"The Warriors Have Survived."

"No hostile movements registered."
This 28mm metal miniature of "a Silurian companion of Icthar” is manufactured by “Black Tree Design", and can be purchased as Code DW514 Scibus from the company’s "Doctor Who" miniatures range. Defeated by the Fifth Doctor after he “tried to take over Sea Base 4” in 2084 and “start a nuclear war to wipe out humanity”, the Earth Reptile appeared in Johnny Byrne’s January 1984 BBC Television story "Warriors Of The Deep".

Having had a few casting defects around his hands filed down, Scibus was undercoated using a double layer of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown and washed in The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. The figure was then dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown before having his armoured carapace ‘picked out’ using a combination of “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand and “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade.
"Black Tree Design" WIPs - Two Monoid sculpts, plus a Monoid II sculpt with brown hair  
This area was later highlighted with a delicate dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand, whilst the Silurian’s eyes were spotted with a few dabs of Heavy Ochre. Finally, the Homo Reptilia’s third eye, which would “glow along with their speech” rather than be used as an energy emitting weapon as in the monster’s first appearance way back in 1970, was treated to a dollop of “Vallejo” Heavy Red and a splash of “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson.

Staying with “Black Tree Design” I have dusted down five Monoid figures to start towards another faction for my ongoing “Doctor Who” campaign. These one-eyed humanoids travelled on a generation starship with the last of Mankind during the 57th Segment of Time, and twice encountered the First Doctor during the 1966 serial “The Ark”. Unfortunately however, neither of the two poses available actually do the aliens justice, as there’s no sign of the voice boxes or heat prods the flipper-footed extra-terrestrials used in order to gain dominance over their one-time Human masters.
"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Doc Cosmos and Roughneck
I did momentarily contemplate converting some of the models, and may well do so in the future if I order any more, but ultimately just stuck to simply painting two of the miniatures with black and yellow hair instead of the scaly-skinned creature’s predominantly brown “mop-top”. This will at least allow me to more readily identify the leader of Monoids’ revolution, One, and his equally as evil subordinate the blonde-haired Three.

Lastly, I’ve made some more progress on some of the “Supers Unlimited” resin figures I've recently kindly received from "Kitbash Games". Roughneck is nearly finished and simply needs some work on his disconcerting hockey-mask, whilst I've gone with a far more patriotic palette for “Covenant of Justice” member, Doc Cosmos, than that seen on his official gaming card, as I plan for him to accompany my Allied forces in some future games of "Weird War Two" and wanted him to appear more American...

16 comments:

  1. Sadly, I'm not a big fan of the BTD "Doctor Who" range as I much prefer the ones by Warlord Games. However, I do like the "Supers Unlimited" figures and if I could find a use for them I'd surely be buying them all.

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    1. Sadly Bryan, I strongly doubt that "Warlord Games" will ever produce the range of miniatures which "Black Tree Design" somehow managed to cover in so short a space of time, especially when their current release rate in 2019 has been frustratingly slow due to BBC licencing issues.

      As a result I'm simply going to have to make do, and tbh, I think the sculpting on the 5th Doctor era Silurians is pretty spot on; albeit I would love to see a "Warlord Games" version in all its 3d sculpted glory!!

      As I hint in my posting, I plan to use my "Supers Unlimited" and "Pulp City" as potential "Uber" based super-soldiers for "Weird War Two", and just as soon as Roughneck is finished I hope to have a BatRep posted showing their heroic effect upon a "Secrets Of The Third Reich" battlefield :-)

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    2. Oh, that sounds really cool. I can't wait to see what you come up with. :-)

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    3. Hopefully it'll be something you'll enjoy, Bryan :-)

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  2. Great work on the Silurian, and off to a great start on the monoids, liking the supers colour schemes so far

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    1. Thanks Dave. The Monoids are perhaps unsurprisingly already finished, and I should have Roughneck completed this evening. Then I hope to crack on with Doc Cosmos, albeit I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of "Mantic Games" new mass-battle rules for "The Walking Dead" - so you can expect a "TWD" themed month in August ;-)

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  3. There is something about the simplicity of the Black Tree Design sculpts that is rather appealing. Don't get me wrong, the Warlord Games range is lovely, but this seem more reflective of a simpler age? Just something that occurred to me.

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    1. I entirely agree Michael. I think that's why I'm currently enjoying painting so many "Black Tree Design" models.

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  4. Charming submissions this post mate - even the silly looking Monoids have something about them I like. Good stuff.

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  5. Great looking mini of the Silurian , a veyr interesting opponent (unlike the featureless Monoid. (And of course I've never heard of either)

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    1. Cheers Joe. I much prefer the Fifth Doctor's Silurians to any of the other versions, even if they look a little clunky.

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  6. That Silurian looks ace, really nice work Simon.

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