"No Eyes, No Hair, Just Stares."

"Men. Creatures! Made in the factory!"

This 28mm scale metal model is manufactured by “Black Tree Design", and can be purchased as part of the DW1013 - Autons boxed set from their "Doctor Who" miniatures range. "Automatons animated by the Nestene Consciousness, this 'race' of life-sized plastic dummies “remnants of the Silurian race” first appeared in Robert Holmes' January 1970 BBC Television story "Spearhead From Space".

The featureless figure was undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, drenched in "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade and subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue. The Auton's belt-buckle and hand-gun barrel were then 'picked out' using some "Citadel" Ironbreaker, and its neckerchief with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. Both of these areas were later shaded using a little "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Terror has many faces in 1949 - some great and some small."

The factory floor dummy's hands and face were treated to a layer or two of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone before being washed with some "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Finally, its fingers, nose, mouth and eye ridges were 'highlighted' with some additional lines of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

With the latest addition to my ever-increasing collection of "Doctor Who" miniatures by "Black Tree Design", I have suddenly found myself spending a considerable amount of my time re-basing a number of old(ish) "West Wind Production" models. These figures belong to the Oldham-based company's "Secrets Of The Third Reich" range, and have suddenly acquired a new lease of life as a result of me suddenly wanting to return to 'Weird War Two' after quite a considerable break.

"MI-13 is the United Kingdom's answer to enemy super science and occult activity."

Indeed, up until very recently, the last time I used some of these models in anger was when I first got hold of the "Konflikt '47" rule-book by "Warlord Games". This time round I'll be returning to an updated version of my homemade rules "M.I.S.S.", but found myself needing to 'upgrade' a fair few of the soldiers from their original 25mm stands to my much preferred 28mm lipped circular bases; a change I started to implement a handful of years ago.

As a result I have found myself scraping away the 'water-logged' sand, grit and flock from the bases of a British Sniper, a few British Paras and Gas-Mask wearing Commandos carrying Bren light machine guns. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I've also taken the opportunity to 'touch-up' a couple of the paint-jobs as well, albeit this was predominantly due to my damaging the figures during 'Operation Relocation'...