“Destroy And Rejoice!”

"We are better... different than human beings."

This "easy-build plastic" Dalek model is produced by “Warlord Games” and can be assembled from the plastic sprues found within either the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" "fast-paced tabletop miniatures game" or the “Davros And The New Dalek Empire” Expansion Set. Created by Terry Nation (and Raymond Cusick) in 1963, this particular variant of the Kaled's Mark III travel machine is based upon their Time War shell and first appeared in the April 2005 BBC Television series story "Dalek".

Due to the Kaled mutant not coming with any base, the drone was first super-glued onto a 40mm lipped circular stand, and only then primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before being treated to a double coat of Brass. The human-sized pepper pot was then washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and given a hearty dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Brass.

"Doctor Who: Exterminate!" WIPs - These three drones will be painted as Axis Strike Squad Daleks

With the 'basic' painting phase completed, I decided to slightly convert this particular Dalek by cutting off his control arm, and re-positioning it, courtesy of drilling a small hole in the model. The figure is to be my entry cost (or "Curtgeld") for the Tenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, so I wanted to make it a little different from the other 'off-the-shelf' Dalek's you can buy.

Once the piece was firmly re-attached, I ‘picked out’ the Kaled mutant's eye stalks, 'sink plunger' and multi-range variable power destructor using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Finally, I pigmented its audio scanners with a dash of "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey, as well as tidied up the Metaltron's fender with "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Doctor Who: Exterminate!" WIPs - These Ogrons are slowly having all their details 'picked out'

Staying with the inhabitants of Skaro's nuclear wasteland, I have assembled, based and primed three more "Warlord Games" Dalek drones to represent an Axis Strike Squad. These Daleks with black domes and sense globes invaded and conquered the "hub that held the structure of damaged or truncated realities" in the "Big Finish" audio series "Gallifrey".

In addition, I have made some more progress on the last of my Ogrons. These "ape-like hominids" have had all their leather straps, belts, wristbands and holsters 'picked out' using a mixture of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and are slowly having their shirt sleeves pigmented in "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand.

"Trapped. Help Me. Trapped."

"Increase power. Emergency. Increase power."

This 28mm scale model of a Dalek is produced by “Warlord Games”, and can be assembled from one of the plastic sprues found within the Davros & The New Dalek Empire boxed set for their "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" tabletop miniatures game. Conceived by Terry Nation and designed by Raymond Cusick in 1963, these particular sculpts are based upon Henry van Statten's so-called "Metaltron" shell, which first appeared in the April 2005 BBC Television series story "Dalek".

Unfortunately for this particular figure however, I wanted to use the "easy-fit plastic" piece to represent a Kaled mutant which had died desperately trying to escape its Mark III travel machine following the casing's partial destruction. As a result, I cut off the Dalek's dome so as to re-position it and snipped away the deadly extra-terrestrial's sucker cup, before super-gluing it to one of the 40mm thin-lipped circular bases I use for objective markers.

"Doctor Who: Exterminate!" WIPs - These three Ogrons have had their trousers layered and shaded.

I also took the opportunity to model parts of the decimated Kaled itself, leaking out of some of the holes in its outer shell. These gory entrails were made of grey-stuff and simply rolled into sausages. I then stuck them into position and added some lumpy bumps courtesy of a modelling knife. Once I was reasonably happy with the entire ensemble, it was primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

As the destroyed Dalek needed to tie-in with my other Time War mechanical casings, I next gave the model a double coat of Brass, washed it with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and applied a rough dry-brush of more "Vallejo" Brass all over it. Later I 'picked out' the extra-terrestrial's eye stalk and blast gun with some "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil, and painted the alien's one remaining light bulb safety valve with a combination of "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey.

Dalek WIPs - An Interrogator Prime, a Scientist and a 'converted' Time War drone

Finally, I used some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to coat the pepper pot's fender and laid down a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey over the gooey corpse of its occupant. This bubbly mess was subsequently washed with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green...

Enthused with finishing this long-forgotten mini-project, I have now started work pigmenting three Ogrons I discovered gathering dust alongside my decimated Dalek, and have already completed their trousers. In addition, I have based up six more of the Mark III travel machines to add even more support to my Skaro-based forces for "Doctor Who: Exterminate!"; albeit their colour schemes will follow those of an Interrogator Prime, Scientist and Axis Strike Squad, as depicted in the audio shows by "Big Finish".

"Now, That Really Is The End Of The Cybermen, Isn't It?"

"I shall leave you to the Cybermen. I'm sure they'll have some use for you."

These five 36mm tall metal Cybermen miniatures are sold by “Warlord Games” and can be found inside the Nottingham-based company's "The Tomb of the Cybermen" expansion set for the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" miniatures game; albeit the box only contains four basic Cybermen figures. Sculpted to closely resemble the likes of heavily costumed actors Hans de Vries, Tony Harwood, John Hogan, Richard Kerley, Ronald Lee, Charles Pemberton, Kenneth Seeger, Reg Whitehead, these Cybermen first appeared in the 1967 television story "The Tomb Of The Cybermen", when the "small army" of silver giants were awoken from their long hibernation by the Brotherhood of Logicians on the planet Telos.

Having previously painted this particular incarnation of the "the fictional race of cyborgs" from the "Nightmares In Silver" Cybermen Collector's Set 1966-2013, I initially undercoated all five figures with just a single coat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before applying a double layer of Ironbreaker over them. The models were then washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) Ironbreaker.

"The energy levels are low. We will survive. You will help us. You will help us."

I then spent some considerable time trying to make the Cybermen's eyes and mouth-slit stand out from the rest of their emotionless faces. In the past this has proved somewhat easier said than done as I've always found these particular facial details a little too soft for my skill with a paint-brush, and sadly these five miniatures proved no exception to this rule.

Originally, I did try carefully 'picking out' these tiny areas with "Citadel" Abaddon Black and then pigmenting them with a combination of Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. But afterwards I was rather unhappy with how this approach looked so in the end returned to my 'tried and tested' method of simply painting the Cybermen's faces "Citadel" Ironbreaker, shading the areas with Nuln Oil, and finally 'highlighting' the eyes and mouth with a little touch more of Ironbreaker.

Sea Devil Overlord WIPs - The "Aquatic" leader has been primed, washed and dry-brushed

I did however, having done some additional research into the on-set costumes, only paint the silver giants' upper body-tubing with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, as opposed to all their piping as I did with my previously painted Cyberman. Lastly, each figures' chest-piece light was treated to a dollop of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and washed with some "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

With my Tomb Cybermen faction finished, at least for now, I have spent some time working on a single Sea Devil I plan to use as an instantly recognisable Overlord for some forthcoming battles against the Daleks. To my knowledge the "Aquatic Silurians" never wore green vests, but the colour is enough of a contrast to make the faction's "unique" leader stand out on the tabletop, without being too different to the rest of its amphibious brethren.

“The Daleks Are Always Armed.”

"Then I shall follow the Primary Order, the Dalek instinct to destroy, to conquer."

These three "easy-build plastic" Dalek models are produced by “Warlord Games” and can be assembled from the plastic sprues found within either the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" "fast-paced tabletop miniatures game" or the “Davros And The New Dalek Empire” Expansion Set. Created by Terry Nation (and Raymond Cusick) in 1963, this particular variant of the Kaled's Mark III travel machine is based upon their Time War shell and first appeared in the April 2005 BBC Television series story "Dalek".

Due to the Kaled mutants not coming with any bases, the trio were first super-glued onto 40mm lipped circular stands, and only then primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna before being treated to a double coat of Brass. Each human-sized pepper pot was subsequently washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and given a hearty dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Brass.

Ogrons WIPs - The "ape-like hominids" have been based and primed

With the 'basic phase' completed, I ‘picked out’ the Daleks' eye stalks, control arms and multi-range variable power destructors using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Whilst, pigmenting their audio scanners with "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey. All of the Metaltrons' fenders were painted with "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

However, as I wanted two of the drones to actually represent members of the "secret order" of Daleks known as The Cult of Skaro, I also applied a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil to two of the models' fenders. Admittedly, this isn't the most canon-conscious or obvious of colour contrasts with which to mark the unorthodox pair stand out on the tabletop, but it was rather simple.

Cybermen WIPs - These Classic Patrick Troughton foes have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

In addition to bolstering my now quite-considerably sized "Doctor Who: Into The Time Vortex" Dalek faction, I have started work expanding their Empire's allies in the form of some more Ogrons. Employed by the Daleks, these "ape-like hominids" have been based and primed, so should soon be ready to act as a Police Force for my current Dalek Invasion Of Earth 2164 A.D. campaign. 

Lastly, I am making further 'inroads' into the six metal Cybermen models which can be found inside the Nottingham-based manufacturer's "The Tomb Of The Cybermen" Expansion Set; albeit the box itself only contains five models. These silver giants have all now been dry-brushed with "Citadel" Ironbreaker, and simply need their piping to be 'picked out'...

"I Will Prepare An Attack Squad."

"None of the humans can guess our true purpose."

This 32mm scale metal miniature of a Sontaran is sold by “Warlord Games” and can be purchased as part of the Nottingham-based company’s "Sontaran Squad" five-figure boxed set. Resplendent in the blue-armour costume redesigned by Neill Gorton this latest incarnation of the “militaristic clones” made his first appearance in the April 2008 BBC television story "The Sontaran Stratagem".

Initially primed with a double coat of "Vallejo" Black, the bulbous-headed humanoid had his battle armour, belt and helmet treated to a layer of Gunmetal Blue before having them shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. These areas were then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal Blue for as long as it took for the metallic Model Colour paint to provide the sculpt’s ridges with a discernible silver shine.

"Doctor Who: Exterminate!" WIPs - These four Sontarans are already half-way finished

The Sontaran’s space suit was pigmented using “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey, and then washed with some watered-down “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade. As a final step (or three) I subsequently tidied up the  “Vallejo” Black base coat on warrior’s large laser-rifle before carefully dry-brushing it with Heavy Charcoal, and darkened the eye slits on the alien’s helmet with a tad more Black…

Having finished this figure I now have enough models (posed holding their firearms low-down in front of them) to utilise the “Sontaran Bodyguards” Recruitment Card on my “Doctor Who: Exterminate!” Battlefield, and need only paint one last diminutive extra-terrestrial warrior to complete a functional Sontaran Faction under the command of Staal ‘The Undefeated’. However, ideally I’d like to play some larger games against my significant forces of Daleks, Cybermen, Zygons and Sea Devils, so plan to paint four more of the clones in a single batch and therefore be able to deploy two three-miniature strong “Sontaran Patrol” units, alongside the General and his bodyguards, as part of a formidable four Recruitment Card sized Faction whenever a scenario permits it.

"Doctor Who: Into The Time Vortex" WIPs - A Cyberman, a defeated Dalek and the Cyber Leader

Interestingly, these'll probably be the last of my "Warlord Games" Sontarans which I'll be undercoating using "Vallejo" Black, as I think I'm missing an opportunity to paint them up even quicker by simply applying Heavy Bluegrey over the entire figure straight from the start. In addition, I've taken the time to pick out these warriors' black belt communicators, rather than leave them "Vallejo" Gunmetal Blue as I've done in the past.

Lastly, I making some significant headway with the six Cybermen models I own from "The Tomb Of The Cybermen" boxed set, and now just need to give them a dry-brush of "Citadel" Ironbreaker before settling down so as to 'pick out' all their piping. I have also begun finishing off a handful of partially-parted Daleks I have had hanging around my painting table for a while now, including a heavily damaged drone objective marker.

"Give Me A Weapon. I Will Destroy Him."

"By your dawn I shall be seven hundred million miles from here."

This 35mm metal Sontaran model is produced by “Warlord Games" and can be bought from their "Doctor Who: Into The Time Vortex" range as part of their two-figure boxed set "The Time Warrior". Forced "to make an emergency landing on Earth while on reconnaissance when his ship was attacked by a squadron of Rutan fighters", Jingo Linx was created by Robert Holmes and made his BBC Television debut in the 1973 story "The Time Warrior".

The Sontaran Commander in the Fifth Sontaran Army Space Fleet was initially undercoated with two layers of "Vallejo" Black, roughly dry-brushed with Heavy Charcoal and enthusiastically washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then pigmented the clone soldier's knee-pads, belt and neck armour base-coated with "Citadel" Ironbreaker as I have previously done before when painting these Classic Third/Fourth Doctor monsters.

"Doctor Who: Exterminate!" WIPs - A Tetrap, a Sontaran and a Tetrap Master

However, having checked the 'official' "Warlord Games" painting guide, and subsequently some colour photographs of actor Kevin Lindsay in his costume, it became clear that the Sontaran's knee-pads were actually black as opposed to silver, so I went back and re-painted this area in "Vallejo" Black. The remaining metallic areas were subsequently shaded with (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Linx's awkwardly held rheon carbine was 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Dead White and Pale Grey. Whilst the alien's somewhat swarthy-looking skin colour was created by shading his "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone flesh with some Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter".

"Doctor Who: Into The Time Vortex" WIPs - A Vervoid, two Cybermen and the Thirteenth Doctor

Having finished a Seventies incarnation of the "militaristic clones from the planet Sontar", I have been busy progressing another of the "Nu Who" versions, alongside a plethora of other "Doctor Who: Exterminate" figures. I've previously primed a number of the Seventh Doctor's terrifying Tetraps, but never got round to properly shading or dry-brushing them. However, as a result of getting plenty of practice in recently, 'building up' the layers of fur on some "Star Wars: Legion" Wookies by "Fantasy Flight Games", I thought I'd return to the half dozen miniatures and give them another try.

In addition, I have 'dug out' all nine of my Vervoids so as to see whether I can apply a similar dry-brushing technique to some predominantly green extra-terrestrials. Lastly, I have started base-layering, washing and detailing a few more "Warlord Games" figures for the Ninth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, including the Thirteenth Doctor and the start of a "Tomb Of The Cybermen" faction...

"Quarks, Destroy Them!"

"Quarks. Destroy the alien vessel."

This 39mm-tall metal miniature of Probationer Toba is sold by “Warlord Games” and can be bought as part of their "The Dominators" five-figure boxed set. Determined to refuel his spaceship, the cold-blooded killer mercilessly rounded up "slave workers from the planet’s pacifist inhabitants" so he could fire "rockets into the molten core of Dulkis", and made his television debut in the August 1968 BBC story "The Dominators".

Initially undercoated with "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, Navigator Rago's second-in-command had his frilly costume painted in Black Green and washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The area was then dry-brushed using some (lighter) "Vallejo" Heavy Green before being treated to a second splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The alien invader's bulky armour was subsequently shaded using "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

"You cannot stop us. No-one can."

With the first of my two Dominators completed, I was also able to successfully paint one of the Nottingham-based company's 40mm tall metal Cybermen miniatures from their "Nightmares In Silver" Cybermen Collector's Set 1966-2013. Sculpted to replicate the Doctor's old enemies during Derrick Sherwin's 1968 serial "The Invasion", this 'Planet 14' version of the silver giants has since been submitted to the Ninth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), and brought me five points closer to my five hundred point target tally.

This particular piece was actually a much appreciated gift from "Warlord Games" during my most recent visit to their Headquarters in Lenton Business Centre, and was originally primed with "Vallejo" Black, before receiving two layers of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and a wash of Nuln Oil. Tobias Vaughn's emotionless ally was later dry-brushed with (more) Ironbreaker, and had its eyes, mouth and central chest unit panels 'picked out' with a mixture of "Vallejo" Black and a generous dollop or two of some OOP "Citadel" Badab Black.

"The Time Warrior" WIPs - Linx the Sontaran and the robber baron, Irongron

Sticking with the AHPC I have additionally started work on the "Doctor Who: Into The Time Vortex" miniature of Commander Linx. This classic looking Sontaran warrior "was forced to make an emergency landing on Earth while on reconnaissance when his ship was attacked by a squadron of Rutan fighters" and will therefore be entered into the competition for its first Fortnightly Themed Event ('Reconnaissance') before next weekend's submission deadline.

As "The Time Warrior" boxed set also comes with a model of Irongron, "a robber baron and leader of a local bandit gang", I thought I might as well also try and paint the Wessex castle-owner too. On the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" tabletop the unique Human Warrior is actually able to "join any faction... as a friendly character... during the game" due to his Agent special trait, so in the future I hope to field him alongside Jingo Linx and a Sontaran Patrol...

"A Proper Soldier Gives No Warning. Fire. I Order You. Fire."

"Death has more honour, but you are needed for the stratagem."

This two 32mm scale metal miniatures of Sontarans are produced by “Warlord Games” and can be bought as part of their "Sontaran Squad" five-figure boxed set. "Hailing from the planet Sontar" and "literally bred for war", these redesigned blue-armoured clones made their first appearance in the April 2008 BBC television story "The Sontaran Stratagem".

Originally undercoated "Vallejo" Black, both of the "military-minded villains" had their battle armour, belt and helmet pigmented using a layer of Gunmetal Blue before being washed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. These areas were subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal Blue just long enough for the metallic Model Colour paint to provide each figure's ridges with a discernible silver shine.

"The Dominators" WIPs - Roga and Toba have had all their dark green armour painted and shaded

"Small in stature, with large heads and stocky bodies", the formidable foes' space suits were painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and then treated to a watered-down shade of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. Finally the pair's rather large laser rifles were painted using "Vallejo" Black and dry-brushed using Heavy Charcoal.

Sticking with previously 'put down' projects, I have also dusted down the two larger models from "The Dominators" themed box I bought at "Salute" 2018. I have previously successfully painted one of the ruthless tyrants robotic quarks in the past, but then seemingly faltered whilst trying to decide upon what colour to paint Probationer Toba's frilly-looking costume.

"The Tomb Of The Cybermen" WIPs - The four silver giants, including their Cyber Leader have been primed

In the end I decided to go with the Nottingham-based company's official dark green palette rather than the pure black I'd initially intended, and subsequently been busy testing out a couple of different "Vallejo" model colours on Navigator Rago's bloodthirsty companion. Having settled upon my mix I've applied the selfsame combination to both Dominator figures, as well as started work on their heavy armour, and now hope to have the pair finally finished reasonably soon...

In between working on these pieces, I have managed to additionally base and prime four of the five "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" miniatures found within "The Tomb Of The Cybermen" boxed set for the imminent Ninth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. These Telos-based cyborgs will form part of my 'Water Feature' entry for the Fortnightly Themed Bonus Round in mid-February, when I hope to submit a host of the silver giants along with their 'melting' Tomb Collectors Diorama.

"And Like A Good Warrior, I Shall Enter The Fray Myself."

"I would rate you above average, soldier. Well done."

This 30mm-tall metal miniature of a Sontaran is sold by “Warlord Games” and can be bought as part of their "Sontaran General Staal" three-figure boxed set. Dedicated to waging "an eternal war throughout Mutter's Spiral against the Rutan Host" this particular incarnation of the clone race made their first appearance in Helen Raynor's April 2008 BBC television story "The Sontaran Stratagem".

Initially undercoated with "Vallejo" Black, the war-mad extra-terrestrial's battle armour, belt and helmet were treated to a layer of Gunmetal Blue before being shaded using some "Citadel" Nuln Oil. These areas were then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal Blue so as to try and bring out all the sculpt's marvellous detail, and provide the armour's edges with a noticeable metallic shine.

Dalek And Sontaran WIPs - The miniatures are both half-finished

The Sontaran's space suit was painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and subsequently treated to a watered-down wash of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. Finally the aliens's somewhat cumbersome-looking laser rifle was pigmented in "Vallejo" Black and dry-brushed using Heavy Charcoal.

This warrior is actually one of the two models I need so as to field a Sontaran Bodyguards Recruitment card for my "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" Sontaran faction. However, as I also aim to deploy a three-figure strong Sontaran Patrol too, I have made some considerable progress on one of the miniatures which comes in the "Doctor Who: Into The Time Vortex" Sontaran Squad boxed set as well.

"Doctor Who: Exterminate!" WIPs - Jackie Tyler, Romana and Leela

In addition, I recently experienced something of an accident with another of my plastic 'push-fit' Daleks, so have ended up turning the somewhat 'battle-damaged' Kaled drone into an objective/scenic base. As I've composed a similar-looking defunct Dalek in the past, I have decided to add some oozing green mutant goo to the Mark III Travel Machine, courtesy of some grey-stuff...

Lastly, I have been busy basing and priming a number of the Doctor's companions in preparation for the Ninth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. The last of this event's Fortnightly Themed Bonus Rounds in March 2019 is 'Fellowship', so I was potentially planning on slowly building up an ensemble of the Gallifreyan's fellow female time travellers to use as my final entry. Resultantly, I've set aside Romanadvoratrelundar, Leela and Jackie Tyler...

"I Am General Staal Of The Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet."

"Remember your status boy. We do not take orders from humans."

This 30mm-tall metal miniature of Staal the Undefeated is produced by “Warlord Games” and can be bought as part of their "Sontaran General Staal" three-figure boxed set. "Commander of the Tenth Sontaran Battle fleet" during its invasion of Earth in 2009, "Staal forged an alliance with Luke Rattigan to aid the Sontaran conquest" of the planet and made his first appearance in Helen Raynor's April 2008 BBC television story "The Sontaran Stratagem".

Originally primed using two layers of "Vallejo" Black, the alien clone's "distinctive battle armour" and dome-shaped helmet were painted using a combination of Gunmetal Blue and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal Blue. I then pigmented his space suit with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and subsequently treated it to a watered-down wash of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

Sontaran WIPs - The clone soldiers need their space suits to be painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey

Staal's swagger stick, having been repeatedly 'caught' whilst the surrounding area was dry-brushed, was simply repainted "Vallejo" Black, and later had the cane's ends 'picked out' with some "Citadel" Ironbreaker and a splash of Nuln Oil. Finally, the Sontaran's large, bulbous head received a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and was shaded using "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

With my Sontaran "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" faction's officer complete, I have begun painting four more of the laser rifle carrying militaristic extra-terrestrials in earnest. Disconcertingly however, I am once again finding "Vallejo" Gunmetal Blue to be a somewhat inconsistent paint, which one moment produces a wonderfully metallic electric blue layer, and then in the next a disappointing blackish oily blue instead. Resultantly, my latest batch of Sontarans don't seem to have as strong a shine to their battle armour.

Cybermen WIPs - Two silver giants from "Tomb Of The Cybermen" and one from "The Invasion"

Moving on from my previously painted miniatures, I have finished basing and priming a few more "Doctor Who: Into The Time Vortex" Cybermen in preparation for the Ninth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. One such model I have been particularly pleased to discover within my collection, and ordinarily only available as part of "Warlord Games" superb Nightmares In Silver: Cybermen Collectors set, is one of the Nottingham-based company's "The Invasion" cyborgs, which are famous for accompanying Tobias Vaughn in his failed conquest of the world from their base deep inside the London sewer system.

In addition, I have finally managed to strip the cellophane off of my "Tomb Of The Cybermen" collector's set and begun basing up its contents as well. Once these silver giants are finished I may well purchase a second box of the figures, so as to provide me with the option of fielding either a second four-figure strong Tomb Cyber-Patrol Recruitment card, or a three-model Tomb Cyber-Patrol which generates an extra Fate Token for the faction at the start of a "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" game. 

"According To The Map Reference Now..."

"...That should be the entrance to the city of Telos."

This 100mm x 100mm x 60mm square MDF box was bought from the seller Tepic2000 on Ebay, and converted into a square futuristic building for my Cyber-City by using several of the excellent 3D decals sold by “N-FX Game Design Studio”. Undoubtedly a fairly simplistic ‘kit-bash’, the medium-sized installation is the second of several such science-fiction based structures I intend to use in order to help recreate the Cybermen’s catacombs on the planet “Telos”; the homeworld of the Cryons, which was later also inhabited by the Cybermen.

Having assembled the box and its lid without any major difficulties using some PVA glue, I affixed a number of 3D decals over its numerous surfaces in order to try and replicate grills, grates and electronic panels. These ‘details’ are self-adhesive and despite sticking to the wood very well indeed, could still be peeled away from the surface and re-aligned whenever I made a slight mistake in their orientation or decided upon a different sticker.

"Doctor Who: Exterminate!" WIPs - A Sontaran, a Quark and a Sea Devil

Once I was happy with the look of the facility I gave the entire piece an undercoat of “Vallejo” Black before applying two coats of “Citadel” Ironbreaker over the structure. I then heavily washed it with Nuln Oil, shading the building as haphazardly as I could so as to make the ‘box and its lid’ appear rather grungy.

In addition, I decided at this stage that I wasn’t going to worry too much about it’s interior and base, as these were in all likelihood never going to see the light of day. Lastly, I gave the building a rough dry-brush of (more) “Citadel” Ironbreaker in order to help bring all the “N-FX Game Design Studio” decals to the fore...

"Doctor Who: Exterminate!" WIPs - The Thirteenth Doctor and her TARDIS

Despite the underlying theme to next month's Ninth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge being firmly set within the Third Age of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, I have started to prepare/prime a number of "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" miniatures to help contribute towards my 500 point target. Some of these, such as a formidable number of Sontarans and Quarks, will simply be submitted as regular enties, but I do have my eye on a few figures from "Warlord Games" "Into The Time Vortex" range to use for the fortnightly themed Bonus Rounds.

One such thematic contribution will probably be a green-costumed Sea Devil for the "Water Feature" round, as I've been planning on painting an individually-garbed reptile-like humanoid to use as a Sea Devil Overlord for some time. Whilst the Thirteenth Doctor, complete with her time travelling TARDIS (and a handful of assistants) would arguably make a suitable entrant for the Challenge's final "Fellowship" bonus round...

"I Am Immutably The Master."

"I deplore such unsophisticated coercion, but your cooperation's necessary to me."

This 36mm-tall "pewter" model of the Master is manufactured by “Warlord Games” and can be purchased as part of their "I Am The Master" boxed set. Based upon Anthony Ainley's incarnation of the renegade Time Lord, this particular version of the Doctor's archenemy made his first appearance in Johnny Byrne's January 1981 BBC television story "The Keeper Of Traken" and would last be seen in the 1997 computer game "Destiny of the Doctors."

Originally primed using two layers of "Vallejo" Black, the recurring villain was dry-brushed with Heavy Charcoal and later shaded using some "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In addition I 'picked out' his shirt and its sleeves with a dabble of "Vallejo" Dead White, and applied a little Pale Grey to these areas in order to try and generate some shadows.

"Warlord Games" kindly publicise my posting of Roger Delgado's Master

The Master's face and hands were undercoated using "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and washed in "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. I subsequently used some (more) "Vallejo" Skintone to highlight his nose, ears, mouth area and parts of his forehead, alongside his fingers and hands. As a final touch, I painted his hair and beard using pure "Vallejo" Black.

This particular sculpt has somewhat disconcertingly drawn some criticism due to it actually being produced from a photograph of the Doctor's shape-shifting robot Kamelion, rather than an actual picture of Ainley, and as a result does not portray the goatee-bearded fiend wearing his usual high-collared, somewhat Shakespearean black suit. In addition, the miniature is significantly taller than Roger Delgado's "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" model despite the difference between the two actors themselves only being a couple of inches...

General Staal, Dominator Toba and Donna Noble WIPs - The three miniatures are at various stages of completion

I'm currently rather enjoying working my way through the "I Am The Master" boxed set, with a view to perhaps pitting three versions of "the master of all matter" up against three Doctors on the tabletop in the near future. Delightfully, "Warlord Games" would appear to be sharing my enthusiasm too, as they recently kindly posted up my paint-job of Roger Delgado's incarnation on their main "Facebook" page.

Having finished my third figure of the Master though I'm momentarily turning my attention towards a few of the Nottingham-based company's other "Doctor Who: Into The Time Vortex" miniatures, with some work on General Staal, Dominator Toba and Donna Noble. Sadly, it has recently been announced that the highly anticipated "Second Doctor & Companions" boxed set will be significantly delayed, so I'm hoping to use the time to 'catch-up' on a number of my unfinished 'assistants'.

"I Am Usually Referred To As The Master."

"We Time Lords are expected to face death with dignity."

This 32mm-tall "pewter" model of the Master is produced by “Warlord Games” and can be bought as part of their "I Am The Master" boxed set. Based upon Roger Delgado's incarnation of the renegade Time Lord, the "recurring villain" made his first appearance in Robert Holmes' January 1971 BBC television story "Terror Of The Autons" and would "become a main character in the show's eighth season."

Originally primed using two layers of "Vallejo" Black, the evil Gallifreyan was dry-brushed with Heavy Charcoal and subsequently shaded courtesy of some "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In addition I 'picked out' his shirt sleeves with a line of "Vallejo" Dead White, and applied some extra Black on the fiend's leather gloves in order to create a little contrast.

"It's a mayday, sir. SS Pevensey Castle, they say they're being attacked."

The Master's face was undercoated using some "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and washed in "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. I later used some (more) "Vallejo" Skintone to highlight his nose, ears, mouth area and parts of his forehead. As a last touch, I dry-brushed some Heavy Bluegrey across his hair, blended it in with a little "Citadel" Nuln Oil. 

With the alien time traveller finished, I'm now looking forward to pairing him up with my fully-painted Sea Devils faction for an upcoming "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" battle against the Doctor. Armed with both a Tissue Compression Eliminator, as well as a Fencing Blade, Roger Delgado's character generates a highly useful pair of Fate Tokens and has "Two Wounds" (allowing him to twice "choose to ignore the effect" of a Shocked or Exterminated result by placing a wound token on his Recruitment card).

Draconian WIPs - A Guard, Soldier and Noble all in various stages of painting

Alongside owning the Traits "Sneaky" (which means he may always claim cover even if in the open), and "Parry" (which allows him to utilise Defence Battle cards in order to cancel certain enemy hits), this version of the Master may also be equipped with the Adventure Card "You Will Obey Me!" for free; potentially allowing him to hypnotise an enemy Character within 6" once per turn. The goatee-bearded villain can additionally take the Adventure Card "Tempus Fugit" (which under particular circumstances can force an opponent to discard one of their Adventure Cards "with no effect").

Having completed my latest Master, I have continued plugging away at the Draconian models I need so as to field a faction of the reptilian humanoids for the tabletop. My main priority is to paint the three pistol-toting sculpts required in order to deploy the Draconian Soldiers Recruitment Card, but as I had a spare Noble and Bodyguard model, I thought I might as well pigment the lot as a batch...

"The Ways Of The Earthmen Are Devious."

"Obviously they are preparing the next stage of their plan."

This 39mm-tall "pewter" model of a Draconian Bodyguard is sold by “Warlord Games” and can be bought as part of their "Draconians" boxed set. Based upon the "tall, reptilian species" whose Empire in the Twenty Fifth Century rivalled that of Earth, the scaly-skinned extra-terrestrials made their first appearance in Malcolm Hulke's February 1973 BBC television story "Frontier In Space" and would later be "among the races who... helped imprison the Eleventh Doctor in the Pandorica in order to save the universe."

Initially primed using two layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Green, the highly honourable alien's limbs and head were pigmented using Heavy Brown and a wash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. The warrior's robes were then shaded with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green and carefully dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green".

Draconian Bodyguard WIPs - The alien needs his golden sashes to be highlighted and tidied up

"Led by the Emperor and his court of nobles", I decided upon a rather tabletop standard solution to my problem of the Draconian's lavishly embroidered oriental-looking shoulder pads and golden flowing sashes, by simply applying both some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Brass to these areas, before later washing them with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

Later I delicately drew some additional "Vallejo" Brass over the costume's ridges in order to highlight all the intricate patterns woven onto the material, and tidied up some of the adjoining Heavy Green areas with a thin line of watered-down Black. As a final touch I 'picked out' the soldier's hand-weapon with "Citadel" Ironbreaker and a dash of Nuln Oil.

100mm x 100mm x 60mm MDF WIPs - The MDF box/building has been painted "Citadel" Ironbreaker

With the first of my three Draconian Bodyguards finished, I have already been slowly working my way through the aforementioned stages on two other identical miniatures. Admittedly, I only actually need two to use for their Recruitment card in "Doctor Who: Exterminate!", but as I have three, I thought I might as well continue to paint them all at the same time.

In addition, I've spent some more time working on the MDF boxes I recently bought from Tepic2000 on "Ebay" to create a Cyber-City tabletop. I have begun sloppily shading a "Citadel" Ironbreaker undercoated 100mm x 100mm x 60mm building with Nuln Oil, and, using some more of the 3D decals "N-FX Game Design Studio" very kindly gifted me, applied a number vents, electronic interfaces and metallic panels to a second smaller facility.

"When The Cybermen Entered The Telos System, They Took Over The Planet..."

"...Using the cities as cryogenic facilities."

This 70mm x 70mm x 42mm square MDF box was bought from Tepic2000 on Ebay, and converted into a simple futuristic building for my Cyber-City by using several of the excellent 3D decals sold by “N-FX Game Design Studio”. Undoubtedly a fairly straightforward ‘kit-bash’, the tiny installation will be the first of several science-fiction structures I plan to use in order to help recreate the Cybermen’s catacombs on the planet “Telos”; a “grey, barren, rocky world” which first appeared on the BBC Television show “Doctor Who” in the September 1967 story “The Tomb Of The Cybermen”.

Having assembled the box and its lid without any major difficulties using some PVA glue, I affixed a number of 3D decals over its numerous surfaces in order to try and replicate grills, grates and electronic panels. These ‘details’ are self-adhesive and despite sticking to the wood very well indeed, could still be peeled away from the surface and re-aligned whenever I made a slight mistake in their orientation.

"The Cybermen disappeared sometime in the 21st Century... following defeats around human-occupied space."

The sheer amount of different decals Nik Hull has created for this range is breath-taking, and one of my main priorities for this ‘test piece’ was to try and utilise a broad number of them. As a result I felt a hatchway on top of the building would be highly appropriate, along with a series of control boards and ventilation systems around its sides. Once I was happy with the look of the installation I gave the entire ensemble an undercoat of “Vallejo” Black.

I then applied two coats of “Citadel” Ironbreaker over the structure, and subsequently heavily washed it with Nuln Oil. I applied this shade incredibly haphazardly, as I wanted the ‘box and its lid’ to appear rather grungy. In addition, I decided at this stage that I wasn’t going to worry too much about it’s interior and base, as these were in all likelihood never going to be seen. Finally, I gave the building a rough dry-brush of (more) “Citadel” Ironbreaker in order to help bring all the “N-FX Game Design Studio” decals to the fore...

Draconian Bodyguard and Staal WIPs - The reptilian humanoid is almost finished

With the tiny MDF installation finished, and my second somewhat larger box being primed, I have somewhat shifted focus upon a handful of Draconian models I need to finish in order to field the “reptilian humanoids” for “Doctor Who: Exterminate!” I’ve already previously completed the faction’s "Unique" Draconian Noble, and now plan to paint three "Brave" Draconian Bodyguards up. I actually only need two of these interstellar imperialists for “Warlord Games” rule-set, but thought I might as well progress the trio of miniatures at the same time.

In addition, the Nottingham-based company has recently kindly gifted me a few Sontarans, so I thought it would only be polite for me to start work on the clone force’s leader General Staal. Commander of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet, the “stubborn” soldier is accompanied by two bodyguards, and a plethora of troops, so should give me plenty of opportunity to get reacquainted with one of my favourite “Vallejo” acrylic colour paints, Gunmetal Blue.