Charity Project

On a Dr Who  forum someone posted about a set of head casts for custom projects, for charity
The charity provides food packages for struggling families.so food banks and the like so for a donation you can purchase some casts of doctor who heads unavailable in the CO toy range in 13 scale 
not a opportunity to be overlooked ,Malcolm aka baby jelly was the sculptor Mark aka peladon the caster 
There was naturally a long list and i waited a few months for mine and because of delay got a bonus surprise added,now there is customer service for you free en gratis to boot
There was a Large Candyman figure for £25 but somehow didnt grip me ,still thinking about it 
But i opted for the Haemovore head  

Candy Man

REFERENCE

the cast heads

there was few to choose from ,Primored from Inferno and female Haemovore as well as Male 


Still unsure about purchasing candy man  its money i don’t have and room that docent exist so will think on
So as due to CO neglecting the 80’s ,realy go count how many 80s baddies you have besides Daleks and Cybermen ,and it being my era i really would like to build some stuff from it and if this is only way to go,so be it 

Its a shame as so many great monsters and designs came out of the 80s from the Deamon in Battlefield the Heamavore ,Robot clowns that kill phycotic robot of a bus conductor the Rani and Tetraps , and the Terilitples to name a few 
i doubt we will ever see much 

Heamovore,phil

so in period costume my heamovre,i sculpted hands did the paint, made a mess dirty down  and really cool thing glows in the dark a eerie blue and the eyes to
It is a cheapo vampire boy couple of quid and my new head ,look i went for was just old.centuries old  so skull exploded showing brain all mottled under it ,swollen head puffy face ,yes im sick i know 

so what about my extras?

Zoe head and Auton head ,
Auton Spearhead from Space 1970 and Terror of the Autons 1971 ,the figure available in a ridiculous overpriced box set with stuff i don’t want, so this is a bit of a god send ,so the body for the Auton is a lazlo,yes i must be actually the only one person who found a use for this figure got for a pound from forbidden planet 
problem didn’t realize is he is short like 5 foot tall short ,my excuse is the factory was running out of plastic ,head and body was a full repaint and sculpted a scarf and the head was painted and done with various shades and glossed over

Zoe 1968/69 the second doctor companion not one i would buy personally ,given to me free, ill model the heck out of it ,
this was a hard one to paint and as black and white stories tad difficult to find color reference and i need a body ,could not find a cat suit so used the “Invasion” Pictures i found and a Star Trek body and sculpted a dress /pinafore and all that was needed like blouse collars etc was sculpted on and  a lot of paint done over a week 
All the usual suspects washes shading i don’t want to do half a job 

so there you go my latest creative output and im very pleased with what i have 

CYBERSYSTEMS

One by one, their limbs became diseased – they were replaced by plastic and steel!
Little by little, their brains tired – computers worked just as well!
With metal limbs, they had the strength of ten men. They could live in the airless vacuum of space. They had no heart, no feelings, no emotions, and only one goal – Survive !    




Cybermen, got to be up there as one of my favorite villains from Doctor Who

these silver soldiers i remember well …..for being just so cool,loved em,still do 80’s variant 5drs/attack anything but them moon boots (there is a another constant theme,don’t look at there feet), brilliant design the sleek suit exoskeleton pipes and texture a kind of space /future chain mail, the big helmets booming voices and cool gun 80s cybers are cool

the Revenge suit has always been up there as well  for me as a good design ,still is big solid tank like,ala Robocop a solid suit the dull silver looking steel the built in weapon was meh but a nice design.

Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth’s twin planet Mondas, the element of tragedy innate in the Cybermen: they are like this only because their world was dying, and replacing their organic matter was the only way to survive. that’s all they want. This is what makes the buzzing, monotone implications of ‘You belong to us. You will be like us.’ all the more chilling. 
Placed in this near-certain-death situation,they chose to survive, alas there planet exploded still leaving these dangerous refuges loose on the cosmos scattered (did the Doctor win or make things worse for the galaxy?)
with their haunting electronic bleat of the mantra ‘We will survive.’
 to survive means conquest of planets and people to ensure there survival cyber-conversion us into them a horrifying thought 

MK2/3 Cybermen

there a technical genius ,engineering and technology from over the countless years the races they have cyberdised makes them a force to be reckoned with ,there experts in explosives having developed bombs capable of destroying whole planets (long before there was a death star),
they constantly evolve adapt that’s why there look changes, there equipment and weapons change,all so they can survive 

the original Cybermen Tenth Planet MK1

“Care?, no ,why should we care ?”,Feelings? I do not understand that word.

 (This type mk1 has been built and developed upon since 1966 in the Big Finish CDs and in comics and books ),the last story for Hartnell the first Doctor and not a bad story to exit on,
The Cybermen have a beam weapon located in the lamp on their helmet and in there chest unit microwaves i think ?,prety nasty end results,surprise the small science team  in the North Pole and appear unfazed by bullets,all part of devious plan to drain Earth for Mondas to survive even disguising themselves at one point in the story, very clever.
Cybermen are the brain child of  Kitt Pedler and Gerry Davis

The Mondas originals are a nightmare creature, akin to Frankenstein made in a electronics factory ,the hands still human the face visible through the  covering wrapping it like a surgical stocking ,the crude tubes and clunky chest piece,all evidence of early primitive technology the cyber conversion process yet to be refined the hideousness of something clearly once human a Monster human with bits grafted on ,
i know this is scary i scared my friends and girlfriend with these, creeped them out
to see these done faithfully in today’s Who by someone like Moffat or Mark Platt and today’s budget and technology you could have a episode of Who that would surpass Holmes for the Macabre horror and leave children and adults firmly behind there sofa better yet establish there true origins

As a cold ,dead hand reaches for you……

What about the different looks fashion victims?. Apparently different names for different types, i prefer the more mechanical Mark prefix,Mk 1/2 3/ etc, a good example  Cyberman painted mat black in Attack of the Cybermen for tunnel camouflage very Cyberman like Adapt and survive ,scheme and plot to achieve there mission the same story involved the Cyber tombs on Telos ala Tomb of the Cybermen ( and return of the Cyber controller the one mind of the Cyber race) ,there adoptive planet and main factory base (Not somewhere you land if you wish to be seen again) first time seeing cyber conversion process part men part cyber form 

“you will be like us “

Cyber conversion

Mk 2 Cybermen and tomb on Telos and Cybercontroller

 
and hiding in sewers ala the invasion hidden out of view plotting scheming killing

Cyberneomorph or MK 5

 They sometimes aren’t emotionless or logical despite purging there feelings to run off a microchip brain .there not Daleks,vast swaths of armies a Empire,im sure a part of the galaxy really is “Cyber  Space”  They skulk. They plot. They bide their time Cybermen are fairly consistently portrayed: they will hide somewhere while using subterfuge (traitors, mind control, Cybermats, Tobias Vaughn, Professor Kellman,etc.) to gain access to their target Cybermen view all other races as lesser beings, and aim to control it by weakening the population so as to reduce the amount of combat necessary.

poster i had on my wardrobe side

We had first some classic 60s stories mainly with Pat Troughton, the stories were often monster of the week type
 the stories were all BIG 6/ 7 parters epic in scale and have a quality to them in story and the representation of the Cybermen (even dieing falling off a roof in Invasion after being attacked the clang on landing all done well ,sadly Cybermen stoped having sound effects after the 60s  until 2006 ),then not seen for 7 years before appearing again on screen with Tom Baker for revenge there only 70s story and then not seen for another 7 years before Earthshock with peter Davison   so not as many stories as Daleks but still classic Villain and enduring Villain number 2 in the Doctors enemies of all time despite this

a good classic Cyber plot

 Revenge of the Cybermen a good example,and good story
as the Doctor says “ You’re just a pathetic bunch of tin soldiers skulking about the Galaxy in an ancient spaceship.” there all that’s left of the Cyber army after a failed attack and war on  humans In the aftermath of their failure, the Cybermen were reduced to scattered remnants, one group relentlessly hounding the remaining fragment of Voga,
so here they are desperate to survive but logic dictates the planet of gold has to go its there one weakness it clogs there breathing (although not breathing as we know it more a ventilation system think pc and blocked cooling fan )and thus kills them, this isn’t done by a outward full frontal attack (That’s illogical and costly in resources) rather by devious scheming means of killing the stations population (with kellman and Cybermats )  until only a handful remain ,then attack and take over  It’s indicative of their methods that their most iconic moments involve hiding or walking around slowly with no-one to oppose them, emerging as a small Army a frightening force that wants to take over and assimilate you or just kill you for no reason other than to survive, they cant be reasoned with talked to bargained or threatened there a unstopping moving force 

BIG cybership with missile tubes in the nose cone

Mk 4 Cyberleader and Mk 3 Cybermat

So Revenge of the Cybermen is a good solid story nothing overly specially and sadly not quite as epic as should be coming after Genesis of the Daleks anything will pale in comparison and after 7 long years you do yearn for more in the story ,but a good a typical cyberman story and a nice design in suit and tweak on the invasion helmet and chest piece

They  have been killed by their own weapons, radiation , electricity, enhanced humans, insanity, shiny jumping robots, bullets (point blank through mouth slit), chessboards, gold dust, glitter gun (the mind boggles) ,gold arrows, gold coins these last two are tad ridiculous ,“A Cyberman killed with an arrow? That’s ludicrous!”  You said it, Doctor, there bullet proof ,blunt force object like a bullet is not penetrating them ,how does a arrow or old coin ?

Cybermen affected by the Cerebration Mentor, an emotion enhancing device, went “mad”, although this could be because they either put too much fear into it, or simply because the fear caused the robotic parts to malfunction.  its a gun so not being killed by love its a gun so ‘science-fictiony’.

 They are not fighters, although they are capable of doing so against small numbers. Think of the classic Cyberman kill: they sneak up on someone before delivering a powerful, spine-shattering blow. It isn’t really until The Invasion that we see them attacking an opposing force, and that force outnumbers and defeats them. 
 UNIT manage to successfully attack and destroy an alien threat for the first time,Baptism by fire and now packing gold tipped and Teflon bullets

 

Why us?, Mondas was Earths twin are planet us humans there twin were perfect genetic material and resources for them the perfect Cyber fodder

possibly their best story is a Big Finish audio-play called Spare Parts that was an influence on the 2006 storyline Rise of the Cybermen. the origin story of the race and had the perfect Doctor for the story in the fifth Doctor 

we have yet to dig really deeply into the inherent tragedy of the Cybermen. We’ve seen that Steve Moffat can use them well, turning them into nightmarish creatures with metallic tentacles and endless backup systems which is completely in-keeping with their overwhelming instinct to survive. and the fact the head alone is all that’s needed to take you and make you like them was frightening

Brilliant as that scene was it was not a whole story, and that is something that fans have been craving for years on screen. 

It did get a bit silly and loose there meaning in the 80s, 

Earthshock is a good story and outing for them ,5 Drs there little more than cannon foder but so cool to watch you never tire of that scene with the raston robot for a kid it is beyond awesome ,robots battling killing one another it has even found its way to pop art and canvas prints in select clubs restaurants shops etc stills from that

and Attack of the Cybermen  is a replay of the old classic 60s Cyber stories Invasion and tomb, minus the style and quality  the originals had , nice visuals tho but really poor quality low low budget tired ,and the mash up of the suits showing age and wear not looking quite as good as they did first time (result from off the cuff resprays in Wales during five Dr’s shoot so clear parts became painted)

the one special mention here is ,”what the feck is Silver Nemesis about “? ,Indiana Jones Recycling?, Nazis looking for a magical artifact which will give them ultimate power, juvenile sidekick , 

A meteorite crashes with a huge explosion, three policemen are killed, two skinheads are mugged, criminal damage is done to a tearoom, and a pitched battle is fought between neo-Nazis and Cybermen right next door to one of Britain’s premier tourist attractions (Windsor Castle) and the part-time residence of the Head of State and Commonwealth. Why hasn’t the army been called in? ? or very least U.N.I.T who’s job it is for alien incursions

 A bunch of Cybermen a whole fleet thousands of ships up in space (now with cloaking technology) and they want a powerful metal statue so they can conquer the Galaxy ? eh not very Cyber is it?,  

The Cybermen’s operatives are run by cassette tape, like an old Commodore 64. There’s something pleasing about that big 80s earphones as well

 “He’s God. Obviously he’s God but he messes it up. That’s why he can travel through space and time. That’s why he comes among us trying to put it right.”

 Writer Kevin Clarke’s interpretation of the character of the Doctor, anticipating Russell T. Davies by some 17 years.

Hence, presumably, the Nemesis being named for, and linked to, the Greek goddess of retribution. 

“This is no madness, ‘tis England!”Credit where it’s due, that’s a great line.

 Although  the Doctor wears a fez, beating Matt Smith to the punch by twenty-one years 

Cybermen cant go near toch gold ,going just a little to far with this gimick here and point a Geiger counter device at it “Gold” they wail and step back in fear

there is the  irony of the fact that the no-Nazis are all armed with Uzis ,that makes me smile 

 Here is a bunch of emotionless logical machine creatures, true cyborgs driven by there computer brains and logic ,and here we have the Cyberleader played by David Banks giving it all he’s got head to foot in a Cyber suit, so uses his voice and hand gestures and body language to express himself,one thing Cybermen would never do but it is fun to watch, if a little cheesy, but you can’t deny that the designs of Earthshock (1982) still hold up well today

‘When the tower is in our hands, he will be…’ *Slow Fist Clench* ‘dramatic pause ,…destroyed.’

NEMESIS cybership

The Cybermen, “Cybusmen” returned on a parallel Earth this time, we assume the Mondasian Cyber race is out there in cosmos somewhere ( cool to have the old ones and these so nothing to judge against and really don’t have to like as your cybers are still out there somewhere), but the parallel Cybers are much the same taking over people to become more like them a new race some story’s struggling to survive
And a new look little to Robocop with huge clunking suit flares and huge cuffs ,again don’t look at there feet , but a nice helmet design ,At their best, the Cybermen designs reflect the subconscious body-horror fears of whatever era they’re in. The first Cybermen, with their clunky half-fabric half-metal suits, reflect fears of  the new limb and organ replacement ; late-Sixties Cybermen, with their helmets mindless autonomy leg braces and space travel fears, and the Eighties Cybermen, with their rugged Apple Mac acorn BBC computer atari style early PC look the total control of IT,
 What the hell are the cybusmen body suits ?, a mishmash of Iron Man, the Terminator, Robocop and a Pet Shop Boys video,what there meant to reflect, is a total mystery.

Massively overused early-21^st-century sci-fi cliches, zeppelins as normal mode of transport, evil corporate tycoons, omniscient surveillance society extending everywhere, the dangers of mobile telephony. etc run through the New Cyber stories so kinda redeeming the 80s Cheese
How can you have a “maximum deletion”? Either you’re deleted or not, make up your mind

But i do like Cybermen  ,so much so i got one of these to do ,its  full size and I’m sure ill blog as i do it its a great piece visually impacting on the wall and very intimidating and been commented on several times usually a “Cool” or a “Whats that its horrible” gets worse when i explain briefly what it is or what its for ,to see this helmet is to to see death as this is your destiny to be like them

This now i think is a timeless design the 80s helmet and suit, it has been seen everywhere and used endlessly for them in design and pictures models toys etc so now i think has gotten to be timeless classic this is one design you can show anyone and they know what it is ,at the time inspired by other SCI FI (Imaginearing prop company working on such things as Alien etc) but in a way took the design and made it Who

Their starting position is always one of weakness,but there not to be underestimated or trifled with 
If in the corner of your eye you see something small ,silver dart in a dark corner ,be afraid

scale model TARDIS 3

Well as i left you in antici………..pation

onto

 dusting /buffing

1988 mk 1 with added blocks to hold walls in place

I now decided to turn my attention to creating a dusty look on the Tardis 


This involves pastels (another technique i picked up ) scraping with a scalpel the grey pastel i got a powder in a small pile on my pallet,with this like in the video i applied it in a dusting top to bottom motion using a old soft brush and did small amounts and layered it up( observe the results under different lights including outside in daylight which i forgot to do so it was originally to much ) making sure i got all recesses and step and nooks on the roof in the detail anywhere dust could fall and form (personally think this really ads realism to the model of the prop) it had a added bonus of evening out my paint work ,i worked access off with a really stiff brush

I repeated this on the windows and as well as grey i used Gold Ochre 
end result has been a nice weathered natural dusty look from storage out on filming basically in use as a active prop

ok little over exposed here, we have had some really bright sunny days but you should get the idea and see all techniques used thus far

hopefully can see the preshading still with added shadows recess discolours  from the various washes  and the  grey dust cover (all been done really subtle as I’m working in 13 scale and didn’t want to drown it nor detract from the overall look effect of the box ) and colour pastel brush
Also should see the windows now done i like how the pastel wash pooled in the corners ,looks like its dirt gathered over the years very nicely to me
yellow was chosen ,due to various colours the windows were again a pain with this prop theres so many looks from purple panes to clear to grey ,but theres pretty much always been a yellow tinge and in research i found this is due to the cobex it was made from it is like GRP inherently yellow that and added fact of dirt and filth i thought a combo of grey yellow would work although it sounds wrong

Wet Pastels

I moved on to the wet pastels technique. This technique calls for the mixing of black and brown pastels with Tamiya thinner and applying this mix around locks handles , bolts, along seams, crevices and some shadow areas. This is a favourite technique used by Japanese modellers and is highly effective in accentuating shadow areas.
I did this with charcoal and brown pastel
I dipped my ’00’ brush into Tamiya thinner (and some water)  then into the pastels. I mixed the pastels until they diluted in the thinner and then I drew the brush along cracks, seams and around door handles and locks   
This has started to now bring the model to life for me 
now I’m onto  paint chipping flaking to show the layer or a  layer of paint under the original (Will be lighter shade) like seen on the prop after much use and between touch ups and a lot on the base with grey to realy show the wear on the base having been the main area in contact with the ground, actors boots, being buried in the ground on location etc
I will also add this to the corner posts mainly to show where it has been handled on location filming etc,
oh and use reference photos to death

 

Scale model Tardis 2

I remember drawing colouring in this box many times, i liked how it was blue and dirty “Like my bike” 
Now a cynical Adult i see it as the best prop ever ,Details abound from 3 step roof to steps above the doors to the quadrants on the posts etc  , colours (Even when almost black with filth) , shape size geometry ,being GRP Fiberglass so easy to transport , its look  in general and profile  its the business s far as a TARDIS in the guise of a Police Box go’s


so you can guess i wanted /want one 
then here comes CO and half attempt then i got stuck in 

I went for less TARDIS on TV and more prop so even did the S18 19 back doors also seen in ghost light 

She is generic based on look of S18/19 &  S25 /26 overall look of the TARDIS  as this is basically what she did look like with moments in between of extreme dirt or overly bright flat finishes so with a decade of looks i chose something just TARDIS with the flat small lamp

construction and begining

so now my kit has been take apart and i have added details like the top of the wall devide going above the sign boxes and now added a new lamp and shorter base for the lamp and shorter base for the box 
Next i added detail to simulate 22o angle on the panels and windows and sanded all moulded texture off 
I also then took to the lintels (Police box signs) and extended them the correct length after measuring and marking them out adding some plasticard to the length for support and backing and then this was filled in and using tools for detail shaped the frame
i then liberally covered it in model filler like squadron putty and with a technique i leaned added thinners to allow it to run sooth and into cracks this was sanded several times then all imperfections dealt with until end result was a flat smooth grp (fiberglass) looking box 


i base coat with Halfords grey primer ,sanded it and resprayed several times with windows and phone  panel masked off (i wanted to retain current sign as was manufactured and was relatively accurate for the box i was doing also liked the look of it ) 

preshadeing 

pre-shade the entire box in black. Generally, I would apply my base paint right to plastic. However, this step is a means of making the tone of the surface colour uniform all-over. I used Tamiya Black TS14 out of an aerosol can. It is important to paint lightly and make certain to reach all of the little nooks and crannies. Let it dry and repeat with another light coat of same and essentially, you are left with a kit which has been completely obliterated with thin layers of black paint and not one bit of the grey primer is showing through. 

Once this had completely dried, I painted in Dulux wild water thinned down with water and done with a almost dry brush  each layer was applied lightly, once the previous coat had dried. 

This essentially produces a definitive blue colour on flat surfaces whilst leaving corners and shadows with an almost black dark blue tone. 

This is the result of less base paint reaching those hard to get areas, and is a very desirable effect. Hence, the pre-shade of black paint with blue applied, on top, in light coats created a visual tonal contrast between highlights and shadows. When this was completely dry, I turned my attention to  ‘filter’ techniques described in several  Military Modelling articles. 

I covered select areas in thinners (testors) to break the surface tension  and then set about painting it (very diluted in thinners.) Humbrol enamel matt blue 26  making sure to evenly cover the entire kit. Once the filter had dried, it left a nice overall darker tone to the surface ready for weathering 

Pin Wash 

After dry brushing entire model in my chosen shade of wild water prussian blue and white i decided to start to pin wash the lighter Tardis colour
It’s another thing i read on various military and scale modelling web sites and forums this addressed a issue i had of not wanting to spoil my kit by drowning it n a wet wash all over but get the shadows and dirt in there that i wanted

essentially a games workshop acrylic black and flat earth brown mixed and thinned with water restricting this to all of the nooks and crannies and seam lines with an ’00’ brush. 
The kit was beginning to take on a nice weathered look. In fact, the filter combined with the pin wash  greatly enhanced the look of the finish and dry brush on top finished it off nicely

 I then took my acrylic art paint set in tubes and I re-applied yet another pin wash around some of the locks handles and  bolts with Burnt Sienna mixed with water to further accentuate the details

I let this dry for about two days in a dust-free  box for a few days as it was very wet that cold feel thats damp and takes ages to dry

and then did nothing for longer than i planned and xmas came went and got on with life and now im back at the kit again 

and researching again (see never stops) and came across on the modelling forums a man gos by the name of scale model medic and a video on you tube and watched his techniques and one really struck me 

Buff Dust Treatment 

I now decided to turn my attention to creating a dusty look on the Box from being in those dark dusty corners of prop storage, and left in dusty locations and warehouses/ deserts fields /quarys/road sides etc .

This was a return to art school and lots of chalk charcoal and pastels and the death of a lot brushes  

 

for now enjoy this informative video

 

 

 

The Third Doctor

Enjoyed reviewing the 7th Doctor so i thought after watching “The Carnival of Monsters” (to catch up ,get up to speed with CO latest toy releases,just got seeds of doom and others to cover ) id cover another Dr
One i remember as a child at 9 or 10 in his video “Death to the Daleks” i liked him he was different his style was unique even as a child this Doctor stood out as something all together different he was as i remember exciting and still is,and i loved his console room i remember finding it erie, it has become my favorite console if not favorite room that belonging to the 4th and 5th Dr’s version
A protector is how id some him up, and he will take physical action if necessary not in a crude way ,unlike the sixth Dr thugishly beating up opponents or killing them while smiling and with quip remarks but with class and style. Venusion aikido, that looks like real world  ju jitsu and judo (Probably something Jon himself practiced at sometime in his numerous activities )

This was a Five year era that gave us the Barry  Letts /Terrance .Dicks team (with Bob Holmes writing stories and creating many iconic villains) ,that was iconic and fundamental to shaping the program to be succeeded by Phillip Hinchcliffe /Bob Holmes team,  to form a truly golden era for Doctor who

John Devon Roland Pertwee (Pertwee is a modification of the original French Huguenot family name Perthuis de Laillevault), was born 7 July 1919 in Chelsea, London. His parents, Roland and Avice, divorced shortly after Jon’s birth; they had been living apart for some time and Jon was conceived on Armistice Day, 11 November 1918, when they had met up again by chance during the celebrations.
Jon and his older brother Michael remained with their father, who was a distinguished playwright, actor and novelist. Jon and Michael lived for a time with their Grandmother and their Uncle Guy at Caterham in Surrey, and then returned to live with their father in South Kensington after Roland remarried in 1927.


Jon was sent to Aldro boarding school in Eastborne at the age of seven, but was expelled for swinging on the lavatory chains Tarzan-style. Between schools, Jon visited a friend of his father’s, A.A. Milne, and met his son Christopher Robin Milne, who introduced him to his toys, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo and Winnie the Pooh.
http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv48/jonpertweealife.html

His Doctor seems to be a great big Grey area of haters and lovers, But there is a lot to like here, personal opinion aside you either personally do or don’t like a Doctor
The over use of CSO and poor effects. As far as the effects go, yes they were ropey ,but for a shoe string budget and the early 70’s id expect no less ,if anything the effects were pushed to there limits , but lets not forget Tom Baker and Peter Davisons era had their share of tacky effects – Underworld , Horns of Nimon, Warriors of the Deep, and the worse effects were seen in the late 80s that made theses effects look like high art ,and maybe CSO was slightly over used but then so now is CGI
A establishment figure hmmm ,Really ? he is stuck on Earth one planet in one time and he makes the most of it, you see many examples of him arguing with the the Brigadier or politicians, and frustrated at the establishment to go ahead and do it any way
He is a touch mysoginistic and chauvanistic. But that is as much a reflection of the age as it is the actor or the show and to be fare is perfectly acceptable ,this is no limp wristed jessie
They dared to change a formula by then 6 years old,

A show on the brink of cancellation as viewing figures had dropped and it was felt 6 years was long enough
gone was Dottie old man absent minded clown and something completely new  comes in
In a lot of ways was a program that was a sign of the times with carnaby street look  James Bond in films Adam adamant and other such shows as the Avengers on TV  and it changed as the time went on to being vastly different in its last two years
Much the same way as Peter Davison’s Dr was a sign of his times with the public school boy preppy style and the  era of the Yuppie that was around, and films like chariots of fire and on TV in brides head revisited etc

The surprise was with discussion with the new producer Barry Letts , he was to play it strait as he later recalled “I was asked to play the part as Jon Pertwee ,and i had no idea who he was “
 And it worked Pertwees love of Gadgets vehicles and action was a perfect mix ,and the Man loved his clothes as can be seen again in his role all frills,silk ,satin and velvet & bow ties and cravats (This was 1969 to 1974), it was a totally bold new stroke for the character
He had an identity in the role ,that was as was asked for totally Jon Pertwee and the viewing figures and appreciation for Doctor Who grew under his tenure in the TARDIS,
 Pertwee is definitely one of the best Doctors  ,why ?

 The man himself is the first factor. Jon Pertwee is an obvious choice to play the Time Lord.
 Jon Pertwee was a man of considerable talents prior to working for the BBC, he had been a circus performer doing stunts on the wall of death with a motorbike , stunt driver (raced anything that had a engine) loved diving swimming skiing anything physical  and served in the Royal Navy
 Tall with a young old handsome face , with a shock of white gray hair he looked the part
So to cast a comedic Actor who was well known in the industry and had done a wide variety of parts , from Shakespeare,repertoire west end plays  to comedy on the radio films such as Hammer Horror ,Carry on films and much more , it came as no surprise that he was chosen to play the Doctor

I am fortunate to have met Jon several times and found him the consummate performer and entertainer a true showman ,he was polite friendly and always made time for the fans
He stopped to take time to talk to me  when he didn’t have to, and as i got older and met him again i found him genuine sincere and approachable

To start with .His era had a bold new Idea of having the Doctor stranded on Earth that was a fresh  look with the occasional visit on behalf of the Timelord’s to outer space, (although he spent less time on Earth that the Doctor has since his return in 2005 ),but then the 3rd Dr’s last 2 years were copied by the first two years of Doctor who with Drs 9 & 10 out to space or in time then back to U.NI.T, HQ or jackies flat with both Dr’s a trip to parallel Earth

U.N.I.T ,Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart ,one of the best characters in the program,
it was a good idea, the Dr is stranded and uses his knowledge to get a place to live and work on his TARDIS, to have Earth defended by a arm of the British military purpose set up for the unexplained ,pre-dating x files and such like ,so more action and thrills for the kids to cheer to and enjoy the adventures of a Dr that was, is instantly more identifiable
There was also the ‘Mystery’ element the puzzle the Doctor had to work out  searching out clues and putting it together to form the bigger picture
This gave the program a whole new life not seen before or since totally new fresh look like starting over
 the fact it is more scary to see Monsters on earth coming out of the wood work so to speak,
you thought it was safe to go in the sea then out pops a race of creatures who live under it and want to kill you, (This years before Jaws) under the Earth is a race of Creatures that see us as the invaders, the infestation to be wiped out ,and these are not even alien invaders ,the mundane bent towards death and destruction like daffodils or dolls or gargoyles or shop dummies coming to life to kill you, this has been often tried many times in Dr Who and other programs and films since
(This era was a perfect spring board for yet another completely different change of direction in the cosmos striding fourth doctor )
His era built on the mythos of the Doctor introducing Omega one of the founding fathers ,the planets name Gallifrey the Timelords the president  the first multi Doctor story
 The fact that his era had a majority of the best monsters and  introduced new legendary ones , Auton’s,Sea Devils, Silurians, Ogrons, Draconians, Sontarans……. the Master, Single greatest Villain for the Doctor ever, played here believable and scary and sinister and very smooth by Roger Delgado
Only regret he never faced the Cybermen i feel this is a really missed opportunity, what he, his Dr could of done with a good U.N.I.T story against the silver giants from Mondas

The small, but important, fact that he regularly changed his outfit for a new look , he had some of the best title sequences and season 11 titles is still one of my favorites
,Liz Shaw the boffin scientist in his first season, Jo Grant is easily one of the best companions, and introducing the legend that has become  Sarah Jane Smith in his final year on the program
His era is worth watching and not dismissing to quickly, theres something to be enjoyed here.

Jon Pertwee returned to the role of the Third Doctor several times in the eighties and nineties. In 1983, he appeared in the twentieth anniversary television special The Five Doctors, and in 1989 again played the Doctor, this time on stage in Doctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure. In 1993 he appeared on screen once more as the Third Doctor in the two part charity skit Dimensions in Time, and also played the Doctor on radio for the five-part audio Doctor Who story The Paradise of Death. The success of that production led to a sequel, the six part The Ghosts of N-Space, made in November 1994 but not transmitted until early 1996. Jon made appearances at numerous Doctor Who conventions, invariably appearing in a version of the Third Doctor’s costume which he’d had made especially for such occasions.

Doctor who -Toy Stories

 thought i would use this as my personal repository and toy box and some what catalogue ,while having fun along the way


so this post will be pics of settings and scenes of my Who toy’s enjoy ill update as new stuff comes in and a brief sentence of what’s what 

The Tardis 05

Like the Character Options Box i enhanced modified and improved the console room play-set and finished it off it is now in situation of the “Who Store” Blackpool permanently on display 

The TVM 7th/8th Doctors Tardis 

Brachaki refit 66/76

Death to the Daleks 

TARDIS signs

hello there been a while ,did you miss me ?
thought i would post on the upcoming 7th Dr box 
needs new signs desperately okies ,this is my project,i will acurize it 
I have one given to me  for my birthday this  to me is the newbury refit, just wrong walls thats all & staying mint in box
 one i am buying will look a little like this

nice huh ?

THATS what a 80s box should look like, personally going for a older weathered look 

so hack base down new lamp new paint and………. new signs

Season 19 box 

not sure whats going on here,a sign stuck on roughly and crudely hacked away to blend it in to the wood top board ?,its the back doors before they switched permanently round to front being back and back being the front due to damage 
 The box seems twisted barely 2 years old and knackered  wow thats tatty 
 this box did obviously get a overhaul after this season as it changes somewhat although is left to go into a dishevelled state as seen in collin baker’s costume shots and in peters last story and famous “Caves of Androzani “episode ,
well gives you room to manoeuvre and know you cant go to wrong 

Season 22

More the look im going for ,lived in ,I do like the signs here light against darker box  maybe a little to thick on the frame put there to hide some considerable damage and repairs , which is not uncommon for things to be patched up off the hoof 
 and that colour is awful ill keep mine blue , recently informed this is infect genuine filth and dirt not a paint job 

not entirely sure which “police box” signs im using probably one of these two,but ill alter tone etc before i print off 
there is room for manoeuvre here considering the sheer changes from season to season and even episode to episode 
Take into account also the recast there was another box and this obviously was far less tatty
 but as per BBC protocol got damaged dirty and dishevelled at a alarming rate 

it is from McCoy 25th season we have the infamous electric blue really bright TARDIS as seen in “Silver Nemesis” a mistake rectified but due to broadcast release being different to the filming the box does change shades every episode 
and also at one time pink which was repainted over the top 


Phone panel well it does change to “all” instead of “Urgent” and the font on some panels changes part way ala the new panel but hardly definitive Y.J 80s box phone panel ,so im going for that definitive look


also handles,interesting one this ,and this comes with a geek alert,
The handles were black or painted black from wherever they got them from but were actually silver metal 





looking at “State of decay” and there season 18 story’s and looking right up to McCoy there black .
At some points there painted blue obviously at same time the box was painted BBC hardly renowned for there deftness of touch but there black 
in fact in some stores like Decay you can see the blacks worn off and the silver is strongly evident 
so i got a wide variety here to consider as cant change my handles every week so black ,silver , blue handles 
this is going to be interesting and ill need to do some tests see how to effect this properly  

This is most certainly the phone panel i will use it has “IT” and i like the font all one all the way baskerville or times 🙂


So that’s it for now, a upcoming project thought i would share some of my ideas insight to some of my thinking more on the project as it trundles along 

Renovation of the Daleks pt2

well im done with the Dalek, Davros his skirt will have to be repainted another time, 
here’s some pic’s hope you like took  time getting there but worth it in the end 
been hard ,56 Hemis are a nightmare freehand ,and inserting neck rods stripped paint off them ,cue hectic eleventh hour rush to fine brush and repaint 
but im pleased with the results 
this is the finished Sevans Dalek and Davros renovated and ready to rule supreme ,on my display shelf 🙂

Not to shabby huh ?, certainly a mix of bits ,Warning gets geeky here on in,
The original skirt AARU movie shoulders BBC neck and standard dome for a generic 70’s Dalek ,What more could you ask ?


It has lights working on the dome (need a 4/4 timer circuit for flashing ) and it has either a 2 or four part arm extension, ala AARU Daleks for the complete fascist salute 
The eye disks are medium small medium ala Pertwee and T Baker 
the eye ball is standard later variant rather than defined toffe apple of the 60s  it’s Black parts are mix of gloss and satin including the gun rods 

Dr Frankenstein and his monster

well there he is, Davros “Lord and creator of the Dalek race” 
This to me screams “Genesis of the Daleks” mk3 travel machine ,or ultimate battle tank ,with mutated alien with only hate for a emotion logic to think with ? you decide 




Davros skirt needs re doing acrylics or gouache haven’t decided ,but i do know i need a break 
they look good if old and surprising how well they all fitted back together 
testament to there age Davros white parts yellowing significantly ,plastic getting a little thin 
so in this renovation it was braced and reinforced as and where possible with scrap plastic, board card and p38 car filla ,best paints that you can buy ,and actually used on the full sized props (Davros hemis are done with a silver car touch up pen) so here is hoping they last another 25 years 

Thank you for the days

I want to sit a minute right here and tell you about one of my first loves,

DAPOL

The 1980s were largely devoid of any Doctor Who toys until 1987 model makers Dapol (Dapol was formed by Dave and Pauline Boyle hence the name Dapol) launched their range of Doctor Who toys.

In 1994, while the company was moving to its  location at Llangolen in North Wales, a huge fire destroyed the old site at Winsford  Manchester , and large quantities of products were destroyed. including moulds for there TARDIS console, Llangolan  also hosted the ‘BBC Doctor Who Experience’ exhibition until 2003,Dave Boyle went on to run the Doctor Who exhibition in Blackpool until its closure in 2010

Dapol were particularly good at making inaccurate toys, and these included an infamous five-sided TARDIS console, a two-handed Davros and a green K9.

But that’s not the important bit that is just company stat’s,no what’s important is these were Doctor Who toys ,no more using Star Wars figures as a substitute (although the bespin Luke as Dr 5 did make a return i recall) actual Dr Who figures the nearest i had ever come was to my Dennis Fisher Dr 4

Now here in “3 1/2  glory were ACTION FIGURES of my favorite show on TV ,Over the planet zog bet your sweet pippy i was 

I played for hours and hours in the Garden up a mountain in Wales (5 Dr s never seemed so real) my imagination ran riot    

 well this move I have come cross a rather special box that caused my eyes to well up and my stomach to not, my beloved Dapol who figures 

These to me are what the original Star Wars figures are to Star Wars fans ,

Yes we have the all singing all dancing shiny bells and whistles variety from Character Options but these are the originals you might say 

And like the aforementioned figures of that other franchise these are special ,stiff limited movement likeness is ropey but there kids toys there fun   that’s exactly what they were made to be and they do it with aplomb,Retro ? certainly now they have the “Kitsch” value.

I look back as a jaded bitter adult and say inaccurate rubbish,  but hang on the last Dalek story for Dapol as the program went off air in 89 was remembrance and look there copying THAT style not bad considering  (and have looked at the all new Imperial from CO and thought it looks like a Dapol Dalek) and only time, so far you can get a classic console (officially )

This Puppy right here Dr Who 25th anniversary set ,this was a Birthday present my Dad went to the factory in winsford to collect and saw a “12 Dr 7 that never happened , and i went to see “Doctor Who “The Ultimate adventure” at Manchester Opera house staring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor (a Man i would meet a good few times like a respect a great deal ,and to think it all started with a VHS of “Death to the Daleks”) 

Love i adored it TARDIS inside and out,Dr Mel and K9 wasn’t to sure who K9 was only read about him in books (ah the innocent world of the none digital age where you went to the library and actually got out and read a book )

Dr 7 has a pet dog ? cool i was up for that it was green ,? Like i cared ,pull it back it go’s forward so this was me set for many a happy hour and my Parents well deserved quiet 

actually now i think about it i remember pulling the K9 back and forward to wind the mechanism ,fine,but scored my mums mahogany table in the dining room in the process (Hard plastic front wheel) ,I remember  one of my Daleks melting as i t was to near my nan’s coal fire (my first exterminated Dalek)  oh happy innocent days 

I remember baiting my poor mother further by using her nail varnish to help make a Dr 5 one of my earliest who memories is a wall with a face and Dr 5 so had to have one cue Dr7 and some paints ,now where’s dads humbrols ????

Any one remember the Star Bird space ship toy ? the one you switch on point up made a acceleration noise point down deceleration noise light up firing lasers on the front removable front?

say hello to my Dalek and Cyberman war machines  oh yes the Starbird and the Big Trak (Programmable roving robot no less and firing proton cannon ) these carried my armies into battle fuelled with the offerings of the Americana marvel comics (Loved the werewolf one,and my summer special the iron legion) and the books Target in particular sort to fuel my fevered imaginings 

These served as my fleet ,Frontier in space novel done with ? want to relive the Draconian police ship and the earth and draconian battles no problem 

I remember taping my figures to the Big Trak never seen a Cyber army go into battle like it the trailer with Daleks tipped out on the patio rolling around deployed to destroy
George Lucas and episode one, battle tanks and droids ,small fry doing it as a kid 

so i present to you the grand offerings of my once mighty Dapol army (Master, K9 grey & Black are somewhere else tucked away) (The soldier is from another set i collected Action Force who served well as my UNIT force and there vehicles ) and hope dear reader somewhere you to have fond memories of golden summers and rainy afternoons 

                               

Renovation of the Daleks pt1

Well this weekend was busy one for me,
moment of financial madness not got the money for it but sod it had shopping spree in halfords ,how exciting well it was for a 8 yr project as in 8 yrs waiting and this recent move (mentioned in a previous log entry) was found my old Sevans Dalek and it was frankly a mess the skirt was good (I take pride in my seam work, and good seam work demands a high degree of stability between neighboring parts. Without that, a little bit of flexi can introduce cracks in your carefully-sanded putty paint etc . So I’ve reinforced each panel with styrene strips so skirt is solid  ) the dome fine the neck ok but the rods were snapped or missing and the shoulders woooooooooooooooo
Bad Bad Bad the boxes holding appendages was bust crumpled generally completely knackered so new everything slats mesh the lot BIG job would barely make a exterminated version as it looks now


Tool Time 🙂 Love that show

Although the Sevans range of self-assembly model kits originally emerged in 1984  mine is from 1991 and is a bit of Hybrid of kit parts ,some older 80’s bits and newer bits i also have Davros MK1 Micheal Wisher version,
The original models were nigh-on impossible to assemble and took the average model maker several weeks or even months to put together. The 1990s models were simplified and made easier to assemble.   But barely not a lot changed still vac formed plastic of various thickness and you had a lot of assembly including each skirt panel and part to individually cut and glue while carefully removing it from the sheet of other parts in the plastic, and usually this involved a Stanly knife gaffer tape and a large bottle of plastic weld  
 these are 12″ high and 1/5 scale
 The Dalek kit retailed for around £16 (with inflation that’ll be the equivalent of around 30 quid now).
 


  so i went shopping new Car mesh some plasticard thin flexible type and oooooooo look here “Rover tempest Grey” i heard about this on Dalek forums and these guys n gals are Legion about Daleks i have often believed there are Doctor Who fans and then there are Dalek fans and this they go on about being right for the Genesis aka 70s Dalek and i read somewhere used on K9 to (The latter bit of  information would come back to Haunt )
As i looked and decided to work out what it was i was doing i noticed the skirt now removed on its own and remembered making it ,There appears to be a problem with the four panels that sit right at the front of the skirt: basically, the top contour of the frame for these panels doesn’t match the bottom contour, so to install the panels you need to  twist em ,which i didnt know at the time is actually how a original shawcraft skirt was so its a 60s skirt that made my mind up, movie shoulders ,The BBC props were by the 70s a mixed affair part original part Movie Dalek(Given to the BBC were movie Daleks for use with there TV counterparts) and BBC touch ups well there is one plain gun eye and sucker for BBC bits so why not a bit of the movie to ? que research into movie shoulders and i deided BIG big shoulder bands as the props were bigger and have the full length mesh slats

 OK so stripped Sanded and prepped luckily i still have all original sevans paper work so was able to use the template for shoulders mesh and bands and old slat as template for the slats


then i sprayed and oh WOW what a grey perfection ! i can see why they rave on and on about it great stuff looks brilliant dark and just ,Grey < no added colours the CO version has blue in it this is just Grey

also i have now re-clad remade the boxes out of a cigarette packet card was perfect thickness and some deft scalpel work 2 new boxes done and ready   


one time later i am now at the wait let cure and start affixing appendages i picked the gun up and it promptly fell in half  ,whats that saying that rhymes with cat ?
so dremmel out drill it and somehow the ball joint ,insert rod and use aroldyte and now im at the waiting praying and curing stage next is acrylic black for neck (Nice and matt) and enamel black (just enough of a sheen) for hemis fender and sucker and eye