Nosferatu

Nosferatu can be best described as NOT-Dracula.  When the film was made (1921) a few details were changed to make it different from Bram Stoker's story - not enough though!  In a very early example of intellectual property rights being applied to the cinema, Stoker's estate sued.  The studio went bankrupt and all prints of the film were ordered to be destroyed.   Fortunately some survived, and the film is now recognised as a masterpiece of German Expressionism as well as having provided some genre-defining images.

Max Schreck, 1921

Kinski, 1979

The film was remade by Werner Herzog in 1979 as Nosferatu the Vampyre, with Klaus Kinksi in the title role and there was even a very funny 'making-of' film Shadow of the Vampire made in 2000, featuring Jonn Makovich, Willem Dafoe and Eddie Izzard.

Defoe, 2000

These three films are among my wife's favourites, so when I spotted a pack of Nosferatu at a recent show I snapped it up.  They're 28mm from West Wind and come as a pack of four (I've just realised that, and need to find the fourth!).

So, in true genre fashion, I've left the big reveal until quite late...

Dr Who Wednesday #7

Shiny!

As contrary to my intentions my Painting Challenge submissions have had a distinct Dr Who theme* I needed to restock the lead pile.  Accordingly, I bought these BTD figures when they came up on eBay.

*The Wife:  "Are we ever going to get to play that Frostgrave game?  Where are my wizards?"

Yetis

Ice Warriors

I didn't realise until I started priming them, but one of the Ice Lords has been converted, giving a variant.  I may nominate him as a Grand Marshall or Supreme Lord.

Painting

The fillip that the Painting Challenge throws up worked its magic and the Yetis were soon painted,

I didn't want to go for the proper colours (which make me think of honey bears), but instead did a simple  job, with dry-brushing in various shades of brown.  They'll also do as generic furries in other games.

The 'proper' colour scheme

Patrick T gets in touch with his Inner Yeti

With the bases, I wanted to represent their origins in the wild Snowdonian Tibetan valleys.  Not being able to find any rhododendron leaves to scale, I instead went for bleak tufts and heather.

It seems that Yetis have a nemisis...

"OK boyos!  Back to the hills!"

Secondly, a stray Cyberman who escaped the bunch I submitted for the Nostalgia Round.  He too is from BTD.

And finally, I submitted one of the ever-popular Weeping Angels*.  This was one of a bag of mixed figures I picked up in a charity shop.  I think they were freebies with Doctor Who Monthly.  The Angels were an odd soft plastic which didn't take paint particularly well.  It left them quite sticky (which in hindsight made static grass a rather poor basing choice!)

* Only one of these three was started and completed during the challenge.

Coming Soon! (I Hope...)

Terrain Tuesday #12

Sadly, my intention of submitting my Gurt Big Castle for the Defensive Terrain round of the Painting Challenge came to naught.  However it is primed, so we might see it in future terrain updates.

First up this week is a nice resin piece that I got in a box set with some other terrain and snake-warriors.  I really don't remember the manufacturer.

I've used it in the past in Lost World and Dino-Hunting games.  But now need not feel worried about its resin-y nakedness.

Secondly, another ancient damaged statute.  This time more Frostgrave-y.

The statute itself is one of the large plastic kit-figures that came with Doctor Who Adventures in Jan 2014 (oddly enough, they've got around to using them again for the current issue).  The plinth I picked up more recently.

In other news...

My entry for the L'Amour bonus round of the challenge will feature terrain, so there's that to look forward to.

APC Update - Why the Cardinal? Caution: Footnotes

Well, because nobody expects...

No seriously, my second submission to the APC was a 28mm metal figure from Black Pyramid Gaming - their Prof Stanton Brook.

Professor

He's obviously based on the Sydney Paget illustration of Prof Moriarty for the Strand Magazine, and that's why I bought him, but on handling the figure I was immediately put in mind of this chap from my youth.

Archbishop

This is Henry Edward Manning (1808-1892), Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, and I somewhat perversely decided that I wanted him in miniature.

The expected question was asked - "From your youth?  How old are you Edwin?"  No, I don't remember Manning, but I did spend quite a lot of time reading about him. (1)  So much time that I even considered submitting him as my entry to the Nostalgia bonus round. (2)

1  He was the subject of my Master's degree.
2  But decided that was too self-referential and obscure.

Enough about me.  What about the figure?

Whether the criminal mastermind has decided to disguise himself as Dr Manning, or whether - more shockingly! - His Eminence is himself the Napoleon of Crime will have to be the subject of further investigation.  It is however an odd co-incidence that Manning's death occurred mere months after Moriarty's supposed demise in Switzerland...

The base. again, is one I won from RayR.  I have tried to catch M's cadaverous pallor and broke the monotony of clerical black with some uncanonically grey gloves.(3)  You mayor may not be able to spot the purple bib.

3 I'm sure you all remember the story about John Henry Newman donning grey trousers in 1845...

I titled the submission to the APC 'Eminent Victorian'.  This is of course a pun on Manning's position as a Prince of the Church, but also a reference to Lytton Strachey iconoclastic book of the same name. (4)  Some of you (5) will immediately think "By gad!  He's going for a full set!".  Yes, I've already done one of Strachey's victims subjects - I only need Florence Nightingale and Thomas Arnold and I'll have a crime-busting quartet the pantheon of Victorian respectability.

4  Of course, he was using the same joke - weak minds think alike.
5  I'm looking at you Mr Awdry.

APC Update - Leg It! It's the Filth!

Evenin' All!

Last week was a bit of a lost zone as regards painting.   My self-imposed aim of entering each of the bonus rounds in the APC didn't even stretch to the second one, which was (no irony intended) Epic Fail.  It's a shame really, as I'd intended to use the French Foreign Legion's attempt to turn Laurel and Hardy into part of a crack fighting force.  However, the Defensive Terrain project is faring better - at least it has been primed!

However, over the weekend I managed to do three figures to contribute to Team Monday's efforts (Yay, Go Mondays!).

The first were Sgt Bung and PC Savage, two representatives of those fine boys in blue - the Berkshire Constabulary.

They're 28mm metal figures from Ainsty Casting's Aggro range and are ideal for anyone who wants to game on the streets of 1970s or 1980s Britain.  Soviet invasions or zombie outbreaks spring to mind, but for me they're more likely to be Yeti-bait in Dr Who games.

The bases are some I was lucky enough to win on a blog give-away run by RayR.

They're nice sculpts, and I''m tempted to get some more of the range.

And here's a treat for those of you who remember the '80s

Dr Who Wednesday #6

At last some miniatures painted!

For the Nostalgia bonus round of the Analogue Painting Challenge I went Dr Who and submitted these boys...

Loyal readers of this blog are rewarded with a better photo than
that submitted to the APC

Cybermen of course.  These are from BTD - their 'Earthshock'* version, with the exception of the one I've painted up as the Cyberleader, who is an earlier model.  They were something of a rush job and I'm quite unhappy with the basing - indeed there is a seventh where the basing all fell off as I tried to paint it before the glue dried (I told you it was a rush job, didn't I?).  He'll appear later in the Challenge with other odd Who figures.

*Poor old Adric - he never did get his end away...

The good news is that I found the Jon Pertwee figure that I'd lost!

And finally, just because,..

"Silver chap over there - five rounds rapid!"

Terrain Tuesday #11

Just a quick post this week as terrain takes the back burner due to the Painting Challenge.

However, I still keep my eyes open for bargains - like this little ceramic ornament I picked up in a local charity shop this morning for 50p...

Painting Challenge Update - Nostalgia Bonus Round In

Well, I've finally got around to submitting my first entry to the Painting Challenge!  I'm quite amazed at the productivity of who have already dropped major points bombs - I sincerely hope they don't get burnout.

I made the deadline for the Nostagia round by painting up a half dozen figures today - which for me is pretty quick work.  I'm not allowed to tell you anything about them (that'll have to wait until Dr Who Wednesday - wink, wink...) but they will be unveiled by Curt tomorrow (or given the number of entries, possibly the next day).

But I'm glad to have broken the duck.  These are the first figures I've painted in months, and it feels good.  This is why I enter the challenge - not for high scores, but because it gives me the incentive to paint.

As the Padre says - 'Blessings on your brushes'.

Thanks Secret Santa!

I had an lovely Christmas Day, and hope you all did too.

I'd like to state my public thanks to my Secret Santa.  Having read my Christmas wish-list (and I suspect my remarks about regretting not buying more Ainsty Castings scenery at the Hereward Show), he provided me with a bumper lot of Sci-Fi terrain in the hope it will come in for Doctor Who gaming.  It sure will!

But there's more!  Like a child given a horribly expensive present, or a cat given anything, I greatly admired the box it came in.  Secret Santa (or as I shall refer to him 'RR') had been cunning enough to do this...

Which means I can do this...

All I need is a hat-stand!

So a huge thank you to Santa, to his Gillingham Elf and, above all to Cath Willey for organising us all.

Dr Who Wednesday #5

Painting

Davros and the 18th Doctor for scale only...

I've not done much painting lately, but in order to get my brush in for the Analogue Painting Challenge I decided to do one of Ainsty Castings' splendid TARDIS consoles.  I think it came out quite well.

Google provided me with a dazzling amount of detail on the TARDIS control room(s).  It turns out that this configuration dates to the Fifth Doctor.  Just as well that I don't care about such things!

My plans for the Painting Challenge have a distinct Dr Who flavour.  So if you want to wallow around in Nostalgia* with Cybermen and Ice Warriors, stay tuned.  However I am distraught to say that I can't find my Jon Pertwee figure.  Alack, aloo!

*Other Challengers will get my drift...

Viewing

I have of course watched the end of the latest series.  I thought it came to a quite satisfactory end.*  The thought of Clara and Me whizzing around in their own TARDIS appeals - and it gave us a splendid homage to the original Control Room set, with the console in lime green and magnolia, looking like something from a 1950s nuclear power station!

*After all, the Doctor got rid of those ridiculous sonic sunglasses!

All-in-all my thoughts on the series that has just ended are positive.  High-lights to me were the use of Davros and all sorts of Dalek types in their two-parter and the reintroduction of Osgood.  The low-point was the Ashildr/Me arc - I just didn't warm to the character at all.

And we need more of Missy!

I'm not too sanguine about the Christmas special though - they've had a distressing tendency towards whimsy recently.  I'll let you know what I think next week.

I've also watched a couple of Tom Baker serials - 'Planet of Evil' and the 'The Android Invasion'.

The former was pretty ropy, but had some interesting design of the planet's jungle.  The inspiration for the monster was obviously 'Forbidden Planet'.

'Android Invasion' also steals from classic movies (in its case 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' - and I'm sure the bit about an astronaut being persuaded to lead an alien attack was done before).  It gets a bad going-over from on-line reviewers, but I quite enjoyed it - but's that always the case with episodes I watch and then realise I remember from my childhood!

It's a relatively rare Fourth Doctor/UNIT episode.  The absence of the Brigadier is palatable, and apparently it was the last appearance of Sgt Benson - both of which are a shame and, to my mind mark the end of UNIT's effectiveness.  Lis Sladen can do no wrong as Sarah Jane Smith of course.

And Finally...

A shout out for fellow blogger James Holloway.  Many of you will be familiar with his blogs, The Gonzo History Project and Gonzo History: Gaming Edition.  He has recently started a podcast in which he and a friend discuss episodes of Dr Who.  It can be heard here.  I recommend it.