Thursday 3 August 2017

Warlord Games Missy, Professor Yana and Chantho

I could have shown the Warlord Games figure of Missy when I reviewed my plastic Cybermen. After all, she was part of the boxed set that featured the Cybermen reinforcements. But I deliberately held back so that I could showcase her alongside Professor Yana and Chantho. These three characters do share a history as I'll explain.
At the left of these two photos are Chantho and Professor Yana. The kindly Professor Yana worked on the Utopia project at the end of the universe with his assistant, Chantho - a Malmooth whose every sentence started with "Chan" and ended with "Tho". However, Yana was actually the renegade Time Lord, the Master - his biology altered by Time Lord technology, the Chameleon Arch. When the Master discovered his true identity he fatally wounded Chantho with a live electric cable. In her final moments, Chantho managed to shoot the Master, triggering his regeneration as he stole away in the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS. The Master was once again unleashed upon time and space.
The Master makes numerous appearances in the Doctor Who TV series but it was in the 2014 episodes,  Dark Water and Death in Heaven that Missy revealed herself to be the latest regeneration of the Master or rather a female version of him, known as Missy, a shortened version of Mistress. This figure very faithfully captures the likeness of Michelle Gomez, who played Missy to such wonderful effect. Yes, I am a big fan of Missy.
Michelle Gomez maintained John Simm's (the previous Master) portrayal of the character, specifically the psychopathic behaviour and inappropriate emotional responses to certain situations, as well as the original traditions of ruthless, murderous behaviour and grandiose, Machiavellian criminal intelligence that have been consistent throughout all incarnations. However, she also displayed a much more coquettish manner, with her new female identity allowing her to fully express aspects of the Master's ambiguous bond with the Doctor (as previously explored by Simm's incarnation in The Sound of Drums). While determined to torment and corrupt the Doctor with moral temptation while inflicting pain and death to humanity, she frequently referred to him as her "boyfriend" or "friend" and appeared to ultimately desire his acquiescence and company. She is also well aware that she is even more dangerously psychopathic than before, describing herself as "Bananas" to UNIT agent Osgood right before killing her (Death in Heaven). However, when circumstances result in Missy being kept in a vault and monitored by the Doctor after an averted execution, Missy actually comes to show signs of remorse for what she had done in the past, to the point that she prepares to side with the Doctor over her own past self (The Doctor Falls).
The Master and the Doctor are shown to have similar levels of intelligence, and were classmates on Gallifrey, where the Master outperformed the Doctor. A similar connection between the two was also referenced in The End of Time in which the Master reminisces with the Tenth Doctor about his father's estates on Gallifrey and his childhood with the Doctor before saying, "look at us now". In the 2007 episode Utopia, the Tenth Doctor calls the transformed and disguised Master (Professor Yana) a genius and shows admiration for his intellect before discovering his true identity. The Tenth Doctor further expresses admiration for the Master's intellect in The End of Time by calling him "stone cold brilliant" and yet states that the Master could be more if he would just give up his desire for domination. The Twelfth Doctor states that Missy is "the one person almost as smart as me" (The Lie of the Land).

18 comments:

  1. Lots of lovely background detail behind these minis, Bryan, which provides plenty of history to the diabolical 'Nu-Who' incarnations of the Master. I'm particularly impressed with your work on Professor Yana's face, which actually does look like the great Sir Derek Jacobi; something I've seen several other paint-jobs fail to accomplish. Indeed, I hear that the detail on this particular sculpt is especially soft and thus hard to paint facial details at all. Did you have any problems yourself? Presumably not from your line-work...

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    1. Thank you so kindly, Simon. You are right about the lack of detail on Professor Yana's face. For me the hardest part was getting the eyes right, but I think I nailed it, albeit on my second attempt.

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    2. Well the second attempt was well worth it, Bryan, as that's a great Jacobi expression. "Big Finish" have got Jacobi to do four audio stories as the (war) Master set during the Time War but before he became 'human'. I'm really looking forward to these as they should encourage me to finally get him painted.

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    3. Thanks once again, Simon. I think Derek Jacobi is a fine choice for voicing Doctor Who audio-books. I will, of course, look forward to seeing your own painted versions of these three figures I've showcased here.

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  2. Excellent paint jobs Bryan, and keeping Missy back for this group shot was a great idea.
    I'm still tying my brain in knots trying to figure out what will happen to The Master after "The Doctor Falls" episode (The Master killed Missy, and she fatally wounded him, so has he killed himself during the meeting paradox? - can The Master only exist in an 'earlier' part of his timeline?) My brain hurts!

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    1. Cheers, Greg. Yes, there was a valid reason for keeping Missy back. Like you, (and many others, I'm sure) I have no idea what is going to happen to the Master/Missy in the new series. However, I can't believe that he/she is gone for good.

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  3. Really great renditions Bryan, as for the master/Missy return in some form I think that is a solid possibility as he/she as been through so many of the series in one form or another

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    1. Thanks, Dave. Regarding the return of Missy/The Master, I totally agree with you. The Master is so well established now that I just can't see him (or her) gone for good.

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  4. Not more I can add to the above Bryan, lovely brushwork as always - the faces in particular. Your "Who" knowledge is as ever informative. All in all a triff post!

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    1. Many thanks, Andy. I'm more than happy with the way I got the faces painted. I still reckon Simon is more knowledgable about Doctor Who than I am but between the two of us we have the subject well covered.

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  5. I bow to you tremendous Dr Who knowledge. (Far better than mine)

    Nice figs as well. Always happy to see more of your painting.

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    1. Cheers, Clint. Most of my Doctor Who knowledge comes from the Internet!

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  6. Lovely painting Bryan, can't really comment on the accuracy as haven't seen the originals, missy looks like Mary Poppins to me.

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Thanks, Roger. I have to agree with you about Missy being a Mary Poppins lookalike! She does, doesn't she?

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  7. Lovely job Bryan they all turned fab!

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  8. I like the paint jobs, but why the brown rather than purple colour for Missy?

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    1. I just felt that she suited dark brown better.

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