Saturday 23 June 2018

Warlord Games Clockwork Droids & Vashta Nerada

Here are two sets of Doctor Who villains that I recently painted - the Clockwork Droids and the Vashta Nerada, both produced by Warlord Games.
Serving aboard the SS Madame de Pompadour, the Clockwork Droids had harvested the crew's body parts to repair their damaged space ship. Only now needing to repair the broken command circuit, they stalked the original Madame de Pompadour to 18th century France, believing her brain was the missing part they needed. Dressed as French courtiers and wearing ball masks, their true nature was given away by the ticking of their inner workings. The Clockwork Droids had retractable repair tools at their wrists, which could double as weapons. You can see one on the male Droid at the far left.
The Clockwork droids appeared in the fourth episode of series two of the new series back in 2006, and it was called The Girl in the Fireplace. In this episode, the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) was accompanied by his companions, Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and couldn't find fault with it. These are beautifully sculpted figures but I did reinforce the ankle joints of the two male Droids with a tiny bit of Milliput and a dollop of superglue. The boxed set of these three figures costs £13.00. They do not come with stat cards for the Doctor Who:Exterminate game but you can buy the cards separately for £2.50 for six cards, which is what I did.
Gathering in swarms many thousands strong, the Vashta Nerada are microscopic beings, living mostly in the dark and appearing in the light as a shadow cast by nothing. Their name means "shadows that melt the flesh" - a large swarm of Vashta Nerada can strip the flesh from a creature in milliseconds. Existing on over a billion planets, including Earth, they inspire a fear of the darkness in most species as any shadow could contain a swarm of Vashta Nerada. The Tenth Doctor believed they have no weaknesses and the only defence against them was to stay away from shadows and run away.
The Vashta Nerada appeared in a two-part episode in series four of the new Doctor Who series. In episode eight, Silence in the Library, the Tenth Doctor and his companion, Donna Noble, land in the 51st century to visit the greatest library in the universe, encompassing an entire planet, but are baffled when they find it deserted. The sequel was called Forest of the Dead. As well as introducing a new alien race, these episodes also introduced the endearing River Song, who would become a recurring character in the Doctor's life. Despite being predominantly white, I found these theses three figures to be quite a challenge to paint. If ever I need any zombie astronauts for a game, these will certainly fit the bill. This boxed set of three 32mm scale figures also costs £13.00. Once again, it comes without stat cards, but they can be bought separately at £2.50 for six cards. I'd guess in time the cards will be included with the figures but at an increased cost.

27 comments:

  1. These look great Bryan, the Vashta Nerada were one of my favourite new monsters introduced in Doctor Who

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers, Dave. The Vashta Nerada were very scary monsters, I thought.

      Delete
  2. The Clockwork Droids are nice figures although at this size and price are never going to be seen on my table, but it will be good to see them on yours.
    They do look a bit thin round the ankle - even with your reinforcement so probably a wise precaution.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you kindly, John. The male droids do have very thin ankles so I thought it wise to reinforce them before an accident happened, although I am very careful about handling my figures - a perk of being a solo gamer.

      Delete
  3. More "Doctor Who" goodness, Bryan. Ive yet to build up enough bravery to tackle the minute detail of the clockwork androids yet...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Simon, and I fully understand your reluctance to tackle the Clockwork Droids. You need a good eye and a steady hand to paint them... and a fair bit of patience as well. I'm not saying you don't have these but you have to be in the right mood to paint them. I just felt up to the challenge when I painted mine.

      Delete
  4. Great additions to your Whoniverse Bryan, especially the Clockwork Droids - one of my personal favourites from the series :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you most kindly, Greg. I too, liked the Clockwork Droids a lot.

      Delete
  5. I'm engrossed in this Dr.Who thread. I remember watching the very early, original Black and white episodes on TV with the first Dr. back in the early 60's as a child. Not much in the way of props if I remember clearly,..but those damn Daleks scared me witless. Thanks for putting the good Doctors back on the radar Bryan. Your minis, and knowledge about the subject shows you are a passionate fan. Bravo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just watched..Doctor Who Unbound 01 - An Unearthly Child...On UTube, so it has begun..lol

      Delete
    2. Hi, SW. I can also remember watching the very early episodes when William Hartnell played the First Doctor. I do remember the Daleks and they made such a big impression on me that they still remain my favourite villain. I have always been a fan of the show. Whilst I did enjoy the early episodes I much prefer the reboot series when it came back in 2005.

      Delete
    3. Enjoy your viewing. You have a long trip ahead of you and some classic episodes to see. :-)

      Delete
  6. While all the figures look good I am concerned with the Child in the fireplace figures. They seem a one trick pony in concept. By that I mean no disrespect of our painting at all. As collectors pieces great but as a wargamer I feel they lack versatility. However is you like them, that is enough justification for having them and I shall admit I do like the painting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Clint. I hear what you're saying but disagree about the Clockwork Droids being a one-trick pony. The N.E.W, RPG system, which I love so much, has a race of aliens called the Clockwork Robots who are clearly heavily influenced by these villains. I very nearly posted this post on my WOIN Blog but here felt more logical, since it's where I publish most of my "Doctor Who" related stuff.

      Delete
  7. Lovely painting Bryan, suitably creepy, I think the clockwork Androids was one of the last episodes I watched of the newer series, it was quite a good story as I recall.

    Cheers Roger

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks, Roger. "The Girl in the Fireplace" episode certainly sticks in my memory as being one of the better episodes.

      Delete
  8. Great set of models Bryan & a wonderful job of painting them, you've gotten the faces spot on which giving the models is very even more important then usual, so well done :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Frank. I was very pleased with how the faces came out, so I appreciate your comment on them.

      Delete
  9. Those first three are PERFECT as VAMPIRES! But of course you already bought them with this in mind! :O)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have to admit that the idea did cross my mind, mate. :-) We do think alike, don't we?

      Delete
  10. This post makes me sad twice. First for the "Girl in the Fireplace" and then for River Song.
    Great episodes alltogether and I think your models look great.
    Thanks to you I just restarted watching Dr. Who yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very much appreciated, Oli. Enjoy your viewing!

      Delete
  11. Very nice Bryan these all look great!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This blog is amazing about gaming.thank you for sharing this blog.
    online gaming

    ReplyDelete