From GeoffreyT: Low Budget Doctor Who monsters (Babylon 5) (45 points)

Scooting back into the outer ring from Coruscant, we glide into Babylon 5 for low budget fun.

I have been looking forward to reaching this destination, because it is fun.

When it comes to low budget fun, the BBC took it to a new level with Doctor Who.  As a youth, the low budget costumes for the baddies were quite plausible, due to lavish application of imagination.  In retrospect now, they look rather funny.

Here I have four of the harlequin miniatures licensed releases from the 80's as well as one of the earlier citadel models.  All in 28mm of course. 

Hilariously, both these ranges sculpted the monsters true to the costumes as shown in the TV shows.  There appears to have been no attempt to make them look plausible in the mode the costume designer would have imagined them, they are just plain straight up true to the costume as made.

In chronological order, we start with a Monoid from 1966 (harlequin range).  This poor monoid has lost his psychic communicator so can only wave his hands.  From the era of Patrick Troughton, the second doctor.  Monoids were slaves to the human race who were abandoning earth in an Ark because it is going to crash into the sun.

"Im thinking really loudly at you"

I probably should have painted him in greyscale, as these series were B+W only.  They were quite dark outfits, but no clarity as to if they were green or brown or green-brown.

Next we have a Citadel miniature, representing the fabulously menacing Roger Delgado as the master.  he played this role from 1971 to 1973 in the Jon Pertwee third doctor era.  As such a terrific actor, he was very scary as the Master in my childhood days.  Worthy of hiding from behind the couch.

In TV lore, the Doctor and the Master were old friends who had walked different paths.   In a real life parallel, Jon Pertwee and Roger Delgado were close friends, with Jon encouraging Roger to join the show.  When Roger Delgado passed away in 1973, it was a catalyst for Jon Pertwee to retire from the role.

Back suit and black hair makes for bland viewing in 28mm

Roger and Jon together again. (Jon already claimed in week 1)

"My Tardis is better than your clapped out piece of junk", "Whoah Master, take it easy on the old girl"

For the next three baddies, we move forward to 1978.  All three of these are from Harlequin range.  Season 16 in 1978 features a season long theme, linking together the usual four part stories into a continuous story line now known as "The Key of Time".  This was the time of fourth doctor, Tom Baker.

In the first four part serial "The Ribos Affair". The Doctor encounters a shady used planet salesman named Garron.  he is trying to sell a Russian themed icy world.  It also features one of the most unconvincing monsters of all time, a reptile called the Shrivenzale.  On TV it was in a dark corridor and you didn't get a good look at the whole beast (fortunately), mainly its roaring mouth.

Above and below, we have Garron and the Shrivenzale.  I love how the Shrivenzale's rear legs look like a guy in a costume crouching.

Finally for this post, again from 1978, we have the Cailleach.  An ancient space criminal disguised herself as a Celtic goddess "the Cailleach" and was living in Cornwall.  Apparently it is a safe haven for ancient space criminals.

"Worship me, you foolish humans"

In her 'natural form' she is a lady painted silver. But here she is covered in feathers and a bronze mask.

Somewhere I am sure I had 'Vervoid advancing', but disappointingly I cannot find it.  I don't have any gaming use for these guys, but they are very collectable in my eyes.  It was also fun researching the more obscure monsters that I had only a vague recollection of, and laughing at the old footage.

***

In total, I have 5 x 28mm miniatures for 25 points

The Babylon 5 bonus for +20

A squirrel for 28mm Doctor Who baddies.

Kind Regards

Geoff.

Is 'low budget Dr Who monsters' an oxymoron? This is a perfect fit for Babylon 5. Your Master is a great representation of the actor, and the monsters... well, they're screen accurate! I hope they bring a lot of melodrama to your table!

Barks