Orange Planet: The Arrival

  
The Doctor Who Micro-Universe Sanctuary Base Rocket arrived safely form the Ebay Zone earlier in the week. It's yellow and grey (metal), stands 15cm tall and 5cm wide. Quite cool for a fiver including postage. I can see a couple of these as planetary defence rockets, perhaps on some moon, and they need to be taken out prior to a fullscale planetary assault..... hold that thought.

The arrival of the rocket prompted me to dig out some spacesuited 1979 era ex-Citadel Traveller miniatures  figures from the original box sets. They're painted orange and very much showing their age. However, all was not lost. With a heavy wash of Windsor and Netwon Peat Ink the bluey metal of the originals merged with the ink to look like worn/oily workaday space clothing. I actually really like them in their new grungy form - and you can't see where the original paint job had worn off. 30 blah years on they remain a fitting tribute to the Traveller games I ran in the 6th Form common room.

 VBCW 2036 Morris Dancers

(Citadel 15mm Traveller circa 1979)

However, with Spacejacker's wonderful miniatures inspiring me at every turn, I am probably going to give them a light drybrush with pure orange then pick out some minor detailing (now done). Maybe, just maybe drybrush the helmet yellow. But something pulls at me and says leave 'em be as a tribute to days gone by.

Excluding my Asgard Space Marines, I have a couple of dozen 15mm ex-Citadel Traveller miniatures left from 1979. Funnily, sometime back in the early 2,000's I took them to CLAYMORE in Edinburgh and tried to sell them as a lot on the B&B for £1.50.  Here were the guys who explored the Kinunir, crossed the bright face and then hired themselves out as Mercs on the arrival of Book 4: Mercenary. No-one bit and they came home.

And now they are off on another adventure - to the Orange Planet.

Cheers

Mark