Airfix

"Welcome Aboard" Tardis, Dr. Who and Martha Jones Kit

Kit Number: 50006

Reviewed by  Dave Morrissette, IPMS# 33653

MSRP: $54.95 Kit courtesy of Airfix. Web Site: www.airfix.com I've long been a fan of the "Dr. Who' television series - probably 20 years or more since I started watching it with my sister. It is currently the longest running SciFi series of all time according to the Guinness Book of World Records. For those that don't know, the series revolves around a Time Lord, Dr. Who, who travels the universe with a companion usually saving a planet or mankind from a fate worse than death. The device they use to travel in time is the "Tardis" which stands for "time and relative dimensions in space". The Tardis looks like an English police box. When Airfix came storming back, one of the first kits they announced was a vignette of the Tardis and the latest Doctor (David Tennant) and his companion, Martha Jones played by Freema Agyeman. Cool! On top of that, the Tardis would be wired for sound and light making its distinctive sound and with flashing lights. On to the kit. The box is large and sturdy and contains the following parts: Tardis Blue sprues well molded with separate clear windows and a top which contains an LED blue light and sound board. Three AAA batteries and you can get this thing going! Also included are light gray and clear interior parts and a stiff cardboard piece preprinted with the interior of the Tardis. Martha and the Doctor Multiple pieces of styrene comprising the Doctors multi- layered suit and coat and Martha's clothes, bag and jacket. The two heads, arms and feet are molded in vinyl Miscellaneous The set also includes a full set of Humbrol acrylic paints and brushes. A tube of glue is also included. A set of stickers for the police box label and the call box are included and one of the best set of directions in any kit I have ever built. I built the kit is subsets so I will go through the review that way. Tardis The building is straight forward. The first thing I did is mask all 24 window panes with Tamiya tape. I then glued the windows to the three sides and the door. Before the walls were installed, you need to paint the base to look like a weave pattern of bricks. I did this spraying the grout color first and then masking with pin stripe tale and spraying over it. A note here - the Humbrol acrylics in the kit were nice and thinned with 91% alcohol for airbrushing. After a quick flat coat, the call box with phone was built and a few injector pin marks had to be filled, the only ones on the entire kit. I also used a length of wire to put on the phone as the molded in cord was a little thick. All the walls were glued in and let set make sure they are square. I then sprayed the windows from the inside with a light beige to make it look like the TV prop. The interior is built and painted and could easily have been wired for lighting effects. I placed the preprinted backing sheet in and then the interior parts and fit was good. The front was added making sure not to get the door stuck. Opening the door activates the Tardis light and sound board! A little sanding and the top fit on with no issues. The top is meant to fit in place and be removable for battery changes but I glued mine in place. I then shot the entire Tardis with the supplied color of blue, applied several flat coats and then a wash of watercolor dark gray. Once dry, this was cleaned up a little and the entire piece dry brushed. I added the stickers for the call box and the police box markings. Another couple coats of flat and I removed the window masking. Last thing was to add the clear beacon and brass the door knobs and the Tardis was ready to disappear. The Doctor Couple things to consider here. First and foremost, the vinyl parts can't be handled like styrene. They can't take sanding in the same way and second, you need CA to glue them. The first thing I did with the vinyl parts was to trim the tabs off so I could add them much later in the process. The seams and sprue points were gently rubbed off with a fine file and Mr. Surfacer added and sanded lightly as needed. The vinyl gives a much more detailed likeness and the kit is an excellent likeness to David Tennant. The next thing about vinyl is that it needs primed. I used automotive primer from a can and let dry.

The doctor's suit is layered. For the younger modeler, the instructions show a basic scheme for painting. IN the back of the instructions are very detail plans for a much more accurate paint scheme which is what I opted for. I sprayed the shirts and cuffs blue and painted the tie by hand including the designs on the tie. To get the pin-striped look to the suit and vest, I painted a light blue first then hand masked the pinstriped with very fine pin striping tape and shot the overall color. After pulling off the tape- pinstripes! The coat was assembled around this and his signature tennis shows painted and added. I added the arms to the coat after and used Aves Epoxy putty to fill the seams and then touched them up. The hands and face were next and I opted to used Andrea Miniatures flesh base as the base coat for the doctor. This was airbrushed and then washes, dry brushing and pastels used to liven him up. The eyes were painted and everything put together. A couple coats of flat, gloss on the eyes and lips and his trusty sonic screwdriver and the doctor was done. Martha I started Martha by trimming the vinyl parts and checking fit so they could be added later. Fit is very good on the arms but the head is a little tricky. The head assembly includes part of the front and back torso and slides over the blouse. Fit is OK but my hind sight is that I would have attached this early and done more filling. The jeans are straightforward and so is construction of the blouse. One thing not mentioned in the basic instructions was that there was a pattern on the blouse. A quick Google found the pattern and I simulated it on the blouse by painting it. Blouse is then attached to jeans and shoes added and no issues there. Painting the head and arms is next and here I ran into some difficulty. First, I got lazy and after painting the skin, painted the hair Engine Black from Floquil. Nuts- this type of paint will NEVER dry on vinyl. Remember to stick to acrylics. I stripped the paint and started over. The skin tone color was a little too light compared to pictures so I mixed my own. Once the base was down, I used blue water colors to paint her tattoo. The skin was shaded with pastels and sealed. Her eyes, hair and jewelry were painted and the arms and head added. Flat coat for everything and clear gloss for the eyes and mouth and the basics figure was done. I added her earrings and coat and bag.

I did a quick base and attached the Tardis, the Doctor and Martha. This kit was a BLAST to build. It looks (and sounds great) and is complete with glue, paint and all the parts you need to do a realistic vignette. For the detailer, there is a myriad of lighting opportunities. It is most highly recommended. My thanks to Martyn Weaver and Airfix for the fun of a great kit!

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