Over the many episodes down the years there have been a number of U.N.I.T. heroes. I am going to stick with those provided in the Warlord Heroes pack.

Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart

VC, KCB, DC

The most famous and most beloved of fans is surely Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and played by Nicholas Courtney.

The Character first appeared in the Web of Fear (I will get to painting this set up in due course), in 1968.

When the Third Doctor was exiled to Earth, he became UNIT’s unofficial scientific advisor, providing the Brigadier with much-needed support against Autons, Sea Devils, Daleks and the Master.Colonel – later Brigadier – Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart was the commanding officer of UNIT, an international body tasked with investigating extra-terrestrial threats. He first met the Second Doctor – helping him free London from the clutches of the Great Intelligence and the Cybermen.

Later in life, he retired from UNIT and taught at a boarding school. Later still he aided the Seventh Doctor in vanquishing Morgaine, before settling down for good with his wife Doris.

It was during his battle with the Silence, that the Eleventh Doctor learned the Brigadier had passed away peacefully in his sleep in 2050.

Corporal (Later Sergeant) John Benson

Sergeant John Benton is anlother fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by John Levene. He was the senior NCO of the British contingent of UNIT.

Corporal, and later Sergeant Benton was a loyal UNIT sergeant of many years standing. In service he fought Cybemen, Daleks, Sea Devils and poisonous giant maggots amongst others.

He was once accidentally regressed back to a baby (a process which was reversed!) and also helped the Doctor’s first three incarnations unite to defeat Omega. Later he became a Regimental Sergeant Major.

According to the Brigadier, he left UNIT and became a used car salesman.

Captain James Munro

Captain James “Jimmy” Munro (The Devil Goblins from Neptune) was a UNIT officer who served under Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. He was assigned to cordoning off Oxley Woods after the second fall of Nestenemeteorites and was the first to come across the TARDIS and the Third Doctor. When the story leaked to the press, he refused to answer the reporters’ questions.

He later helped the Doctor defeat the Nestene invasion, during which he interrogated Sam Seeley and was forced by a Nestene duplicate of Major General Scobie to hand over a Nestenemeteorite.

He was then part of a raid on the Auto Plastics factory that fought a squad of Autons. (Spearhead from Space, Who Killed Kennedy)

Munro later went back to the regular army, (The Scales of Injustice) but later went to work at UNIT Central Control in Geneva. (The Devil Goblins from Neptune)

In an alternate timeline, Munro attained the rank of general in UNIT. (Prisoners of the Sun). Munro is more well known from the Dr Who literature than the TV series.

The U.N.I.T. force so far. Five infantry sections, two, support teams and three heroes. There are another four or five sections to complete.

Tomorrow something different.

A fifth U.N.I.T. infantry section. Only twenty more to go!

Tomorrow some U.N.I.T. Commander, just for a change.

Another U.N.I.T. infantry section. I am gradually painting this force up and am just about half way.

I have five more infantry sections and some characters to finish this project off.

Tomorrow a battle report just for a change.

I was really pleased to finally pick this set up before the Warlord Games BBC Dr Who license ran out at the end of 2022.

The series was aired at a time when there was significant ethical debate about heart transplantation, which was eventually to take place only months after the showing of the series.

On December 3, 1967, Dr Christian Barnard transplanted a heart from a 25-year-old woman fatally injured in a car accident into Lewis Washkansky, a 53-year-old South African grocer dying from chronic heart disease. Lung infection and pneumonia claimed Washkansky’s life 18 days later.

The Cybermen have all of the stereotype characteristics that were part of a conservative right wing push to ban organ transplants. The story goes that Telos Cybermen were once like us inhabiting the twin planet of earth, Mondas. Their scientists discovered ways to prolong and upgrade their race by replacing vital organs with metal and plastic. Each had the strength of eight men but all of their emotions had been removed. The Cybermen are more robot than man and are intent of conquering the galaxy and “upgrading” as many humans as possible to become like them. Surely this sort of thing would happen with organ transplants!

The Tomb of the Cybermen was the first serial of season 5 of Doctor Who, and was transmitted for the first time between the 2nd and 23rd of September, 1967. It introduced the first Cyber-Controller and the Cybermats.

The original video tapes of this four part series were wiped by the BBC, and for years only an off-air soundtrack survived.

Luckily, copies of the films were found in Hong Kong in 1991 and returned to the BBC archives, some 25 years after they were first shown. It is now the earliest full surviving series of the Second doctor.

WARNING SPOILER ALERT.

The story begins with the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria arriving on the planet Telos and encounter an archaeological expedition from Earth, who reveal they are searching for the last remains of the Cybermen.

After a controlled explosion , the entrance to the city is revealed. With the Doctor’s help, the expedition led b y Professor parry, enter a vast metallic chamber, with a central control unit and a hatch leading to the underground hibernation tombs where the Cybermen have laid dormant for centuries.

Eric Kleig and his business partner Kaftan, who funded the expedition, reveal their intention to revive the hibernating metal giants. Kleig believes he and his brotherhood of logicians can use their intelligence, matched with the strength of the Cybermen, to create an invincible army to conquer the galaxy.

The travellers soon learn the tomb is an elaborate trap. The Cybermen wanted to lure in suitable humans with enough intelligence to open the elaborate controls to the tomb, and then convert them into their own kind.

Toberman, Kaftan’s manservant is partially converted. The Doctor and the surviving explorers eventually manage to defeat the revived Cybermen, their controller, and robotic insectoids the Cybermats.

The Cyber Controller

They close the doors to the city forever, but with severe casualties.

The Tomb of the Cybermen is available on DVD.

In dealing with all that Alien species can throw at the earth U.N.I.T. troops on the ground need all of the support that they can get.

Fortunately reinforcements have arrived as the war ravages on.

The current U.N.I.T. sections are being reinforced by a light mortar which rains havoc on their enemies.

They also have a missile launcher or bazooka.

It is about time we had some more enemies of the Doctor and U.N.I.T. so tomorrow I will introduce some opponents from way back intgo the time of the Second Doctor!

More grunts for the grinder.

Tomorrow some support units for the infantry sections.

A second U.N.I.T. section to fight those dastardly Cybermen in the sewers.

NCO with SMG

Operative 1 with BAR

Operative 2 with BAR

Operative 3 with BAR

Operative 4 with BAR

Tomorrow back to the Australian Jungle Division.

When painting up figures for “The U.N.I.T.” in Doctor Who the problem is which uniform do you choose?

The traditional greens and khaki beret – a bit (olive?) drab.

Colonel Walsh in black/dark blue uniform and red beret – yuck not a favourite.

Major Wyland-Jones in Greens and a red beret – very SAS.

Brigadier Bambera in greens with a light camo and blue United Nations type Beret. Not bad.

I have finally chosen the Major Wyland-Jones in greens and a red beret option.

I am not sure where I bought the figures from but they are overly tall and gangly. They look very similar to Black Tree Designs or the ones being pawned off by Warlord Games as one of their end of range incentives as they are no longer renewing their BBC license as of the start of 2023.

Despite this, they fit in well with the rest of the other Dr Who range.

Here they are along side a variety of human and alien types.

Each 5 man section has an NCO with SMG and 4 operatives with BAR.

Operative 1 with BAR

Operative 2 with BAR

Operative 3 with BAR

Operative 4 with BAR

NCO with SMG

Tomorrow another Unified Intelligence Taskforce Section