I never watched the movie or read the novel, but somehow I've always known that Dr Zhivago originated from Russia, so imagine how apt it is that I managed to get a Medic Dropcloth (named Zhivago) from a Russian collector! There were some hiccups with the shipment but it eventually landed at my door step in great condition, which was all that mattered to me. I remember that it arrived the same day as the Dark Equine Superset, and how elated I was that day to receive two masterpieces that were rolled out from the Hatchery, albeit being 3 years apart.
I think there isn't much that hasn't been said about the WWR 1/6 Dropcloth (DC here on), as I have reviewed the EMGY colourway before, and also photographed the Deep Powder and JEA DCs couple of years ago (speaking of EMGY DC, I recently bought another OG cause it was quite a good deal... and all of its accessories are still in sealed bags, which I know I oughta take some photos of before opening it... if I get down to it). So how does it fare under the banner of the Medics...?
Zhivago DC was one of four DCs sold as a set (along with Jungler, Snowballer and Monty) on 29 January 2010. Suffice to say, I didn't even know 3A exists at that time. However, prices of 3A stuff on the secondary market seemed to have cooled off a little, particularly for the DCs which, some might say, is an acquired taste that might not appeal to all. I remembered that I didn't really fancy them at first, but today I'm happy to have 5 of them in my collection. Zhivago came packed in a standard shoe box with plastic inserts. While the cover is a plain red with a white cross, there is a nice illustration by A.Wood on the bottom.
I'm not the 1st owner of this figure, but I'm happy to report that he has been well taken care of in his previous ownership and the condition is mint. All the joints work nice and tight. Unlike his DC counterparts, Zhivago comes equipped lightly with only 2 hand guns. I would attribute that to the fact that he is a Medic, so... on the battlefield, his priority is probably to rescue and will only need to defend himself and the wounded. According to the Geneva Convention, firing at a medic wearing clear insignia is a war crime, unless they use their weapons offensively. Of course, we won't know whether this applies to Medics in A.Wood's World War Robots...
Well, this theory does contradict the 2nd Medic to be released in WWR / WWRp, which is the WWRp Medic Bramble MK2 issued on 20 July 2009, the 1st being the WWR Square MK 1 released on 25 May 2009. Bramble comes with a gatling gun (photographed below), which is most probably used for offensive purposes -.-" If I had the chance, I will probably buy some 1/6 DC weapons and equip Zhivago with more fire power...
Next up, we have the WWRp Bertie MK 2 and Square set that was dropped on Bambaland on 20 November 2009, the 3rd member of the Medic colourway. Bertie comes only equipped with 1 hand gun. He's about to go through a quick draw shoot out with DC in the pic below. This particular Bertie I have has a loose left knee hinge, but it doesn't really affect its poseability.
At this point I would say that after the Bramble, Bertie, Square and DC, the paint application on the Medic colourway took a turn towards the darker, more heavy weathering which I don't personally appreciate. The off white base colour and brownish grime weathering were replaced with blackish weathering on the Armstrong, Caesar, Grunt and Betsy Square MK 2 that were offered subsequently. I'll admit I am rather resigned to the lack of consistency of 3A design, which is probably a good thing cause it won't restrict the Artist's creativity, and it could potentially mean more savings and less spending for me... Unless the Medic colourway reverts back to the old days, I'm happy to keep my Medic collection the way it is today.
Dropcloth MK1s are a gem. I don't have many good things to say for the MK1.5s, and there hasn't been more colourways announced apart from the EMGY, Peaceday and the slew of ugly GIDs that are so forgettable... Get one and see for yourself (try to get something earlier than the JEA DC) if you don't already have one. I'm sure the charm of the Dropcloth will rub off on you slowly but surely.
The WWR versions of Bertie MK2s have long been teased but never released. Even if 3A really gets down to releasing them, it is hard to say whether they will come in the colourway your desire, and what sort of "improvements" that might be implemented on them. If it were up to me, I will just upsize 'em WWRps into the larger version and keep everything exactly the same (including paint apps)... Anyhow, let's wait and see what 3A does with the WWR Berties.
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