As promised, here is part two of my review of the Studio Miniatures 28mm set of zombies. Zombie Mob 002 contains eight more superbly sculpted figures. These are easily the best sculpted zombies on the market. Everything about them is just perfect - the level of detail, the basic anatomy (so easy to get wrong - see Fortress Figures, ahem!), the poses and the different ways they have died - some messily, some not so obvious. John Price, in his great review of the first set (see http://thescreamingalpha.com/2009/05/22/review-zombie-mob-001-by-studio-miniatures/ ) mentions the story-telling aspect of these figures and it's a valid point. Each figure does have a story to tell. They are so full of character, which is darned impressive when we are dealing with the shambling undead!Taking a closer look, I've grouped the four males of the group together above. From left to right are a bare-footed, bald-headed guy in ripped trousers and T-shirt, holding part of an arm in his right hand. He has suffered a severe head wound, which sadly isn't apparent from the angle of the photos I took. Standing next to him is a chap with an appalling stomach wound, revealing his innards. Hmm, extremely moist! Next in line, this guy does not appear too badly wounded - a few rips and tears in his clothes. Notice how all three are standing. Whilst they are all in very similar poses those poses just scream "zombie!" to you. Last in line is one of my favourite figures from this set. He has had one leg ripped off, been disembowelled and suffered bites to his arms. As I said, some of these died very messily. What makes this zombie stand out from the crowd is the inclusion of the parking meter that he is using for support. What a great prop to use and such a good idea!
Next up are the females. The aging fat lady reminds me so much of the woman the fire crew were called to look at at the start of the film Rec... and just look at all the trouble she caused! Grandma zombie, standing next to her, looks at first sight as if she's just died of old age. But look closer and you'll see her long coat hides a fatal stomach wound. In truth, she comes without any obvious wounds, but I decided to paint a bit of blood on the left side of her stomach. The third female in line looks like she died of anorexia. She is one of the skinniest figures I've ever seen. She is obviously a young woman so her emaciated figure fits perfectly with the stick-thin "perfection" demanded by so many fashion houses and modelling agencies nowadays. However, again if you look closer, you can see she has been hit in the head as a chunk of her hair is missing from the front right of her head. Finally, is the chicken mascot, the only figure out of the range that is not a one-piece casting. The left arm is a separate piece that has to be glued in place. I'm not 100% sure of the sex of this figure but that doesn't matter as it is still a great miniature. The face is hard to make out if it's male or female but the muscles on the arms and legs suggest it is more than likely male. The idea of a zombie mascot is not a new one - see my review of the Victory Force zombies. However, this mascot is much better sculpted than the Victory Force mascots. His right wing has been torn off to reveal a chewed upper arm. He also suffers from a neck wound just above his right shoulder. The sculpting of the feathers is most impressive.
Next up are the females. The aging fat lady reminds me so much of the woman the fire crew were called to look at at the start of the film Rec... and just look at all the trouble she caused! Grandma zombie, standing next to her, looks at first sight as if she's just died of old age. But look closer and you'll see her long coat hides a fatal stomach wound. In truth, she comes without any obvious wounds, but I decided to paint a bit of blood on the left side of her stomach. The third female in line looks like she died of anorexia. She is one of the skinniest figures I've ever seen. She is obviously a young woman so her emaciated figure fits perfectly with the stick-thin "perfection" demanded by so many fashion houses and modelling agencies nowadays. However, again if you look closer, you can see she has been hit in the head as a chunk of her hair is missing from the front right of her head. Finally, is the chicken mascot, the only figure out of the range that is not a one-piece casting. The left arm is a separate piece that has to be glued in place. I'm not 100% sure of the sex of this figure but that doesn't matter as it is still a great miniature. The face is hard to make out if it's male or female but the muscles on the arms and legs suggest it is more than likely male. The idea of a zombie mascot is not a new one - see my review of the Victory Force zombies. However, this mascot is much better sculpted than the Victory Force mascots. His right wing has been torn off to reveal a chewed upper arm. He also suffers from a neck wound just above his right shoulder. The sculpting of the feathers is most impressive.
Like the first set, this is available in either metal or resin. The metal set costs £15.99 for the eight figures, whilst the resin set, oddly enough, is more expensive at £24.99. Let me just remind you once again that if you buy both sets together you get a free bonus figure of George A. Romero the zombie. If you haven't already got these sets I urge you to buy them as soon as possible. These deserve to be the stars of any zombie horde. Honestly, sculpting does not get any better than this!
Really great zombies!!!I specially love the chicken zombie. And I agree, probably the best option to awake in the day 1 after the outbreak.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Fer. I really love ALL of these zombies, but you're right; the chicken mascot is a bit special. I've just heard from Ryan, another one of my followers, that Studio Miniatures will be producing more zombie sets and more survivors. That isn't just good news, it's GREAT news!
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