Cold War Miniatures Zombies 01

Not too long I reviewed the Cold War Miniatures 28mm scale survivors and victims sets (see http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.com/2009/09/cold-war-miniatures-survivors-victims.html ). I had a session yesterday photographing minis to be reviewed on my blog and I have enough material on file for the next couple of months. (Yippee!) So it's time to take a look at Cold War's range of zombies. It's possibly the biggest range of zombies by any manufacturer in this scale - 70 figures in total made up of 63 zombies, 6 survivors and 1 corpse. That is far too many to review in one go so I'm going to review these  figures ten at a time. I mentioned in my last review about how the majority of figures have been converted by the sculptor to have slotta-tabs instead of pins on their feet. It's a sensible decision as most figure companies nowadays produce figures with slotta-tabs to fit into plastic slottabases. Only the 10 figures I reviewed last time still had the pins attached. Before I begin my review I just want to mention the slottabases that come with these figures. The majority of 25mm diameter plastic slottabases have the hole in the base slightly off centre. For most figures this is actually a "good thing." With these figures, the slot is in the centre of the base, dividing it into two equal halves. This is worth noting, as I only used these bases on about 25% of the figures as it made the figure feel unbalanced. Fortunately I had loads of "ordinary" 25mm diameter slottabases spare, so that wasn't a problem for me. The unused bases went in my bag of spares to be used on that rare occasion when I need to pose a figure dead centre on the base. You have been warned!

So, let's take a look at the figures. The two photos above show the five figures from set 1 Deserted Diner. At the far left is the chef, who is clearly of oriental origin. He holds a meat cleaver in his right hand. His right eye has been gouged out and he has been shot in the chest and right thigh. I like his casual clothing of T-shirt, shorts and trainers. It's just the sort of attire you'd expect to see on a chef from a "greasy spoon" restaurant of a fast food diner.

Next up is the waitress, who still keeps hold of a plate of food. Her only injury appears to be a bite to her left thigh. What I particularly like about her is that the sculptor has given her a wedding ring on her left hand. It's a little detail that is so easy to overlook but one that makes her entry into the ranks of the undead all the more poignant.

Standing in the centre of the group is a zombie sheriff, still retaining his service pistol, although it does appear to be too heavy for him, given the way it is pointing downward. Note how his tongue is sticking out of his mouth. A cup of coffee and a doughnut is no good for him now - he wants blood to drink and flesh to eat! He looks to have been shot twice - once in the right side of his chest and once in the right side of his stomach. There are no exit wounds.

A diner will get a fair bit of trade from truckers, so it's no surprise to see a zombie trucker in this group. The way his head sags to one side would suggest his neck has been broken. He has also been shot in the stomach and the knees of his jeans are holed and scuffed.

Where truckers go bikers are sure to follow. This guy may have been a tough hombre when he was alive but he's just another shambling corpse now. I like that he still holds a short length of chain in his right hand. There are numerous holes in his clothes, which could be the result of bullet wounds or zombie bites. Looking at him closely, I feel that his left arm is a bit too long, especially from elbow to wrist, so for that reason I think he is the weakest figure in this group.

The second group to be featured in this review is called Happy Shoppers. An odd title, methinks, as I don't see any of them holding a shopping bag! First up, in the bright yellow T-shirt is that rarity amongst zombies - someone wearing glasses. I wear glasses all the time because I'm short sighted. So do lots of other people. But of all the zombie figures available how many are wearing glasses? Far too few is the answer! I applaud the sculptor for giving this guy glasses. The only noticable injury to him is a small hole in his trousers over his right knee.

The oddly posed gentleman to the right of him is bare-footed. The way his feet are both pointing inwards draws attention to them. The pigeon toed stance has become synonomous with zombies so I have no problem with the way he stands. Again he does not appear to have any serious injuries. There are a few holes and tears in his clothes but nothing suggesting major trauma.
Next up is my favourite figure out of this group - granny with walking stick. She came in three parts - main body and legs, left arm and right arm with integral walking stick. I stuck her limbs on with superglue then reinforced the joints with a thin smear of modelling putty.To be honest, with her lack of wounds, she would make a perfectly acceptable old age pensioner if you want a human victim. I think she's a great figure and it just goes to show that zombies are not ageist!
Fourth in line is another zombie standing in the pigeon toed stance. This time it's a female, a young mum from the looks of her. At first, I thought she was another figure from this set without any wounds but a closer look revealed a small bite to her lower left leg. It's hard to see on my photos as it appears on the side of her leg. Still, I assure you, it is there. I do like the way her hoodie has been sculpted.
Last of all, is yet another very lightly wounded zombie. His face is full of character and is very well sculpted. Their are holes in both elbows of his shirt and just above his groin. Both knees of his trousers are also holed. I've bloodied both elbows and his right knee. It is unlikely that any of these "scrapes" killed him but that does not really matter - something killed him and now he has returned as a zombie.
Of the two sets reviewed here, I'd have to say that set 1 Deserted Diner is way better than set 2 Happy Shoppers. However, they are both well sculpted sets and they will fit in very well with other ranges like Hasslefree, Studio Miniatures or Zombiesmith. I've said before that I like this range and there are some truly unique figures amongst them. Amongst these ten, the oriental chef, waitress and granny with walking stick are outstanding and well worth owning. They cost £7.00 per set or you can buy the figures individually for £1.75.