Horrorclix Zombies 01

In 2006, Wizkids added a new range to their successful Heroclix game called Horrorclix. Instead of collecting and gaming with superheroes and supervillains, monsters of various types took centre stage and I was hooked from the onset. Much as I liked superheroes my first love was always with the horror genre, hence this blog. I avidly collected the booster packs for Horrorclix and its three expansion sets, Freakshow, The Lab and Nightmares. The figures mainly came in three types of rarity value, labelled - rookie, experienced and veteran, or in other words, common, uncommon and rare. A fourth category called unique was also known as super-rare. Each set contained 28 figures of the rookie, experienced and veteran types and 12 unique figures, giving a total of 40 different figures per set and 96 in total. More often than not there was no difference in the sculpting of a figure for its rarity type. Things changed a bit for the Nightmares set, which comprised of 60 figures (16 each of common, uncommon and rare and 12 super-rare) with no duplicates amongst different types, thus making it much harder to collect them all. I did very well in collecting different figures from the first three sets but very poor for Nightmares. Matters weren't helped when Wizkids went belly up and the whole Horrorclix line got canned.

Most people who use them in games other than Horrorclix will do as I have, and remove the figure from its clix base and glue it to a slottabase. Some will also repaint the figures, as I have, whilst others will be happy to have a figure that they don't have to paint. The figures are quite tall, being roughly 32mm from the sole of the feet to the top of the head. This means that they do loom over smaller 28mm scale figures, so if you are a scale purist then steer clear! Fortunately, I'm not, so I'm only too happy to include them in my horde.

Looking at the five figures in the photos above, the first thing to point out is that they all come from the starter set. At the far left is an executed convict, who according to the Horrorclix rules is not a zombie but a spirit. Well, maybe, but the way he is walking screams "zombie!" to me. It is clear to see that he was going to be executed by means of the electric chair as you can see from the back view of him. It's a nice touch to have part of the chair attached to the cable running to his metal head cap. Going by the muscles showing on his arms and upper body he must have possessed incredible strength to rip the electric chair apart! Some may argue that he shouldn't be included amongst the zombies but I disagree. Besides which, I just like the figure.

Next up is the zombie lawyer, and don't we all wish there were a lot more of them? Lol! The sculpting on this figure is superb as you get a true sense of the pain he must have suffered when he was turned into one of the undead. Note how his left foot has been twisted all the way round so it now points backwards. Ouch! As if that wasn't bad enough to slow him down, a long metal spike has pierced his right thigh and gone all the way through. No wonder his arms are flailing about. Just to add to his woes, a large bite has been inflicted on his left arm.

In the centre of the group is what Wizkids describe as a shambling zombie. His clothing identifies him as a young man or elderly teenager. He has also suffered a lot when the rampaging zeds caught up with him. His most obvious wound is his left arm has been ripped off and he's holding it in his right hand. I suppose you could paint the arm up as belonging to someone else but I think it works best as being his own arm. The ankle of his left foot has shattered completely, leaving his foot attached to the body by a few sinews of flesh and muscle. His intestines are starting to spill out of a wound to the right side of his torso. Finally, he has been bitten on his right cheek.

Fourth in line is the zombie cop who is in the uniform of a police patrolman. His wounds are numerous and show he died an extremely gory death. Working from the top down, we can see that half of his face has been removed to reveal the skull. He has been shot about half a dozen times in the back. Both lower arms have bite wounds on them. A gaping stomach wound shows him spilling his guts. There are bullet wounds to both legs and numerous bite wounds to his right leg. What I particularly like about him is the way his fingers have been sculpted. Whenever I sculpt figures I always struggle to get the fingers looking realistic. His fingers really impressed me.

Finally out of this first group is the sorority zombie. She might have been one of the aloof bitches who make life hell for most students at high school but now look at her. Her designer dress has been ripped badly. But that is the least of her worries. Those nasty zombies have only gone and eaten her right hand and right foot. Don't you just hate it when that happens? They've also taken a huge bite out of her right shoulder. When I look at this figure, she reminds me of Paris Hilton and I just think, suffer you ugly bitch!

The three zombies to the left in these next two photos are from the Lab expansion set, whilst the two females are from the Nightmares expansion set. At the far left is the hardhat zombie, a beautifully sculpted former construction worker. Note how his tongue is sticking out of his mouth - I love that and the tilt of his head. His right arm has been torn away just above his elbow, so it's not hard to tell how he died. Rather oddly, his left boot and sock have gone missing. Again, I like how his left hand has been sculpted but being picky, I feel it is slightly too big.
The zombie patient in his hospital gown clutches his left arm to his chest after the hand had been bitten off. Blood stains the front of his gown and intriguingly, the hem as well. He has adopted the pigeon-footed stance of many zombies as he shuffles along on his quest for fresh blood. I can't remember why I painted him with Citadel Rotting Flesh. I usually reserve that colour for my toxic zombies. Perhaps he comes from a laboratory that was experimenting on reanimation techniques when it all went horribly wrong, as it inevitably does.
The zombie trooper in the centre of the group could represent an elite military special forces trooper or a police SWAT trooper. Either way, I think he is another excellent figure. His SMG is unmistakenly a 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5. You'd better hope he's not one of those intelligent zombies who knows how to use a firearm! Personally, I don't think he is. Most of his wounds appear to be bullet wounds, which are not easy to spot in the photos but are centred around his stomach, thighs and lower arms.
The zombie cheerleader really appeals to my sick sense of humour. Instead of waving pom-poms, she's waving the internal organs of a couple of victims. That is so gross but brilliant! For some reason zombie cheerleaders appear to be a popular choice amongst figure sculptors. This one has not fared too badly; she has two minor bite wounds to her legs and one to her left arm. Just by giving the entrails a coat of TCR really made them pop. Now they look disgustingly moist and fresh. I love this figure!
Finally, we come to the zombie chambermaid. The nine figures that I have shown before were all rookie or common figures. I had plenty of swaps of them so it was a no-brainer to add them to my horde. With the zombie chambermaid I was dealt a dilemma. She is a super rare figure, the only one that I was able to collect from the Nightmares set. Unfortunately, I did not receive a stat card with her, which was a horrible oversight by Wizkids. So, because I couldn't use her in a game of Horrorclix, I decided to make use of her in ATZ or other zombie games. Some of the Nightmare figures are crudely sculpted and painted. She is not. I can find no traces of a wound on her so I smeared blood around her mouth and chin to show she has recently fed. With a different paint scheme for her flesh tones she could quite easily pass for a human.
These figures may appear to be too big for some collectors and the paintjobs on them is at best, adequate. But, on the other hand, they offer a cheap way to build up a zombie horde, especially if you don't mind having duplicates. All ten figures that I have shown above are nicely sculpted and I don't think there is a bad 'un amongst them. I do know that you can buy individual figures and/or groups from various internet auction sites. Most rookie or common figures are dirt cheap, so I'd advise you to shop around for the best deal. I do know that Wizkids are now back in business and are still supporting their Heroclix ranges but whether the Horrorclix line will resurface remains to be seen. I hope it does, as I still need to collect a load more figures from the Nightmare set and I have gaps to fill in the other three sets. I'll review figures from the Freakshow expansion set and more figures from the Lab set next time.