Mega Minis Zombies 01

Mega Miniatures were once a company that solely traded on E-Bay but they now have their own website, so that customers who don't like/want to deal with E-bay can purchase their goods in the normal online manner. I'm going to be reviewing their six 28mm scale zombie sets over the coming weeks starting, naturally enough, with set 1.

At the far left of the two photos above is a zombie crawler. This very gaunt looking female has had her left foot removed. She is using her right hand to try and stop her intestines from spilling out of the huge wound in her stomach... not very successfully! The quality of the sculpts in this set (and indeed, all of the other sets) is a mixed bag. She is quite well sculpted and I have no complaints with her.

On the other hand, the martial artist next to her, is one of the weaker sculpts in this set. What immediately struck me was how far round his head has turned. It just looks wrong. Also, his left arm is far too long. If it hung by his side it would reach his knees! I painted him up as a green belt judo or karate fan, meaning he's no novice but neither is he an expert. Both arms have been bitten and I added a large bite wound to his neck as a possible explanation to why his head is at such an odd angle.

The girl zombie is quite a gem and it is great that Mega Minis have included so many zombie kids in their sets. Okay, this set only has this one but the others include two each, apart from set 5, which has three. Blood smears her blouse and skirt and runs freely down her right leg. Poor mite! But look closer and from the back you see she is holding a large carving knife that she is trying to hide. I painted congealed blood on the knife blade to show that she has used it. Beware this child - she can wield a weapon!

The final figure out of this group could be the girl's mum. She wields an even bigger knife. The left side of her face has been chewed away. Blood has run down her top and her dress shows a large blood stain that could be hers or that of a victim. She is quite well sculpted and looks very aggressive.

The final four figures from this set all have one thing in common - they are all armed. I should point out that this particular set has more armed zombies than any of the other sets in the range.
First up, in the two photos above, is the zombie construction worker hefting a heavy maul over his shoulder. His hard hat has remained in place. A large chunk has been taken out of his lower left arm and the fleshy part at the back of his lower left leg. His body proportions are good and I like this sculpt.
Likewise with the next zombie in line, the oriental chef. His receding hairline suggests a more mature gentleman and so I painted his hair grey. He holds a bloody meat cleaver in his right hand and an unidentifiable body part in his left hand. I could not find any obvious wounds on the figure so perhaps he died of a heart attack.
It has to be said that the zombie biker swinging a victim's leg has been crudely sculpted. He is definitely the weakest figure in this set, which is a shame, as I love the concept for this figure. I like to see zombies holding victims' body parts. Even better is if they are eating those body parts! But sadly, the sculpting lets this figure down big time. There are bite wounds to both of his arms and to his head and face.
Swiftly moving on, the last figure out of the group is a zombie holding a spade. Was he a grave digger or a gardener? Who knows? You decide. The sculpting of this zed is more in keeping with the others, which is to say, not too bad. He has been bitten in the right armpit, left shoulder and left knee. I have painted blood dribbling out of the left side of his mouth onto his shirt.
This set costs $10.00, roughly £6.50 on the E-bay site but only $9.50 on the internet site. Wherever you order them from they represent good value for money. If you do visit the official internet site you can purchase the figures individually for $1.43. I purchased all six sets from the E-bay store but that was before John Lauck, Mega Minis' main man, added the website store. A good decision, as I would certainly have used that option if I had the choice.
Until I saw a Mega Minis figure in the flesh I had a very low opinion of them. To me they looked too crude and I was afraid they'd be too small to fit in with other popular 28mm scale ranges. I admit I was wrong on both counts. My good friend Rogzombie (an ardent follower of this blog) sent me a couple of the Mega Minis zombie kids and I was blown away by the high quality of the sculpts. I checked out their range online with renewed vigour. When Roger told me that it was he who had painted all of the figures that appear on the website I was convinced to give them a try... and I'm glad that I did. There is no denying that some of the figures are crudely sculpted but fortunately these are in the minority. Most are decently sculpted and the kids from sets 3, 4, 5 and 6 are just superb. Scalewise, these will fit in well with the likes of Studio Miniatures, Zombiesmith and Hasslefree, for example. A big plus in their favour has to be the price of the sets. At roughly 80 pence per figure or just over a dollar if you reside in America, these are exceptional value for money. Buy all six sets and you'll have 48 zombies to add to your horde. That has to be food for thought if you're undecided. Before I leave, I must point out that these figures come with their own integral metal bases, all of which are plain and circular. I stuck my figures onto circular slottabases and covered them with sand and rubble as I do with most of my figures.