Recreational Conflict SPRU Biohazard Containment Team

And so I come to the final review in my five-part look at Biohazard Troopers from various figure companies. This time I turn the spotlight on Recreational Conflict's range of 28mm scale Special Paranormal Reaction Unit (aka SPRU) Biohazard Containment Team, sculpted by Brian Cooke. There are eight figures in this range but looking at my two photos you can be forgiven for thinking there are only seven. Read on for the explanation.

The figure at the far left is actually two figures on one base. The group of three canisters sited on the base is a separate figure. You could keep the SPRU Device, as it is called on the RC website, as a separate figure, possibly using it as an objective marker, but I decided to include it on the base of the figure I chose as the Team Leader. I had to cut a small V-shape out of his base to get both figures to fit on a 25mm diameter slottabase. RC have named this guy Ike, and he is a two-piece casting. The geiger counter or scanning device is a separate component that slots into his left hand. Ike is armed with a pistol. To me, he seems the most obvious choice for the team leader.
Next to him, is Kyle, one of two troopers armed with a Machine Pistol or Sub-Machine Gun. The weapon looks a lot like an Ingram MAC-10 SMG but it isn't. What is very distinctive about the weapon is its huge ammo clip. I reckon that could easily hold 40 rounds. Kyle is in a static pose as he moves forward cautiously.
His buddy, Stan, carries an identical firearm but he holds his in a two-handed grip, no doubt to better control the recoil of the gun. He is slightly hunched forward but again, his pose is static. There is nothing wrong with static poses, I'm merely making an observation not a criticism.
In the centre of the group is Ken, the first of two troopers armed with a flamethrower. He points his weapon downwards as he stands at the ready, observing the area around him. I should point out that I copied the colour scheme for these figures from the RC website. I painted them with Citadel Macharius Solar Orange from the Foundation Paints set. Then I gave them a Citadel Baal Red inkwash and finished them off by drybrushing them with Citadel Blazing Orange to which I added a small amount of Citadel Golden Yellow.
The second flamethrower trooper is called Eric and he holding his weapon in a firing position. I painted the visors of these figures with Citadel Enchanted Blue with a reflected stripe of Citadel Ice Blue down the middle. I finished them off by gloss varnishing the visors.
Next in line is Butters, the group's pack-mule. He is an unusual figure but I like him a lot because of that. He is carrying two large holdalls, which are separate castings. You can have a lot of fun dreaming up just what is inside the bags - it could be anything. He appears to be unarmed but he could have all sorts of weapons in the holdalls.
Last in line is Craig, who is kneeling down to retrieve something from inside a smaller-looking holdall being carried by Butters. Craig is armed with a pistol, which is in a holster strapped to his right hip.
Numerically, these are the largest range of Biohazard Troopers currently available, which has to be a plus point in their favour. They are a good combination of figures with their choice of weaponry and poses, even if their poses are not as dynamic as some would like. Personally, I don't mind how they are posed.
One thing that bothered me about this range was that their heads seemed too small. I have rectified this by adding modelling putty to them to bulk up their headware. There is one more negative aspect to them and that crops up if you go for the multi-figure option of buying them. A pack of seven figures costs $18.00, which is better value than buying them individually. But, I have to ask why aren't they sold as a pack of eight, with one of each type in the set? I was missing Ike from my set and I had to order him separately after I'd received the other seven. I have no idea if the figures are supplied randomly or not. If they are and the SPRU Device is missing, then I doubt if you'd complain much. If you decide to buy them individually then each figure costs $2.50 apart from Butters, who costs $3.50, (which is fair enough as he uses a lot more metal than the others) and the SPRU Device, which only costs $1.50.
In my next post I'll show a size comparison photo of figures from all five ranges so that you can see how they measure up against one another.