Wednesday 23 May 2012

West Wind Vampire Rock Stars

It can now be revealed who my zombie rock fans (see last post) were following and sorry, all of you who thought it was Elvis, you're wrong. It is of course more undead in the form of Vampire Rock Stars - set GHB0004 from West Wind's Bad Moon Over Memphis figures, which are part of the Gothic Horror range.
Once again, I feel that West Wind are letting down any potential buyers by only showing one figure from this set on their website (the figure at the far right of my two photos). Still, at least they managed to paint him this time, but I did not copy their colour scheme.
Two things that all four of my figures have in common are that they all have red eyes, to accentuate the fact that they are no longer human, and secondly, they are all wearing black trousers. This helps to tie them together as a group. Does this group have a name? Yes it does. Meet the Degenerates. Why that name? As I have mentioned before, I was a big fan of the role-playing game Vampire: the Masquerade. My favourite clan was Clan Toreador, the artists and the creatively talented. I see this group being made up mostly of Toreador vampires. Clan Toreador were derisively called the Degenerates by other non-Toreador vampires, so this group has taken the name and used it as a badge of honour. Let's meet them individually.
At the far left of the group is the enigmatic Wysper. With his long flowing white hair, he certainly stands out from the crowd. All three of the backing musicians are bare-chested. Wysper is particularly well-muscled. He does not say much but he can surely pack a punch, both physically and musically. He belongs to Clan: Brujah (made up of intellectuals and rebels) and he plays electric guitar.
Standing next to him is the group's lead singer, Krymson Sky. He is instantly recognisable by his flowing crimson shirt, white streak in his hair and his gold-plated acoustic guitar. Yes, he is as flamboyant as he looks. One of Clan Toreador's primary vampiric disciplines is Presence, the ability to sway the emotions of others. Krymson is so highly charismatic that he rarely has need to use it to influence large crowds. That and his musical prowess are enough to win over many a critic.
Third in line is another Toreador vampire, Requiem. He writes most of the group's lyrics and is the most outspoken member of The Degenerates. His guitar playing is legendary and he has been known to go off on ten minute or longer riffs when performing in concert. He is also a front man for a number of men's hair care products... because he's worth it! Note that this figure comes in two pieces - the guitar is separate from the body.
Lastly, is the most feral-looking member of the group, Diablo. Diablo is a member of Clan Gangrel, known as the shape shifters. There is something anatomically incorrect about him, but I mention that merely as a statement of fact, not a criticism. It actually fits the character very well. Note that he is the only member of the group to be bare-footed. Presumably, this is to make any transformation he makes that much easier. Gangrel vampires can transform into bats, wolves or at higher levels, mist. Diablo plays bass guitar.
Note that all names and clan affiliations were designed by me. As with the zombie rock fans, these are heroically scaled, meaning thay are a lot taller than true 28mm scale figures. No matter, I say. They are nicely sculpted and look like a right bunch of head-bangers. I think it's safe to say they won't be playing middle-of-the-road pop.
Now I happen to like vampires more than zombies so this set was a "must have" for me. I suspect however, that I'm going to be in a minority here and that most of you will prefer the zombie rock fans. Ah, well! For those of you who are interested in purchasing this set, they cost just £6.00. In my descriptions of the figures I have deliberately tied them in to the Vampire: the Masquerade RPG, as I know some of you are also fans of the game. If you are not familiar with the game then just consider them for what they really are - vampire rock stars.

16 comments:

  1. They should hang out with Lestat and his band, great work Bryan!

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    1. Lestat's a cry-baby wimp, Fran! My vamps would eat him for breakfast. I have read the Anne Rice novels and, as you can tell, I'm not a fan of Lestat.

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  2. Very cool figures. Sites that don't properly display quality pictures of their figures are a pet peeve of mine, yet many do this.
    You've painted these Vamps up nicely as a rock band

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    1. I agree with you, Adam, about sites not displaying their goods properly. I find it very off-putting. Thanks for the kind words.

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    1. Thanks, Joe. I had a lot of fun painting them and thinking up names and back stories for them.

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  4. Great looking miniatures and paintjobs. Nothing annoys me more than not being able to see a product before your buy. Especially in this day and age! I dislike alot of comapanies that just have no image and just a description of what it is

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    1. You're preaching to the converted here, Simon. I totally agree with you.

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  5. Damn........ They look mean as hell!!!

    Good work on them, and nice to see some vampires form you again Bryan.

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    1. Rockers from Hell! Oh yeah!

      Thanks, Johnny. They were a nice change to paint from all the zombies I've been churning out.

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  6. Lucky Joe sent me this comment -
    Excellent looking minis. I like Diablo best. There's something just "wrong" about him, but in a good way.

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    1. I had a bit of bother with your double post, Joe, but I was able to salvage your comment. I agree about Diablo - there's something inhuman about him.

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  7. Creeeeepy!! :D

    I'm more into Metal, but I really like this! :D

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