Acheson Creations Crazies and Cultists 01

At the same time as I sent away for my two sets of Acheson Creations zombies (shown in my last post) I ordered their four 28mm scale Crazies and Cultists sets. I'll review two of the sets today and the other two in my next post. I'm not too sure if the designation "Crazies and Cultists" applies to all of the figures in these sets but they certainly apply to some of them.

The four figures shown above come from the Male Crazies and Cultists set 1. First in line is a Biohazard Trooper dressed in a Hazmat suit, with gas mask and flamethrower. I have given him the same paint job as my EM4 Biohazard Troopers, as he closely resembles the look of them. He is actually a much better figure than the flame thrower trooper in the EM4 set because his flamethrower looks like a real weapon and not like a Warhammer 40,000 inspired flame rifle. He is a nice figure but is he a Crazy or a Cultist? No, I don't think he's either.
However, the next guy in line could be either or both. I decided to give him bright orange overalls, to indicate that he is an escaped prisoner. I am not too sure what he is armed with. Fantasy Fixtures (whatever happened to him?) suggested on his blog site that it was an M79 grenade launcher, but I'm not convinced. I shall probably rule that he is armed with a sawn-off shotgun.

Third in line is a paramilitary type, who could be a Ganger or a Survivor. He is armed with a 5.7mm FN P90 Sub-Machine Gun with an integral scope-sight. The military version of this innovative SMG comes with a 50-round ammo clip, whilst the civilian version comes with a 30-round ammo clip. He also has a pistol in a holster and a number of pouches on his belt, as well as a water bottle. He seems well prepared to survive a zombie apocalypse. I like this figure the most out of this set.
You may be forgiven for thinking that the last figure of this group is a boy holding a machine gun. But if you think about it seriously, that assumption is just silly. How could a young boy possibly carry such a heavy weapon? No, what we have here is a dwarf adult, which is most unusual but not improbable. He is of course, armed with a 7.62 mm Saco M60 General Purpose Machine Gun. I gave him a sleeveless camouflage jacket over his coat. Just like the previous figure, he appears to have had some military training, and again, would work well as a Survivor or a Ganger. Perhaps his comrades think he is crazy for hefting such a heavy weapon around!

The next four figures are from the Male Crazies and Cultists set 2 and the figure at the far left clearly falls under the category of Crazy. One look at this doctor's face tells you all you need to know about his sanity, or rather his lack of sanity. He has a wild-eyed manic look about him. He is a very characterful individual and I like the almost cartoon-like way he has been sculpted.
The figure standing next to him is the only one that you would definitely describe as being a Cultist. I thought long and hard about what colours to paint his robes before I settled upon this red and white colour scheme. The white front denotes that he is a leader. I would imagine his followers would be dressed all in red. I chose red as a reference to the Cult of the Red Queen from the Vampirella comics. No surprises there, huh? He wields a double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun in his right hand and an ancient tome in his left hand. If magic exists in your games, that could be a book of spells. He does make a great cult leader.

Finally, are a pair of negro Gangstas (Crazies?). Both are armed with 9mm pistols and both are holding their firearms "gangsta-style," which may look "cool" but is not an effective way to fire a pistol. Of the two, the one I like best is the dude in red, second from the right, What I particularly like about him is his machete - an excellent zombie killing weapon. In the second photo of him, the blade has really caught the light. However, if he is going into zombie territory he'd be well advised to ditch the iPod and headphones. That said, they are a nice touch to the figure.
The other Gangsta is also wearing a hoodie top, but he has pulled his hood up. His pistol is fitted with a silencer, so he'd be well worth mugging for that! He is pointing his pistol downwards, which may seem odd, but I think he is waving it up and down as if gesturing to someone to drop their weapon. In his left hand he holds a mobile phone. These are a well sculpted pair and would make a worthy addition to any African/American gang.
Some figures in these sets are probably more useful than others, depending upon your needs and preferences.These two sets of four figures cost just $7.50 each from the AC webstore, making them good value at less than $2.00 per figure.
A word of warning for next time, when I review the female Crazies and Cultists set. It contains what is possibly the scariest figure I have ever seen! Be afraid! Be very afraid!