Wednesday 17 December 2014

Assorted Werewolves 01

And so back to my reviews of my collection of 28mm scale werewolf figures. These five figures, made by Recreational Conflict, Zombiesmith and Hasslefree Miniatures, have all been sculpted as they are about to transform into their wolf forms, making them part human and part werewolf.
At the far left are two figures made by Recreational Conflict and sculpted by Brian Cooke. Jack, wearing the white shirt and jeans, could almost pass for human. His transformation is only just starting. His head is not quite human at this point. Sensibly he has got rid of his shoes and socks but unless he loses his shirt and jeans very soon they will be ruined if he transforms further.
The second figure in line shows the transformation much further down the line and now he is at the halfway point between being human and being lupine. His head is visibly changing and becoming longer and hairier. His hair has lengthened and he is growing fur on the backs of his arms. He has also grown a bushy tail. I'm not sure why but he has quite a prominent erection. Perhaps he's just excited!
Crouching down in the centre is Zombiesmith's Wolfboy. He is more wolf than human but he hasn't fully transformed. There is something very primitive about this figure. He is very muscular which makes me think he must be a teenager rather than a pre-teen. He was so small that I was able to glue him onto a 20mm diameter slottabase.
The final two figures are unquestionably the best of the bunch. Sculpted by Kevin White for Hasslefree Miniatures they are HFH052 Insane man in Straightjacket and HFH053 Transitional Werewolf. The insane man is fully human but from his pose he is clearly getting ready to transform.
The transitional werewolf is a very dramatic figure, beautifully sculpted and animated. You can almost feel his power as he rips apart his straightjacket to unleash his inner beast. His head is thrown back as he lets out a triumphant howl that says, "I'm free now! You can't hold me captive!" Once again, his transformation has made him sexually aroused as he sports a big hard on. Curious!
The Recreational Conflict figures can be found under the Lead Bones section of their webstore. Wolf 1 and Wolf 2 (Jack) cost $2.50 each or you can buy them both together as set Were 1, which costs $5.00. The Zombiesmith Wolfboy can be found in the Horror section of their webstore under the heading, Breathers. He costs $3.00.The Hasslefree figures are located in their Fantasy Humans range and cost £4.00 for the Insane Human and £4.50 for the Transitional Werewolf.

16 comments:

  1. Great posting as always Bryan, and even more stuff to tempt me with :-) Kev White's sculpts are the stand out ones for me as well though I do like the understated look of RC's Wolf 1 as well - though that could be because of your splendid paintjob on him. Cracking stuff. Spookily I've just received my own lupine order of "Heroclix" which includes Man-Wolf, Hyena and a Mage Knight Frost Wolf. Sadly only the sculpting on the latter model compares with any of these you've posted. looking forward to the next one :-)

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    1. Thanks, Simon. Kevin White really is a master sculptor, isn't he? I look forward to seeing your own lupines. I don't own any Heroclix werewolf type figures but I'll be posting some of my own Horrorclix werewolf figures soon.

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    2. Oh I look forward to your "Horroclix" posting Bryan. Btw I have three MiB flying across the Pond to me as I type. Thanks for bringing them to my attention, as I tracked some down in the end :-)

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    3. That is so cool that you were able to acquire three MiBs, Simon. I'm really pleased for you.

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  2. That's quite a variety of different interpretations of "werewolf", isn't it? I think I agree: the Hasslefree figures are my favourites - though I've always wondered with werewolves/Incredible Hulk/other shape changers: what happens if their clothing/straitjacket/armour is too strong to be ripped apart by the transformation?

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    1. Apparently werewolves come in all shapes and sizes, Hugh, as I'll show over the coming weeks. Interesting question you pose? If the clothing or armour was too restrictive would they be able to transform at all? I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you. Sorry.

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  3. Lovely job Bryan! I might not collect were's but I find the whole mythos a great horror subject, these are some very cool examples.

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    1. I quite agree. Bob. Werewolves are as much a part of the horror genre as vampires, zombies and psycho killers. It would be remiss of me to ignore them, especially as I have a big collection of werewolf figures.

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  4. These are great castings for all sorts of reason and you've done excellent brushwork on them as always. I can't understand how they could be used in the "turning" phase they're meant to be in.
    Like C6, I often wondered if Bruce Banner had wardrobes full of shirts as he always ripped his when he changed.

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    1. Thanks, Joe. These figures could certainly be used if the transformation process is not instantaneous. Books and films differ on how long it takes to transform so it's a grey area unless you're playing a game that has specific times saying how long a transformation takes. Bruce Banner must have bought his shirts in bulk, given how many he destroyed!

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  5. Your post highlights the diverse nature of Lycanthropes. It is much harder for a sculptor to take something from their imagination. Zombies Vampires etc all based on human form but weres are a hybrid form so it must be harder to create a figure that will appeal to everyone.
    Well done for showing them all though I appreciate it.

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    1. Thanks, Clint. You are spot on regarding the diversity of were-creatures. There are lots more still to show.

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  6. Awesome collection. You've brought them to life wonderfully with your paintwork. I do love the look of these. There have been some cool ones done for dungeon bowl by Greebo miniatures. But two don't have the armour most figures of that sort of range wear. They make very passable werewolves like in the film wolfman.

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    1. Thanks for telling me about the Greebo minis, Simon. I'll check them out.

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  7. The Hasslfree werewolves were actually done by Michael Brand. They were part of a Frothers sculpting contest a few years ago. Hasslefree picked them up when it was over.

    Bronze Age makes some pretty neat werewolves you might want to check out.

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    1. Thanks, Jim, I didn't know that. There is no mention of the sculptor on the HF website so I just assumed it was Kev's work as usual.
      I'll be sure to check out the Bronze Age werewolves.

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