Cold War Minis Corpses

A couple of months ago I mentioned in one of my Monthly Musing editorials that I'd painted two extremely rare Cold War Miniatures' 28mm scale corpses that were sculpted for their The Dead Will Walk range but never got put into production. The two I have are of the redneck in baseball cap, holding a metal club and the priest brandishing a cross.

The photo above shows the two figures that the corpses were based on. Both of the standing figures are available from set 14 - Survivors.

This photo gives you a much clearer view of what the corpses look like. You can see that these are human corpses not zombie corpses, as the brain is intact on both figures. The red-neck has been bitten in the stomach, whilst the reverend has been chewed on in his legs. I like how even in death, he retains his hold upon his cross.
Now, I should stress that these two figures are not available for sale, so don't go looking on the CWM website for them. I mentioned the story of how I got hold of them previously, but it's worth repeating again. One of my oldest followers and close friend, Roger, aka Rogzombie, wrote to CWM on my behalf. How he knew about these ultra rare figures I do not know but knowing how much I'd like them he put in a request to Richard of CWM to ask if he could let me have a set if there were any still available. Obviously, Richard did still have a set going spare and he promptly sent them off to me. He mentioned in his covering letter that he was going to make corpse figures of his five survivors but the plan fell through as he was unhappy with the quality of his sculpts. It is a shame as I think it's a great idea, given that there are far too few corpse figures available. Despite that, these two figures did have a very limited production run and that's how I ended up with them. Once again, I'd like to offer my sincere thanks to Roger and Richard for ensuring I could add these amazing figures to my collection.

Here's a photo from my last batrep that shows both corpses in situ. Oddly enough, it was the corpse that I placed in the red hatchback that attracted the most comments. I'm managing to build up a fair-sized collection of corpse figures and it is something I will continue to add to. Even if the corpses have no effect in a game, you have to admit that they make for great "set dressing" on the gaming board.

Corpses 01

In my last couple of ATZ scenarios I have added a new element to my game boards - corpses. I don't know why I hadn't thought of this earlier as it seems like such an obvious idea. I mean think about it - in a zombie apocalypse, the longer it goes on, the more bodies will end up dead... and I do mean dead, as in permanently dead. If your player characters kill a zombie, will they dispose of the body in a proper manner, or will they just leave it where it fell? Unless they are defending their HQ I suspect the latter. A few followers have asked me about my figures of corpses, so I have decided to show them in this post and the next. This post shows nine 28mm scale corpse figures that I have bought, whilst the second will consist of figures that I have converted.

At the far left of the top row are two 28mm scale corpses from Ramshackle Games. These are resin-cast figures and come in a pack of three for the ridiculously cheap price of £0.75. The third figure, which I haven't shown, is standing upright as he leans against a wall. He might be dead, he might be wounded, he might be drunk or he might just be tired. I haven't painted him as I'm still deciding what to do with him. If you want to see him, plus alternative paint schemes for the two corpses, check out Lord Siwoc's blog, Brains and Guts here at http://lordsiwoc.blogspot.com/2011/05/world-has-come-undone.html To be honest, I think all three of these corpses are rather crudely sculpted but there's no denying, they are good value for money.
Next in line are a pair of corpses from Chiltern Miniatures 28mm scale Modern Forces Insurgents range. These are part of the African rebels range but when I checked on their price and availability earlier I couldn't find them on the Chiltern website. There are no obvious wounds on this pair, so maybe they're just Out Of the Fight. But then again, not every corpse has to lie in a pool of blood. These are rather chunky figures and in no way should be described as 28mm scale. Like the Ramshackle corpses they come on integral bases, which for me, I'd rather they didn't. It's just a personal preference but seeing as I'm using my corpse figures purely for set dressing, then I'd rather they weren't sculpted with an integral base.
Moving to the bottom row are two corpses made by Citadel. That's right, Citadel! Many, many years ago, Citadel produced a range of 25mm scale 1920's style gangsters. That is back in the days when their figures came with integral bases and scale-creep hadn't been heard of. For those with long memories, I'm talking about the early 1980's. These two beautiful sculpts, one male and one female,  were part of that range and whilst they may appear a bit small when compared with many figures from today, I still think they are usable. After all, not everyone in real life is six feet tall. So just regard these as vertically challenged adults.
In the centre of this row is a corpse made by Cold War Miniatures from their Dead Will Walk range of 28mm scale figures. He is extremely well sculpted and will fit in with many other 28mm scale figure ranges. He is available as a single figure for £1.75 as figure Z32 or as part of set DWW7 Victims for the price of £7.00, which contains four other figures. He is probably the best commercially available 28mm scale corpse around at present.
Next up is a decapitated zombie from Fortress Figures. They rather amusingly called him Matt. He is huge, close to 35mm in size. The sculpting of this range was rather cartoon like, which may be another reason people didn't take to this range. Poor sales might explain why the company are no longer trading. If you want him, you may struggle to find him, unless someone is offering him on eBay. I like the concept of this figure but he is huge and not a great sculpt.
Finally, I present a Horrorclix figure who isn't horrendously overscale, which is unusual for Horrorclix. She was part of a mini-diorama that made up the Ripper figure from the original set. The Ripper figure was one of the silver-edged Unique figures, which will make him rather expensive, I'd imagine, if you find him on eBay. I was lucky, I got a swap of him, so I could use one to play Horrorclix with and the other to cut apart to make two separate figures. Her dress suggests she was a prostitute, which is further reinforced by the fact the she was a victim of the Ripper. I think she's an exquisite figure.

So, of the nine figures I've shown, at present only three are readily available to buy. I find that very sad. There is a niche waiting to be filled for contemporary corpses. I'd guess that there are more available amongst military ranges, which is something I haven't looked into much. I'll add that to my "to do" list. I suspect there isn't much call for contemporary corpses but I'd like to see a lot more. Of course, the alternative is to make or convert your own. That's a topic that I'll cover in my next post.

Cold War Miniatures Zombies 06

And so I finally come to the last of my reviews of the Cold War Miniatures range of 28mm scale contemporary zombies. Here are sets 012 Cop This and 013 Good God. The two photos above show the five figures from set 012 Cop This, and they are, as you'd expect from such a title, all cops, three of them being ordinary American uniformed cops and two being SWAT troopers. 

At the far left of the two photos is a female cop, leaning over to her right. I rarely ever use gloss paints on my figures but for my three uniformed cops, I gave their shoes, belts, pouches, holsters and cap peaks a coat of Humbrol gloss acrylic paint. Any brand would do, I just happened to have a very old pot of Humbrol gloss black in my box of paints. This gives the afore-mentioned items a highly polished look, which is what I was after. She suffers from a small bite wound to her lower right arm, a much bigger wound to her upper right arm and a couple of largish holes in the centre of her back.

Her colleague next to her is also leaning over to the right, but whereas she had her arms hanging loosely by her sides, this slightly overweight cop is stretching out with his right arm. He has quite an impressive bushy moustache. You don't see many zeds with moustaches, do you? He only has the one wound, and it's a nasty one. All of the flesh has been stripped from his lower left arm and hand.

The cop in the centre of the group has lost his cap. His head is thrown back and he is reaching out with his left arm. He sports a number of wounds - a chunk has been taken out of his stomach; there are holes in his upper left arm and left shoulder blade and his left knee has been scraped.

The first of the two SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) troopers shambles forward with his upper body bowed down as if he is totally exhausted. He has suffered a similar fate to the overweight cop in that the flesh has been stripped from his left arm, only his wound is worse as it is his whole arm that has been affected, not just the lower half. Notice that his goggles are missing from his helmet.

The second SWAT trooper stands with his arms stretched out to either side. Note that he has his goggles in place. Most of the time when I describe what wounds a zombie has suffered, it is pretty obvious to see them from my photos. But with these five, because of their dark uniforms the dark blood stains don't always show up so clearly. They are much easier to see in real life, I assure you. This guy has a nasty bite wound on his left thigh and a deep cut to his upper right arm. Blood has dribbled from one corner of his mouth onto his flak vest.

Set 013 Good God was accurately described by 6MilPhil, one of my followers, as religion, religion, religion, religion and Elvis. Whether you think Elvis is a god is for you to decide. I appreciate the figure but I'm not sure this is the right set for him to appear in. Again, 6MilPhil raised an interesting point with me - how come no-one makes zombie Muslims? Too controversial? Possibly, but no zombie is going to refuse to eat the flesh of anyone just because of the victim's religious beliefs.

Anyway, let's look at what is on offer here. Anyone who has seen George A. Romero's superb Dawn of the Dead film will appreciate the inclusion of the Buddhist monk in his orange robes, carrying a tambourine after Fran was memorably attacked by one in the movie. He appears to be bald but look closer, and you can see he has a small ponytail at the back of his head. He wears large "jam-jar bottomed" spectacles. I've said before that not enough zombies wear glasses, so this figure gets a big thumbs up from me. His two wounds appear at the front of his right leg and the back of his left leg. The more I look at his face the more he reminds me of Mahatma Gandhi!

The zombie nun came in two pieces, with her arms and a strip across her shoulder blades being a separate piece. I actually think her arms are too long and her head too big, making her one of the weakest looking figures in the entire range. There are no obvious wounds on her so I have added blood oozing from her mouth. I like the idea of a zombie nun, but I must say that Griffin Miniatures made a far better job in the sculpting department with their zombie nun.

Next in line, Cold War have once again come up with something truly unique - a zombie rabbi. His style of clothing and his beard readily identifies him as a member of the Jewish faith. Once the zombies got hold of him they made quite a mess of him. He stands lopsided because of a twisted ankle and large bite wound to his right leg. His shoe and sock have been torn off as well. He has also been bitten in both arms. He is a stand out figure!

Set 014 Survivors (reviewed here
http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.com/2009/09/cold-war-miniatures-survivors-victims.html )
 contains a priest holding a cross and a bible. This figure is clearly based on him as both figures share very similar looking heads. The zombie priest has lost his cross and bible. He has wounds to his lower back, left arm and left leg, along with a couple of small holes to his chest and right arm. I like the idea of survivors and zombie versions of them. It is something I'd like to see a lot more of.

Finally, we come to the Elvis Presley zombie. Is he the real deal or just an Elvis impersonator? Well. that's for you to decide. He wears sunglasses and I've painted him in a white suit with lots of gold sequins. The white certinly shows off the blood stains to maximum effect. There is large gaping wound in his right armpit. His lower legs, especially his right leg, have been badly chewed. Finally, he has a deep hole in his left arm. This is one dude who is "all shook up!"

By now you must surely know that each set costs £7.00 and that you can buy each figure individually for just £1.75. As a reminder, you can buy all 14 sets for the bargain price of £80.00, saving you £18.00 over buying them separately. It's the option that I went for but I do appreciate it was a lot to pay in one go and not everyone can afford that amount. Plus, some folk might not want every pack in the range.

These are both very useful sets to own. Like doctors and nurses, cops are going to suffer heavy casualties when the zombie apocalypse kicks off. So dedicating a set to just cops makes a lot of sense. The religious set contains three unique figures - the Buddhist monk, the rabbi and Elvis. The nun is a disappointment but the zombie priest is a welcome addition. Don't let one bad figure out of this set put you off purchasing them. On the whole, all of the Cold War Miniatures zombies from their The Dead Will Walk range are extremely well sculpted and they fit in very well with other 28mm scale ranges. I heartily recommend not only both sets but the entire range.

Cold War Miniatures Zombies 05

I thought I'd continue my review of the Cold War Miniatures range of 28mm scale zombies, seeing as I only recently finished painting the last of them. This time I'll be looking at sets 010 High School and 011 Undead in London, both of which contain five finely sculpted figures. High school is a good choice for a themed set. It is the site for for some great TV series (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and films (like the recent Jennifer's Body) and some utter dross (like the High School Musical films. No, I haven't seen them - the trailers were enough to put me off!). This set contains five student archetypes that you'd expect to find in a high school environment.

First up is the cheerleader, a natural choice. Seeing as I play all of my zombie apocalypse games in Mayhem City, I painted an "M" on her top for Mayhem High School. She has lost one of her pom-poms but seeing as she's a zombie I doubt if she cares! Her face is very thin, almost skeleton-like. She has a deep bite wound on her upper right arm and a small hole on her back that might have come from a low-calibre bullet or a knife. There is also a thin cut to her lower right leg.

Next up, is one of the bookworm nerds. He is considerably shorter than the other four figures in this set. His whole look just screams at you, "victim!" You can just bet he was picked on and bullied when he was alive. Some folk have criticised Cold War for making these figures too thin, but in this case it is very appropriate that he is so thin. It makes him look weak and ineffective... but of course, now he's a flesh-eating monster. He wears large glasses and carries something in his right hand that I just can't identify. It could be a small book, a wallet, a filofax, a pocket calculator or something else entirely. I love his stance as he has one shoulder hunched up and his trousers don't quite fit properly as the legs are too short for him. Both elbows have been scraped and he has bite wounds to his neck and both legs. A superb figure!

In the centre of the group is the beer-swilling slacker. He still holds onto his beer bottle but it won't satisfy his taste-buds now. There is a massive wound to his right side, where it looks a zombie has had a feeding frenzy on him. His jeans are badly torn on both legs, with the wound on his left leg showing the flesh has been stripped to the bone. Bummer, dude!

Almost as inevitable as the cheerleader, the geek and the slacker is the jock. He is dressed in his American football gear, which would have provided him with good head and upper body protection. However, when the zombies caught him they munched on his more vulnerable stomach, sneaky devils! He is supposed to be carrrying a burst football tucked under his left arm, but I painted it up as the internal organs of one of his victims. I know, I'm just a gore hound!

Last in line is a typical student. There is nothing particularly remarkable about this guy - he's just Joe Average, although he is very well sculpted. He is dressed in baggy combat pants and T-shirt. He has been shot through the heart, with the exit wound clearly visible on his back. A deep bite wound appears on his left arm. Not so noticable is a piece of his scalp has been ripped away from the back of his head.

Set 011 Undead in London will be a godsend for anyone setting a scenario or a campaign in England. Once again, Cold War have produced some totally unique figures for this set, starting off with the zombie Guardsman, so beloved of tourists to Buckingham Palace and the Trooping of the Colour. He is an iconic figure for any game set in London. His smart ceremonial uniform is marred by a gaping wound to his left thigh and bullet or stab wounds to his torso and right buttock.
Next to him is what I'd guess to be a football hooligan. To be honest, football hooliganism is no longer a big problem in this country but I doubt if it will ever be totally eradicated. I just don't see it as a uniquely English problem. At present, Italy, for example, appears to have a far worse hooligan problem. Perhaps, he's just a lager lout, and by God, we have plenty of them! Whatever he was as a human he certainly met his match when the zombies caught him. He sports a nasty wound to the left side of his head and a vicious bite wound to his right leg. I have smeared blood around his mouth, which has dribbled down to his T-shirt, staining the top. Also his left hand is smeared with blood.
Another figure that benefits from being so thin is the punk in the centre of this group. Just look how thin and spindly his legs are. I'm sure it is only his leather jacket that gives his upper body any bulk at all. He has a large spiky mohican haircut, which he has dyed blue. He has holes in both elbows and both knees, none of which would be fatal to him. However, he has also had his throat ripped out... and that would be fatal!
The British Bobby with the trusty truncheon makes a welcome change to all the American cops that so many companies make. English policeman are woefully under presented. I know that Hasslefree make some great English cops based on the film, Hot Fuzz. But, who else, apart from Cold War, makes English police zombies? This beat cop has been shot in the stomach. There is a large exit wound in his back. He has also been bitten in the right leg. Note that he has a radio clipped to the right lapel of his jacket.
Speaking of unique figures we come to what must be the most unique of all zombie figures - a zombie Morris dancer! I did a double take when I first saw this zed. Apparently, he must be quite popular with some folks as I see that Wargames Factory have Zombie Morris Dancers on their list of figures waiting to be produced. Just a word of advice to anyone who has voted for them - guys, it ain't going to happen! You'll never get enough people to vote for these to be go into production. If you really want more zombie Morris dancers just buy multiples of this figure and convert him. Being dressed all in white really makes the gore stand out on him all the more. His nastiest wound is the huge chunk that has been taken out of his left side. Lesser wounds are those to his right chest and right thigh.
If you've read my previous reviews of this range you'll know how much these figures cost, but if you're new to my blog or have forgotten their price, they cost £7.00 per pack. You also have the option of buying each figure separately for £1.75. I was wondering how much use I'd get out of set 011 Undead in London, seeing as I set my zombie games in America but I figured it out thus. Someone in Mayhem City was holding a London-themed fancy dress party that got gate-crashed by a zombie horde, hence London Undead in America! If you were thinking similar thoughts about how to use this set in a non-English based camapaign, don't! There is no reason not to buy them, wherever you set your campaign. Naturally, the high school zombies will see a lot of use in my games. My next post should complete my review of this excellent range of zombies.

Cold War Miniatures Zombies 04

Following quickly on the heels of my last review of the Cold War Miniatures 28mm scale zombies from their extensive The Dead Will Walk range I now present set 08 Run For It and set 09 All Dressed Up. As usual, each set contains five figures on slottatabs and separate 25mm diameter plastic slottabases.

The two photos above show the zombies from set 08 Run For It. Appropriately enough, I'll begin with the female at the far left of the group who was clearly a fitness fanatic before joining the ranks of the undead. She is dressed as if she has just stepped into her gym class with head band, vest, sports pants and trainers. Her hair has been tied back in a ponytail. She suffers from two injuries - one minor, a twisted ankle on her right leg and the other one major in that half of her face has been ripped off, revealing her skull. She is a great miniature.

Equally as good is the plump country boy dressed in dungarees and T-shirt. This guy is overweight, although by no means fat. Perhaps if he'd exercised more he'd have been able to "run for it" and avoided the zeds. Remember Jesse's first rule of survival in Zombieland - "Cardiac." Be fit and you'll outrun the zombies. This guy wasn't and now he's paid the price. He is relatively unharmed, apart from a few bites on his lower legs. I'm betting he died of a heart attack whilst trying to run away to safety.

In the centre of the group is Cold Wars' second child zombie, only this time it's a little girl. In her right hand she retains her teddy bear (missing one leg) and she points at something with her left hand. There a couple of holes near the hem of her dress but her once pretty face is now a complete mess. Her right eye hangs out of its socket giving her a very ugly look. She is an outstanding sculpture, in my opinion, as we see far too few zombie children.

Staying with the keep fit theme, that is obviously a part of this set, we come to the male body builder. This guy is even more muscular than the "Mr. Muscles" bro' that I reviewed last time in set 05 Downtown. He is dressed in nothing more than a posing pouch (I just had to paint it gold). He has gone down to a massive wound to his neck and has obviously bled to death. Also, note the way his left leg is twisted at the ankle.

I'm not sure what the last figure in the group has to do with the "Run For It" theme, but all the same, he is very well sculpted and perhaps, he was what the others were running from! He is a male of indeterminate age dressed in a polo-neck jumper and torn trousers. His wounds are extensive. His left eye dangles from a gaping hole in his face. In addition, he has bites to his stomach, arms and right leg. He wields a chewed off lower leg in his right hand. It's his trophy and no-one else can have it!

Set 09 All Dressed Up is a perfect complement to the country half of set 06 Town and Country in that all of these zombies came from the upper strata of society. Let's be honest, race, religion and class mean nothing to a flesh eating zombie. As always, I'll begin at the far left and move across to the far right. First in line is a gentleman dressed in a tuxedo, bow tie and shirt. Even as a zombie, he still looks down his nose at those around him! A clever bit of sculpting or just a coincidence? The hole in his chest is quite large and at first glance would appear to be caused by a high calibre bullet. I dismiss this theory due to the lack of exit wound in his back, so I think it is a bite wound. He has another big bite wound on his left thigh.
I would assume that the lady standing next to him was his partner for the evening. She is elegantly dressed in a LBD (Little Black Dress), long gloves, high heels and a pearl necklace. She holds her purse in her left arm. her dress has been badly torn and holed as her zombie attacker savagely bit her in the right thigh. The hole in her thigh is clearly visible. I think she is a terrific zombie, my favourite out of this set.
Holding centre place is a toff dressed in his summer garb of straw boater, blazer, shirt and casual trousers. Now this chap could well have been shot in the stomach as there is a massive wound in his lower left side, possibly the exit wound of a high calibre round. Or he might just have been bitten! One thing is for sure, he certainly suffered at the hands and teeth of the flesheaters, as there is a large bite wound on his lower left arm and most of the left side of his left leg has been eaten away.
I have mentioned before that one of the great things about this range are the number of unique zombies you'll never find anywhere else. Here is another case in point - a Scottish laird dressed in a traditional kilt and jacket. I'd take my hat off to the sculptor if I was wearing one, for his sheer originality. It brings a smile to my face when I see something so different that no one else has thought of making. However, this is not the best of sculptures, being rather flat and undynamic but it gets a big thumbs up from me just for being so unique. This zombie has a small bite/bullet wound to the stomach and a much bigger bite wound to his left thigh.
The final figure out of this group is a female dressed in her evening gown. We can see that she neglected to wear a bra as her dress has been pulled down to show a naked right breast. Tits out for the lads! Sorry, that was uncalled for! There are three large holes  that reveal extremely nasty bite wounds to her legs. By giving her a white dress, the blood stains really show up. Blood also trickles from the corners of her mouth. This is another extremely well sculpted figure.
Costing just £7.00 per set, these are very good value for money. As always, you have the option of buying each figure individually for £1.75 if there are some you don't want or perhaps you might need duplicates of some of them. I think that both sets deserve a place in anyone's zombie horde. Both sets contain outstanding individuals, which for me are the little girl from set 08 and the female in the LBD from set 09. Although a few others come close as well. Set 08 Run For It will probably see more use in a game then set 09 All Dressed Up but I'm quite happy to own both sets.

Cold War Miniatures Zombies 03

It seems such a long time since I reviewed any figures but in truth it's only been about three weeks. I'm going to continue my review of the the Cold War Miniatures 28mm scale zombies from their The Dead Will Walk range, this time concentrating on set 05 Downtown and set 06 Town and Country.

The two photos above show the five figures from the Downtown set and the first thing you'll notice about these are that they are all negroid zeds. I am all for ethnic diversity amongst zombies so this set gets a big thumbs up from me. I'll start off by looking at the figure at the far left. He obviously likes to flash his "bling" with his gold chains, necklace with huge cross, bracelet and watch. This group are dressed in the clothing you would expect to find coloured youths from any city ghetto wearing. This guy wears a bandana, a vest, cropped baggy trousers and the obligatory trainers/running shoes. His wounds consist of small bites to the right shoulder and lower left arm as well as a vertical line of bullet holes in his torso.

Next up is the only female of the group. She wears a sports bra and low-slung tracksuit bottoms that reveal her thong. I notice more and more young women dressed in low-slung pants that reveal a thong nowadays. On some women it looks sexy, on others it's a huge mistake! This young woman has suffered badly at the hands (and mouths) of the undead. She has two big bite wounds to her stomach and left thigh and a smaller bite to her upper right arm.

In the centre of the group is what appears to be a break-dancing zombie, given the way he's waving his left arm and crossing his legs. Perhaps he was one of the backing dancers from Wacko Jacko's Thriller video! His wounds are very minimal - a single gunshot to the kidneys. You must agree that he is very oddly posed.

Next in line is "Mr. Muscles" the body builder who likes to show off his magnificent body to impress the "laydees!" "Just look at my six pack!" "Feel my muscles," he crowed. Yeah, arsehole, and just look at the huge chunk of flesh ripped from your chest so I can see your ribcage. He too wears low-slung baggy trousers and appears to be "going commando." I like the sculpting but I'd have hated this guy in real life.

Finally, at the far right of the group is a shell-suit wearing dude with a hat and a shoulder bag. In addition, he wears a gold necklace. There are a couple of holes in the right leg of his trousers, which I left bloodless. However, he does sport one wound and it is a nasty one. The left side of his chest and stomach has been eaten away. That had to have hurt!

The Town and Country set comprises five figures from opposite ends of the social spectrum. Lower class meets high class. As usual, I'll work through them going from left to right and starting with the business woman. She is neatly dressed in a two piece suit that sports a number of tears, especially in her right arm. I have painted her with blood smearing her lower face and right hand as if she had just enjoyed a bloody meal. Apart from the few rips and tears in her clothing she does not appear too badly wounded.
Standing next to her is a gent in suit and tie, who reminds me of a dodgy dealer - a low life criminal out to make a fast buck. His stance is awkward as if he is struggling to remain upright, due to some unseen broken bones. His right eye has been plucked out and his suit is badly torn in places.
Next up, is a nicely sculpted hard hat worker, possibly from the construction industry. He wears a high visiblity jacket, T-shirt, jeans, boots and heavy leather gloves, which are a nice touch, and of course, his hard hat. His left leg has been twisted at the ankle and a large chunk has been taken out of his lower right leg. There is also a small wound to his left arm and I smeared his jaw and neck in TCR (Tamiya Clear Red).
Another town worker stands to his left. This particular zombie looks to have once been a mechanic, seeing as he is dressed in overalls and carries a wrench in his right hand. Another indeterminate tool is stuffed in his back pocket. Now when I see a zombie mechanic, I immediately think of "Big Daddy" - the intelligent zombie from Romero's Land of the Dead film. However, one look at this zed's face and you can see he clearly isn't "Big Daddy." (Personally, I'm hoping Studio Miniatures make him as one their special named zombies.) This zombie has had the flesh stripped from half of his face and his right eye hangs out of its socket.
At the far right of this group we return to the high society with another female, this time dressed up in equestrian clothing. She might have been one of the fox hunting brigade. I have no idea if that particular "sport" goes on in America or not. If not she'd fit in well in an English setting for a zombie campaign. Alternatively, she might just be a show-jumping rider.There is a large hole in the back of her jacket and a large piece of flesh has been bitten out of her right leg. She still retains her riding crop.
So there we have another two fine sets of figures, both containing useful figures for anyone's zombie horde. I'll just repeat the prices again - each set costs £7.00 or if there are some figures you like/want and others you don't like/want, you can buy them individually for £1.75. I like both sets, in fact I like all of the Cold War zombie figures. What I particularly like about their range is that they fill niches that other companies just don't cover or perhaps cover only sporadically. As far as I am aware, the show jumping female zombie is unique. Other firms make negroid zombies but it is nice to get a set that just features them. More so, if your campaign is set in a large urban area. Some people have commented on how thin these figures are as if that is a bad thing. I totally disagree. For sure, some of them are thin, but look around you. People come in all shapes and sizes. I don't see what the problem is. I'd say that they are more realistically proportioned. Your mileage may vary.

Cold War Miniatures Zombies 02

Continuing on from last week's review of sets 1 and 2 of Cold War Miniatures' 28mm scale zombies I'm going to take a look at sets 3 and 4, Street Walkers and Horror Hospital respectively. I'll begin with set 3 - Street Walkers. At the far left of the group above is a limp-wristed gentleman, whose clothes have been badly torn. His left elbow has been gnawed through to the bone and he has been bitten in both lower legs. From the way his head has been sculpted, he looks to be advancing in years. Despite the torn state of his clothes he is still smartly dressed.

However, the next gentleman in line will beat most people when it comes to smart dressing. He is very clearly a city gent with the essential accoutrements of bowler hat, black suit and tie and brolly and a rolled up newspaper. If he was a Brit the newspaper would be the Financial Times. I have no idea what the American equivalent is. Perhaps someone can enlighten me? There are three holes in the front of his jacket which look more like bullet holes than bite wounds. There is also a hole in his bowler hat. If that was made by a bullet it must have missed his brain, otherwise he would not have reanimated as a zombie!

When I see the phrase "street walker" I immediately think of prostitutes, and I'm sure most other people will as well. This lady was obviously from the world's oldest profession. I've painted her up almost exactly as she appears on the Cold War website (as I have for most of these figures as it is far easier to copy someone else's colour scheme than devise one of your own!) but I had to give her blonde hair not black. However, look closely and you can see she isn't a natural blonde as her roots are showing. From behind and/or from the neck down she is still quite a looker. But her face... is a mess! Her right eye dangles down her cheek from an empty socket. Her mouth is fixed in a rictus grin. I can't see her getting many takers. I was going to say "any takers" but there are some sick people out there who would take up her offer of "having a good time!"

There is something about the young lad standing next to her that I find disturbing. He just looks evil. It is his facial expression that I find creepy. This is an outstanding sculpt! Zombie kids are exceptionally rare but there is nothing cute about this boy or indeed anything to illicit pity for his plight. His stance is that of the surly youth - hands in pockets, shoulders slouched and head down. To make matters worse, he wears a hoodie, although thankfully with the hood kept down. He has been shot once in the torso and his right leg has been badly chewed up.

The final figure in this group is a vagrant, a tramp, one of the homeless. I was not too happy with the way his coat clung to his legs, particularly his left leg, so I took a small piece of modelling putty and bulked it out on his left side. It was a simple conversion but one that in my eyes, makes the figure look right. His long coat is full of holes. I have blood showing through the holes in his elbows and centre of his back. That last one could be the entry wound for a bullet as there is a large exit (?) wound in his stomach. I put a question mark there as it could just as easily be a bite wound and the hole in his back may not be a wound at all. You decide.

The sculptor has had quite a bit of fun with set 4 - Horror Hospital and I think this is a great set of figures. When you think about it, a hospital will be a fertile breeding ground for zombies once the apocalypse kicks off. Starting with the figure at the far left he is one of three figures in this set who came with separate arms. I glued his in place with a two-part epoxy resin. Then I smoothed and strengthened the joints further with a dab of modelling putty. This guy's left leg is covered in bandages, which explains why he has the crutch. I think that that is such a neat touch and something you rarely ever see. It looks like someone has shot him in the stomach. I could quite easily see a cop or a soldier mistaking him for a zombie and shooting him... just to make sure!
Next up is someone who looks like he has just risen from the operating table. Dressed in his hospital gown (why do they never close properly at the back?) he has brought his blood bag on wheeled stand with him. It is this feature alone that makes this such an outstanding figure! He has no obvious wounds but I have painted him as if he has just fed on a victim, so his mouth has blood dribbling down his front and his right hand is smeared in blood.
I have read some criticisms of Cold War Miniatures being too thin. It is not a view that I share. This figure of a doctor is quite chunky. His arms are joined together and fit into a slot that runs across his shoulders. There are a few figures in this range that employ this mechanism and I think it is an innovative way of fitting arms to a body. Once in place, I used a small strip of modelling putty to hide the joint. No doubt, when he was human, this handsome chap was lusted after by most of the female staff and patients. But, as he has found out the hard way, good looks are no defence against flesh-eating zombies. The wounds in his chest and back line up, suggesting a bullet might have killed him. I've smeared blood all over his right hand.
To his left is one of his colleagues - a middle-aged nurse. Her pose is slightly off-centre as she shuffles forward in search of fresh blood. Her right foot is bent inward and she keeps her right arm close to her body. She reaches out with a blood smeared left hand. I have splattered blood in patches across the front of her tunic. Having a white uniform really does show up blood stains extremely well!
If the second figure in this group came from the operating table then this chap has clearly come from the morgue. He is totally naked and the autopsy cut from neck to groin is clearly visible. Like the doctor that I mentioned above, his arms are separate but fit to his body via a slot across his shoulders. I have hidden the joint by applying a small amount of modelling putty to his shoulder blades. Other than his autopsy cut, he has an extremely large bite wound to the back of his left thigh.
As usual, prices for these two sets are £7.00 each or you can purchase the figures individually for £1.75. I do think the name for set 3 - Street Walkers is a bit misleading, although technically they are all folk you could find walking on a street. Still, you know what I mean. Only one of them is a prostitute, not all of them. I think a set of three or four whores, their pimp and possibly a client would have been a good set to make. However, despite my misgivings over the name, this is still a very good set and well worth buying. The hooker and the kid are quite outstanding. As for set 4 - Horror Hospital, this is one of the best sets in the whole range. Highly recommended.

Cold War Miniatures Zombies 01

Not too long I reviewed the Cold War Miniatures 28mm scale survivors and victims sets (see http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.com/2009/09/cold-war-miniatures-survivors-victims.html ). I had a session yesterday photographing minis to be reviewed on my blog and I have enough material on file for the next couple of months. (Yippee!) So it's time to take a look at Cold War's range of zombies. It's possibly the biggest range of zombies by any manufacturer in this scale - 70 figures in total made up of 63 zombies, 6 survivors and 1 corpse. That is far too many to review in one go so I'm going to review these  figures ten at a time. I mentioned in my last review about how the majority of figures have been converted by the sculptor to have slotta-tabs instead of pins on their feet. It's a sensible decision as most figure companies nowadays produce figures with slotta-tabs to fit into plastic slottabases. Only the 10 figures I reviewed last time still had the pins attached. Before I begin my review I just want to mention the slottabases that come with these figures. The majority of 25mm diameter plastic slottabases have the hole in the base slightly off centre. For most figures this is actually a "good thing." With these figures, the slot is in the centre of the base, dividing it into two equal halves. This is worth noting, as I only used these bases on about 25% of the figures as it made the figure feel unbalanced. Fortunately I had loads of "ordinary" 25mm diameter slottabases spare, so that wasn't a problem for me. The unused bases went in my bag of spares to be used on that rare occasion when I need to pose a figure dead centre on the base. You have been warned!

So, let's take a look at the figures. The two photos above show the five figures from set 1 Deserted Diner. At the far left is the chef, who is clearly of oriental origin. He holds a meat cleaver in his right hand. His right eye has been gouged out and he has been shot in the chest and right thigh. I like his casual clothing of T-shirt, shorts and trainers. It's just the sort of attire you'd expect to see on a chef from a "greasy spoon" restaurant of a fast food diner.

Next up is the waitress, who still keeps hold of a plate of food. Her only injury appears to be a bite to her left thigh. What I particularly like about her is that the sculptor has given her a wedding ring on her left hand. It's a little detail that is so easy to overlook but one that makes her entry into the ranks of the undead all the more poignant.

Standing in the centre of the group is a zombie sheriff, still retaining his service pistol, although it does appear to be too heavy for him, given the way it is pointing downward. Note how his tongue is sticking out of his mouth. A cup of coffee and a doughnut is no good for him now - he wants blood to drink and flesh to eat! He looks to have been shot twice - once in the right side of his chest and once in the right side of his stomach. There are no exit wounds.

A diner will get a fair bit of trade from truckers, so it's no surprise to see a zombie trucker in this group. The way his head sags to one side would suggest his neck has been broken. He has also been shot in the stomach and the knees of his jeans are holed and scuffed.

Where truckers go bikers are sure to follow. This guy may have been a tough hombre when he was alive but he's just another shambling corpse now. I like that he still holds a short length of chain in his right hand. There are numerous holes in his clothes, which could be the result of bullet wounds or zombie bites. Looking at him closely, I feel that his left arm is a bit too long, especially from elbow to wrist, so for that reason I think he is the weakest figure in this group.

The second group to be featured in this review is called Happy Shoppers. An odd title, methinks, as I don't see any of them holding a shopping bag! First up, in the bright yellow T-shirt is that rarity amongst zombies - someone wearing glasses. I wear glasses all the time because I'm short sighted. So do lots of other people. But of all the zombie figures available how many are wearing glasses? Far too few is the answer! I applaud the sculptor for giving this guy glasses. The only noticable injury to him is a small hole in his trousers over his right knee.

The oddly posed gentleman to the right of him is bare-footed. The way his feet are both pointing inwards draws attention to them. The pigeon toed stance has become synonomous with zombies so I have no problem with the way he stands. Again he does not appear to have any serious injuries. There are a few holes and tears in his clothes but nothing suggesting major trauma.
Next up is my favourite figure out of this group - granny with walking stick. She came in three parts - main body and legs, left arm and right arm with integral walking stick. I stuck her limbs on with superglue then reinforced the joints with a thin smear of modelling putty.To be honest, with her lack of wounds, she would make a perfectly acceptable old age pensioner if you want a human victim. I think she's a great figure and it just goes to show that zombies are not ageist!
Fourth in line is another zombie standing in the pigeon toed stance. This time it's a female, a young mum from the looks of her. At first, I thought she was another figure from this set without any wounds but a closer look revealed a small bite to her lower left leg. It's hard to see on my photos as it appears on the side of her leg. Still, I assure you, it is there. I do like the way her hoodie has been sculpted.
Last of all, is yet another very lightly wounded zombie. His face is full of character and is very well sculpted. Their are holes in both elbows of his shirt and just above his groin. Both knees of his trousers are also holed. I've bloodied both elbows and his right knee. It is unlikely that any of these "scrapes" killed him but that does not really matter - something killed him and now he has returned as a zombie.
Of the two sets reviewed here, I'd have to say that set 1 Deserted Diner is way better than set 2 Happy Shoppers. However, they are both well sculpted sets and they will fit in very well with other ranges like Hasslefree, Studio Miniatures or Zombiesmith. I've said before that I like this range and there are some truly unique figures amongst them. Amongst these ten, the oriental chef, waitress and granny with walking stick are outstanding and well worth owning. They cost £7.00 per set or you can buy the figures individually for £1.75.

Cold War Miniatures Survivors & Victims

If you are serious about collecting a horde of 28mm scale zombies I would recommend starting your search for minis with three companies - Cold War Miniatures, Studio Miniatures and Zombiesmith. So far on my blog I have reviewed the output of Studio Miniatures and Zombiesmith. It is now long overdue to turn the spotlight on Cold War Miniatures. If you want a horde of zombies these are the folks to look to as they produce 14 packs of miniatures, each containing 5 figures. Of these, 6 are survivors and 64 are zombies, which is quite a horde in itself before you start adding figures from other companies. The reason why I have delayed reviewing these for so long is that almost the entire range underwent an overhaul as the sculptor replaced the pins on the feet of the figures with slotta-tabs. For months and months all I read on their website was "coming soon" until eventually all of the figures were available for sale. Twelve of the packs now come with slotta-tabbed figures and slottabases. The two packs that have not been converted (yet?), sets 7 Victims and 14 Survivors are the sets I'm reviewing here.

So I'll begin with the Survivors set and first up in the photos above is an elderly priest, carrying a bible and cross. His faith in the good Lord clearly did not do him much good as Cold War produce a zombified version of him in one of their other sets (set 13 Good God).

To his left is a male in a baggy shirt and holding a tire iron in a threatening manner. This figure came in two parts, with the left arm being a separate piece. It's a nice dramatic pose.

In the centre of the group is the only female survivor. When I first saw her I was immediately reminded of Tulip, the girlfriend of Jesse Custer from Garth Ennis's Preacher, an excellent series of comics. This is my favourite figure out of this group. Note the way she is standing at a slight slant. I like that. The two handed grip she has on her pistol gives the impression that she means business and she's not a woman to be messed with - just like Tulip! Her arms had to be glued to the body but rather than cut them off at the shoulders, the sculptor has cut a groove across her back and sculpted her shoulder blades to the tab that slots into the groove. It's an unusual but ingenious way of attaching the arms to the body.

The fourth figure of the group appears to be a car mechanic by his dress of jeans, T-shirt and baseball cap. Plus, he is holding a tyre iron. I found it rather odd that two out of the five survivors were wielding tyre irons. This isn't a complaint, merely an observation. If you have to use an improvised weapon and you are a car owner, a tyre iron is a perfectly acceptable choice. It makes a nice change from the more usual baseball bat that a lot of figures favour.

The final figure of the group is well armed with a pump-action shotgun and a bandolier of ammo slung over his left shoulder. He wears aviator glasses to give him a high cool factor and he bears quite a resemblance to Kurt Russell (think of his Jack Burton character in Big Trouble in Little China, a film I absolutely adore).

I've grouped the zombie victims set with the survivors set because as well as being the second pack whose figures have pins instead of slotta-tabs it contains the only other human out of the range. But first, the zombies, and at the far left of this group in the two photos above is a zombie that has been set on fire. Fire is guaranteed to kill any zombie no matter what its origin might be. Painting fire realistically is an interesting challenge. I always paint my flames going from dark to light but I've read on some forums that they should go from light to dark. If I've got it wrong I don't care. It looks good to me and that's all that matters.

The next zombie in line is crawling along on his hands and knees and has his left arm stretched out, ready to grab someone. His injuries don't appear to be too bad but obviously something has forced him to slow down to a crawl pace. Make up your own story why this should be.

In the centre of the group is another crawler but this time there is no doubt at all why. His left leg has been ripped or torn off at the hip, severely hampering his mobility. You can see part of his femur poking out of the wound, which looks very messy. Getting two crawlers or draggers out of this set was a big plus for me as they feature prominently in the zombie rules I'm still playtesting.
Moving on, is a corpse with with a huge stomach wound, revealing lots of juicy entrails. I'd love to see lots more corpses made by various figure companies. Most times in zombie apocalypse games if a zombie is killed you remove the figure from the board. I think it would be cool to replace the figure with a corpse so that at the end of the game you get a true indication of how much carnage has been caused. It would make quite a visual impact. Lying a figure on its side just doesn't have the same appeal as the figure's base ruins the effect.

Finally, we come to the only human victim. I must admit that I did consider painting him up as a zombie but I couldn't think of a good reason why a zombie would be cowering in a such way. Anyway, this set is called victims, so why just limit it to zombies? As you can see this victim is kneeling down with his arms held up in a defensive posture to ward off a blow. This is a figure that could see uses in many types of games. Imagine him as a bank worker being threatened by a supervillain or as a hostage being threatened by a terrorist. Figures with multiple uses are always worth having in your collection.

So, verdict? I have read criticisms of Cold War Miniatures that their zombie figures are too thin. I disagree with that view. I have nothing but praise for their sculpts. I think adding slottatabs and slottabases was a good decision, although I had no problems in drilling a hole in an ordinary slottabase for the pins on these figures. Once stuck in place they were well secure. What strikes me about this range is the sheer variety of figures available and the high quality of the sculpting. Both sets that I have reviewed here are very useful for zombie fans and gamers. I will be reviewing the rest of the range in the near future.

So let's talk prices. Both sets cost £7.00 each, which at less than £1.50 per figure represents good value for money. Now if you only want part of a set you can buy the figures individually for the price of £1.75 each. Again, this is good value and how many other companies do you know that allows you to split packs of figures? At the other end of the scale you can buy all 70 figures for £80.00, which although is a big outlay is even better value for money. This is the option that I plumped for. Let me tell you about my order that I placed. I ordered all 70 figures from the Cold War website at about 3.00 on a Monday afternoon. Next morning at about 10.00, I received a parcel from the Royal Mail. I looked at it in stunned amazement. It was my figures from Cold War! In less than 24 hours I had them in my hand. Unbelievable service! Cold War, I salute you!