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.

Recreational Conflict Biohazard Troopers 02

These six figures belong to the Recreational Conflict Biohazard set III and are very different to their first set. The most noticeable difference is that they are much more chunkier. I like their bulky protective clothing. With the current Ebola crisis in Africa featuring prominently in the news I thought this was a good time to get these figures painted. They have been waiting to get painted for more than a year now - shame on me!

The first decision I had to make was to decide on their colour scheme. Watching recent news footage, white seemed to be the most obvious choice and so I went with that. At the far left of my photos is the leader of the group, waving his men on to follow him. He holds a 9mm pistol in his right hand. The first thing you'll notice about this group is that they are well armed. Only one out of the six is not carrying a weapon and he is second in line from the left. He holds a box and a probe, most likely a Geiger counter as he tests for radiation levels.
Next in line is the flame thrower operator. Or he could possibly be a chemical sprayer. Readers of Mira Grant's excellent Feed trilogy will be well aware of how often the heroes had to endure chemical showers to ensure they didn't spread the zombie plague. Note he has three tank cylinders on his back - one oxygen tank and two for his flame thrower or chemical sprayer.

The next two troopers in line are armed with 5.56mm M4 Assault Carbines. Note that all troopers are fitted with yellow oxygen tanks.
Last in line is a kneeling trooper, firing his 9mm pistol in a two-handed grip.
It is obvious these are not humanitarian aid workers but some sort of military or paramilitary group. The obvious use for them is for clearing out pockets of zombies in a zombie apocalypse game. They are radically different to Recreational Conflict's first set of Biohazard troopers, which would suggest that these guys work for a different organisation.
These figures were sculpted by Alan Maguire and can be found in the Lead Bones 28mm Modern Horror section of Recreational Conflict's webstore. All six figures can be bought for $15.00, which is very reasonable for a metal figure these days.

Recreational Conflict 4-of-1 Figures 02

As promised, here is part two of my review of the Recreational Conflict 4-of-1 sets of 28mm scale figures, this time concentrating on the females. So without further ado, here they are.

To start off with, here is the Asian businesswoman. In her civilian form, she is speaking on her mobile phone. I'm not too sure what she is holding in her left hand. It could be a pager or even a second mobile phone.
With the survivor version, she is armed with a 12 Gauge Pump Action Shotgun. KACHING! This lady means business!

The zombie version of her is without doubt, the most extremely disfigured of all the zombies in this range. She has been cut in two and has had her left arm ripped off. She'll still be able to drag herself along the ground with her one good arm, but her progress will be very slow. She could still surprise an unwary passerby by hiding under a vehicle.
Richard Brooks, the head of Recreational Conflict, told me last time that the corpses had all been left intact so that you could decide how they died. So, I gave this corpse a cut to the forehead and a bite wound to her left cheek.

Next in line is the waitress. She has a napkin draped over her right arm and she holds a silver tray aloft in her left hand.
In her survivor guise, she is armed with a frigging huge revolver, most likely a Magnum. I'd definitely class it as a Big Ass Pistol in All Things Zombie.

The zombie version of the waitress has lost her left arm, resulting in massive blood loss. Also, notice that her ponytail has come undone.
I painted the corpse version with a gaping cut to her throat. I must admit to a certain ghoulish pleasure in deciding just how the corpses had died.

Moving on, we come to the chav shopper. She is dressed in typical chav clothing - jogging pants with faux gold belt, hoodie top, crop top T-shirt showing her midriff and belly button and of course, a pair of designer label running shoes. Her bottle-blonde hair has been tied back in a ponytail. She has been out shopping and holds a shopping bag in each hand.
The survivor version has swapped her shopping bags for a pair of 9mm Pistols.

From the front, the zombie version looks unmarked but from behind you can see she has suffered appalling injuries. most of the skin from her back has been flayed off and she has a deep bite wound at the back of her calf on her right leg. Just like the waitress, her ponytail has come undone.
The corpse version got shot or stabbed in the right eye.

What I really love about this set of figures is the individuality of the figures. They are not all average sized Caucasians and are all the better for their different sizes and ethnic origins. This female is clearly overweight, bordering on chubby. She could be a tourist reading a tour guide or maybe she is the tour guide. She is well-tanned, so obviously spends a lot of time outdoors. I also deliberately painted her with grey hair to acknowledge the fact that not every survivor will be young, fit and healthy.
In her survivor guise, she carries a 7.62mm Model 85 Parker-Hale Bolt-Action Rifle with fitted Scopesight - a very good sniper rifle.

The zombie version has suffered a massive stomach wound and her intestines are just starting to spill out. Gross!
Her corpse has blood coating her lips, chin and neck.

I'll finish off with a better view of the four corpses. As with the males, I am a massive fan of this complete range of figures. I must give a special nod to Brian Cooke, who sculpted them. He has done a superb job on capturing them in their various forms. Every one of these figures looks as if he or she has a story to tell. I'm now looking for an excuse to introduce them to my ATZ-FFO campaign set in Mayhem City.
So, by now, you are probably wondering how much they cost? Every civilian, survivor, zombie and corpse can be purchased separately. The civilians, survivors and zombies cost $2.50 each, whilst the corpses are cheaper at $2.00 each. However, it is better value to buy them in groups. The 8 civilians (4 males and 4 females) cost $18.00. Likewise for the 8 survivors and the 8 zombies. All 8 corpses will cost you just $14.00. You can also order the Gearing Up set, which consists of all 8 civilians and all 8 survivors for $36.00. You can find all of these figures under the Lead Bones heading of the Recreational Conflict webstore.
These are amongst my all-time favourite zombie apocalypse figures and I give them my highest recommendation.

Recreational Conflict 4-of-1 Figures 01

Over two years ago I reviewed a set of 16 Recreational Conflict 28mm scale humans, featuring 8 civilians and their 8 survivor counterparts. I really raved about these figures and the whole concept of making "before and after" figures for a zombie apocalypse game just appealed to me so much. I made a plea with Richard Brooks, the head of Recreational Conflict, to extend this range further and add zombie and corpse versions of the 8 figures. Well, to my absolute delight he took my suggestion on board and late last year he very kindly sent me the new figures free of charge to review on my blog. My heartfelt thanks go out to Richard and I can only apologise for taking so long to getting round to reviewing them. In this post I shall review the male figures and on Sunday, I'll showcase the females.

Although I have already reviewed the civilian and survivor types I felt it just made sense to show all four variants together so you can see a natural progression. I start off with the basketball player. as befits such an athlete, he is the tallest figure in the range. He has his basketball tucked under his right arm and in his left hand he holds a bottled energy drink.
The survivor version sees him armed with a 9mm Ingram MAC11 Sub-Machine Gun with fitted suppressor. Joe and I recently had a discussion about how the word "silencer" is a misnomer. It does not silence a gun, it merely minimalises the sound.

I wasn't too sure if the zombie version should come before the corpse version as a person has to die before they become a zombie but from an aesthetic point of view it looks better to have the three standing figures grouped together, followed by the prone figure. Here, the zombie version keeps a hold of the energy drink in his left hand. However, he has lost his right hand, so I think we can assume he bled to death from that wound.
The corpse, however, is intact and shows no obvious signs of wounding. Hey, it's not unheard of. He might have suffered a sudden heart attack or a blow to the head.

Moving on, we have another young African/American, only this time he is a skate-boarder. He is quite tall, as well. Note the silver chain hanging on his right thigh.
The survivor version is armed with a 12 Gauge Double-Barrelled Sawn-Off Shotgun that has had both barrel and shoulder stock cut down, making it more like a big pistol.

The zombie version has certainly suffered. He has lost his left arm and the lower half of his face has been bitten off, although his jawbone is still intact and in place.
The corpse version is curled up as he has suffered a gaping wound to the stomach.

 With so many ethnic minorities in this range of figures I was able to make full use of my extensive range of Foundry flesh colours. The business man shown here is another African/American and although he is darker skinned than the skateboarder, he is not as dark as the basketball player. All three are brown skinned but not the same shade of brown. The civilian version is depicted talking on his mobile phone whilst holding a briefcase in his other hand.
The survivor version is armed with a 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5 Sub-Machine Gun and a baseball bat. Rather foolishly, he looks like he is about to fire the MP5 one-handed. All I can say is, "recoil!"

The zombie version retains the baseball bat, but because of the way he is dragging it behind him is probably unaware he is still holding it let alone realise it can be used as a weapon! The MP5 has gone along with his right arm.
The corpse version clutches his stomach in a vain attempt to stem the flow of blood from either being shot or stabbed.

Finally, we have a Caucasian figure, although he is nicely tanned. The civilian version shows him as a cameraman. Given that he is wearing a multi-pocketed waistcoat for storing lenses, he is most likely a professional. He must be filming somewhere hot seeing as he is wearing T-shirt, shorts and a sweatband on his head.
He is probably used to "shooting" people at long range, which would explain the choice of weapon for the survivor type - a .50 Calibre RAI Model 500 Sniper Rifle with Scopesight.

The zombie version has lost the waistcoat and both arms. I'll resist making the joke about him being 'armless. Oops, sorry, it just slipped out! The front of his T-shirt is almost black from the congealed blood that came from him having his jaw ripped off. Note that his tongue is still intact. Actually, with no arms and no jaw, he can't be that much of a threat, can he?
The corpse version is still whole but he has been cut across the neck and has obviously bled to death.

And finally, here is a better view of the four corpses. I mentioned in my last Monthly Musings post that I was going to review what I thought were the best zombie apocalypse figures currently on the market. Well, that accolade goes to these sets of  figures. From a narrative point of view you have everything you need to play a campaign here - civilians, survivors, zombies and corpses. Now I have painted each group of four with the same colour schemes but there is no reason not to paint all 32 figures in the range as separate individuals. This would give you more bang for your buck.
I'll give you the details of their prices and reference codes next time, when I review the 16 females of the range. All I can say now is that I give these figures my highest recommendation. Once again, a HUGE THANK YOU to Richard for not only producing this range but for sending me the figures soon after I returned home from hospital. That gave me a massive boost.

Vampifan's Views 43 - Monthly Musings 24

Vampirella by Dorian Cleavanger

Phew, what a busy month this has been! I have lots of good news to spread, so I'll start with my hobby news. In my last post I reviewed the four new survivors from the revamped Zombie Plague game. Earlier this month, I received nine 28mm scale zombies to use in the game. They're waiting to get assembled and painted.
However, these were eclipsed a week later when I finally received my huge Zombicide 2 parcel. It arrived a week before my birthday which was great timing. So what did I get? The Prison Outbreak and Toxic City Mall supplements took up the bulk of the order. In addition I got a set of 9 new gaming tiles, 2 packs of 20 zombie dogs, 2 packs of 6 hero dogs, 9 new survivors and 9 zombivors (heroic zombies), a pack of 31 assorted zombies, 2 packs of 6 dice and a pack of 10 markers. Christmas had come early. I've read the new rulebooks and they offer a lot of new options that will help keep the game fresh, interesting and entertaining. By the way, Prison Outbreak contains 6 survivors, 6 zombivors and 78 berserker zombies (immune to ranged fire). Toxic City Mall contains 4 survivors, 10 zombivors and 29 toxic zombies (they explode when killed, spraying everyone in the same zone as them with poisonous toxins). All told, I make that 234 new figures to paint. Gulp! Incidentally, this was not everything that I ordered. There are more figures to arrive next year. Double gulp!!
I received a very nice and unexpected surprise from Richard Brooks at Recreational Conflict. He sent me three packs of brand new 28mm scale figures. A while back I reviewed his combination civilian/survivor figures. These consisted of 8 unarmed civilians and the same 8 figures but armed to use as survivors. I praised them very highly at the time and I mentioned that it would be so cool if Richard brought out zombie and corpse versions of them. He listened and to my utter joy that was what was in two of the new figure packs. Richard, sir, you are a hero! As if that wasn't good enough, he also sent me the new Hazmat troopers he's been working on, which complement his first set. It's at times like this that I love being a blogger of all things undead.
For a long time now I have been eyeing the figures made by Crooked Dice Games. I finally bowed to pressure and made a couple of orders to them. My first order consisted of 3 Doctor Who minis (Matt Smith, Amy Pond and Captain Jack Harkness), 7 agents and sidekicks and Misty the zombie killer. They have all just come off my painting table. The second set, about to get painted, contained 5 more Doctor Who companions and 7 St. Searle's schoolgirls. I'll definitely be placing more orders with CDG.
I have finally got to grips with my new computer and, touch wood, it is working just as I want it to. I now have a 2TB hard drive, which should be more than enough memory for my needs. I also have a 1TB external hard drive, which I use as a back up for my work. Windows 8 took a bit of getting used to but I think I've mastered it now.
Finally, I leave you with some very sad news. I received news from Ed at Two Hours Wargames that his ATZ poster girl, Carolee Gee, had died of a terminal disease. It is always sad to hear of the death of anyone loved by the gaming community, but when that person was so young and so beautiful it just makes it harder to take. My deepest condolences go to Ed and to Carolee's family and friends. I have no doubt that God will have a place reserved for her in Heaven. She will be missed.

Recreational Conflict Survivors 02

I bought this set of four Recreational Conflict 28mm scale survivors at the same time as I bought their combi Civilians and Survivors sets but I've only got round to reviewing them now. Sorry, I got sidetracked with loads of police stuff. All four figures are based on characters from films, computer games and literature. You may recognise the first two, but I think the second two will be much harder to place and only a true Vampifan will recognise the fourth figure in the colour scheme that I've painted him!

At the far left of this group is a figure based on Kurt Russell's character, R.J. MacReady from the 1982 flim, The Thing. This is still one of my all-time favourite horror films. He is posed holding a flamethrower in one hand and a bunch of sticks of dynamite in his other hand. I can't help but think that he could do a lot of damage with them in a zombie apocalypse game. I know that other firms have made their own versions of MacReady, after all, he is a popular character, but this isn't a bad rendition of him. One thing that you must be careful about when handling this figure is that the barrel of his flamethrower is thin and easily bent out of shape, so handle with care.
Next in line is Leon Scott Kennedy, a recurring character in some of the Resident Evil computer games and he also appears in the animated film, Resident Evil: Degeneration . Not being a computer gamer, I was not familiar with this character and so I had to do a Google search on him to learn who he was. Having seen some artwork of Leon, I have to admit that this figure is a very good likeness of the computer character. Hats off to sculptor Brian Cooke. Leon wears a sheepskin jacket and is armed with a pump-action shotgun. Apparently, he will appear in the fifth live-action film, Resident Evil: Retribution and will be played by Johann Urb. No, I've never heard of him either.

The third figure in line surprised me by her inclusion as she is teenage detective, Nancy Drew. I doubt if she'd even make it onto my list of survivors from media sources that I'd like to see sculpted. Once again. I must profess almost total ignorance of this character but I have learnt a lot about her by resorting to another Google search. In game terms, I can't see much use for her, although a team up with Hasslefree's Scooby Gang might be fun for a one-off adventure. I'm more inclined to use her as a generic teenage girl, most probably the daughter of a civilian. She may have some useful skills or knowledge but I don't see her as a fighter. In a zombie apocalypse I'd fear for her survival. Incidentally, that's a cardigan or jumper that she has draped over her shoulders, not a backpack.

As soon as I saw the fourth figure in line I knew who I wanted him to represent. He is supposed to be Harry Dresden, hero and contemporary mage from The Dresden Files series of books by Jim Butcher and TV series of the same name. But for me, being such a huge fan of Vampirella, I saw a remarkable resemblance between the figure and Vampi's old friend, Mordecai Pendragon. For those of you who have never heard of Pendragon (that's probably all of you) I've included this illustration to the left by one of my favourite Vampirella artists, Jose Gonzalez, so you can see what I meant about the resemblance. The figure wears the same coat as Pendragon in the illustration. Note that Vampirella is also wearing a coat - a very rare occurance! Pendragon is an illusionist. He wasn't that good until he met Vampirella and she became his assistant for a time. After she gave him a blood transfusion during one of their adventures, he developed the ability to perform real magic. At first he was seen as a coward and a drunk but he has always been a loyal companion to Vampirella and as his magical ability has grown, a powerful ally. For obvious reasons, he is my favourite figure out of this group.
These figures come on integral metal bases, which are small enough to fit onto slottabases or whatever else you use for your bases. However, in the case of Pendragon his base is almost as wide and as thick a 25mm diameter plastic slottabase. He is the tallest figure out of the group and that base, if stuck on top of whatever you use for your bases would have made him even taller. This was not acceptable to me. So I cut off most of his base, leaving just a thin strip beneath his feet, which I filed into a slottatab. I was then able to slot him into a 25mm diameter slottabase with his feet flush to the ground. It worked a treat and helped to reduce his size by a couple of millimetres.
Recreational Conflict are selling this set of four figures for $10.00. I have copied their colour schemes for all of them except my version of Pendragon. Their Harry Dresden version has a green coat and dark brown hair. It is undoubtedly an ecletic mix of survivors and they may not suit your tastes, or maybe you like one of them but not all. In which case, you'll be pleased to know that you can buy them individually at $2.50 per figure.

Recreational Conflict Civilians 02 and Survivors 01

Recreational Conflict have two sets of eight 28mm scale figures in their Lead Bones horror range called Civics Class or if you want all 16 figures there is a set called Gearing Up. I said in my last post that these were the best figures made by Recreational Conflict and I'd go even further to say that these are amongst the best civilian and survivor figures available anywhere. What I particular like about them is that each figure comes with a choice of arms, allowing you to make an unarmed civilian version of the figure and an armed survivor type. What a fantastic concept! The range is made up of four pairs of males and four pairs of females and covers a wide range of ethnic types, which is another reason why I like these so much.

Set 1 contains the four African-American figures shown in the two photos directly above and below. I got to use a lot of my Foundry flesh paints on these figures. For the two figures on the left I used African Flesh 126 and for the two on the right I used North African Flesh 124, which isn't as dark. The civilian at the far left is a basket ball player and as befits his profession, he is quite a tall figure. Note how taller is than the other male alongside him. Be aware that these figures vary in height, with the females being a few millimetres shorter than the males. This is not a bad thing and quite frankly, reflects real life very well. As well as the basketball, which he's holding under his right arm, he also carries a bottle of some kind of energy drink. His armed version totes an Ingram MAC-10 Sub-Machine Gun.

The civilian on the right is another sporty type but he has taken up skateboarding rather than basketball. Incidentally, the logo on his skateboard reads "Flip." I did a Google search of skateboards and skateboarders to get an accurate representation for the colour scheme for his board and for his clothing. The survivor version of him is armed with a double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun.

 

The females in set 1 are made up of a shopper and a businesswoman. The shopper could be described as a Chav if she was a U.K. resident, but I'm going with the sports mum look for her, because she's a U.S. citizen and I think that label is more appropriate. The civilian version of this figure is carrying a pair of shopping bags, so she's probably only just started her shopping spree. The survivor type has swapped her shopping bags for a pair of pistols. I wonder if she's ambidextrous? I used the standard Foundry Flesh 5 for her skin tones.

The businesswoman was clearly an oriental, so her flesh tones were painted using Foundry Oriental Flesh 122. She is speaking on her mobile phone and in her left hand she holds another small electronic device, perhaps a pager. The survivor version of this figure carries a pump-action shotgun.

The males in set 2 are made up of a cameraman and a businessman. I wanted the cameraman to look like he spent a lot of time outdoors, because of his clothing. So I decided to give him tanned flesh, and for this I used Native American Flesh 120. I really love the Foundry Flesh paints! I guess that spending so much time looking through a lens, it was a logical choice for the survivor version to be armed with a sniper rifle, in this case the awesome Barrett .50 calibre sniper rifle.

The business man, seen talking on his mobile phone and carrying a small briefcase in his other hand is obviously another African American. This time I painted his flesh tones using Dusky Flesh 6. The survivor version sees him armed with a 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5 Sub-Machine Gun and a baseball bat. He must be skilled enough in the use of his SMG to be able to fire it single-handed.

The two pairs of females in set 2 consist of a tourist and a waitress. The tourist, seen reading a guide book, could be of any etnicity but I decided to paint her as a Hispanic lady and so used Tan 14 for her flesh tones. I also decided to make her a more mature woman and so painted her with grey hair. I do like that she is overweight. With so many people being overweight, fat or obese it's nice to see this being reflected in at least one of these minis. The survivor version carries a bolt-action sniper's rifle.

The final figure combo in the set are the waitress ladies. She had to be a Caucasian female and therefore I painted her flesh bits with the standard Flesh 5 paint. Only she and the shopper were painted with identical flesh colours. I must admit that I'm not happy about how I painted the civilian's face. She looks very stern and harsh. The civilian carries an empty tray and has a cloth draped over her right arm. The survivor has ditched them for a Big Ass Magnum Revolver.
I could have painted all 16 figures differently and I did think about that as that would have given me 16 unique figures. But I was put off by having to come up with an extra 8 colour schemes and I thought it would make more sense to tie the two versions together by painting them both identically.
Let me list the reasons why I rate these figures so highly.
1. The concept of combining civilians and survivors is one that I wish other companies would copy. I love this idea of a before and after character.
2. There is a wide range of ethnic types amongst these figures. Full marks to sculptor Brian Cooke for not making them all Caucasian.
3. The heights of the figures vary, as they would in real life. The basketball player is the tallest in the range, and so he should be. The females are smaller than the males, and again, so they should be. If they were all the same height it would look unrealistic.
4. There is a lot of character in these figures. Each one looks as if he or she could tell a story. I like to see that in my figures.
5. They have been beautifully sculpted in 28mm scale. The proportions of the figures look right and they'll fit in very well with most other ranges of 28mm scale figures, despite their slight variations in height.
I do have one minor criticism of them and that is that I had to refer to the pictures of them on the Recreational Conflict website to ensure that the right combination of arms went with the right figures. Once that was sorted I must admit that the arms attached to the bodies very well.
There is one thing that I think could make this range even better and that is to release a second set of them showing them as zombies and corpses. Civilian, survivor, zombie and corpse - what a winning combination that would be! I mentioned this to RC's head honcho, Richard Brooks but sadly from the response I got back I don't think it'll happen but a man can dream, can't he?
Set 1 and 2 cost $18.00 each or you can buy both sets together for $36.00. Each figure is available to purchase for the price of $2.50. I've had these figures for quite a few months but have only just gotten round to painting them. My bad, as I had a lot of fun painting them. These figures would make the basis of a great starting group of characters thrown together when the zombie apocalypse kicks off. I'd be quite happy to use any and all of them in my own ATZ campaign.

Recreational Conflict Civilians 01

For my second review of civilian figures I'm taking a look at the Recreational Conflict 28mm scale Clerks set. When I first saw the greens for this set of figures last year, I couldn't believe my eyes. Here were three of the four figures instantly recognisable as the main characters from the classic English comedy series, Open All Hours, being made by an American figure company. I find the fact that an American firm has made figures from a series so quintessentially English quite amazing. I'm guessing Richard Brooks must be a big fan of the show.

At the far left of my two photos is the irascible miser,  Albert Arkwright, as played by the great Ronnie Barker. Sculptor Brian Cooke has achieved a perfect likeness of the wily old, stammering storekeeper. He has a broad smile on his face as he stands with his hands in his coat pockets, no doubt thinking of his latest scam to fleece his customers of their cash. Recreational Conflict have named him Mr. Wainwright, which is a good alternative name that helps get round any copyright problems.

Forever by his side, and often under his feet, is the much put upon Granville, as played by a very young-looking Sir David Jason. Granville is the errand boy whose ambition for something more out of life, like a steady girlfriend, is inevitably thwarted by Arkwright. Poor lad! He's called Trevor in the Recreational Conflict catalogue.

Next up is Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, as played by Lynda Baron, she of the ample bosom and the only person who can wrap the lovelorn Arkwright around her little finger. Nurse Gladys is a typical northern woman, who is not to be messed with, especially by any male with salacious thoughts and wandering hands. She has been given the name of Mavis (same name as my mum) by Recreational Conflict.

The fourth figure in this set, is not based upon any of the characters from Open All Hours but is, I believe, Richard's father. He is depicted as a chemist. I think that it's a marvellous gesture of Richard to have his father immortalised in white metal. Much respect, sir! He's called Joseph on the Recreational Conflict website.

This was a set that I had to buy as soon as it was released, as I am a big fan of Open All Hours. Civilians are like zombies - you can never have too many of them. Whether I'll use these in my ATZ campaign remains to be seen. I'm sure that if was to avoid calling them by their TV character names I'd be able to find a place for them in Mayhem City. For anyone who is setting a game in the U.K. then these are an essential buy. I'll be honest, I never envisaged the day that I'd own a set of 28mm scale Open All Hours figures, and even more so if they were sculpted by a non-Brit. And yet, here I am with them. 

This set retails for $10.00, a fair price in my opinion. If you wish, you can buy each figure individually for $2.50.

Next time I'm going to review some more Recreational Conflict figures and they are, in my opinion, the best figures they've made. Pure awesomeness abounds next Wednesday!

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.

Recreational Conflict Zombies 02

Without further ado here is part two of my review of the Recreational Conflict 28mm scale zombie figures, looking this time at streetpunks, a cop and the clergy.

First in line is a badly chewed up surfer dude zombie. Has he suffered a massive shark bite which has bitten off his left arm and half of his torso or did zombies cause those wounds? You get to decide, folks. My opinion is a combination of the two. I'd say he was bitten by a shark but managed to make it back ashore only to be attacked by a small zombie horde. I like the fact that his surfboard is tied to his left ankle. It could have been smashed in two as he tried to defend himself from the undead or perhaps it was bitten in two by a great white shark. The logo that I painted on says "NO FEAR" or rather would have if the board was intact. A superb figure who would make a great partner for the Hasslefree zombie surfer. Note that he is a two-part casting with the surfboard a separate piece to the body, allowing you to glue it wherever you want.
Next in line is a motor bike ganger who has suffered numerous wounds at the hands and teeth of the living dead. A large chunk of flesh has bitten off the left side of his face. His left hand has been bitten off along with part of his lower left arm. A piece of bone is all that remains of his lower arm. There is a deep wound in his stomach, which has bled profusely. I smeared his right hand in blood as if he made a vain attempt to stem the massive blood flow. Finally, he has lost his right boot, although I see no wounds on his legs.
To his left is another zombie biker, sporting an impressive beard and moustache and a German WW1 army helmet - a pickelhaube, I believe it is called. I couldn't find any visible wounds on this figure, so maybe he died of natural causes. Even so, I couldn't resist adding some blood to him so I smeared his right hand in TCR (Tamiya Clear Red), which you should know by now is my favourite paint for gore effects.
The last of this group is called Thin Lizzie on the Recreational Conflict website, which is a great name for her. She really is one of the skinniest zombies I've ever seen. It may look like she has no hands but she has. If you look at her from below, you can just see her fingers clenched beneath the coat sleeves. It gives the impression she is wearing a leather jacket taken from or given to her by a much bigger male colleague. It's a great touch. Her one wound is an horrific one to her right leg. Much of the flesh has been stripped away from the front of her leg to reveal the bones. Her face is almost skeleton like, with the skin pulled tight over the skull. She is a very striking zombie.

 

At the far left of the two photos above is a female sheriff zombie and I'm pleased that sculptor Brian Cooke has made her female. She looks quite small standing next to the priest, or maybe he's just tall. This is one of the things that I like about Recreational Conflict's figures. Not every adult is the same height, which is as it should be. This is another zombie with no visible wounds but I have smeared blood around her mouth, which has dribbled down her chin and neck. Also, I have smeared her hands in blood to show that she has been feasting on some poor victim(s). You could just as easily use her as a zombie security guard.

Now we come to the clergy and first up is the priest, who comes as a two part casting. The large cross that he has been impaled upon is a separate piece. You have the choice to stab him in the chest or in the back. The photo on RC's website shows him stabbed in the back. For me, I wanted him stabbed in the chest. The cross is a tight fit in the hole provided and I had to do a bit of filing to get it fitting perfectly. It is a very unusual concept for a figure, but one that I like a lot. Full marks to Mr. Cooke for originality. There are no other wounds to be found on him. Any figure that tells a story intrigues me and this figure clearly has a story to tell. Namely, why was he stabbed with a large metal cross? Was he stabbed before or after he turned undead?

And so we come to the zombie nun. Zombie nuns have been done before - both Cold War Miniatures and Griffin Miniatures have made them. This one, however, stands out purely for the wound she has suffered. Her right breast has been bitten off. You can see part of her ribcage where her breast should have been. Also, half of her left breast is exposed, showing that she was amply endowed. Some wounds are more horrific than others and this one comes close to topping the gross out chart. As if that wasn't bad enough she has also been bitten in the left leg. R.I.P. poor nun!

Finally, we are treated to another sacrilegious offering - a zombie choirboy. Figures of zombie children are very rare as a lot of sculptors won't sculpt them. I'm glad to see Mr. Cooke has no such scruples. What could be more pure than a young choirboy? Some might argue that to defile something so pure and innocent will ensure that the perpetrator will burn in Hell. So what does that say about me, when I think this is a great miniature that I'm glad to have in my horde. Yeah, I know - I'm a sick puppy! Zombie choirboy has had his right arm ripped off just above the elbow. Such a wound, if done when he was alive, which I assumed he was, would produce a very heavy blood loss, so I have covered vrtually all of his right side in blood. It's clearly visible on his white top but less so on his red under robe.

These are eight more excellent figures that can be bought along with the eight figures I reviewed in my last post for just $36.00. Alternatively, you can buy each figure separately for $2.50 from the Recreational Conflict website. I have held back on buying these for a long time. I wish I hadn't as they are amongst my favourite zombie miniatures. Plus, it has been a real pleasure dealing with Richard Brooks, who runs Recreational Conflict. He is surely one of the good guys in the gaming industry.

Recreational Conflict Zombies 01

It's March already and I haven't reviewed any zombie figures this year. To set this oversight to rights I'm going to review a bunch of zombies from a company that I've not mentioned before - Recreational Conflict, a US based company who produce a fine range of 28mm scale horror figures (zombies, werewolves, civilians, survivors and zombie hunters). To start with, I'm going to look at eight of their hospital zombies, i.e. doctors, nurses and patients.

At the far left of my first two photos is a zombie doctor with a rather unnerving and maniacal grin. I ask myself, what's he got to be so cheerful about? It is so rare to see a zombie smiling so perhaps it is a rictus grin, caused when he died. With his balding head and grey hair he was probably a surgeon or senior consultant. He has a massive hole in the right side of his stomach, so it is abundantly clear how he died.
Next up is probably my favourite zombie out of this batch, the almost headless nurse. Someone has tried to hack her head off but hasn't quite succeeded. Her head is still attached to her neck by a few sinews and a scrap of flesh. She has also lost her right arm, possibly to the same assailant. In the film Land of the Dead, George Romero proved that such a near headless zombie could still pose a viable threat! Because medical staff would be in the front line when the zombie apocalypse kicks off, I have assumed she was attacked whilst she was still human, so such wounds would produce a mass of blood to be spilled, hence I went over the top with the gore on her uniform.
Third in line is the first of two porters. This chunky looking female has what looks more like a headband than a bandage around her head. She has been bitten in the throat and has a hole where her right knee is. I covered her hands in blood as if she made some attempt to stem the blood flow from her neck wound. She is no beauty, despite her wounds but so what? Zombies have no respect for age, beauty or race; they're just after one thing - fresh meat.
Last in line for the hospital workers is a male porter zombie. He has a mid-sized hole in the right side of his torso, which has bled profusely. So again, I assumed he received the wound prior to him becoming another member of the undead. He is tall and lean, the very opposite of his female colleague. It's great to see such a disparity of heights amongst the figures as this truly reflects real life.

Next up are the zombie patients, starting at the far left with the only male patient in the group. By the way, that last photo with all four of them baring their backsides loses any sense of eroticism due to the amount of blood and missing limbs amongst them! Anyway, back to the male, and he has been bitten in the left side of his face and has puncture wounds to his right hip and lower right thigh. More than likely they are all bite wounds. He wears a pair of fluffy slippers, which I painted green.
Second in line is the first of three female patients. I had to look closely to see if she was visibly wounded at all and I found a small bite on her left leg. She, too, wears fluffy slippers, which this time I painted bright orange. They almost look fluorescent!
I had no such problems with determining the wounds of the next zombie in line. Her left arm has been bitten off, leaving a piece of bone clearly visible. She also has a diagonal wound running from her right hip to her left shoulder from which a length of her intestines is dangling. Nasty! She is a very shapely and attractive female and she also wears a headband. Her feet are bare. I like her best of all out of the zombie patients.
Lastly we come to a zombie with an extraordinary sense of balance. By all rights, she should be lying on the ground, trying to drag herself forward with her chin. Her right arm has been bitten off at the elbow; her left arm has been severed at the shoulder and her left leg has been chewed off at the hip. I suppose it is possible that she could stand, if she had some help, but I think I'd have prefered to see her as a zombie crawler, which would have made a lot more sense. I have no complaints against the sculpting of the figure, it is merely the logic of such a pose that I question.
These are a great set of zombie figures and from a scale perspective will fit in well with zombie ranges by the likes of Cold War, Hasslefree and/or Studio. I applaud their decision to make hospital related zombies. More than any other type of building, hospitals will spawn the most amount of zombies as soon as the infection starts to spread and in the early days of the outbreak will only get worse as more victims arrive there, only to succumb to the zombie plague.
You can buy the figures singly at a price of $2.50 each from the Recreational Conflict website or alternatively, you can do what I did and buy a multipack of 16 zombie figures (A Crate of Zombies is what the pack is called) for just $36.00, saving you $4.00 over buying them individually. All 16 figures in the pack are different. Next time on my blog, I'll review the other eight zombies that are available from this range.
On a personal note, I'd like to thank Richard Brooks of Recreational Conflict for keeping in touch with me about the orders and in the speedy delivery of the orders. I received my last parcel of Recreational Conflict figures within six days of ordering them. This was the first time I have ever received a parcel from the USA within a week. Outstanding service and I can only say that it has been a pleasure dealing with Richard. Oh, and the fact that he has visited my neck of the woods just last year earns him massive brownie points from me!