Konflict 47 Colonel Grauler & Werewolf

Konflict 47 is Warlord Games' Weird World War  2 game based on the popular Bolt Action rules, featuring giant mechs and supernatural creatures. It is very similar to the Secrets of the Third Reich game by West Wind but the history differs somewhat. Even so, you could use figures for both games together with your preferred rules set. For me, that is Konflict 47 as I much prefer their rules, background and figures.

I recently bought this two figure set of Sturmbahnfuhrer (Colonel) Grauler and Werewolf by Warlord Games. The great weakness of Hitler’s Occult Forces is the Vampire’s inability to go out in daylight. To overcome this weakness the mountains and forests of Germany were scoured and the shock troops of the Wulfen SS were formed.
We have here a werewolf stormtrooper from the Wulfen SS, ready to rend the enemies of the Third Reich limb-from-limb. Never too picky in their rendition this Wulfen is accompanied by Frau Grauler, the She-Wolf of the SS who keeps her minions in line with frequent admonishment with her riding crop.

I plan on buying even more Werewolves (at least six off them) to bolster this set. Full rules for using Wulfen are provided in the basic Konflict 47 rulebook and they are fearsome troops.

SOTR German Von X Siblings & Blitzhund

I have kept what I consider the best sculpted figures from my German Weird World War 2 army to the last. These are the three fearsome Von X siblings, Gretel, Ilsa and Hans, along with a Blitzhund. Note that the stats and biographies for these four do not appear in the Secrets of the Third Reich rulebook but in its supplement, Doomsday.

Gretel Von X and her twin sister, Ilsa Von X are the daughters of Hugo Von X. Records of their mother have been purged. They were nine years old when the war began. Hugo was even in those early years of the war, possessed of feverish visions of the V-4 retro-virus. Believing he had stumbled onto the fountain of youth, Hugo injected both of his twins with an experimental serum derived from a compound that the Russians developed to create the Siberian Supermen. Gretel was the lucky one. She retained her intellect and beauty and became inhumanly strong, fast and tough. Ilsa became faster and stronger but her skin was marred by the chemical and her face became a mask of horror. Both girls adore their father and stand at his side in support of his goals. They trained in the arts of war throughout their late teen years, becoming brilliant tacticians, leaders and deadly foes. They would lay down their lives for their father, the SWD, and the Reich. Ilsa controls the defence of Gibraltar with her hordes of Sturmzombies, face hidden by a gas mask. Gretel is the operations officer for the Gibraltar compound and Hugo's right hand. Gretel is armed with a Sub-Machine Gun and a riding crop, whilst Ilsa is armed with two SMGs, which she may fire simultaneously.

Hans Von X is the eldest of the Von X children. Hugo's early experiments on him went horribly wrong and a monster was created. Hans is at peace wandering the channel floor of the Straits of Gibraltar, losing himself in the contemplative loneliness of the briny deep. He is melancholic and childishly sweet, but is prone to fits of blood rage and insensibility. He is at the vanguard of the bomber-zombies as they make their attack runs on allied shipping and he keeps a collection of frogmen skulls he has harpooned at Gibraltar's undersea gates. He is armed with a harpoon gun, which has a range of 12" and the penetration of a light anti-tank gun.

From the elite ranks of the Jagerhunds, top specimens are culled for another of Hugo's mad experiments. They are injected with the V-4 derivative and become killing machines without equal. Blitzhunds must be muzzled and chained and fed great hunks of bloody raw meat when not in action. When released into battle, they are able to sniff out the enemy like a trained hunting dog. In the claustrophobic corridors of Gibraltar, an armoured Blitzhund is last thing the enemy wants to see... and it usually is!

As I said above, these are some of the best sculpted figures I have ever seen. The Blitzhund in particular, is so dynamically posed, full of movement and animation. Gretel and Ilsa are also well animated, especially Ilsa. Hans, whilst more statically posed, is still a great sculpt. These are my four favourite figures from my SOTR German army. I'm not sure how well I could fit them in Konflict 47 but they'd be perfectly at home in Reichbusters.

Ainsty Castings Assorted Weird West Figures

I have mentioned on my blog before that I am keen to get into Wild West skirmish gaming and to that end I already have the two Shadows of Brimstone (SoB) board-game starter sets and the THW Weird West rules supplement, High Moon, both of which I reviewed on my blog earlier. See here for SoB and here for High Moon. Obviously, I got a bunch of figures with the two SoB sets but what else do I have in the way of Weird or Wild West figures? The answer to that is loads of figures, but sadly most need re-basing and re-painting. They were bought many years ago. Some are over 40 years old! However, I have started to actively collect more modern manufactured miniatures, starting with these two sets from Ainsty Castings Weird West range, which I bought earlier this year.

 

These three figures shown directly above and below are from set WW01 The Good Guys 1 and consist of a gunfighter, a townsman and an Indian princess. The gunfighter is armed with twin Colt .45 revolvers and could just as easily be used as an outlaw. Indeed, Ainsty have named him as Billy the Kid, but I won't be using him as such. My preferred choice is as a generic gunfighter. I do wonder why Ainsty would class such a notorious outlaw as a "good guy?"

The townsman is named Abe on Ainsty's webstore, after Abraham Lincoln, whom students of the occult will know was secretly a vampire hunter! What? Have you never seen the film, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? I'm more likely to use him as a townsman, possibly a doctor, which is why my version doesn't really look like the former U.S, president. He is armed with a hefty axe.
The title "Indian Princess" does not sit well with me. I see her more of a squaw, warrior or scout. SoB features an Indian Scout character as one of the heroes and provides a figure for the male version but not the female version. She'd fit that role admirably. She is armed with a hunting knife.

The next set, WW02 Bad Guys 1, shows why these are described as Weird West as opposed to Wild West figures. They contain a Victorian vampire, a werewolf and a zombie (mislabelled a mummy on Ainsty's webstore). Rules for all three types of villains appear in the High Moon supplement, making these a "must have" buy if you own this set of rules.

All six figures are very well sculpted and were a lot of fun to paint. I can use all of them in High Moon, but only the good guys and the zombie in SoB. Rules for vampires and werewolves in SoB don't exist for this game at the time of writing.
Sets WW01 and WW02 cost £7.50 each or you can do what I did and order set WW03 Good Guys and Bad Guys which contains both sets for the reduced price of £14.00, saving you a quid. Expect to see more Weird West and Wild West posts on my blog in the future.

Castle Ravenloft Werewolf and Wolves

Werewolves and Wolves are the theme for this review of the 28mm scale figures from the Castle Ravenloft board-game for 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons.

Rather unusually, the werewolf is female - a decision I wholeheartedly applaud. She is a Level 5 Villain and activates at the start of each Villain Phase. Her stats are AC15 and 5HP.
The Werewolf's tactics are -
If the Werewolf is adjacent to a Hero, it regains 1HP and attacks an adjacent Hero with a frenzied Swipe.
If the Werewolf is within 2 tiles of a Hero, it regains 1HP, moves adjacent to the closest Hero and attacks that Hero with a Bite.
Otherwise, the Werewolf regains 1HP and moves 2 tiles toward the closest Hero.
A Swipe attacks gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 3 Damage, as well as placing the Hero 2 tiles away from his or her tile.
A Bite attack also gives a +7 bonus to hit but only causes 1 Damage.

I painted my three Wolves differently, using colour schemes I found on Google Images.
The stats for a Wolf are AC14 and 1HP. Killing one earns a Hero 1 Experience Point.
The Wolf's tactics are -
If the Wolf is adjacent to a Hero, it attacks that Hero with a Bite.
If the Wolf is within 2 tiles of a Hero, it moves adjacent to the closest Hero and attacks that Hero with a Pounce. 
Otherwise, the Wolf moves 2 tiles towards the closest Hero. 
A Bite attack gives a +9 bonus to hit and causes 2 Damage.
A Pounce attack gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 1 Damage as well as causing the Hero to be Slowed. 
I have to admit to having mixed feelings about these sculpts. I'm delighted that the Werewolf is so obviously female but her pose does not seem natural. I dunno, it just looks off to me. It's almost like she's striking a pose. The Wolves are nicely sculpted but they have short, stocky legs, which is just wrong.

Mantic Demon and Rackham Werewolf

Today I'm going to review two very different figures - a Mantic Games Plague Demon from their Deadzone range and a Rackham Miniatures Wolfen Warrior from their Confrontation range. So why am I reviewing these very different figures in one post? Simply because I received them as gifts from my good friend and fellow blogger, Lord Siwoc aka Johnny Frandsen. I have often commented on the kindness of zombie gaming bloggers and Johnny has always been one of the good guys with his extreme generosity, both to me and others.

I know very little about Mantic's Deadzone game other than it is a sci-fi skirmish game. This is a Plague Demon type 1A from the Plague Faction. "Bloodthirsty monsters created by an alien virus, the Plague exist for one thing only – to spread their contagion as far as possible. The virus affects its hosts in a variety of ways; its earliest victims become towering hulks, filled with a steadfast will which drives their lesser kin. In its second generation, the Plague creates smaller, faster, but no less deadly monsters. The third stage infected show considerably less extreme physical changes, but they retain the ability to use technology, laying down covering fire with looted weapons while their larger brethren advance." This hulking brute stands 60mm tall. Its skin has gone and has been replaced in part with an armoured carapace. Its skull-like head looks far too small for its body but it's a demon so I suppose, anything goes. This was a five part plastic model consisting of two arms, a head, body and legs and a 40mm diameter base. It'll cost you £9.99 from the Mantic webstore and is still available to buy.

The giant werewolf is a member of the Wolfen tribe of lupine warriors from the world of Aarklash. This was the setting for Rackham's Confrontation fantasy skirmish wargame. Sadly, Rackham ceased trading in 2010. I have searched for this particular figure online but I can't find him listed anywhere. That said, he is definitely a figure from this range. He stands 58mm tall and he came in four parts - head, right arm, body and limbs and a 40mm diameter base. I drilled, pinned and glued the arm and head to the body. His weapons are very unusual but they do look extremely lethal.
Although I know so little about the games these figures were intended for I can still find uses for them in my own games. The Wolfen will fit in with my collection of werewolves for a contemporary horror game. Ditto, the Plague Demon. So, a big thank you to Johnny for sending me this wonderful pair of monsters. I very much appreciated the gesture and I'm sorry it took me so long to get round to painting them.

Ral Partha Werewolves 01

This will be my last review of my werewolf figures for the time being. I do have a lot more to show but they need re-basing. This time round I'm looking at a selection of Ral Partha 28mm scale Crinos form werewolves. These were all part of the official White Wolf Werewolf: the Apocalypse range of figures and they all stand approximately 40mm tall.
In keeping with Vampire: the Masquerade, where vampires belong to an assortment of clans, so too, do werewolves, or Garou as they prefer to be known, belong to any one of a variety of tribes. There are currently 13 known tribes working for the forces of good. According to Garou oral history, it was always their duty to keep the balance in nature on behalf of Gaia. They did so by culling overgrown populaces, hunting too powerful predators that otherwise would rampage unchecked and fending off otherworldly spirits that overstepped their stance. In addition they believe in the existence of the Triat, a trio of deities that define how the world works: the Weaver is the deity of order and scientific advancement, the Wyld is the deity of creation, entropy, and chaos, while the Wyrm was the deity of balance between order and chaos who destroyed that which ended the harmony. At some point, the Weaver went mad by trying to bring the entirety of the Wyld's chaos into order and trapped the Wyrm in her Pattern Web, injuring it while also driving it to madness and making it seek out the destruction of the world of Gaia's creation.
The Garou themselves are a self-acknowledged dying race; the largest Gaian tribes number 750 to 1,250 Garou worldwide, with the smaller tribes numbering less than 500. The Wyrm-serving Black Spiral Dancers comprise fully one-tenth of the total Garou population and are the largest single tribe. The Black Spiral Dancers are not part of the 13 Gaian tribes. The White Howlers were a tribe of Garou of who were descended from the Picts in Scotland. They attempted to battle the Wyrm directly by seeking it out in its lair known as the Black Spiral. They were driven mad by the Wyrm and only survive to modern times as the antagonistic Black Spiral Dancer tribe who actively foster the Apocalypse and are heavily deformed due to their devotion to the Wyrm instead of Gaia. They are evil, corrupt and often mutated. Many of them work for the infamous Pentex corporation, a global company of immense power and influence, very similar to the Umbrella Corporation from the Resident Evil books and films.

At the far left is a member of the Glass Walker tribe. The Glass Walkers are a tribe who are most in tune with the Weaver, directly involving themselves in human society and having technological prowess. This character is armed with a sawn-off pump-action shotgun and also holds some sort of shamanistic totem. Glass Walkers usually have mottled grey fur.
Next up is a member of the Black Fury tribe. The Black Furies are a tribe of solely female Garou who are most in tune with the Wyld and claim to be descended from the mythical Amazons. The black furred body with white face is typical colouration of the Black Furies. To be honest, as shown in this form there is little difference between her and any of the male Crinos form werewolves. Her body is slightly slimmer but hardly that noticeable.

At the far right is a member of the Silver Fang tribe. The Silver Fangs are considered the leaders of Garou society, often having relatives who were members of royal families. They have since been the result of heavy inbreeding and many members possess mental illnesses. This character is clearly on a mission to hunt down vampires. He/she is armed with a silver dagger and a wooden stake.

Zhyzhak, at the far left, is a named Black Spiral Dancer leader. There is no denying that she is definitely female. She is dressed in a leather outfit suitable for a dominatrix and naturally, holds a whip. She is cruel, sadistic and a fearsome opponent. She does not appear to be mutated, which is rather uncommon amongst Black Spiral Dancers.
In the centre of the group is another Black Spiral Dancer. This Crinos form Garou has been severely mutated. Note his large bat-like ears, thin membranes between his arms and body and unnatural looking tail. To emphasise his mutation even further I gave his black fur a dry-brushing of metallic green paint. He holds aloft a trophy he has just acquired - the severed head of a Garou.

At the far left is yet another Black Spiral Dancer. He is also a mutant, having lost all of his fur. He wields a curved silver dagger. He is a minion of Zhyzhak and serves her loyally. He was a multi-part figure with his tail and right arm being separate pieces.
I managed to buy over half of this range of figures. The reason I didn't buy all of them was that I never did play Werewolf: the Apocalypse. I primarily bought the game and figures to use as adversaries for my player character group in Vampire: the Masquerade. In hindsight, I wish I had bought more of this range. I always loved Ral Partha's figures as they were exquisitely sculpted. This range of figures has been out of production for many years now and it seems unlikely that they will ever return.

Assorted Werewolves 04

Here is another batch of 28mm scale werewolf figures from my collection, and once again, they are a mixed bunch from a variety of companies. Some are still available to buy but others are sadly, long gone.

At the far left is a huge and very scary werewolf in its Crinos form from Heresy Miniatures. This is a multi-part kit containing head, torso and right leg, tail, left leg, right arm, left arm and base. It was sculpted by Andy Foster and I must say, he's done a cracking good job. Note the blood around its mouth and snout, indicating it has fed recently. This is one of my all-time favourite werewolf sculpts. It is in a very animated pose and it was a joy to make and paint. He is available to buy from Heresy's webstore for £8.00. Do bear in mind that for that price he is very tall despite the fact he is crouching down, and he is a multi-part kit.
The white werewolf was originally made by Grenadier Miniatures but is now available from Mirliton. He is part of their Nightmares range and comes in a pack of three figures marked as NM020 Lycanthropes. The other two figures show him in wolf form and in half-human form. Price is 5.96 Euros for all three figures. I must admit that I think this is a rather average sculpt. By painting him white, he could almost pass for a small polar bear.

At the far right is an old Ral Partha figure who is not actually a werewolf at all but a werejackal. He is quite small and the fact that he is crouched down in a running pose makes him look even smaller still. I actually like this figure for his uniqueness. Ral Partha made a lot of werewolf figures. They had the franchise to make figures for White Wolf's Werewolf: the Apocalypse RPG. This figure, however, was part of their fantasy range. Ral Partha closed shop many years ago so you will struggle to find a copy of this figure.

These two huge werewolves in their monstrous Crinos form were made by Alternative Armies as part of their old Firefight sci-fi range. They were allies of the evil Shia Khan forces who fought against the Free Companies Crusaders in what was known as the Ion Age. They stand 42mm tall from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.

I see no reason why they can't be used as contemporary werewolves. They are nicely sculpted and although they are huge in comparison to a normal 28mm tall figure, they are still in scale. A Crinos form werewolf is generally about nine feet tall. Sorry to say that these figures are no longer available.

Horrorclix Werewolves 02 (and ATZ-Reloaded Preview)

I'm reviewing my second batch of Horrorclix 30mm scale werewolves today and they are quite a mixed bag of figures.

At the far left is a Dire Wolf from the basic set in it's Rookie version. The Veteran version is identical but the Experienced version is made of transparent plastic to represent it in its spirit form. This form is far larger than a normal wolf and in White Wolf's Werewolf: the Apocalypse RPG, this is known as the Hispo form, aka the giant wolf form. It can transform into a normal sized wolf and that is known as its Lupus form. To give you some idea of his size note that I glued him to a 25mm by 50mm cavalry base. He is about the size of a horse! Yikes!!!!
Next up is Jak-Jak the Wolf Boy. This figure came in the Horrorclix expansion set - Freak-show. The Veteran version was given the name Jak-Jak but the Rookie and Experienced versions were just called Wolf Boy. He is tiny and if he wasn't crouching atop a stool could easily be overlooked. There is a chain around his left ankle which is secured to the floor. I guess the Freak-show owners don't trust him to roam free. In case you were wondering, that's not blood on his shirt but a red tie.

The female werewolf is called Lupina and she was also part of the Freak-show expansion set. It is interesting to compare her with the SLAP Minis female werewolves. Lupina is much sturdier and muscular. She also looks far more menacing and deadly. Her sports bra survived her transformation into werewolf form; the only piece of clothing that did. Note her ponytail. I do like her colouration. The pale brown colour is unusual but works well on her. She is my favourite figure out of this group.
Finally, we have Werewolf Orderly, who appeared in The Lab expansion set. It isn't clear from my photos but he is carrying a clipboard in his right hand. It is not hard to guess what happened to him. He must have got bitten whilst tending to a patient. Come the next full moon he turns into a werewolf. Bummer! He has been sculpted in a very animated running pose.
As I said before, the Horrorclix range has been out of production for quite a few years now. However, these figures do crop up on e-Bay and certain figure stores.

Just to prove I have not totally forgotten my main love of gaming - zombie apocalypse games - I was recently contacted by Ed Teixeira of Two Hours Wargames, asking me if I could post this video link on my blog to help promote the new ATZ-FFO board-game called ATZ-Reloaded.

Ed is working in conjunction with Lock and Load Publishing on an updated version of the ATZ board-game to bring it more in line with the ATZ-FFO rulebook. I have the original version of the board-game and felt it was very much ATZ-Lite. It was a lot like ATZ but not quite right. I've seen a rough draught of the new game and I can confirm that the new game is much improved and far more in line with the skirmish game rules. This is the version that Ed has always wanted to produce and any fans of ATZ will appreciate how seamlessly it ties in to the miniatures rules. I can't wait for it to be released.

Assorted Werewolves 03

Hey, guess what? I have more werewolves to review. These four are all very old sculpts. Two were made by Citadel Miniatures and two were made by Grenadier Miniatures. All of these figures stand roughly 28mm tall.

The first two figures at the left of my photos were made by Citadel Miniatures many years ago. The black werewolf has a very bestial face. Notice that he has no tail. It's not a bad sculpt but I'd liked to have seen him much taller.
The second werewolf is one of my favourite lupine sculpts. I gave him a very red brown fur to contrast with his deep blue tracksuit bottoms. I do like how his toes and heels are bursting through his training shoes. He is just a fantastic sculpt of a werewolf in its Glabro form (half human, half werewolf). He hasn't fully transformed into a werewolf but he's almost there.

The next two figures were originally made by Grenadier Miniatures. The black and beige werewolf was part of Grenadier's Call of Cthulhu range. Once again, a decent sculpt has been let down by having an over-sized head. However, I do like the way the spine has been sculpted. Note the absence of a tail.
The brown furred werewolf could well be the oldest werewolf figure I own. It was released as a part of a boxed set of Dungeons and Dragons monsters in the early 1980's. There are a number of things wrong with this figure - the head is far too big and the legs are far too short. Still, at least it has a nice bushy tail.
None of these figures, except one, are available for sale now, unless you can find them on the likes of e-Bay. The one exception is the first Grenadier werewolf who is now offered by Mirliton. You'll find him in a pack of three figures called The Main Monsters in their 28mm scale Nightmares range. The other two figures in this set are a Mummy and Frankenstein's Monster. This set costs 5.96 Euros. If you are unfamiliar with Mirliton, they are an Italian-based company and they sell a LOT of the old Grenadier figures. They are well worth checking out if you're after some old obscure Grenadier figures.

Assorted Werewolves 02

I'm going to continue my reviews of my collection of werewolf figures for the next week or so. Today I'm showcasing lupines sculpted by three different companies.

First up is a werewolf from the Micro Universe Doctor Who range. This is a plastic 35mm scale figure that came pre-painted, much like Heroclix figures are. The paintwork was basic but acceptable. I added highlights and picked out the claws, teeth and eyes. For a plastic werewolf, this is a fine sculpt and I really like it. If you're wondering what a werewolf is doing in Doctor Who, one appeared in the episode called "Tooth and Claw," which was set in Scotland during the reign of Queen Victoria. This was an adventure starring the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). Please note this range is no longer in production.

The werewolf in the centre of the group was made by Mongoose Publishing as part of their Judge Dredd Miniatures Game. Werewolves infect the Undercity of Mega City One, although, thankfully, they are few in numbers. It looks like this werewolf was chained up, possibly whilst in human form. Either way, he has now broke free and is on the loose, looking to wreak havoc. The figure is just over 28mm tall. I think its an okay sculpt . I don't like the fact that its head seems overly large, even though it is well sculpted. This figure is available to buy and costs £5.00 from the Mongoose store.
The third figure in line is a very old figure that I bought in the 1980's. He was very badly painted by me but recently I gave him a totally new paint job, which has improved him no end. I'm not 100% sure which company made this figure. I suspect it was Alternative Armies, who are still going strong today but if they did make this werewolf, he is no longer in production. This wouldn't surprise me as many of their old figures are no longer available. If you can positively identify the manufacturer of this figure, please do let me know.

SLAP Miniatures Werewolves 02

Last time I reviewed the SLAP Miniature's male werewolves from their Moon Howlers range. This time, I'm reviewing the female werewolves from the same range. Whereas there were six males, there are only four females. The other big difference is that these are all one-piece castings. Once again, the character names come from the SLAP Minis website.

At the far left is Cadela. I have based my colour schemes on those used by SLAP Minis on their website. I was pleased to see more variety in the paint jobs than with the male werewolves. Their fur is much lighter on the front than on the back.
Standing next to her is Zuka. These figures stand about 37mm tall from the soles of their feet to the tops of their Mohican haircuts.

Third in line is Kuja. She arrived without a tail. It must have snapped off her before she was sent. It was not in the package I received but no matter. I was able to add one by drilling and sticking a piece of wire to the base of her spine then covering the wire with Milliput and shaping then scribing it. You can tell it's not the original tail as my tail is pointing upwards whereas it should be pointing downwards as the others are. I actually prefer mine as it makes her stand out.
And finally, is the leader of the females, Cho Chai. Just like the males these are very slim with tiny waists. They all stand tall and have big hands, Mohican haircuts and very prominent breasts. I'm really not sure if female werewolves should have such large breasts. I suspect not but it does make them unmistakably female.
These certainly complement the males of this range perfectly. They are lean, mean fighting machines and quite unique in the way they have been sculpted. I like these figures a lot.
Once again, they are very reasonably priced. Just like the males in this range they cost £1.50 each. You can buy all four females for just £5.50. By far the best way to buy these and the males is to opt for the Pack of Werewolves set, which gets you all 6 males and all 4 females for the ridiculously low price of £13.00. This is the option I chose when I bought mine.

SLAP Miniatures Werewolves 01

SLAP Miniatures are a new figure company that make various ranges of figures for different genres. I was particularly interested in their werewolf range, which consists of 6 male werewolves and 4 female werewolves. For now I want to review the males. I'll review the females next time. The figures were all named by SLAP Minis. Note that these are all five piece castings - body and legs, head, tail and two arms. They stand just under 40mm tall, which is perfectly in keeping with a lupine's Crinos form. These figures are taller than the Grekwood Werewolves I showed recently but a lot less bulky. These guys are tall and slim! I thought I might have to glue them to 30mm diameter slottabases but because they are so light and so slim I was able to stick them on my normal 25mm diameter slottabases.

At the far left is Canavar. I positioned his head to show him howling. I copied the colour schemes for these figures from the SLAP Minis website. They are various shades of grey with a final highlight of white, which provides a nice stark contrast.
Next up is Farkas. I should point out that I drilled and pinned the heads, tails and arms to the bodies. This was a time consuming process but the effort was well worth it as they hold together really well. For my pins I used a paperclip cut into small pieces. They were glued using superglue.
Third in line is MacTire. He is in an advancing pose and hence looks smaller than the others.

Fourth in line is Vilkas. Note that the body parts are interchangeable allowing for loads of customisation if you so wanted.
The penultimate figure is Kurt who is crouched down more than the others.
Finally, is the group leader, Serigala. I deliberately painted him black to make him stand out from the rest of the group. He still has white highlights on his front but from the back he instantly stands apart from the others. His head has been positioned higher than anyone-else's showing him in mid-howl.
There are a couple of things that make these figures stand out from other similarly sized Werewolves. One is just how slim they are. I don't see this a bad thing or a good thing. It's just how this particular tribe or strain has evolved. Secondly, they all have prominent male genitalia, which most sculptors ignore. Some of you may be put off by this and if you are you really won't like the females of this range! To be fair to SLAP Minis they do give a nudity warning on their website, so steer clear if offended. I liked this range as soon as I saw them. They are very different to any other werewolf figures in my collection and for me, they were a must have purchase.
You can find these under the Moon Howlers section of SLAP Miniatures' webstore. They can be purchased at £1.50 each or all six for just £8.00, saving you a quid. Given the size of them and the customisation potential I'd say they are excellent value for money.

Seeing as this will be my last post before Christmas I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for the festive period, whatever your religion. Peace and goodwill, folks.

Horrorclix Werewolves 01

This will be my first post reviewing my Horrorclix 28mm scale Werewolf figures. There will be more to come later. These three figures were all part of the original game. Note that all three have been mounted on 30mm diameter slottabases.

At the far left is a Bane Wolf. This was one of six figures that came in a boxed starter set with the rulebook and original game maps. A lot of the Horrorclix figures were over-scaled but in the case of these figures, I don't think that matters. These should be big, imposing and full of menace. Bane Wolf is certainly all three. He stands roughly 37mm tall. He has just beheaded a deer and he carries its severed head as some sort of grisly trophy. It is unusual to see someone wearing a puffa-jacket (or should that be puffa-waistcoat?) but his has survived his transformation intact. His trousers, however, are ruined and badly torn. He is a very animated figure. The torrent of blood gushing from the deer is just so over the top but I like it.

In the centre is a Dog Soldier in full werewolf form aka Crinos form for those fans of Werewolf: the Apocalypse role-playing game. In Horrorclix, characters were either Rookie, Experienced, Veteran or Unique, going from the weakest class to the strongest. I liked that sometimes they'd make different figures for the various classes. This figures represents a Veteran Dog Soldier. I am not surprised that Wizards of the Coast decided to call him a Dog Soldier as he is very reminiscent of the lupines that appeared in the excellent werewolf film, Dog Soldiers. 
At the far right is the Rookie and/or Experienced version of the Dog Soldier. This Dog Soldier is in mid transformation - his Glabro form - half human and half-werewolf. In this form he could still use his pistol, which is in his holster, but more than likely he'll just ignore it and attack with teeth and claws. Both Dog Soldiers are about 37mm tall from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.
I don't have prices for these figures as, unfortunately, the Horrorclix line was discontinued years ago. However, you can still buy them singly from assorted retailers and on auction sites like e-Bay.

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.

Grekwood Miniatures Werewolves

I'm going to be reviewing a lot of my werewolf miniatures over the next few weeks. I am well aware that werewolves are not part of the undead but I do see them very closely related to the horror genre and I just couldn't ignore them. I have already showcased my West Wind werewolves on my blog (see here - http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/west-wind-werewolves-01.html ) but I own a lot more than just them. I thought it was long overdue that my Lupines share the limelight. So today, I'm going to review four of my newest werewolf figure purchases and these beasts came from Grekwood Miniatures. They were co-sculpted by Keith and Carl Sutherwood.

What is not apparent from my photos is just how tall these creatures are. They stand roughly 43mm tall from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads. This is not a case of scale creep. These are meant to be larger than life. They are meant to be tall (roughly 8-9 feet in real life), powerful and menacing. Each figure comes in four parts - upper body, lower body and two arms. I drilled and pinned the arms to the bodies and used superglue to attach the arms. However, I used two-part epoxy glue to stick the two halves of the body together. Their bases are 30mm diameter plastic slottabases. The gaps between the body parts were filled in with Green Stuff modelling putty. Carl very kindly and very helpfully supplied a small amount of Green Stuff with the figures along with instructions on how to fill the gaps and create the fur effect. Now that is good customer service!

The poses are from left to right, walking, standing with arms outstretched, jogging and running. For more variety you could mix and match body halves and/or arms. As soon as I saw these figures I knew I wanted to paint them with black fur. It's an easy option, I know, but it works so well. I normally paint my werewolves with gloss black eyes but I felt that would not be a good idea with these having black fur. So, I gave them demonic red eyes, which provides a nice contrast. They were relatively easy to make (for an experienced modeller like me) and very simple to paint.
I see these as part of my shock troopers in my tribe of werewolves. When I did my review of my West Wind Werewolves I wrote this - "anyone who has played White Wolf's Werewolf: the Apocalypse role-playing game will know that this figure represents a lupine in Crinos form, the most powerful of their five forms, ranging from human (Homid) to wolf (Lupus). The other two forms are Hispo (a dire-wolf) and Glabro (a human with wolf features)." This statement applied to an even larger werewolf figure but it still apples to these four Grekwood werewolves. Carl's four werewolves are clearly shown in their most powerful Crinos form. Try to keep these terms in mind as I will be referring to them as I continue my reviews of my collection of werewolf figures.
The figures cost £7.00 each but you can buy all four for just £24.00, saving you £4.00. This is what I did. Also note that Carl will supply some Green Stuff to smooth over the arm and body joins. They are also supplied with 30mm diameter slottabases. I can highly recommend them.

A Zombiesmith Assortment

And so it's down to earth and back to normality after the past two action-packed, fun-filled weeks. I'm going to review five Zombiesmith 28mm scale figures that I've grouped together for the purpose of this review, even though they have little in common with each other.

At the far left of the photos directly above and below is Bard Amy, clearly a reference to the singer, Amy Winehouse. I was never a fan of her or her music but I rather like this figure. In ATZ terms, I'd class her as a Survivor. The pistol in her left hand shows that she can probably take care of herself. She has her guitar slung over right shoulder and resting against her back. Amy's iconic bee-hive hair-do has been well captured by sculptor, C.J. I find Bard Amy quite cute and she could be very useful for boosting the morale of a group of Survivors... if they like her music!

Next up are two Gangers, Michael and Inmate! That's how they're described on the ZS webstore, including the exclamation mark after the word "inmate." No, I don't know why either. Michael would appear to be based on the character, Dexter, from the TV series of the same name. Seeing as Dexter is played by Michael C. Hall, the connection is obvious. For those who don't know who Dexter is, he's a police forensics expert who moonlights as a serial killer. I should point out that all the blood you see on my figure is from one of Michael's victims. It almost looks like he's stabbed himself in the groin but that's not the case. This is a superbly sculpted figure and I like how pensive he looks.
I'm not too sure about the anatomy of the Inmate! figure. Can anyone run that low to the ground? To me, it looks strange. Apart from the dubious pose he is well sculpted. His right arm has come free of his straitjacket and he holds a meat cleaver in his right hand. His face is full of rage. I think it's safe to assume that this guy was not locked up for tax evasion! I'm not aware of many prison inmate figures that are available, so for that reason alone he's a welcome addition.

Moving away from the humans we come to the Zombie Smith and Wolfboy. When I ordered the Zombiesmith mega-horde, I was hoping I'd get the Zombie Smith figure thrown in as part of the deal. Sadly, he wasn't but I did get another freebie figure (Doctor Strange). For a few years it bugged me that I was missing only one zombie from the ZS zombie range. So earlier this year I decided to put that right and I placed a fair-sized order with ZS. The Zombie Smith was the first figure on my list. I have no idea who or what the Zombie Smith is. Is he a child or a dwarf? Does he have special powers? My friend, Doug, said he was going to use this figure as a Smart Zombie in his ATZ campaign. I can see why that'd be a good idea. Note that there isn't a drop of blood on my figure. Sometimes it pays to leave off the gore and seeing as he has no obvious wounds I could find no logical reason to add any to him.

Wolfboy is depicted crouching down, which does have the effect of making him look very small. He looks like he has only partially transformed into his full werewolf form. He is mostly human although his face has undergone the biggest transformation and no longer looks human. I deliberately chose a darker skin tone for him than normal, to suggest he spends all of his life outdoors. Figures of werewolf children are extremely rare. I have one other, made by Horrorclix.
So, a mixed bag of figures here. All are useful and are well sculpted but are any of them your cup of tea? Each figure costs $3.00 on the ZS webstore.

West Wind Werewolves 01

I was looking at my blog labels for Werewolves and saw that I had six, but only one of them was for a figure review - my West Wind Werewolf Bikers (see here for that review) . So here I am with my blog over three years old and I have never done a "proper" review of any of my werewolf figures. By "proper" I mean werewolves who aren't toting guns and/or riding motorbikes. I actually own a lot of 28mm scale werewolf figures from a wide variety of companies that I've collected over the years, although many of them are now out of production. They will all get reviewed in time, just as I plan on reviewing my all of my many vampire figures. I thought seeing as I have been looking at West Wind's Bad Moon Over Memphis range in three of my four past posts that would be a good place to begin with.

The huge brute at the left of the photo above is the Big Bopper, set GHB0002 from the Bad Moon Over Memphis range. He is 43mm tall from the soles of his feet to the top of his head and comes as a one-piece casting. Anyone who thinks that he is over-scaled should think again. He is just the kind of uber-werewolf that Selene went up against in the recent Underworld:Awakening film. Also, anyone who has played White Wolf's Werewolf: the Apocalypse role-playing game will know that this figure represents a lupine in Crinos form, the most powerful of their five forms, ranging from human (Homid) to wolf (Lupus). The other two forms are Hispo (a dire-wolf) and Glabro (a human with wolf features).

The black skinned werewolf in the two photos above is from set GH00012 Loup Garou (Great Werewolf), which is part of the Gothic Horror Vampire Wars range. This figure came in four parts - body and legs, right arm, left arm and head and he went together very well, with all parts being a good fit. I used epoxy resin to glue him, which I much prefer to superglue. He is leaning forward as if lunging to attack someone, which gives the appearance that he is smaller than the Big Bopper. Don't be fooled - he is still an impressive looking beast, full of aggression. With his long claws extended, he could easily rip someone's head off with a single swipe of his arm. Incidentally, in W:tA the werewolves call themselves the Garou, from the French, Loup Garou.

The two figures shown above are from set GH00011 Giant Wolves. So why have I included these in my review of werewolves, you may be asking? Aren't they just big wolves?

No, they are much more than that. These are akin to the dire-wolves of many a fantasy tale (see Tolkien's Lord of the Rings for example). Also, referring back to the five forms a lupine can change into in the W:tA RPG mentioned above, this is the Hispo form of a werewolf. Outwardly, it looks like an ordinary wolf but it is much bigger and much more powerful. I have no hesitation at all in declaring these two figures as werewolves.

Finally, is set GH00010 Werewolves, four human-sized werewolves. Going back to Werewolf: the Apocalypse, these figures would most closely approximate the Glabro form. They are still bipedal but nowhere near as large or as powerful as the Crinos form.

These are the classic bipedal werewolves that many folk associate with that species - a cross between man and wolf, bearing the features of both but transforming into something that is totally unique. I guess it is okay that they have still retained their trousers when they transformed, as they are still human sized. If they had transformed into their Crinos form, any clothing they were wearing at the time would have been ripped to pieces during the transformation process.
I like all of these werewolf sets a lot. If you're just starting out in building a werewolf pack, these would get you off to a fine start. They are very nicely sculpted in a variety of poses, heights and forms and best of all, they are very reasonably priced. All four sets cost just £6.00 each from West Wind's webstore.
It's not often that I criticise my own paintwork, but I'm not happy with how the eyes of these creatures have appeared in my photographs. I painted them gloss black, which looks good in real life but which is hard to make out in my photos. Sorry about that, folks. Maybe if I'd painted a dot of white either as a highlight or at either side of the pupils they would have stood out better. I'm also wondering if I should have painted the claws on the two huge werewolves a bone colour instead of black. It would have provided a better contrast in the photos. Ah well, it's all food for thought. Give me your thoughts on the subject and if need be I will modify them.

Being Human series 1-4

Being Human is a big hit on BBC 3 and one of my favourite TV series. With the recent release of series 4 on DVD, a review of this series is long overdue. The premise of the series sounds like the opening line of a joke - a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf share a house together. Well, there certainly is humour in the series, but mainly there is drama centred around three very different characters, whom you will quickly come to love, admire and most important of all, care deeply about. Annie Sawyer, played by Lenora Crichlow, is a ghost who haunts the house, having been murdered there by her last boyfriend. At first she doesn't realise this. Only other supernatural creatures can see and hear her, which makes her very happy when George and Mitchell move in. George Sands, played by Russell Tovey, is a reluctant werewolf, who doesn't want to hurt anyone or pass on the werewolf curse. He's a bit of a nerd but very intelligent, being able to speak multiple languages fluently. John Mitchell, played by Aiden Turner, is a 100+ year old vampire but has the looks and appearance of a 20 year old. He also doesn't want to hurt anyone, so he abstains from taking blood. No one calls him John, he's just known as Mitchell. The trio try to live normal lives and blend in with humanity. George and Mitchell work as porters in a Bristol hospital, keeping a low profile. Series 1 deals with their struggles at "being human" as they deal with mundane issues like house-sharing and girlfriends. However, their primary conflict is stopping the rise of the rest of Bristol's vampire population, led by Herrick, played by Adrian Lester, who just happens to be Mitchell's sire. Herrick masquerades as a policeman and is a complete and utter bastard but such a joy to watch! Incidentally, in this series, vampires are not affected by sunlight.

Series two picks up almost directly after the climax of series one. George's girlfriend, Nina Pickering, played by Sinead Keenan, got scratched by George when he was in werewolf form at the end of series one. You know what that means? Yes, come the next full moon, she also transforms into a werewolf. She tries to keep her condition a secret from the others, especially George, but fails. Annie searches for a new meaning to her existence, now that she has resolved her murder as a human. Mitchell steps into the power vacuum in the ranks of the Bristol vampires, following what happened at the end of series one. With great reluctance, he becomes their new leader, a decision that he soon comes to regret. A new threat to our heroes arrives in the form of a mysterious organisation known as CenSSA (Centre for the Study of Supernatural Activity). Their leader, Dr. Jaggett, convinces Nina that they have a cure for lycanthropy (they don't!) and she happily believes him to such an extent that she splits up with George. Annie learns of the existence of Purgatory, a place she does not want to visit... ever. George tries hard to live a normal life. He gets a new job as a language teacher and tries to settle down with a young mother although her daughter never takes to him. The veil is lifted from his eyes when he almost transforms at a PTA meeting and thus he welcomes Nina back into his life and agrees to meet with CenSSA. He is now so desperate for any possibility of a cure for his lycanthropy. Annie tags along with them but suffers a cruel fate at the hands of Dr. Jaggett. Unbeknownst to all of them, Mitchell falls off the wagon in spectacular fashion as he slaughters a load of passengers on a train. It is such an important and devastating turning point in his unlife, the ramifications of which are fully explored in series three.

Series three is a lot darker than the previous two series. After the events of series two, you just know that life can never be the same for Annie, George, Nina and especially, Mitchell. They move to a large house situated in Barry, South Wales, which becomes their new home for the rest of the series. The house used to be a former bed and breakfast hotel and is called Honolulu Heights. The quartet have to deal with figures from their past, including one huge surprise, as well as further encounters with vampires (a likable teenager and an obnoxious husband and wife pair of swingers), a very sympathetic zombie and a pair of werewolves who hunt vampires. This last two, MacNair, played by Robson Green, and his adopted son, Tom, played by Michael Socha, have the biggest impact on their lives. Meanwhile, Mitchell is desperate to atone for his actions in series two. Over the course of the six episodes of series three the truth about what he did is revealed to Annie, George and Nina and he realises there is only one way to resolve the matter - he has to die! He asks George to stake him. Does he die or not? If you don't want to know then do not highlight my spoiler alert below.
SPOILER ALERT BEGINS Series three does indeed end with George staking Mitchell, proving that the makers are not afraid to kill off major characters. Even more surprising, series four begins with the deaths of Nina (off screen) and George and ends with the death of Annie and baby Eve. Gulp! SPOILER ALERT ENDS 

Series four shifts gear, with young werewolf Tom MacNair and an ancient vampire (500+ years old) called Hal Yorke, played by newcomer Damien Moloney, joining Annie in Honolulu Heights. Hal shared a house in Southend with a ghost called Pearl and an old werewolf called Leo. They travel to Barry on a quest, which sees Leo and Pearl departing and Hal stuck behind. Annie has a new quest in her life - to raise and protect baby Eve, the offspring of George and Nina. A vampire prophecy written on human flesh reveals that Eve is the War Child, the person who will destroy all vampires. This series has been expanded from six episodes to eight and is without doubt, my favourite series so far. Being Human has always had its moments of comedy but in series four there are some genuine laugh out loud moments. Episode 4.06, in particular, has some outstanding comedy scenes. Early on in the series, it is announced that the Old Ones, a group of ancient vampires, will arrive in Barry. Naturally, Hal knows all about them. After all, he was once part of their group. For fifty years, Hal has avoided drinking blood but that all ends when the Old Ones finally arrive. They are led by Mr. Snow, evil personified and brilliantly played by Mark Gatiss. If baby Eve lives, the vampires will take over the world and Hal will lead them to victory. If baby Eve dies, humanity's dark future will be avoided. Given that Annie, who really is a very powerful entity in her own right, has sworn to protect baby Eve, this leaves her with an unenviable dilemma. Kill the baby to save humanity or save the baby and condemn humanity?

VERDICT. Suffice to say, I am a huge fan of this series. It is one of those series that improves with every episode. It started strongly but ended so impressively. Actually, when I say ended, that isn't strictly true. Thankfully, the BBC have already commissioned series five. Oh joy! It should air in 2013. The stories have been a delight to watch. I can't think of a single duff episode, but I can think of plenty of outstanding episodes. Credit must go to the main leads, whose characters want nothing more than to lead normal lives and blend in with society even though they are, essentially, monsters. Being Human achieves a very difficult feat of being superb in so many categories - comedy, drama, horror and romance.
The first three series all have special features on the DVD sets, but I kept wishing for more. Series four, however, more than makes up for that "fault" by having over two hours worth of extras. If you haven't seen any of the series, I'd recommend buying the boxed set containing all four series, currently priced at £35.99 from Amazon. Of course you can buy each series separately. My ratings for the series are 8/10 for series one, 8.5/10 for series two, 9/10 for series three and 9.5/10 for series four. So, have you heard the one about a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf who share a house?