Hasslefree and RAFM Elvis Impersonators

This is another set of figures that I've been meaning to review for months now. I'm glad I held back because when I was recently looking at the RAFM website, I saw that they had added an Elvis with a katana to the range. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Team Elvis!

 

Leading this group of Elvis impersonators is a Hasslefree Miniatures 28mm scale adventurer - HFA038 Bubba. Bubba is a lot fatter than the other guys in the group, so he's obviously basing his looks on Elvis in his latter years. The figure comes in three parts with the two arms separate castings. According to the Hasslefree website he is armed with a .357 Magnum revolver and a deadly guitar! Well, I suppose he could smash the guitar over someone's head! As always, Kevin White has done a superb job in sculpting this figure. I decided to paint him in a white suit with blue suede shoes. There is a lot of detail on his shirt and guitar. Even though the RAFM figures are well sculpted, I think Bubba just edges them for quality and that is why I've made him the leader of this group.
Next in line is the first of the four RAFM 28mm scale Elvis impersonators from their Modern Day Heroes USX range. This is RAF02831 the Pretender 3. He is armed with a Colt .45 pistol. His blue suit is adorned with gold patterns and he wears a gold belt, white silk scarf and white shoes. He's not a great figure but he helps make the numbers up.
I mentioned last time that I'd bought five new figures from RAFM. This is the figure that I didn't show you. He has only just been added to the range and he is RAF02861 Samurai Elvis. I'm not too sure about the samurai bit but he is armed with a samurai sword aka a katana. I just had to have this figure to complete my collection of Elvis impersonators. At first, I thought he was a conversion of the next figure in line but upon closer inspection I saw that he is an original sculpt. He's an Elvis impersonator with a katana - what more can I say?
Fourth in line is RAF02830 the Pretender 2. This red-suited gent is armed with a 5.56mm M16 assault rifle, giving the group some serious firepower. There is some writing on the back of his cape, which are probably the lines from one of Elvis's songs, although they are far too small to read in this scale. I don't know enough about the work of Elvis to hazard a guess at what song might be portrayed here.
Finally, is RAF02827 the Pretender, whom I would have made the leader if I didn't own the Hasslefree Bubba figure. He is armed with a pair of 9mm TEC-9 machine pistols with the 30-round ammo clips. I thought that painting his cape gold would make a nice contrast to his white suit. Like all of the other figures, his belt is gold-plated and his suit is very ornate with gold designs on the top and trousers.
These would make for a very interesting group of Gangers or Survivors in a game of ATZ. I have a scenario in mind that I'd love to try out sometime. Cold War Minis make a zombie Elvis. See my review here - http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.com/2009/11/cold-war-miniatures-zombies-06.html I was thinking, what if the zombie Elvis was the real Elvis? This group of Elvis impersonators may have heard that "the King" has returned and are on a quest to find him. Perhaps they enlist the help of your group of heroes to find him. I thought I'd call the scenario "The Return of the King!" If anyone else wants to run this scenario, please feel free to do so. I'd love to read about it.
Just for the record, I am not a fan of Elvis or his music. However, I can see a lot of fun to be had from this group and I'm sure it is only a matter of time before Team Vampifan encounters them. Prices of the figures are £4.50 for Hasslefree's Bubba and $4.95 for each of the RAFM Elvis impersonators.

RAFM Survivors 02

In January of this year I reviewed four RAFM 28mm scale survivor figures from their Modern Day Heroes USX range. Since then I have ordered another five figures from them and here, I showcase four of them. The fifth one will be reviewed next time, and when you see him you'll know why I kept him separate from this lot.

At the far left is RAF02860 Action Jackson. I can remember watching a movie called Action Jackson in the 1980's that starred Carl Weathers in the title role. This figure looks nothing like Carl's character but he is still one cool looking dude. I gave him a powder blue suit, white, open-necked shirt and white shoes. He is armed with a Big Ass Pistol, which seems appropriate. He could work as a pimp, or as a private detective. I see him as a heroic character and he should be more than capable of holding his own in a zombie apocalypse. It's always nice to see an African/American hero figure, as there aren't many about.
Next up is RAF02847 Kali, my favourite figure from the entire Modern Day Heroes USX range. As soon as I saw her, I knew I wanted her and she was the sole reason for my latest order to RAFM. She is one sexy looking female, with her tiny shorts and severely cropped top exposing a lot of flesh. She does, however, wear sensible combat boots and leather gloves. She has a pistol in a holster on her left hip but it is her sniper's rifle that really impresses me. This is a Barrett .50 M82A1 "light Fifty" sniper rifle. This is a truly formidable firearm, designed to take out soft-skinned vehicles. A fifty calibre bullet will make a bloody mess of any human target! Kali is also equipped with night sight goggles on her head, so she can operate at any time of day. She is top of the list of figures that I want to recruit to Team Vampifan. I think she is an awesome figure. By the way, Kali was the name of the Hindu god of destruction. Appropriate, huh?
Third in line is RAF02835 Gloria with Uzis. RAFM also do a Gloria with kukri knives, which I don't have. RAFM may call her Gloria but we all know she is Alice, as played by Milla Jovovich, from the Resident Evil: Extinction film. In fact, this figure looks like it has been directly copied from the front cover of the DVD as she is in the exact same pose and costume. Studio Miniatures also make a not-Alice figure (she's armed with a pair of kukris bur wears a long overcoat) and I'm undecided which version I like best. If using her in a game of ATZ then the RAFM version with the Uzis would be the best choice. You are far better off shooting zombies than fighting them in melee combat, even if you are as adept as Alice. This figure comes in three parts, with the arms holding the Uzis separate castings.
Finally, is RAF02852 Fallout Girl. From her name, she is clearly a post-apocalyptic survivor. She is extremely well-armed and totes twin pistols in holsters on her hips, a machine pistol in her right hand, a single-barrelled sawn-off shotgun in her left hand and a sword slung on her back. The machine pistol, shotgun and sword are moulded separately and have to be glued in place. She appears to be wearing a flak jacket, so she's well protected from small arms fire. She is one tough cookie and when I showed her to Gap, he said that she looks slightly deranged. That may explain why she's a survivor. I think she'd make an excellent Star or Grunt in ATZ and she's someone else that Team Vampifan would like to recruit.
All four figures are beautifully sculpted but I don't think the same person sculpted them all. Kali, for example, is a lot slimmer than Gloria and Action Jackson is a rather chunky figure. I like these a lot and would very happily recruit all four to Team Vampifan.
Each figure costs $4.95 from the RAFM website. Be aware if you are ordering from the UK or Europe, this package of five figures took between five and six weeks to arrive. RAFM are notoriously slow in sending out figures, which in this day and age is inexcusable. The previous time I ordered from them, I had to wait six weeks and I got stung with customs charges. This time I deliberately kept my order small so customs didn't bother me. I'd be grateful if anyone in America has ordered from RAFM could let me know how they got on with them. Is it just us European customers who suffer or does everyone have to wait for their order to arrive?

Tengu Models Zombies 03

Tengu Models are one of my favourite miniatures companies for making 28mm scale zombies. I've been wanting to show Zlinko and Zopov for some time now but I've held back. I'm glad I did as Tengu have just recently added a third zombie clown called Bubo.

At the far left of these two photos is BH08A Zlinko. He comes in four parts - body, legs and left arm along with separate pieces for his head, right arm and bow-tie. I think it's nice that Iain Colwell, who runs Tengu Models, has named all of the clowns. It's not often you see named zombies and it is something I approve of. His wounds are numerous. Starting from the top and working down, he has a cut to the forehead, a small hole in his right shoulder, a big bullet wound in his back, a bite taken out of his lower left arm as well as a bite to his lower left leg. In addition, I have smeared his hands in gore. All in all, he is a quite frightful sight.
In the centre of the group is BH08B Zopov. He is very similar to Zlinko in that both figures share the same body. However, his head and right arm are different and he comes with a big kipper tie rather than a bow-tie. I must admit that there was a temptation to paint this guy up as Ronald McDonald as there is a passing resemblance but instead I copied Iain's colour scheme. Obviously, sharing the same body as Zlinko many of his wounds are similar. However, his head is unmarked and a bite has been taken out of his right arm. He carries a severed right arm in his right hand.
The newest figure to Tengu's range of zombies is this obese monstosity, HB09 Bubo the Clown. He comes in two parts. The lower left arm and trumpet are a separate piece. I pinned this piece in place before gluing to give it a stronger bond. What makes this zombie truly disgusting are the amount of festering pustules scattered all over his body. He only has one visible wound - a large bite to his lower right leg. I have added blood dribbling from the corners of his mouth. Note how the sole is coming away from his left shoe. This guy is the stuff of nightmares!
A lot of people find clowns to be scary. So what could be even more frightening than zombie clowns? These aren't the first zombie clowns to be sculpted in this scale (I've already reviewed one by Mega Miniatures) but in my opinion, they are the best. Although Zlinko and Zopov share the same body with the separate components and different paint jobs they don't look alike at all. Bubo is my favourite out of the three because he looks so gross.
Prices for these zeds are £3.50 each for Zlinko and Zopov and £5.00 for Bubo the Clown. They are well worth adding to anyone's zombie horde.

Vampifan's Views 09 Happy 2nd Birthday

Vampifan's World of the Undead celebrates its second birthday this week. It's hard to believe that I've been working on this blog for two years now but it has been the most amazing fun. When my blog celebrated its first birthday I noted that it had 48 followers and had received about 30,000 hits. A year later, those figures have risen to 132 followers and 85,000 hits, proving that it is becoming more and more popular. So, I'd like to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has popped by to look at my humble efforts to popularise the undead. Without any shadow of a doubt, what I have most enjoyed about writing this blog are all the friends I have made across the globe. There are people who follow my blog whom I would class as close friends and as a solo gamer that means a great deal to me. If any of you visit the North East of England you're more than welcome to drop in for a chat or better still, a game of All Things Zombie. Anyone wanting to stay longer, there's a spare bedroom that is never used and I wouldn't dream of charging anyone if they did want to stay.

Speaking of ATZ, I've had numerous comments asking when my next batrep will be? I'm afraid I can't give a definitive answer. I might get a game in over the Easter holidays, which is late this year, but that doesn't mean I will. A lot depends on the health of my parents. I live at home with them and spend a lot of time looking after them. My father is disabled, having lost his left leg ten years ago and my mother is getting on and not in the best of health. Both are in their 80's so they rely on me a lot to look after them. However, they like to go away on holiday for long weekend breaks about four times a year. Those are the times I get to play ATZ because then I can commandeer the dining room and set up Mayhem City (or at least a part of it) on the dining room table. Unfortunately due to ill health my parents have had to cancel two holidays in the past four months. In fact, my father has just returned home from a week long stay in hospital. They have three holidays booked over the summer months so I'm hoping they can get away, as much for them getting a break away from home, which they deserve,  as for my own selfish purposes for playing ATZ. What is really frustrating about not being able to play is that I have loads of ideas for scenarios. On the plus side, the delay allows me to get more scenery made. One project that I am working on is building a headquarters that Team Vampifan can operate from. If they are going to stay in Mayhem City (and they will) than they need to find somewhere they can call home. Fortunately World Works Games cover what I need. My secondary goal for Team Vampifan is to recruit more survivors. I have some very specific figures in mind that I want to add to the group but it's up to the dice gods if they want to join Team Vampifan. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

On the figure painting/collecting front I easily achieved my goal of collecting 500 zombie miniatures and painting them. The current total is about 660 fully painted zombies. I suppose my next goal should be to amass 1,000 zombie miniatures and I'll do my best to achieve that target but I'm not setting a time limit. As long as the figure companies keep on making zombie miniatures I'll keep on collecting and painting them. At the moment I have 20 Blue Moon 28mm scale zombies on my painting table and more waiting in the waiting to get painted queue. I've given up buying any more miniatures for Lent just to give me a chance to catch up on all the figures waiting to get painted. Mind you, after Lent all bets are off and I'll succumb to temptation to buy more nice new shiny toys very easily.

For me, the highlight of the past year so far has to be the publication of Dadi e Piombo magazine number 44 with my article on zombies seeing print. I was glad that the six copies I gave away for free all found good homes. I'm only sorry I didn't have more to offer. It certainly helped to raise the profile of zombie gaming to a much wider audience, which can only be a good thing.

I know that many gamers are not interested in this part of the hobby but those who have expressed an interest quickly discover just how friendly and enthusiastic we are. To us weirdos, having fun is the number one goal of gaming. To be honest, this has always been my goal in any game I've played. I have no time for rules lawyers or munchkins who want to win at all costs. I've also noticed how many new blogs dedicated to zombie gaming have sprung up this past year. My attitude to them has always been to help, encourage and support them whenever I can. I don't see any one as a rival but as a friend. You may not have noticed in My Blog List to the left of this post, a new blog has just emerged, called Nothing But Zeds! It's run by Steve Simpson, who's new to our hobby. I've offered him a lot of advice via e-mails we've shared and if you're interested in supporting him pop over to his site and say hello. To anyone else out there who is thinking of starting their own blog my advice would be - go for it! What I love about our corner of the blogging community is that everyone is so friendly and only too happy to offer help and advice.

So, let's raise a glass of whatever your favourite tipple is to VWotU's second anniversary. If year three is anywhere near as successful as the first two years I'll be a very happy bunny. I plan on sticking around for a long time, so expect more of the same for year three and hopefully some nice surprises as well. Thanks everyone for reading and for your kind support.

EM4 Gangsta Thugz

EM4 are just one firm to sell this range of twelve 28mm scale Gangsta Thugz as sculpted by Bobby Jackson. I've seen this range reviewed on other blog-sites, most notably on Ancient Warriors by The Extraordinarii http://leadwarriors.blogspot.com/search/label/Gang%20Members and by The Angry Lurker http://theangrylurker.blogspot.com/2011/02/28mm-painted-em4-miniatures-thugz.html However, neither of them showed the complete range. That's not meant as a criticism of their reviews in any way, both of which are worth checking out. I've been itching to review these for a long time now, so here all twelve figures from the range. Note that unlike the Foundry figures I've been reviewing recently, these are not named. However, to aid in identification I've named them all. Feel free to steal any of my names if you like them.

Starting with the two photos above, at far left is Levi DeFreitas, a teenager in baggy T-shirt, shorts, trainers and a reversed baseball cap. I frequently wear a baseball cap but have never worn it back to front. I just don't see the point of it. To me, wearing a baseball cap back to front just looks silly. He is armed with what looks like a 9mm Beretta M92 pistol. As you'd expect to see on a group of L.A. gangstas, a lot of "bling" is being worn. This thug is showing off a gold medallion, gold bracelet, gold wristwatch and a few gold rings. Real gold or fake gold? You decide.
Next to him is the only gangsta out of the group to be armed with something more lethal than a pistol or machine pistol. This is Delroy Washington and his double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun. His only visible bling is his gold medallion. His hair has been styled into corn-rows.
Each of the three sets contains three males and one female. I have called the sassy female in this group Missy Maxwell. She carries a very small pistol, which shouldn't be under-estimated as they can pack a powerful punch. I'd guess it is a .38 AMT Back Up pistol. Her hair has been fitted with red extensions. She seems very aware of her sex appeal with her tight jeans and cropped vest showing off her shapely figure.
The final figure of this group is full of attitude. Actually, I think it's fair to say that every one of the twelve figures is full of attitude. I named this thug, Isaiah Delmont. Note how he's grabbing his crotch with one hand and how he has twisted his other hand to hold his "nine mil" in a sideways pose. It's a classic gangsta pose! The clothing and dollar sign medallion are just perfect and you have to admit that Bobby Jackson knows his subject matter very well.

The second batch of four figures is fronted by Spoonie Forbes with his 1970's style afro hairdo making him look like an extra from Shaft. His weapon is one that is very popular with gang members - a 9mm Intratec TEC9 "assault pistol." He looks like he has the shorter 20-round magazine fitted, rather than the normal 30-round magazine. His bling compromises the obligatory gold medallion, gold bracelet and gold wristwatch.
From loads of hair to no hair at all, meet bald-headed Ezekiel Taylor. He is also holding his 9mm Beretta pistol sideways on as he strikes a pose. This guy sure is a poser as he is bare-chested to better show off his toned body. His combat pants hang low to reveal his designer label underpants. You can guarantee that his Y-fronts will be designer label! For some reason he is wearing two wrist-watches. I painted one silver and the other gold. A large silver cross hangs around his neck.
The female of this set is a cracking good figure, whom I named Lulu Merrygold because she looks like a Lulu to me. She is the only figure of the group who is unarmed but just look at her. I'd hate to get on the wrong side of her. Pity the poor fool who calls her fat! My old mate Big Sil used to have a thing for "big black mommas" and she is just the sort of person he'd fall in lust with! All I'll say is it takes all sorts!
At the far right of this group is Leroy Watts. Come on, I had to have a Leroy in the group! Like many of this group, he is armed with a 9mm pistol. His bandana has been painted red and could be part of his gang colours. He wears mirrorshade glasses and once again, we see the gold medallion being worn around his neck. His clothing is typical urban streetwear.

 

Starting at the far left of this last pair of photos we have Marvin "Fat Boy" Williams. The huge hood of his coat practically obscures his face. He is armed with a pair of small sized pistols, which are too small for me to identify. To me, it looks like he has problems in finding the right sized clothes. His vest is too small, his shorts too long and his coat far too big. Still, he probably thinks he looks fashionable!

Next to him is a more athletic-looking figure, Alonzo Tate. He looks like he's ready for a game of basketball, assuming 9mm pistols are an essential tool for playing the game! I suppose it gives a new meaning to the phrase "shooting the hoops!" With sweatbands on his head and wrists, he's ready for a good workout.

Looking at the female in this set, my first thought was "I bet she's a single mother." This is Lakeesha Benjamin who has dropped out of high school to bring up her baby, whom she holds in her right arm. Rather unusually, she is not armed with a pistol, but a snub-nosed revolver, probably a .38 calibre. The small child has been beautifully sculpted, as have all the figures. I suspect that Lakeesha would fight like a tiger to protect her child.

Finally, we come to a guy who has been watching too many John Woo films. This is Floyd Hatton doing his best Chow Yun Fat impression by holding his twin nine mils in a sideways grip. Note that he is wearing a baseball cap (reversed, of course) over his red bandana. He also wears his baggy trousers hanging low to flash the waistband of his Calvin Klein Y-fronts. His obligatory gold bling is in place, so he fits in well with the others.

Verdict? Outstanding miniatures! The best way to describe them is to say that they are all full of attitude and character. There's not a bad sculpt amongst them and they are brilliantly posed. If you want an African-American street gang then these should be your number one choice. I've already used some of these gangstas in my ATZ campaign (they did not fare well against Team Vampifan!) and I'm certain to use them again. 

I bought my three sets of figures from the EM4 website quite a few years ago, which lists them as costing £8.15 per pack of four figures. However, when I checked on their prices today I noticed that two of the sets were out of stock. Fear not if you want them right now, as a few other companies sell them. I did a Google search for them (just type in Bobby Jackson's Thugz) and found that Armorcast in America advertises them.