Wednesday 30 March 2011

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.

23 comments:

  1. Hahaha what will they think of next, I would have thought that a Zombie Elvis would be more fitting ... the King of rock n roll is dead right? or is he hunting Zombies ?
    Great work mate, Team Elvis is good to go.

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  2. Excellent work on those and could be a scenario from the movie 3000 miles to Graceland with Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0233142/

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  3. Those are very nice. I love the Elvis in his later years. Great choice of colors. I could see using these in a scenario set in Reno, maybe throw in a few Zombie Strippers for added fun.

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  4. @The Extraordinarii. There are so many rumours about the death of Elvis that you can have fun coming up with your own take on the legend of the King.

    @Fran. That film passed me by but thanks for the link. I've just watched the trailer (lip-synch was out by a couple of seconds!) and I can see where you're coming from. There's a definite tie-in there.

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  5. @Luckyjoe. Oh, good suggestion about throwing in some zombie strippers, LJ! I like your thinking!

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  6. Team Elvis...love it! Scenario that starts at an Elvis impersonator competition?

    Superb colour choices.

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  7. Great painting, the King would of course agree! You gotta see 3000 miles to Graceland its a great film!!

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  8. Ok, now this is REALLY cool!!!
    Yeah, that is one freaky movie. Kinda cool though.

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  9. @Adam. I think I'd need a LOT more Elvis figures to start off a scenario at an Elvis impersonator contest. No, I see these guys as working together as a team, and they've probably been on the road for some time now. Still, I shall keep a close eye out for more Elvis-type figures.

    @Ray. Despite the bad lip synch of the trailer that I watched earlier today, 3000 Miles to Graceland looks like a whole lot of fun and so I shall seek it out.

    @Willy. I'm seeing a theme emerge here. I have to watch 3000 Miles to Graceland. Message received, buddy!

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  10. Return of the king....BRILLIANT!!! Again an excellent review. Have Bubba lying around myself, really need to do him some justice and slap some paint on him.

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  11. @Lord Siwoc. I thought someone would have commented on that scenario title before now, but well done to you. You clearly get it! I hope that this is enough incentive to paint your own Bubba. Give him the love he deserves!

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  12. Hey Bryan, Yet more brilliant painting, wish I could do that :( The writing on the cape looks more like the yankee flag to me tbh, though!

    'Return of the King' is a great title, but this talk of 'return' and zombie Elvises (should that be Elvii ?), I just don't understand it ...

    The King isn't dead, he works down the chip-shop; well he swears he's Elvis, anyway ...

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  13. @Colin. From a distance the writing on the red-suited Elvis's cape does look like the American flag but close up it is writing.

    It's funny that you should mention that Elvis is not dead and he's working at a chip-shop. I've heard that rumour as well. The truth is out there somewhere.

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  14. Heck no he isn't dead. I saw him at an all you can eat buffet the other day.

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  15. Patrons are reminded that the All You Can Eat Buffet deal is an offer, not a challenge.

    :)

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  16. "Patrons are reminded that the All You Can Eat Buffet deal is an offer, not a challenge."

    Oh darn, and all this time I thought they were double-dog daring me!

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  17. This talk of "all you can eat" reminds me of the late, great John Candy in the film "The Great Outdoors." Now that was a challenge!

    My pal, Big Sil, once took on the "Gutbuster" challenge in a restaurant in Oxford about 15 years ago and he completed it. No way could I have done it.

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  18. The Elvis with Katana might be a homage to the "Six-String Samurai", a movie character who is a Buddy Holly Impersonator armed with a guitar and a Katana.

    Great movie by the way =)

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  19. @Cherno. Thanks for that info. Although I've never heard of the film, you could be right. Even so, he's still remaining a member of Team Elvis. Team Buddy can start their own gang!

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  20. I believe Bubba is not an impersonator we is the real Elvis he is based on Bruce Campbell character in bubba ho tep who if i remember correctly is supposed to be the real Elvis. I will have to watch the movie again.

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