Sunday 27 March 2011

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?

14 comments:

  1. I think I'm with you on Kali. She's a superb miniature. Special rule suggestion: 'kin 'uge Gun - This character cannot move through single-leaf doorways whilst fast moving :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooohh... Shiny model syndrome kicking in!!!!

    Good selection and a formiddable asskicking group!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Adam, the Barrett is as big as she is, so yeah, I think that's a fair special rule. I also think I'd increase the Impact of it from 3 to 4 and stipulate that it cannot be fired if the firer is moving. Seeing as this has a range of over 6 kilometres in real life (!) I might increase its effective range to 60" (going up to 72" if the firer has the Marksman Attribute). If (sorry, that should be when) Kali crops up in my campaign it's a given that she'll have the Marksman Attribute.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Lord Siwoc. Individually these will all kick serious ass but taken together as a whole they are as you say "formidable!"

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice (and useful!!) review as always, I particularly like the fallout girl.
    Although, in reality, I prefer to see survivors lightly armed, I must say that Kali is really an interesting character but I still have to understand if it's because I like the Barrett or the over cropped top.... ;P

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Gnotta. To be honest, for me, it's both!

    @Biff. You're most welcome.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice work again Bryan. I've heard bad stories about RAFM on the net, so have never ordered from them myself; it's a shame they have sucha crap reputation, as it looks like I'm missing out on some fine figures :(

    That said, with the Copplestone 'babe' figures and the eM4 'ladies' I seem to have a surfeit of scantily-clad females.

    Now there's something I never, ever thought I'd type ...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Colin, if RAFM do have a bad reputation then I'm not surprised. It is a shame because they make some stunning figures. I'm going to see if there are any UK-based companies stocking their figures.

    You can never have a surfeit of scantily clad ladies. The more the merrier, I say!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I picked up my RAFM figures on ebay, there isn't the full range but the postage was quicker, those are really nicely done.

    ReplyDelete
  10. These are nice mate, they have some pretty dynamic poses, good work on the painting as well, the shaft dude is cool.

    ReplyDelete
  11. These are just outstanding. I love recognizable character figures and the Milla is especially nice. I love your treatment of the Action Jackson mini. Perfect period PI/secret agent fig.

    ReplyDelete
  12. @Fran. Good call on using eBay. I'll consider it for future purchases.

    @The Extraordinarii. Hmm, I see no reason not to use Action Jackson as John Shaft.

    @Luckyjoe. I like your new portrait, LJ! Thanks for the kind comments. These were a labour of love to paint.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Vampifan
    Did you ever consider it is actually the post in Canada and your own postal service that are to blame? How can you blame a company from another country for customs fees levied by your own nation? Did you check the postage date of the package either?

    ReplyDelete