Sunday 7 August 2011

Studio Miniatures Zombies 09 - Mob 7

I was checking my blog archives and I found it hard to believe that I haven't reviewed any Studio Miniatures zombies and survivors this year. That changes now as I review Zombie Mob 007.
 As with all of the Studio Mob sets, you get five male zombies and three female zombies. The two photos above show four of the male zombies, starting at the far left with a crouching zombie who has been shot in the chest by a high calibre bullet. The exit wound in his back is massive. His left knee and shin are all bloody. From a fashion point of view I'm not a fan of his trousers!
Next to him is possibly a former office worker in his shirt and tie. He wears a big chunky, gold watch, which would be a handy item to loot from him. I couldn't find a single wound on him, so perhaps he died of a heart attack.
Moving on, is an overweight zombie dressed in casual clothing and a parka coat with the hood down. When I was painting his hair, I accidentally painted over his left ear. Rather than correct my error, I daubed blood over his ear, which has dribbled down his neck onto his upper chest. That's the beauty of painting zombies - any mistake can be covered up by a spot of gore. He also has two small bullet wounds in his chest and stomach and his right hand is covered in blood.
The fourth zombie in line is a conversion of Studio's "not-Arnie" figure, Dutch. The head has been remodelled and his lower right arm has been bitten off. He has also lost all of the fingers and thunb from his left hand, leaving him with a bloody stump. He makes a fine biker zombie, possibly a Wild Hog. Those of you who remember my last batrep will get that reference!
 
The next pair of photos show the four remaining figures, starting at far left with the last of the males. He has certainly been in the wars. His left wrist and forehead were bandaged prior to him becoming an active member of the undead. His lower right arm has been chewed to the bone and his right hand is missing completely. Nasty! Blood still flows from his two bandaged wounds, indicating they reopened prior to his first death.
Second in line is one of my favourite zombie figures ever. She is just superb and something very different from Studio's normal zombies (if you can call any of them normal). She is a fat chav zombie, very reminiscent of the obnoxious Vicky Pollard character from the UK comedy series Little Britain. She is just grotesque, which for a zombie is definitely a good thing. Half of her face has been ripped off to reveal a grinning skull beneath. Her left eye has been torn from its socket. Her pendulous breasts are almost spilling out of her tracksuit top and if you look closely, her right nipple is exposed from behind a tear in the cloth. The right arm of her tracksuit has been ripped off to reveal a few bite marks. Her upper back has been scratched and clawed and her left knee is all bloody. Finally, to add insult to injury, a bite has been taken out of her bum! What an amazing figure!
Third in line is a one armed zombie, leaning over to her left. Her left arm from the elbow has been torn off. I have smeared blood around her mouth, chin and right hand. She is such a delicately sculpted figure, the complete opposite to the previous female walking corpse.
The final figure in this set is a conversion of the previous figure. If you compare their lower bodies you can tell that this is the case. Still, it is a clever conversion because the upper bodies look very different. She has had her throat torn out. The left sleeve of her coat has been ripped off but her left arm shows no signs of a wound.
I've said all along that my favourite 28mm scale zombie figures are made by Studio Miniatures and this set does nothing but cement their reputation as the best. The female chav zombie in this set is worth the asking price alone. The quality of the sculpting is as good as it gets and I can tell you that painting them was an absolute joy.
The price of Zombie Mob 007 is £16.99 for the white metal version. When I checked the SM website this morning I couldn't find any price for the resin versions. Either it was an oversight or else Studio have stopped making resin versions. Next time I'll be revieweing Zombie Mob 008 along with a free bonus figure you get if you order both sets together.

15 comments:

  1. When I first came across your site, I went through your Studio Miniature zombie reviews several times looking for this set. I wanted to make sure I wasn't just over looking it. This was my favorite looking set on their site, for the chubby chav girl as well. Overweight miniatures tend to be under represented in general, but females moreso than males.
    When I start collecting my zombie horde, this will be among my first sets to order.

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  2. Great review as always my friend.

    I looove studio iniatures! So much character in each miniature.

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  3. @Adam. I realise that this set has been out for a while now, so apologies for not posting a review earlier. My pile of unpainted zombies is so high that it has taken me this long to get round to painting them. Still, look out for more Studio goodness in the following two posts. I totally agree with your comment about overweight, fat and obese zombies. I, too, want to see a lot more of them.

    @Johnny. Yep, I loooooove Studio Miniatures, too. Off topic, you should know that I have left Facebook, so sadly won't be able to help you out in Zombie Lane. If I had to chose just one FB game to play, that would be it. Thanks for introducing me to it.

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  4. Ah yes, I have a couple of sets of Studio Miniatures, but have yet to paint them up. (Too many others in line!) I really like their minis; They have a certain quirky character to them, and this set looks no different. As always, nice informative review!

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  5. Good review, these figures have got to be amongst the best I've encountered; even though I've only been bitten by the Zombie bug recently I've looked at lots of ranges.Its a pity though that from my pov their "Big Deal" incorporatesthe Xmas set, a set I would never buy.

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  6. The fat chav zombie is awesome you are so right ! she has just been completely mangled, gruesome but a classic mini, and the chunk missing from her junk .....haha to funny, might have to acquire this mini, you've done wonders with them mate.

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  7. Nothing to say that I haven't said before - brilliant work as always my friend!

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  8. They're bloody good sir, nice additions.

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  9. A nice set and painted great, My fave is the 'not Arnie' zed out if this set.

    Keep up the good work

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  10. @Confused Dad.I should have painted these guys quicker than I did, so don't worry, I know all about figures waiting to get painted. They keeping shouting at me "Hey, it's my turn now, I've been waiting longer than him!"

    @Joe. No doubt about it, Studio really do make the best 28mm scale zombies. By the way, I noticed the time of your post. Another sleepless night, huh?

    @Ray. Vicky Z rules!!!

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  11. @The Extraordinarii. Ha, ha, I love your expression "the chunk missing from her junk!" So funny, man!

    @Colin. You're too kind. Blush!

    @Fran. Ditto!

    @Brummie. The not Arnie is a nice figure, although the zombies have made a helluva job on his hands!

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  12. Studio Miniature makes some great sculpts, just they tend to replicate part in different models, and some of them are died without visible wounds.

    Nonetheless there are some true gems, I really like the first of the line, the biker and the fat guy. :D

    Thanks for sharing!

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  13. @Zerloon. Yes, they do re-use some of their figures but that does not bother me, As for zombies with no visible wounds I would not accept that as a criticism. A person dying of a heart attack won't look any different to any normal corpse. Personally. I think it just adds variety and realism to their zombies.

    You're right, there are always gems to be found amongst their figures.

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  14. Fantastic Bryan. The SM zombies are firmly cemented as my favourites.

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