Sunday 13 January 2013

Acheson Creations Crazies and Cultists 02

Here are the final two sets of Acheson Creations' 28mm scale Crazies and Cultists. The first set is actually called Clown and Crazies, for a very obvious reason. I'd like to issue a few words of caution about the Female Crazies and Cultists set. First up, it is advertised on the webstore as containing four figures, although only three figures are shown. When I received my set there were only three figures in the package. Oddly, it cost the same as the four figure packs in this range. Go figure. The second point is a warning to those viewing my blog at work - the pictures of the females may not be suitable for work and one in particular may cause retinal damage!
Shown in the photos above and directly below are the four figures from the Clown and Crazies set. At the far left is a pilot in his flight suit. This guy has Star quality in abundance. He is armed with a pistol with fitted suppressor and with a machete - a good combination for taking on zombies. Whenever I look at him I am instantly reminded of the unnamed narrator and hero of J.L. Bourne's novels Day by Day Armageddon and Beyond Exile, as he was a U.S. Navy pilot. He's certainly not a Clown or a Cultist and he doesn't look like a Crazy to me.
The next guy in line, however, certainly does look like a Crazy. He has the look of a tramp or hobo about him, with his long unkempt hair, straggly beard and his ragged clothing. Look closely at his eyes. They are the eyes of a killer and I can see him getting ready to take on all comers, be they human or undead in a berserker-like fury. He wields a sawn-off pump-action shotgun and a machete, which is quite a popular weapon in AC's sets.
Will it come as anything of a surprise if I say that my favourite figure in this set is the clown? I thought not! But he's not just a clown, he's a clown with a chainsaw! How dangerous is that? He's going straight into Sunny's gang of Killer Klowns and he'll be a welcome addition. We all know that clowns are evil but just how evil is this guy? Shudder!
At the far right of the group is a civilian with a sniper's rifle and scopesight. He is bald headed with a goatee beard and moustache. He has a tool belt around his waist with pouches for an assortment of tools, making him a handy ally to have on your side.
And now we come to the controversial Female Crazies and Cultists set. I say controversial because two out of the three are fully nude. The young lady at the far left is armed with a 9mm Sterling Sub-Machine Gun. It is the first time I have ever seen a figure armed with this weapon, which was used by the British Army from the late 1950's until 1988. She is a blonde-haired but her pubes show that she is not a natural blonde. No matching "cuff and collar" here. Something that I have wanted to do with a nude female figure for a long time (stop sniggering at the back!) is to paint her with visible tan lines. So I painted her with Foundry Tan 14 but painted the flesh bits covered by her bikini a lighter Foundry Flesh Light 5C. I must admit that I am very happy with the results.
I can understand why young blondie would want to flaunt her body but not the mature lady in the centre of the group. I have to say that she is possibly the scariest figure I have ever seen. Ye gods, but she is UGLY! You can actually see the cellulite on the back of her legs! With her fat belly, huge pendulous breasts, stumpy legs and a face that could curdle milk she is the stuff of nightmares. She holds a 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5KA5 Machine Pistol in her right hand. I wonder if she's just an old hippy, or perhaps she's one of those Cultists who dance around naked at midnight to perform some ritual.
Finally, at the far right of the group is a more modestly dressed woman, although she still manages to exude a lot of sex appeal in her choice of costume. There is a slight comparison to a certain female vampire whom I am rather fond of but I assure you my choice of colour scheme was a pure coincidence. I just thought she'd suit black hair and on the AC webstore she is depicted in a similar red costume. After I had painted her costume I gave it a coat of Tamiya Clear Red to emphasise the red even more and to give it that glossy finish. It's one of the few times I have used TCR for something other than gore effects. She is armed with a 9mm Pistol and a katana.
I should mention that all of the AC figures that I have reviewed in this and the previous two posts were sculpted by Richard Deasey. Too often the sculptor is uncredited, so it's nice to give him a bit of recognition here. I think that the four figures in the Clown and Crazies set are very well sculpted, but be warned three of them (pilot, tramp and clown) are heroic scale and are roughly 33mm tall. The female Crazies and Cultists are definitely an oddity. I am broadminded enough not to be bothered by the nudity but I can well understand if others feel differently. I can't think of any good reason why they should be naked, other than it being part of a cult ritual.
Both sets cost $7.50. I have no idea why the three females should cost the same as the four males.

26 comments:

  1. Nicely done Bryan on both sets of figures. This second set of males is much better than the one you reviewed previously the figures look a lot better proportioned.

    Your not wrong about that lady in the centre sheesh she's a scary one. Love the tan lines on the first chick.

    Your right you don't see many Sterling's about I have a couple amongst my KKBB figures and I have some 80's British Soldiers that I'm using for KKBB. I really like the Sterling I had plenty of Action men when I was a kid and I had quite a few Sterling's to arm them with. The not Harry Palmer from Artizan is also one of my favourite figures for this reason.

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    1. Thanks, Simon. The info about the Sterling SMG was much appreciated. I don't have any of the figures you mentioned. My God, I also had an Action Man figure with a Sterling SMG. What a coincidence!

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  2. Hmm - "Hobo with a shotgun". I've heard that somewhere before. Ah, here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640459/ .

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    1. I have that film on DVD, Hugh, and Rutger Hauer in the title role is very good. I can't think why I didn't make the connection between the film character and the figure.

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  3. Great paint jobs again Bryan, the tan lines are a nice touch! I agree with Simon on the second male set, and definately one il have into gettin

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    1. Thanks, Dave, I agree that this is the best set out of the four.

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  4. "Cultists and Crazies" should have been named "Wonnderful Weirdos".
    Very peculiar mix of figures, but great paint jobs on them; yet another catalogue of figures I'd like but probably won't get.
    Good review bryan and yes, it is nice to mention the sculptor when known.

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    1. Cheers, Joe. Yes, too many companies neglect to mention who sculpted their figures. They deserve some recognition for their work.

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  5. The tan lines are great! Really like the clown from this lot.

    Again you have done really good on painting them and thank you fro a great review on these guys/gals/maniacs!

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    1. I'm glad you liked them, Johnny. They were all a lot of fun to paint.

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  6. Nice! Your paint jobs really brought them to life.

    It's disappointing to hear of the price differences. It's always frustrating when companies do that sort of thing. Even when unintentional it just feels like bad business.

    An interesting point about Raptorman (J.L. Bourne's handle on his site) is that he once mentioned that he saw Ben Browder as the best actor to portray him in a movie or show. I think there's a little bit of a resemblance there!

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    1. Many thanks, Jon. Very interesting info about J.L. Bourne/Raptorman.

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  7. Nice painting, love the naked ladies!!!

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  8. I've never seen that tan line effect done before on a painted figure. Full marks to you for creativity and for doing it well. Quite nice.
    Not quite sure why women would be running around naked in a post-apocalyptic world but they are cultists and that middle one (shudder) also looks crazy. Very cool.
    Cheers,
    Mike

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    1. Thanks, Mike. The cult angle is the only feasible explanation I can think of for the ladies to be naked.

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  9. I figured that the two nudes were strippers or hookers who got caught doing business. Given the fan-type inability to face reality, I gave the fat one Eidelweis as a stage name.

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    1. Well, I guess that could explain their lack of clothing. I like the name Edelweiss. It ties in with the hippy flower power thing I hinted at.

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  10. And your tan lines are a great addition!

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    1. Flashcove, I am very pleased with how the tan lines have come out. It was a very successful experiment.

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  11. Love how the tan lines turned out Bryan!

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  12. Thanks, Dave. A lot of people like them, too.

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  13. are these miniatures still sold anywhere?

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