Vampifan's Views 79 - Monthly Musings 54

Haven't I seen her before?

Another month and another Joe Jusko painting of Vampirella to start my Monthly Musings post. Those of you with good memories may recognise this painting. This is the image used on my life-sized cardboard cut-out of Vampirella that I showed last year. See here.
Of course, with this painting you get to see the complete picture. This is one of my favourite Joe Jusko paintings. It also appears on my 2016 Vampirella calendar that I have hanging next to my computer.

In my hobby news I have got back into Heroclix and Horrorclix in a big way. I played these games a hell of a lot in the early 2000's when they first came out and I collected hundreds of figures for them. When my gaming group broke up, I put them all back on the shelves and pretty much forgot about them. Earlier this month, Steve and Hil, my fellow editors of the All Things Dungeon Crawl blog asked if I had any spare Heroclix or Horrorclix figures lying around as they fancied getting back into both games - Steve with Heroclix and Hil with Horrorclix? Imagine their surprise when I told them that I had loads of figures spare and they could have them all. Hell, they were no good to me; they were just gathering dust. They wanted them, so they got them and now they have a very impressive collection of clix figures for both games. As a result of their enthusiasm I have rediscovered my own love of both games, Now I'm playing solo games and actively looking for new figures. I bought a few new starter sets this month - Captain America: Civil War, Fantastic Four and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, partly for the new figures but also for the rules, as I wanted to know how much the 2016 rules had changed from the original 2002 rules that I was so familiar with. The answer to my surprise, was surprisingly little. A few tweaks here and a few additions there but essentially, they were exactly the same. This was good. The game was just as I remembered, so I had no problem in getting back into it.

When it comes to collecting Heroclix figures or any other kind of clix figures there are basically two schools of thought - keep the figures intact on their bases or remove the figures from their bases to rebase and use in other games. What kind of collector am I? The answer is both. I do cut figures from their clix bases but only if the figure is a swap. Any clix figure that I only have one of, remains a clix figure. This means that I have very few rare, unique and limited edition figures that are rebased because they are much harder to come by. As far as the clix games go I have a massive collection of Marvel, DC and Indy superheroes and villains and almost as many figures for Horrorclix and its three expansion sets. I may do some figure reviews of figures from my collection in the future but I'll leave any other Heroclix/Horrorclix articles or batreps to Steve and Hil to publish on the ATDC blog. You can see the first of their Heroclix/Horrorclix posts here - http://thegamerscupbard.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/by-hilary-gilbert-may-2016-thefirst.html
Note the new address!

Other than those three Heroclix sets I mentioned I haven't bought anything else hobby-related this month. On my painting table at the moment are a batch of Zombicide: Black Plague zombies. I only have a few left to paint to finish them all. I am hoping I can get them all finished before I receive my huge parcel of Black Plague expansion sets, which are due very soon. You can expect a lot of Black Plague posts appearing on my blog over the next few months.

My other hobby news is that I am just starting work on Jez/Carrion Crow's Forgotten Heroes project, which is due to launch in June. I'll have a few figures to show for that, so keep an eye open for my entries next month. As for what's coming next on the Vampifan blog, fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles should rejoice. I have my TMNT allies and villains to review.

Horrorclix Werewolves 02 (and ATZ-Reloaded Preview)

I'm reviewing my second batch of Horrorclix 30mm scale werewolves today and they are quite a mixed bag of figures.

At the far left is a Dire Wolf from the basic set in it's Rookie version. The Veteran version is identical but the Experienced version is made of transparent plastic to represent it in its spirit form. This form is far larger than a normal wolf and in White Wolf's Werewolf: the Apocalypse RPG, this is known as the Hispo form, aka the giant wolf form. It can transform into a normal sized wolf and that is known as its Lupus form. To give you some idea of his size note that I glued him to a 25mm by 50mm cavalry base. He is about the size of a horse! Yikes!!!!
Next up is Jak-Jak the Wolf Boy. This figure came in the Horrorclix expansion set - Freak-show. The Veteran version was given the name Jak-Jak but the Rookie and Experienced versions were just called Wolf Boy. He is tiny and if he wasn't crouching atop a stool could easily be overlooked. There is a chain around his left ankle which is secured to the floor. I guess the Freak-show owners don't trust him to roam free. In case you were wondering, that's not blood on his shirt but a red tie.

The female werewolf is called Lupina and she was also part of the Freak-show expansion set. It is interesting to compare her with the SLAP Minis female werewolves. Lupina is much sturdier and muscular. She also looks far more menacing and deadly. Her sports bra survived her transformation into werewolf form; the only piece of clothing that did. Note her ponytail. I do like her colouration. The pale brown colour is unusual but works well on her. She is my favourite figure out of this group.
Finally, we have Werewolf Orderly, who appeared in The Lab expansion set. It isn't clear from my photos but he is carrying a clipboard in his right hand. It is not hard to guess what happened to him. He must have got bitten whilst tending to a patient. Come the next full moon he turns into a werewolf. Bummer! He has been sculpted in a very animated running pose.
As I said before, the Horrorclix range has been out of production for quite a few years now. However, these figures do crop up on e-Bay and certain figure stores.

Just to prove I have not totally forgotten my main love of gaming - zombie apocalypse games - I was recently contacted by Ed Teixeira of Two Hours Wargames, asking me if I could post this video link on my blog to help promote the new ATZ-FFO board-game called ATZ-Reloaded.

Ed is working in conjunction with Lock and Load Publishing on an updated version of the ATZ board-game to bring it more in line with the ATZ-FFO rulebook. I have the original version of the board-game and felt it was very much ATZ-Lite. It was a lot like ATZ but not quite right. I've seen a rough draught of the new game and I can confirm that the new game is much improved and far more in line with the skirmish game rules. This is the version that Ed has always wanted to produce and any fans of ATZ will appreciate how seamlessly it ties in to the miniatures rules. I can't wait for it to be released.

Horrorclix Werewolves 01

This will be my first post reviewing my Horrorclix 28mm scale Werewolf figures. There will be more to come later. These three figures were all part of the original game. Note that all three have been mounted on 30mm diameter slottabases.

At the far left is a Bane Wolf. This was one of six figures that came in a boxed starter set with the rulebook and original game maps. A lot of the Horrorclix figures were over-scaled but in the case of these figures, I don't think that matters. These should be big, imposing and full of menace. Bane Wolf is certainly all three. He stands roughly 37mm tall. He has just beheaded a deer and he carries its severed head as some sort of grisly trophy. It is unusual to see someone wearing a puffa-jacket (or should that be puffa-waistcoat?) but his has survived his transformation intact. His trousers, however, are ruined and badly torn. He is a very animated figure. The torrent of blood gushing from the deer is just so over the top but I like it.

In the centre is a Dog Soldier in full werewolf form aka Crinos form for those fans of Werewolf: the Apocalypse role-playing game. In Horrorclix, characters were either Rookie, Experienced, Veteran or Unique, going from the weakest class to the strongest. I liked that sometimes they'd make different figures for the various classes. This figures represents a Veteran Dog Soldier. I am not surprised that Wizards of the Coast decided to call him a Dog Soldier as he is very reminiscent of the lupines that appeared in the excellent werewolf film, Dog Soldiers. 
At the far right is the Rookie and/or Experienced version of the Dog Soldier. This Dog Soldier is in mid transformation - his Glabro form - half human and half-werewolf. In this form he could still use his pistol, which is in his holster, but more than likely he'll just ignore it and attack with teeth and claws. Both Dog Soldiers are about 37mm tall from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.
I don't have prices for these figures as, unfortunately, the Horrorclix line was discontinued years ago. However, you can still buy them singly from assorted retailers and on auction sites like e-Bay.

Assorted Men in Black

Today I present the first of three posts looking at the mysterious Men in Black. To some they are a force of good, defending earth from alien threats (see the popular Men in Black films), whilst to others they are a sinister and evil organisation (see White Wolf's Mage: the Ascension role-playing game). One thing that is not in doubt is that they belong to a highly secretive organisation and that they wield considerable power. They can arrest people with impunity and most worryingly of all, make people just disappear, never to be seen again.

At the far left of my two photos is the commander of my force of Men in Black and he was produced by Wizkids as part of their OOP Horrorclix range, where he was known simply as Man in Black. Like a lot of Horrorclix figures, he is over-scale when compared with most ranges of 28mm scale figures. However, in his case, I don't think that matters too much. He appears to be unarmed but who can tell? I think he is quite a sinister-looking figure, which has a lot to do with his skull-like face. One other feature makes him stand out from the rest of my Men in Black figures and that is he is the only one wearing a hat. I would not want to cross his path!
Next in line is a standard field agent. He is another OOP figure and he was originally made by RAFM. He is slim but well proportioned and he holds a 9mm pistol in a two-handed grip. In addition to his trademark black suit, white shirt and black tie he also wears a pair of regulation black-lensed sunglasses. 

The next two figures are also OOP and they were made by Target Games as part of their Mutant Chronicles range. Although they are 28mm scale they are very chunky and bulky. Their weapons do have a sci-fi feel to them, although in ATZ terms I'd class them as a Big Ass Pistol and a Big Ass Machine Pistol. The figure third in line has blotted his copybook, in my opinion, by wearing his hair in a ponytail. I have nothing against woman who wear their hair like this but on men it just looks silly!
The figure at the far right of the group is a Vampifan sculpt. I made him over twenty years ago for my White Wolf Vampire: the Masquerade role-playing game campaign. He was part of a covert vampire hunting organisation. He is armed with a 5.56mm Colt M16A1 Assault Rifle which came from my spare parts box.
These figures can be used in a variety of ways. Yes, as Men in Black, that is the obvious choice. But they will work just as well as US Secret Service agents or as corporate security agents. They can be good guys or bad guys. Indeed you could ask the question - are they even human? They could be aliens or robots. Anything is possible.

Assorted 28mm Scale Vampirellas

This is a bit of a self-indulgent post, seeing as I seem to be the only fan of Vampirella. Mind you, I do know of one follower, who resides in Slovenia, who has been badgering me to post this and you'll see why later. Anyway, I thought I'd start 2014 off with a look at my collection of 28mm scale Vampirella figures.

At the far left of this photo above is my oldest Vampirella figure (or should that be non-Vampirella figure, seeing as none of them use her name for copyright reasons). She is also the smallest, given that she's actually a 25mm scale figure. I bought her in the 1980's from a German firm (now long defunct) called Metal Magic. She isn't as well sculpted as more recent figures but she still has a certain charm about her and I do like the bat she's holding. Her boots are too long but I can forgive that. For many years she was my only Vampirella figure and so I'll always view her with fondness.
Next in line is another non-Vampirella figure with thigh length boots. She comes from Black Orc Games and is called Paloma (no, I don't know why). She was sculpted by someone with the initials PF (Paloma Faith, perhaps, LoL!). She is nicely sculpted and rather slim but her costume isn't quite right. Apart from her boots being too long, her costume doesn't show enough stomach. Unforgivably, you can't see her tummy button. However, what I do like about her is her hair. She is ridiculously cheap, costing a mere $1.00.

Far and away, the sexiest of this figure collection is the third in line, produced by Blood Moon Miniatures (who appear to be no longer trading). She is the tallest of my Vampirella figures and unquestionably, the bustiest. Whoever sculpted her has overcompensated her in the boobs department. Contrary to many people's opinion, Vampirella is not a busty female. Her vital statistics are a nicely packaged 36C-24-36. She stands 5' 11" tall and weighs 115lbs. Hey, only someone called Vampifan would know that! Her hair isn't quite right but my God, she has curves in all the right places! She is one incredibly sexy figure. I'm not sure why there is a piece of red cloth between her feet. It seems to serve no purpose.
The fourth figure in line is by Ground Zero Games and can be found in their adult-rated Gentleman's Club range of figures as GC25 - Vampyrelle. Hmm, who are they trying to kid? Of course, she's Vampirella. She is in an almost identical pose to the figure by Blood Moon Miniatures but seems to be more in proportion to what Vampirella should look like. You can still buy her and she costs £2.40 from the GZG webstore. It is interesting to see that she is baring her fangs.

Moving on to the second batch of figures, I start with another Out Of Production figure. The female vampire in the red mini-dress was made for the Horrorclix game by Wizkids. She was one of the six unique figures who came with the original starter figure boxed set. You may well ask yourself, did Vampirella ever wear a dress like this? Well, yes, she did. I can remember her wearing this very dress in one of her adventures in New York in her short lived Vampirella magazine series produced by Harris Comics. Sometimes, Vampirella did go incognito by wearing normal clothing, although I think she'd attract just as much attention if walking down a street in that red mini-dress as in her skimpy costume.
Second in line is a figure produced by Armorcast - LL21610 Sexy Female Vampire. Well that certainly gets round any copyright problems! The main problem I have with this figure is that I think her head is too big for her body. From the neck down, she is perfect. It is such a shame. She is available for sale from the Armorcast webstore for $3.00.

The penultimate non-Vampirella figure is produced by Black Cat Bases. You can find her in their webstore under the heading of "Vampires" and she is listed as Vampire Girl, priced at £2.00. Her hair is good, her costume is good, her pose is different but her boots are wrong. They're too long and not tight-fitting. I should make mention of Vampirella's skin tone. Vampirella is not a traditional vampire. Garlic, religious icons and sunlight do not affect her. Apart from when she grows her fangs, long talons or wings, she can easily pass for a human. She does not have the anaemic pallor found in most vampires. So I tend to paint her as a healthy looking human female. This is consistent with how she appears in the colour comics.
The final figure in line is unique and holds a special place in my heart. She is a conversion based on HFL503 Hasslefree Female Armature (price £2.50) and was a present for me from Mathyoo (aka Matevz). He wanted to get me something special as a thank you for letting him stay with me last year. Those of you who have seen Mathyoo's blog will know that he's not a bad sculptor. So he added the hair, costume and boots to the Hasslefree armature figure to create something unique. He covered the base in static grass but I added a few pieces of rubble so that she fits in with my other figures. Mathyoo painted her for me, which explains why she is so pale looking. I don't mind that at all.
So, out of these eight figures which one do you think is my favourite? It's that oh so sexy Blood Moon Miniature. Pure sex on legs! Mathyoo's version comes a very close second.

Assorted Media Figures 01

The media have a tough time reporting the news at the best of times, but in a zombie apocalypse their job becomes a whole lot harder. I thought I'd showcase my media figures in this post. In ATZ, there are three media types that you can meet - the Anchor, the Reporter and the Cameraman. All three are reperesented below.

The woman at the far left of my photo above and below has appeared twice before on my blog. The first time was when I reviewed my Frothers UK set of zombie hunters way back in February 2010. The second time was when Team Vampifan met her in an ATZ scenario called, appropriately enough, Meeting the Media. She was called Jenny Tyrell and she was a Rep:3 Reporter. I really like this figure but sadly, she is no longer available for sale. You can tell from her size when compared with the other figures in the line up just how small she is. That's not a bad thing in my opinion, as females tend to be shorter than males.
The rest of the figures shown above could also be Reporters but I think they work better as Anchors, given how smartly dressed they are. The woman in the grey dress and jacket is from EM4 Miniatures. She was originally a Grenadier figure sculpted by Mark Copplestone, but when Grenadier folded, EM4 acquired a lot of Mark's sculpts. Her beautifully coiffeured hair is outstanding.
Mark rescupted a lot of his old Grenadier figures for his Copplestone Castings' Future Wars range and you can see many similarities between the third figure in line and the second. The heads are the obvious differences. To accentuate the difference even further, I decided to paint her as an African/American. Both figures are much bigger than 28mm.

The fourth figure in line was a Ral Partha Shadowrun adventurer. I say was, because she is now long out of production. Originally, she was holding a flashlight in her left hand but I cut the head off it and with a piece of modelling putty, I converted it into a microphone. Now I use her as Lucille Carter, anchor woman for Channel 5 News.
At the far right of the group is a unique figure. Yes, she is one of my sculpts. She is based on a reporter found in the Cyber Rogues supplement of the Cyber Space RPG. I never played Cyber Space, but I did use it to cadge ideas from for my Cyberpunk 2020 campaign that I ran in the early 1990s. I liked Tanith, but a few of my players positively hated her, due to her cropping up at the most inappropriate of moments - usually at the end of a gunfight that my players had been involved in! Tanith is definitely a Reporter. In my Cyberpunk 2020 campaign she was fitted with state of the art recording implants in her eyes and ears. Nowadays, she'd just be a gutsy woman relying on her wits and street smarts. What I like most about my sculpt are her hair and her smile. What I least like about her is she is too wide. She should be slimmer.

Moving on, we come to the Cameramen and women. Once again, we start of with an OOP Frothers cameraman. He appeared alongside Jenny Tyrell in my Meeting the Media scenario for my ATZ campaign and he was a Rep:4 Cameraman called Simon McQuarrie. It is such a shame that no one has picked up the moulds for Simon and Jenny as they truly deserve to be appreciated by a wider audience.
Next to Simon is an EM4 Miniatures' Handycam Operator. He is another ex-Grenadier figure sculpted by Mark Copplestone. The logo on his back shows that he works for Channel 54.
Looking very similar to him is a Copplestone Castings' News Team member. It is basically the same figure but with a different head. Note his spectacular quiff! He works for WNS - World News Service.

The female, fourth from the left, is a RAFM figure - Paige Fox, reporter of note. Although she holds a compact camera in her hands, RAFM have got it right, she is a reporter not a camera-woman. She is the tallest figure in this group and makes a mockery of RAFM's claim that she is a 28mm scale miniature. Even so, she is nicely sculpted and I quite like her.
To the left of Paige is a figure that I converted from a Horrorclix Runaway from the basic set. I cut off her right arm holding a severed head, the knife in her left hand and her beanie hat. I resculpted her right arm and added a camera, which is slung around her neck. I also resculpted her hair. She is called Sarah Barstow and she is based on an NPC from the GURPS Illuminati supplement. She is a freelance camera-woman.
Last in line is another unique Vampifan sculpt. Meet Andy Halloran, an NPC who appeared in the GURPS Autoduel Characters supplement. He is just one of many characters that I made from that supplement. He is also a freelancer. I think he should be slightly slimmer, but other than that, I'm happy with how he's turned out, especially his video camera.
I should point out that anyone who wants to use a media team in ATZ should check out the ATZ Supplement, Haven on pages 28 and 29 for full rules on how to play them. You can even play them as part of your team, although their conditions for advancing their Rep differs from the main rules. For them, getting interviews and video footage is more important than killing zombies.
It is rather sad that out of these 11 figures only 5 are currently available for sale. You'll find the Copplestone Castings Anchor woman and Camera-man in the Future Wars set FW3 News Team and Minders, which contains five figures in total for £8.50. The EM4 pair, 0036 Female Reporter and 0037 Handycam Operator, are available separately for just £1.50 each. Finally, RAF02819 Paige Fox costs $4.95 from the RAFM webstore.

Vampifan's Views 20 My Monthly Musings part 7

A sultry Vampirella by Joe Jusko

No question about the big news this month - I have finished making my World Works Games 28mm scale Mayhem City Police Station. It has taken me well over a year to make it  and whilst making it I lost my card-modelling mojo as I found that making so much furniture for it became such a chore that I couldn't face making any more. Fortunately, I got my mojo back and was more determined than ever to get this sucker finished. Just over a week ago I completed it.
I am sure there are two questions you'd like answering and the first and most important one will no doubt be, when can we see it? The answer to that is very soon. I'll be photographing it later on today. So, I'll probably post part one of my review this Sunday. Given that it is such a large building I will have to split my review into two parts. The review will be very heavy on photos and it just makes sense to split the review into two posts.I imagine that part one will cover the exterior plus the interiors of the upper two floors. Part two will cover the interior of the ground floor.
The second question I'm envisaging is, what are you going to make next? That's fairly easy. I've started work on making four WWG police patrol cars. I don't have any and now that I have the police station I want some patrol cars to go with it. After I've made them I shall make another building, but at this moment I don't know what exactly. I have so many to choose from. I want to make them all but I can only make one at a time. I do have a shortlist of what I'd like to make and I'll probably make a decision in the next few days.

Alas, my figure painting has very much taken a back seat this month, as I so much wanted to finish making my police station. You can't blame me for making that my number one priority. So I spent more time modelling than painting and only managed to finish painting one figure out of twenty - a Eureka 28mm scale Victorian schoolboy. He has been tucked away with my WW2 civilians, as he fits in well with them. So, still sitting on my desk are 4 West Wind bikers, 4 West Wind vampire rock stars, 4 West Wind zombie rock fans, 2 Battle Bunker zombies, 4 Studio Minis mutant zombies and a Studio Minis Santa survivor. They are almost finished, so I should get them done within a week.
This figure that you  see to the right of here and further down is my Horrorclix SWAT Trooper that I recently converted. He first appeared in my review of the RAFM SWAT Troopers that I posted a week ago. I cut off his rocket launcher and replaced it with a Foundry 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5A Sub-Machine Gun. It was a simple conversion, because being made of plastic made the removal of his original weapon very easy. I wish all conversions were this easy.
Moving on to other news now, I am currently reading Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris. This is the 12th volume of the Sookie Stackhouse series - the books that the TV series, True Blood, is based on. I finished reading two zombie books earlier this month - Zombies - a Record of the Year of Infection by Dr. Robert Twombly and Can You Survive a Zombie Apocalypse? by Max Brallier. Both were good reads and I may do a full review of them soon.

Whilst I am on the subject of books, I'd like to tell you that when I reviewed Domain of the Dead and Remains of the Dead by Iain McKinnon a couple of weeks ago, I received a number of comments from the author, which I must admit did surprise me, as my review was far from complimentary. Still, fair play to Iain, he was very kind and courteous and we struck up a converstion that went on longer than I could have imagined. I mention this because his comments appeared a good while after I had posted my review, meaning hardly anyone will have read them. So, if you want to see our chat just go back to my review of his books and click on "comments." Anyone who collects e-books will be particularly interested in his fourth comment. I must admit that I have a much greater respect for Iain after our chat.

Film news now, and I saw two films at the cinema this month - The Muppets and One For The Money. Okay, I confess, I am a huge fan of the Muppets. I have been ever since they first appeared on TV. This new movie made me laugh, made me cry and kept me entertained from start to finish. What more can you ask of a movie? One For The Money got slagged by the film critics but I didn't care. The film is based on the first Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich. I happen to be a big fan of the Stephanie Plum series and so I wanted to see if the film did the book justice. Well, in my opinion it did, and once again, I was thoroughly entertained. Which just goes to prove what I always say about films - the only critic that counts is yourself!

Well, that's a wrap for this month. I'm hoping to get a game of ATZ played towards the end of March. That's something I'm very much looking forward to. I can tell you now that the police station will NOT be appearing in that scenario but will feature prominently in the one after it. Take care, folks!

RAFM SWAT Troopers

I'm still sticking with the theme of SWAT Troopers for my figures reviews and this time I turn the spotlight on RAFM's output from their 28mm scale USX range. Also in this review is an old Horrorclix figure, who seemed to fit in so well with these figures that I've included him here.

At the far left of the two photos above is RAF02806 "The Man" - SWAT Team Leader. He is talking into his headset radio and is armed with a 5.56mm Colt M4A1 Assault Carbine. Holstered on his right hip is a 9mm Glock 19 Pistol. "The Man" is quite an imposing figure and stands 35mm tall, measured from the sole of his feet to the top of his head.
Standing next to him is RAF02807 Flanagan - SWAT Team Sergeant. Flanagan is armed and equipped in an identical manner to "The Man" but his carbine has a scopesight fitted to it. I can only assume that Flanagan and "The Man" are bare-headed to make them stand out as team leaders. It makes little sense for them not to wear some form of head protection.
Next in line is RAF02837 SWAT Sniper. His arms and rifle were separate castings and had to be glued in place. His sniper rifle is the 7.62mm Robar SR-60, which is built on the Remington 700 Sniper Rifle. He wears his baseball cap back to front so that the peak doesn't interfere with the scopesight.
The last figure in line is a Horrorclix Field Agent from the original set. This is the Experienced version armed with a disposable rocket launcher. I really ought to replace it with an MP5A SMG or a CAR15 Assault Carbine. He is a very tall and slim figure and scalewise he fit in so well with this range that I keep him as part of my RAFM SWAT crew. Note the five grenades strung across his back. They're probably smoke or tear gas grenades.

These next four figures come from set RAF02808 SWAT Grunts. At the far left is a trooper with a 12 gauge Benelli M1 Pump-Action Shotgun. Note the pistol grip under the slide. His 9mm Glock 19 Pistol is holstered high on his right hip.

Next to him, in a very similar pose is a trooper armed with a 9mm Heckler and Kock MP5A Sub-Machine Gun. Unlike his partner to his right, he does not wear a gasmask. I painted his flesh areas slightly darker than normal to represent a hispanic male... or maybe he's just well tanned.

Third in line is the second trooper to be armed with the 9mm MP5A SMG. He is in a more dramatic pose and is firing his weapon from the shoulder.

Last of all is a trooper firing his 9mm Glock 19 Pistol in a two-handed grip for extra stability. He has his MP5A SMG slung over his back. He wears a Nomex hood but no gasmask.

These are nicely sculpted figures but there are two things that might put some of you off purchasing them. First up is their height. Although RAFM describe this range as being 28mm scale, the reality is that they are closer to 35mm scale. This means that they stand head and shoulders above true 28mm scale figures. I couldn't care less about a few millimetres difference in heights but I know that it is an issue that concerns some of you, so be warned.

The second point that may be a stickler for some of you is their price. These figures are not the cheapest on the market. The SWAT Leader, Sergeant and Sniper cost $4.95 each. The SWAT Grunts are better value at $11.95 for all four figures. The Horrorclix Field Agent is, sadly, long out of production but can still be found on various on-line auction sites like e-Bay.
EDIT: Shortly after posting this I removed the Horrorclix figures rocket launcher and replaced it with an MP5A SMG. He looks much more like a SWAT Trooper now.

Corpses 03

Well, it has certainly been an interesting week. I was all ready to post this review on Wednesday of last week when I found I had three nominations for a Stylish Blogger Award. I couuldn't possibly ignore them and had to respond. I think I ended up with seven nominations, which is just so heart-warming and gratifying. It's not only been a rewarding week for me, but also for a lot of other zombie fan bloggers. Well done to everyone.  My friend, Mikko, who runs the Dawn of the Lead blog responded to a comment that I left on his site "New blogs have sprung up like crazy, and blogs like yours and mine are already starting to feel like established, old-timer affairs. How crazy is that!"  I know the feeling! Here I am, in my third year of blogging, and already I feel like one of the founding members. Crazy, indeed!
Anyway, back to normal now with my third look of figures of corpses. I was recently digging through my collection of swaps of Horrorclix 35mm figures when I spotted a bunch of figures just ripe for converting into corpses. My first lot of Horrorclix corpses came from the original set. These five that I'm reviewing today are from the Freakshow expansion set.

At the far left of the photo above is a dead fire-eater. I cut off the flame coming out of his mouth and the jar he held in his right hand. By holding the figure over a lighted match, I was able to bend his limbs slightly so that he lay flat. I gave the flesh parts of his body a liberal wash of Citadel Baal Red ink wash to indicate he is a burns victim. He was a very easy conversion to do.
Next line is the zombie ventriloquist. He was also a very easy conversion. I cut off his right arm holding his dummy and remodelled the arm with Milliput modelling putty so that it appeared he was clutching his stomach. You don't have to be a good sculptor to do this, as most of his arm is hidden from view due to his position. I twisted his feet slightly using the matchstick method. You just need to hold the figure over the flame at the point you want changing (in this case, his ankles) for a couple of seconds for the heat to soften the plastic. I drilled a small hole in his forehead and a much larger hole in the back of his head. You can't beat a head shot for killing zombies!
In the centre of this group is a vampire roustabout aka the circus strongman. He was a much tougher conversion. It took me a while to decide if he worked best as a corpse lying facedown or on his back. In the end, I went for lying on his back. First thing I did was remove the hammer from his hands. Then I had to make a V-cut where his left leg met the hip to bend his left leg back. The V-shaped groove was filled with Milliput. I made a number of similar cuts on his arms and neck. I cut parts of his denim jacket away and added Milliput to the small of his back to help him lie flat but I was still having trouble with his arms and head. I had a sudden "lightbulb moment" when I realised if his head and arms were resting on something, like for example, a paving stone he'd lie flat. So I cut off a small piece of plastic sprue from some model I had close at hand and stuck it in place behind his head and arms at the elbow joints. Perfect! It worked a treat and he now lies flat without any gaps showing beneath him. A job well done! I finished him off by drilling a small hole just to the side of his left eye.
Fourth in line is Carny. He held a big lollipop in his left hand, as if offering it to someone, but he held an even bigger knife in his right hand, which he hid behind his back. I removed the knife and the lollipop. I made a few V-cuts in his legs at the knee joints and hip joints to get his legs lying flat. His arms were repositioned by slightly heating them. I used the same method to twist his head to one side. Unfortunately, you can't see my favourite bit of his conversion. I sculpted on spools of intestines spilling from a massive stomach wound. From the angle I have photographed him, which is how he'll appear in most situations, he looks like he could just be sleeping. Anyone turning him over is going to get one hell of a shock!
Finally, is the corpse of a circus knife thrower. He needed quite a bit of work done to get him to lie flat. I had to cut a large V shape out of his upper right leg at the hip joint. I completely cut of his right arm. I removed the hatchet he was holding in his left hand and almost cut off the knife in his right hand. The reason that I didn't is that by leaving it in place it gave me two anchor points to attach his arm to the body - at the right shoulder and right knee. This gave his arm a stronger bond when glued in place. He was another figure to have a small hole drilled in his forehead followed by a larger hole in the back of his head.
It took me a day to convert them and they were a lot of fun to do. Next time I play an ATZ scenario I'll be sure to include them on the gaming board. I have a window of opportunity for the next chapter of my ATZ campaign in the middle of June, which isn't that far away, so look out for another batrep soon.

Corpses 02

And so I move on to part 2 of my look at figures of corpses to populate your board with when playing a zombie apocalypse game. Last time I looked at some of the commercially available figures, which sadly, weren't too many. This time, I'm going to show you the 10 figures that I have converted.

The first four figures on the top are very old Citadel Miatures 25mm scale zombie corpses. These came out in the early 1980s at about the same time as the two Citadel gangster corpses that I reviewed in part 1. The figure at the far left is as close to the original figure that I have. I only made one minor modification to him; after turning his head to face to the right, I sliced the top of his skull off so that it is hanging on by a slight piece of skin. The brains spilling out were sculpted by me using Millput modelling putty. To use a term from ATZ, he is Obviously Dead! No zombie could survive a head wound like that.
What I particularly liked about these figures is that they were made of soft metal (probably lead), which made them very easy to convert. Note how I have bent the left leg and left arm of the second corpse into new poses. Using Milliput again, I extended the left leg of his trousers, added socks and shoes and gave him a polo-necked jumper, to which I added a line of bullet holes, indicating he'd been shot by some kind of automatic weapon, like an SMG or assault rifle. The head has also been repositioned.
The third Citadel corpse has had a tattered shirt added, along with a pair of trainers on his feet. He was killed by a head shot to the right eye. In hindsight, I wish I had bought a lot more of these figures. They were a converter's dream!
The fourth and final Citadel corpse has had a tattered T-shirt added, as well as a sock and shoe put on his right foot. I cut his head off and glued it back on in a different position, so that it faced to his left. I also cut off most of his left arm and added Milliput to better define the stump. This corpse has had half of his face and neck chewed off.
The last figure in the top row of my photo is one that should be readily available to everyone. He is a conversion of one of the 25mm scale zombies from the Twilight Creations Inc. plastic figures from their Zombies!!! game. I cut his base and right foot off. He seemed to work best as a corpse by lying face down. So I cut off his right arm and remodelled it with modelling putty. In addition, I used Milliput to cover his torso on the front so that he lay flat without a gap appearing beneath him. Finally, I drilled a hole in his head to show how he died. It sounds like a lot of work, but it wasn't and it was a very easy conversion to do. Seeing as I have so many of this figure, I'll probably make more corpses out of them. Being made of soft plastic, it is so easy to cut bits off him to make unique corpses.
Moving on to the lower row, all five figures are conversions of Horrorclix 35mm scale figures. All are from the original set and apart from the last figure in line, all are converted zombies. At the far left is the Zombie Lawyer and he was, without doubt, harder to convert than any of the others! The problem is his basic pose is leaning forward with his arms stretched out, which makes it difficult to get him lying flat. I managed it by doing a lot of cutting and remodelling with Milliput. This is a conversion for experienced modellers only.
The Zombie Cop was much easier to convert. I cut off his head and arms and repositioned them. I also cut his back and buttocks, so that he lay flat. Any gaps in the arm and head joins were filled in with Milliput.
For the Shambling Zombie, I cut off the arm he was carrying in his right hand and removed his left foot. His head, right arm and right leg were cut off and repositioned. Once again, any gaps at the joins were filled in with Milliput. He was harder to convert than the cop but easier than the lawyer.
The Sorority Zombie was a doddle to convert. Her pose is very flat to begin with, so I didn't have to reposition any body parts. I drilled a small hole in the left side of her temple and drilled and modelled a massive exit wound on the right side of her head.
Finally, is the one Horrorclix conversion not based on a zombie figure. This figure began life as a Ghostfinder (not to be confused with Ghostbusters!). I cut a V-shaped notch at the back of his knee on his left leg and filled in the gap with Milliput. I cut off his left arm and resculpted it, so that it was tucked under his body, clutching his stomach. I removed the scanning device from his right hand. Finally, I drilled a small hole in his forehead and a large exit wound in the back of his head.
The Citadel zombies and the Twilight Creations Inc. zombie are a bit on the small size but are usable as teenagers or small adults. On the other hand, the Horrorclix figures are definitely oversized, but what the heck? They were all fun to convert and I'll certainly be converting more corpses and possibly sculpting some of my own.

Corpses 01

In my last couple of ATZ scenarios I have added a new element to my game boards - corpses. I don't know why I hadn't thought of this earlier as it seems like such an obvious idea. I mean think about it - in a zombie apocalypse, the longer it goes on, the more bodies will end up dead... and I do mean dead, as in permanently dead. If your player characters kill a zombie, will they dispose of the body in a proper manner, or will they just leave it where it fell? Unless they are defending their HQ I suspect the latter. A few followers have asked me about my figures of corpses, so I have decided to show them in this post and the next. This post shows nine 28mm scale corpse figures that I have bought, whilst the second will consist of figures that I have converted.

At the far left of the top row are two 28mm scale corpses from Ramshackle Games. These are resin-cast figures and come in a pack of three for the ridiculously cheap price of £0.75. The third figure, which I haven't shown, is standing upright as he leans against a wall. He might be dead, he might be wounded, he might be drunk or he might just be tired. I haven't painted him as I'm still deciding what to do with him. If you want to see him, plus alternative paint schemes for the two corpses, check out Lord Siwoc's blog, Brains and Guts here at http://lordsiwoc.blogspot.com/2011/05/world-has-come-undone.html To be honest, I think all three of these corpses are rather crudely sculpted but there's no denying, they are good value for money.
Next in line are a pair of corpses from Chiltern Miniatures 28mm scale Modern Forces Insurgents range. These are part of the African rebels range but when I checked on their price and availability earlier I couldn't find them on the Chiltern website. There are no obvious wounds on this pair, so maybe they're just Out Of the Fight. But then again, not every corpse has to lie in a pool of blood. These are rather chunky figures and in no way should be described as 28mm scale. Like the Ramshackle corpses they come on integral bases, which for me, I'd rather they didn't. It's just a personal preference but seeing as I'm using my corpse figures purely for set dressing, then I'd rather they weren't sculpted with an integral base.
Moving to the bottom row are two corpses made by Citadel. That's right, Citadel! Many, many years ago, Citadel produced a range of 25mm scale 1920's style gangsters. That is back in the days when their figures came with integral bases and scale-creep hadn't been heard of. For those with long memories, I'm talking about the early 1980's. These two beautiful sculpts, one male and one female,  were part of that range and whilst they may appear a bit small when compared with many figures from today, I still think they are usable. After all, not everyone in real life is six feet tall. So just regard these as vertically challenged adults.
In the centre of this row is a corpse made by Cold War Miniatures from their Dead Will Walk range of 28mm scale figures. He is extremely well sculpted and will fit in with many other 28mm scale figure ranges. He is available as a single figure for £1.75 as figure Z32 or as part of set DWW7 Victims for the price of £7.00, which contains four other figures. He is probably the best commercially available 28mm scale corpse around at present.
Next up is a decapitated zombie from Fortress Figures. They rather amusingly called him Matt. He is huge, close to 35mm in size. The sculpting of this range was rather cartoon like, which may be another reason people didn't take to this range. Poor sales might explain why the company are no longer trading. If you want him, you may struggle to find him, unless someone is offering him on eBay. I like the concept of this figure but he is huge and not a great sculpt.
Finally, I present a Horrorclix figure who isn't horrendously overscale, which is unusual for Horrorclix. She was part of a mini-diorama that made up the Ripper figure from the original set. The Ripper figure was one of the silver-edged Unique figures, which will make him rather expensive, I'd imagine, if you find him on eBay. I was lucky, I got a swap of him, so I could use one to play Horrorclix with and the other to cut apart to make two separate figures. Her dress suggests she was a prostitute, which is further reinforced by the fact the she was a victim of the Ripper. I think she's an exquisite figure.

So, of the nine figures I've shown, at present only three are readily available to buy. I find that very sad. There is a niche waiting to be filled for contemporary corpses. I'd guess that there are more available amongst military ranges, which is something I haven't looked into much. I'll add that to my "to do" list. I suspect there isn't much call for contemporary corpses but I'd like to see a lot more. Of course, the alternative is to make or convert your own. That's a topic that I'll cover in my next post.

Horrorclix Scrubbers

Part four of my review of Biohazard Troopers looks at a blast from the past - Horrorclix 35mm scale Scrubbers. These three figures came from The Lab expansion set, sadly, no longer available. I can understand why they were called Scrubbers if you take the word literally but for us Brits the word conjures up a very different meaning as we use it as a derogatory term to describe females we don't like. Similar terms are Slappers, Slags and Tarts. It must a Brit thing as there are quite a few of our swear words and derogatory terms that Americans don't know the meaning of or aren't aware that they are swear words.

Most Horrorclix figures used to come in three flavours - Rookie, Experienced and Veteran. Unique figures and Limited Edition figures were of course, unique. As often as not, the three figures would look identical - only their stats changed. Sometimes, however, one or two of the three types would appear different. Such is the case here, as I start with the Veteran version at the far left of my two photos. At first glance he looks identical to the other two but look closer at his flamethrower. It is different to the others. He also differed to the others in that he wore a yellow suit. I repainted it turquoise to match the others.
In the centre of the group is the Experienced version. Of the two cylinders carried on their backs, one is a fuel container for their flamethrowers, whilst the other is an oxygen tank. On the oxygen tanks I have drawn on a biohazard symbol with a fine-nibbed Rotring technical drawing pen.
The third figure in line is the Rookie Scrubber. I slightly repostioned his arms so that he was pointing his flamethrower straight ahead instead of downwards. I also made him lean further back, just so that he looked different to the Experienced version. These were very minor conversions but I felt they were enough to make two identical figures look different.
With Horrorclix figures, the standard of sculpting can vary a great deal. These aren't bad sculpts but they certainly do not stand up to the quality of the Hasslefree Hazmat Team. Another factor that may put some of you off them is their size. I mentioned in my intro that these were 35mm scale and so they will tower over the other ranges I've reviewed in this series. You can see just how tall they are in a week's time, when I end this review with a size comparison photo, which I'm sure you'll find useful.
As many of you will know, Horrorclix figures are now out of production and I have no idea if they will ever be resurrected. You can still buy them on auction sites like eBay but they are getting scarcer, which inevitably pushes the price up. Good luck in finding them if you're really after them!

Horrorclix Ghosts and Spirits

There is one type of undead creature that this blog has not mentioned yet - ghosts. I'm going to review six of the ghostly types produced by Wizkids for their dearly departed Horrorclix range. In the Horrorclix game they are mainly called Spirits. Ghosts or spirits, whatever you call them, they are the same class of creature.

In the two photos above, the ghost at the far left is the spirit form of the Executed Convict found in the basic set. To denote his non-corporeal form, Wizkids have done something very clever - they have moulded him in transparent plastic. I think this is a great idea. It is a technique thay have used on all six ghosts and it works brilliantly. You may have seen this figure before in an earlier review as I painted him up as a zombie. See http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.com/2010/01/horrorclix-zombies-01.html

Next up, is the Lynch Ghost. He is one of the six figures that come with the boxed starter set that contains the rulebook. His hood and noose remain in corporeal form, whilst the rest of him has transformed to non-corporeal status. He is a very nicely sculpted figure.

The last of this group of three ghosts is an Asylum Spirit, and he can be found in The Lab expansion set of figures. Like the Lynch Ghost, part of him remained corporeal (his strait jacket), whilst the rest of him did not. Note how he is emerging from a swirl of ectoplasmic fog. It's a nice touch that adds to his other-worldliness.

The green hued ghost at the far left of the two photos above is a variant of the Scarecrow figure found in the basic set. The green plastic is translucent but I gave it a dry brush of Citadel Scorpion Green to better define the surface detail. He is a very animated figure caught in mid-charge by the sculptor as he wields his scythe with deadly intent.
In the centre of this group of three is the Skeletal Maiden. She also came from the basic set and is moulded in translucent red plastic, which I have dry-brushed in Citadel Tentacle pink followed by a dry-brush of Citadel Skull White. Note how the dry-brushing has picked out the details of her skull-like face and bony back. Just like the Asylum Spirit, she hasn't fully formed yet. If you were to repaint her, she'd make a fine banshee to use in a Vampire Count's army for Warhammer. Just a thought.
Finally, we come to the ghostly Dire Wolf - the spirit form of the normal Dire Wolf as found in the basic set. You can tell from his size alongside the others that he is a big beast. I had to fit him on a 30mm diameter slottabase as he was too big to fit on the 25mm slottabases that I normally use for my figures.
Of all the figures of ghosts and spirits available on the market, these six are my favourite. Yes, the sculpting of all six is very, very good but that isn't the main reason why I like them so much, although it is a contributory factor. My main reason for liking them so much is because they have been moulded out of clear plastic. If you were to mould these in white metal or resin they would not work quite as well. It is the transparency of the plastic that gives these critters their cutting edge. If you don't have them and would like to get your hands on them, they frequently crop up on internet auction sites. Do a Google search and you ought to strike lucky. They shouldn't be that expensive.

Okay, I suppose many of you were hoping to read about Day Two of my ATZ campaign after my batreps for Day One went down so well. Well, you won't have too long to wait as I plan to post it this coming Wednesday. I just wanted a short break before posting it. Batreps take a lot more time and effort to produce than figure reviews. The Day Two scenario will be entitled "Minding the Gap." See you soon!

Horrorclix Male Vampires

Following on from my review of the Horrorclix female vampires here are the male vampires. Without further ado, let's have a look at them.

At the far left of the photos is a Vampire Enforcer from the basic set. He is not a named vamp but for me he is Angelus, the evil alter-ego of Angel from the Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series. Just look closely at his face and there is a definite similarity to David Boreanaz's eponymous character. As a huge fan of both shows I love this figure. Quite a few companies make not-Buffy figures but this is the closest I've seen to a not-Angel figure. I'd still like to see someone sculpt a good Angel figure rather than his evil version. He is dressed in Victorian-style clothes and wields a long dagger/short sword.

Next in line is a Victorian Vampire from the Freakshow expansion set. The veteran version of this figure is called Gerard, which would not appear in my top fifty names to call a vampire! Here you get two figures for the price of one - vampire and victim.The vampire is dressed as a member of the high class in top hat and suit, with a long coat. He is bearing his fangs, prior to sinking them into the exposed neck of his female victim. She lies in his arms and looks like she is about to faint. It is a very nicely sculpted vignette and is quite unusual in combining the two figures together.

In the centre of the group is Stoker, one of the 12 unique figures from the starter set. I was lucky enough to get a swap of him, so I could keep one for my Horrorclix games and rebase the other for use in other games. Stoker appears to be based on Gary Oldman's portrayal of Dracula in the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula. Given the name that WizKids have given to this figure I must assume it is no coincidence. This figure looks distinctly inhuman as he is about to flex his long wings. Also, note the animalistic shape of his legs.

To his right is the Vampire Roustabout, another figure from the Freakshow expansion set. The veteran version has been given the name Bloody Tom. Hmm, no prizes for guessing why! A circus strongman with vampiric strength is going to be immensely strong indeed. The muscles of his arms are very pronounced. His bald head shows he was not in front of the queue when good looks were handed out as he has a nasty scar running down the right side of his face. He wears an ankh necklace. Note that this is a very tall figure - 37mm from sole of feet to top of head. Somehow, that doesn't matter - he should be a giant of a man and his height only adds to his character.

The fifth and final figure from this group is Nosferatu and he, too, is from the basic set. In the role playing game Vampire: the Masquerade Nosferatu was the name given to a whole clan of vampires. Indeed, Nosferatu is not the name of a single vampire but a type of vampire characterised by their ugliness. The pretty boy vampires from the works of Anne Rice and Stephenie Meyer could never be described as Nosferatu! This particular figures bears a passing resemblance to the Max Schreck character, Count Orlok, in the 1922 film, Nosferatu. Bald head - check, long pointed ears -check, gaunt face - check, simple two-piece dark suit - check. He is bent over, rubbing his hands in anticipation, which gives him a rather sinister look.

These figures complement the females very nicely, although only the Vampire Roustabout would look most at home in a contemporary setting due to his choice of clothing. Still, perhaps the others haven't caught up with modern living. If you are looking for some cheaply priced vampires to start or bolster your collection, these are worth checking out on the Internet auction websites. However, given that Stoker is a unique figure be prepared to pay a lot more for him. The rest ought to be picked up for pennies or cents.

Horrorclix Female Vampires

This is the first of a two part review of the 30mm scale vampires made by WizKids for their Horrorclix game. The three vampires shown in the two photos above all share the same body but their heads and weapons in their left hands are different, as is their paint schemes. These are known as Razorvixens, which presumably is the name given to their coven.

At the far left is Dominique. In the Horrorclix game she is an experienced Razorvixen, meaning she's better than a rookie but not as good as a veteran or unique character. She is armed with a pair of katanas and is dressed in skintight rubber or leather pants, a rubber or leather bra, thigh-length leather boots and a long leather coat that has slipped from her shoulders. Her reddish brown hair has been cut to shoulder length.

In the centre of the group is Angelique the rookie Razorvixen. Her favoured colour is blue and she comes armed with a katana and a whip. Her blonde hair has been styled into twin ponytails. The way her head has been sculpted makes her look younger than her colleagues.

Finally, we come to Natasha, the queen of the group and a veteran Razorvixen. In a stark contrast to her long black hair, her clothing is red. Her choice of weapons are the katana and a machine pistol, which looks very high tech. She also wears red-tinted glasses. Again, her face has been well sculpted and suggests power and arrogance. 

The vampire at the far left of the two photos above bears an uncanny resemblance to my favourite vampire - Vampirella. The figure's boots were originally painted red to match her dress but I repainted them black to tie in with Vampirella's colour scheme. This is Vampi's idea of putting some clothes on when she has been castigated for the skimpiness of her normal costume! The microskirt only barely covers more flesh. It certainly does not cover her backside fully as you can see from the rear view there is bum cleavage on display. Naughty Vampi! In the Horrorclix game she has not been named but for me, she can only ever be Vampirella. Will it surprise anyone if I say this is my favourite Horrorclix figure? I thought not!

Next to Vampi is Candy Striper. According to her background blurb, she has training as a nurse, although most of her patients end up drained of blood after one of her visits! None of which explains why she is dressed as a cocktail waitress and why she needs to arm herself with a 9mm automatic pistol. You can bet that the glass on the tray in her right hand is not filled with cherryade! Just note how tall she is compared to the ladies either side of her.

I was undecided about including the last figure of this group but in the end thought, why not? She is not a vampire but a succubus. Succubi do share a lot of traits with vampires so I thought I may as well review her here. Note the two little horns sprouting from her head. Far more noticable are her wings. She is dressed in a very skimpy black bikini, black leather boots and fingerless black gloves. Her main weapon is seduction.

As I mentioned in my reviews of the Horrorclix zombies, WizKids have pulled the plug on the Horrorclix range. However, the figures frequently pop up on auction sites, like E-bay, often at ridiculously cheap prices. The Razorvixens were part of the original Horrorclix range. Vampirella came with the starter set that contained the rulebook and two floorplans. Candy Striper appeared in the Freakshow expansion set and the succubus came with the Nightmares expansion set. I absolutely adore all six figures. For me, female vampires should exude sex appeal and these certainly do that in abundance. There sure is an awesome amount of cleavage on display here!

I have tweaked the paint jobs on all of them but not by much. For the most part, I was happy with their paint jobs, which is quite a compliment to pay as a lot of pre-painted plastic figures look ghastly. Next time, I'll review the male vampires.

Horrorclix Zombies 02

Following on from my last review, here as promised, are the rest of my Horrorclix zombies. No waffle this time, it's straight on with the review. The five figures shown above come from the expansion set called Freakshow, which contains a terrific collection of freaks and monsters from the Circus from Hell. First up is Herculon the zombie strongman, who is extremely tall (40mm from sole of feet to top of head) and muscular. His skin is pitted in many places and he has three nasty wounds. First up and most obvious, is a massive wound to his stomach, from which his internal organs are threatening to spill out but are kept in place by the coils of chain that circle his torso. Presumably, snapping those chains were part of his act but now they serve a different purpose. He also has two deep bite wounds to his left arm and lower right leg. The leg wound is so deep that you can see bone showing through. He holds a male victim in his right hand, who has been torn in half and had his left arm ripped off. Herculon is an extremely gory figure and I like him a lot!

Next in line is Hungry Bertha (as the rookie and experienced versions are called) or Big Big Bertha (as the veteran version is called). She is not classed as a zombie but as a psycopathic cannibal. It was the fact that she is a cannibal that prompted me to paint her up as a zombie. This grossly overweight figure is totally nude, with just a bib to cover her pendulous breasts. Painting her was a lot of fun and I did something different to her to my other zombies. I painted in bruises to show where the blood had pooled when she died. These were done with Citadel Leviathan Purple inkwash and a few others with Citadel Thraka Green inkwash. The trick is to water down the washes and to not overdo them. I'm happy with the results. On the original figure the blood on her bib was far more muted. I've really emphasised it with TCR. Note how it dribbles from her mouth and how her meat cleaver is stained. I like the way a lollipop has stuck to one of her bum cheeks! There were also pieces of salad stuck to her bib and left thigh but these got repainted as pieces of flesh. A truly gross figure but I mean that as a compliment.

In the centre of the group are Morty and Chuckles, the zombie ventriloquist and his dummy. Morty's clothes are full of holes but he does not appear to be suffering from any obvious wounds. He is a well sculpted figure and I particularly like Morty's sadly expressive face. If Morty's vocal chords still allow him to speak rather than moan I wonder if he gets Chuckles to shout, "Graaaaaaaaaaaaaains!"

Next in line is Southpaw, the zombie vendor offering liquid refreshment. But look closer and you'll see a severed hnd amongst the bottles on his tray! Apart from a few holes in his trousers he too, appears to be unwounded. I must admit to liking him the least out of this collection. There is nothing obviously wrong with him, it's just that I think the other four figures are much better.

The final figure out of this group is Johnny Dead, one of the twelve unique figures in the set. This former officer keeps a tight grip on the flag of the Confederate States of America. If he is from the American Civil War, he has aged well. Personally, I think he is a contemporary chap from an ACW re-enactment society, which makes more sense. He has suffered from an extremely debilitating wound, namely, he has been cut in two. When I got this figure, his flag was badly bent out of position. It is a problem that is quite common to Horrorclix figures due to the plastic they are made of. I recommend reading my reply to Rogzombie's comment in my last post to see how I fixed this problem.

This next batch of figures consist of one from the basic starter set (the skeletal biker) and four from the Lab expansion set. Technically speaking, the skeletal biker is not a zombie but I like him so much I had to include him with my other zeds. Perhaps the body parts covered by his clothes still retain flesh. What I particularly like about him is the way his clothes have been sculpted. The way they hang from his body is great. Also, check out the badge on the back of his leather jacket. No, I didn't paint that - that is how the figure comes in the box. It must be a decal, but it sure does look cool!
The pod zombie is one of my least favourite figures from the Lab expansion set. The idea of a zombie being reanimated by vegetation does not float my boat. His left lower leg has turned to bark, two stumps of wood protrude from his shoulder blades and vines twist all around him. There is nothing wrong with the sculpting of the figure, it is simply the concept of him that I question. Nonetheless, he is a zombie and so he's in my horde.
The irradiated zombie is interesting in that he has been sculpted out of transparent, luminous green plastic. It is an effect that Wizkids use on a few of their more unusual Horrorclix figures and it works well. His boots, belt, trousers and goggles have been painted normally. I gave his flesh tones a drybrushing of Citadel Scorpion Green just to make the details stand out more. Whatever he was working on in the lab has gone drastically wrong!
The evil cosmonaut is another figure that strictly speaking should be a skeleton but in this case, who's to say he isn't a zombie? Sure, he has a bony skull but that just shows that the flesh eating zeds were only able to feast on the one part of his body that was exposed! He is a very tall figure and although he is very nicely sculpted I do wonder what type of scenario is going to need a zombie cosmonaut? Incidentally, Wizkids had a promotion in which you could send away for a zombie astronaut. I did and when I received him I noticed the only difference between him and the cosmonaut was the paint scheme!
The final figure out of this group is called a frothweiler. I've included it in my collection for those who like zombie dogs and for those of you who are fans of Resident Evil. All the flesh is supposed to have been stripped from its body, leaving its muscles and sinews on display. Giving it a coat of TCR makes it look extremely wet and much more disgusting than its original matt red paint scheme. You can see from its size that this is one mean and nasty doggie! Down, boy!
In my previous review of my Horrorclix zombies I said that there were no bad sculpts amongst them. That is clearly not the case with this batch. The zombie vendor is just average and whilst the sculpting of the pod zombie is good, I just don't like the figure. Rogzombie mentioned in his comments for my previous review that you can buy Horrorclix zombies for as cheap as 25 cents each from the likes of E-bay. As I said before, look around and you can pick yourself some real bargains. I like the Horrorclix range of figures and I do hope that Wizkids bring the range back from the dead.