Size Comparison Photos - Biohazard Troopers

I'll wrap up my reviews of the Biohazard Troopers with a group photo of one of each firm's standard troopers. As with the size comparison photos of the zombies that I showed last year, I'm using my figure of Vampifan as a control figure. He'll appear in every size comparison photo I take. So, here they are.

From left to right they are Vampifan, (by Copplestone Castings) then Biohazard Troopers from Copplestone Castings, EM4 Miniatures, Hasslefree Miniatures, Horrorclix and Recreational Conflict. You can see immediately just how much the Horrorclix Scrubber towers over the others. The Recreational Conflict SPRU Trooper appears slightly larger than he actually is because I added some modelling putty to his head to make it bigger. This puts him on a par with the Copplestone Casting Biochem Trooper. The EM4 and Hasslefree figures are similarly sized and the smallest of this group but the EM4 Troopers are more bulky than the Hasslefree figures.
If you are still undecided which set to buy then hopefully this post may offer some help in making your mind up. I've reviewed figures from five ranges that I like. I know that Black Cat Bases make a range of five Hazmat Troopers but I really don't like them. I'm not sure if anyone else makes Biohazard Troopers. Given the amount of figure companies around I'm sure to have missed someone. Let me know if there is anyone else I've missed and I'll check them out.

Coming up next - what you've all been waiting for - my first ATZ batrep of 2011. I have spent three days last week (Wednesday to Friday) playing the tenth scenario of my campaign and a hell of a lot happened in it, including Team Vampifan's first encounters with Ragers (nasty!) and Smart Zombies (not that bad!). I took almost 70 photos of the action, which are far too many to show in one post, so I'll be splitting this batrep into two (or possibly three) parts. Oh yeah, Team Vampifan is back! Rejoice!

Recreational Conflict SPRU Biohazard Containment Team

And so I come to the final review in my five-part look at Biohazard Troopers from various figure companies. This time I turn the spotlight on Recreational Conflict's range of 28mm scale Special Paranormal Reaction Unit (aka SPRU) Biohazard Containment Team, sculpted by Brian Cooke. There are eight figures in this range but looking at my two photos you can be forgiven for thinking there are only seven. Read on for the explanation.

The figure at the far left is actually two figures on one base. The group of three canisters sited on the base is a separate figure. You could keep the SPRU Device, as it is called on the RC website, as a separate figure, possibly using it as an objective marker, but I decided to include it on the base of the figure I chose as the Team Leader. I had to cut a small V-shape out of his base to get both figures to fit on a 25mm diameter slottabase. RC have named this guy Ike, and he is a two-piece casting. The geiger counter or scanning device is a separate component that slots into his left hand. Ike is armed with a pistol. To me, he seems the most obvious choice for the team leader.
Next to him, is Kyle, one of two troopers armed with a Machine Pistol or Sub-Machine Gun. The weapon looks a lot like an Ingram MAC-10 SMG but it isn't. What is very distinctive about the weapon is its huge ammo clip. I reckon that could easily hold 40 rounds. Kyle is in a static pose as he moves forward cautiously.
His buddy, Stan, carries an identical firearm but he holds his in a two-handed grip, no doubt to better control the recoil of the gun. He is slightly hunched forward but again, his pose is static. There is nothing wrong with static poses, I'm merely making an observation not a criticism.
In the centre of the group is Ken, the first of two troopers armed with a flamethrower. He points his weapon downwards as he stands at the ready, observing the area around him. I should point out that I copied the colour scheme for these figures from the RC website. I painted them with Citadel Macharius Solar Orange from the Foundation Paints set. Then I gave them a Citadel Baal Red inkwash and finished them off by drybrushing them with Citadel Blazing Orange to which I added a small amount of Citadel Golden Yellow.
The second flamethrower trooper is called Eric and he holding his weapon in a firing position. I painted the visors of these figures with Citadel Enchanted Blue with a reflected stripe of Citadel Ice Blue down the middle. I finished them off by gloss varnishing the visors.
Next in line is Butters, the group's pack-mule. He is an unusual figure but I like him a lot because of that. He is carrying two large holdalls, which are separate castings. You can have a lot of fun dreaming up just what is inside the bags - it could be anything. He appears to be unarmed but he could have all sorts of weapons in the holdalls.
Last in line is Craig, who is kneeling down to retrieve something from inside a smaller-looking holdall being carried by Butters. Craig is armed with a pistol, which is in a holster strapped to his right hip.
Numerically, these are the largest range of Biohazard Troopers currently available, which has to be a plus point in their favour. They are a good combination of figures with their choice of weaponry and poses, even if their poses are not as dynamic as some would like. Personally, I don't mind how they are posed.
One thing that bothered me about this range was that their heads seemed too small. I have rectified this by adding modelling putty to them to bulk up their headware. There is one more negative aspect to them and that crops up if you go for the multi-figure option of buying them. A pack of seven figures costs $18.00, which is better value than buying them individually. But, I have to ask why aren't they sold as a pack of eight, with one of each type in the set? I was missing Ike from my set and I had to order him separately after I'd received the other seven. I have no idea if the figures are supplied randomly or not. If they are and the SPRU Device is missing, then I doubt if you'd complain much. If you decide to buy them individually then each figure costs $2.50 apart from Butters, who costs $3.50, (which is fair enough as he uses a lot more metal than the others) and the SPRU Device, which only costs $1.50.
In my next post I'll show a size comparison photo of figures from all five ranges so that you can see how they measure up against one another.

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!

Hasslefree Hazmat Troopers

Part three of my review of Biohazard Troopers looks at what are in my opinion, the best sculpted figures of this sub-genre, Hasslefree Miniatures' 28mm scale Hazmat Squad. These four figures can be found in the Hasslefree Adventurers range and are set HFA062. Oddly enough, these were not sculpted by Kevin White but by someone known only as Ebob.

I decided to give these a more subdued colour scheme than my Copplestone Castings and EM4 Biohazard Troopers and so I painted them Citadel Knarloc Green from the Foundation Paints set. I gave them a Citadel Thraka Green wash, then drybrushed them with Knarloc Green, to which I added a small amount of Citadel Bleached Bone for a final highlight. The visors were painted with a 1/1 mix of Citadel Blazing Orange and Citadel Blood Red, then given a coat of gloss varnish. The oxygen tanks were painted with Citadel Golden Yellow and highlighted with Citadel Sunburst Yellow. Gloves, boots and kneepads were painted Citadel Chaos Black and highlighted with Citadel Adeptus Battlegrey. The rifles were painted with Anita's Acrylics Metallic Black (which you might struggle to find so just substitute Citadel Chaos Black mixed with a small amount of Citadel Bolt Gun Metal) and given a light drybrushing of Citadel Bolt Gun Metal.
Looking at the figures in my two photos, at the far left is the leader, holding his rifle pointing up, whilst beckoning his men to follow. It's a nice pose that clearly identifies him as the leader. I must admit that I have no idea what make his rifle is, assuming it is based on something from real life. Whatever it is, it looks perfect for a contemporary setting.
Next up is a trooper getting ready to fire as he brings his rifle up to his shoulder. I don't have much to say about him, other than he is a fine addition to the squad.
Third in line is my favourite figure out of this group. I just love his pose, as he walks forward with his rifle held at the shoulder ready to fire as soon as he sees a threat. A lot of sculptors would have had him standing still as he fired his rifle, but Ebob has done something different here that I really like.
The fourth trooper in line is advancing with his rifle held down, pointing to the ground. Once again, the level of sculpting on him is just first rate. Another top notch sculpt in a range that oozes quality.
If you still haven't bought any Biohazard Troopers then you should give these figures very careful consideration. I am a huge fan of them and I just wish there were more in this range. Four figures just doesn't feel enough. However, I now come to potentially the downside to these figures - their price. This set costs £14.00 for all four figures, so they certainly aren't cheap. Compared to the prices of the Copplestone Castings figures (over £5.00 cheaper) and EM4 figures (less than half their price) these are quite expensive. I guess if you want high quality you have to pay for it. Hasslefree have an offer whereby if you buy two sets they cost £24.00, saving you £4.00.

EM4 NBC Troopers

Here is part two of my review of Biohazard Troopers by assorted figure companies. This time it is the turn of EM4 to take the spotlight as I look at their range of 28mm scale Future Skirmish Troopers who are described on their website as NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) Troopers. If you are thinking that these guys look very similar to the Copplestone Castings Biochem Squad that I reviewed last time, you'd be right. That is because these were also sculpted by Mark Copplestone when he was working for Grenadier. When Grenadier bought the farm and went belly up, Mark set up his own company and remodelled them. The original moulds were acquired by EM4, hence the similarity.

At the far left of my two photos is 0019 NBC Leader with MAR (Military Assault Rifle). What distinguishes these troopers from the Copplestone Castings Biochem Squad is the fact that these guys are all wearing helmets. Although I have painted their suits yellow, to distinguish them from the Copplestone figures, I thought that white was a good colour to use for their helmets. You can see that both leaders are in identical poses, pointing at something, whilst holding their rifles at the ready.
Next up is 0020 NBC Trooper with Light Laser. This guy replaces the Copplestone Castings trooper with flame thrower. To be honest, I'd have prefered another flame thrower trooper. Laser weapons are just too high tech for my tastes. If I used him in an ATZ scenario, I'd probably say that his laser was a flame thrower.
The next three figures are 0021, 0022 and 0023 NBC Trooper with MAR. They are very similarly posed with all three holding their rifles at at mid height. Once again, I have painted the underslung barrel of their rifles as a torch, rather than a grenade launcher. This time, there is no trooper with a shotgun, as there was with the Copplestone Castings figures. There is one other difference between this range and the CC figures - these troopers are all armed with a pistol in a holster at their right side.
In terms of sculpting there is very little difference between the two ranges, although of the two, I prefer the more recent sculpts in the Copplestone Castings range. However, where this range scores over their rivals is in the price. These figures cost £1.28 each, giving a total of £6.40 for all five. That is more than £2.00 cheaper than the Copplestone Castings range, which cost £8.50 for all five. If you are unsure in which range to choose, the price could be a deciding factor. Of course, you could buy both sets, as I have, and use them alongside each other as they are so similar.
Next time, I'll be reviewing the Hasslefree Hazmat Squad, and they are well worth looking at.