Zombie Gaming On The Cheap - 1/72nd Plastics

Ok, "on the cheap" is a relative term in the world of miniature war gaming.  Any gamer who has bought more than one figure in their lifetime can attest to that.  Still, as a frugal gamer, there are ways to put a lot of figs on the table, without putting too much hurt on the pocket book.  Most people Zombie game in either 28mm, or 15mm metal.  I'm here to tell you there is an inexpensive alternative; 1/72nd Plastics (20mm ostensibly).

With advances in plastics production in recent years, along with the rising interest in 20mm ranges, outside WWII, you can fill the table with not only survivors, but hordes of zombies, as well.  Here are my suggestions:

SURVIVORS:
Caesar  Miniatures has several boxes that provide amble choices for survivor types, and are the place I would look first.  The boxed sets below can be gotten for around $9.00 - $10.00 USD on line, and provide anywhere from 36-41 figures each.

So, for around $30 + shipping you can get upwards of 120 survivor figs.  If you are industrious, like I was, you'll paint up the best poses for yourself, and sell the rest, recouping your $$$.  Paint the ones you sell, and you can actually making a small profit, which will help pay for the...

ZOMBIES
There is only one company that I know of that makes plastic zombies, compatible with 1/72nd/20mm, and that is "Twilight Creations"; producers of the beer and pretzel game series "Zombies".  The zombies come in only 4, maybe 5, different poses, but can be bought in bags of 100 (aptly named "Bag O Zombies") for again, about $9.00 - $10.00 USD on line.  The differnt main types of zombies they offer are:

the basic zombies which come in the boxed game, as well in the voluminous "Bag O Zombies"...

Bag O Zombie Babes...

The oh so fun "Bag O Zombie Clowns...

 
Not pictured are the Zombie dogs, for a little Resident Evil action, and the Glow In The Dark Zombies, which are the basic Zeds which glow in the dark.  Maybe there is a  Zombie Chernobyl scenario to be had there someplace.  The Zombies game also offers a lone Survivor pose that could be used as well; if one was inclined.  What I did was buy the basic Zombies game.  This gave me a slew of Zombies to use, as well as a game to play with the kids that was a quick and enjoyable diversion.

What Do They Look Like Painted?
That's a great question; I'm glad you asked.  See that just goes to prove the superior intellect of those who follow my blog; they ask these timely and pointed questions.  Here are some shots of what some of the above mentioned plastics look like:

Zombie babes and basic Zeds:

Mixed Zombies and a 5 man Caesar SAS team (discontinued, but some of the poses made it into the "Modern Special Forces Worldwide box):

Mixed Zombies and a 6 man Caesar US Army team:

What About Terrain and Vehicles In This Scale?
Well, this post was really meant to be about figures that you could use.  Since no one wants to game on a flat, featureless surface, I'll touch on it.  In 1/72nd / 20mm scale the best way to go is with HO scale model RR buildings.  They can be expensive; if you watch E-Bay hard, you can find some really good deals, though.  As far as vehicles go, you can choose anything from die cast cars from the Dollar Store to metal 20mm military vehicles to go with your figs.  Go back to the "Welcome To Lazarus Battle Report" post to have a see of what you can do in regards to terrain and vehicles.

Final Pontifications
I focused on Caesar for us as survivor types, because they give the best variety, within a manufacturer line.  With that said, any 1/72nd scale modern military figs would work.  Other manufacturers, Revell and Orion come to mind, do modern sets as well; US Infantry, German KSK and Chechen Rebels.  Caesar also does a French Army/Chinese PLA set (weird combo, but it sells, I guess), so you could do a  scenarios almost anywhere in the world if you wanted.  Don't be constrained by pre-conceived notions of plastics and different scales; there is a lot more to choose from than first meets the eye.