Khurasan Survivors Painted

It took me longer than I wanted; my work schedule and Modern Warfare 3 kind of threw me off this week.  Ultimate, though, I finished them.  My figs are not nearly as nice as the one on the Khurasan site; still, I am happy with them.

I used a simple wash to finish them.  I may buy another set and give them another try.  I'd like to see if I could come close to the examples on the Khurasan site.

Big John and the Zombies, Pt 2

Looks like Big John, and his buddies, are in a spot of trouble.  Caught out in the open, they've found themselves surrounded by a large mob of undead!

  

Believe it, or not, I am parting ways with these figs. I really like them; they look like I envision Zombie Apocalypse figures should be.  As stated before, they are a bit over sized for my tastes.  That, coupled with my 2012 gaming project's need for capital, has led me to this point.  So, these figures will be finding a new home soon.  You'll find postings at The Miniatures Page and the Post Apoc Wargames Forum.

Acheson ATZ Minis - Pt 4 (Militia #1 Painted)

This is the last batch of the current Acheson Creation figures that I have on the workbench.  Out of the three sets I bought, this is by far my favorite one.  All four of the minis are good sculpts.  Their equipment is easily identifiable and is a mix of Army surplus and law enforcement.  The uniforms could easily pass for late 80's/early 90's BDUs; even though I painted them up straight olive drab:

Starting from the left, the first figure is armed with an M-79 grenade launcher.  The next figure has a P90 style SMG.  The third figure is armed with a bolt action long rifle, complete with folded bipod.  Finally, the fourth figure is armed with what looks like a SPAS12 combat shotgun.  All the figures are equipped with old M17A2 gas masks and on their hips.  They are all wearing 1980's style flak vests, and knee and elbow guards, as well.  These figures could just as easily fit into a crime scenario, as a SWAT Team as they would a Post Apoc one.

Like I said, these are my favorite out of the three sets I recently purchased from Acheson Creations.  Now its time to to scrape together some money to get some more from their ATZ line.

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On a side note;this has been a good exercise in photography and Photoshop, even if it hasn't turned out the best, so far.  Thanks to my lighting, the color of the minis, and the back ground, I can't seem to get a picture that shows both the color of the flesh tones and the greens.  I can get one, but not the other; the photo above is somewhere in the middle.  I've tried different backgrounds and playing with the RGB properties in Photoshop.  Nothing has worked.  I'm gonna plug a way and see if I can get better pic; somehow.

Acheson ATZ Minis - Pt 3 (Males Crazies and Cultists #1 Painted)

Today, we have the second set 4 minis from the Acheson ATZ minis, entitled Males Crazies and Cultists #1.  Again, these figures paint up much better than the Acheson site would suggest. 

These figures make nice modern survivor types.  Starting from the left, we have a figure with a  field jacket and a P90 style SMG.  The hand I had issues with in my original post paints up well enough; although better sculpting, or casting would be more desirable.  Next is a figure with decently sculpted dreadlocks and an M-79 grenade launcher, who is wearing coveralls.  Instead of a survivor, the fig would work just as well as a modern criminal.  Next we have a man in a contamination suit, with a flame thrower.  This is one of the nicer figs of this type I've seen.  The stance is very natural, IMO. You can imagine him contemplating whether that approaching group are undead, or rag tag survivors.  Lastly,  we have a dwarf (not a youngster) wielding an M-60 machine gun.  Once painted it's obvious he's not a youngster, like I thought originally.  The fig has an awesome Elvis pompadour hair style.  I painted him to look like he is wearing a Mo. Conservation Dept. uniform.  Don't ask why, I just thought it worked.

Acheson ATZ Minis - Pt 2 (The Clown and Cultists Painted)

Here are the first painted offerings from Acheson Creations line of 28mm All Things Zombie line of figures.  After my initial review last week, I decided to paint the Clown and Cultists set. Mainly, because the three over sized figures tie in nicley with the Big Jon and the Zombies post from December.  You can see in the photo below, that even mounted on fender washers, they stand half a head taller than the other fig on a 25mm round slotta base.

I was right, these figures paint up much nicer than the photo on the Acheson site would suggest. I don't know if it is the photo, or the paint job, or what; they just do. The homeless guy has lots of "flair" on his coat and a maniacal look on his face.  The clown's face is just down right creepy.  And again, who doesn't need an evil clown in their collection?  The machete wielding man has what I take to be a flight suit and life preserver on; which makes my mind whirl thinking of what kind of back story you could come up with for him.  The pot bellied man is wearing what looks like a tuxedo jacket, complete with tails, and trousers to me, and has a tool belt, complete with hammer and other tools, and a boy scout hatchet chinched around his waist.  Again what a back story you could weave for him.

All in all, at $7.50 + shipping, these figs are well worth the price, in my book.

Acheson ATZ Minis - Pt 1

Searching for inexpensive 28mm Survivor types, I found Acheson Creations "All Things Zombie" figures.  The line is made in conjunction with Two Hour Wargames ATZ.  They are reasonably priced at $7.50 plus shipping for 4 figures.  There are 9 set; although only 6 of them have pics in the online catalog.  I bought three set in order to see what they were like.  I'm going to do a set of quick reviews of these minis as I ready them for the table.  I bought the following packs:

Clown and Cultists

This set comes with(from L to R) a bearded knife and shotgun armed homeless looking man.  A chainsaw wielding clown.  A figure armed with a silenced pistol and machete who's mug bears an uncanny resemblance to Ed from THW.  The final figure is a pot-bellied man, with a scoped rifle.  As you can see, three of the four figs are rather large; much larger than the forth figure.  These three figs will fit in well with my burgeoning "clicky" zombies.  The detail on all the figures is good, and they had very little flash on them, which is the same across the sets I got.  

Males Crazies and Cultists #1

This set contains (from L to R) an individual with what looks an old field jacket and bull-pup style AR.  I can't tell if his outstretched hand is miscast, or just poorly sculpted.  Next is a man in a jump suit armed with an M-79 grenade launcher.  Third is a bio-suited flame-thrower operator and finally a youngster, or maybe a dwarf, wielding an M-60 machine gun.  The figures are equal in scale to the pot-bellied man from the set above.  These figs have some character; even if the youngster/dwarf leaves me a little flat.

Militia Set #1

The final set I purchased has 4 figs kitted out in paramilitary gear.  Three are bare headed, while the fourth has a patrol style cap on.  All have headsets and mikes on.  They are armed (from L to R) with a nondescript SMG, another bull-pup AR, and scoped rifle and a combat shotgun.  These guys would make good survivalists, or guards.

As you can see from the pictures, with the exception of the first three figs, the minis fall well within the 25/28mm range.  While the details aren't the best in the world, they do look like they were worth the price of admission.  We'll see how they paint up as I work on them in the coming weeks.  I will be honest. I am not impressed with the paint jobs these minis got on Acheson site.  I think these minis can look way better than they do in their online catalog.

Hmm, I'll be able to squeeze at least 3 more posts out of these minis.

Big John and the Zombies

Big John and the Zombies...heh, sounds like a rock band, of some sorts.  Actually, they are a Foundry Street Violence figure and a couple of re based/modified/painted Horrorclix figs.  It's a strange combination for a post, I know.  If you'll bear with me for a minute you'll see the connection.

First we have "Big John"  He's a slightly modified Foundry figure I had floating around.  He originally had a big semi-auto in his had.  I used it on another mini, so I replaced the gun, hand and all, with a revolver from one of the Reaper Chronoscope weapons sprues.  It works well.  With the cheap looking grey suit, he has that haggard low rent Dick look to him...at least I think so:

The next couple of figs are re based, re painted Horrorclix figs.  The one on the left is the "Hard Hat Zombie"  He's a straight re base/ re paint.  The other is the "Human Fly" figure, with the head and arms replaced with  Mantic Zombie ones.  I like the way it turned out:

Here's a group photo with the other Horrorclix zombies I painted up a while ago:

Now on to why I lumped this all together.  If you hadn't caught on by now by reading this blog, I am some what of a stickler about scale; specifically between minis and vehicles on the table.  I do not like it when they are too far out of scale with each other.  With that said, the "Big John" figure is a giant, even compared with other Foundry figs.  Here it is with Foundry and Black Cat Bases figs for comparison:

The guy looks like Andre the Giant to me.  The same can be said for the Horrorclix figs,as well:

They are all just a tad to big for my tastes, when put with my other figs.  Here's the good news that wraps this all up in a tidy little ball.  When put together, Big John and the Horrorclix figs are perfect match:

In fact, they are such a good match that I was moved to start a side project to beef up the number of Horrorclix zombies in my collection, via E-Bay, and also have found a home for 3 more survivor type figs I have kicking about that are too big for my tastes.

MIBs and Gunmen; more from The Scene

As I stated last week, I have another group of figs from the British company called The Scene.  This time it's a group of government agents, aka MIBs and gunmen.  Again, these are great miniatures; filled with loads of details:

As with the other batch, these minis are on the large size:

The up side of them being larger is that HO scale vehicles, which there are many to choose from, scale with them much better, than they do with true 15mm figs.  Real HO vehicles tend to be a bit large side by side with 15mm figs, IMO.

15mm Survivors from The Scene

This week I have the first of 2 offering from a company called The Scene.  The first group of minis are some survivors.  They are listed as 15mm; they are very large, though.  They tower above most 15mm mini I have.  They are closer to true HO or 18mm, than 15mm.  With that said, they are, in my opinion, some of best sculpted 15mms out there.  Huge amounts of detail packed into a small figure.  They paint up very well:

Here is a comparison with some of the larger Rebel Mini zombies:

If scale and size differences don't matter to you, then any Rebel zombies will work on the table top.  If they do matter to you, then you will have to weed out some of the smaller zombies.  Still, there are enough in all three of the Rebel Mini packs that you will find more than you need to fill the table with zombies that fit these survivors.

Next week, I'll have a group of Government Agents and Gunmen from The Scene.

Los Surenos - 28mm Survivors

"Hey, esse, end of the world, or not, this barrio is our home.  Mi madre, mi padre, all my brothers and sisters; the pinche dead got them.  These vatos are the only ones I have left; mi familia.  You understand homes?"

Los Surenos are another gang living in the remnants of Southern California.  They rule the barrios keeping all outsiders away; dead or alive.

Los Surenos

Ramone

Eduardo

Pupito

Chui

Gustavo

Tigre

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This is another set of Gangstars from Obelisk Miniatures; sold at Black Cat Bases. These are from the same line as the minis in my "Las Chicas" gang. Excellent minis, and I highly recommend them to the 28mm gamer/painter/collector.

Ladies Of The Night - Pt. 2 (WIP)

As promised, here is a pic of the last three "Sin City" girls I am working on.


It's the Anime twins, Sora and Yumi, who are REALLY into COSPlay, along with Ellie, who has a bit of a cowboy fetish. 

More Reaper-Chronoscope figures.

Ladies Of The Night

Lazarus has it's seedier side, and the women who work it are a tough lot.  They were survivors even in the best of times.  Now a days,  the problem isn't pushy johns, or violent pimps.  It's the hungry undead prowling the streets:

Group Photo:

Sonja

Ginger

Mia Li

Peaches

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These are Reaper Chronoscope figures, with weapons (also from the Chronoscope line) added.  I wanted to go with a "Sin City" meme with them.  You know an uparmed group of prostitutes protecting themselves from a cold and mean world.  I actually have three more figs to add to the group.  I'll post a WIP in a couple of days.

The only things I am not satisfied with on these figs are:

1) I should have put them on regular slotta bases so they matched the rest of my figs.
2) In the pic of Sonja it looks like her gun hand is bigger due to the focal point of the lens.  Well, that's not it, her gun hand is HUGE compared to her other one.  The original hands, both of them, were tiny, even for a female fig, and the gun hand is well...manly.  I should have re-sculpted her off hand to make it match in size, better.

Bodyguards/Hired Guns

Whether it's a high stakes drug deal, a diva with a stalker, or the end of the world, ala the undead, there are people willing to pay for protection.  With the right skill set, a person, or persons, could survive and prosper.  Here are a couple of former hired guns who are not only capable of protecting themselves, but any one with the resources (cash isn't worth much these days), as well.

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These are a couple of Foundry "Street Violence" figs I pick for a buck a piece at a local show 2-3 years ago. As a range, "Street Violence" is probably my favorite 25/28mm one. I just wish I had the $$$ to get the whole line. IMO, the guy on the left is a dead ringer for Vincent Vega (aka John Travolta) in "Pulp Fiction".

I've got some more "Street Violence" figs painted, and unpainted, that I need to get posted up, as well.  So, stay tuned.

15mm Post Apoc Riders - Rebel Minis

Again, more minis that I painted for RM's online store, so you may have already seen them.  I really like these.

It kind of sucks, painting these at times.  I can't post them immediately, because they are RM's minis after all.  I am trying to work it so that I can "sneak peek" images here, before they hit RM's online store.

The Infamous Carolee in 54mm

Carolee is Two Hours Wargame's mascot, if you will, and she is a complete bad-a##. She is not only a zombie killing machine, but she was also, in a past life, a Gladiatrix, apparently. In real life, she's easy on the eyes, and creates quite a stir every time Ed posts her visage in a THW news post over at The Miniatures Page. She's shown up in 15mm, ready to kill zombies as well as dressed for the gladiatorial arena. She's got her own card in the All Things Zombies Risk and Rewards Deck (review coming soon). She's also been done in 54mm and there are plans to release a 28mm figure, as well. Here is my painted homage to the infamous Carolee in 54mm, enjoy:

Reach Out And Touch Someone - Spec Ops Shooter

A lot of noise can bring down a world of pain, these days.  So can a big crowd.  There are times when a lone survivor, with special skills, can do more than an entire truck load of yokels loaded for bear.  Here's just the man for the job.

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This is another mini from Black Cat Bases. I bought it because it's a neat fig; the pose is a little constricting for game play, IMO, though. I wish they had a version of him moving, with the rifle at the hunt position.  I finished painting it, sat back, and asked myself , "What the heck an I going to do with it now?"

Who Are These Clowns?

You'd think that at the end of the world the Zombies would be the most dangerous things out there.  Most of the time you'd be right.  On other occasions, you'd find out that there are things much more disturbing, and dangerous, than the living dead.

Bobo:
For most, the fall of civilization was a traumatic affair; what with the walking dead and all.  For Bobo, though, it was liberating. Now, instead of curtailing his hunting to once or twice a year, he could do it when ever he wanted.  Better still, he didn't have to hide it anymore, either. In fact, the more zombies he killed, the better. The prey didn't react in a very satisfying way; no begging, or crying...no suffering.  They made up for it in numbers, though. Anyway, every now and then, there was a live one that brought back the old thrill.

Mr. Jangles:
Mr. Jangles liked his wine. Now, most, in fact all the parents didn't like it when he showed up to their kid's party sinking of Night Train, and slurring his speech. He found though, that once they talked to Mr. Beretta, the complaining stopped; permanently. If it weren't for the incessant crying of the little brats,it would have been a cushy gig.  Now that the dead had risen, the brats didn't cry anymore.  He could still find Night Train, and Mr. Beretta still did a lot of talking.

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These are a re-post of minis I put up on at least one other forum, way back when.  Clowns tend to creep people out, so I figured I'd repost them here for anyone who had not seen them before.

They are rebased/repainted/mods of the Horrorclix Jester figure. Bobo is just a straight up rebase/repaint. Mr. Jangles was a bit more involved. He had the heads cut off and his arm repositioned. I used green stuff to fill the gaps, and gave him a semi auto pistol from a Foundry Street Violence fig. The knife was cut off and a bottle made from sprue. He was then rebased and repainted.

Las Chicas - 28mm Survivors

Las Chicas are an all female gang in the remnants of Southern California.   "Amiga, it's not that we don't like men, it's just that a good man is hard to find these days, and we can't trust them like we can nuestras hermanas.  Entender?"

Las Chicas

Marisol - La Jefe 

Rita - La Ejecutor

 Karmen - La Mujer Fatal

 Salma - La Nina

Azteca - La Radical

Gizmo

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These are Obelisk Miniatures Gangsters, sold at Black Cat Bases.  Each set comes with 5 gangsters and a mascot.   Gizmo's colorization is actually based on my wife's Teddybear Mal-Schi-Poo of the same name.