I Got My Khurasan Survivors and Zombies

I am a little geeked out about this.  I ordered the new Surivors and Zombies from Khurasan Miniatures the day they were released; what 3 days ago?  They arrived in the mailbox this afternoon.  I think that everything else is going to be put on hold, while I bomb these out.

My first impressions are that they were worth the money.  Seeing them in person, I appreciate the paint jobs on the Khurasan website even more.  These are loaded with detail.  It's going to be fun to paint these not-Walking Dead survivors.

The figs will fit in well with my other 15mm figs, and will make a good addition to my collection.  Below you see Rick and Shane with a Peter Pig Marine and a Rebel Mini Policeman.

The zombies are superb in the flesh, as well.  My only complaint, if you could call it that, is that the minis do have some flash on them.  It all looks minimal, though, and shouldn't be that hard to clean up.

Every zombie is a unique pose.  That should come in handy in adding some variety to my horde.  As you can see below, they scale well with my current Rebel Mini zombies, too.

Honestly, I think the crew at Khurasan have raised the bar on 15mm figure manufacturing, across the board.  They definitely have placed their zombie gaming figs above the fold, in my opinion.

Rammbock, Berlin Dead, Movie Review

Well, it's time for another Zombie film review, thanks to Netflix Instant Watch.  As one might guess, from the title, "Rammbock: Berlin Undead" is a German undead flick, complete with English subtitles and all.

Synopsis

Micheal, who comes off looking very weak and whiny, goes to Berlin to plead for his ex-girlfriend Gabi to come back.  He arrives at her apartment just in time to A) find out she just left on some unknown errand and B) encounter the first undead in Berlin.  Quickly, the entire city is under siege from the rampaging undead, and Micheal finds himself hole up in Gabi's apartment building, with the other tenants.  Harper, a teenage plumbers assistant is safely ensconced in Gabi's apartment with Micheal, as well.  Micheal and Harper have their hands full as the building is attacked by the rampaging undead.  While staying alive, they run across Gabi, and interact with the other inhabitants of the apartment building.  In the end, Micheal isn't as weak and whiny as he first appeared.

My Thoughts

I'll admit, this isn't your typical zombie flick, in that it comes across as rather thoughtful.  It is by no means a mindless action romp, with heads exploding and bodies being torn to shreds, left and right. A lot of the interaction in the first half of the movie takes place across a court yard, as the neighbors are each holed up in their own apartments, and they yell out the windows to each other.  Each one has their own character, even if they are a little formulaic.  It's as if Micheal and Harper are watching TV, as the drama of the undead rising unfolds in each of the windows along the courtyard.



Once Micheal and Harper realize that they can no longer stay put, they effect a rather ingenious way to escape the apartment, whose front door is besieged by zombies.  As they make their way through he building, they encounter more resident alive and dead, and even run into Gabi.  There is a point where you can actually see Micheal transform from the whiny ex-boyfriend into what could be described as a heroic figure; even if that heroism is fatalistic in nature.  This is one of those movies that you have to see, so I won't ruin it by going into further detail.

 One thing that struck me, though, was that no one in the apartment building had any guns.   I understand the strict gun laws in Germany; it's just weird to have a zombie flick without heroes that are blasting zombies away when need be.  Another thing that I noticed was that the male characters, for the most part, seemed kind of metro-sexual.  I mean there were no characters like Ving Raimes "Dawn of the Dead" and such.  One would expect at least someone to step forth like that in a country that is so prone to knocking off its neighbors the way Germany has been over the last century, or so.  Oh well, times change, I guess.  Don't get me wrong, the movie has its share of tense moments, and gory zombie encounters.  That part of the movie won't leave the zombie fan wanting, by a long shot.

In the end, this movie is not the greatest zombie movie ever made.  I would put it in the top half, at the very least, if not top quarter.  The zombies are well executed, the acting, action and dialogue are solid. All of it comes together for an enjoyable move that I would definitely recommend to any zombie aficionado.

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Here is the link to the German Trailer for the movie: Rammbock Trailer

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.

High School Of The Dead - Zombie Anime

I've said it before, I'll say it again, "I love Netflix Instant View".  I can troll around and find mindless movies to watch, as I piddle around the hobby cave.  Well, I found one that I can post on  WTL; "High School Of The Dead", or "H.T.O.D".  As the title of this post says, it's zombie anime.    It is presented in a series of 12 episodes, each about 20-25 minutes long, and is based on a manga (that's a Japanese graphic novel, for the uninitiated) of the same name.

Hold on, don't get all indignant about it.  It's actually a decent zombie tale; once you get past the anime.  Additionally, the anime isn't all the bad; the zombies are done very well. I'll let the Wiki blurb explain the plot.

"Highschool of the Dead is set in the present day, beginning as the world is struck by a deadly pandemic that turns humans into zombies, euphemistically referred to by the main characters as "Them".  The story follows a group of high school students, the high school's nurse, and a young girl as they fight their way to safety through the deadly streets of Japan during a worldwide catastrophic event known as the "Outbreak". As the cast tries to survive the zombie apocalypse, they must also face the additional threats of societal collapse, in the form of dangerous fellow survivors, and the possible decay of their own moral codes."

 Now on to lay out why I am going to recommend this to the zombie aficionado.  As far as zombie stories go this is a really good one.  It's not all zombie slaying and the characters are explored.  Their pasts are explored and the way they each deal with the the end of the world is more interesting than the plot of most zombie flicks.  Additionally, the zombies are rendered very well and are true Romeroesque zombies.  When the zombies make an appearance the sense of dread is enhanced by their looks as well as a decent soundtrack.  At points, there is a whole "28 Days/Weeks later" vibe; mostly due to the soundtrack.

Now, the caveat.  It is anime; your typical anime.  I like certain anime; "Akira" and "Ghost In The Shell" are two of the greatest Sci-Fi stories on film, in my opinion, but most leaves me flat.  I don't like certain aspects of most anime, and this one has them.  Not enough to make it unwatchable; enough to grate on my nerves at times.

First, while some of the animation is really good, life like and such, some of it is typical anime.  Eyes are too big, as well as boobs at times.  There are lots of up skirt shots, that the Japanese are so fond of.  Most irritating of all is the anime habit of shifting into what I call "Hello Kitty mode", where the animation morphs momentarily into super simple, over exaggerated style; ala Hello Kitty.  Hey, my daughter is the age that she was into it when she was younger; hence my  knowledge.

Secondly, most anime has an under current of the repressed sexuality of Japanese culture.  It's released in gratuitous scenes with nudity and sexual innuendo.  I am not a prude.  Still, there were times that it  detracts from the story.

Lastly, and this isn't really a big one, at least for me anyway; is the action at times.  Close combat can be portrayed WAY over the top; at times even putting John Woo to shame.  I can get past it, others may not be able to.

In conclusion, I'd say that if you like zombies and anime, you'll like this one.  If you are a zombie fanatic, give it a try; it's better than most low budget zombie flicks you've sat through.  If you can't stand anime, even the zombies won't be enough to get you through it.

The Walking Dead Returns

 This is one of those posts from the  "In Case You Missed It" Dept.  Last night, 10/16/11, was the 2nd season premiere of AMC's "The Walking Dead".  I have to admit my geek meter was pegged.  As a zombie gamer it was a good week for fodder to get the juices flowing.  Season 1 of " The Walking Dead" came out on Netflix Instant Watch, so I had something to throw on while hiding out in the hobby cave this last week. 


Then, yesterday AMC showed all the TWD -  Season 1 episodes during the day, leading up to the premiere.  Since my Chiefs weren't taking the field, I had a bit of free time, for a change, on a fall Sunday afternoon.  So I bounced back and forth to AMC all day.  Also, AMC has some decent Walking Dead "webisodes" and videos on the TWD site, along with other show related vids.  The whole site is really well done, and I say that from an IT Professional stand point, not just a zombie geek one.  Then of course the premeir last night.

One last thing, a comment on last night's episode, and Season 2.  I liked it.  My expectations were met, and I look forward to the rest of the season.  I will say this, though.  The producers and writers of the show are cruel SOBs.  The story thus far has really diverged from the graphic novels.  Not a bad thing; it just is what it is.  Last night, they threw out a what looked like a bone to those who had read the graphic novels, only to take the story in a completely  different direction.  It wasn't a shock to me; I will venture that some of the print purists were a little shocked by it, though :-)

TWD definitely gets my zombie gaming juices flowing, so as I said at the outset, I really had a good zombie gaming week, because of it's return to the idiot box.

"Tooth and Nail" by Craig Dilouie (Book Review)

"Tooth and Nail", by Craig Dilouie is not your typical undead zombie novel.  It falls squarely in the "28 Days" rage zombie camp.  Still, this is probably one of the best zombie genre novels I've read in a long time. 

The Plot:
The action centers around a company of US Army soldiers in the middle of Manhattan, after an emergency redeployment from Iraq.   They find themselves, still shaking Iraqi sand out of their boots, guarding a hospital as New York, America, and the rest of the world deals with a flu pandemic the likes of which has never seen.  Things quickly go from bad to worse, as a small percentage of flu victims become violently aggressive.  These victims ferally attack any non-infected person they find; in turn infecting more and more people. These infected people become no more than vicious, mindless zombies.

Their mission morphs from one of security to one of survival as things unravel quickly.  With a population of over 500K, Manhattan becomes a nightmare landscape, as bands of "Mad Dogs" roam the streets attacking any uninfected they come across.  The Battalion that the company belongs to is tasked with rescuing a stranded doctor, who has unlocked the secrets of the "Hong Kong Lyssa" virus.  She may very well hold the key to the survival of mankind.  I won't go any deeper, because I really think it would only diminish the reading experience if I did.

First The Negatives:
There are always good and bad points to every story.  I will start off with the bad, as I see them.  There are only two things I would even remotely consider as being in the negative column. The first is that the zombies are not your atypical undead variety.  Purists may find this a deal breaker; for me it really didn't matter.  The zombie's behavior is consistent with the genre, and does make for a compelling threat to the main characters.  The second thing I would consider a negative is that the storyline is sort of formulaic.  I mean you can see major turns coming, because the story really couldn't go any other direction.  Upon reflection, almost all zombie fiction falls into this trap.  It's one of the pitfalls of the genre; there are only so many ways you can write of a zombie apocalypse, and any one who is an avid fan will most likely have run across the varied plot devices and hooks in some previous story.  I don't think that either of the negatives I mentioned detract from the book one bit.

And Now The Positives:

Now onto the positives.  The first is that this is a rip roaring action book.  The author sets up the story and then dives in.  The action is hard and heavy, yet evenly paced.  The lulls make sense, and he uses them to drive the narrative forward.  The second positive is that unraveling of society makes sense.  Nothing happens in the story that made me go, "why that makes no sense and is just dumb".  While formulaic, as mentioned before, nothing jumps out, and it all fits together well.  It really turns me off when post apocalyptic writers make these huge jumps in logic when dealing with how things fall apart, simply to drive a story forward.

Thirdly, and this is a big one for me,  the author has at least a passing knowledge, if not practical, of how the Army works.  As a military veteran, nothing drives me crazy, or turns me off more than an author who obviously has no clue when writing about military characters or action.  Everything from improper nomenclature and equipment to action that absolutely would not take place in a US military unit, even during an apocalypse, are things that simply drive me batty.  There is only so far I can take suspension of disbelief.  There are some things that he gets wrong, and at least one sentence that is obviously an editing error. Still the author here does  a great job of steering clear of that pitfall by and large. 

The last positive I'll note is the one that simply makes this book for me; the characters.  The author does a fantastic job developing them into people that you can empathize with.  You've got the various archetypes you find in every action and/or zombie story.  The warrior, the goofball, the reluctant leader, the lost, etc.  They are more than simple cardboard cut outs, though.  He does a great job of fleshing them out; giving them real feelings.  I found myself thinking, "Man, that's how I think I'd feel, if it were me", or "that's completely understandable, given the situation".  There are some real poignant moments as they contemplate the idea of their loved ones suffering hundreds of miles away or deal with the fact that their fellow citizens are now the enemy.  The passages that made me go "Wow", was when the unit dealt with fellow soldiers who had become infected.  They will strike a cord with anyone who has ever felt the camaraderie that is present in a tightly knit military unit.  In the end, you'll care about all of the main characters, and even feel for the "zombies" as well.

I have a compulsive habit of reading about the first 1/4 of a book, then flipping to the last page and reading the last paragraph.  I have no idea why I do this.  If the last paragraph doesn't grab me, at that point, my interest in a book will wane, and it will take me longer to finish, if I do at all.  If the last paragraph does grab me, then I dive right back in.  I did that with this book, and the my first though was "Yeah, I kind of saw that coming", quickly followed by, "Man that kind of sucks, I wonder how he (the author) got there?"  I then proceeded to finish the novel in the next 48 hours.  Closing the book I was very satisfied.

Weighing everything together, this book is a must read for any zombie, or PA, enthusiast.  You won't go wrong.

The Horde - Movie Review

I love Netflix, especially the Instant View feature.  It gives me the opportunity to watch all sorts of movies that I would not normally see.  I don't go to theaters except on the very rare occasion; maybe once every 4-5 years.   Netflix has quite a few zombie flicks.  Most are real stinkers, while others are really good.  I am going to periodically review these movies in order to showcase what I consider the gems, and save someone the pain of watching others.  I'll do my best to highlight the good parts, warn of the bad, and not ruin it by giving away too much of the plot.  Now, with no more undue tarrying, on to my first review.

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The Horde (2009)

"The Horde" is a French zombie flick that is surprisingly good.  Who knew the French could do horror?  Filmed in 2009, it is not your run of the mill B-grade zombie movie.  I would say that production values are on par with big hit movies like "Dawn of the Dead (2004)" and "Zombieland", even if it isn't as sweeping in its view of the Zombie Apocalypse.  The movie is in French, with English subtitles, so if you don't like subs, you won't enjoy the experience.  I don't mind them so I jumped right in.

The Plot: The plot revolves around a group of  4 police who decide to take justice into their own hands, in order to avenge a colleague/family member.  They go to take out a gang of thugs, who are hold up in a seedy apartment block in a Paris suburb. The gang consists of a couple of Nigerian brothers, a greasy Chekh, and some nameless French guys.  Well, things don't go well for the cops and they end up at the mercy of the bad guys.  This is all within the first 10 or so minutes of the movie!  Things really start to go down hill, as the returning dead show up, slowly at first, then en-masse.  After the initial zombie caused deaths, the two groups begrudgingly unite against the common enemy.  As they try to escape the building, they encounter more zombies, and what is probably one of the best characters I have ever seen in a zombie movie.  They meet up with a crusty old French guy with an axe.  He is a survivor of Dien Ben Phu, and slides into dementia every now and then thinking he's back in Indo-china.  It sounds weird; it works, though.  As the group tries to escape, there is conflict between everybody; the thugs vs cops, cops vs cops, thugs vs thugs, crusty old French dude and everyone.  Meanwhile the zombies are pressing forward.  They manage to find a cache of illegal weapons; which apparently are as common in France as Dunkin Donuts shops are in the N. Eastern US.  Not to ruin the plot, I'll leave it at the survivors make it out of the building.

The Good: There are some really good things about this movie.  First and foremost, French guys get ripped to shreds by zombies...just kidding mon ami!   As I said, the production values are pretty good.  It doesn't look like it was shot on video, or is coming right off the shelves of the SciFi channel (or whatever they are calling it nowadays).  99% of the special effects are real effects, not computer generated.  The zombies look good, and the deaths are not so gory that they are comical.  There are a couple of scenes that rank up with the best of them, too, IMO.  The first is when the group is on the roof of the building, and they come to the realization of what is going on.  The Paris skyline is back lit by fires; smoke rising in the night and punctuated by explosions.  The scene did a great job of giving a sense of wide spread chaos and destruction.  The other scene was an epic scene when the crusty old guy takes a stand in a narrow hallway against the advancing zombie horde; armed with a belt fed .30cal MG.  It's classic and exactly what ever zombie gamer wants to happen in their games.  There are a couple of heroic last stands that are done well, and one of the characters turns into a total bad-***, snapping not one, but two zombie's necks in H-2-H fighting.

The Bad: This movie is not without its foibles.  The first thing I didn't like was that the cinematography was really dark.  I mean to the point that some scenes were hard to see.  Admittedly, I watched it on a 19in CRT, streaming on my PC.  Still, it was dark; a couple of 100 watt bulbs couldn't have been included in the budget?  The second thing I didn't like was that there was a HUGE amount of cursing throughout the movie.  I'm not a prude; I spent 10 years in the Marine Corps.  I used to be able to curse with the best of them.  I also don't have a problem with the judicial use of vulgarity in movies.  Still, this was just gratuitous and did nothing to develop the characters or move the story along.  There are people that curse like that in real life, and I have found that they are, to a person, ignorant and boring; not the type I'd care about getting eaten by a zombie.  The last thing turned into more of an annoying distraction than being actually bad.  After the zombies showed up, every surface, in every scene, was smeared with blood, and I mean EVERY floor, wall, door, window, what not.  It got to the point that instead of paying attention to the action my mind would wander on to, "Geeze, where the heck did all that blood come from?"

Conclusion: In the end, the good outweighs the bad in this movie by a long shot.  The characters are not particularly deep.  They are engaging.  The plot moves along at a fast pace, with lots of zombie fighting going on.  While it's formulaic, as most zombie movies are,  there are some twists and turns that make it interesting.  It's much darker than most zombie movies in its view of human nature and the outcome of the zombie apocalypse.  There is not a complete sense of hopelessness, though.  Definitely not a movie for younger viewers to see; lots of violence and cursing.  

All in all, I thought it was a good movie; on a scale of 1-5, I'd give it a solid 4.5.  I  would recommend it to anyone who wants to get the zombie juices flowing.  There's a lot here to give you inspiration for your games, whether you do table top or RPG. 

P.S. - I forgot to mention the added bonus at the end of the movie - French Ganster Rap during the credits. Think of NWA meets Euro-trash house music; it's an experience that must be had to truly appreciate.

Sgt Major Miniatures - Get Some! 28mm (Pt. 2)

I liked the first two packs I got from SMM, so I went ahead and order the packs that compliment the ones I had.  I got SMM Pulp 12 and SciFi 12 packs.  Again, shipment was fast, and communications were excellent.  The flash on both sets was WAY less on these figs than on the original batch I got.  Both packs  give a good mix of poses for 10 man units.  Here's what they look like.

Pulp 12 has 5 minis in it, one of which is a com guy; that's the guy in the middle.  The only down side to the Pulp11/12 packs is the absence of support weapons.  I told Andy he needs to offer a support pack with 2 M-203s, an M-60E1, and a M-14 with Starlight Scope (very 80's), so people can field a complete squad with attached support.  Anyway, I've based them on 25mm rounds, in an attempt to give them some height.

SciFi 12 adds 5 more feral looking figs.  Again based to give them some height.  I may buy one more pack of these and convert them to carry guns; giving the unit a little more punch.

The next post will show what the Soldiers in Chem Gear look like painted up and ready rock n roll.

Sgt Major Miniatures - Get Some! 28mm (Pt. 1)

I wanted to check out Sgt. Major Miniatures, and see what they were like.  I'm gonna offer up a brief WIP and review of them.  I bought these in primarily to use in a Post Apoc setting.   With that said, the Chem Suited troopers would work great in a Zombie game.

I ordered 2 packs of minis from their 28MM "Get Some" range; Codes Pulp 11 and Scifi 11.  I ordered them late Friday April the 9th.  They arrived today, Thursday the 14th, via USPS Priority Mail.  The total cost , with shipping was $30.20 USD; which has each of them costing $3.02 each. 

PULP 11 are Soldiers in Chemical Gear 1, and are armed with M-16s.  They have an 80's vibe to them, but they are nondescript.  The gas masks are not 1980s military issue, but rather like the newer ones.  The sculpts are good, with decent details,and the poses are great, IMO.  The only down side to them was the amount of flash on them, and the fact that one of the castings was really mis-aligned.  I know that this happens, so I am reserving judgment until I get another order of figs from them.  It took me an hour to get most of the flash off, and fix the mis aligned fig.

SCI-FI 11 are described as "Space Cannibals"  on the SMM site.  A better description should be "Not Firefly Reavers" :-)  The Get Some 28MM SciFi line thus far released/pictured is "Not Firefly", so it's all good.  The amount of flash on them was far less than on the other set.  Again, the sculpts are good, with decent detail, and the poses are very animated.  The faces have what I would call a Troglodyte look about them, making them look rather primal.  They are armed with improvised armor, and weapons fashioned from scrap metal.  The only down side is the fact that some of the hands are rather "mushy" on the sculpting. 

Here's a photo comparing them with some Foundry Street Violence figs, and an Alpha Forge one; from L to R , Street Violence, SMM Pulp 11, Street Violence, SMM SciFi 11, Alpha Forge.  They are smaller; but not enough to preclude them from use, IMO.

The Pulp 12 and SciFi 12 codes have the same type of figs in different poses, giving you a good variety in a ten man unit.  A big plus is that they are a lot cheaper than other ranges; Foundry's Street Violence and Pig Iron come to mind first.  The down side is that the crispness of the sculpts are not  as good as the more expensive figs.  Being a frugal gamer, the trade off is quite fine with me.  There is no doubt in my mind that both these lines are perfect for Post Apoc gaming, and I plan on getting more, in the near future, as I bulk up my Post Apoc forces. 

I give them a thumbs up.

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Addendum: I originally posted the above on a Post Apoc gaming forum I frequent.  I let Andy at SMM know about the review, out of courtesy.  Upon hearing about the mis-aligned figure, he immediately offered to replace it, free of charge.  There was no need to do that; still the offer was greatly appreciated, and my stock in his company went up even further.  Good customer service is always a plus.