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Ghouls by Mantic – a review

March 14, 2010

When it comes to plastics, the zombie collector isn’t really spoilt for choice. There are the GW plastic zombies and the Wargames Factory ones, and that’s about it. Of course you can use pretty much any set of plastics and make quick conversions: a lolling head here, a twisted ankle there makes for a nice zombie. Apart from this there are no real zombie plastics that I’m aware of.

Mantic is a fairly new miniatures company catering to fantasy gamers and producing miniatures mostly in plastic. Their Undead army includes plastic ghouls described as follows:

Ghouls are devolved, cannibalistic creatures that tear and claw at their prey’s soft flesh, ripping it from the enemy before gorging themselves in an unearthly feast. Before battle, Ghouls impale themselves with vicious spikes and deadly barbs, working themselves up into such a blood frenzy that they can shrug off most fatal wounds.

Now this sounds really fun, doesn’t it? They’re not really zombies, but the potential is there. I was lucky enough to be contacted by fellow blogger and DotL reader sho3box suggesting a trade between his brand new set of Mantic ghouls and a sprue of my Wargames Factory zombies. We made the trade and here’s my take on the ghouls.

The sprue contains two ghouls, with two different lower and upper bodies. There are three optional heads and three hands with different weapon options – a long dagger, a cleaver and a Freddy Kruger-ish claw thing – plus a bag with a hand and foot sticking out. Sorry for the picture quality, these were a bugger to photograph so I settled for less than perfection.

Click for a very large version

Click for a very large version

The two torsos are very similar to each other, with raised hands and tattered clothing. The clothing pretty much looks like a shredded toga, so those of us looking for contemporary stuff will have to get creative with either greenstuff or painting. There are the spikes and nails mentioned in the description, which are jutting out from several places around the bodies. I’m of mixed opinion about these. Some of them, especially the nails, are wonderful while others just look a bit silly. Luckily it’s just a quick flick of a hobby knife to rid myself of those. Detail is fairly crisp and looks nice, somewhere between GW plastics and WF, although definitely closer to the former.

What was said about the upper bodies applies to the legs as well. The two variants are quite similar with the main difference being that one pair of legs is more bent at the knees than the other. There are the spikes and nails as well, and what was said above could be said again. But I won’t. There is one major gripe however, and that is that the toes on the more bent pair of legs have been mangled by the casting process to the point that the right foot has no toes to speak of. It does not ruin the model by any means, but isn’t a pretty sight either.

The three different heads are very crisply sculpted and characterful, and I simply love them. The three alternative heads provided means, that there are always spares and if I end up buying more ghouls, the extra heads will easily find use in conversions. The looks on the faces are wonderfully malicious.

And now for the important question: are the Mantic ghouls suitable for use as zombies? That’s both a yes and a no in my view. The intelligent faces and dynamic poses render them unsuitable for classic zombies of the Romero variety, but on the other hand make them excellent picks if you’re looking for 28 Days Later style ragers. The overall look of the ghouls makes them suitable for other uses as well. They’ll naturally be great ghouls, but won’t look out of place as mutants, crazies or feral vampires either. Incidentally, Mantic is producing a set of zombies later on, and I can hardly wait for those.

The Mantic ghouls are sculpted by Bob Naismith and come on integral round plastic bases that fit into square “unit” ones supplied with the models. Of course if you’re like me, you’ll just ditch the squares and glue the integral bases to slottas.

The ghouls currently retail at £8.00 for ten models or £20.00 for 30 models, so the price is alright. They’re available direct from Mantic or from various retailers.

Overall verdict: The Mantic ghouls have their uses depending on what you’re looking for. If it’s zombies you’re after, I suggest you look elsewhere or wait for their zombie release. If, however, you want rage zombies, degenerates, cannibals and mad vampires, you should already be placing an order. The miscast toes on one pair of legs is the only real point of complaint here. It isn’t a major one, but still worth noting.

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures, Zombies | Tagged | 3 Comments »

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Werewolves by West Wind – a review

February 20, 2010

My review of the Reaper werewolves is one of the most read articles on Dawn of the Lead, which would suggest that there is an interest in werewolf miniatures. Another thing leading me down that track is the fact that I have a bunch. It’s time to put three of those under the looking glass and see what some of West Wind Productions’ lycanthropes are all about. Two of them are from West Wind’s Secrets of the Third Reich WWW2 (Weird World War 2) line. The line includes all sorts of fun things, with nazi zombies, vampires and the like adding to the chaos of war. The line has several werewolves, and I bought a few for use in my Underworld miniature project. The third one comes from West Wind’s Gothic Horror range.

All sculpts were very nice, and almost completely devoid of flash or mould lining. Big thumbs up to West Wind for this, since cleaning up bad casts is one of the aspects of this hobby that I hate.

Jager Werewolf “Wolfgang” looks vicious. His head is tilted up and his teeth are bared. His posture suggests that he’s either going through a painful transformation or simply howling at the sky in fury. His pants are torn and his whole upper body is bare. I really like this model except for one thing – and this holds true for all the WW werewolves reviewed here. The model has lost one finger and two toes in the transformation process. While I’ve no qualms about the shapeshifting altering the number of digits, the three-toed feet look birdlike. Combined with an almost scaly texture, Wolfie and his buddies look like they’re walking around on chicken feet. Other than this, he’s a wonderful wolfman. Wolfgang comes with a round 25mm slottabase, and is sculpted by Andy Cooper.

Wolfgang

Click for a larger view

Jager Werewolf “Mondheulen” translates smoothly as Moonhowler. Whereas Wolfgang looks very much like a wolf, Mondheulen looks like a werewolf in mid-transformation. His face/snout is almost rat- or bat-like, a little bit like this fellow or his friend. His proportions are weirdish, with an improbably slender waist and long limbs.  These don’t really bother me at all, but simply add to his menacing presence instead. Mondheulen looks very bestial and bloodthirsty, and his pose suggests he’s charging after some unfortunate victim. Like Wolfgang, Mondheulen has torn pants and chicken feet. Doesn’t mean I don’t love him, bless his little heart. Sculpting and basing as above.

Mondheulen

Click for a larger view

As the comparison pic below shows, the two werewolves are slightly larger than your average 28mm humans, making them just a bit more intimidating.

Jager size comparison

From left to right: Foundry, West Wind, Hasslefree, West Wind

Loup Garou (Great Werewolf) is a solid chunk of metal. He’s as big as the Reaper ones and even bulkier, a big beast. He’s a multi part casting, with the arms and the head being separate components. The parts fit well enough, but you’ll have to fill in gaps with greenstuff if you want a smooth finish. The werewolf itself looks pretty nice – again apart from the notorious feet (how hard could it have been to google some info on the subject?) He’s reaching forward with his left arm and his face is locked in a ferocious snarl. In my opinion it’s not quite as good a model as the Reaper ones, but comes close enough to be lovely nonetheless. The Loup Garou comes on a fairly thin integral metal base, and I unfortunately have no idea about the sculptor. If some reader knows this, do drop a comment. (Note: Thanks to reader Joel, I found out that this one – and apparently all of West Wind’s stuff  – is also by Andy Cooper. Thanks!)

Loup Garou

Click for a larger view

Loup Garou size comparison

From left to right: Foundry, West Wind, Hasslefree, Reaper

All the models are available through the West Wind Productions online store. The Loup Garou retails at £5.00 and the Jager werewolves at £4.00 each. This isn’t that bad a price for quality models, so I had no qualms about paying, even if £13.00 for three models sounds a bit steep.

Overall verdict: The West Wind werewolves are well worth buying. While they’re not quite as good as Reaper’s offerings, and if the chicken feet don’t put you off, you have some nice wolfmen in dynamic poses, and that’s always a good thing, isn’t it? Also, the Loup Garou is large enough to become a centrepiece model, if you put some time and effort in his painting and basing. All in all, these are a fine offering and well worth adding to your collection.

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures, Vampires/Werewolves | Tagged , , | 8 Comments »

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FU-UK 2009 Sculpting Competition – review part 2

February 18, 2010

Welcome to the second part of the Frothers Unite! UK 2009 sculpting competion review. If you missed the first part dealing with the winning entries, read it here.

Just because the competition had its high quality winners, it doesn’t mean that the runners-up weren’t great as well. Let’s have a look at the minis that didn’t reach the highest podium, but were considered good enough to cast up.

Model #1 – Cosplay Zombie is a young cosplayer. To those not familiar with the term, cosplaying is where you dress up in a pop culture character costume and play him or her. As any hobby, it has its good and its bad sides. Anyway, this cosplayer’s excellently cosplaying a zombie now, with a brutally injured knee, classic pigeon toe posture and a vacant stare. And to satisfy the gaming crowd, her petticoat has ripped, revealing her panties. The model comes on a metal oval slotted base, and is sculpted by fellow Finn Vesa Mäkelä, mostly known for his amazing painting skills. Multi-talented, isn’t he?

Model #2 – Rising Zombie is in a fairly large scale (30-32 mm). This doesn’t matter too much, though, since he’s only visible to about chest level as he climbs out from his grave. He looks like a fairly chunky fellow, with a torn burial suit. I love the expression on this miniature’s face, with one of his eyes bulging and his tongue lolling out. The model has no separate base, but I’ve mounted him on 25mm plastic slottabase as usual. The Rising Zombie is sculpted by Sjoerd Trouwee.

Model #3 – A Shambler with a Snack is one happy zombie. Why? Because he’s got a nice, juicy leg to chew. He’s barefoot and his clothes have some rips and tears, but other than that he’s doing pretty well for a zombie. This model wasn’t really one of my favourites, but mainly just because he’s a pretty basic, simple miniature. He’s not bad by any means, I’m just not very into him. As is the norm with the FU-UK sets, this model comes with a oval metal slottabase. He is sculpted by Snuurg, who also did the next two.

Model #4 – Tank Zombie 1 is immediately familiar to anyone who has played either of the two Left 4 Dead games. What he basically is, is a zombified version of the Hulk, with huge bulging muscles all over his body. This particular tank is wearing lovely tighty whities and looks like he’s about to bring down a world of hurt upon some poor survivor-until-now. The tank’s jaw is distended and his slavering tongue is hanging out.  There’s huge damage to its abdomen, with entrails coming out and ribs showing. I absolutely love this model, as it captures the L4D tank image perfectly. Basing as above.

Click for a larger view

Model #5 – Tank Zombie 2 is another rendition of the same theme. This one’s wearing shorts or ripped jeans. The model’s hunched over a bit, and looks like it’s charging. The arms are two separate castings. Tank #2’s face makes it perfectly clear that he’s one of the undead, as it’s emaciated with one of the eyes hanging on his cheek by the optic nerve. This tank’s just as nice as the first one, and a worthy addition to any zombie horde. There is, however, one tiny detail. Namely, this model is a terrible, terrible example of how to do a multipart metal miniature. The fit of the arms is more than a bit dubious, and once you have them glued on, you will notice some glaring gaps which need loving greenstuff treatment. I really would’ve settled for a different pose and a single part casting, like the first tank zombie.

Model #6 – Zombie Raven looks just like a regular raven, actually. It’s still very raveny, in a raven kind of way. If ravens are your thing, you’re on to a winner. No base included, and sculpted by Ben Parker.

Model #7 – Reporter is a young female. She’s holding a large news mic in a dynamic pose suggesting that she’s talking into it. She’s apparently reporting direct from a hot zone, as she wears a bulletproof vest. Biteproof clothing and covered arms might be a better alternative here. Since there’s nothing here to make this model specifically zombie related, she’s a fine civilian reporter to be used in any modern game. A beautiful sculpt from Andrew Rae, one of my favourite artists. Standard slot tab on the mini.

Model #8 – Cameraman is the reporter’s trusty companion, keeping that camera on rec even in quarantine (groan). Like the reporter, the cameraman is wearing a bulletproof vest. He carries a camera on his right shoulder, and I assume it’s running and capturing whatever happy situation these two find themselves in. This is a very smooth, clean, no-nonsense sculpt that complements the reporter perfectly. What I said about the reporter holds true here as well.

Click for a larger view

Unlike the first batch, this set was riddled with heavy mould lines and plenty of flash. The models took a lot of filing, and I know that I didn’t get all the trash off.

That’s it, folks. Let’s start crossing those fingers and hoping that these minis come out through one company or another. Anything else’d be a crying shame.

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures, Zombies | Tagged | 3 Comments »

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FU-UK 2009 Sculpting Competition – review part 1

February 2, 2010

Note: At the moment these miniatures are not available to buy. I still wanted to review them for the simple fact that there is some brilliant stuff here, and some – hopefully most – of these will be picked up by one manufacturer or another.

The competition held by the Frothers Unite! UK web community, which was open to professionals and amateurs alike had Zombie Apocalypse as the theme. Needless to say, I couldn’t have been happier with the choice. While my own humble entry didn’t make the podium, I was more than happy to not only buy the winning sets but also pimp them. Actually receiving the miniatures turned out to be a bit more difficult than ordering them, with the sets finally arriving some two months after the ordering date. For all that juicy drama and gossip, feel free to browse through this thread.

Waiting for minis for two months instead of the usual week or two didn’t really get on my nerves that much. FU-UK is primarily a hobby community instead of a “true” miniature manufacturer, and I honestly have too many zombies on the painting backlog  as it is. Even with that long long wait, I’m happy to say the models were worth it. There are lots of minis to review, so I’ll get on with it. This is the first part of the review, and includes the winning set as well as a few extras.

First up is the Winners set:

Model #1 – Intensive Care is a continuation of the popular theme of hospital zombies. These seem to have popped up all over the place, with companies such as Recreational Conflict and Studio Miniatures producing their own sets. However, I don’t think I’ve seen this good a take on the subject yet. The miniature is of a bald zombie in a hospital gown, leaning on his IV stand. The IV line is still attached to his arm, while a rat sits on top of the stand, adding to the feeling of corruption. The zombie is very zombie-ish, with a very emaciated – almost skeletal – appearance, an exposed  spine, a missing cheek and strange pustules on his shoulder and buttock along with injuries all over his legs and arms. I almost forgot to mention, that he carries the severed head of a doctor in his left hand. By the poor doctor’s eye socket, no less. To make some room for the zombie’s fingers, the doctor’s eyeball is hanging on his cheek. Wonderfully gross! The model comes on a separate scenic base depicting a hospital floor with a rat crawling out from the floor drain. I unfortunately had to ditch the base to keep the basing consistent with my other zombies. The model is sculpted by Filin.

Model #2 – Zombie Girl is creepy, like children (and circus folk) in general. Child zombies are luckily making their way into miniature lines in growing numbers, which is a fine thing since their small stature helps to create a more varied zombie horde. This girl has pretty pigtails and a somewhat tattered dress. These combine with a seriously vicious look on her face to make a miniature reminiscent of Vivian, the horrible zombie girl from 2004’s Dawn of the Dead. The zombie sports very light injuries to her arms, legs and face. The model comes with a small oval slotted base, and is sculpted by Sylvain Quirion, who reigned in this year’s competition.

Model #3 – Male Zombiehunter with Axe is…well, a man with an axe, who I assume from the name hunts zombies. This model is one of those that manage to deliver a lot with very little. It’s very plain, with the man standing in a fairly neutral pose, wearing an open shirt with the sleeves rolled up, trousers and shoes and carrying an axe. There’s no extra clutter. No generic belt pouches, canteens, bags, bedrolls, anything. Just a regular guy with an axe, looking very very determined to survive a zombie apocalypse. In this case, less is more. The sculpt is wonderfully crisp and characterful and deservedly won the category for survivor miniatures. Like the zombie girl, the zombiehunter is sculpted by Sylvain Quirion and is similarly based.

Click for a larger view

And the extras:

Model #4 – Colonel Marbles with Chainsaw is the favourite fat little fellow of the Frothers community. In his tweed jacket, waistcoat (complete with pocket watch) and deerstalker hat and wearing a monocle, he’s the perfect picture of an English gentleman. This makes an excellent contrast with the large chainsaw he’s starting up. Some zombies are really going to be sorry that they wandered on to the good Colonel’s estates. I absolutely love this miniature, it’s probably one of my alltime favourites. The model is really characterful and brought to life by the fine sculpting. Even the herringbone pattern on his tweed jacket has been sculpted. Colonel Marbles comes on a small integral base and is sculpted by Kev White of Hasslefree Miniatures. This model wasn’t originally a part of the ordered deal, but I believe it was added to compensate for the long wait. Since this model has been – and still is – available pretty exclusively, this is a very nice way of saying “sorry”.

Model #5 – Zombie Marbles is an unfortunate debunking of the myth of a chainsaw being the ultimate zombie killing weapon. The poor Colonel is staggering around with his entrails pouring out from his considerable belly, and his left arm has disturbingly been twisted around. There are rips and tears in his clothing and mild injuries to his face – which I assume is still keeping a rigor mortis stiff upper lip despite all this living dead tomfoolery. A wonderful, wonderful miniature. I also like the fact that while this miniature is by a different sculptor (Mr. Quirion, again) than the living version, it is easily recognizable and as such a skillful zombification of a model. This model is based just like models #2 & #3, above. The zombified Colonel was a special miniature offered to people who ordered both sculpting competition sets.

Click for a larger view

This concludes part one of the FU-UK 2009 sculpting competition review. In part two we take a look at the runners up, and let me tell you, there’s some really good stuff up ahead. Stay tuned, dear readers!

Oh, one more thing. I’ve been thinking about my practice of splashing black ink on the models to bring out depth and detail. It sometimes tends to obscure some detail, however. From now on, do you want to see the reviewed models in clear metal, inked, or inked, but more carefully?

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures, Zombies | Tagged | 4 Comments »

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Hired Hitmen by Foundry – a review

December 12, 2009

My Underworld project is giving me ample opportunity to review all the lovely new models I’ve bought, and next up is a pack of heavily armed gunmen, namely Foundry’s Street Violence pack Hired Hitmen. As some of you may know, I’m using these minis as modern vampires, giving them the trademark black clothing and very pale skin.

Like all of Foundry’s Street Violence packs, there are five models – in this case one female and four males. Sculpting is nice overall, with good and characterful facial detailing, flowing trench coats and solid posing. There is just one problem.

I don’t usually complain a lot about my miniatures. Like most sensible people, I buy models that I like so there’s usually not that much to fault. That’s the case here, too, except for the atrocious mould lines on these miniatures. While I’m not averse to spending a bit of time to file and screape off mould lines and such, on these models it was a chore. I must’ve spent between 10-20 minutes on each of them with a selection of knives and files to get them to a paintable state and even then I had to (read: ran out of patience) leave some lines on in hard to reach places and on hair in places. The moulds have apparently been very misaligned, and if these hadn’t come from a trusted seller in an official Foundry blister pack, I’d seriously be suspecting a recaster. Then again this isn’t by far the first time I’ve received faulty castings from Foundry, as miniatures almost regularly arrive with missing thumbs or gun barrels, or with my favourite: a mould line with thick flash running right across a model’s face. It’s a shame that such wonderful models are let down by sloppy casting.

With that off my chest, it’s on with the miniatures!

Model #1 – Gabriel wears a suit under a long trenchcoat. His pose suggests that he’s either keeping watch or moving towards a corner, holding what seems to be a G36assault rifle. The model is ok, but it’s exactly that. Ok, nothing fancy nor too characterful.

Model #2 – Ivor Trobsky carries a light machine gun, and wears a fur-lined trenchcoat over his suit, meaning that he could probably be painted as the most heavily armed pimp ever. The model is pretty static, however, and the copy I received has an awful mold misalignment screwing his head up somewhat.

Model #3 – Valerian is cool. The combination of shades, four long braids of hair and a massive arsenal (an AK47, an MP5K and a grenade launcher. Yes, a grenade launcher.) somehow make her seem, I don’t know..unstable? She certainly looks like she could level a city block. She wears a sweater like Leon’s under a business suit.

Model #4- Leon looks somewhat menacing (or like an evil wargamer) with his bald head, moustache and beard combination. He’s leaning slightly forward and to the side, indicating either movement or just a very aggressive posture. He carries an MP5 with a silencer attached, and wears a ribbed turtleneck sweater under his coat. Leon just might be my favourite in the pack, although it’s a close race with the next guy in line.

Model #5 – Ian McIntyre has the appearance of an elegant gentleman, with a suit and an executive haircut. Combine this with a sniper rifle, and you have a classic modern day assassin. Ian’s competing with Leon for the title of nicest model in pack.

Like all Street Violence packs, Hired Hitmen costs €17.15, which amounts to a little under €3.50 per model. It’s not that bad a price for quality wares, but since in this case the quality was dubious, I’d have been pretty disappointed had I not happened to buy these for the measly price of €6.50 for the whole pack.

Overall verdict: These people appear to be solid professionals. Their business-like attire attests to this, as well as their fairly heavy and sophisticated weaponry. While I use them as Underworldish vampires, there’s a ton of other uses for them as well. As the name suggests, they’re excellent as hitmen, but could serve as organised crime or corporate operatives just as easily. However, if  you have a chance to pick these up in person, do so and check the casting quality to spare you from the chore of crunching through tons of mouldlining.

As I’ve mentioned before, Foundry has some pretty terrible fixed p&p rates, so you’ll probably get these cheaper from a retailer. The German MiniaturicuM is a good choice for EU residents.

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures, Vampires/Werewolves | Tagged | 1 Comment »

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Mastiffs by Sgt. Major Miniatures – a review

November 9, 2009
English mastiff

An English mastiff

EDIT February 14 2013: As the Vendel lines were acquired by Sgt. Major Miniatures, I’ve changed the title of the post. These are the mastiffs originally produced by Vendel Miniatures.

First, a few words about mastiffs (courtesy of Wikipedia):

With a massive body, broad skull and head of generally square appearance, it is one of the largest dog breeds in terms of mass. Though the Irish Wolfhound and Great Dane are taller, they are not nearly as robust.[…]When in 1415 Sir Peers Legh was wounded in the Battle of Agincourt, his Mastiff stood over and protected him for many hours through the battle.[…]The breed is characteristically innately good natured, calm, easygoing, and surprisingly gentle for its size.

This is the dog we’re talking about in this review, or rather, miniature renditions of the breed. I’ve always been a fan of mastiffs, and the idea of actual dogs of war in general. There’s simply something endearing in the mental image of a pack of 100+ kg dogs slamming into basically whoever they want to slam into.

I’ve been drooling over the mastiffs produced by Vendel Miniatures for years. I’ve never really had a use for them, which has kept me from making an order. Enter a friend about to start an RPG campaign and in need of a few guard dogs and hell hounds and what do you know, I’m in possession of seven mastiffs, three of which I’ll eventually keep after painting. Yes, seven, even if Vendel’s site says six. I don’t know if this is just a lucky accident, but I’m not complaining!

There is a variety of poses in my seven mastiffs. Three of the dogs are in fairly neutrally posed, either walking or standing. Two are in more aggressive postures, with one growling and the other reared on its hind legs, leaping at an opponent. The final two would be at home in dioramas: one is sitting and the other laying down, seemingly relaxed. Though you might not expect it from dog models, the miniatures have a lot of character, and the two aggressive ones for example are positively ferocious. Vendel mastiffs are available both with and without collars, these are of the former type. The mastiffs mostly fit on 25mm round bases, As usual, the models below have been given a black ink wash to show the detail better. Larger versions open in a new tab.

Mastiffs 1

Click for a larger version

Mastiffs 2

Click for a larger version

The sculpts are very nice indeed. The miniatures are well proportioned and really look like the animals they’re supposed to portray, which is sadly far too rare in dog miniatures. They’re large and robust, really conveying the feeling of huge dogs well. There were some mould lines and flash present, but nothing terrible. I cleaned up the seven models in less than ten minutes.

Both the subject and the variety of poses makes this pack useful to a large crowd. As said, I’m painting some of these as hell hounds and some as regular dogs. While my friend will keep the hellish variety, my dogs are off to do some zombie/vampire/werewolf-hunting as well as ending up as police dogs and fighting dogs for gangsta gangs and the like. Historical gamers will find a lot of uses for these as well, as they were regularly used as fighting dogs. The collarless variety would make fora  great pack of wild dogs for post-apoc gaming and such. As the size comparison shot below shows, the mastiffs go well with other 28mm minis. Remember, these are big dogs.

Mastiff comparison

Humans from left to right: Copplestone Castings, Hasslefree, em4

Overall verdict: They’re mastiffs. No, seriously, if this is what you’re looking for, look no further. The ratio of price to quality is excellent, and there’s a ton of uses for big dogs in miniature. The only small gripe I could find is that not all of the dogs fit snugly on a 25mm round base, but this shouldn’t be a deal breaker. If you need them, buy them. If you don’t need them, make up a reason to do so. You can find the miniatures here for $10.50.

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures | Tagged , | 2 Comments »

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Vampire Spawn by Reaper – a review

September 22, 2009

Every now and then you see a miniature that you just have to have. Most miniature enthusiasts know what I’m talking about, and those two that don’t…well, you’ve saved yourself a lot of money. For me this pack was a great example. I found myself returning to the Reaper website time and time again, before my vampire/werewolf project finally justified me buying them. What a happy coincidence!

There was a time when vampires were scary. When they were thirsty, they didn’t look angsty and talk about it, but ripped someone’s jugular vein open instead. When they walked out in the sunlight, they glittered for a few seconds maximum before bursting into flames. They were soulless, merciless, somewhat bestial and most of all plain scary. While not all hope is lost – there is still 30 Days of Night, see it now if you haven’t already – vampires are turning more and more into mopey emo kids instead of being at the top of the food chain. I’m happy to say that the Vampire Spawn (03383) pack by Reaper returns to the roots of the vampire.

The pack consists of two vampires, one male and one female. They both come on integral bases, which fit nicely on a standard 25mm round base. Some flash and mould lines were present, but they’re nothing exceptional and cleaned up easy.

The male is in one of the coolest poses I’ve seen in a while, and he’s the model that originally sold me on this pack. He’s springing through the air arms spread wide and his mouth open, with his hair and shirt flying behind him. From the snarl on his face you can tell that some hapless victim is going to be in a world of hurt in approximately one second. The hands are exaggerated and his long nails resemble claws, giving him a very bestial, demonic look. He is wearing a collared shirt and jeans, with the shirt open, sleeves rolled up and the jeans torn. He wears a necklace with three claws/teeth around his neck and has bandages around his wrists. While the clothing might sound modern, it is actually pretty timeless. You could probably use this vampire in pretty much any time period in the last two hundred years or so. Sure, the jeans have back pockets but it’s going to take only a few minutes to file them off should you want to. There are a few rocks attaching the model to his integral base, but the model still conveys the springing movement well.

The female is in a dynamic pose as well, but her stance is somewhat confounding. Is she springing to the side or is she just crouching there with one foot on a rock, or has she just landed there? I have no idea. Fortunately the weirdish pose manages again to convey the feeling of a vicious predator. She looks fast and threatening,  and her snarling visage and large hands enhance the look. She wears a corset, a torn skirt and fingerless opera gloves. She also has an anklet and a necklace. Even more than the male, this model can be used in many many different time periods. She’ll fit right in as a modern day goth, a Victorian harlot or a wild west saloon girl.

The miniatures are pictured below, and have been painted with black ink to bring out the detail. Larger versions open in a new tab.

Click for a larger version

Click for a larger version

Click for a larger version

Click for a larger version

Both models are sculpted by Derek Schubert and the pack retails for $8.99 at Reaper’s Online Store. I think the price is fine  for such quality minis, and the value is even better for us in the Euro zone.

Overall verdict: There really aren’t enough scary vampires around in miniature, so Reaper’s offering is a welcome addition. The clothing makes the miniatures suitable for a lot of settings and time periods, which makes them very useful indeed! I can’t really fault anything in these babies, which is probably why I bought them,  but if I have to come up with something critical to say, I think that some people might find the rocks on the integral bases inconvenient for rebasing and difficult to remove. Other than that, they’re excellent!

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures, Vampires/Werewolves | Tagged | 3 Comments »

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Werewolves by Reaper – a review

August 11, 2009

My Underworld/Blade/WoD-inspired miniatures project has started off nicely, as I’ve received all of the minis ordered. I thought that since I’m adding a whole bunch of nice new stuff into my collection, I might just as well review them for your viewing pleasure. I’ll kick the thing off with two of the biggest miniatures in the project, namely two werewolves from Reaper Miniatures: Jean Paul Werewolf (02747) and Male Were Wolf (02872).

Both models are very impressive. The Male Were Wolf (and I use this spelling very reluctantly) is well over 40mm from his base to the top of his head. Jean Paul is under 40mm, but his hunched posture suggests that he too would be over 40mm if standing up straight. As usual, size comparison pictures can be found at the end of this review. They come on integral bases which are too large to fit neatly onto a 25mm round base, so I went for 40mm bases instead, which made for a nice fit. The larger bases are a millimetre or so thicker than 25mm ones, adding slightly to the size of the already sizeable monsters.

The werewolves are multi-part kits, requiring some assembly as both have separate arms and tails. The parts fit, but they do require a bit of work with positioning and filing. Noticeable gaps were left after gluing the parts into position, so you might want to break out some greenstuff and fill those. As I’m usually too lazy to do any pinning, the greenstuff helps support the joins as well. Fortunately they’re both furry critters, and you shouldn’t have too much trouble replicating the fur texture in your greenstuff. Some mould lines were present, but they were very minor and I cleaned them up in a minute or so.

Jean Paul is in a dynamic posture. He’s a bit hunched and his legs and sense of movement make it apparent that he is springing into action. Jean Paul is snarling viciously, which combined with his long arms and exaggerated large, clawed hands make him very, very imposing despite the model’s comic book style. He doesn’t have fur covering his entire body, and his arms and abdomen as well as the insides of his legs are almost completely hairless. This looks ok for the most part, but there is one exception. His buttocks are bare, but he has a tail sticking out where his tailbone would be. The tail looks a bit tacked-on, like someone just stuck a wolf tail on a human rear. Other than that, there’s nothing to fault here. The model was sculpted by Ben Seins.

Jean Paul from the front, notice the greenstuff fillings

Jean Paul from the front, notice the greenstuff fillings

Jean Paul's infamous rear

Jean Paul's infamous rear

Male Were Wolf is even better than Jean Paul in my view. He’s covered in fur from head to toe, and he lacks Jean Paul’s comic style. This means he looks very feral, and his whole presence gives off a feel of a slightly crazed, brutal and scary gothic monster. When you’re talking about a werewolf miniature, that’s pretty much the effect you want. The model is posed standing straight with his long, clawed arms spread wide and the pose fits the model nicely. In fact about the only bad thing I can say about this model is the atrocious name. The model was sculpted by James van Schaik.

Male Were Wolf fresh from the painting desk

Male Were Wolf fresh from the painting desk

If I didn’t make it clear enough before, these are big werewolves indeed. As you can see from the comparison picture below, they dwarf regular 28mm humans in both height and bulk. Good luck bringing those puppies down. Click for a larger picture.

From left to right: Copplestone Castings, Male Were Wolf, Foundry, Jean Paul, Hasslefree

From left to right: Copplestone Castings, Male Were Wolf, Foundry, Jean Paul, Hasslefree

Both miniatures retail at $7.99 apiece, which really isn’t a bad price for such hefty pieces of well-sculpted metal. They’re available direct from Reaper Miniatures or through numerous retailers.

Overall verdict: If 28mm werewolves are what you’re after, they don’t come much better than this. Both models are wonderful sculpts, capturing the essence of the creature they’re depicting. The separate arms and tails may cause some problems, but it should be nothing too time consuming.  Not even Jean Paul’s bare hindquarters can stop me from recommending these.

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures, Vampires/Werewolves | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments »

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Juno’s Crew by Foundry – a review

July 18, 2009

People with suits and guns, everyone loves them. At least in miniature, that is. Generic armed models are suitable for countless different roles for any gamer dabbling in modern or near future gaming. Hired guns, detectives, assassins, agents, undercover cops, robbers, bodyguards, survivors…you name it! Up for review is a group of exactly such fine miniature people, namely the pack “Juno’s Crew” from Foundry’s Street Violence range. I’ve owned them for ages, and only now finished painting them, so here’s a review to celebrate it.

Juno’s Crew consists of five people – three men and two women – wearing suits and packing light weaponry. The models come on small integral bases, and are very clean, characterful sculpts with good detailing and a smooth finish. Their style is of the heroic variety, so they’re fairly chunky with large hands on the males especially. Next to no flash was present, and mould lines were absent as well. I have no idea who the sculptor is, but he is very talented so If you happen to know, drop me a comment!

The following names have been lifted from Foundry’s site, so despite my love for narratives for miniatures, these aren’t my invention.

Model #1 – Juno is the leader of the team. She’s wearing a business suit and a pair of shades and carries an MP5K submachine gun in her right hand and a pistol in her left. The pose makes her look very alert and business-like, and I think that the model just oozes character and she certainly looks like a leader. As is customary for a lot of miniatures, she has a bust of pornstar proportions. It doesn’t really bother me, but while it certainly contributes to her figure, it doesn’t really contribute to the figure overall.

Model #2 – Ace wears a suit complete with tie, and you can’t help but instantly notice his mane of swept-back hair and his impressive sideburns. He holds a pistol in his left hand. His posture and face makes it seem like he’s seen something and been alerted by it, so again very characterful stuff.

Model #3 – Carter Hagget is in a very dynamic pose, firing his MP5K single-handed with his tie and coat tails flying. While the pose suggests that he’d be lucky to hit the broad side of a barn, I love how the model captures the essence of an action movie. You can practically see the muzzle flash and the debris flying all around him, so he’d be a prime candidate for a diorama as well.

Model #4 – Tracy Smith looks very relaxed with her tilted hip and her MP5K pointing towards the ground. Considering that she has a SMG which she probably knows how to use, the model gives off a feeling of almost mocking confidence. Excellent! The comments about Juno’s bust apply here as well, although the model in my opinion has more sex in her than Juno, with her open hair and posture.

Model #5 – Mac Taylor is a big fellow, measuring approximately 35mm from the soles of his shoes to the top of his head. Accordingly he carries what appears to be a Desert Eagle, meaning a bloody huge pistol, in his right hand. The posture is similar to Ace’s although he’s looking the other way, and I think the two of them would make for a nice pair of bodyguards.

Juno’s Crew costs €17.15 for the pack, which amounts to a little under €3.50 per model. It’s not that bad a price for quality wares, but still almost double the price of Copplestone Castings miniatures, which these resemble in style and size.

Juno's Crew, painted over the course of 4 years or so

Juno's Crew, painted over the course of 4 years or so

Overall verdict: As far as packs of gun toting suits go, this one is top notch. As mentioned earlier, there’s a ton of uses for these, and the sculpts are characterful and interesting. Although the price is on the high side, it’s not bad enough to put you off these. In other words, if this is what you’re looking for, look no further.

Juno’s Crew is produced by Foundry, and is available direct from them or from various retailers. Foundry has a fairly harsh fixed p&p rate, so you might wish to look elsewhere if you’re only ordering a pack or two.

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures | Tagged | 3 Comments »

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HorrorClix zombies – a review

July 2, 2009

From Wikipedia:

HorrorClix is a collectible miniatures game by WizKids Inc., and was released August 30, 2006. The game’s tagline is “wicked fun.” The product was discontinued when WizKids owner Topps shut down the company.


The “Clix” series of games features pre-painted plastic miniatures. Each game piece comes with a special dial base – which makes the clicking sound from which the games take their name – containing the gaming stats of the piece. The painting standard on the models varies massively, with some sporting a good amount of detail and shading while others are crudely painted in block colours. The plastic used is softer than that in most plastic wargaming miniatures and I’ve heard of it being spoken of as vinyl, which just might be the case.

Every now and then discussion sparks up on miniature forums on the suitability of Horrorclix zombies for 28mm gaming. Arguments are varied: they’re too big, they’re horribly painted, they’re dirt cheap, they’re wonderful, they’re awful, they’re too soft, the clicky bases are a pain and so on. Reviews exist, but I haven’t been able to find anything detailed enough so decided to tackle the thing myself.

For this review I picked the eight Horrorclix zombies that I’ve bought. A few others exist, but from the pictures I found them rather unappealing and skipped ordering them. It has to be mentioned, that there are a few nice ones missing from this review, as they are somewhat rare and thus pricey. As mentioned above, all the models come on clicky bases, which most gamers will probably want to remove. This is easily done by sliding a sharp craft knife under the miniature’s foot and either slicing through or popping the foot free of the base by gently twisting the blade. The models are pre-painted, but I don’t really feel that it’s necessary to strip them of their paint. Just give them a new basecoat or paint over the existing paintjob, both should work. Or if you don’t fancy yourself much of a painter, the models can be used as-is, as they have been painted to a sufficient gaming standard.

Horrorclix minis are a bit larger than 28mm, being closer to 33mm in scale. This doesn’t really bother me, as once the models are based like the others in my collection you don’t really pay much attention to the small difference in scale. Size comparison pics later on in the review. I have based the Clix on standard 25mm round slottabases.

Model # 1 – Zombie Patient is an elderly male in a bloodied hospital gown. He’s missing his left hand altogether, while a large piece of skin is missing from his right arm, exposing muscles beneath. There’s also damage to his face, as he has also lost his lips and most of his nose, although the sculpting does give him a bit of a lampreyish look. The hand and feet are a bit thick and he doesn’t really have a wrist even on the remaining arm. He has a nice shuffling zombie walk going on, and the hospital look adds to his creepiness.

Model #2 – Undead Vendor is an awful miniature, and in a bad way. The concept is fun, a vendor like those you see in baseball and handegg games and the like, undead but still selling his wares. That’s where the fun ends, though. The anatomy appears off, with spindly legs and arms and malformed hands, the pose is something you’d see in a disco for the aesthetically challenged and the hand holding the bottle doesn’t look like it’s holding anything. Instead it’s like a bottle has been glued to an open hand. The vendor’s tray has a severed hand and forearm alongside the bottles, which might be considered humorous.

Model #3 – Zombie Strongman is a positively huge fellow, standing tall at roughly 40mm. In addition to a sweet moustache he has a pair of shorts on, and is bound with padlocked chains, through which coils of entrails pour out. Half of the strongman’s right calf is missing, exposing the bone, and he has various wounds about his body. He holds aloft the severed one-armed torso of some hapless victim, again trailing guts. I love this model. He oozes raw, brutal strength uncontained by any conventional intelligence. He towers over 28mm miniatures in a good sense and in keeping with the scale. Just imagine a huge pro wrestler turned into a zombie.

Model #4 – Zombie Lawyer might be considered the embodiment of poetic justice. He’s wearing a tattered brown suit and has a sharp piece of metal – a crossbow bolt? – sticking through his right thigh. Bones and muscles show through in several places, and the left ankle is completely twisted around. The model is in a nice, classic shuffling stance and all in all is a nice addition to your horde.

Models #1-4

Models #1-4

Model #5 – Zombie Trooper is in my opinion the pick of the bunch, being a great sculpt of a good concept. While he lacks major visible damage, his emaciated features and classic pigeon-toed stance are a sure giveaway of his state. The trooper still carries his MP5 SMG, and wears body armour complete with a helmet and com-link set. The paintjob is better than average, too. I could use this model straight from the package, but I’ll paint him to match the SWAT survivors that I have.

Model #6 – Zombie Cop is another unfortunate public servant to fall to the undead menace. His clothes are torn, he’s missing half of his face exposing the skull, his right ankle has been chewed to the bone and coils of entrails pour out from his stomach. His sidearm is still securely in its holster, suggesting that he was attacked and taken completely by surprise. Again, a pigeon-toed classic stance and all in all a nice model.

Model #7 – Hardhat Zombie is a solid blue collar worker wearing what I suppose is something like a track jacket and a pair of jeans along with the eponymous yellow hardhat. His entire right arm is missing, as well as his left shoe. These combined with the pigeon-toes, vacant stare and tongue lolling out make him a prime example of a zombie. The sculpt is fine, and the model is an overall good effort.

Model #8 – Zombie Ventriloquist is a refreshingly twisted concept. I’ve always loved characterful and creepy special zombies, such as Romero’s zombie clowns and Dixieland band, Studio Miniatures’ zombie chicken mascot and so forth. It’s no surprise, then, that the zombie ventriloquist with his classic puppet and worn and torn suit is right up my alley. The model is almost bald and somewhat hunched, suggesting an elderly gentleman, and as a nice touch he has a wedding band on his left hand. While there is no major damage, the numerous holes, nicks and cuts in both his suit and his skin imply that he has been undead for quite a while. Buy this model, he’s excellent.

Models #5-8

Models #5-8

And here are two size comparison shots. Unfortunately I forgot to put in a Mega Miniatures zombie, look here for comparison.

From left to right: Games Workshop, HorrorClix, Hasslefree, Copplestone Castings, HorrorClix

From left to right: Games Workshop, HorrorClix, Hasslefree, Copplestone Castings, HorrorClix

From left to right: Games Workshop, HorrorClix, Recreational Conflict, Studio Miniatures, HorrorClix

From left to right: Games Workshop, HorrorClix, Recreational Conflict, Studio Miniatures, HorrorClix

HorrorClix zombies can be bought from various sources, with many gaming stores selling single miniatures for a pittance. Most of mine cost well under a euro apiece from Miniature Market, which I found to be one of the best retailers available in terms of stock, price and shipping costs. Do a Google search for “HorrorClix singles” for plenty of dealer options.

Overall verdict: HorrorClix zombies are very nice miniatures for a cheap price. There are people who scoff at pre-painted plastic, but it’s entirely their loss when it comes to these, as any zombie miniature collector would do well to check these out. As the comparison pic shows, though, the HorrorClix zombies are a bit taller than your average 28mm heroics and giants compared to true 28mm, so scale purists will want to avoid these. The pre-painted part will be a burden or heaven-sent gift to some, depending on painting skill. Do note that the quality of the sculpts and the paintjobs varies immensely, with others like the trooper being mighty fine and others complete rubbish.

Posted in Miniature reviews, Miniatures, Zombies | Tagged | 9 Comments »

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