Looking for some new zomcom stuff? The Walking Dead’s season 1 ending left you wanting more? Look no further! Bite me (by Machinima.com) is a great web series of 8-10 minute episodes. It tells the story of three geek guys trying to make it through a good old-fashioned zombie apocalypse. I’m sure a lot of us can relate.
The jokes – in all their juvenile glory – are actually pretty funny most of the time, the quality’s nice and the episodes short and sweet. Here are the first four, enjoy!
Waaaay back in February I reported on the teaser trailer for Danish zombie short film (running time of 50 minutes) Opstandelsen, translated as Resurrection. There’s finally a longer trailer available! The film itself was released in August, but the DVD won’t be out until March 2011. Still looks nice, and as a fellow Scandinavian, it always warms my heart to see some proper culture produced in this corner of the world.
Click here to go to the film’s Facebook page.
Anthologies, even themed ones, are usually a mixed bag. This one created by Stephen Jones is no different.
Zombie Apocalypse! is a definite tip of the hat to H.P. Lovecraft, who is explicitly mentioned in the credits section. The book is basically a continuation of Lovecraft’s – and Bram Stoker in Dracula, for example – fake-documentary, first person style (see The Whisperer in Darkness for a prime Lovecraft example). There are letters, police and doctor reports, Twitter, IM, and SMS logs, blogs and so on. They detail the eponymous zombie apocalypse that starts off in the UK and before long spreads across the world. Sounds great this far, doesn’t it?
I’ll be very blunt with this next comment: a fair few of the 19 authors in this book aren’t very good writers. As always in anthologies, there are some gems in there, a lot of OK stuff, some that are a bit “meh” and then some that are a bit rubbish. Where a lot of these stories fail is subtlety. Whereas Lovecraft and Stoker manage to tell just enough to leave room for the imagination of the reader, many writers in ZA! fail in this respect. I mean that instead of ending, say, a logged phone call with “ummn..are you ok?” they instead end it with “oh my god, you’re really not ok! You’re a zombie! Oh my god, and now you’re taking chunks out of my arm! There’s blood everywhere! Now I understand, this is the way the plague spreads, through bites! Arrrrgh, I’m losing gallons of blood and my intestines are on the floor, and yet I keep on talking on this phone, I don’t even know why! Please, oh god no!” Catch my drift? The same flaw can be seen in another way as well, as the writers often pretty heavy handedly insert plot elements into stories which should be very realistic in style, such as police or medical reports. This greatly detracts from the whole suspension of disbelief thing. Why would a police officer write in his report that a church has a “strange aura” or that it “feels Gothic” or suddenly describe his female police partner as a “glamorous […] tall, striking blonde”? Sorry, but that’s just plain poor writing. Sometimes less is indeed more.
There’s another major problem. Basically, while the book tells a chronologically pretty coherent story, at times it doesn’t know whether it is a bird or a fish. At times its Dawn of the Dead, at times Return of the Living Dead, before becoming 28 Days Later and segueing to Army of Darkness. Sounds like a very wide spread of different styles, and it is. The book also becomes a bit repetitive at times, as it’s basically “now I’m writing, now I’m depressed, now I’ve been bitten/scratched, now I’m turning into a zombie/committing suicide” over and over again, told through various media sources.
Despite those flaws, the book is mostly a very entertaining read, and I found it difficult to put down quite a few times. A lot of the stories are very short (often thankfully so), and some of them are really rather good, so even at over 500 pages it doesn’t grow wearisome. It could just be the zombie enthusiast in me, but I’ll definitely give this another read, although I might skip a few of the B-grade stories. There’s a fair bit of humour in there as well, with some being hit and miss but others downright hilarious.
Overall verdict: Make no mistake, this is no World War Z 2. The stories vary a lot in quality, and at times the book’s styles and themes are all over the place. It’s still a good way to spend a few evenings or quite a few bus rides, if you’re into zombie apocalypse and the fake-documentary style. I just wish they’d all read their Lovecraft.
As usual, I got my copy from the Book Depository, where the book retails for €7.54.
I’m happy to report that my third zombie sculpt – the first one I ever completed, IIRC – has just been released by Black Orc Games. I’m actually still pretty satisfied with him, and there are far too few crawling zombies available.
To continue a nice(-ish, I think) tradition, the first five people to comment on this post will get the mini as a freebie with no p&p or anything – assuming you ask for it. I’ll send the models once I receive them from Black Orc, which might take a while.
I again strongly suggest that you support Black Orc and their MiniSculpt program, as it gives starting out/sunday sculptors an easy way to get our produce on the market. Click here to view what’s available. The quality varies a lot, but the prices are low and you’re kind of doing a good deed.
My previous efforts with an amazing paintjob can be seen in this post. They still make me go “whoa”.
Woah, a good while since my last post. Sorry about that, dear readers! Real life has gotten in the way yet again, with other hobbies and studies taking my time.
After a posting break it’s always nice to do something different, and this time it’s a “Top 5 at the moment” post. Here we go, in no particular order:
Horus Heresy book series
While I’m not a big fan of WH40K in general, these books have got me hooked. They depict a time long before the current date in the WH40K universe, being more like WH30K, and chronicle the catastrophic events of the eponymous Horus Heresy that see the Emperor’s most beloved son turn on his father and bring the galaxy to a bloody civil war.
There are lots of things to like in HH. The series boasts many of Black Library’s top writers, such as Graham McNeill and Dan Abnett, and most of the books – even the not-too-impressive ones – are pretty ok scifi fare. The books deal with a time period ten thousand years distant, so the writers have a lot of space (literally, too) to move and work in. Reading these books makes me wish the regular WH40K fluff was this interesting, with loads of alien civilizations and humanity’s spin-offs.
The best thing for me, however, has to be the point of view. Many of the books deal with the so-called Traitor Legions, the Space Marines that sided with Horus against the Emperor. Regular 40K fluff simply places a terribly boring and bland EEEEEVUL stamp on them, whereas the HH books tell the stories from the villains’ perspective. It turns out most of them aren’t really evil after all, but instead have all too human flaws like vanity or pride, which lead to their downfall. It doesn’t help that the benevolent God-Emperor starts to take on a more and more sinister cast as the story progresses.
I’ve always loved interesting villains. Sauron? Boring as hell. Saruman? One of my all time favourites. Whenever the time is taken to flesh out an antagonist, a story becomes much more interesting to read. At times you don’t know who you’re rooting for, and even if the antagonist IS evil, you find yourself thinking “Weell, he does have a point there.” The HH books are loaded with this, and the stories of Horus, Fulgrim and Magnus the Red are nothing short of delicious. Granted, some of the books aren’t really worth reading (Battle for the Abyss, for example, is a waste of time and money in my opinion), but the excellent ones more than make up for this.
If epic high fantasy scifi is your thing, give these books a go. I got mine through the Book Depository. You can check the publishing order here, for example.
Dawn of War 2
It’s been a long while since I’ve been this hooked on a computer game. Dawn of War 2 is a real-time strategy game set in the world of WH40K. Unsurprisingly, my consuming of lots and lots of WH40K fiction (see above) led me to pick up this game, and it hasn’t disappointed.
The story focuses on the Blood Ravens Space Marine chapter that lays down all kinds of hurt on orks, eldar and tyranids. The story is fine, the cutscenes lovely and there’s a little rpg element too, as your squad leaders gain experience and you can tailor their skills and wargear to suit your needs. All this combines to make a game that has a significant “one more mission, even if it’s 2 am” element.
I played DoW1 to death when it came out, and I’m glad to see the sequel is quality stuff as well. There’s a trailer below to whet your appetite.
Role-playing games
Miniatures are cool and all of that, but I’m a role-playing gamer first and foremost. RPGs are going through a small renaissance in my regular group of gamer friends, with games popping up here and there. A few days ago I had the honour of guest-GMing a game in a massive campaign my friend Petri is running. The campaign – named Century – is a wonderful X-Filesy alternative history romp, with one game played per year of in-game time. My contribution? Zombies in Estonia in 1936. Fun was had.
Our 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons is going strong as well. A lot of RPGs we play nowadays deal with pretty adult themes, ethics and the like. This campaign is about monsters, leveling up and solving mysteries. It’s great fun, and the social gathering is at least as important as the game itself.
Role-playing games have also allowed me to combine my hobbies with the real world. My master’s thesis (in education) is a survey study about the views role-playing gamers have on RPGs as a way of developing empathic intelligence – social skills, creativity, empathy and so on.
Winter
Winter has hit Finland yet again. While it brings some annoying things with it – such as loads of snow and freezing temperatures – it also provides a lazy student/blogger/gamer with all the peace and quiet he needs to invest in the things that really matter: games, movies, miniatures and so on. Since it’s perfectly acceptable to stay indoors in the winter, it really is the season of the geek. I’ve prepared for a long winter by stocking up on Horus Heresy books and zombie fiction, as well as making sure that most RPG sessions are held at my place. Oh yes, and there’s Christmas, too!
The Walking Dead
I can’t not-include TWD, can I? For my comments on the subject, see this post. We’re having our second TWD get-together with three of my friends this Friday to watch episodes 3 and 4. Can hardly wait!
Those are the five most interesting things in my life at the moment off the top of my head. Hopefully I’ll have time to get back to my regular irregular posting schedule now.
Recall way back when I complained about not making it to a zombie film shoot? Man, I was so bummed.
Luckily, a friend presented me with a chance to take part in the filming of a zombie themed music video. What followed was about a hundred hours covered in latex prosthetics and all sorts of rubbish and fake blood. I couldn’t eat (due to the prosthetics around my mouth), there were some artistic differences and the shoot lasted until the wee small hours of the morning. Naturally, apart from what might be my back in a tangle of zombies, I’m not even visible in the video.
The feeling I was left with? Pure AWESOME. Despite all the hardships it was just so much fun to get made up as a zombie, to wear those creepy contact lenses (which I got to keep) and in general to take part in such an undertaking.
Here are some photos of the whole thing, with yours truly in photos #2 and 3:
And here’s the finished video itself. It’s not what I’d usually listen to, but I have to take my hat off for anyone making a cool zombie themed music video of a wedding gone to hell. And the tune IS pretty catchy. Without further ado, Cristal Snow with Surrender.
Well, it’s finally happened. The thing every zombie enthusiast has been waiting with baited breath: The Walking Dead tv-series has started, with the first two episodes aired.
My opinion?
Weeeeell, I don’t want to sound like yet another fanboy, so I’ll just keep this very low-key, and state that it’s the single most awesomestest zombie thing ever. Okay, maybe that’s exaggerating a bit, but it is rather good. I’ve been a fan of the comic book since issue #1, and the series has managed to capture the feel of it very nicely, without making it boring and predictable for readers of the comic. In other words, they’ve changed it just the right amount.
The thing I’ve always loved about the comic is that it focuses on the most important aspect of the genre (in my view, at least): the characters and their interaction. The format has allowed the writer – Robert Kirkman – to create a cast of interesting, well-rounded characters that feel human enough to relate to and care for. I hope that as the series goes on, it manages to do the same. It shouldn’t be too hard, with Kirkman himself onboard as well.
The series has launched with phenomenal success, and that has lead to a great piece of news. This from AMC’s press release:
(November 8, 2010) AMC announced today the renewal of “The Walking Dead” for a 13-episode second season. Since debuting Sunday, October 31, “The Walking Dead” has broken ratings records, with the series reaching more Adults 18-49 than any other show in the history of cable television.
Today’s announcement also includes Fox International Channels’ (FIC) global renewal for a second season, following record-breaking premiere ratings in 120 countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia and The Middle East. “The Walking Dead” was the highest-rated original series premiere ever to air on FIC simultaneously worldwide.
“The ‘Dead’ has spread!” said Charlie Collier, President, AMC. “No other cable series has ever attracted as many Adults 18-49 as ‘The Walking Dead.’ This reaffirms viewers’ hunger for premium television on basic cable. We are so proud to be bringing back ‘The Walking Dead’ again, across the globe.”
Zombie fans of the world, rejoice! A minimum of two seasons will allow for real in-depth character development. Compared to your average zombie movie with a running time of approximately 1½ hours, it’s a whole other world. Not wanting to take anything away from the likes of Romero or Max Brooks, but this just might become the penultimate work in zombie pop culture.
If you’ve missed the few first episodes, get them no matter the means. If you’re from the good ol’ US of A, you can see the first episode here.
Check out The Walking Dead’s official site for more.
For more on the comic, see here.
I have some miniatures I don’t need at the moment, and to be honest, probably never will. I figured I’d share the love and give the following stuff away to loving homes. All you need to do is pay for postage via PayPal, and I’ll chuck them your way. All the people – bloggers especially – reading this: do the same. You probably have minis sitting in a box somewhere, with the vague idea of “these might be useful/valuable/chopped up for conversions one day” that you’ve used to justify keeping them around unused for years – I know you have! Some people might have a use for them, so do them a favour and pay it forward.
I’d rather post these as lots, but will do single miniatures as well. Bases are not provided, I think you’ll manage.
Lot 1 – Warzone Undead Legionnaires – GONE!
Click for a larger version
Bought years ago for a never finished “40K Chaos army for cheap” project. One has had his weapon chopped up, no idea why.
Lot 2 – Warzone Pretorian Stalker & Ilian Templar – GONE!
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Same 40K project. Sold the painted stuff ages ago. Still very nice miniatures, with the Stalker going for €4.95 on Prince August’s site.
Lot 3 – HeroClix
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Madame Masque, Colossus, Hawkeye, Umar and Tomoe. Pre-painted plastic. The quality isn’t very good, but these are still a viable option for those looking to do some superhero gaming. Some of the models have other uses as well. I’ve seen Colossus used in a Weird World War 2 Russian army, and a repainted Hawkeye serves as a vampire in my Underworld project.
Lot 4 – Mage Knight
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Utem Crossbowman, Nightblade, Quarterstaff Warrior, Immortal Fanatic. More pre-painted plastic, the Immortal Fanatic has had his other blade snap off (it’s included, though). Again, the quality isn’t very nice, but these could well be used in RPGs etc. They’re far nice than paper counters, anyway. Acetone can be used to strip the paint away, if you fancy repainting.
Lot 5 – Old Plastic Imperial Trooper & Squat – GONE!
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These were found in a large lot of mixed miniatures way back. I have no use for them, so feel free. Might be a blast of nostalgia for someone.
Lot 6 – Grenadier Adventurer & Shadowrun Street Shaman – GONE!
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For reasons unknown I’ve chopped the revolver hand off the adventurer, and replaced the shaman’s right hand with it. The shaman has had whatever was in his left hand replaced with a knife.
Lot 7 – ERM Facehuggers x 6 – GONE!
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These were sent to me as part of the Alien miniatures review. While they’re nice enough minis, I simply have no use for them and want them to have anice, warm home. That’s six miniatures for free (two sets of those pictured), right there.
Lot 8 – ERM Facehuggers with guns – GONE!
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See lot 7.
Lot 9 – Old plastic Citadel Wood Elves x 5 – GONE!
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These are from Citadel’s first range of plastics. They’re all headless. I’ve used some human heads to convert a few to be Huntsmen in my WHFB Empire army.
Lot 10 – Old plastic Citadel Dark Elves x 8 – GONE!
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Part of the same range as lot 9. Two have heads, others are headless. None have their separate crossbows.
And that’s it!
Reservations via comments box, we’ll sort out the details via email, payment via PayPal. One lot per reader, if you want several you’ll have to wait for a week or so. First come, first served. Postage to the US will be a few EUR maximum for letters. The Clix stuff will cost a bit more, but nothing exorbitant.
And as I mentioned before, I encourage other bloggers to do the same. One man’s trash is another’s treasure, so let’s get that old stuff into rotation, mmkay?
As we inevitably lurch towards Halloween, I was happy to run into a great piece of zombie fun. Dawn of the Ted is part of BBC Comedy’s Misery Bear series, and is an excellent zombie movie in just three minutes. With teddy bears.
Who knew teddy bears could be so scary? Not to mention gory.
(Note: This is a part of a three-part series of reviews. For suitable opposition, see my reviews for Predators and Colonial Marines)
“I want to do Aliens/Xenomorphs vs. Colonial Marines vs. Predators in 28mm, who makes suitable minis?”
I can’t recall how many times I’ve run into a topic like this on various internet forums. I’ve even started a few myself. Trawling through these, the thought has every once in a while crossed my mind, that it’d be nice to have a fairly comprehensive review of different options available. Then it struck me – why not do one myself? I started with the Predators. An easy choice, since there aren’t too many different minis available, and I already had them.
The Aliens were another story altogether. There’s a lot more variety out there. In addition to the licensed stuff, all sorts of Alien-inspired biomechanical beasties can be found in various miniature lines. Getting them simply for a review purpose would cost me if not an arm and a leg, but at least a fair amount of cash better used elsewhere. With some encouragement from fellow hobbyists I did what a real reviewer would do: I contacted the companies directly, asking for samples. To my surprise, the response was very positive with most companies gladly shipping me stuff to review. The companies taking part will get all the praise they deserve later in this post.
I suppose this is enough with the introduction, and it’s time to get on with the review itself. For ease of reading I’ve decided not to split the review into smaller parts, so all will be found in this post. While it’s going to be a pretty heavy read the first time, it should also provide a fairly comprehensive view of what’s available at the time of writing. You have been warned.
Licensed products and 1:1 matches
Fans of Xenomorphs will be happy to hear that there are not only one, but two lines of miniatures modelled right on the creatures of the various films (Aliens and Alien vs. Predator to be exact). They will then be devastated to hear that both lines are discontinued and usually fetch a fairly ridiculous price on eBay and the like.
Leading Edge Aliens
Leading Edge did a whole range based on Aliens sculpted by Bob Ridolfi, and naturally the line included pretty much every iconic thing from the movies. The line is long gone by now, but the kits do come up on eBay every now and then. Stuff of Legends has a very good overview of the line, which I recommend taking a look at. I have only two figures (picked up from a convention for a pittance) so I’ll base my review on those. Both minis are from the Colonist’s last stand pack.
Click for a larger version
Even today the old sculpts look very nice, if a bit dated. The warrior is a good reproduction of the movie’s creatures, and suitably sized too, being the size of a 28mm miniature even with the knees bent. There is good, crisp detailing. As you can see, the Alien warrior’s head sports the ridged dome from Aliens as opposed to the iconic smooth one. The second miniature I have depicts a hapless colonist getting a hug and a kiss from one of those pesky Alien kids. The miniature nicely shows the “right” size for facehuggers and eggs in 28mm. Both models come on integral metal bases with some detailing.
Horrorclix Aliens
Considered by many to be THE miniatures for Xenomorph gaming, the Horrorclix Aliens are pre-painted plastic miniatures based on the ones in Alien vs. Predator (and are probably the best thing to come out of that movie, come to think of it). There are seven different variants, with two of them sporting specialties from the movie – the Alien with a Predator’s net-grid in it’s dome and another with its tail spouting acid. Three of the models are attached to different pieces of architecture, two different columns and a piece of wall. There’s one human miniature in the pack as well, unfortunately oversized.
That brings us smoothly to the size of the Horrorclix stuff. They are much bigger than 28mm, the tallest one standing at roughly 45mm. For some this might – and will – be a problem. I don’t mind. In the original Alien film, the guy inside the suit, Boladi Badejo, was 2,18 m – that’s 7’2″ to those not into metric. While this still makes the Aliens oversized, it also gives them a very menacing presence.
The architectural bits may cause some headache, but they’re also quite easily dealt with should one not want to use them. The Aliens can be removed with a little work, and mostly the poses are not too bad on normal bases. If you don’t mind doing some extra work, the scenic elements can be modified, see my example.
They come on plastic clicky bases, but are easily removed by using a sharp craft knife, which can be used to simply pop them off the bases. Even the prepainting is not too bad, comprising of a motley combination of dark blue and black, with a glossy black head dome and some detailing in silver. I’d say these models can definitely be used as-is, if you’re not in the mood for painting.
The range also includes a queen with a scenic base. You can see a picture here and some better ones sans the scenic base here.
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Click for a larger version
And here are some of my Horrorclix Aliens rebased and repainted:
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Overall verdict: What can I say, these are licensed products. As such, they are a perfect match for Xenomorphs from the movies. Their limited availability and consequent silly prices make them a not-really-valid option for most people. If you can get your hands on them, do so. The Horrorclix Aliens might be too big for some people’s tastes. As mentioned above, not an issue to me but worth noting.
That’s the official miniatures covered. Nice, expensive, out of production. Let’s take a look at alternatives, shall we?
Not-Aliens
The Xenomorph being such a classic as far as scifi-monsters go, it should come as no surprise that there are quite a few alternatives for the models available. While these are not 1:1 matches, they’re definitely close enough to use as Xenomorphs and bear an obvious resemblance. The one guys missing here are Eureka’s rendition – the Chaos Weasels – which I believe were pulled off the market due to IP concerns.
EDIT January 11th 2011:
Blog reader John contacted me with the following information on the Eureka Chaos Weasels:
The Eureka Chaos Weasels are towards the smaller end of the 25-32mm spectrum. They are multipart, and came with metal slottabases. Some of the ones I picked up had them, and some needed plastic bases. They have great grinning smiles that I rather like. The tails in particular are bendy and poseable, if a little fragile. Chaos Weaslings, I believe, were not-facehuggers.
I’ve got some Leading Edge eggs and huggers. They have integral bases with some moulded details- creepy tendrils under the eggs, and metal decking beneath the hugger. I’ve rebased them on 25mm washers and hidden the detail. The eggs are a good size, but the huggers are a little weedy.
John was also kind enough to provide me with a few photos, and there’s one in the size comparison section as well.
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Click for a larger version
Rather nice stuff, as you can see. Alas, out of production. Thanks a lot for the information and photos, John!
East Riding Miniatures – Mythic Worlds Sci-Fi Aliens
ERM’s Mythic Worlds scifi line includes a bunch of aliens, which are obviously Xenomorphs. The important development phases are represented, as the range includes warriors, facehuggers and a queen. And what interesting miniatures they are!
I must admit that when I first received these models, my thoughts were in line with the company’s name: “erm….”. Make no mistake, these models are a rather cartoony take on the Alien theme. The models are oddly proportioned even in regards to each other, the facehuggers are massively oversized, the detail is soft, the sculpting a bit crude…to sum it up, these models really don’t convey the sleek elegance of the biomechanical killing machine we’ve all come to love. And yet the models have grown on me. Why on Earth, you may ask. Let me tell you why.
The ERM Aliens to me manage to perfectly capture the nightmarish quality of the Xenomorph. When I think of Newt in Aliens, I feel that this is how she might have viewed the Aliens. As truly being alien and monstrous, covered with weird tubes, sporting ridges and spines and extending jaws and barbed tails. I might even go as far as to say that these models are a kind of an impressionistic take on the Xenomorph. While they’re not perfect depictions, they manage to capture the feel and the essence of their subject. It’s worth noting that the Alien with the inner jaw extended is pretty huge. See size comparison down the page.
Getting back to everyday stuff, the range includes four different warriors, a queen and three different facehuggers, all designed by Tony Yates. There are also facehuggers with guns available, if you should feel the need for some. The queen comes in four pieces – head, tail, body and arms. Like the pictures show, the facehuggers are oversized (although nicely in scale with the Dark Arts Miniatures birthing pods) being the size of a regular 28mm miniature. The facehuggers are in my view the weakest of the sets, as they’re a bigger departure from their subject matter than the warriors and the queen.
All the sets retail for £5.00 each and are available on East Riding Miniatures’ website. The queen (Alien Mother) especially is an impressively sized model, and at only 5 pounds a real bargain. All models are on integral metal bases. The Alien Mother needs filling with greenstuff and I suggest pinning her together as well. The photo has her on a 40mm round base.
Warriors – Click for a larger version
Alien Mother – Click for a larger version
Facehuggers – Click for a larger version
Reviresco – Alien Homophages
Starguard is an ancient (from 1974, which amounts to the same thing) scifi miniatures game, which is still supported today. To my happy surprise, the miniatures line includes some wonderful xenomorphs under the name “Alien Homophages” (homophage translates as man-eater), with extra stuff to go with them.
As with the ERM ones above, these are by no means perfect renditions, but are still appealing – especially to two kinds of gamers:
A) Those on a budget. The homophages are very cheap. The pack with five different warrior poses, eggs and facehuggers (with one hugging a separate head) costs all of $7.50. That’s €5.60 or £4.78 at the time of writing. That’s even cheaper than ERM’s stuff, which in itself is cheap already.
B) Those gaming with 25mm to “true” 28mm miniatures. The homophages stand at exactly 28mm from the base surface to the top of the head. The scale creep that’s gone on for years has seen a lot of miniatures touted as 28mm go up in size to 30-33mm. Compared to most current 28mm ranges, especially those at the heroic end of the spectrum, the homophages are small indeed.
The models themselves? I’ll be blunt: they’re fairly crudely sculpted, and the figure quality matches the price. There are separate spines supplied with the models that are a pain to glue on. The detail’s soft. There’s a bit of flash there, too.
That’s not to say that there’s nothing to recommend, though. These miniatures are by no means rubbish! As with the ERM Aliens, the Reviresco homophages manage to instantly convey that Alien feel. Even if they’re not the best, crispest miniatures, the moment you see them you know you’re looking at Xenomorphs, no mistake. A mass of these guys painted up and gloss varnished will make for a very nice horde of Aliens. Also, I really like the dynamic poses.
The homophages come on thin integral metal bases. A few have separate heads and arms whichs are easy to attach due to handy pegs that fit corresponding holes in the torsos. They are available directly from Reviresco’s online store.
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Eggs and Facehugger – Click for a larger version
Pendraken – Facehugger and egg cluster
Pendraken is a manufacturer focusing on 10mm miniatures . What on earth are they doing here?
In their 10mm Sci Fi range they have a beautiful line of Aliens, Colonial Marines and accessories (if you’re into 10mm at all, get them!). The line also includes Facehuggers and eggs, which are way oversized for 10mm. Of these, the Facehugger is a perfect fit for 28mm. The eggs are a bit too small, and unfortunately not a match size-wise for the Facehugger. The ‘hugger itself is a nice, clean and simple sculpt and comes on a small integral base. The sculptor is unknown and they come 10 in a pack for £1.45, making them an excellent choice for those looking for Facehuggers. As mentioned, the eggs are a bit small for 28mm, but could have their uses as well. They are of similar size to the Reviresco ones shown above. These miniatures are available from Pendraken’s website.
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Overall verdict: There are some worthy not-Aliens manufacturers for those not willing or able to procure the OOP licensed stuff. They have their little flaws in terms of style and quality, but are definitely a viable option. The Pendraken and Reviresco facehuggers are top notch, and should definitely be on your shopping list if you’re looking for those little babies. These not-Aliens are a cheap and easy way to bulk up a Xenomorph horde for a fraction of the price of the OOP ranges.
That’s all the official miniatures and not-Aliens (as far as I know, of course) covered. Let’s see some size comparison pictures. You can click on any photo for a larger version.
From L to R: ERM, Horrorclix, Reviresco, ERM Facehugger, ERM
From L to R: Reviresco, LE, Horrorclix, ERM
L to R: Horrorclix, ERM Alien mother, Reviresco, ERM
From L to R: Copplestone, Horrorclix, Reviresco, Hasslefree, ERM
L to R: Horrorclix, Heresy, Reviresco, em4, ERM
L to R: Hasslefree, Heresy, ERM Alien mother, em4, Copplestone
Pendraken and Reviresco facehuggers with Heresy
Eureka Chaos Weasels with an old GW Space Marine
Aliens-inspired
Going a bit further from the franchise, there are ranges of scifi-miniatures that have clearly been influenced by the Alien films. They have a biomechanical thing going on, with an elongated domed head here, a spike-tipped tail there…you get the picture. Or they might just be in some way Aliens-y. While there are several of these lines available, I will present a few that come up often in forum discussions, and review some others that don’t quite qualify as a not-Alien one. Due to the first two being large ranges, I’ve settled on showing some examples of them and leaving you to your own research.
EDIT Februray 19th 2011: 1st Corps and Hasslefree added.
Games Workshop Tyranids
Ah, the Tyranids. They are basically GW’s Warhammer 40,000 universe’s version of Xenomorphs, and have served a similar role with the most obvious example being Space Hulk, a WH40K version of Aliens.
The Tyranid range is very large and offers loads of options for different Xenomorph-style creatures. I present a few examples here, that I could easily get my hands on. They should give you the general idea. I’ll point out that these are old variants and as such not fully representative and so on. As said, general idea. The fact that a lot of the Tyranid range is now available in plastic makes them ideal for Xenomorph conversions. More on that later. The range also sports some very large beasties, so if you want to improvise on your Alien universe, there’s loads to grab here.
Pictured below is an old Lictor next to an old Genestealer. The Lictor has had some spiky appendages removed, hence the greenstuff on the chest. The Genestealer has been photoshopped to bring out the detail.
Click for a larger version
The Tyranids are available directly from Games Workshop’s online store and from various retailers, naturally including GW’s own stores. The prices vary a lot, so I’m not going to list them here. Knowing GW, the information would be outdated in a month, anyway.
Scotia Grendel Kryomek Aliens
An older range stylistically very similar to the Tyranids mentioned above. The long heads and spiky tails typical of Xenomorphs are present, as well as that biomechanical look. Pictures are taken from the Scotia Grendel website and used without permission. Naturally, they will be taken down on request. I was going to get my hands on some samples for review, but due to problems of my own it was taking too long and I wanted to eventually publish this review.
Click to got to Scotia Grendel webstore
Click to got to Scotia Grendel webstore
See here for Matakishi’s effective use of Kryomek Aliens as Xenomorphs.
1st Corps Parasite Adults
The 1st Corps scifi line includes a pack of two Alien-inspired beasties. There’s the bipedal stance, the elongated skull and the prominent ribs. The models lack the biomechanical look, but I believe that with the right paintjob they’d make for passable Aliens. The models come on integral bases and the arms are separate, allowing for some variation in poses. There are two critters in a pack, costing £3.00. They’re available direct from 1st Corps.
Click for a larger version
L to R: Horrorclix, Reviresco, 1st Corps, ERM
Hasslefree Head Crabs
I thought for a long time whether to put these in the not-Aliens or the Aliens-inspired section. In the end they ended up in the latter. The Head Crabs, sculpted by Kev White, are obviously inspired by the Facehuggers in the Alien franchise. They’re however different enough in their anatomy to not quite be not-Aliens (how’s that for a sentence). They’re beautiful nevertheless, and well worth adding to your games. You could always cut off the second tail to make them even more Facehugger-ish. They’re quite pricey at £1.00 each, so the price might be a point for consideration. The Head Crabs are available direct from Hasslefree.
Click for a larger version
Hasslefree Head Crab with Heresy
Overall verdict: Yes, alternative ranges do exist, and there’s quality stuff there. It pretty much depends on how much of a purist you are, or in other words how far you’re willing to stretch your vision of Aliens. If you’re okay with “Alien-ish”, there’s definitely a good supply here for you.
Making your own
All this choice, and still not happy? How about some Do It (Almost) Yourself, then? There are manufacturers producing nice conversion bits to turn other models – such as the Tyranids mentioned above – into something a bit more Xenomorph-y. With a large part of the Tyranid range being plastic, this isn’t really much of a chore. No, you won’t get a perfect match, but as mentioned before, for me at least it’s more important that the model conveys the look and feel of the Alien, even if it’s not a perfect match. As this article shows, converting Tyranids into Xenomorphs isn’t a huge task even without using conversion parts.
Chapterhouse Studios Xenomorph heads
Chapterhouse Studios is a company producing resin conversion parts for GW’s Warhammer and Warhammer 40K lines. There’s one set that’s particularly interesting, that set of course being the Xenomorph heads. They have the long, smooth-canopied head (sometimes lovingly called the death banana) and let’s face it, that’s what makes us immediately think of Aliens. The detailing on the head is a bit more organic than in the original Giger stuff, with little tendrils and things like that. They are a bit big for the smaller creatures, but perfect for the larger ones. There are two different variants, and the detail is nice and crisp. The resin castings are of good quality, and there were no air bubbles or other blemishes. The price of the set is $5.85 for a pack of six, and they’re available directly from Chapterhouse’s online store. There’s a great review of them here, courtesy of the wonderful people of the Fawcett Avenue Conscripts, whose blog is well worth reading.
Pictured below are the two Tyranid models shown above, this time with Chapterhouse heads.
Click for a larger version
Heresy Miniatures spare heads
Heresy is a maker of multi-part miniatures, and that means their range includes some spare heads that are definitely suitable for Xenomorph conversions.
First up is an eyeless/lurker head for the Heresy Hellhounds. I don’t know if the heads are available separately, but I’m sure that if enough people request them, the demand could well be met. Shown below is a shot of the head on the GW Genestealer shown before. As you can see, the head definitely has the smooth Alien look. The full length canopy isn’t there, but it’s still Alien enough to work.
Click for a larger version
Heresy also sells a separate sprue of Lurker heads, although let’s face it: these are Alien heads. They’re lovely, and I must say I was a bit disappointed when it turned out they were a bit on the small side, especially on a bulky plastic Tyranid.
If only I had something smaller…and then it hit me. I tried putting the head on one of the Reviresco Homophages, and what do you know, the combination produces a very, very authentic looking Xenomorph. Death banana head? Check. Spiky tail? Check. Bipedal? Check. See for yourself, and ignore the blu-tack.
Click for a larger version
Casting quality on all heads was very good, although there was some mould lining to scrape off. The Lurker heads are available directly from Heresy, and you get three heads for £1.00. Ask Heresy about the Hellhound heads.
Overall verdict: If you’re not afraid to do a bit of easy converting, DIY is definitely a viable route to building your own Alien horde. Quality conversion bits are available for cheap. The Reviresco Homophages + Heresy Lurker heads combination receives a special mention here, as it results in a very authentic looking Alien, albeit a smallish one.
Conclusion
There you go, dear readers. As comprehensive an Alien miniature review as I was able to pull off at the moment. I have to give my sincerest thanks to the companies participating and posting me – a humble blogger – samples for review, often providing me with an abundance of extras. A special tip of the hat goes off to John at Reviresco. Apparently he noted my nationality, and threw in a pack of WW2 Finns. How’s that for customer service! I will also point out that the willingness to participate and amount of samples provided did not affect the review one bit.
Some might view this review as too positive, since I mostly praise the models reviewed. I disagree. People’s tastes vary, so I’ve tried to provide an honest and objective view. Some people value quality, others simply want loads of miniatures for as low a price as possibly. Most probably try to find a suitable balance between the two.
I don’t see the point in labeling something singularly poor – except when talking about casting quality and such. Reviewers and peers (often the same thing in this small hobby) have a lot of influence. If someone tells you that a particular line of miniatures sucks, maybe you won’t see for yourself and end up passing up on miniatures you actually might have liked. I also think that there is an intrinsic value in focusing on the good points in something first, and focusing on the negative second.
I’d also like to appeal to you readers: if you saw something you liked, click on the manufacturer links, show your support and buy stuff. Manufacturers big and (especially) small really need, and more importantly, deserve your patronage. Show this review around to people interested, too. And no, I’m not making any money out of this through ads, clicks or anything like that.
I’ll try to update this review if and when suitable ranges appear and I get my hands on samples to review. I hope to be able to keep this post current, so if there’s something I’ve missed, definitely let me know.
Now get on with infecting the galaxy.
Dawn of the Lead 