Zombies... And Other Creepy Crawlies...



Monday, July 14, 2008

What doe we want? Brains! When do we want it? Brains!

My zombie horde is growing large enough to add some heroes. A member of TMP (theminiaturespage.com) told me where I could order some of the miniatures from the "Last Night On Earth" boardgame. I got 14 zombies (mixture of 3 poses) and 7 (?) heroes for about $20! They take paint well (my pics don't really show it) and are nice sculpts for being cheap.

Mail Truck






The US Mail Truck was a $5 find at Walmart. It is from the DUB City line and looks pretty nice! Definitely one of my better vehicle finds.


Figures (L to R): Hasslefree, Horrorclix, LNOEx2, Zombiesmith





Horrorclix Zombies Review






Notes: Nice sculpts, wide variety. Readily and cheaply available from ebay. Easty to convert.



Cost: Cheap, ~$1 per figure



Value: Very exceptional






Last Night On Earth Zombies Review


Notes: These are nice sculpts, but not much variety in the zombies. The plastic is a bit bendy and soft, but arms/heads come off easier and are easily pinned back on. They take/hold paint well, too.

Price: $0.80/figure

Value: Exceptional


Victory Force Miniatures Zombies


Notes: only about 4-5 sculpts in the line currently. They add some good characterful alternatives; we all "need" zombie purple dinosaurs! These are metal/pewter.

Cost: $4+/figure

Value: OK; would need more rank and file for hordes to get a higher mark, but nice figures.


Zombiesmith Zombies


Notes: some very nice miniatures, but they've been working on their rightfully popular Quar line more than zombies lately. Their minis range from ultra-cool to average, though. Pro: They have zombies from all walks of un-life...

Cost: $3-$5/figure IIRC

Value: High


Cold Wars Zombies


Notes:
These come from the UK, so the price is high with the low value of the USD. Very nice range and poses. They've had problems with some of their moulds for months, and dealers haven't been restocked in that time. I hope they get the problems fixed, as I'd like to get some more.

Cost: high/currently unavlbl

Value: Good, when avlbl. Could be higher if the exchange rate were better.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Hints on Zombie Minis

Hints On Converting CMG Minis
-- I am probably not the original source of these, just passing on my knowledge.
1. Removing From Base: put mini in freezer for about 10 minutes and most will easily snap off their base. Thin minis may break at weak spots (ex: thin ankles) though.
2. Base Coat: I like to use Rustoleum's Black Cammo with a non-reflective finish as it works well on plastic or metal. This makes your other paint "hold" on to the minis much better.
3. Pinning: using a small pin (ex: a thin paper clip or thin metal wire) will help your mini retain its shape or parts to stay on better when glued.

Cons to CMG Minis:
1. Bendy: arms and other original appendages want to go back to their original pose. I've tried the repeated heating and freezing method, but they still move back over time. Pinning with cutting and gluing also helps.
2. Details: some are better than others, but their faces and other parts can be nondescript.
3. Scale: the minis can vary widely. The Matron Mother one is tiny with its head being smaller than the fist of the Brain Eater.

Zombies

This is a Wizkids Brain Eater rookie. To bring your rookie with head and base removed, the head is replaced with a GW zombie head.














Wizkids Horrorclix Insect Man (Rookie) with GW zombie arms and head. The guy could fit in as a prisoner from the Umbrella Corp.

















Wizkids Horrorclix Frothweiler (rookie) -- I call him my "Rotted-weiler". I cut off the annoying boney spikes and tail and trimmed the ears. Again, this could be a lab dog or security dog for the Umbrella Corp. I know this was not the greatest zombie flick ever, but it had great zombie content from in miniatures/customization standpoint.




The CMG rookie clix stuff is great for making zombies with, and it's cheap! The Horrorclix listed above go from $0.14 - $1.09 on Ebay each. Prices are usually like that for the others, except for the Corp Response guys and their Zombies that go in the $2.26 - $9.99 range (cheapest)! Really wish they were more common, as they are really nice looking in the pics.