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Zombicide Scenario C23 Day Zero Part 5

June 17, 2015, 3:28 am
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TURN 20
AMY. "I'll deal with these," Amy announced as she swung her chainsaw in a wide arc that resulted in the beheading of two Runners.
Doug, Josh and Ned all had their guns raised just in case things went wrong for the young Goth Girl, but by now Amy knew exactly how to wield her chainsaw. She thrust the spinning blades into the mouth of the third Runner, splintering his teeth. She pushed harder until the chainsaw blades emerged from the back of the Runner's head. He died messily.
JOSH."Fucking awesome!" the teenager declared, full of admiration for Amy's skill with the chainsaw.
DOUG. "Hey, Ned, I found this and thought you might find it useful," Doug said as he held out the flashlight he'd recently found. "Do you want it?"
NED."Yeah, thanks, Doug," Ned replied. He slipped the sturdy torch into one of his coat pockets. "Do you know what this really is?"
Doug didn't understand the question. The answer seemed so obvious. "It's a flashlight," he said.
"No, it's a metal tube for storing dead batteries!" Ned shot back, grinning widely at the joke.
Doug looked blank, until the penny dropped and he suddenly realised the drifter was pulling his leg.
PHIL. Phil's concentration was fully focused on the two Runners who were moving fast enough to give any Olympic sprinter a good run for their money. He let them get within a few yards of him before he blasted them with his Remington 12 gauge pump-action shotgun. Their legs flew out from under them and they fell to the ground in ungainly heaps. This time they stayed dead.
WANDA. "You guys never give up, do you?" the rollerskating waitress said with an air of resignation. She jabbed her chainsaw into the throat of the leading Runner and deftly removed his head from his shoulders. The second Runner crashed into the back of his colleague and they both fell down. Wanda could not believe her luck. As the second Runner tried to stand back up she placed the chainsaw on the back of his neck and sliced his head off.
ZOMBIES. A fresh batch of seventeen zombies arrived to replace those recently slaughtered. From the north came six Walkers, from the east came three Runners, from the south came two more Runners. Finally, from the west came two Fatties and four Walkers.
TURN 21
AMY. Amy stepped up to face a group of six Walkers head on. She blasted one in the head with her special combi-weapon and was considering charging the others with her chainsaw but Doug called to her in warning.
DOUG. "Amy, back off!" he shouted. "We can deal with the others."
Amy was happy enough to obey. She reloaded Ma's Shotgun as she retreated. Doug fired two short bursts from his twin Uzi sub-machine guns and killed three more Walkers.
Doug is the first Survivor to reach the Red Danger Level. Now the zombies would come flooding in!
JOSH. "I'll get the last two," Josh said eagerly as he swapped places with Doug. His twin sawed-off shotguns barked twice, fatally wounding the two remaining Walkers.
"Teamwork," Amy acknowledged. Josh nodded at her and reloaded his weapons.
NED. "That's a big group down there," Doug said pointing one of his Uzis at the four Walkers and two Fatties who were advancing from the west side. "Do you think you can whittle 'em down some?"
"I reckon so," Ned replied as he took aim with his sniper's rifle. He was true to his word. In an impressive display of marksmanship he killed the four Walkers with four shots.
Ned also advances to the Red Danger Level and chooses the Tough Skill, making it harder for zombies to wound him.
PHIL. The young police patrolman also displayed fine marksmanship. He killed three Runners with four shots from his hunting rifle.
WANDA. Wanda was only a short distance away from the crossroads where the two Runners had suddenly appeared. By now she was feeling sick and tired of constantly killing zombies. She wanted nothing more to wash away the blood and gore from her hair, her face, her hands and arms. She dreamed of lying in a hot, soapy bath as she swung her chainsaw repeatedly at the two Runners. It barely registered that she'd killed them. She just stood and blinked until her eyes focused on the two headless corpses at her feet. With a sigh of resignation she spun round on her skates and glided back along the street to the store front.
ZOMBIES. Suddenly what had once been a trickle of zombies arriving turned into a raging torrent. From the north side, a group of seven Walkers shuffled into the neighbourhood.
All Fatties gained an extra Turn during this Zombie Spawn Phase.
Four Fatties led a charge of eight Walkers from the east side of the city.
The two Fatties facing Doug and Ned were swiftly followed by four Runners. Wanda got a well deserved break when no new zombies appeared from the south side.
TURN 22
At this point in the game the Experience Pointstotals for the Survivors were - Amy 38, Doug 43, Josh 35, Ned 43, Phil 40 and Wanda 35. 43 was the total needed to reach Red Danger Level.
AMY. "We could do with more firepower here," Doug yelled in warning.
"I'm on it," Amy responded as she stepped in front of Doug. She swiftly put a stop to the advance of the two Fatties with head shots from both barrels of Ma's Shotgun.
Josh originally scored 1 hit and 3 misses but used his Re-roll Skill and scored 3 hits and 1 miss.
JOSH. "Is it just me or does there seem to be more zombies arriving?" Josh asked rhetorically. Their numbers were increasing and that worried the youth. He killed three Walkers out of seven with his twin sawed-off shotguns. He stepped back and reloaded.
DOUG. Doug jogged along the street, hoping to kill all four Runners with his twin Uzis. Unfortunately for him, he only scored two kills. As he sprinted back he shouted, "Ned, get 'em!"
NED. Ned did not reply. He calmly fired and shot one of the Runners clean between the eyes. The last remaining Runner ducked down just as he fired. The bullet passed his head by a fraction of an inch. The zombie had been lucky once. He was not lucky a second time. Ned's third shot hit the Runner just above the left eye and splattered his brains out of the back of his head.
PHIL. Phil moved closer to the four Fatties advancing on him and cranked a round in his pump-action shotgun. His first shot caught the foremost Fatty in the face. Phil quickly fired again before the body had hit the ground. The recoil momentarily caught him off guard and the shot went far too high. It was a stupid mistake to make and he knew it. Annoyed at himself, he took more care with his next shot. A second Fatty fell down with half his head missing from the blast.
WANDA. "Hey, Wanda, are you free?" Phil called out. "I could do with some help here."
"Hang on. I'm coming," Wanda shouted back. She skated around the general store and past Ned's bunker to come to a stop alongside the patrolman.
"Jesus, you weren't kidding," she gasped as she saw just how many zombies were heading towards them. She fired her own pump-action shotgun one-handed, killing one of the two remaining Fatties.
"The fat bastards are going down," she declared through gritted teeth. Her second shot was just as accurate as her first and the fourth Fatty collapsed from a fatal head wound.
 ZOMBIES. The twelve remaining Walkers were joined by five more from the north.
To the utter horror of Phil and Wanda, a horde of six Walkers and three Fatties suddenly came into sight from the east side.
 Another eight Walkers arrived from the south side of the city.
The two Runners who arrived from the west side appeared to be little more than an afterthought. It beggared belief where all the zombies were all coming from.
TURN 23
AMY. "Hmm, chainsaw or shotgun?" Amy wondered out loud as she jogged towards the two newly arrived Runners. She fired up the chainsaw just as she reached them and swung into action, scything them down with confident ease. She sprinted back to join the others.
DOUG. Doug walked up to the T-junction leading to the north side. He fired two short three-round bursts from his pair of Uzi sub-machine guns at the horde of nine Walkers and was delighted to see three of them drop down dead.
"Guys, they're getting too many to deal with," he said solemnly. "I really think we should get outta here."
He dashed into the general store behind him. There was a time for fighting and a time for running. This was the time for running he'd decided.
NED. Ned took out a female Walker with a single shot from his 7.62mm sniper's rifle.
"I'm with you, Doug," he called out as he followed the office worker into the general store.
JOSH. The teenager totally agreed with his colleagues' decision to split. But he also knew that the more zombies they killed the greater their chance of escaping would be. He took a couple of paces forward to face five bloodthirsty and ravenously hungry zombie Walkers. His twin sawed-off shotguns boomed twice, spraying out a cone of destruction that killed four of the walking dead. He reloaded both shotguns as he slowly retreated.
PHIL. Although he hadn't seen Doug and Ned run back into the relative safety of the general store he had heard them and agreed with their tactics. It was time to quit whilst they still could. He fired once with his Remington shotgun and beheaded a teenage Walker.
Phil is the third survivor to advance to the Red Level. He picks Sniper as his new Skill.
"Wanda, we can't fight them all," he said concernedly. "We have to get out of here. Now."
"Go," Wanda ordered. "I'll follow shortly."
"Make it very short," Phil said as he sprinted into the rear entrance of the general store.
WANDA. The young waitress had come to the same conclusion as Josh. The more zombies they killed now the less they'd have to deal with later. She fired her shotgun repeatedly until it clicked on empty. She did very well with her shooting. Four Walkers lay dead just a few yards away.
She saw her friend Amy further down the street as she skated to a halt alongside Josh. Amy waved at her and she responded with a thumbs up sign. Ned, Doug and Phil were making their way through the general store.
ZOMBIES. The eighteen remaining zombies were joined by a further nineteen. Seven Walkers came from the north.
Two Runners from the east and five Walkers from the west made that part of the neighbourhood a no-go area for humans.
Five more Walkers came shuffling in from the west side.
TURN 24
AMY. Amy knew that she was getting low on ammo for Ma's Shotgun. She took a few steps towards a group of five Walkers and fired the combi-weapon at extreme close range, killing one of the undead. She had hoped to have got more of them in the lethal discharge but one was better than none.
Amy is the fourth Survivor to reach Red Danger Level. She chooses the Medic Skill, which will should prove very useful.
As Amy sprinted as fast as she could away from the Walkers she suddenly realised she had never used the machete attached beneath Ma's Shotgun.
There was only one road out of the neighbourhood that had remained free of zombies throughout the morning. It was the obvious escape route to safety and Amy took it at speed. She would live to fight another day.
DOUG. Doug was the first to exit the generalstore and he saw Amy leaving. Sensible girl, he thought as he followed her.
JOSH."One more kill and then I'm leaving," the reformed street thug said to Wanda. He fired his pair of sawed-off shotguns at the nearest Walker. It was overkill and Josh knew it. But he didn't care.
Josh also makes it to Red Level this Turn. He opts for +1 Free Move Action as his fourth Skill.
 "Don't wait any longer, Wanda," he warned. "Follow me quickly. We have to get away."
 He raced through the general store and out the front entrance.
NED. He might be crazy to some but Ned was a lot smarter than most people gave him credit for. He had predicted the zombie apocalypse and he knew exactly what to do in order to survive. Right now, running away was the only sensible tactic. He jogged out of the store to follow in the footsteps of Amy and Doug. Safety beckoned and he was relieved to have escaped without loss or injury.
PHIL. Phil was behind Doug and Ned and so had farther to go to reach safety. He moved at a steady pace, eyes and ears alert to any danger. He saw three of his friends depart but hung back to make sure that Josh and Wanda were safe.
Wanda actually missed when she first shot at these two Walkers but because she had Plenty of Ammo she was allowed a re-roll and this time she scored two kills.
WANDA. Like Josh, Wanda could not leave without a parting shot. She fired her shotgun at a pair of Walkers and caught them both in the blast.
Wanda is the sixth and final Survivor to advance to the Red Danger Level. She selects the +1Die: Combat Skill.
She spun round through 180 degrees and agilely skated into the general store, relieved to be away from the vast horde of zombies that were inching ever closer.
ZOMBIES. The neighbourhood was filling up with a tidal wave of zombies. Twenty-nine Walkers, three Fatties and two Runners were joined by two Runners from the north.
Just look at all of those zombies! Now imagine throwing a Molotov Cocktail at them, he he!
Four Walkers and two Fatties joined the horde from the east side.
Five Walkers had spotted the survivors making their escape. They were too far away and too slow to reach them. Their number doubled when five more Walkers from the south joined them.
Off to the west, four Walkers would soon be overtaken by four Runners. The neighbourhood was now populated by fifty-one zombies.
TURN 25
JOSH."What a morning, eh?" Josh remarked as he jogged past Phil away from the zombie-infested neighbourhood.
PHIL. "Yep, it has been one hell of a morning," Phil agreed. He glanced at the front entrance to the store and shouted, "Wanda, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Phil," the pretty young blonde replied. "Go. I'll catch up with you in a second."
Phil smiled and followed his four comrades in arms away from the danger zone.
WANDA. "Wherever we're going, I hope they have a bath or a shower," Wanda wished out loud. She glided gracefully out of the general store on her rollerskates and quickly caught up with Phil and the others.

CONCLUSION. They made it! All six survived what was without doubt, the longest and toughest game of Zombicide I have ever played. What is even more incredible is that they survived without suffering a single wound. So how come they performed so well? It's all down to the three "T"s - tactics, teamwork and terrain.
TACTICS. The primary tactic I used was hit and run. Move in to shooting or melee range, strike, then back away. This coupled with the long range shooting from Ned and Phil with their rifles was so effective in dealing with small numbers of zombies.
TEAMWORK. This is absolutely vital in any game of Zombicide. The Survivors supported one another whenever one needed help. Ideally, I like to keep my Survivors grouped together but the nature of the scenario and the location of the Zombie Spawn Points meant it was necessary to split up the Survivors so that they could cover each Spawn Point. Even so, they still kept fairly close together and were able to offer assistance when needed.
TERRAIN. This game was played on a large game board and as a consequence the four Zombie Spawn Points were spread far apart. The Zombies kept arriving in such small numbers (up till the Red Danger Level) that they never had the chance to group up. Most times, all zombies who arrived, were killed in the following Turn. This kept their numbers down, making them less of a threat. Because the survivors almost always kept to the centre of the board it meant that the Zombies couldn't reach them quickly enough to attack. That proved very decisive for the Survivors.
I loved every minute of that game and it just reaffirmed why Zombicide is such a great game. My stand out moment of the game was when Amy drove the pimpmobile at four Walkers and killed them all. That was so unexpected but so cool! As for who I thought was "Man of the Match" I can only say that all of them were. They all performed heroically. They survived and that was the main thing.
I should say that not all games of Zombicide run as long as this one did. The scenario objective (reach Red Level before escaping) meant it was going to be a long slog. Amy, Doug, Josh, Ned, Phil and Wanda are my six favourite Zombicide Survivors, so you can expect to see them again in more batreps.
One final thought before I leave - this was such an intense experience for the Survivors. They bonded well and killed an incredible amount of zombies? So, do you think they did enough to warrant Ultimate Survivor status? My feeling is no, they didn't. I'd like to run them through more scenarios before according them that accolade. But, there are no rules to state when a Survivor becomes an Ultimate Survivor, so anything is possible. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this topic.
If you have stuck with me this far, many thanks for your perseverance. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed playing it.
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Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Toxic Fatties 01

June 20, 2015, 4:34 pm
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This is the 600th post of my blog, which is quite an amazing achievement. Yay! :-)
I suppose it should be marked in some special way but I'm not going to. Sorry! :-(
Instead, I'm going to showcase some of my Toxic Fatties from the Zombicide Season 2 expansion set, Toxic City Mall.
Toxic Zombies are disgusting creatures and are easily recognisable by their multiple spikes and profusion of boils that cover their bodies. The first three Fatties in my photos are straight out of the box figures. Only my paintwork distinguishes them from one another.
For the Fatty at the far right of my photos I bent his right arm at the elbow by briefly holding the arm over the flame from a candle. Whilst it was pliant I bent it into a new position and then immediately dunked the figure into a glass of cold water. This set the arm in its new position. He now looks like he is clutching his stomach. It is a very simple conversion. Just be careful not to hold the figure too close to the flame and for no longer than ten seconds.
I really like these figures. They are beautifully sculpted and very detailed, which made them a lot of fun to paint. For the most part they were painted with the Army Painter Zombicide paints from the Zombie Core Paint Set and the Zombie Toxic/Prison Paint Set. I like these paints a lot but not quite as much as my Foundry paints. For the gore effects I used a mix of the Zombicide Glistening Blood with a smidgeon of Zombicide Dead Black (any acrylic black paint would do) and a lot of Tamiya Clear Red (the best paint on the market for doing gore effects). Painting gore is always the last thing I paint on my figures and I must admit, it is the part I enjoy the most!
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Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Toxic Fatties 02

June 23, 2015, 8:28 pm
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Following on from my last post, here are the rest of my Zombicide Toxic Fatties. The first three, going from left to right, came from the Box of Zombies - Set #2: Toxic Crowd. The other two were freebies I received for backing Zombicide Season 2 on Kickstarter. Please note that four of these are different sculpts to the sculpts found in the Toxic City Mall expansion set.
The first four Fatties in my photos are the new sculpts. They look very similar to the original sculpts and you can do a comparison with the Fatty at the far right. A closer look reveals that their T-shirts are not as badly torn, they lack spikes on their shoulders and they carry a bottle in their right hands. The two at the far left are unconverted. For the one in the middle I bent his left arm at the elbow so that it points forward instead of to the side. This was done using the flame and cold water technique I described last time. For the Fatty standing second from the right, I chopped his right hand off and added a small piece of Milliput to the stump to show a bone poking through the wound and to create a jagged edge to the wound, indicating his hand had been bitten off not sliced off.
The Fatty at the far right had a hole drilled into his neck to represent a gunshot wound. It's not an obvious conversion and if you didn't know it was there you could easily overlook it. This gives me a total of nine Toxic Fatties, which is quite a frightening amount. As I said last time, I had a lot of fun painting these obese monsters.
By the way, Box of Zombies - Set #2: Toxic Crowd also contains new sculpts of a couple of Walkers and comes with 24 figures plus 6 Toxic Zombie Spawn cards. You can still purchase this set. I've just checked and Amazon UK have it in stock for £15.52 instead of the RRP of £19.99.
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Vampifan's Views 65 - Monthly Musings 43

June 28, 2015, 2:45 am
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Miss Vampirella June 2015 - Kitana Baker
I start this month's musings with another of my favourite Vampirella models - Kitana Baker. She was born in 1977 as Christi Michell Josenhans in Anaheim, California. Keen to get into show business, Kitana began working as a showgirl in local clubs, eventually winning Local Showgirl of the Year 1998 and National Showgirl of the Year 1999 awards along the way. She also began modeling, posing for various magazines and web sites, and caught the attention of Playboy magazine in February 2001. Playboy hired Kitana to work on their network, and she has been a feature of the Playboy empire ever since. She was hired by Harris Comics in 2003 and appeared on the cover of numerous Vampirella magazines between 2003 and 2004. She certainly fills Vampirella's red costume magnificently, which I'm pleased to see that Harris have altered for the better. The costume is perfect and whilst I have absolutely nothing against the gorgeous Kitana, she is just far too busty to be Vampirella. That does not mean that I don't lust after her! She's welcome at my home any time!

This month's gaming news is exciting... well, it is to me! First, I have backed the Zombicide: Black Plague Kickstarter project. That was a no-brainer, obviously. There is still over a week for it to run and it most definitely is going from strength to strength with nearly $2.5 million already pledged. Will it reach $3 million? I hope so.
My second piece of gaming news is that a few days ago I received a small parcel from Studio Miniatures, containing the Survivor and Zombie figures I ordered in their Z-Clipz: Outbreak Kickstarter project. Obviously, with these being Studio Miniatures, they are superbly sculpted. I received about 50 figures and a resin cast wrecked car. The figures are primarily based on characters from popular films and TV series, especially The Walking Dead and George A. Romero's classic zombie film, Dawn of the Dead. Ever since I first saw Dawn of the Dead way back in 1979, I have been waiting for someone to make the four heroes of the film. My patience was finally rewarded when this Kickstarter was launched. Sorry I have no preview photos to show you of the figures I received but they are high on my painting list and I hope to review them soon.
I have been adding to my collection of Zombicide Season 3 stuff by buying a few sets I missed out when I made my initial pledge last year. First up is this boxed set of a Murder of Crowz. It contains 15 stands with each stand containing 6 zombie crows. Anyone who has seen the film, Resident Evil: Extinction will know about zombie crows! I must admit that these figures will be an absolute doddle to paint. Although I received a few of these Crowz with my Kickstarter package, I didn't get any rules or spawn cards for them. Now I do have  them.
I bought all of the Special Guest Sculptor boxed sets of figures that were offered in the Season 3 Kickstarter launch except one. That one was the set you see here to the left. It features four characters from John Kovalic's popular Dork Tower comic series. This series has been running since 1997 and features a group of nerdish gamers whom most of us will recognise from our own gaming groups. I passed on this set because the figures are so cartoonish. I didn't see how I could use them in any realistic game, especially one as dark in tone as Zombicide. But the more I looked at them, the more I realised I wanted them. Yes, I am a Zombicide fanboy. I admit it! It did bug me that I was missing a set. So, when I saw them on offer on eBay with the Buy Now option my willpower collapsed and I bought them. I am now a happy bunny. I already have a few scenarios in mind that should be ideal for them. I see no reason not to inject a bit of fun into the game.
Now some of you might be thinking I bought them because they look like Chibi miniatures. Wrong! They may be cartoon characters but they most definitely are NOT Chibi characters. John Kovalic has placed a huge backlog of Dork Tower cartoon strips on his website here - http://www.dorktower.com/ which I have thoroughly enjoyed going through. Yep, I read them all... although not in one sitting! I happen to know that John does a lot of work for Steve Jackson Games so I did a search to see just exactly what he had done. I saw that there was a Dork Tower boardgame, which didn't interest me, and set of 28mm scale metal figures to go with the game, which did interest me. Sadly, the figures were out of stock and out of production, but a quick search on eBay revealed a seller living just a couple of miles away from where I live with a set for sale at the ridiculously low price of £6.95. What a bargain! I leapt on it. This time the characters are dressed in fantasy garb and I plan to use them in an offbeat game of Zombicide: Black Plague sometime in 2016. As soon as I get both sets painted up I'll review them.
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Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Toxic Runners 01

June 30, 2015, 6:17 pm
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Zombies Runners in Zombicide are always a scary proposition because they get to activate twice in a Turn. Toxic Runners are even more scary because if killed in melee combat they explode and their Toxic Spray causes one Wound to their assailant. Here are the first eight of my 16 Toxic Runners.
The first thing I did to all of these figures was to remove the supporting peg beneath their left feet. They are made of hard enough plastic that they don't need it. That was the only modification I made to the two Runners at the far left the photos above and below.
The two Runners at the far right of the two photos above have had body and leg swaps. The bodies are the same as those shown to the far left but the legs are different, as you can easily tell if you notice their bare feet. Body and leg swaps are quite an easy conversion to do. The hardest part is cutting the figure in half. Even though the figures are made of plastic and can be cut with a craft knife, it does take a bit of effort to cut through that much plastic. Once the figures are cut in half I drill a hole in the centre of both parts. I use a small piece of a paperclip cut to size to pin the body to the legs, along with a spot of superglue. It is a simple but effective conversion. Note that I have also cut off their baseball hats that were hanging from their belts. It seemed illogical to keep them when they were already wearing baseball caps on their heads.
Here again, the two Runners at the far left are straight from the box sculpts with just the removal of the peg under their left feet my only modification. I wouldn't call it a conversion.
The two Runners at the far right have had their legs and bodies swapped with the two Runners I showed above in the first two photos.
There is a great sense of movement in the way these figures have been sculpted and you can tell at a glance that they are Runners and not Walkers. I like them.
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Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Toxic Runners 02

July 5, 2015, 2:45 am
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Here are the second 8 of my 16 Toxic Zombies from Guillotine Games' Zombicide. Two were freebies I got for backing Zombicide Season 2 on Kickstarter and the rest came from the Box of Zombies - Set #2: Toxic Crowd.
The Runner at the far left of the two photos above and below has not been altered in any way. I even kept the peg below his left foot intact, although I have obscured it with bits of rubble (sand and cat litter).
The second Runner in line has had his peg under his left foot removed and I cut off his left hand. That was such a simple conversion.
For the third Runner in line I removed the peg under his left foot and I drilled three holes in his chest with a pin vice to show he had been shot by someone who didn't realise you have to aim for the head! Once again, this was a very simple conversion. Note that the holes did not go all the way through the body, so from the back he looks unharmed.
For the Runner at the far right of this group I left his support peg on. I bent his right arm at the elbow using the flame from a candle to soften his arm, bending it in shape then dunking the figure in a glass of cold water so that the arm stays in its new position.
Moving on to the second batch of Runners, once again, the first Runner in line has not been modified in any way. The peg under his left foot was coated in sand to make it less smooth looking.
The next Runner in line did have his support peg cut off, as well as his right arm at the elbow. I added a very small piece of Milliput to the stump and used a cocktail stick to draw a circle in the centre of the stump. The inner circle was painted white to represent bone and the rest of the wound was given a coating of Tamiya Clear Red mixed with a drop of Acrylic Black.
The third Runner in line was converted in the same way as the second Runner in line in my first two photos, i.e. his support peg was removed and I cut off his left hand.
For the Runner at the far right I left his support peg under his left foot intact. I bent his right arm so that it is pointing forward instead of down, using the flame and cold water technique described above.
I hope the conversion techniques I have described above shows that converting figures can be easy and can be done by anyone with the minimum of skill. After all, how hard can it be to cut a limb off or drill some holes into a plastic figure? The flame and cold water technique is harder to achieve as it is so easy to get the figure too close to the flame or heat it up for too long. But if the worst comes to the worst, just cut the limb off. These are zombies after all!
Next up - Toxic Walkers.
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Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Toxic Male Walkers 01

July 8, 2015, 2:34 am
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So far I have reviewed the Toxic Abominations, Toxic Fatties and Toxic Runners for Zombicide. Now it is time to look at the most numerous of the Toxic Zombie types - the Walkers. In this and my next post I'll review the male Toxic Walkers before I move onto the female Toxic Walkers. There are 17 males and 17 females to look at, so let's get started.
The two Walkers to the left of the photos above and below are straight from the box sculpts with just my paint schemes to differentiate them.
However, the next two Walkers have leg and body swaps done. The legs are the same as the two Walkers shown above. I used a sharp craft knife to cut the bodies in half. After swapping the legs and bodies around I drilled and pinned them and used superglue to fix the two halves in place.
As above, the two Walkers to the left of the photos directly above and below are straight out of the box sculpts; that box being the Toxic City Mall expansion set.
The remaining two Walkers have had leg and body swaps as described above. The only difference between them is their colour schemes.
These are quite good sculpts - not outstanding but not bad either. Best of all, because of the way they have been sculpted, they lend themselves to conversion work very easily. I'll show you more of my conversions next time.
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Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Toxic Male Walkers 02

July 11, 2015, 9:23 pm
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Here I present part two of my review of my male Toxic Walkers for Zombicide. Most of these came from from the Box of Zombies - set #2: Toxic Crowd. The others were free stretch goals I received for backing Zombicide Season 2.
The two Walkers at the far left of the two photos above and below have been converted very easily. One has had his left hand cut off and the other has lost his right arm just below the elbow. This is probably the easiest conversion to do, requiring no skill at all.
The next three Walkers in line are new sculpts not found in the Toxic City Mall expansion set. Instead, they come from the Box of Zombies - Set #2: Toxic Crowd. The two Walkers at the far right of the two photos above have not been converted at all, but they do have very contrasting colour schemes. For the Walker in the centre, wearing the yellow jacket, I gave him an Elvis Presley quiff of hair out of modelling putty. I got to wondering why all of the male Toxic Zombies lost their hair but the female Toxic Zombies didn't? So, "Elvis" here is my only male Toxic Zombie with hair and for that reason he  stands out from the rest. Here's a thought. Perhaps it is not his real hair at all but a wig. That would make sense if all males lose their hair, wouldn't it?
As above in my first two photos, the two Walkers at the far left of these photos directly above and below have been converted by me cutting off the right hand of the  first one in line and the lower arm of the second one. Once again, very simple conversions.
The two Walkers at the far right were free Kickstarter stretch goal figures that I received. They are the same sculpt as the three Walkers to the right of the first two photos. They have both been converted by having their left arm cut off at the shoulder. However, for the Walker in the orange coat, I glued his arm back on at the side of his body. The gap at his shoulder was filled with modelling putty.
By the way, I should mention that when I cut off limbs from my zombies, nothing gets thrown away. The offcuts go in my spare parts box. Quite often I'll use a spare body part to add to the base of a figure. It adds a piece of grisly decoration to the base.
Next up are my female Toxic Walkers.
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Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Toxic Female Walkers 01

July 14, 2015, 10:28 pm
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I'm drawing to a close of my reviews of the 28mm scale Toxic Zombies for Zombicide. In this and the following post I'll review my female Toxic Walkers. The eight figures that I'm showcasing here all came from the Toxic City Mall expansion set.
As usual, I start off with two figures that are straight from the box. These two Walkers, looking like office workers, have not been converted at all. I still can't explain why female Toxic Zombies keep their hair but males don't.
The two Walkers to the right of the two photos above have kept their upper bodies but have had leg swaps with two of the Walkers in the photos below. They look taller than the two Walkers at the left of the two photos above and a lot less classy.
The two Walkers at the left of the photos directly above and below are also straight from the box sculpts. When I first saw them two words immediately sprung to mind - "trailer trash!"
The two Walkers at the right of the two photos had their legs swapped with the two Walkers at the right of the first two photos. They aren't as trashy looking as the two women to the left of them, thanks to their long skirts, although they are still flashing their bras.
I like the sculpting of these figures far more than that of the male Toxic Walkers. The way they have been posed means that they do lend themselves to lots of conversion possibilities. I'll show even more ideas that I came up with next time. One conversion in particular, takes pride of place in my entire collection of 28mm scale zombie figures, which is why I have deliberately kept the best until last.
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Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Toxic Female Walkers 02 & Zombie Tramp

July 19, 2015, 1:22 am
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So, at last, I come to the end of my reviews of my Toxic Zombies for Zombicide. Here are eight more female Toxic Walkers and a special conversion of one of my favourite comic book characters - Zombie Tramp.
These five Walkers are new sculpts not found in the Toxic City Mall expansion set. The first three came from the Box of Zombies - Set #2: Toxic Crowd and the other two were free stretch goal figures that I received for backing Zombicide Season 2. The two Toxic Walkers at the far left of the photos directly above and below are straight from the box and only their colour schemes makes them look different.
The Toxic Walker in the centre of the group has had a simple conversion that could be easily overlooked. I made her ponytail thicker but not longer.
The Toxic Walker fourth in line has had her ponytail both thickened and lengthened with modelling putty. In addition, I cut off her left arm at the shoulder.
For the Toxic Walker at the far right I repositioned her right arm so that she is clutching her stomach. This was done using the flame and cold water technique I have described previously.
The three Toxic Walkers shown to the left of the photos directly above and below were also free Kickstarter stretch goal figures that I received. The woman at the far left has had her right hand cut off.
The Toxic Walker standing next to her had her left arm cut off and glued back in place at her side. The gap at her shoulder was filled in with modelling putty.
The Toxic Walker dressed in white with the pink cardigan had a hole drilled all the way through her back and out her stomach.
And finally, we come to my conversion of Zombie Tramp. Who is Zombie Tramp? I hear you ask. I'd be very surprised if any of you have even heard of her. Zombie Tramp is the heroine of a series of comics produced by Action Labs Entertainment created by Dan Mendoza. Janey Belle was one of Hollywood's elite call girls with a rich and famous clientele. Her life changed when a corrupt sheriff, Julian Rudolf, coerced her to spend a night with his son, Jason. Sadly for Janey, the son turned out to be a flesh-eating zombie and he bit her. She escaped but soon died and came back to life as a zombie. Fate intervened when she met Xula, a voodoo queen. Xula instantly recognised something unique and  different about zombie Janey - she still retained her soul. Xula took Janey under her wing and taught her all she knew. Together, they sought revenge against the Rudolfs.
Janey is virtually unkillable. Whenever she dies (and she does quite often!), her spirit leaves her body and takes over the body of the nearest human. She prefers taking over females to males but whoever she takes over quickly transforms into Janey in appearance. Janey is also a skilled necromancer and can reanimate the dead as well as transforming humans into zombies with a spell. It is hard to define Janey. She is not inherently evil, although she does torture and eat people who piss her off. Yes, she is a zombie, but a very intelligent zombie. She can speak and can easily pass for being human.
I fell in love with this character when I bought her first two mini-series in graphic novel format. Lately, she received her own on-going comic series and I am an avid collector of them. Zombie Tramp is the kind of person you'll either love or hate. Sure, she's bawdy, frequently nude or topless, foul-mouthed and has a bad attitude but she is also very lovable and extremely funny and there is far more to her than just another tits and ass superheroine. When it comes to collecting comics, Zombie Tramp is my one guilty pleasure.
When I saw the figure of the female Toxic Walker wearing the miniskirt I immediately saw a resemblance with Zombie Tramp and I knew I had to convert her. So, first I cut off all the spikes that covered her limbs. I remodeled her hair to give it more body. And I enlarged her breasts and made the decision not to cover them up. She certainly looks the part. If I was to use her in Zombicide it would have to be as a Zombivor. She is far too powerful to be a normal zombie.
I'll leave you with a few pictures of Zombie Tramp from the comics and real life (!).
Zombie Tramp artwork by guest artist, Patrick Finch

Artwork by series creator, Dan Mendoza for series 2. Janey is using a pair of severed hands as a makeshift push-up bra! The white streak in Janey's hair is a clump of blonde hair attached to a piece of skull to cover up a gaping wound when Janey got shot in the top of the head. She can fuse other peoples' body parts to her own. "Wrong colour but should do nicely," she said as she ripped apart the head of a young female corpse. To the right is cosplayer, Diana Prince, who perfectly replicates Dan's artwork. She just IS Zombie Tramp. There aren't that many Zombie Tramp cosplayers but Diana is far and away the best.
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Zombicide Season 3 Survivors and Zombivors 01

July 22, 2015, 2:33 am
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I thought I'd take a short break from reviewing zombies. However, still sticking with my favourite zombie apocalypse game, Zombicide, here's a look at the first of my Season 3 Survivors and Zombivors. Three of them (Dick, Leroy and Paul) came from Survivor and Zombivor Set #5: Moustache Pack #2. The other figure (Lucius) was one of the free stretch goals I received for backing the Zombicide Season 3 Kickstarter project. He also sports a moustache, so he fits in well with the other three. All four bear remarkable similarities with well known film and TV stars.
First in line is Paul Rourke, the reality TV star. Discovered by TV producers during $2 Pitcher Night at his local bowling alley, Paul hit the big time in the African Safari Journey reality show, leading his team to a fourth place finish. His star rose as he starred in the inevitable sequels and reunions. When African Safari Journey was cancelled Paul hit the skids and was working as a short order cook at a local diner when the dead rose. Taking charge, he led his terrified patrons to safety. Paul doesn't have many useful survival skills, but people respond to his leadership skills and irascible persona. The world needs a hero, and Paul is glad to play his part.
Both Survivor and Zombivor Paul are armed with twin Knives. Paul's starting skill is Swordmaster, which allows him to treat all melee weapons as if they had the Dual symbol. The figure of Paul is clearly based on Mickey Rourke's character, Tool, in the film, The Expendables.
The tall African/American gent is Leroy Thompson, an accountant. Leroy always knew he wanted to be an accountant and he worked hard to make his dream a reality. The day he became a Certified Public Accountant was the greatest of his life. All was well in the world of spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations until he went on a mandatory team-building exercise set deep in the woods. The team-building exercise involved paintball and copious amounts of alcohol. Leroy woke the next morning with a hangover and a Mohawk haircut. Unfortunately, the zombies chose that day to attack. the sole survivor of his slaughtered team, Leroy traded in his paintball rifle for the real thing. His transformation from mild-mannered accountant to cold-blooded killer has been nothing short of astounding.
Survivor and Zombivor Leroy are both armed with 5.56mm M16 Assault Rifles. Leroy's starting Skill is Tough, which allows him to ignore the first Attack he receives from a single Zombie every Zombies' Phase. Leroy is unmistakably based on Mr. T's character, B.A. Baracus, from The A-Team TV series.
Surprisingly brightly dressed is Dick Johnson the undertaker. Voted undertaker of the year three years running, Dick Johnson's chain of cut-rate funeral parlours consistently buried the competition. When the dead actually rose, Dick hid in one of his coffins for three days hoping to ride it out. Re-emerging into a dead new world and realising that since nobody died anymore he was now the most useless man on Earth. Dick threw himself into the business of survival with the same vigour he displayed in building his one-man empire of the dead. Dick's knowledge of anatomy, embalming chemicals and obscure knowledge of undertaking lore will prove invaluable to any group he joins.
Survivor Dick is armed with a .44 Magnum Revolver, whilst Zombivor Dick has upgraded to a 7.62mm AK47 Assault Rifle. His starting Skill is Lucky, which allows him to re-roll once all the dice for each Action he takes. The new result takes the place of the previous one. This Skill stacks with the effects of other Skills (+1 Re-roll per Turn, for example) and Equipment that allows re-rolls. Dick's figure is based on Will Ferrell's eponymous character in the film Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Finally, we come to Lucius Reno, aka the Weed Man. Lucius started growing marijuana soon after smoking his first joint. After flunking out of high school, Lucius discovered he had a green thumb and turned an enjoyable hobby into a full-fledged business. Everyone loved Lucius’s bud, and his nickname of the Weed Man stuck. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. Busted by the local cops, Lucius was being escorted to the police station when the zombie outbreak hit. The cops soon had other things to worry about and Lucius managed to slip away. Not a hero, Lucius ekes out a precarious existence bartering herb for life’s essentials.
Survivor Lucius and Zombivor Lucius are each armed with a 9mm Pistol. Lucius's starting Skill is +1 to Dice Roll: Ranged, giving him a handy bonus to all of his Ranged Attacks. The figure of Lucius is based on the character, Leone "Leon" Montana from one of my favourite films, Leon: the Professional in which he plays a hitman who befriends a young girl after her family is murdered by a corrupt police detective. Rather unusually, Zombivor Lucius has been sculpted in a running pose.
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Zombicide Dork Tower Survivors 01

July 25, 2015, 3:57 am
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One of the many things I like about Zombicide is that the creators invite guest sculptors to contribute to the game with sculpts of their own for Survivors and Zombivors. This idea began when Zombicide Season 2 was announced and has continued for Season 3 and Black Plague. One of the sculptors asked to participate in Season 3 was John Kovalic, creator of the cartoon strip, Dork Tower. I am a big fan of John's work but I didn't include his set of Survivors when I made my very large pledge for the Zombicide Season 3 Kickstarter project. To be honest, I didn't think I could find a use for his cartoon figures. That all changed once I developed a love for the Chibi figures of Super Dungeon Explore late last year. Just last month I was fortunate enough to find John's set going for sale at a very reasonable price on eBay, so I bought them and quickly painted the four Survivors from the set. Although the figures are very cartoon-like with their disproportionately large heads they are not Chibi figures. John's work is more akin to that of The Peanuts by Charles M. Schultz.
So, what is Dork Tower about? It's a story of five gamers and the lives they lead in the town of Mud Bay. Anyone who follows my blog ought to be able to identify with them. Dork Tower is unashamedly geeky but a lot of fun. The story has been in print and online since 1997 and is still going strong today. You can learn a lot more about it here - http://www.dorktower.com/ Let's meet the cast of Matt, Gilly, Igor and Carson, shown below from left to right respectively.
Matt McLimore was a web cartoonist and Games Master for his local group in quiet little Mud Bay, Wisconsin. DM'ing made him a natural leader, gaming taught him strategy, while trying to make a living cartooning trained him to survive on little. General frustration and plenty of free time playing Warhamster: ZombieSide meant that when the zombies did come, Matt was ready and waiting. The hordes have disrupted his weekly gaming sessions and they're gonna pay - and he doesn't mean in Gold Pieces or Experience Points. And, unlike his game-table experience, he's not giving any of them a saving roll!
Matt is armed with a pair of 9mm Browning HP Pistols, a Broad Sword and has a Hand Grenade in his coat pocket. Matt starts with two Blue Level Skills. Yes, plural. A lot of Season 3 Survivors get either the Helicopter Pilot or Fast Roping Skill to make use of the new rules for helicopters in the game. So Matt starts with Helicopter Pilot (self-explanatory) and Born Leader, which allows him to give one free Action to another Survivor to use as he or she pleases. This Action must be used during the recipient's next Turn or is lost.
Gilly Woods was Mud Bay's Perky Goth fangirl and cosplayer, so she's always been an outsider, making her strong, fiercely independent and self-reliant. She's had to put up with idiot fanboys labeling her a "fake geek girl" long enough. A veteran of many Comic-Cons, she's used to dealing with the mindless, shambling, unwashed masses. Since most of the haters were zombie-like to begin with, she doesn't see a whole lot of difference between putting down a basement-dwelling fanboy with a well-timed quip, or plugging a zombie right between the eyes with a trusty Glock.
Gilly is armed with a pair of  9mm Glock 17 Pistols, a Short-Sword and has a Dagger on her upper right arm. Gilly's two starting Skills are Fast Roping (allows her to exit a flying helicopter by rappelling down a rope) and Shove, which allows her to use this Skill, for free, once during her Activations. Select a Zone at Range 1 from her. All Zombies standing in her Zone are pushed to the selected Zone. This is not a Movement. Both Zones need to share a clear path. A Zombie can't cross barricades, fences, closed doors or walls but can be shoved out of a hole. Shove can't be used by Survivors in a car or helicopter.
Igor Olman believes that anything worth doing is worth doing to excess: comics, gaming, movies and fandom in general. So it's no surprise that when the horrors of the zombie hordes appeared on his doorstep, he launched into them with all the gusto of a Warhamster Fantasy Roleplay 25th-level Dwarven Hellwarrior armed with Zordaz's +25 Axe of Lordly Slicing and Dicing, with the "Mighty Big Cleave" bonus. Nobody's quite sure where Igor got his full arsenal of bazookas and rocket launchers from. Nobody's quite sure where he was storing them. Frankly, his friends are afraid to ask. Igor calls his bazooka "THACO."
Igor is armed to the teeth with a Bazooka, three rockets for the Bazooka, one Mini-Nuke Missile, a Two-Headed Axe, a Spear and a Hunting Rifle. He didn't think it too many; in fact, he didn't think it enough! Igor's two starting Skills are Fast Roping and Bloodlust: Melee, which if he spends one Action, he may Move up to two Zones to a Zone containing at least one zombie (or rival Survivor). He then gains one free Melee Action.
Carson the Muskrat is a mild-mannered soul. But he's small, fast and clever, making him hard to get a hold of. And somehow he got hold of a vintage, fully-operational British Bren Gun Carrier. Igor may have been involved, frankly. Don't let Carson's quiet demeanour and trepidatious outlook on life fool you; when his friends are threatened, he fights like a cornered animal: literally.
Carson's Bren Gun Carrier is, of course, armed with a .303 Enfield Bren Light Machine-Gun. Carson starts out with the Skills, Helicopter Pilot and Slippery, which allows him to Move through a Zone containing Zombies without having to spend one Action per Zombie in the Zone. Entering a Zone containing Zombies ends his Move Action.
These are fun sculpts and contrary to my initial misgivings that they have no place in Zombicide, I now realise I was wrong. Looking through my Zombicide Compendium volume 1, I spotted one scenario in particular that would be ideal to play using these four Survivors. Expect a batrep soon. By the way, do any of you get the THACO reference for the name of Igor's bazooka? Old gamers, like myself, will remember it from first edition Dungeons and Dragons. It stood for To Hit Armour Class 0. My God, that takes me back many a year!
DORK TOWER is the award-winning fan-favorite comic strip and comic book about five gamers, and the real world.
Sure, it’s also about the worlds they create, the games they play, the technologies they abuse and misuse and the conventions they road-trip to. But it’s a comic for everybody, geeks or otherwise. You don’t have to know Dungeons and Dragons, the music of Jonathan Coulton, the latest social networking phenomenon or the hippest meme to get it. All you need to know is that Geek if the new Mainstream, and pretty much everyone has the same hopes and fears, whether you’re a dork, a nerd, or a mundane.
DORK TOWER has been published in print and online since 1997, when it was first in the pages of Shadis Magazine, and later in Dragon. The comic book has sold nearly a half-million copies, and is collected in 9 award-winning trade paperbacks that have been published in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Polish…and soon Portuguese.
Games such as CHEZ DORK and DORK TOWER (Steve Jackson Games) and WARHAMSTER RALLY (Jolly Roger Games) have brought the comic’s cast to life over the gaming table. The characters also make frequent appearances in MUNCHKIN (Steve Jackson Games), which DORK TOWER John Kovalic also illustrates.
DORK TOWER is the story of Matt, Igor, Ken, Carson the Muskrat (yes, he’s a muskrat) and Gilly, the Perky Goth.
And they’re human. Just like you.
Even the muskrat.
Welcome to DORK TOWER.
- See more at: http://www.dorktower.com/about-dorktower/#sthash.aG6ppVKO.dpuf
DORK TOWER is the award-winning fan-favorite comic strip and comic book about five gamers, and the real world.
Sure, it’s also about the worlds they create, the games they play, the technologies they abuse and misuse and the conventions they road-trip to. But it’s a comic for everybody, geeks or otherwise. You don’t have to know Dungeons and Dragons, the music of Jonathan Coulton, the latest social networking phenomenon or the hippest meme to get it. All you need to know is that Geek if the new Mainstream, and pretty much everyone has the same hopes and fears, whether you’re a dork, a nerd, or a mundane.
DORK TOWER has been published in print and online since 1997, when it was first in the pages of Shadis Magazine, and later in Dragon. The comic book has sold nearly a half-million copies, and is collected in 9 award-winning trade paperbacks that have been published in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Polish…and soon Portuguese.
Games such as CHEZ DORK and DORK TOWER (Steve Jackson Games) and WARHAMSTER RALLY (Jolly Roger Games) have brought the comic’s cast to life over the gaming table. The characters also make frequent appearances in MUNCHKIN (Steve Jackson Games), which DORK TOWER John Kovalic also illustrates.
DORK TOWER is the story of Matt, Igor, Ken, Carson the Muskrat (yes, he’s a muskrat) and Gilly, the Perky Goth.
And they’re human. Just like you.
Even the muskrat.
Welcome to DORK TOWER.
- See more at: http://www.dorktower.com/about-dorktower/#sthash.aG6ppVKO.dpuf
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Vampifan's Views 66 - Monthly Musings 44

July 28, 2015, 7:40 pm
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Miss Vampirella July 2015 - LeeAnna Vamp
This month's Vampirella model is the intriguingly named, LeeAnna Vamp. LeeAnna is an actress and professional cosplayer who has appeared as many super-heroines and villains. The picture I chose of her for my July calendar girl came from a photo shoot she made for Playboy. You can see a making of video of her Playboy debut here - https://youtu.be/CIIXchP_Hiw?list=LLprdr49Gj5eb0Px0xPa8EwA
Have no fear, folks, it is perfectly safe to view despite the Playboy connection: there is no nudity. I like LeeAnna and her depiction of Vampirella is spot on. Her costume is excellent, although her boots are too long, but that really is a very minor criticism. LeeAnna is a very friendly person, who likes meeting her fans at the many conventions she attends. Watching her all too brief appearance on that Playboy video gave me a good sense of how Vampirella would move in real life. As you know I am totally in love Vampirella but I do wonder how practical her costume would be in a real fight? Boob spillage would seem to be a very obvious drawback and yet it has never occurred in any of her stories. In GURPS Supers it was posited that female supers wearing skimpy costumes never suffer a costume malfunction because their costumes are made of a highly advanced material that always clings to the body. It's as good an explanation as any I've seen.

Moving on to my hobby news, it was a real treat meeting fellow blogger Mathyoo from Slovenia again, even though it was only for one day. He wanted to play Super Dungeon Explore with me. We played two games and he easily won the first but lost the second by the narrowest of margins. Balance was maintained but more importantly, we both had a great time.

Speaking of SDE, I have spent quite a bit of money on the game in these past few weeks. One of the biggest criticisms of the original SDE game was its lack of gaming tiles. It came with five double-sided boards. Now that The Forgotten King expansion set has been released, Soda Pop Miniatures (SPM) have addressed this problem in a big way. TFK contains six double-sided gaming tiles. I have just bought two more sets of six double-sided tiles. Shown above is  the set I most wanted - Von Drakk's Ghost House set, which contains six ghost house tiles and on the reverse of them, six graveyard tiles. In addition, the set comes with 12 Rattle-bone Skeleton figures. I also bought the set shown to the right - the Dungeons of Crystalia set, which contains six double-sided dungeon tiles and 12 figures of slime monsters. This gives me more than enough gaming tiles to play on and oodles of choice.
I also bought two Warband sets - the Mistmourn Coast Warband and the Stilt Town Zombies. Perpetually locked in an unnatural fog, the Mistmourn Coast is home to fickle and cruel faeries who make sport from tormenting trespassers. Trolls are some of the few mortal creatures who call the Mistmourn Coast home, and even they have been deeply affected by its magic. This set contains 1 Hero, 2 Spawning Points and 16 Monster figures with associated cards. Stilt Town Zombies adds the Survivor Marie-Claude Hero and Mr. Bitey the Zombie Bunny pet along with Gruesome George Mini-Boss, 2 spawning points, and 11 zombies with associated cards. I have been patiently waiting for SPM to add zombies to the game ever since I first saw the Von Drakk Manor expansion set. Now my prayer has been answered.
Finally, I bought some new Hero figures and a new Mini-Boss villain. One of my favourite SDE Heroes is Candy and her pet familiar, Cola. Candy is the narrator of the SDE rulebooks and often adds hints and tips on how to play the game. I was lucky enough to get the original metal figure of Candy and Cola (both on the same base). She is now out of production and incredibly rare. With the release of TFK, a new version of Candy and Cola were made - Brave-Mode Candy and Never Lost Cola - two incredibly cute figures.
Another Hero whom I considered a "must have" purchase was the Tabbybrook Mage. She is from a race of cat-like beings known as the Freyjans. Mages are a rarity in Freyjan society, which makes her something very special. She is a good all-rounder with healing skills as well as fire and ice spells. Being a cat lover, I have a great fondness for feline races in games and as soon as I saw the Tabbybrook Mage, I knew that I had to have her. The most noticeable thing about this figure is how tall she is. She stands 38mm tall from the bottom of her feet to the tips of her ears.
Finally, to redress the balance in the Consul's favour, I bought this figure of Ser Snapjaw, a   Kobold Mini-Boss. Ser Snapjaw is the greatest Wyrm Claw Exemplar in an age. Legendary among lesser Kobolds, they rally to Ser Snapjaw with zeal, his cunning leadership allowing them to fight with discipline that matches the mightiest armies. I just think he's a cool figure and I like him a lot. Some of my purchases came from Amazon.UK, whilst others came from eBay, courtesy of user-friendly sellers offering the "Buy Now" option.


My current interest in Zombicide remains undiminished. I have managed to play a few games of it, although none that I recorded. However, I do have Zombicide batrep planned very shortly. I took a short break from painting my Berserker Zombies (I'm two thirds of the way through them) to paint a load of Zombie Crows from the Murder of Crowz expansion set. As soon as I photograph them I'll review them on my blog. Grouped together they look damned impressive. The next few blog posts will be featuring some stuff that will most probably surprise you, but I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Oh, I almost forgot the biggest news I have to tell you. My collection of painted 28mm scale zombie figures has now broken through the 1,000 barrier. As of this post I have 1,010 fully painted and unique zombie figures. Now that is what you call a horde! I must take some photos of the assembled horde. Does this mean I'll now stop buying zombie figures? Don't be silly! Of course not. I'll keep on collecting as long as possible. Addicted, moi? Hell, yes!!!!!!!!!!
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Pillow Fight at St. Trinian's 02

August 2, 2015, 1:30 am
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Way back in March 2014 I posted a batrep for a most unusual game - Pillow Fight at St. Trinian's 01. You can find it here - http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/pillow-fight-at-st-trinians.html
Last week I received a new comment on the game from Matthew James Barlow, with some interesting suggestions. That got me thinking that a rematch was long overdue. In the first match the Posh Totty team defeated the First Formers' team. Now they face a new challenge from the Emos team.
The game uses the Pillow-a-go-go rules, which are now out of print, but if you are interested in owning them I can e-mail them to you as a PDF. The rules only run to two A4 sized pages plus a page for the bed and counters. The objective of the game is to knock all your opponents off the super-sized bed. Each team of three combatants randomly chooses a pillow for each participant, which have varying effects. They also have three points to distribute amongst the stats of Attack, Defence and Agility for each participant. The game takes place on a giant bed measuring 6" by 6". Movement is 3" on the bed and 4" on the ground. Agility can modify these numbers.
POSH TOTTY TEAM
I kept the same team and stats as before and picked very well for their pillows. By sheer coincidence these were the same three pillows I chose last time, although they went to different team members. The team from left to right are -
Rachel - Attack +2, Defence +0, Agility +1. Armed with Twin Cushions (gives 2 attacks per turn).
Chelsea - Attack +1, Defence +1, Agility +1. Armed with a Standard Feather Pillow (no bonuses or penalties).
April - Attack +0, Defence +2, Agility +1. Armed with Deluxe Goose Down Pillow (+1 bonus to Attack).
EMO TEAM
The challengers were up for a fight and wanted to prove they were the best pillow fighters. From left to right are -
Andrea - Attack +2, Defence +1, Agility +0. Armed with a Standard Feather Pillow (no bonuses or penalties).
Dorothy - Attack +2, Defence +0, Agility +1. Armed with a Standard Feather Pillow (no bonuses or penalties).
Emily - Attack +1, Defence +1, Agility +1. Armed with Big Bolster (knocks back opponent 2" instead of 1").
TURN 1 INITIATIVE - Posh = 3, Emos = 5.
The combatants may make one move followed by one attack per Turn. The first player activates one of their combatants carrying out all movement and any other actions. Once that combatants' activation ends activation moves to the next player in initiative order who then activates one of their combatants.This pattern continues until all players have had the opportunity to activate all of their combatants. When this occurs the turn has ended.
Dorothy. She moves 4" towards Chelsea and attempts a Normal Attack. If successful she'll knock  Chelsea back 1", which will push her off the bed. Both combatants roll 1d6 (using Attack vs Defence) adding any modifiers. Highest result wins and ties go to the defender. The result was E4, P4 (E = Emo, P = Posh), so Chelsea dodges the blow.
Rachel. She moves 1" to the side of Dorothy and launches a Double Attack with her twin cushions.
The results are P6, E3 and P3, E4, so one success and one failure. Dorothy is knocked 1" away from Rachel.
Emily. The young Emo moves 3" towards Rachel and attempts an Over Head Stunner Attack. This is a powerful attack if successful but is not without some risk. Before making this attack, the combatant leaves themselves open to attack. The target of this attack gets a free attack against her opponent before the Over Head Stunner is launched. If this free attack is successful in knocking back the attacker then this attack fails. Modifiers are +1 to hit. Opponent is knocked back 1" (it would actually be 2" because Emily is using the Big Bolster), knocked prone (must spend their next movement to stand up) and Stunned (unable to make any attacks until the next turn) during their next activation.
Unfortunately for Emily, Rachel succeeded in her free attack (P5, E4) and so it was Emily who got knocked back 1". This meant she couldn't attempt her Over Head Stunner Attack.
Chelsea. She moves 1" to the side of Dorothy and makes a Normal Attack, which succeeds (P5, E2). Dorothy is knocked back 1", placing her dangerously close to the edge of the bed.
Andrea. She moves 3" towards Chelsea but fails to reach her. This means she loses her chance to make an attack.
April. She moves 1" to the side of Dorothy and makes a Normal Attack, hoping to knock the Emo off the bed. However, the result is P4, E5, so Dorothy survives.
TURN 2 INITIATIVE - Posh = 4, Emos = 2.
April. There is no need for April to move as she is standing base to base with Dorothy. She makes a second Normal Attack using her Deluxe Goose Down Pillow and this time is successful. With results of P6, E3, Dorothy is knocked back 1", which sends her off the bed. She drops her pillow, which can be picked up by anyone on the bed. First blood goes to the Posh Totty team.
Andrea. She moves 1" towards Chelsea and makes a Normal Attack. With results of E6, P6, the combat is a draw, resulting in no damage.
Chelsea. The wily Posh Totty makes use of the bed's springiness and makes a Bounce Attack. By forfeiting her movement, Chelsea is able to make a big bounce up to 2" to threaten Andrea's footing. She must end her bounce in base contact with her opponent. Chelsea spectacularly bounces over Andrea. She suffers a -1 modifier to hit but still succeeds with a result of P6, E4. Andrea is knocked back 1" and knocked prone. Another knock back would see her tumbling off the bed.
Emily. She forfeits her movement to make a Round House Attack against Chelsea. She suffers a -1 modifier to hit but if successful will knock Chelsea back 3" (2" for the attack plus 1" for using the Big Bolster). Sadly, Emily's bad luck continues and she misses with a result of E3, P4.
Rachel. Rachel lives up to the St. Trinian's code of combat - always kick an opponent when they're down. She uses her twin cushions to attack the prone Andrea twice.
The results are P4, E6 and P6, E3. She only needed one success to knock Andrea off the bed and so the Emos are two girls down.
Dorothy. A person knocked off the bed is not allowed to climb back on but they can still make a contribution to the fight. The one and only attack they can make is a Dirty Trick Attack - the Ankle Grab. This has a range of 1" and if successful will knock an opponent prone. Dorothy moves 4" to stand alongside Andrea. She makes an Ankle Grab Attack against April. With the result of E5, P7, April evades the attack.
TURN 3 INITIATIVE - Posh = 5, Emos = 3.
Chelsea. The busty Posh Totty forfeits her movement to make a Round House Attack against Emily.
"This is how you do a round house, you little freak!" she screams as she whacks the Emo with a powerful swing. A result of P5, E2 knocks Emily 2" back, sending her reeling off the bed. It was an emphatic victory for the Posh Totty team, making it two wins in a row for them.

That was so much FUN! It only took an hour to play but would have been much quicker if I wasn't making notes and taking photos.
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SLAP Miniatures Survivors 01

August 5, 2015, 3:45 am
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Today, I have for you a set of heroes you probably never expected to see on my blog - Popeye and friends. I kid you not! SLAP Miniatures produce a range of three 28mm scale figures known as the Yacht Club. Although they have been renamed to avoid copyright problems there is no mistaking who they are meant to be. In addition, I also review another couple of humans from the same company.
At the far left of the photos directly above and below is Skipper Fred. Yeah, right! We all know it's really Popeye the Sailor Man. Popeye was created by Elzie Crisler Segar and made his first appearance in the Thimble Theatercomic strip in January 1929. Can you believe he's been going that long? This figure has been beautifully sculpted. Yes, it is slightly exaggerated with the over-sized head but still passable for a normal looking human. I love his lantern jaw and pipe, which has so many uses you couldn't imagine - a cutting torch, jet engine, propeller, periscope, and, of course, a whistle with which he produces his trademark toot.
In the centre of the group is Steward Gladys, or as we all know her - Olive Oyl, the woman loved by both Popeye and Bluto. Personally, I could never see the attraction but different strokes for different folks. However, I do think think she is the best sculpted figure out of the trio. I am also extremely happy at how well I have painted her. By the way, Olive Oyl was created in 1919, a full decade before Popeye. Popeye's comment about her measurements is that she is a perfect 57... 19-19-19. (WTF!)
Rounding off the trio is Bosun Ace, whom we all know as Bluto or Brutus. Bluto made his first appearance in 1932 and quickly became Popeye's main antagonist. He was originally called Bluto the Terrible but in 1957 his name was changed to Brutus due to a misapprehension that the name "Bluto" was copyrighted by another company. Bluto is, of course, Popeye's arch-nemesis and love rival for Olive. Once again, the figure has been expertly sculpted and does not look too cartoon-like.
Moving away from Popeye and friends we come to a sculpt known as Angry Chef. On the SLAP Minis website it is suggested that you can use him with the Yacht Club or in a Pulp or Post Apocalypse setting. I favour using him in a zombie apocalypse game. The obvious influence for him is chef, Gordon Ramsay, but I already have a not-Gordon figure in my collection of Zombicide Season 3 Survivors. So, as a fan of the TV series, Masterchef (and its spin-offs), I decided to base him on Marcus Wareing, a judge with a fearsome reputation as someone not to be messed with. I renamed him Marcus Mainwaring and painted on his beard and moustache so that he looks just like the real life Marcus.
Finally, we come to Ms. Whiplash, a dominatrix whom I have named Dominique Strickland. She is dressed from head to toe in a sexy leather costume and wields a studded whip. Like Angry Chef, she is not a person to be messed with. As with all of  these figures, I like how she has been sculpted. She isn't too brazen, unlike some other dominatrix figures I have seen and own.
Angry Chef and Ms. Whiplash are obvious candidates for Survivors in a zombie apocalypse setting but I'm not too sure what I'm going to do with the Yacht Club trio. Even so, I just couldn't resist buying them, especially as they were all being offered at discount prices.
Currently, all five figures are on sale on the SLAP Minis website. Skipper Fred, Steward Gladys and Ms. Whiplash each cost £2.39 instead of £2.99. Bosun Ace costs £2.79 instead of £3.49. Angry Chef costs £1.59 instead of £1.99. You can find them here - http://www.slapminis.com/humans-23-c.asp 
I received my figures within two days of placing my order. Great service! Stuart Powley, who runs the company, also sent me a free a free Goblin Pirate figure, whom I will use when I receive my Rum and Bones game.
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Croooked Dice Spectrum Agents

August 9, 2015, 2:14 am
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If this month's posts have a theme then that theme must be diversity. I bring you the first of three posts showcasing the men, women and some of the vehicles from the futuristic organisation known as Spectrum. Those of you of a certain age will recognise the name Spectrum as being the organisation featured in the 1968 TV series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Captain Scarlet was the eighth of ten puppet series produced during the 1950's and 1960's by Gerry Anderson. It came after Thunderbirds and before Joe 90. Set in 2068, Captain Scarlet presents the hostilities between Earth and a race of Martians known as the Mysterons. After human astronauts attack their city on Mars, the vengeful Mysterons declare war on Earth, initiating a series of reprisals that are countered by Spectrum, a worldwide security organisation. Spectrum boasts the extraordinary abilities of its primary agent, Captain Scarlet. During the events of the pilot episode, Scarlet acquires the Mysteron healing power of "retro-metabolism" and is thereafter considered to be virtually "indestructible", being able to recover fully from injuries that would normally be fatal.
Crooked Dice Games make a range of 28mm scale figures they have named Time Lift Security (TLS), presumably to avoid copyright problems, that are dead ringers for the characters who appeared in Captain Scarlet. In this post I'm going to review some of the Spectrum agents, starting with the Command Section.
At the far left is Colonel White, the commander-in-chief of Spectrum. His real name is Charles Grey and he was born in England. Spectrum is a global organisation and thus has agents from all over the world. Prior to joining Spectrum, Colonel White had a glittering military career in the World Army. He runs Spectrum from its HQ known as Cloudbase, a flying aircraft carrier. His figure is straight from the packet.
Next in line is Doctor Fawn, an Australian whose real name is Edward Wilkie. He is head of Spectrum's Analysis and Research Centre on Cloudbase whose primary role is to study everything about the Mysterons with a view to destroying them. He also oversees the Cloudbase medical facilities. This figure is based on the walking agent holding a pistol (see Captain Black below) but has had his pistol replaced with a high-tech Mysteron Scanner, which can detect if a person has been  retro-metabilised or not.
Third in line is Major Viridian, head of Spectrum's Research and Development department. Major Viridian never appeared in the TV series, but his name is mentioned in the Captain Scarlet Annual of 1968, which I still own, so I consider him canon. Born in Switzerland, Viridian is a top class engineer. He is a conversion of the figure of Captain Grey (see below) with his head replaced by a helmeted head. His rifle was replaced by an experimental Mysteron Gun, which fires beams of electricity. Mysterons are highly vulnerable to electricity (incidentally, bullets and explosives will also kill them). Finally, I gave him a jet pack with the straps made of Milliput.
At the far right is Lieutenant Green, aka Seymour Griffiths from Trinidad. Lieutenant Green is Colonel White's assistant, Cloudbase Computer Operator and public announcer. His figure is a conversion of Captain Blue (see below) I repositioned his right arm and converted the pistol into a communications device. These four agents rarely see action in the field but they all play a vital part in the war against the Mysterons.
Next up are four Spectrum agents armed with pistols. First up is the eponymous Captain Scarlet. His real name is Paul Metcalfe and he hails from England. Captain Scarlet becomes Spectrum's foremost weapon in its fight against the Mysterons after the events of the pilot episode, in which the Mysterons threaten to assassinate the World President as their first act of retaliation. The original Scarlet is killed in a car accident engineered by the Mysterons and replaced with a Mysteron reconstruction.  However, when the Scarlet duplicate is shot by Captain Blue and falls to his death from a tall structure, it returns to life with the consciousness of its human template restored, and is thereafter free from Mysteron control.Scarlet's ex-Mysteron body possesses two remarkable abilities: he is able to sense the presence of other Mysteron duplicates in his vicinity, and if he is injured or killed, retro-metabolism restores him to a state of top health. Now able to deploy suicidally reckless tactics to thwart Mysteron threats, Scarlet repeatedly braves the pain of death in the knowledge that he will recover to face the Mysterons once more. The figure of Captain Scarlet is the same as that of Captain Ochre (see below) but has had the pointing right hand replaced with a hand holding a pistol.
Captain Blue accompanies Captain Scarlet on most missions and the pair are close friends. Blue is an American called Adam Svenson. As mentioned above, Captain Blue played a pivotal part in Captain Scarlet becoming indestructible. The figure is not a conversion.
Captain Ochre, along with Captains Grey and Magenta, were the three agents, after Captain Blue, most often seen accompanying Captain Scarlet in the field. Captain Ochre's real name is Richard Fraser and he is also an American. His figure is straight from the pack.
Captain Black (real name, Conrad Turner from England) is the primary agent of the Mysterons. He was leader of a team of astronauts sent to Mars in 2068 on a mission to investigate unidentified radio signals emanating from the red planet. The source was discovered to be an extraterrestrial base, which was attacked and destroyed when the explorers mistook a harmless sensor device for a weapon. The inhabitants of the settlement, the Mysterons are sentient computers that form a collective consciousness. They are the remnants of the original Mysteron race, extraterrestrial life forms that originated in a galaxy other than the Milky Way and maintained their colony on Mars for 3,500 years before abandoning the planet at the turn of the 20th century. Possessing partial control over matter, the Mysteron computers draw on their power of "reversing matter" to rebuild the complex before vowing revenge for the unwarranted aggression.
Reversing matter, also described as "retro-metabolism", allows the Mysterons to re-create the likeness of a person or object in the form of a facsimile that is under their control. This ability is used to conduct a "war of nerves" against Earth, in which the Mysterons issue threats against specific targets (from world leaders and military installations to whole cities and continents) and then destroy and reconstruct whatever instruments are required (whether human or machine) to execute their plans. The presence of the Mysterons is indicated by two circles of green light (the "Mysteron rings") that trail across scenes of destruction and reconstruction. Although the Mysterons are able to manipulate events from Mars, their actions on Earth are usually performed by their replicated intermediaries.
Captain Black was the first human killed and reconstructed during the ill-fated encounter on Mars. The figure of Black is similar to that of Doctor Fawn, but I gave him a peaked cap instead of leaving him bare-headed.
The last four figures are all Spectrum agents armed with pistols and assault rifles. At the far left is Captain Grey, an American whose real name is Bradley Holden. The figure comes in two parts - the full body minus hands and a pair of hands holding an assault rifle. Alternatively, you can have him holding the Mysteron Gun wielded by Major Viridian, which is an optional extra.
Standing next to him is Captain Magenta. His real name is Patrick Donaghue and he was born in Ireland. He is aiming his assault rifle and he is another non-converted figure.
The final two agents are something of an anomaly. The only female Spectrum agents shown in the TV series were the five Angel pilots, whom I shall review next time. Still, I see no reason why Spectrum wouldn't employ females in other roles. So, I have named these two field agents as Lieutenant Tangerine and Lieutenant Pink. Reflecting the ethnic diversity of Spectrum agents, I see Lieutenant Tangerine as coming from Tangiers in Morocco and Lieutenant Pink as being born in Stockholm, Sweden.
I am a huge fan of Gerry Anderson's work. As a boy, I grew up loving Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and later when he moved away from making puppet shows, to the sci-fi series of UFO and Space 1999. So, when I saw Crooked Dice Games producing a range of not-Spectrum agents I knew I had to have them. Although I have had these figures for quite a while it is only very recently that I got round to painting them. You may well ask what are they doing on a blog that is apparently devoted to the undead? My reply is that the Mysterons can bring the dead back to life to do their bidding. Surely that's some kind of zombie-ism? Right?
Currently, you can get all of these figures from the Crooked Dice Games webstore. The TLS Commander (Colonel White) costs £3.50. All of the other TLS agents cost £3.00 each. In addition you can buy a number of accessory packs. The helmeted head and rifle used by me on Major Viridian cost £1.60 for the pair. The jet pack and scanner also cost £1.60 for the pair. Three alternate capped heads are on sale for 60p, as are four hands holding pistols.
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Crooked Dice Spectrum Angels

August 12, 2015, 12:37 am
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There is a woman behind most great men, and behind every organisation there are great women who fight for success - to prove their equality in a world of men. Here, I review five exceptional women who belong to the global security organisation known as Spectrum. Following on from my previous post that reviewed twelve Crooked Dice Games not-Captain Scarlet figures I now turn the spotlight on the five ace pilots of Spectrum, known as the Angels. They fly the deadly Angel Interceptor jet fighter with extreme skill and courage. Note that the figures of the Angels are supplied headless. You get to choose which head to attach to which body.
At the far left of my first two photos is Destiny, leader of the Angels. Juliette Pontoin was born in Paris, France in 2038. Upon graduating from Rome University with degrees in telecommunications and weather control she joined the World Army Air Force. She worked in the Intelligence Corps, where she really excelled. The W.A.A.F. promoted her to Commanding Officer of the Women's Fighter Squadron and she soon became their ace pilot. When Spectrum heard of her faultless military career, they offered her the job of flying one of the Angel Interceptors. She accepted happily and quickly proved to be a totally efficient member of the Spectrum organisation. For my figure of Destiny I used the head with the twin ponytails to represent the blonde-haired Angel.
28-year old Symphony Angel was born in Iowa, USA as Karen Wainwright. She graduated to Yale University when she was 16 and attained the title "Student of the Year", before leaving with seven degrees. She was contacted by the Universal Secret Service and passed their comprehensive training course to become one of their top agents. For one particular U.S.S. mission she trained to become a pilot and discovered her true vocation. With five years active service under her belt she quit the U.S.S. and joined an airline company where she proved to be an outstanding pilot. Spectrum recognised she was just the type of person who would be a valuable asset to them. Signing onto Spectrum, Symphony became a happy and well-loved member. She normally keeps her long, light brown hair free but in the absence of a suitable head, I used the head with a pigtail for her figure. It is still a good match for her.
Born on a cotton farm in Atlanta, Georgia, Magnolia Jones, later to be known as Melody Angel, was the tomboy of her family. She was a rebellious youth and got expelled from school. After discovering a passion for flying she enrolled with the W.A.A.F. Achievement followed achievement and due to her iron nerve, she became the organisation's best test pilot. When she eventually left the W.A.A.F., she set up a luxury flying taxi service. Her amazing stamina and flying ability was soon noted by Spectrum. They asked her to become an Angel, a decision neither have had cause to regret. Melody's close cropped black hair was a perfect match for the short-haired head I used on her figure. However, I was not too keen on her holding a wrench, so I clipped the offending hand and tool off and replaced it with a hand holding a pistol.
Moving on to the helmeted pilots, I start with Harmony Angel. Chan Kwan, the only daughter of a wealthy flying-taxi owner was born in Tokyo, Japan in 2042. Educated in London then Tokyo University, she realised her only ambition was to fly. She spent all her spare time at the Tokyo Flying Club. She bought a second hand single-seater jet, which she redesigned and converted to her own requirements. Her goal was to fly solo around the world. Her first attempt ended in failure but six months later, she succeeded. When her father died later that year he left his flying-taxi business to her. She developed it into the fastest flying-taxi service in the world. Spectrum recognised that with her  skill,  courage and determination she'd make a first class Angel pilot. I chose the Daredevil Pilot Head wearing glasses for Harmony's head.
Born in Chelsea, London, Dianne Simms is the daughter of Lord Robert Simms, one of the World Government's officials. When she left London University, she was thrust into the world of the debutante. This soon bored her, so when she met Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, she gladly accepted her offer to join the Federal Agents Bureau. Dianne and Lady Penelope became close friends. When Lady Penelope joined International Rescue, Dianne took over supreme command of F.A.B., a post she handled highly efficiently. When F.A.B. was forced to close, Dianne joined the Euro Charter Airline Company as Chief Security Officer. Spectrum realised her potential and invited her to join the Angels as Rhapsody Angel. I used another of the Daredevil Pilot Heads for Rhapsody but added Milliput to lengthen her long red hair.
Crooked Dice Games sell the Angels (they are actually called Daredevil Pilots) for £3.50 each or a set of three different bodies for just £9.00. They all come with separate heads, all bare-headed. A set of three Daredevil Pilot Heads wearing helmets are available for £1.60. So, I bought two sets of three figures along with the helmeted heads. This, of course, leaves one figure spare. What to do with her? Essentially, you have two options - invent her as the sixth, previously unseen Angel, or use her as a non-Angel. I chose the second option. I named her Katarina Dare (from the CDG website) and will most likely use her as a Mysteron agent. I used the third of the three helmeted heads on her figure.
I love the Angels and the Angel Interceptor is such a cool design (see the painting below). It is common amongst fans of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons to have a favourite Angel. Mine was (and still is) Rhapsody Angel - a true English rose.
Two Angel Interceptors take off from Cloudbase at dusk.
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Assorted Spectrum Ground Vehicles

August 16, 2015, 12:59 am
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The one thing I love above all else, of Gerry Anderson's TV series are the vehicles. All of his shows featured fantastic looking vehicles. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was no different and featured a wide variety of vehicles that appeared on land, sea and air. I own models of three of the Spectrum ground vehicles and I'll review them all here.
The Maximum Security Vehicle (MSV) is the most secure vehicle in existence in the year 2068. It is designed to hold four people, usually V.I.P. personnel. It has a top speed of 250 mph and is armed with an electron ray cannon and a laser cannon, both front-mounted behind hidden hatches. Security forbids exposure of its construction.
In the event of an attack, the MSV is hermetically sealed by time-lock, only to open on the ultimate completion of its mission. In such conditions the MSV is air-pressurised, having its own air-filter console beneath the undercarriage. Stand-by motors fitted to the undercarriage are computer-controlled to be brought into operation in an emergency. It has hydraulic suspension independent of all wheels and special anti-heat flare windows.
My MSV is a die-cast model made by Dinky Toys and whilst it is not 28mm scale (its closer to 20mm scale), it still looks good when used alongside 28mm scale figures, like my CDG Captain Scarlet, as shown in all of my photos.
The MSV model measures 5.25" (13cm) in length, by 2.75" (7cm) in width and 2" (5cm) in height. The two side doors with the Spectrum logo open in a gull-wing fashion and a small step folds out. The model comes with a wooden crate containing bars of gold, which is stored inside (see last photo below).
The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (SPV) is the main ground combat vehicle used by Spectrum. This three-seater vehicle has a top speed of 200 mph and is armed with an electron ray cannon, laser cannon and ground-to-air rocket launcher, all front-mounted behind hidden hatches. It is fitted with five pairs of wheels on either side (the three over the front, middle and rear axles constituting the main drive), with additional traction for mountainous environments provided by rear-mounted, hydraulically lowered caterpillar tracks.
Within the hermetically-sealed control compartment, the driver, co-driver and a passenger are seated backwards, facing the rear, to reduce the possibility of injury in the event of a crash; the driver is aided by a video monitor displaying (vertically-flipped) forward and rear views. It is equipped with ejector seats and radar. The hydrogenic power unit can be removed and re-assembled as a personal jet pack or other devices of comparable size (additional components for which are stored towards the back of the vehicle).
The SPV that I own is a die-cast model made by Product Enterprises, which I think is a better model than the one made by Dinky Toys. I do own a Dinky Toys SPV but it is buried away deep in a storage cupboard. The Dinky Toys version featured a working rocket launcher, which fired a plastic rocket from where the letters SPV are written on the front of the vehicle. The Product Enterprises version lacks this feature but is much better painted. As with the MSV, this model is closer to 20mm scale than 28mm scale, but that does not bother me unduly.
The SPV model measures 7" (17.5cm) in length by 3" (7.5cm) in width by 2.5" (6cm) in height. The door on the right side of the SPV springs open to reveal a seated Captain Scarlet figure (see previous photo above and the last photo below). The caterpillar tracks at the rear can be lowered.
The Spectrum Saloon Car (SSC) is sometimes known as the Spectrum Pursuit Car. It was designed for high-speed mobility for Spectrum personnel, capable of reaching speeds of 200 mph. It was specially made for Spectrum of the new lightweight metal, fleetonium. It can seat up to four people, has four wheel drive and is powered by a gas turbine located under the rear roof. The SSC is armed with a pair of machine guns, as well as an electron ray cannon and a laser cannon, all fitted behind hidden front-facing hatches.
The car is specially equipped with quartz headlights that permit the driver to see long distances in the dark. The vehicle also features transverse gearing, independent suspension and magnetic drums that provide powerful control braking by means of electromagnetically generated opposing magnetic fields. The road-tyre friction heat at high speeds is countered by wing intakes, while a central housing and rear-mounted fin maintain the vehicle's stability at speed. Safety airbags are fitted as standard.
My SSC vehicle is another die-cast model made by Dinky Toys. Once again, it is slightly under-scaled but not by much. There is a motor in the rear compartment, which, if you pull the car backwards on a flat surface will propel the SSC forward. Sadly, that stopped working years ago but I don't mind.
The SSC model measures 4.75" (12cm) in length by 1.75" (4.5cm) in width by 1.5" (4cm) in height. None of its doors open and its only special feature is the now defunct motor in the rear.
Here are a couple of group shots showing all three vehicles together, alongside Captain Scarlet for scale purposes. The photo below shows one of the open doors of the MSV along with its valuable cargo. The SPV has lowered its caterpillar tracks and its open door shows Captain Scarlet in the driver's seat, facing backwards.
Suffice to say, these models are long out of production but they frequently appear on eBay. Prices and condition does vary considerably. A quick search today showed a badly battered MSV going for 99p, whilst a Dinky Toys SPV with its original packaging is going for £99.99. I'd say £20-£30 is about the norm for any one of them. I have, however, just discovered a cheaper alternative for them. You can now get card models of them from Dave's Designs Star Carz If you want to see a review of them check out Colgar6's excellent review of them here - http://colgar6.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/captain-scarlet-vehicles-in-card.html
I must admit that my passion for Captain Scarlet has been rekindled with these three posts of mine. I am very, very tempted to buy a trio of Angel Interceptor models. I used to own an Airfix 1/72 (or 20mm scale) plastic model of one but I have no idea what happened to it. Incredibly, after all these years, Airfix are still selling this model today. Will I succumb and buy three? Most likely! Watch this space.
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Into the Unknown

August 19, 2015, 2:20 am
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Continuing this month's theme of diversity I bring you a rather unusual post. The seven 28mm scale figures I'm reviewing today have a few things in common. First of all, they are all gifts sent to me by followers of my blog. The first five are from Stefan Witthaus and the last two from Simon Moore aka BlaxKleric. Secondly, they are, for the most part, unknown to me. Thirdly, they are all usable in sci-fi games. Let's take a closer look at them.
These five figures from Stefan are all made of resin and I have no idea who made them or for what system or range. The tall (she's about 35mm tall) woman in red at the far left arrived without hands. She has the look of a fantasy heroine about her but she came with a sprue fitted with a  pair of hands holding MAC10 Machine Pistols, so that's what she is holding. She'll make for a fine survivor in any zombie apocalypse game.
Moving to the far right is an over-scaled female who could be a bounty hunter, mercenary, pirate or survivor. She'd also make a great perp for a Judge Dredd game. She is a one-piece casting armed with a huge assault rifle and a pistol. A number of grenades hang from her belt and she is smoking a cigar. I love this figure because she is so full of character and she must have one hell of a backstory. She reminds me of Reaper's Anime heroines from their Chronoscope range. Memo to self - must buy them soon!
The three triplets in the centre utilise the same body but come with separate arms. From left to right I armed the woman in yellow with a pair of Big Ass Pistols (they look like .50 calibre Desert Eagles); the woman in blue with a huge hammer (note the cybernetic hand holding it) and a Big Ass Machine Pistol; the woman in pink holds a hat with large feather (very swashbuckler) and a combi-sword/pistol. I added a huge antique-looking pistol in a holster on her right leg, which came with the figures. To add more diversity to them, I gave the woman in yellow a ponytail made out of Milliput and for the woman in blue I gave her long curly hair, also made out of Milliput. These three women have the look of Warhammer Empire nobles armed with a bewildering assortment of fantasy and sci-fi weapons. Curious! They are beautifully sculpted and very detailed. Once again, they could fill a wide variety of roles from good to bad.
Moving on to Simon's figures, I know that the one at the left is a Cyber Controller made by Black Tree Design as part of their extensive Doctor Who range. He is an early version of a Cyberman leader. He was very easy to paint. He does look a bit chunky and rather crude compared to the Cybermen shown on Doctor Who nowadays but I still like him. He has an old school charm about him. He retails for £2.75 on the BTD webstore, where you'll find him amongst the Second Doctor Who figures.
The figure on the right is more of a mystery to me. When Simon sent him to me he wrote, "The metal sci-fi trooper is a limited edition Survivor of the Plague by "Mantic Games". I believe there is a plastic version which is a different sculpt but this one only comes with the "Deadzone" boxed set apparently. I hoped you'd like him as (i) he's a survivor and (ii) you need something to keep your splendid-looking Plague monster company :-)" Looking on the Mantic Games "Deadzone" website, I can find no mention of him at all, so I guess he is no longer in production. I certainly do like him. My first thought when I initially saw him was that he was a specialist Souther Trooper from 2000AD's Rogue Trooper series. His helmet has the look of a Souther Trooper. I had no idea what colour to paint him in. Eventually, I decided on a rather neutral Foundry Granite with Foundry Bay Brown for the straps and backpack. He is a great figure and I can see a lot of uses for him, including as an assassin in a Judge Dredd game.
If anyone has any information on any of the figures other than the Cyber Controller, please do let me know. Finally, I would, once again, like to thank Stefan and Simon for their very generous gifts. Such kindness is always much appreciated.
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Zombicide Murder of Crowz

August 23, 2015, 2:48 am
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Well, it hasn't taken me long to get back to my number one gaming passion - Zombicide. This time, however, I'm reviewing something decidedly far from the norm - zombie crows or crowz as Guillotine Games insist on calling them. In case you didn't know, the collective term for a group of crows is a murder of crows. I first became aware of zombie crows when I saw Resident Evil: Extinction. These figures make a great addition to Zombicide and could be used in many other games, either as zombie crowz or normal crows.
Stat-wise in Zombicide, Crowz are rather nasty. They can move up to three Zones per Activation, making them incredibly fast. However, they still only get one Activation per Turn, either moving or attacking. Murder of Crowz have the same Targeting Priority as Toxic Walkers (i.e. they come second on the chart after Survivors) and they only require one Wound to kill (note that is one Wound per stand not per crow!). Being flying pests, Murder of Crowz ignore ALL obstacles hindering or preventing movement when they move (including barricades, closed doors, Hole Zones, observation towers and walls). They also ignore game effects preventing them from staying in a Zone like Rubble or Security Zones.
The stand of six crowz is a thing of beauty. The sculptor has done a truly amazing job to fit six crowz on one base so cleverly. My reaction when I first saw them was, "WOW!" These are amongst the best sculpted figures I have ever seen. As for painting them, what could be easier? I primed them in black, painted the bases various shades of grey, painted the crowz matt black and added a dot of white for their eyes. It was time consuming simply because I painted all 20 stands in one go.
In the photo above Team Vampifan (remember them?) face a huge Murder of Crowz. Here I show the 15 stands of Crowz that come with the boxed set plus an extra 5 stands that I received as a Kickstarter free bonus for backing Zombicide Season 3. That makes for a total of 120 Crowz. Team Vampifan better hope they don't run out of ammo!
The Murder of Crowz expansion set is currently available from Amazon UK for £18.19.
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