Hospital zombies

This week I painted up some 15mm-scale hospital-themed zombies.  The miniatures are from the Rebel Minis Zombie Pack #4: Hospital.  They are mounted on 1p coins.  The ambulance in the background is a Corgi die-cast toy, & was featured in a previous post about a paramedic & stretcher that I painted.

I like to go for authenticity, so I did a bit of research into appropriate colour schemes, & as my zombie collection is themed for the UK, I painted these six patients in standard NHS smocks, & the medical personnel as a staff nurse (pale blue scrubs) & a pair of doctors in surgical scrubs (turquoise).  I went for a medium-blue wash on the white patient smocks before highlighting the folds, to represent the blue dot or line patterning that tends to feature on these in real life.  I'm quite pleased with how these came out, especially given the tiny size of these figures.  My favourite part of zombie-painting is always the finishing dabs of gloss varnish on that gore!

Ambulance

Following-on from my air ambulance, here's a normal ambulance, shown here with the paramedic & stretcher patient from my previous post.  I will model another three medics & probably another stretcher so I have enough for both vehicles.  This is another Siku die-cast model at a scale that looks right, & conveniently pre-painted to a decent standard.

My growing collection of emergency services should be very useful in zombie apocalypse scenarios.  I think that patient on the stretcher suffering enraged spasms may prove to be a bit bitey...

Air ambulance

A few months ago I bought this air ambulance, along with several other vehicles that looked to be the right scale for my 15mm zombie apocalypse figures, & I've finally got round to painting a pilot & paramedic to crew it.  The helicopter appears to be modeled on the Eurocopter 135 G-WMAS, & other than the tail rotor configuration, it's very accurate to the air ambulances commonly seen in the UK - the colour scheme & markings are spot-on, which adds to the 'authenticity' that I'm aiming for with my rural English setting.

The die-cast air ambulance is manufactured by Siku (Model #1647), the pilot is actually an IDF vehicle commander from Peter Pig's AK-47 Range, & the paramedic is a lady from the Rebel Minis Modern Civilians pack.  I bulked-up the woman's handbag into a medical kit using Green Stuff, & had a go at using the same to sculpt a visor on the pilot's helmet, but it didn't look convincing, so I left the visor off.  I'm on the lookout for a suitable male figure for another paramedic to complete the crew now.  I also painted a bloke on a stretcher ready to be airlifted - another Peter Pig piece from the Heads and Odds range. The bases of both standing figures are 1 pence coins, whilst the stretcher is on a slightly larger laser-cut ply bases from Fenris Games.  All the bases are flocked using Gale Force Nine dirt & dead/winter static grass.

Street preacher

It's been tricky to find time for painting & miniature-making around the festive period, but I painted-up this street preacher for 15mm-scale zombie gaming a couple days ago.  The figure is from the Rebel Minis Modern Rioters pack (by-the-way, Rebel Minis have their 20% off everything Christmas Sale running until December 31st - use the code 'Rebel2015' when checking out).

Inspired by the graffiti inside the church at the beginning of 28 Days Later, I decided to paint this bloke up as a raving street preacher.  This is perhaps more of a character for pre-apocalypse or when everything kicks-off - I'm not sure he'd last long post-apocalypse if he doesn't stop ranting & start surviving.

A few months ago I bought some super-fine brushes, which made the free-hand writing on his placard easier.

Tractors

More vehicles for my rural English zombocalypse - two tractors!  They are about the right size for my 15mm-scale figures, & should do nicely as static scenery, or even as drivable vehicles in games of Ambush Z.  Here is a John Deere 7530, & a Claas Ares - both types that are commonly seen on the roads & farmland around where I live. They are made by Siku, & are Models 1009 & 1008 respectively.  They cost me £2 each from a garden centre toy department.  These will definitely need painting with plenty of mud.

Civilian vehicles

It's not really modelling, but here are some civilian vehicles for my zombie apocalypse survivors.  I've bought a few £2 toy vehicles for my 15mm-scale 'rural England' themed collection.  They are approximately the right scale - good enough for tabletop gaming.  Here are a Range Rover & a DHL delivery van, perfect for out-running (or running-down!) the infected/undead.  The Range Rover is made by Corgi (In The City #21), & the delivery van is by Siku (model 1085).  I found both for sale in the toy section of a local garden centre.  I'll probably add some weathering & splashed mud to these vehicles once I finish painting all these bloody zombies...  The figures shown are a mix of Rebel Minis & Khurasan Miniatures.

Dogs

Next up for my 15mm scale zombie apocalypse collection... 5 dogs!  These miniatures are from Peter Pig's Scenery range, & are only 6-7mm tall, but nevertheless very nicely detailed.  There are 3 unique sculpts in each 8-figure pack - I've painted them up as a golden retriever (or yellow labrador), border collie, labrador retriever, terrier cross-breed, & a German shepherd.  They are all mounted on 1p coins, which are flocked using Gale Force Nine dead/winter grass & dirt.  I really enjoyed painting these, & will probably pick up some farm animals to enhance my rural setting.

In Ambush Z rules terms some of these could be used as police or Military Working Dogs to sniff-out the zombies/Infected, but I'd like to add some house rules for encountering stray dogs as areas are searched - dogs which may be friendly, or alert the Infected with their barking...  Also, I think a scenario with guard dogs acting as alarms for survivors in a safe house could make for a good game.

I did consider painting one to represent my own dog (a cheeky Alaskan malamute), but it was too sad to think of her in an apocalyptic setting!  In the future I will paint another labrador & a German shepherd, but on desert bases, as MWDs for my Force on Force collection.  If I ever branch-out into Crufts miniature gaming, then I have a decent starting point!  :-D

A couple more survivors

Sticking with 15mm scale, here are a couple more armed civilians for my growing band of zombie apocalypse survivors.  One is a hard-as-nails ex-military survivalist who is in his element, & has managed to get hold of some serious firepower in the form of a SAW (he may look familiar to fans of The Walking Dead...) This figure is from the Khurasan Miniatures 'The Living Set 2'.

The other is a university professor... with a lump hammer!  The original model had a small tool in his hand, but I Green-Stuffed that into a more formidable weapon for dealing with the Infected.  This miniature is from the Rebel Minis 'Civilian Hunters Pack 2'.

As with all my 15mm figures, they are mounted on 1p coins.

Witch / civilian (W40K)

I picked up this Hasslefree figure (Miranda) as she had the look of 'innate psyker' to me - with etheric winds starting to blow her hair & dress as she subconsciously draws on the power of the Warp (I'm thinking Jean Grey from the X-Men a bit).  I see this girl/young lady as having the misfortune of being born with high-grade psychic potential (maybe even Beta or Alpha-level potential), & therefore singled out for transfer to the Black Ships of the Inquisition once her powers began to manifest.  Terrified & instead preferring freedom, she escaped & is on the run from the Imperial authorities.  With each escape, her self-preservation instincts have opened up greater power for her to wield, so that without intending too, she has become a serious threat - able to boil a person's blood with her gaze, telekinetically hurl large objects, control people's minds, turn weapons to ash, teleport, summon conflagrations, & all manner of other witchery.  Her ever-increasing power will inevitably lead to her fall to Chaos, being possessed by a Greater Daemon or opening a portal to the Empyrean & it's ravenous, unholy entities, so she must be stopped at all costs, & it will probably require an inquisitor to do so...

I like the contrast this diminutive figure will have when facing bulky, well-armed GW miniatures - untrained witch-hunters such as Guardsmen would initially find it hard to believe that this girl poses a threat.  However, I'm always keen on multipurpose miniatures, so she can also be a regular Human citizen if need be!

Even more survivors

Another batch of 15mm scale zombocalypse survivors finished.  These are all figures from Khurasan Miniatures's excellent 'The Living Set 2', & fans of The Walking Dead will spot a few familiar characters here.  These sculpts are brilliant quality, with great detail, I really enjoyed painting them.  They are all mounted on 1p coins, flocked with Gale Force 9 earth & dead/winter static grass.

More survivors

I was basing-up & painting more 15mm scale zombie apocalypse survivors over the weekend.  The latest 3 that I've finished are based on 3 of my favourite characters from the zombie genre.  Shaun & Ed from 'Shaun of the Dead', & Michonne from 'The Walking Dead'.  The 2 male figures are from Rebel Minis's 'Civilian Hunters Pack 2', & the katana-wielding female figure is from Khurasan Miniature's 'The Living - Set 2'.

Survivors with improvised weapons

Last night I finished painting these 3 survivors with improvised weapons.  The figures are Modern Rioters from Rebel Minis.  I sliced-away the stone in the hand of the trenchcoat-wearing figure, & drilled a tiny hole to insert a section of steel paperclip.  For the bottle-throwing figure, I used Green Stuff putty to add the Molotov cocktail flame.  The was my first time painting light-sourcing on a 15mm scale miniature, & I'm fairly pleased with it.

I have ordered some more survivors (& plenty of zombies!) from Khurasan Miniatures's amazing-looking range.

URAL 4.5 ton truck (FoF)

This week I've been putting together vehicles for 15mm scale Force on Force.  First off the production line is this URAL 4.5 ton truck (although I still need to add weathering & scuffs to it).  This is an excellent 11-piece model from Peter Pig's AK-47 Republic range, with minimal mould lines & nice detail.

I initially bought it to represent a UN food truck in Day of the Rangers (early '90s Somalia) scenarios, but it could equally be used as a transport for my Syrian PLA or Iraqi Republican Guard troops, or as a stand-in for US M939 transport trucks until I can source some 15mm models of those.

Survivors with pistols

Dwelling on Ambush Z for a little longer, I rebased some pistol-toting figures to represent Zombocalypse survivors in my potential new collection.  When I first started buying miniatures for Tomorrow's War, I was planning a Ghost in the Shell type setting, & these figures were going to be some of the Public Security agents.  The models are Rebel Minis 'Irish Hitmen'.

I'm thinking it could make for tense games of Ambush Z if the civilian survivors are poorly armed, so these blokes with pistols will be distributed between several groups of survivors mostly armed with melee weapons & the occasional Molotov (with a UK-setting for my collection, guns will be in very short supply for civilians).  The man at the front will have to have the Abundant Supplies trait I think!

UN aid workers (FoF)

Next up, two UN aid workers for 15mm-scale Force on Force.  I need to paint another four of these for Day of the Rangers, as there are two scenarios from the sourcebook in which US forces must protect UN workers in Mogadishu.  I picture the bloke as a European or US national working on the front line of crisis relief.  The rest will be native African workers.

The figures are from the Rebel Minis 'Modern Civilians' pack.  As with all my single-based 15mm figures, these are mounted on 1p pieces.

Somali Hostile Mob (FoF)

This weekend I put together a hostile mob for Force on Force (15mm scale).  As mentioned previously, I've gone with a two-base approach to represent mobs.  This allows for 'column' placement in streets & alleyways, as well as 'broad' placement in open areas.  Also the size of the mob can be halved if it suffers significant casualties in the crossfire.  In Force on Force Hostile Mobs aren't an actual physical threat to regular forces, but they can raise the Stress Level of units using Taunts.  This degrades the combat effectiveness of regulars.

I looked at photos & footage of the sort of messages daubed on placards & banners in African & Middle East protests, & noticed that often the phrases used can read a little odd to native English speakers - hence the bloke holding the "GO OUT USA" sign.  For variety I trimmed the placard of the "USC" (United Somali Congress)-supporting man.  The guys hauling TVs & a tyre are busy building a barricade.

The miniatures are a mix of Rebel Minis Modern Rioters, & Peter Pig AK 47 Republic Looters.  The bloke in the red baseball cap is a Rebel Minis Modern Civilian.  He's a bit on the fat side for 1990s Somalia, but I figure he's a USC agitator well-fed on stolen UN food aid.  The bases are laser-cut ply from Fenris Games.

Mixed Mob Somali civilians (FoF)

So far this week I've finished painting 20 single-based Somali civilians for 15mm-scale Force on Force.  This should be plenty for use alongside militia gunmen for Mixed Mobs (an ethically challenging prospect for opposing UN/US forces).

These figures are a mixture of Rebel Minis Modern Rioters for the 'hostile' blokes, plus Peter Pig AK47 Looters & Civilians, & Peter Pig Sudanese Women.  I think these figures all blend well together.  It was nice to paint some non-combatant & female miniatures for a change.

Hostile Somali civilians (FoF)

This week I painted up some 15mm scale hostile Somali civilians.  I will use these (alongside Somali gunmen) in Mixed Mobs for 'Day of the Rangers' Force on Force scenarios.  My next batch of single-based Somali civilians will be less actively hostile, & will include some female figures in traditional African dresses.  Mixed Mobs are a challenging prospect for the UN / US player, as he will want to avoid civilian casualties where possible, but when faced with armed militia amongst groups of civilians, this becomes very difficult.


 The figures are mostly Rebel Minis Modern Rioters, which are excellent sculpts with very realistic proportions; although their hoodies make them a bit more suitable for Western/Northern unrest settings.  I have saved the figures with placards for use on Hostile Mob bases, whilst there is another variant in the pack wearing a trenchcoat that doesn't fit the African setting.  The mini with the chainsaw is from the Peter Pig AK 47 Republic Range Looters pack.