Sunday 9 February 2014

28mm Showcase: Post-Apocalyptic Savages

For today's post, I thought I'd show some savages.  These guys are 28mm models from em-4 Miniatures' "Future Skirmish" range and they bear quite a resemblance to the bad guys from the 1981 film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.  Despite their age, I think these are still some of the finest models of modern, western-style barbarians to be found!

From the left, we have a really big guy with a shotgun, a chain-and-knife fighter, fat boy with crossbow and another knife wielder.

Judging by the amount of flesh on view, the apocalypse must have resulted in some hot, dry conditions.  Also note that from behind it's apparent that bare buttocks are quite fashionable amongst these guys...

This trio have rather more in the way of ranged fire power.  From the left, they are armed with a sub-machine-gun, assault rifle and flamethrower.

Thankfully, they are more fully clothed than their colleagues.

One of the things I really love about these figures are the number of details on the models.  In particular, they have lots of fetishes and scraps of "old tech", suggesting a rather superstitious adherence to the trappings of civilisation.  At least, they have some 1980's technology items - I wonder if they really know how to use any of it?  Anyway, see if you can spot the following things on the models:
  • 3.5" floppy disk
  • Doll (minus legs and an arm)
  • Dog (?) skull
  • Teddy bear (minus a leg)
  • Fox tail
  • Circuit boards (x2)
  • Hand-held computers or terminals (x2).
These figures have been in my collection for quite a long time (plus one or two more that still aren't painted).  I have no immediate plans to use them in any of my games, but maybe one day...

22 comments:

  1. Awesome job. They are great figures that have stood the test of time especially when they have such Iconic movies such as the Mad Max series, The Book of Eli and the Fallout series to stir up peoples imaginations!

    I must save up some cash as I want there bikers as well to boost my own as well as the scavengers.

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    1. I do like the em-4 "Future Skirmish" figures. Despite their age, they are indeed quite comparable in quality to pretty much anything more recent.

      I've got a fair number of their Bikers, Rebels and Robots as well...

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  2. Absolutely wonderful! The details are just superb.

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    1. They took me quite a while to paint; all the little bits (chains, fetishes, shades &c) were fun but slow...

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  3. Reaper has a figure in their Chronoscope range that is really just Mad Max passed off with an alias to avoid all the legal stuff. I think it's called Rex, Future Warrior. Now all you need is a female figure with shapely legs, a mini skirt, big hair and even bigger lips to pass for Tina Turner, and a scrawny guy with a flying machine for Bruce Spence.

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    1. em-4 produce a "Road Hero" in the Rebels section of the Future Skirmish range, who would do very nicely for Max. But I don't remember seeing anything close to either of the other two characters, either from em-4 or from any other manufacturer...

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  4. I have had these figures ever since they first came out. They certainly do have a "Mad Max" vibe about them and will work well in most post apoc settings where the weather isn't too cold. A very nice blast from the past, Hugh.

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    1. I can't even remember when I got these miniatures, it was so long ago. It's great to see that they're still available, though!

      Perhaps I should use them for a "Hills have eyes"-style game? Sawney Bean in the 20th century...

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  5. Everyone knows that after the apocalypse it was always sunny.
    These are great figures that I ultimately decided not to purchase from EM-4 as I too couldn't thinkof a use for them,
    I doubt very much if I could have comeup with a paintjob as good as yours either - they're excellent.

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    1. Ah, I couldn't think of a use for them either - but I still bought the models! I'm sure that one day they'll appear in a game...

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  6. I love those EM4 minis. I used some of them as Dreadnoks for my G.I.Joe miniatures:
    http://mini-ventures.blogspot.com/search/label/dreadnoks

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    1. I'd never heard of Dreadnoks before this, but they do sound like these guys, don't they?

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  7. I have always wondered how in a post apoc setting you can worry about shaving your head and keeping a mo-hawk. And yet somehow you can't find time for other things like farming to maintain a food supply, installing solar panels on your dwelling to power things or getting a better water source!

    That aside I do appreciate the figures and great for gaming purposes.

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    1. I think you are assuming that these guys know or care about long-term productivity :-) . Throughout history (and indeed for many species) there have been groups of young males who have banded together to take what they can by force.

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  8. Replies
    1. Thanks, Bob. They're nice figures that paint up really well.

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  9. Great job mate! I went back to seek the details, really amazing. The floppy disk is just ace lol.

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    1. Thanks, Mathyoo. It's amazing just how much is recognisable, even when some of these details are only 2mm or 3mm across!

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  10. Hi Hugh, I just caught up with you and it seems like I have missed quite a lot of wonderful stuff. All I can say is that is is always a great pleasure to read your blog and vicariously enjoy the many and varied games.

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    1. Sean, I'm delighted that you think so highly of my output. Thanks!

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