Introduction
Another Sunday, another Zomtober challenge entry. Will the madness never stop?
Naw, it's all right really; I'm loving it! I've probably painted more miniatures this month already than I did in the previous 3 months put together - and they're not all zombie-related either. For Zomtober this week, we have an old mini that I've finally finished (after it had been on my workbench for what seems like years) as well as a brand new figure, built from start to finish in the last 10 days or so.
The Duel
Once again, I shall present a duel between a survivor and a zombie. This time, the confrontation is between Father Murphy and Garden Party Zombie (hereafter "GPZ").
Father Murphy is an out-of-the-box build from the Wargames Factory "Apocalypse Survivors: The Men" kit. I glued this model together many months ago and started the painting, but didn't get very far before I ran out of inspiration. He seemed to be just another fairly bland, assault-gun-wielding, trenchcoat wearing action guy and that didn't excite me enough to complete the model.
As part of this Zomtober challenge, I looked at the figure again. It suddenly came to me that a black shirt and a white dog collar would turn him into a priest. Suddenly, the model had a completely different vibe!
GPZ is a "Zombie Vixen" (again, from Wargames Factory). She's had a hat added from a Warlord Games set of Royalist Infantry, although I think it's sitting a little bit high on her head. It seems that straw hats were all the rage for 17th century English peasants as well as for modern ladies...
Her base is made from a Basius II pad, though all of it apart from the fallen sign has been covered with flock. The lettering on the sign is a home-made decal.
GPZ has been in the wars a bit; she has torn clothing, significant wounds to her leg and one arm is partly missing. For all that, she is (was?) a tall, if somewhat skinny woman and probably has a certain amount of physical strength.
Who will win this encounter? Father Murphy has obtained some heavy weaponry from somewhere, but does he know how to use it? He's firing from the hip (never a good sign) and he seems to be aiming at her torso. Whilst a burst from an M-16 will certainly chew up a zombie badly, it won't finish the job without a head shot. Does he know what to do and is he capable of executing it?
On the other hand, GPZ looks somewhat surprised to find that she is indeed a zombie. If she has any remnants of her previous humanity left then she might be too well bred to chow down on the vicar, at least at first. How will this end? I'm not sure...
Week 4 is this way -->
That's an inspired use of an apocalypse survivor C6. A gun-toting vicar - superb, and splendidly painted to boot. Great vixen as well and I think they compliment one another very well indeed. I'd have to give this one to the Holy Father on account of his weaponry, but when the shot is fired and he's fallen backwards, twisted his ankle and groggy from the blast, will he be able to fend off the severed top torso of the Royalist clawing her way towards him? I hope so :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Blax. It was a very simple conversion (just a flick of white paint) but it does change the figure completely, doesn't it?
DeleteI'd say that the odds were in favour of the padre for this one.
Another great dual.I do love these. Kudos. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm having fun with these, so if others like them as well then that's wonderful.
DeleteLove the sign!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, isn't it? The sign was something of an afterthought when I was hunting through my set of "pre built" bases. Yet it adds quite a bit to the story. Church fête gone wrong?
DeleteLovely paint job there!
ReplyDeleteThanks, HW. I do like the zombie, though I think that the priest is a bit dull.
DeleteQuite possibly the best duel this month! I love both the characters, but GPZ really made me chuckle, I can see a whole range of WI zombies - maybe next year. As for the duel, I'm backing Fr. Murphy all the way.
ReplyDeleteNow there's a thought: the Women's Institute zombies. Or a series of WI survivors instead! Hmm, now you've got me wondering if I could get a model of a village hall and a couple of marquees as well...
DeleteThis is a duel that will not end well for someone that is for sure. very good job. one can almost imagine it in the walking dead!
ReplyDeleteIt does look as if it will end in bloodshed, doesn't it? Oh, well...
DeleteFather Murphy is clearly going to "kick arse for the lord". Although GPZ has a beautifully painted dress and hat combo, it wouldn't be bulletproof.
ReplyDeleteBest duel yet dude!
I wonder if the priest has any ethical doubts, though? After all, are zombies still people - do they still have a soul? Or are they just vermin to be exterminated?
DeleteAnother great duel! Making the survivor a priest gives the mini a nice backstory with a simple effect. The zombie's surprised look makes her stand out. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI was taken aback myself at how the zombie's face turned out. Sometimes the paint speaks all by itself :-) ...
DeleteI love it! Backing father Murphy all the way.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that most people think he'll win this one. For sure, I don't think it'll be a draw!
DeleteSurely the priest is the odds-on favourite to win this duel but what if his gun jams or has run out of ammo? Then it could go either way.
ReplyDeleteGood point Vampifan, holy water doesn't work on this type of undead. Maybe he could take up jogging with GPZ, you know 'exorcise' her......*groan*... I'll let myself out....
Delete...or if he doesn't know how to use the gun (safety still on, single shot selected rather than full auto, not braced properly...)? Still, Murphy looks young and fit, so maybe he could win even if it came down to a melee?
DeleteFar be it from me to go against a man of the cloth. GPZ is toast.
ReplyDeleteWell, Finch, I tend to agree with you. But isn't there a chance that he's a novice at zombie slaying and will make a beginner's mistake of some sort?
DeleteA nice pairing and good to get a figure off of the paint table thats been lingering a while
ReplyDeleteThanks, Simon. The trenchcoat guy was certainly lingering on the workbench before I turned him into a reverend :-) .
DeleteWhat a fun pairing, made that littlebit specialwith some minor conversion work eh ?
ReplyDeleteI'm very impressed with these two and even if her hat is riding a little high it may well prove a distraction to the priest !
Thanks, Joe. I think the priest is more likely to be distracted if he knows her - and he might well if she's from his parish...
DeleteAnother great duel. Funny how that spark of inspiration sees the figure almost finish itself.
ReplyDeleteIt is strange, isn't it? The figure with the greatcoat had languished on my workbench, half-completed, for as long as I can remember. The simple change (adding a dog collar) came to me and after that I just couldn't wait to finish the model! Thanks, Sean.
DeleteVery nice texture work on GPZ. Attention to detail for such a small mini always gets my vote!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, F.E.M. Mind you, I think that the "nice texture work" was just some unusually lucky washes :-) ...
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