Sunday 23 October 2016

Zomtober 2016, Week 4

<== For week 3, go this way

Introduction

Another Sunday, another duel - it must be Zomtober!  Here are another pair of figures, one from each side of the zombie apocalypse, for your amusement, education or whatever else you gain from the brief time it takes you to skim over this article :-) !


The Duel


For today's show, we have a couple of older gentlemen (though I use that term cautiously; I'm not really certain that either of them is particularly genteel or well-mannered).  On the motorbike, we have Storm, whilst moaning at him from the side of the road is Old Man Zombie (OMZ).



It is possible, at least in my mind, that OMZ isn't really a zombie at all, but just an angry old sod.  He has made some strange wardrobe choices: the smiley tee shirt might have been a present from a favourite grandchild, but it doesn't really fit with the cold-weather hunter's cap.  Maybe OMZ is just a confused, older guy who is shouting at the biker for having thrown a beer can and cigarette butts at him?

OMZ is a Studio Miniatures plastic zombie, mounted on an Escenorama resin base and decorated with a home made tee shirt decal.



 Storm doesn't seem to have any doubts about OMZ's status: he's a target!  At this range, the biker's sub machine gun shouldn't have any difficulty at all in cutting down the zombie if it is used properly.  But (and this is one of my pet peeves with some wargames models and some Hollywood movies) if the bike is moving then aiming a gun sideways whilst retaining control of a vehicle is nigh on impossible!  One or the other will give: either the bike will crash or the shots will be essentially random.

Before anyone claims that just strafing a target with an automatic weapon will be good enough, I've done some simple maths.  If the SMG fires at 600rpm (not uncommon for such weapons) then there is 1/10th second between each successive bullet.  That doesn't sound like much, yet a vehicle travelling at a mere 36Kph (i.e. around 20 miles per hour) will move 100cm (about 3 1/4 feet) in that time.  Which gives you about a 50% chance of hitting a 50cm wide man at all, let alone achieving a crippling head or centre body shot on a zombie.

Storm is a Westwind Productions model, placed on a base of my own construction and decorated with a home made jacket decal.  There are very few 28mm biker-on-bike models around, yet I'd hesitate to recommend these kits.  They can be finished nicely and are not at all badly sculpted.  However, they are a real pain to put together and require quite a lot of cutting, filling and repositioning to achieve this result.  Not for the novice!


Conclusion


What happens next?  I think that Storm is attempting a drive by shooting and isn't prepared to take the chance that OMZ is really human.  As I've discussed above, I don't think his chances of hitting and killing the potential zombie are very good, but OMZ isn't going to catch the moving bike either.  However, the noises of the shooting and the motorcycle together are going to draw a lot of attention to this area.  Perhaps there are enough other zombies nearby to block the road and pull Storm off his machine?


For week 5, go here ==>

27 comments:

  1. Another pairing I like a lot, but I have to empathise with OMZ,(if indeed he is a zed), "Bloody noisy Bikers, coming here shooting the the place up....".
    The Westwind bikers have been on my "want list"for a long, long time now and you posting such a good rendition of one of them has only me want thm more...damn you.

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    1. I think I agree with you: the bikers (as portrayed here) are probably not very good neighbours :-) .

      I've said it before, but I'll repeat it anyway: the Westwind bikers are a real PITA to construct, though they can be built into nice models. Approach with caution!

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    2. I think I may have a 'solution', for the bikers assembly problems, tha I've been thinking of for a good while, involving using just the bikes and riders seperately!

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  2. I don't think OMZ has much chance here. Much like Crassus' legionaries marching against the Parthians, he can neither engage at range, nor move fast enough to catch his enemy.

    Storm's custom choppper ought to keep him clear of trouble unless he finds himself cornered up a cul-de-sac.

    Survivor's motivation is usually to - err - survive, so he has little reason to actually kill OMZ (Unless OMZ is blockading some critical supplies - fuel, food, ammo). Whizzing off into the sunset, and living another day ought to be enough.

    If it really comes to a fight, storm can dismount and shoot form behind his trusty "hog" - cover and a "Street sweeper" small arm ought to tip things in his direction.

    Fine painting: Some nice contrasts on the biker's jeans, and between his machine, whitewalls and tarmac. Excellent work too on the tricky (well I always struggle) yellow of OMZ's clothing.

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    1. Oh, I agree completely that OMZ doesn't have much chance. But what about the large z-mob that is attracted by all the noise :-) ?

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    2. I think it has to be a hit and run mission, no waiting about to see who gets the most reinforcements.

      Biggest quandry for storm and the gang will occur if the Zs are holed up in the local distillery.
      Can they afford to let the good stuff go to waste?

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  3. Assuming the biker has enough ammunition the smart money is on him.

    Another good duel as we are getting used to.
    Personally I find it hard to paint bikes. Looking at what you have done, toy do not.

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    1. I used to be scared of painting bikes too, until I realised that they were mostly just metal-coloured (anything from chrome to gunmetal, depending on how clean & polished you want). Then paint the mudguards and petrol tank in a signature colour, detail the tyres, seats, lights & numberplate - done!

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  4. Another fine duel! The motorcycle looks very well done, too bad to hear it is so fiddly. The biker jacket is a great touch. OMZ has some fun character, smiley face shirt and a hunter's cap? Nice.

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    1. Thanks! I think I messed up the shading on the biker's coat; I'm still trying to figure out how to paint semi-gloss leather. Yes, the tee shirt doesn't really go with the "grumpy old man" zombie, but I figure he's wearing it to please a favourite grandchild.

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  5. As Stephen said, even if the biker misses or doesn't bother shooting, there is no way the zombie will be able to catch him. I love the West Wind bikers. You can do so much with them.

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    1. Yes, *this* zombie doesn't have a chance. But what about all his buddies :-) ?

      I still have most of my Westwind bikers sitting assembled, undercoated and waiting to be painted. They were such a pain to assemble that I find it difficult to revisit them (even though the final painting would probably be simple enough).

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  6. Nice work Hugh. Nah firing an smg whilst motorbiking is a doddle they do it in the movies all the time pssh!

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    1. Ah, so it works in a magical, fantasy land then :-) ?

      I suppose it all depends on how "realistic" you want your zombie apocalypse to be, if such a term can ever be applied to made-up stuff like this.

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  7. Storm will win this one. Either he's slowing down and clearing the parking space, or he'll roar off into the sunset. Excellent work.

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    1. I agree that Storm is in no immediate danger. But sooner or later he will run out of fuel, crash or just stop for a nap. He'd better have a plan for what happens then...

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  8. Storm will win this one. Either he's slowing down and clearing the parking space, or he'll roar off into the sunset. Excellent work.

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  9. I have to say this isn't looking good for OMZ! Great job on both Sir.

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    1. Thanks, Michael. I think the verdict is pretty much unanimous on this one: OMZ doesn't have a chance of catching Storm!

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  10. Another great looking duel Colgar6, full of added drama with the bike! And a post with some science too! Win-win! :)

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    1. I think it's a bit grand to call my little piece of logic by the term "science" :-) . Still, thanks indeed for your praise!

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  11. Like it, my money's on Storm although he'd be better off battering OMZ rather than shooting him....

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    1. Hmm, melee combat always has risks, even if the probability is low. If I were Storm then I think that I'd shoot first :-) .

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  12. From that position most of the Bikers ammo is going off into the distance. Plus the bike stops him from doing anything but stay and shoot one handed. I'd say 40% OMZ and 60% Storm.
    Love the figures!

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    1. Thanks, David! I think you're right; most amateurs just "spray and pray". Very wasteful of ammunition and not much chance of hitting anything either.

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