Saturday 13 October 2018

Zomtober 2018, Week 2

<== Week 1 is this way

Introduction

This is the second period in Zomtober 2018 and so far I'm keeping to my pledge of painting at least one zombie or survivor each week.  In case anyone is new here (does that ever happen?  If so then you're very welcome 🙂), I've gone slightly beyond the absolute minimum required, in that I've painted both a survivor and a zombie.  These are presented below as a duel, with the standard question of "what happens next".  See what you think...


Brett vs Dead Average Zombie


Today's survivor is "Brett".  He's heavily wrapped up, with his head and face covered and thick gloves on his hands.  It's hard to tell what age Brett is from his appearance, but his clothing and manner suggest that he's probably a young man.



Facing him, or rather creeping up behind him, is "dead average zombie" (DAZ).  This is one of the most unremarkable zombies that I've painted in quite a while; he's definitely just "one of the herd".



If I had posed these models with both facing each other then I don't think that most observers would have given much for DAZ's chances.  After all, Brett looks young, fit and aggressive - and he has a weapon (even if it's only a house brick).  Brett should therefore be quite capable of defeating a lone zombie with no special features.

However, this time the zombie is behind the survivor.  Brett doesn't seem to have noticed the peril; he's too focussed on his current task.  Maybe he's breaking a shop window in order to loot it, or maybe he's defending against another zombie that we don't see in this vignette?  Either way, it would appear that Brett's choice of clothing has muffled his hearing and restricted his peripheral vision.



Like last week's duel, the survivor is from Offensive Miniatures, specifically he's one of the street kids from their "Rioters and the Law" range.

DAZ is from Studio Miniatures; I forget which pack.  Both models are fixed to resin bases from Escenorama.

Conclusion

So, will Brett notice DAZ (and be able to respond) before the zombie makes an attack?  Failing that, will the survivor's heavy clothing provide enough protection to defend against the initial onslaught and give him a fighting chance of victory or escape?  Will Brett's thrown brick bounce off the toughened glass of the store he is trying to loot and hit him instead (or DAZ, or both)?  What you you think?

Click here for Week 3 ==>

24 comments:

  1. Very well painted duo, Hugh. This could go either way. If the zombie gets a penetrating bite on Brett it's game over, otherwise the youth should win.

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    1. Thanks, Bryan. The zombie probably does have the element of surprise; after that - who knows?!

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  2. Very effective painting. The chequered shirt is especially good.

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    1. Thanks, Phil. The shirt was almost an afterthought, so I'm pleased that everyone seems to like it so much :-) .

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  3. Great stuff Hugh! As Phil mentioned, the flannel shirt really stands out, but your bear detail on DAZ's t-shirt is incredible! Love his base too, with the newspaper and sewer cover :)

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    1. Ah, I wondered if anyone would comment on the bear. It's a tee shirt decal - there's no way my painting skills are *that* fine :-) !

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  4. "He's behind you!" I really feel like shouting that at the screen. The check shirt deserves a mention all of it's very own.

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    1. As I said in the article, if this zombie had been posed in front of the survivor then not many people would have much doubt about the outcome. It's amazing how a small change like facing can totally change the narrative :-) ...

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  5. I reckom Brett, beong well protected, will jabe enough time to turn and smash the zed's head, but it;s till an interesting situation.
    For 'one of the herd', DAZ has a tip-top paintjob, as has Brett - the detail on his trainers - wow!

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    1. Thanks, Joe! The more I observe real people in the streets, the less satisfied I am with simple, mono-coloured pieces of clothing on my civilians (and zombies). These days, most people always seem to wear at least one item that has patterns, multiple colours and/or logos...

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  6. Brett's got this! Rock beats skull!

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    1. True, but only if he can deploy the rock at the right time. If the zombie catches Brett by surprise then the fight may be over before the lad even knows that it has started...

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  7. Nice work on this weeks duo. I love the fact he is armed with a house brick as well.

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    1. The brick came with the pack of rioters from Offensive miniatures along with one or two other items. This model was open-handed and therefore could have been finished with any of them, but obviously I chose the brick. There are worse missile weapons in a desperate situation...

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  8. More great work C6. This week I am giving my vote on the win to the Survivor. :)

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    1. I think most people seem to be giving the same answer to this one, or declare it to be 50:50 . No-one so far has declared outright victory for the zombie.

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  9. Great. Very good job on the green lumberjack shirt!

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    1. Thanks, Skully! I thought that the lines on the back of the shirt were a bit crooked, but everyone seems to like it anyway :-) .

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  10. I think Brett has got this. He’s sensibly covered any exposed skin with padded clothing to protect against bites and he’s clearly willing and able to use whatever comes to hand. He’ll be fine...probably...

    For some reason, DAZ reminds me of Bruce Campbell.

    Excellent as ever.

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    1. I'm not entirely sure that I agree with your characterisation of Brett as "sensible". Still, the weight of opinion is with you; he should be able to handle this situation :-) .

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  11. I love your setup with the zombie and survivor! These are always a fun read. Very nice job on the painting, I love the zombie's shirt, I have all kinds of trouble with the plaid/striped looks.

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    1. Thanks; it's always nice to hear such feedback.

      As I mentioned above, the chequered shirt isn't perfect by any means - but it seems to have impressed a lot of my readers nevertheless!

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    1. Thanks. I'm quite pleased with this pair :-) .

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