Sunday 28 October 2018

Zomtober 2018, Week 4

<== Week 3's duel is this way

Introduction

Whew!  It's the last weekend in Zomtober 2018 and I've finished my models!  Well, OK - that's not entirely correct.  The figures you'll see below have had all the painting done, but they haven't yet been varnished.

Sealing these models would only take a moment, but I want to hold off for a while because the wash I've used on the bases is still slightly wet in some of the deeper recesses.  I know from bitter experience that if I spray sealer over paint/wash which isn't completely dry then the models will go "milky", at least in the damper parts.  It's better if I wait for a few days before varnishing.  Anyway, all the rest is done...

Cora vs Green-haired Zombie


Today's duel is between a couple of young women.  The lucky one (the survivor) is "Cora".  She's young, slim, pretty and armed with an assault rifle and a revolver.  Presumably the satchel slung over her shoulder holds spare ammunition, food, medicines or other useful survival equipment.  I've experimented with colours by giving her pink hair; not something I usually do.



The unlucky one is also young, slim and was probably pretty when still alive.  However, she's now a zombie.  She has half the scalp on one side of her head torn off, as well as gashes and cuts on one leg.  I'll call her "Green-haired Zombie" ("GHZ" hereafter) because she also has been used to practice my painting techniques.  In this case, I've given her green hair and a striped, multi-coloured skirt and top.



Cora is a Hasslefree model.  Indeed, I believe that she's just another version of the survivor I presented last week, though the model is still an excellent one.



GHZ comes from one of the "zombie mobs" produced by Studio Miniatures.  Personally I think that the sculpting is a little weak on this figure; she has slightly overlong arms and legs and an implausibly narrow waist.  The model is still good, just not great.

I'd give the GHZ model maybe 3.5 out of 5, whereas Cora is a solid 5 out of 5.



As always (at least, until I run out of them), both of these figures are mounted on Escenorama resin bases.  Cora's base is fairly plain, but GHZ is standing in a gutter near a crushed Irn Bru can (look it up if you're not Scottish) and a torn takeaway menu.


Conclusion

It looks to me as if Cora has this all day long.  She has a good weapon which she seems to know how to use (no firing from the hip!) and she seems fit enough to be able to fire it.  The zombie isn't particularly special in any way, but there are just a couple of doubts in my mind about this duel even so:
  1. I wonder why Cora has decided to straddle a sunken - and probably dangerous - manhole cover.  If she loses her balance or shifts her position even slightly then she could suddenly find herself in a lot of trouble.  Falling down a hole in the road, or even just stumbling at the wrong moment, could be fatal during the apocalypse!
  2. GHZ is really skinny.  If Cora doesn't aim carefully, she might miss this very narrow target, especially if she hasn't done this sort of thing before.  Killing zombies casually, without having any doubts or worries, is probably an acquired skill.
So, as always: what do you think will happen next?  Comments below, please 😃.




22 comments:

  1. Excellent wok as usual. Unless Cora's gun jams I think she is safe. :)

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    1. Also as long as she doesn't fall down the hole, lose her nerve or discover that the "gun" is just a movie prop :-) .

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  2. Very nicely painted figures and as Pulpcitizen said, unless Cora's gun jams the zombie is soon to be a headless zombie. Cora IS aiming at the zombie's head and if she fires on full automatic it will shred the zombie's head.

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    1. Thanks, Bryan. Yes, if she uses full automatic shooting at that range then it's going to be very messy...

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  3. Great brushwork! Cora definitely has this match, as her brother Dwayne taught her the proper way to handle the M41A 10mm caseless assault rifle before he enlisted in USCMC ;-)

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    1. Ah, I hadn't recognised the gun, so thanks for that :-) .

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  4. You cannot go wrong with a M41A Pulse Rifle. Good job!

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    1. No indeed - as long as they actually exist in your universe and in your timeframe :-) .

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  5. Fantastic work Hugh! The striped top and skirt on the zombie, wow!

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    1. Thanks, Ivor. The top & skirt in the reference photo from which I worked had *6* different-coloured stripes. I chickened out and only painted 4, each rather wider than on the real-world item :-) .

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  6. Love the face off! I expect Cora will have no trouble, unless she finds out the rifle she has is just a movie prop!

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    1. Yeah, that would be a bit of a bummer, wouldn't it :-) ? Still, she has a revolver as well, if she can draw it in time (and assuming it's not just a Nerf gun).

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  7. Another excellent duo. I need to pick up this survivor model as I have the one with the torch and silenced mac 10 version and its a great little model. I may have to go with the sword though.

    Though I do like the look of the pulse rifle to..

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    1. I did debate giving her the rather lighter alternate armaments which came with the model, but in the end went with the rifle. It is indeed a nice model; Hasslefree really _get_ human anatomy, I think.

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  8. Excellent additions. What a great way to finish Zombtober.

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    1. Thanks, Clint. Whew, it's over for another year, then?

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  9. Hasslefree minis are a joy to paint.. Well done a great job.

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    1. Yes, they are indeed great models and I have a number in my collection already. Personally I'd like to see more unarmed civilians, especially outside of early adulthood, but that's just me :-) ...

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  10. Looks like Cora has this, although that looks like Wayland-Yutani marine issue pulse rifle. I'd imagine ammo for it is hard to come by in the apocalypse. Let's hope she has a full clip.

    Nice work, as ever, and I think the Studio zombie works fine. An impossibly small waist works for a zombie. The stripes are great.

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    1. Thanks, Kieron. Given the relatively small size of her satchel, I don't imagine that she has many reloads on her. Perhaps there is a good supply back at her base, wherever that might be? Then again...

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  11. Looks like a couple of cosplayers! Cora has this, she straddles the manhole, just in case...if she jumps back the zombie falls down the hole. Thanks for another fun Zombie/Survivor duel Zomtober!

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    1. I'm not sure how you've come to the conclusion that they might be cosplayers, Terry; I don't see it myself. Still, who knows...

      I'm glad you've enjoyed the series anyway :-) . I do look forward to creating my Zomtober articles, though there's always a certain amount of trepidation in there too!

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