Sunday 6 October 2019

Zomtober 2019, Week 1

Introduction

It's Zomtober again!  This is quite a lot of work for me, but I do still enjoy the event all the same.

For any new readers, here's the deal: a loose group of hobbyists agree that each will produce at least one zombie-related model each week during October.  More information including the rules (such as they are) can be found >> here <<.  It's a way of encouraging each other to be more productive...

This is the 7th year that I've been part of Zomtober (wow, really?).  Rather than just produce one model each week, I decided right from the outset to paint both a survivor and a zombie and then pose them as a "duel".  This leads to the interesting question: "what happens next?".  Sometimes it's obvious, but on other occasions there is much discussion without commentators reaching any general agreement...

Previous Zomtobers

Just in case anyone is interested in old stuff, here's a catalogue of previous years (or at least, Week 1 from each year.  Weeks 2, 3, 4... can be reached by following the links from each year's start entry):

Ryan vs the Cheer Squad

 This year, my first Zomtober entry has not just 1 figure or even 2 figures, but 4 models in a "duel".



Ryan was a fairly average high school dropout.  He liked to dress all in black and would blame the rest of the world (especially kids of his age group) for his own inadequacies.  Never once in a million years did he think that one of the good-looking, popular girls would so much as notice him, at least not without an expression of disgust or mild amusement.



And yet, here were 3 of the cheer squad (the most athletic, well-groomed girls in school) approaching him!  Knowing his luck, this was probably not as good as it seemed.



Ryan may have rejected formal education, but he wasn't stupid.  He knew that the zombie plague was rampant and that society was falling apart.  That was why he had his home-made crossbow with him - just in case he met anyone hostile.  The weapon was small, lovingly built (machine shop was the only class in school that Ryan enjoyed) and probably deadly, though he had never actually shot anyone with it - yet.



There was just one problem.  Ryan had spent so much time and effort on the weapon itself that he hadn't made much ammunition.  He had just a single bolt - and there were 3 zombies approaching.  He hadn't even considered the need for a knife or other backup weapon.  Maybe he wasn't quite as smart as he had thought...



I thought that the cheerleader zombies came from Bombshell Miniatures, but I cannot see them on that site.  Maybe I'm remembering this incorrectly?

Whatever their provenance, I extended their costumes a bit with green stuff, as the models were showing too much lower boob for my taste.  It didn't look at all plausible to me (though arguably, anything with "zombie" in the title is somewhat implausible right away...).  They still have bare midriffs, which is quite enough and a bit more "realistic".



Ryan is one of the street kids from Offensive Miniatures.  The bases are all green-stuff press moulds generated from a Basius II pad.

Conclusion

So, what happens next?  Ryan has one shot only; even if he manages to fell a zombie with that then there will still be 2 cheerleaders left to attack him.

He could take to his heels and run - if so then let's hope that these are the slow-moving, groaning type of zombies.  Otherwise, it'll be a close run thing between 3 athletic ex-girls and one not-particularly-fit young man.

Perhaps the cheerleaders are still trying to perform a routine and can be distracted or avoided?  After all, their continued grip on their pompoms suggests that they haven't gone totally feral.

So, what you you think?

Follow this link for Week 2 ==>

17 comments:

  1. What a great post. Love the Cheerleader zombies creepy as hell! Nice job on the rioter makes a perfect survivor type.

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    1. Thanks, Simon. The cheerleaders aren't bad, but the sculpts aren't quite top notch (say an A-). Still, more zombies are good, right :-) ?

      The rioter/angry young man does indeed make an excellent survivor. I suppose I could have found him a backpack if I wanted to portray an experienced survivor, but I've done him as the "early days" version.

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  2. What a great backstory, Kevin the teenager would seemingly fail miserably at surviving!

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    1. Well, it's not a lot of backstory really - just a few lines. But enough for people to engage their imagination, I hope :-) . Thanks, Phil!

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  3. Zombie cheerleaders, that's just terrifying lol! Great stuff 😀 Seeing as cheerleaders are usually in some sort of line formation I like to think Ryan used that to his advantage and took out all three with one head shot!

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    1. I think your imagination is running away with you here, Ivor :-) ! Even if Ryan could persuade all 3 zombies to line up for the perfect shot, I doubt very much that a crossbow bolt would have the energy to penetrate more than one of them. But that's just my gut feeling...

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  4. All I can say is RUN RYAN RUN! Hmm maybe he can have a cameo in a sequel...Saving Student Ryan

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    1. Terry, I agree with you: running is his best chance. But there's this: every teenage gamer I've ever known (board, miniature or video game) will *always* try to use every tool/weapon they have, explore every location and participate in every fight. There's no real evaluation of the necessity to engage...

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    2. True enough...until he rolls a '1' hehe

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  5. Run like hell! Great job, and lots of fun. Not the scariest zeds I have ever seen!

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    1. Thanks, Rob. I agree that these zombies are on the comical rather than terrifying end of the spectrum :-) . If they are slow-moving then Ryan should have an excellent chance to escape, I think. Otherwise, if they are fast zombies then who knows...

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  6. One bolt? Three zombies? And a teenager angry with the world and a point to prove?

    This one gets won by the mean girls.

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    1. I fear you may be right, Kieron. Has Ryan worked out that he doesn't need to engage these zombies, but would be better off retreating as fast as he can? Teenage boys don't always think clearly, especially when there are girls (alive or dead?!) involved...

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  7. Brilliant! Although Ryan is toast.

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    1. I'm sensing a hardening of public opinion here, Michael :-) . More people than not seem to think that Ryan cannot escape. I'd certainly agree that he cannot *win* a fight, but perhaps he'll be smart enough (and fast enough) to avoid it?

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  8. All good stuff C6, but Ryan is dead meat imho, three to one odds aren't good are they ?

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    1. Thanks, Joe. So, another vote for the zombies. Seems like it's thumbs down for poor Ryan, then...

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