Thaissa, the Entrepreneur - Dressed to Impress (and kill zombies...)

Hello all,
So here is another of the survivors I painted some time ago and simply forgot to post pictures of.

 This is the lovely Thaissa, described as the Entrepreneur:

She was a Kickstarter Exclusive and one I was looking forward to painting. Great sculpt and quite different from the other females in the set.

I've tried to paint her as close to the character artwork released by Guillotine Games, but the dress was difficult to paint in the right nuance:

The official blurp reads as follows:

Thaissa the entrepreneur

"The world is not ending, just changing. No need to panic. We’ll just adjust some parameters."

Thaissa was a successful entrepreneur when the zombies came and tried to change the deal. She kept her cool and slightly altered her terms of service to fit the situation. Thaissa now grows her network among local survivors, dealing in equipment, information, and weapons. Of course, her beauty and unusual attire help a lot. After all, a new world means new possibilities.

A pleasure to paint - great sculpt and she looks quite demonic in her Zombivore version. Of course, now that she is painted we will probably never draw her as a character :-).

All the best,

Kasper

Mrs. Latex: Elsa the Cat-Burglar

Hello all,
So another of the survivors got paint on her. This time it is Elsa, who apparently was a cat-burglar in 'normal' life. I was looking forward to painting her, but to be honest I was really disappointed with the quality of the sculpt. The body is a fine latex suit, and her weapons look mean, but the face and hair was a bit of a let-down. Especially on the zombivore version she looks more like a grinning monkey than human. In the end I was sufficently annoyed that she was finished as a rush job. She still looks alright from a distance...:

Perhaps, in time, I'll go back and highlight her latex-suit a bit more carefully and do something about her hair. At least her *primary assets* will probably attract most viewers attention, alleviating your criticisms concerning her facial features :-)

We've tested her once and her beginning skill (Break-in, a free, silent, open doors-action each round), is great at first but at later stages becomes less remarkable.On the other hand, she will become very, very mobile once in the red zone, so she should often be among the surviving survivors.

The official blurp for Elsa:

"Next time, they might as well lock the door with gift wrap. It won’t be more secure, only prettier."

Born a beautiful girl in a poor family, Elsa learned that agility, attractiveness, and subtlety could open all the doors to wealth. Stealing precious goods was her daily adrenalin fix, especially if it involved acrobatics and a real security challenge.
Elsa was running from the cops on the roofs when the zombies came and changed her life. Gold is useless now, but locked doors still shelter precious goods. Smiling and playful amidst the chaos, this kitten enjoys the apocalypse. All social barriers are down, only skill matters. And how skillful Elsa is!

Despite the crappy face, she looks fine from a distance and will add some colour to the survivor-group.
Hope you liked Elsa - more survivors and zombies coming soon(ish).

All the best,
Kasper

Tough Chick: Shannon the Soldier armed and ready for the zombies!

Hello all,

Now, if (*when*...) the zombies come this Irish lady is someone I would appreciate sharing the troubles with. Shannon the Soldier, a survivor from the Zombicide Prison Outbreak set, looks to be tough as nails:

Her Survivor mini carries a set of shotguns, while the zombivore has changed these for some serious guns - 44. Magnums? I must admit I don't mind painting scantily clad ladies, but if I was caught in the zombipocalypse, I would have donned a full set of body armour... perhaps the disease is spread through the air in Guillotine Games' universe?

She is one of the better sculpts - great detail and for once the eyes are the 'correct' size (they seem to be overly small on most survivors, while on others they are far too large). She did get a somewhat frenzied look when I painted her (not sure you can see the eyes that well on these images?) which I kept as it seemed to suit her. Again, I've tried to stay true to the character drawings on the cards, although I did add a wee bit of blood on the survivor...

I had serious troubles painting her stubbles (or what remains of her hair) - trying at first a black diluted wash, but in the end it turned out a diluted grey was the easiest way to achieve the look. I think she turned out all right.

The official description of this hard ass Irish survivor is:

"We all fight for what we lack. What is your war?"

Of Irish descent, Shannon is a woman of action. Gang wars, police, militia, the army, she had it all but never found a fight that could engage her body and soul. Back in civilian life after another accident with her last partner, Shannon was looking for a bouncer job when zombies came and gave her life real meaning. Shannon now has many causes to fight for: survival, protecting untrained people, and exterminating zombies with extreme prejudice. Surrounded by blood and death, she feels right at home and more alive than ever.

 

Her skills (beginning with 'Point-blank', and quickly getting a choice of either ' Lucky' or '+1 free Ranged Action') are superb and I'm sure she is character who will kill her share of zombies!

All the best,
Kasper

Mr. Scaredy Pants - Mack the Car Salesman (painted promo survivor)

Hello all,

I must admit the arrival of 24 new survivors and zombivores made me panic a bit. I really like painting these minis, but I also want to play with painted miniatures and the drastic plastic pile was becoming intimidating.

So I've devoted a couple of days to painting the brilliant minis (well, most are brilliant) from Guillotine Games.

Mack, the Car Salesman, is the first of ten I managed to get finished:

Not a Golden Demon standard but sufficient for the boardgame. For some reason the awkwardly positioned survivor Mack got a really scared look - you might be able to see it in the pictures. I considered redoing his eyes, but figured it was quite appropriate.

Mack is armed with a vicious pair of Kukris - although the travails of becoming a Zombivore has meant he lost one - along with the scared look :-).

Mack is (I think) obviously meant to resemble Nicolas Cage as Cameron Poe in Con Air - although I don't think Mr. Cage (not the best actor in my book...) was ever cool enough to employ dual kukris?

His description in Zombicide is as follows:

"Time to test drive these kukris!"

Mack’s story is like most – an ordinary, happy man until the zombies rose, forced to dig deep or die. His peaceful previous life hid his true potential – unfortunately, it took burying his wife and two daughters to bring it out. Taking a car from his lot, he began a cross country zombicide, eventually joining the motley crew of survivors. Mack’s fighting spirit has made him a precious resource for any team, and his manic grin gets even wider the worse the odds are!

All in all, a nice mini and I think he will kill his share of zombies once he is let into the action.

All the best,
Kasper

Squirt-Gun Child Survivor - Hasslefree's Tom (HFN006)

Hello all,
Another of Hasslefree's great Juvenile minis is this wee chap:

Hasslefree's Tom (HFN006)

He goes by the name of Tom, and carries a squirt gun, a tin foil hat, and a mobile phone. No, I have no idea how he has managed to stay alive, but perhaps he was left behind in a toy store when the zombie apocalypse hit his city. Perhaps the gun shoots acid, or maybe he is simply blessed?

Hasslefree's Tom (HFN006)

He was fun to paint, although he is absolutely tiny! I wanted some really strong colours on the gun, which si not what I have most of on my paintrack so that was a nightmare.

Hasslefree's Tom (HFN006)

Hasslefree describe him thusly:
Winner of the 'Civilians & bystanders' category in the Area51 sculpting competition and sculpted by Tom Mason. This fearless little guy with his tin foil hat and 'super-soaker' water pistol looks all set to go into open combat with any aliens that threaten his sweetie collection let alone his planet! Approx 15.5mm to eye level and 21mm to the top of his head.
Creator: Tom Mason

He serves as a objective token most of the time, but my kdis love him and we all hope he survives each game :-).

All the best,
Kasper

Underboob + Miniskirt = the perfect Zombie-hunter?

Hello all,
So having painted two of the least dressed survivors - and their zombivore versions - I figured I would present a side-by-side view of the ladies. The two are Dakota "Underboob" (more pictures here) and Lea "Miniskirt" (pictures here) and the interesting thing is how the two sets are a mirrored version of each other:

Note how the survivor Dakota is a mirror of Zombivore Lea, and vice versa for Zombivore Dakota and Survivor Lea - at least in the way their legs are positioned. Quite interesting.

Very nice minis to paint, and although they are a 'bit' underdressed they are part of a fun game and thus isn't something that I have a problem with - will be fun to use them in their painted versions next time we get a game going.

I'll have some pictures of them with gore and blood up sometime next week.

All the best,
Kasper

Dakota: Queen of the Underboob - painted survivor and zombivore

Hello all,
Following Lea comes Dakota the Convict. Now if Lea is the queen of the miniskirt, Dakota is the undisputed queen of the 'underboob' (trust me, you don't want to google that term, or perhaps you do, I'll judge noone :-)):

Again, this is a "before-all-the gore-has-been-added"-shot, and she was a pleasure to paint. And a quick paint job as well. The boobs do look exaggerated, but then again as she is supposed to portray   a more-or-less nude version of Pamela Anderson in presumably Barb Wire (?), she is actually spot on:

While Pamela is known for many things, a fashion sense has never been one of them. I must admit that the mini was a pleasure to paint, and even though she is semi-naked, I have little issues with this - it is a game after all and it was a pleasure to paint all that skin :-). I did have serious troubles identifying where her t-shirt was supposed to end at the neck - there is almost no details there.

The official text on Dakota is as follows:

"The law no longer protects the weak. Nothing protects the weak. Do you feel weak?"

With her stunning looks and wits, Dakota could have lived a comfortable life. Instead, she chose a life of crime. She did time for everything from robbery to car theft. Her last sentence would have kept her inside long enough to go from the jail to the old folks home, but then the zombies came. Dakota is done running and hiding. She’s here to claim her liberty and gain respect by spilling zombie blood anywhere she chooses to call home. She speaks freely about her past to any survivor she meets and improvises according to their reaction. But is she really the evil person she claims to be?

I'll put up a shot of the two "queens of questionable fashion sense" shortly :-).

All the best,

Kasper

Zombicide: Lea, Queen of the Miniskirt - painted survivor and zombivore

Hello all,

I actually managed to paint a set of survivors! 

The first is that rascally youth, Lea the Teenager. An optional promotional survivor from the last kickstarter she is - apparently - based on Emily Jean "Emma" Stone in her role as Wichita in Zombieland. A brilliant movie but while the face resembles that actress, the clothing does not really look like what Wichita wore. 

And speaking of clothing, she is without doubt the queen of miniskirts - any shorter and this would be a "not safe for work" post.

The mini is a brilliant sculpt and was great fun to paint - nice detailing and a well-shaped subject. I've tried to make her look as the official card (although her hair is more red, but I quite liked the nuance I got and didn't want to tone it down):

I've not finished her base yet, nor applied any blood to her (primarily the zombivore version) as I wanted to show a "clean" version. A bloodied version will follow in a few days.

The official brief on this character is:

Headstrong and resourceful, Lea was one of the rare teenagers who hung out with the popular kids and made the honor role. Had her fiery temper not caused so much mischief among teachers and classmates alike, she could have reached the very top. Society and its dumb rules didn't fit her taste, and that kept her from having it all. The zombies changed all that.
Life has gotten more challenging for Lea. She has outsmarted and outgunned most opponents so far, but lately she finds she's afraid to be left alone. She is learning to swallow her pride and trust the other survivors. Zombies are teaching her how life can be easier when you have friends you can rely on.
Lea is an optional promotional survivor available to those that raise an extra amount on their pledge for the Zombicide Season Two Kickstarter campaign. A zombie version (Zombivor) will also be included.

All the best,
Kasper

100.000 visitors = An Apocalyptic Final Stand (eye-candy galore)!

Hello all,
It seems the number of visitors to this zombierific blog crept above the magic number 100.000 during the weekend. I really want to thank each and everyone, but as that would take quite a while, I've decided this would be an appropriate moment to lineup all the zombies and survivors from the Zombicide game I've painted so far. Think of it as a photo-apocalyptic-thank-you from me to you :-).

The survivors prepare for a last, desperate last stand

Led by Nick and the old gang, each survivor has stocked up on weapons and prepares to unleash hell

Led by the zombie dogz and runners the zombies rapidly approach the survivors

Even the Zombie Dogz can be heard gorwling *BRAINZZ*

More than a dozen runners is a bad, bad sight

A sizeable group of fatties lumber towards the survivors, intent on feating tonight

On the survivors' right is a small contingent of the new and terrifying Toxic Zombies

The kids (from Hasslefree) are kept in reserve, although they are fully able to kick some Zombie-a**

The slightly weird, tutu-wearing uncle Ed prepares to stop the zombies from getting to the children and women

The unstoppable horde

Runners galore

How will it all end? No idea, but thanks for stopping by, commenting and following this blog. I really apprecaite it and doubt I would have gotten through half the zombies without having this blog to showcase and keep my spirits up.

All the best,
Kasper

Zombicide!: Hasslefree size comparison

Hello all,
Just in case anyone could use a size comparison between the survivors from Zombicide and the alternatives from Hasslefree:

The Hasslefresian ladies are a bit more diminutive but I don't think this is an issue once the zombie hordes start infesting the surroundings...

Anyways, thanks for reading - if you found the post interesting then any comments or tips are greatly appreciated!
Until the next time; stay safe and prepare to slaughter Zombies!

All the best,
Kasper

Zombicide: Survivors in action

Hello all,
Seeing as it is a bit slow at the moment, both in regards to painting and gaming, mainly due to me defending my dissertation this monday (Yay, I get to put a "Dr." in front of my name now!), I found a few old pictures that I do not think I've shown before. And who doesn't like to look at zombies attacking brave survivors.

Dave and Wanda defending themselves against the Zombie onslaught!

I guess Wanda is praying those two molotov cocktails Dave is carrying, are ready!

Anyways, thanks for reading - if you found the post interesting then any comments or tips are greatly appreciated!
Until the next time; stay safe and prepare to slaughter Zombies!

All the best,
Kasper

(Zomtober III): Hasslefree's Gruff with the last beer in the world...

Hello all,
Well, we have something depressing to showcase today. Another survivor for Zombtober, yes, but also a sad survivor. Poor old Gruff (HFA067) has just fought his way through the Zombie hordes only to discover there was only one beer left. Look at the poor bloke contemplating whether to drink it immediately or treasure it while attempting to stay alive...

What would you do - drink it now, or later and risk never getting the possibility?

Another brilliant miniature from Hasslefree - love his sad face and when my son found the empty beer box outside on the street we both agreed it would suit Gruff perfectly (even though it is a bit too large - but it isn't permanently fixed to the base). Oh, btw, Gruff led to Duff :-).

Hasslefree describes him thusly:
Oh dear, what have we here? If you are looking for an archetypal wargamer with with more than a little attitude then look no further. This adult male is well-equipped to fight zombies on or off the gaming table.

Anyways, thanks for reading - if you found the post interesting then any comments, questions, or tips (commercial clicks :-)) are greatly appreciated!

Until the next time; stay safe and prepare to slaughter Zombies!

All the best,

Kasper