Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[iamfanboy]

So, in case you've been wondering why the lack of pictures/progress in my Rattler thread, it's because I've been putting together my newly arrived Wargames Factory zombies - available here, or other places (I bought mine from The Warstore, personally) - and I thought I'd go over them for the benefit of the forum, because I now frankly believe that they are perfect for almost any PEG game involving the zeds.

First of all, they say on the box that it comes with only 24 zombies; however, there are actually thirty - each sprue has 5 legs, 5 torsos, and a labcoat-clad zombie that comes as a solid piece, absent the head and right arm. The box comes with 5 sprues, so 5x6=30, baby!

Here's a shot of the sprue:

As you can see, the torsos are all molded with left arms attached, leaving only the right detached; this actually works out well, as each sprue comes with 8 right arms. Considering the potential leg/torso/head/right arm combos, there are plenty of achievable poses even without that being separate.

Overall, I was able to make 20 zombies and a 'glom with 5 torsos and legs left over, not to mention 15 heads - each sprue comes with 9 heads as well. For the most part, the clothes don't look out of place in the Weird West; one torso has an anachronistic-looking tie, and one head has molded sunglasses. Two leg sets do come with shorts; but they look more rotted away than speedo so still acceptable IMHO. The labcoat-torso could easily be a short-coat instead, and that's what I'm going to do.


Now, for the bad - well, not so bad, but fiddly. They're 1/56th scale, which is slightly smaller than most minis; the GW zombie parts I have left over look HUGE compared to them. Still, they're within acceptable boundaries, but if you're looking for bits to make them more Westerny, I'd check 25mm stuff before looking at 28-30mm stuff.

Here's a shot of one of them put next to some other fairly common minis:



From left to right: 25mm Indian (from some old set), the Wargames zombie, a Black Scorpion Tombstone mini, the Chronoscope Time Chaser Andre, and the Malifaux Sue. As you can see, it looks fairly close to 25mm, but still closer to 28mm - though really, Sue is HUGE compared to some of the other minis I've picked up for Deadlands.

So, yes, 100% worth it. At $0.75 a zombie, how could you pass 'em up?

[warrenss2]

I did the math on these last year and snarfed them up!!!!

These guys make fantastic ragers/sprinters zombies.

You can never have enough zombies.

I still want to see more pics of the rattler.
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[Jordan Peacock]

I've bought and assembled the Wargames Factory Zombies as well (bought through my friendly local game store), and found them to be a pretty good deal. Some notes:

1) The detail is not quite as good as more recent Wargames Factory releases, just in case you're familiar with those. The details are fairly shallow, and I found it hard to locate where the eyes were supposed to be on several of the zombie heads. This is a minor quibble, however; there's still plenty of detail to work with.

2) They don't come with their own bases -- or, rather, the mini-bases their feet are attached to aren't sufficient to keep them sturdy on the table. You'll need to supply your own or improvise.

3) There's an interesting balance between "bitz" options and keeping it simple. Although the right arm is a separate piece with several options, the left arm is combined with the torso. You'll need to do some cutting and re-attaching if you want a zombie with both arms raised.

4) There's a generous supply of extra heads; you'll end up with some left over after assembling the lot. However, these could go right back into the lot as "props": you could have a couple of zombies holding disembodied heads, for instance.

5) The sprues stack together in an interesting fashion. I actually saved the frames, as I think I might collect them and use them to make some sort of sci-fi structure for a crafting project.

6) Super glue does not work well with this plastic, as I discovered. I found hobby / plastic-model glue to work much better.

7) Although these are in the 28mm range, the proportions are actually more realistic than, say, Games Workshop. Hence, if you might have a few zombie regiment bitz from Warhammer Fantasy, the parts won't quite look right if you try to mix and match unless you've got really low standards. I'm just saying this from experience after a failed attempt.

All-in-all for the price, this is a pretty good way of bulking out a zombie horde for 28mm scale. (If you want closer to 25mm scale, then I'd recommend the various "Bag-o-Zombie" deals from Twilight Creations as an option.) For my War of the Dead / Zombie Run hybrid campaign, I used these in combination with some of the laser-cut 25mm round bases that were offered by Gale Force 9 for a while.

I'm also a fan of many of the other Wargames Factory offerings, particularly the Shock Troops / Greatcoat Troopers (which have some great "bitz" options, and have a much finer level of detail).

As for using them for Deadlands ... great idea! You're right about the details being fairly neutral; most of them could pass for Wild West zombies with appropriate painting.

[Snate56]

I use washers now for all my bases, the metal makes things much more stable, especially for plastic figures.



SteveN
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"We've got a blind date with destiny... and it looks like she's ordered the lobster." <The Shoveller>

[warrenss2]

[farik]

[Snate56]

I sand the surface first, then smear gel-type super glue on the surface around the hole. Then I stick it down on a scrap of cardstock and let dry.
Peel off the excess, sand it smooth, and a drop of glue into the hole on the back make a hardened plug in the middle.
It seems involved, but I do a bunch at a time.

Then I stick the figure down using the gel-type super glue. I use it for practically everything. Just sand the surface first if it's too smooth.

I also use 1 1/2" to 2" washers to make small terrain features; a lone tree, a campfire, a rockpile, etc.


Also, if you're having trouble getting paint or glue to stick to the plastic, always make sure to wash the sprues in warm water with a little dish soap. I use an old toothbrush. This removes the parting compound used in the molding process.


SteveN
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"We've got a blind date with destiny... and it looks like she's ordered the lobster." <The Shoveller>

[VonDan]

Rather then a washer you can buy finished "Slugs" the round metal circle left over when holes are punched in metal. You have seen them around before, left over from when some one is installing house hold wiring and such and they knocked out the pre punched hole from a wiring box. But that is random and one edge often has a "tag" you need to file off. I have seen just the slug for sale they come in various sizes including 1 inch. Supply and availability vary check with your local hard ware and home supply store to see which one has slugs and the best hot dog stand in the parking lot .
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http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h51/Vondan/