Saturday 19 September 2009

Hasslefree Zombies 03


Hasslefree Miniatures have recently released a new 28mm scale zombie figure, the zombified Professor Beattie. So I thought I'd lump him in with some of  their previous releases since my last review of their zombie range and get up to date with what's been happening at Hasslefree Central.
First in line in the photos above is the afore-mentioned zombified Professor Beattie (HFZ210). He has been sculpted by Warren Beattie and is based on his previous sculpt, HFN007 Professor Beattie. It is a simple but effective sculpt as he stands in a very static pose. A bandage around his right wrist has begun to unravel - a nice touch. He does not appear to be too badly wounded, although his coat and trousers have been torn. I particularly like the way his face has been sculpted - he looks very sinister. An excellent figure that costs £3.50.
HFA045 Joe is from the Adventurers range and is not a zombie. However, someone on the Forum of Doom had converted him into a zombie by drilling a few massive holes through him. I wasn't too keen on the conversion but the idea of turning him into a zombie was a good one. The pose of the figure requires no work to make him look like a zombie. I drilled a small hole in his upper right arm and added a cut to his upper left arm. The figure is supposed to be wearing gloves with a hole cut out of them on the upper hand. I made this hole a bite wound to his left hand and smoothed over the hole with Green Stuff on his right hand to make him gloveless. When I glued him to his slottabase I deliberately posed him slightly off centre so that he leans to the left. This is a very simple conversion and I'm happy with how it came out. The figure was originally sculpted by the awesome Kevin White and costs £3.50.
In the centre of the group is HFZ209 Zombie Mime sculpted by someone known only as "Ari". According to the blurb about this figure on the HF website, Ari is a minor. Much respect to him for sculpting such a fine figure at such a young age. He ought to be immensely proud. This is definitely a fun figure that brings to mind wacky comedian, Kenny Everett's Marcel the mime artist. Younger viewers and/or non-Brits probably have no idea who I'm talking about. Sorry! Those who do will see the similarity immediately. The figure is incredibly thin and his pose is deliberately exaggerated, which is why I find him so amusing. His wounds consist of a bite to his left thigh, a cut to his upper left arm and his ribcage is exposed on his left side. Instead of painting him my usual zombie grey I painted his skin white. Mime artists tend to paint their faces white. He only costs £3.00.
Finally is HFZ208 Zombie Surfer, sculpted by a good friend of mine, Philip Hynes. I bought two of this figure as I wanted one with the surfboard and one without. I am very impressed by the level of detail on this figure and it was a joy to see it finally get released after months of watching Phil's work in progress on him on the Forum of Doom. His wounds include a missing right eye (although I painted one in on the surfboard carrying zed), a couple of bites to his right arm and a large chunk taken out of the back of his lower right leg. Note the shark tooth necklace and the bite taken out of the back of his surfboard, presumably from a shark attack. I painted my surfboard carrier with the same flesh tones as most of my zombies but then I gave him a Citadel Gryphonne Sepia ink wash to give him a duskier hue. On the other zombie surfer I have smeared his left hand with Tamiya Clear Red (awesome paint for doing blood) as if it has been rummaging inside a victim's stomach. This figure costs also £3.50.
As I mentioned in my earlier review of the Matt Lord sculpted HF zombies, it is nice to see a company giving amateur sculptors a chance to sell their work. The figures by Warren, Ari and Phil certainly complement the Hasslefree range and are well worth having in your zombie horde. I highly recommend them all.

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