Board of The Living Lead Comp Entry part 2

In my haste to get the piece finished I took photos of it being painted without checking them and basically a lot of them where no good. Anyhow here is the finished piece. With figures added. Things like the barrels and bin bags etc are removable so I can re use them.

The Finished build

Close up of the base

Close up of the tower

'The Burger Bar Crew'

Here is a link to the Board of the Living Lead competition section where all the entries are so far. There area few more due to be added so check back the weekend to look at some of the others.

http://boardofthelivinglead.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=comp

Board of The Living Lead Comp Entry part 1

Here is my entry for the BOTLL 2012 Diorama competition. 'The Burger Bar Crew'

Finally the competition has come to completion at the end of January here is some pics of it being built from well allsorts really.

Its main influence is my favourite zombie novel series by Charlie Higson, The Enemy, The Dead, The Fear, The Sacrifice.

From the back of 'The Enemy'

They’ll chase you. They’ll rip you open. They’ll feed on you . . . When the sickness came, every parent, police officer, politician – every adult – fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they’re fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city – down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground – the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there – alive?

In the books the kids basically hold out and fortify various locations in London from large super markets such as a Morrisons, The Tower of London and Buckingham palace and many others. The piece I decided to make was some sort of utility tower converted into a fortified building being a bit ramshackle in appearance having been done by kids. I left the bottom part open as if it was in constructions. I've nicknamed it. 'The Burger Bar Crew'  as the name of the gang. This is from a gang of kids who used to hang around robbing people in the local park when I was a kid.


The only restrictions where CD sized base and must include at least one zombie. As I want to use the figures for gaming  I decided to leave them separate from the piece.

Various bits and pieces, CD, plastic pipe that was cut up for the legs, bits of sprue was used to create the platform. Coffee Stirrers and a hair putty tub :D

Starting to take shape.

Coffee Stirrers added as a platform. Strips of card used to represent metal sheeting.

I glued it alltogether then realised I'd have to take bits of to paint it doh!

Filler used to make the base and done rough for texture and some cocktail stick to use as fence posts.

Primed and ready for painting

Some bits to dress it with mostly left over milliput from when basing my figures rolled into balls then a knife is used to add the creases

Diamonds are Forever

Finally got round to painting up this Henchmen Duo classic bad guys from the bond movie Diamonds are Forever. Mr Wint and Mr Kidd forever find intuitive ways of killing people throughout. I decided to include some of there classic quotes as well. Both figures are from Copplestone Castings KKBB range KGB men. Mr Kidd has one of Crooked Dice's brilliant Henchmen Heads I'd already used the first head on my first bond bad guy Jaw's

Mr. Wint: The scorpion.
Mr. Kidd: One of nature's finest killers, Mr. Wint.
Mr. Wint: One is never too old to learn from a master, Mr. Kidd.

James Bond: The wine is quite excellent. Although for such a grand meal I would have expected a claret.
Mr. Wint: But of course. Unfortunately our cellar is poorly stocked with clarets.
James Bond: Mouton Rothschild IS a claret. And, I've smelled that aftershave before, and both times - I've smelled a rat.

Mr. Wint: And for dessert, the piece de resistance... a Bombe Surprise.
Tiffany Case: Mmm! That looks fantastic. What's in it?
Mr. Wint: Ah... But then there would be no surprise, Madame.

Hasslefree Palin

The fifth and final Hasslefree Juvenile from the Mantic/Hasslefree set is Palin armed with his trusty chainsaw. I had a bit of fun with this guy and tried to paint on a skull to the back of his jacket. It looks OK but my freehand isn't its best. I might try this again but perhaps on a figure that isn't in a twisted pose.

A Group shot of the set and another with some of my other Juvenile miniatures.

Hasslefree Rose (B)

I'm calling her Rose (B) as she is a slight modification of the original Hasslefree Rose. This is a feature of all the Mantic/Hasslefree sets is that you get a unique figure not available separately. not all the figures are different some have different weapons, some have different equipment etc.

This is the fourth kid from the set. I really like the kit this little lady has a blowtorch, molotov cocktail and a gas mask. Burn Baby Burn!!!! I decided to paint her with blond hair as it stands out from the gas mask more which cover most of the head.

Hasslefree Peter

The third member of this set armed with a trusty iron crowbar to cave in those zombies knees similar school uniform to Katie done last week. I'm not sure about the red shorts I'm thinking really they should of been black or grey but I think they look ok. Just noticed a spot of blue on the boots needs touching up doh!

Hasslefree Katie

Another Juvenile from the fantastic Hasslefree range. Again this comes from the joint Mantic/Hasslefree set. Katie is again going to be part of the Diorama which the new deadline is the end of January.

Armed with a baseball bat and a metal bin lid for protection those kneecaps better watch out. Lots of fun to paint seems ages since I've had the chance and I felt a bit rusty painting her up making daft mistakes I wouldn't normally lol.Lots of nice details to pick out the only awkward bit I found is painting the back of the head between the bin lid and the hair but as a single piece casting its more my ham fistedness than anything.


Other projects wise I've picked up some more bits for 7TV and plan on doing a mini campaign of 3-4 scenarios not quite made my mind up yet they are still in the planning stages. making notes and drawing maps etc.

Placed my second Khurasan order so I now have some adversary's on there way. The 15mm SciFi has stalled a little bit only because I'm not happy with the uniform colours I've done for the Exterminators. I've done a few test figs which the colours didn't quite go or I wasn't happy with them. I think I've found a choice I like so more work but I'm unsure what colour to do the webbing/pouches etc.

Blog wise I've tweaked the background I think it was making the text to hard to read and I couldn't find a text colour that suited it so have changed it again.

The Passage by Justin Kronin

I'd never heard of this book. I think I found out about it from one of the 'interview the author' type blog posts (can't remember whose sorry) the author was asked what there favourite top three books was and this was one of them. Feeling a bit at a loss as to what to read I though I'd see if the library had got it. They did and boy am I glad that they did.

Here is a link to the authors website.
http://enterthepassage.com/

From the back of the book.

An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy—abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can’t stop society’s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world

I have only just finished this book having started it at the beginning of December its took me a while as the prep for Christmas meant I could only read bits at a time and not for very long but with the break over Christmas I managed to get it finished.

Its a beast of a book at just over 1000 pages but it has kept me enthralled it full of all sorts of different emotions which you can't help getting swept up in. It has become probably one of the best books I've ever read and that's not an exaggeration either.. If you like vampires or post apocalyptic settings I suggest you go and seek it out!

Its sequel 'The Twelve' is out also and I've just requested it from the library can't wait.

 Please do go check it out you won't regret it.

Happy New Year 2013

Just a quick post to wish all who follow my blog a Happy New Year 2013, May it be a prosperous and healthy one for all you and your families!

Thanks for taking an interest.

All the Best Simon (Brummie)