Saturday 18 April 2015

Reaper Survivors 01

I have no doubt that this post will please many of you as I return to reviewing 28mm scale contemporary survivors and zombies. Sadly, there are no zombies to review today (unless you count a zombie hand!) but don't worry, they'll be appearing soon. Although I have reviewed many Reaper figures in the past (civilians and zombies) I was surprised to discover that I had never reviewed any of their survivor figures. It is time to put that oversight right with a look at five of their Chronoscope range of figures.
At the far left is Bonnie, who is described as a Futuristic Heroine. I don't understand why she's described as "Futuristic" when she is clearly a Contemporary Heroine. She is very well armed with a pair of Sub-Machine Guns in her hands, a pair of Big Ass Pistols in shoulder holsters and two Sawed-Off Shotguns slung over her back. She's a seriously hard ass, ambidextrous killer who would excel at killing zombies. I love her pose, which is very animated. She is one of my all-time favourite survivor figures.
Next up is Beverley, who is correctly described as a Zombie Survivor. She is armed with a Chainsaw. She also has a big Dagger strapped to her right thigh and a Sawn-Off Pump Action Shotgun slung across her back. One little detail on this figure that is so easy to overlook is the severed zombie hand clutching the ankle of her right leg. This is another great figure made all the better by that zombie hand.
In the centre of the group is Denver, another Zombie Survivor. This young man is carrying a Double-Barreled Shotgun and dragging along a suitcase on wheels. He reminds me of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) from the film, Zombieland, but seeing as I have a much better version of Columbus (by Studio Miniatures) I'll use him as just another Survivor. He only just fitted on a 25mm diameter slottabase. The fact that half his foot hangs over the edge doesn't bother me.

The last two figures in line were part of the original Reaper Bones Kickstarter collection and these are made of plastic instead of metal. The detail on them is not quite as sharp as on the metal versions but you'd hardly notice without close scrutiny. Some folk have complained that they have had difficulties in painting the plastic Bones figures, but I can honestly say, I painted them just as I did with my metal figures with no problem at all. I primed them with Foundry Black acrylic paint, which went on perfectly. Note that the plastic versions of these figures come with integral sculpted bases - wooden floorboards for the deputy and flagstones for Horace. The metal versions come with slottatabs and slottabases. I stuck them on flat plastic 25mm diameter bases and covered them with sand and cat litter so that they blend in with the rest of my collection.
Deputy Wayne Tisdale is shown standing in a relaxed pose with his hands on his hips. He is an unremarkable figure and I have no strong feelings about him. I painted his shirt in Foundry Sand 10 but it looks a bit too bright for me. I don't like it so I'll repaint it in Foundry Drab 12.
Last in line is Horace "Action" Jackson. He's a larger-than-life hero and so required a paint scheme that made him stand out from the crowd, hence his gold shirt (unbuttoned, of course) and purple flaired trousers. With his huge Afro hair-do, it's like he has just stepped out of a 1970's "blaxploitation" movie! He is firing a Six-Shot Snub-Nosed Revolver. I like this figure as he is one cool dude!
50005 Horace "Action" Jackson, 50153 Berkeley the Zombie Survivor, 50199 Denver the Zombie Survivor, 50210 Bonnie the Futuristic Heroine cost £5.22 each and 50267 Deputy Wayne Tisdale costs £5.10. These prices are taken from the Miniature Heroes website. I like to order my Reaper figures from this UK-based company as it saves me ordering from the USA and possibly incurring customs charges.

26 comments:

  1. Awesome work on them all. I have to admit I don't really like deputy Wayne nor his sheriff counterpart that accompanies him. Theres something just bungling about the two;s poses that puts me off them.

    I Love Horace and will add him to my spy fi collection no doubt at some point. Love the gold shirt very fitting.

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    1. Fair comment, Simon, and I do agree with you about the deputy and the sheriff.

      You have to love Horace, though.

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  2. As you know Bryan I'm a huge fan of Chronoscope minis and you've posted a nice selection of their more zombie-related ones here. Though I'm rather underwhelmed by the deputy sheriff tbh. The others look great though, and your paint-job on Horace is cracking. I must confess though I do, for some reason, like Denver the most, so I'll be putting him and Horace on my 'look-out' list for Salute. Delighted to see you back on your zombies, though I do miss the odd bit of chibi-ness ;-)

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    1. There are a LOT of great figures in the Chronoscope range, Simon. I probably wouldn't have bought Deputy Wayne separately but seeing as he was part of my Bones package I had no choice in the matter. Horace is so full of cool. No disrespect meant but I'm kind of betting you'll glue Denver to a 30mm diameter base to avoid that overhanging foot. :)

      Don't worry about missing my Chibis - they'll be back soon. I still have lots more to show you.

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    2. LOL Bryan... Denver's foot would be firmly planted within a 40mm base I assure you. Indeed I'd be tempted to plonk him onto one of the thin-lipped bases and use him as an objective marker in some way - perhaps as someone you have escort or reach in order to buy ammo etc? Now there's a thought... :-)

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    3. Hmm, using him as an objective marker is certainly an interesting and original idea. His suitcase could be stocked full of so many things - ammo, as you said, or possibly medical supplies, perhaps even a cure for the zombie plague.

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    4. Well that's what I plan to do with mine when he arrives ;-) 'Denver's Suitcase of Surprises' is an urban legend on "Gamma World" cause you never know what he'll pull out from it for you, in your hour of need.

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    5. I like your thinking, Simon.

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  3. Love the dude with the giant afro!!!

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    1. {{Steve told me he much prefers plastic figures to metal figures and so I was happy to send my plastic versions to a good home.}}


      VERY much appreciated Bryan.. you have no idea how much actually.

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    2. I am so happy that you liked them as much as you do.

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  4. I must be the stoic minority here, I really like that Deputy mini. Can`t see a problem with him, and to me he looks suitably police officer like and adequately `dorky` to fill that much needed imminent apocalyptic role of `useless cop during the last few days of civilisation on Earth` before it all goes down!

    Bonnie is stunning. Can`t WAIT to paint mine, which incidentally, will be sometime next week. This is one of the minis you gifted me isn't she Bryan?

    The Afro hair-do guy is so cool. Reminds me of Huggy Bear from Starsky & Hutch lol.

    I really REALLY like Reaper Bones figures, and will be looking into picking off more during the year, as they are just so amazingly cool.

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    1. It's heartwarming to see Deputy Wayne receiving some love. Good on you, Steve, for going against the flow.

      Bonnie and Berkeley were two of the survivors I sent you, Steve. I already had metal versions of these two. When my Reaper Bones package arrived they were part of the deal and thus surplus to my requirements. Steve told me he much prefers plastic figures to metal figures and so I was happy to send my plastic versions to a good home.

      Reaper is a great source for so many kinds of figures, both in metal and plastic. I'm looking to buy a lot more myself.

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  5. Reaper has produced a surprising number of survivor figures in the past few years you should browse their website to see all the Cronoscope figures Bryan there is a lot to like. You've done a great job with these especially on Horace. I agree with you about the deputy mini I wouldn't pick him up but now that I've read Stephen's comment he may have a use.

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    1. Thanks, Robert. I am well aware of the Reaper Chronoscope range. I already own quite a few of them and I plan on buying a lot more. I agree with you, there is a lot to like.

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  6. Excellent job, as always! I am a big fan of the chronoscope line, there are a great many good choices for survivors or other characters. Horace looks like he belongs in a '70's film. Well done!

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    1. Thanks, mate. Horace certainly does look like he belongs to the 1970's.

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  7. Some wonderful stuff there. My personal favourite is "Denver" it just seems more believable than Bonnie for example. Although Bonnie would be my second favourite. As you know I am not a fan of chainsaw figures there just seem to many of them and forgetting that fuel would become an issue chainsaws are not all that easy to wield in case you have never tried one!

    Light hearted rant over. They all good though.

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    1. Thanks, Clint. I'm well aware that chainsaws make for poor weapons but game designers think they are cool and tend to ignore their drawbacks. Personally speaking, I don't mind seeing figures armed with them.

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  8. great figure Bryan. i have the bones one as well and have painted both. They paint up surprisingly well in spite of my initial misgivings but the bases are very thick compared to metal - you have hidden them very well. Much as I have enjoyed you tour through board game figure, am am pleased you are back with survivors again. Very enjoyable post :)

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    1. Many thanks, Chris. Normal service has been resumed. My main passion still remains with undead figures and the brave souls who fight them. Expect more of the same in the near future.

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  9. I have a copy of Denver in the "part-painted" of my workbench. He's very tall (indeed, I almost considered not using him for that reason), so I'm thinking that the other figures here are all quite big as well? The Chronoscope has a wonderful variety of figures, but a very poor sense of coherent scale.

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    1. Cheers, Hugh. All of the figures shown here are roughly 30mm tall. This may be too tall for some people but it's not an issue for me. Never has been and never will be.

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  10. Great selection of figures Bryan! Lovely painting too Dude. I often find myself gazing at the Chronoscope line and drooling.
    It's awesome to see you back to painting ATZ stuff. By the way, the cop would make my force of small town rednecks any day of the week. Action Jackson's shirt must be awarded something based on fashion sense. Let's hope he doesn't OG (overgold), lol.

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    1. Thanks, Bob. It was a nice change of pace for me painting Chibi figures and ATOE Heroes but my real passion will always be for painting the undead and those who fight them. There are a lot of drool-worthy figures in the Chronoscope range.

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