The Zombie of the
Month- September 2014- The Torn by Comfy Chair Games
What’s so great
about these Zombies? The answer is the same as it always is with anything
related to Spinespur: they went there. What we love about Spinespur is its
unabashed way of portraying why we call these things wargames. And the
Torn are no exception. You’ve seen those movie clips where the grieving hero is
so moved with anguish that he tears his own shirt? These guys have long since
passed that stage, and have taken to tearing off their own flesh in anguish
over being possessed and controlled to perform unspeakable acts on behalf of
their former enemy. Hence, “the Torn.”
The Basics:
Scale- 28mm, with a total height of
28mm. I guess it's not surprising that "The Torn" are not very heroic.
Genre- ::wince:: Well, since they have
no clothes, I…guess…they’re useable any time you need… humanoids? Even their
exact features are arguably disguised… since some of them are… missing.
Material- White metal. What can we say? The owner of Comfy Chair Games
just loves that stuff. We’re not sure why, but we want Spinespur in our lives,
so there you have it.
Parts ‘N’ Bits- No extra pieces come with these models. When you
really think about it, aren’t you kinda glad?
Assembly- Ironically, they come as one piece models.
Bases- The bases they come with are 30mm slotted lipped.
Ratings:
Sculpt- 3 brains
out of 5- These models are several years old, so I can’t be mad at a 3.
Additionally, you need to take into account that the sculptor was trying to do
something for which there are (mercifully) very few reference materials. You
might find yourself kinda painting these guys twice- you’ll put the basecoat
on, put a wash on it, then find yourself going “Oh, THAT’S what that was… ew…
ok, I’d better repaint that part.” It’s really hard to tell what’s going on in
some places. But again, maybe that’s just because most of us have never seen a
human tearing their own flesh off. What are you going to compare it to? Still,
I’d love to see this idea tried again, now that the skill in the industry has
gone up, and maybe in a nice 32mm, where you’d have more room to see the
details… yeah, I know…
Affordability- 3
brains out of 5- At $9.99 for a pack of three, it’s not a bad standard price
for metal models. And since, if you want them, you definitely want all 3,
there’s no reason not to grab a pack at that price. By the way, yes, there are
only those 3 sculpts (for now, muahahaha).
Value- 3 brains
out of 5- I really wanted to make this a 4, because I really like them, and
they are unique, but the simple fact of the matter is that most people think of
zombies as something trying to tear apart OTHER people’s flesh, not their own,
so, depending on how much of a zombie purist you are (whatever that is), you
may not find them appropriate. On the other hand, that little fact won’t be
very distracting in a big horde, and there should probably be more naked people
in a zombie horde than most of us care to admit. Bottom line, they are still worth
getting, if you like the darker side of things, which you probably do if you
have a zombie horde.
Availability- 3
brains out of 5- You are not going to have any problem getting these guys so
long as there is still a Comfy Chair Games in the world. They are a regular in
the Dark Faith army in Spinespur, so they are likely not going out of print.
However, aside from the occasional Ebay entry, you probably won’t see them any
where else- Comfy Chair Games does not do a large amount of distributing.
Pros: If you love
the horror aspect that makes Spinespur… Spinespur, you will love these guys.
They really embody that horror (if you’ll excuse the pun). Oh, and there’s that
“fits all periods/genres” quality.
Cons: They are
not “extremely” anything, other than horrifying. They are not extremely
affordable, available, or iconic, nor are they a top-tier sculpt by today’s
standards. I’d call it a con that there are only 3 sculpts available, but
unless you are specifically doing a zombie nudist colony, you’re probably not
minding that too much.
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