The Zombie of the Month- September 2014- The Torn by Comfy Chair Games

   Some people just aren't comfortable in their own skin…

 

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.