"15mm 18th Century Zombies - anybody do these?" Topic

I know it's probably not a big market but does anyone know of suitable figures for these, please?

Splintered Light unarmed zombies would pass, certainly most of them. Really nice figures as well, I've just finished an army of them….

What makes a zombie 18th century? If they are undead, they are surely timeless …

You gaming Jane Austen then?

Just had a quick look and there looks some interesting stuff there. Can't view much more as I'm at work! Will check it out fully tonight…

Had thought of trying a few conversions and head/hat swaps to give a few in tricorns for period flavour!

I just want some in suitable period clothing/rags etc. Lots of ranges seem to do 'modern' zombies.

And not Jane Austin… just looking for an alternative unit for my redcoats to face :)

I have thought about making Transylvania an active participant in my 18th century world. Buffered between the Empire and the Sultanate, this would have the usual nocturnal figures; vampires, undead, wolves (Splintered Light are good) and zombies.

Zombies. I like the idea.

CB, I would suggest looking in your unpainted lead and pull out and 18th century figures you would never use. Artillerymen would be my first choice, ramrods to spears, cannonballs made into skulls, kneeling figures perhaps digging their mates out.

With a drill, body putty and modeling knife you can be creative making tattered clothing and flesh dropping off. A standing firing figure, without the musket, would have a nice theatrical pose.

Certainly something to try on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Cheers,
Robert
18thcenturysojourn.blogspot.com

I do have long term ambitions to turn my North American sojourns into an Imagi-Nation of some kind and I just fancy adding something a little weird to it.

I've no shortage of spare figures so maybe I'll give it a go.

Rainy Saturday afternoons are never in short supply!

Not irrelevant despite the different scale:
TMP link
TMP link

As a matter of fact, most zombies minis in any scale are in obviously 'modern' dress. And, Mike, this clearly makes them 'NOT 18th C.'. A tricorn does marvels to 'tag' a mini '18th C.' in some cases link but would not work on mini in (decrepit) suit or jeans.
But then, specially in 15mm, to concur with Timurilank's suggestion, and if I may quote myself: "I prefer 'credible' "monsters"; for 'zombies', bodies in such state that the players may not know for sure if these are real ‘reanimated corpses' or living persons controlled through drugs and mesmerism (including in the 18th C. meaning = 'using electricity': brain frying?). To obtain such 'credible' (i.e. not so decayed that one wonder how the green snort their brain turned in can command the jellied remains of their muscle to move) zombies I think some scarifications of the body with a cutter or pin point, degradation of clothes with a nail clipper… of 'normal' minis, followed by an appropriately 'vomitory' Nurglesque painting and a 'shabbying' / dirtying 'weathering' would suffice."
In my active wargaming days, by pure lazyness I merged 'inking' (inspired by the old Elastolin toys, which looked far less 'toy-like' thanks to their 'inking') and varnishing into a single step and dipped the painted minis in 'clear oak' wood varnish. If you forget to remove the excess of colored varnish during the drying it accumulates in the eye sockets (skull-like appearance) and at the lower edge of coats & on the legs below the knees, giving an instantaneous 'freshly unearthed' look: totally unwished for on my 'Aureola Rococo' Amazons then, but maybe appropriate here. If the eye sockets and cheeks have been deepened with a pin point, the noise shortened to a skull's cartilage… it may be quite enough to turn any 'historical' mini into a revulsing undead. FIW colons / AWI militiamen may be specially appropriate, being already in tricorn -'labelling' them 18th C.- and 'aggressive' pose, yet in civilan clothes. Unless you wish to raise an uniformed 'Frei Corpse'?

Looking forward to welcome you in the League of Lace Wars Imagi-Nations -and to add a 'Fict' link to your blog on mine!
Jean-Louis
aka Louys d Monte-Cristo
link

I think I now know how I will be spending my next couple of painting sessions… :)

Thanks for the ideas.

Essex make some zombies:
link

No photos I'm afraid but I have some and I believe they may fit the bill. I'll see if I can dig them out and photograph them over the weekend.

That would be great Barry. I'll be putting an order in to Essex soon anyway so can add them in if needed.