Double W | 08 Nov 2013 6:22 a.m. PST |
I'm an idiot. I have a few dozen Victorian/VSF figures I need to paint up, but inspiration struck me and I decided to drop everything to come up with some Xenozoic Tales (aka Cadillacs & Dinosaurs) rules based on Ganesha Games's Flying Lead. What is Xenozoic Tales? Google it, but let this wet your appetite:
There isn't a dedicated line of figures for Xenozoic Tales, so put in a lot of time searching different manufacturers, trying to find figures that came close in appearance to the various factions in the comics. Thought I'd share them here for anyone who also interested in gaming the setting. Jack "Cadillac" Tenric – Not a perfect match, but in Copplestone's appropriately titled Dinosaur Hunters range, the third figure from the left is the closest you will find. The other figures also would fit the setting, as allies of Jack:
Hannah Dundee – West Wind's "Amazonian Explorers" (in the Piranha Men of the Amazon range) has a perfect Hannah. The other figures also are suitable for the setting, again as allies.
Old Blood Mechanics – Really a lot of pulp ranges would fit, but Pulp Figures has some nice steamer crew and "Island Hopper" figures that wouldn't be too out of place.
Moles – The Moles have a "citizen militia" look -- think militiamen in army surplus gear. What better range than Copplestone's Citizen Militia figures?
Poachers/Terhune Clan – These are the most post-apocalyptic characters of the setting, looking like they stepped out of a Mad Max film. I picked up some EM4 Miniatures scavengers and savages -- they're a bit wilder than what is depicted the in comic, but beggars can't be choosers. Wassoon – The Wassoon were the toughest. Their soldiers wear uniforms with baggy pants and beret-like hats. I once again went back to Copplestone, this time their Guards in Berets from their Kiss Kiss Bang Bang line. Not a great fit -- the guns aren't right -- but they'll do:
As for dinosaurs, there are always dollar store dinos, but Acheson Creations has a great Primeval Designs line:
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Coelacanth | 08 Nov 2013 6:34 a.m. PST |
Thanks for sharing your project. I hadn't thought of this comic in years. By the way, Xenozoic is back in print: link Ron |
79thPA | 08 Nov 2013 9:03 a.m. PST |
I wasn't aware of these until Tango posted them. TMP link So these or other Brigade figures may be of use to you. |
The Shadow | 08 Nov 2013 9:07 a.m. PST |
I'm a big fan of "Xenozoic Tales". I have the complete run of the original comic books starting with "Death Rattle" where Jack and Hannah first appeared. I even owned the original art to one of the covers. I traded Mark Schultz the original art for an Al Williamson page from "Weird Science" for it. I sold it when I retired. I didn't much care for any of the artists that replaced Schultz on "Cadillacs and Dinosaurs" though, and the cartoon show was pretty awful. I have the rule book for a "Cadillacs and Dinosaurs" RPG/miniatures game that was published a while back, but I was very disappointed when no miniatures for the game were ever created. As you say, many of the types of characters that inhabited that world can be recreated with existing figures from Murch Pulp, Copplestone, etc., but I don't think that your choice of figures to represent Jack, and especially Hannah, would cut it for me. I'd like *much* more accurate figures, but now that "Xenozoic Tales" and "Cadillacs and Dinosaurs" as a series of comic books are no longer published, I guess we'll never see them. |
Double W | 08 Nov 2013 11:15 a.m. PST |
@The Shadow: I understand. I had to compromise to get figures that fit the look, although I thought the Wassoon were the biggest stretch. I think a lot has to do with how you paint them: I painted my Hannah the same color scheme as one of the covers, and it is a pretty good match. Know what I would love to see? A ruleset with an accompanying line of figures, kind of like what North Star has done with In Her Majesty's Name. But that's probably not going to happen. :( I'll post pics of the project as it develops -- that said, I'm a slow painter who gets easily distracted. I imagine this will take me the whole winter. |
jpattern2 | 08 Nov 2013 12:53 p.m. PST |
I love Xenozoic/C&D! This is going to be a good looking project, I can tell already. Don't forget to pick up a diecast Caddy or three. As an aside, I like that Schultz called his Ceratosaurs Krenkels, after one of his primary influences, Roy G. Krenkel. |
Cherno | 08 Nov 2013 2:08 p.m. PST |
I was always intrigued by this setting, please post your ongoing project results. |
Double W | 08 Nov 2013 3:17 p.m. PST |
@jpattern2: I have three diecast Caddies – a convertible I've had for a while, a couple cheap ones I found at a drug store. They won't be hard to convert -- the challenge is finding parts to stick on them. |
Double W | 08 Nov 2013 4:28 p.m. PST |
By the way, did you know Xenozoic Tales had its own rock album: link |
jpattern2 | 08 Nov 2013 6:04 p.m. PST |
Cool, I didn't know about the album. Good thing I'm not a completist . . . |
The Shadow | 09 Nov 2013 8:33 a.m. PST |
>>As an aside, I like that Schultz called his Ceratosaurs Krenkels, after one of his primary influences, Roy G. Krenkel.<< Krenkel, Wood, Williamson and Frazetta. You can see more Wally Wood than any of the others in his first Xenozoic story in "Death Rattle" #8. In "Xenozoic Tales" his art became more refined and more his own style. He admitted to me that he had trouble getting Hannah's face to look the same way from issue to issue. Maybe because his art was evolving. |
The Shadow | 09 Nov 2013 8:35 a.m. PST |
>>I'll post pics of the project as it develops -- that said, I'm a slow painter who gets easily distracted. I imagine this will take me the whole winter.<< Can you post a picture of Hannah painted up? Maybe i'm over thinking this and she'll look fine. |
Double W | 09 Nov 2013 12:25 p.m. PST |
@The Shadow: Here you go. Now, I'm not a particularly good painter, and I use cheap craft store acrylic paints, but you get the general idea of what someone can do with it. The only element that doesn't fit is the hat, but it's not that big a deal. (And, yes, that is a 1:43 Caddie I'm slowly converting.)
Also, here are a couple cheap 1:43 Caddies I'm planning to convert. They were $6 USD each, and I used a 20 percent off coupon, so the price was under $10. USD
I know 1:43 is a bit big for 28mm, but it's close enough that when on the game table, I don't notice it. As for dinosaurs
I think I'm good. |
The Shadow | 09 Nov 2013 6:51 p.m. PST |
Double W There's nothing wrong with your painting. It's just a marginal sculpt. Hannah being drop dead gorgeous is very important to my suspension of disbelief. And even if she *was* a beautiful sculpt, the hat would be a deal breaker for me. I have to congratulate you on your valiant effort to make it look better though. Thanks for showing us the photos. I'm looking forward to seeing your mods on the Caddies and what you use to make them. (-: |
mrinku | 10 Nov 2013 7:20 p.m. PST |
You should definitely check out the Wargames Factory Apocalypse Survivor sets, especially for women. Lots of the bolt action rifles that Xenozoic tales favor, and quite easy to convert. The male set isn't quite as good for the look, though. link Having said that, the "cop" body converted to have boots instead of shoes is a good match for Jack (you could torso swap with one of the boot figures). The female body with boots and jeans is a VERY close match for Hannah (maybe sand down the detail a little to get her moleskin leggings). For some reason the only arms actually aiming a rifle are for the (male) kid, but you can just have their rifles slung, or convert from one of the assault rifles or shotguns with careful cutting. The male body wearing overalls is also handy for a mechanic. Some of the Zombie Vixen parts are handy for babes as well – though you have to fix the odd scar. Hmm
I've been using these to convert a few characters. I might do a Jack and Hannah and post the results, though I am pretty unreliable :) Oh, and I've also used all my cop bodies, so I'd be doing a little conversion
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Double W | 11 Nov 2013 11:10 a.m. PST |
>You should definitely check out the Wargames Factory Apocalypse Survivor sets, especially for women. Lots of the bolt action rifles that Xenozoic tales favor, and quite easy to convert. The male set isn't quite as good for the look, though.< You and I think alike, because that was my opinion was well. I'm going to wait to see how some other figures turn out first before I delve into plastics (which I have not had great luck with in the past). Too bad they don't sell that weapons sprue individually, because I would love to have it. |
mrinku | 11 Nov 2013 5:23 p.m. PST |
To be honest, it's often so hard to get good modern females (especially if you need to convert) that I'd buy a box of the girls JUST to have appropriate bits and bodies. Definitely the best set. RPG-6s, AK-47s, Armalites, Uzis, MACs, rifles, automatics and sundry other weapons (compound bow, magnum revolver, improvised blunt objects) and a good variety of pouches and belt gear. At US$20 it's pretty sweet, even if you only end up using a fraction of the figures. |
Double W | 13 Nov 2013 6:11 a.m. PST |
Well, I've already changed my mind. I decided these WWII Belgian troops from Warlord Games would make better Wassoon soldiers than the Copplestone figures. Of course, they'll need a completely different paint job than depicted. Again, not a perfect fit, but the berets and the uniforms are a much closer match. link Also bought these WWII British Chindits to serve as stock troops, mainly for the Old Blood Mechanics. Nothing in the comics quite like them, but their jungle uniforms fit the look of the setting, and I needed some stock troops for the heroes, who were at risk of being outgunned by the bad guys. I'll probably paint their uniforms more khaki than depicted. link |
mrinku | 13 Nov 2013 5:12 p.m. PST |
The Warlord British Commando sprue also has berets, and is currently on special. Match them up with an appropriate weapon sprue, probably the British, but the Mauser bolt action rifles on the German weapon sprue may be a closer look than the Lee-Enfield ones. On the other hand, the British weapon sprue does have two revolvers. Cheap as chips. |
mrinku | 14 Nov 2013 5:11 p.m. PST |
Actually, what am I thinking? Berets are easier to sculpt than turbans! Head, blob of putty, beret! Those Belgians would make pretty good Evil Henchmen in their own right, though. |
Double W | 14 Nov 2013 7:21 p.m. PST |
@mrinku: Actually, those British commandos are an almost perfect fit for Wassoon soldiers. I'm glad you pointed them out to me. And stupid me didn't realize the sprues were for sale when I bought the box set. Hitting myself in the head right now
Also, I think I screwed up with my choice for the Moles. I said citizen militia, but studying the comic in greater detail, they're actually dressed more like Nazis -- in particular, German Afrika Korps in field hats (not helmets). The only fit I can find is Perry Miniature's plastic Afrika Korps. It's $32 USD, but it comes with 38 figures when I only need 10-12. I've thrown away enough money for the moment
I'll wait for a sale. |