Post-apocalyptic Survivor Van & Characters

 

    Five 28mm survivors from Battle Valor Games leave their 3-D printed van to explore some ruins

I was perusing the Lead Adventure Forum before Origins, and saw a post about a zombie apocalypse rules set called Zombie RV, by Grey Area Games. Released this March by David Bezio, it is a fast-play, tongue-in-cheek survivors vs. zombies miniatures game. The introduction and rules are only six pages, with four extra pages of scenarios. I was intrigued by the simple mechanics, and also by the fact it seemed something that would scale up easily for my larger Sunday evening gaming group. What's more, it also seemed something that you could easily add in character advancement and turn into an ongoing campaign. 

    Many zombie games feature characters without firearms, so I figured that I needed to paint some up!

Yes, I realize that is exactly what I am planning on doing with County Road Z! However, there are a LOT more rules in that book, and it is the campaign rules in County Road Z that attract me than the combat system. The actual combat system for both sets is very simple. So, while I wait on the actual hardcover rulebook to be shipped to me, what's the harm in trying a couple games with these rules?

    I like how these figures came out - their clothes looks worn and scruffy...suitably post-apocalyptic

One thing that both rules sets feature is survivors armed with melee weapons -- not just firearms. Nearly all of my post-apoc figures are armed with some type of gun. So, I figured it was time to dig into the unpainted lead pile and paint up some with just melee weapons. I have a number of these type from Battle Valor Games (which picked up many lines from the defunct Sgt. Major Miniatures). I dug through the packs and picked out five likely ones. I needed to add a weapon to one (who appeared to be just throwing a rock), so drilled out his hand and gave him an axe. An axe is a very thematic anti-zombie weapon, right?/

    I like having my survivor figures wearing stuff like hoodies, leather jackets, tennis shoes, etc.

Two of the figures had leather jackets, so I painted one black and the other brown leather for variety. These fiver are not meant to be a gang, as such. Instead, I painted them relatively generically so that they could be part of any player's group of survivors. I did decide to get a bit fancy with their clothes and gave them logos on their clothes. The leather jackets had biker gang logos on the back, while the others had Under Armor, Adidas, etc. The one in the red hoodie I couldn't resist giving a Woody Hayes style Ohio State University hat. It harkens back to the my Bucknuts survivor gang, one of my favorites that I've painted.

    I used my tiny brush and micron pens to do biker gang logos on the backs of the leather jackets

I also immediately put to use one of my most recent purchases -- the pack of 3-D printed bottles I picked up at Origins from Elrik's Hobbies. Most of the tiny bottles appear to be groupings of 3 or more, but there are some individual ones, too. I was able to snip them off easily and add one to each base after the flocking was done. I painted a couple of the bottles "beer bottle green," two others brown, and a final one a gray/white that I was hoping to get a clear bottle effect from. Not sure it worked out so well (look at the OSU survivor and judge for yourself). I like how the green ones turned out best.

    A 3-D printed van from Diabolical Terrain was painted up alongside this batch of survivors

At the same time I finished these five survivors, I also completed a 3-D printed van that I'd purchased from Diabolical Terrain at DayCon 2024. I spray painted it black, then added a 50/50 mix of acrylic black paint and water to get it into all of the crevices. Next, I painted the body of the van metallic blue. Of the handful of metallic craft paints that I have purchased, the dark blue is one of my favorites. There are a lot of metallic blue vehicles on the road, so it looks like it fits. The van is modeled with some dents and bangs (from running over zombies?), which I like. I did some rust effect where the metal would have bent and the paint may have come off. The windows are molded solid, so I painted them black and added in white and light blue cracks to show more damage.

    

    The van looks a little beat up, but it will be the "ride" for a group of survivors in my zombie games

I went back and forth whether to base the model like I have done for my other post-apocalyptic vehicles or not. I decided that vehicles that would be the survivors' "rides" would be un-based, while those that are wrecks would be based. This will allow us to move it wherever needed on the tabletop, whether on streets, sidewalks, or through fields, and have it not look out of place. I painted the bumpers a dark gray and the chrome Pewter. At the top of each window, I added in a two-tone blue "sky reflection" off the glass window. Maybe I need to go back in and add tiny diagonal white lines on the black part of the glass so it is obvious what effect I was modeling? What do you think?

So, what's next on my tabletop? I am finally finishing up my suppression markers for Xenos Rampant, using flickering tea candles. I've also begun a batch of 10 "Infected-style" zombies to use for Zombie RV's "fast zombies" and "mean zombies." So, look for those soon, as well! And here's my 2024 to-date tally of painted figures vs. new ones acquired:

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 64
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 80