I thought I’d start my 2023 posts the way I finished my 2022 posts – with Zombicide models!
As it happens, the Abominabear is an extra-large boss monster from the Wild West-themed version of the game: Undead or Alive. We haven’t yet cracked the shrinkwrap on this one since we’re still playing earlier content from previous editions, but it does promise to be fun and the bear looked like it would be an easy win and possibly a bit of fun to paint.
I had another bear to paint, so kinda went back and forth on the two of them, though in the end they’re quite different models.
I referred images of the California Brown Bear for the overall palette I used on this one, but still enjoyed the freedom of working on a “natural” animal’s hide. I often use blood spatter on my Zombie models, but on this one, I preferred to keep it to less blood, and all added by hand rather than using the randomness of the spatter effect.
Here’s a shot for those interested in Veterinary Dentistry.
I also finally painted the last of the endless Zombie Dogz – these were done in a couple of batches a couple of weeks apart, but I’m a bit sick of them and didn’t really want to give them another dedicated post – and they fit in with the bear well enough.
But importantly – they’re all done. All of them. It’s one of the goals that I set for myself when thinking about what to aim for and starting to write the round-up post at the end of 2022. So that’s one goal achieved so far. I remembered another one I forgot to add a couple of hours ago while doing something, but I’ve also managed to forget it now. If I remember it when I’m near the computer I’ll write it down and then edit it into the post.
One thing is for sure – this is a BIG bear!
…as Berkeley will attest to!
Azazel's Bitz Box. 
Nice work. Love the bear. Almost tempts me to start my Undead or Alive. All I have done so far is the Crocosaur and Abominape. However I am very tempted by Sister Temperance and the Texas Deadhorn
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Thanks Guru! I’ve got the other three cows from that same set and the Crocosaur and Abominape all dusted with primer so I can trim the flash but haven’t gotten to any of them yet. Just dusted another 8 “pop culture” Aboms from 2nd edition for the same – when I’ll get to clean them up? Who knows at this rate! 😮
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There certainly is a lot to paint in the kickstarter!
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Excellent work on both the bear and the dogs mate, the fur on the bear looks very natural, and nice variation in the dogs, including the black and white German Shepherds
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Thanks Dave! I was in such a hurry to get the text written late last night that I forgot to mention the black and white GS points or the PWYG challenge in this one!
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No problem mate, and had worked out they were for the challenge, and already saved the pictures.
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Oooh, I like that bear!! Very cool 🤘
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Cheers Alex! 🙂
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Wow. That’s so spectacular! I think you nailed it. You made the right choice about blood, it looks natural, not overdone and it’s all terrifying!
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Thank you! I felt like this model could easily have been ruined with a blood spatter accident.
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The undead bear is truly impressive for its size, likeness of the tone of the fur and the bleeding wounds. Really a great result! What do the spikes on the shoulder represent? Are they bony protrusions?
Ah, thanks for the recap from the previous post, we caught up with so many paintjobs that we had missed…
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Yeah, the Zombicide creatures often have bony spikes and protrusions as well as boils and buboes and the like. All good and glad you enjoyed the round-up post! 🙂
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First off, my WordPress Reader is all screwed up showing posts out of order again, so I nearly missed this one. Which would have been a sin! The bear looks really good. It actually reminds me a lot of the fur colors on the Moose in Alaska. Granted fur tones are going to be similar across creatures. It also reminds me how grisly blood looks on animal fur, especially if they have white fur. But it’s a quite fabulous mini and your work certainly brings it to life!
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Yeah, I use a combination of the reader, my email alerts and then sometimes just the “last post/next post” to (try to keep up with people’s posts. You’re right when it comes to fur tones, especially since types of animal have such broad colouration depending on sub-speices and environment.
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Love the Cali Brown Bear! I’ve cracked the cellophane on the basic set of Wanted: Under or Alive, but have only played a handful of games – we seem to head back to Black Plague, go figure. Any way, your painting of this new Kickstarter might just get me to laying some paint on the plastics!
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Thank you! Yeah, we really enjoyed Black Plague back in the day. We ended up stopping because of the minis in Green Horde – telling the goblin runners from the orc walkers got too annoying so we ended up not getting back to it after a few games. Something else for me to paint into playability after I finish 1st edition modern…
At the moment I tend to have a few models from most of the Zombicide versions out that I chip away at, even while concentrating on other games or models…
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Never got the Green Horde set, we have stuck with Black Plague and Wolfsburg.
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Gameplay wise, I’m sure it’d be fine if you could easily differentiate the (very busy, all green) models more easily! 🙂
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I know my oldest has Green Horde, but I don’t think they play regularly so I can’t speak to the mini’s, but I think painting them a light green and dark green or grey would help differentiate them from one another.
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Yeah, the (eventual) plan is to do something very much like that so they can be distinguished at a glance without needing to stare at them or ask someone else “is that a walker, or a runner?”
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Excellent job on this one, mate! It looks very realistic thanks to your color choices and the sculpt really captures how fierce a bear can be. I’m afraid you’re going to start tempting me to get this version of Zombicide as I do like the Wild West and Steampunk as a setting 🙂
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Thanks mate! It’s a pretty good model I do agree.
….
Steampunk, you say?
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/332411/zombicide-undead-or-alive-gears-guns
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I know… It was one of the reasons I have thought about getting this game. “Do not tempt me, Frodo!” As Gandalf once said 🙂
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💍
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Haha!
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Wow – that bear is a real monster! Well done getting the dogs finished too.
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Thank you, Wudu! Glad to finally have ’em done!
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Cripes, that is a big bear! 🙂 Looks really good, the dogs too!
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Thanks John – yeah it doesn’t look it until you see it next to other models, does it?
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That is great- the bear is huge.
Cheers,
Pete.
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Yeah, it’s an usually huge boardgame model!
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Fantastic work! as you say that is a very big bear!
Cheers Roger.
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Thanks Roger! Some of these board game models are pretty head-scratchingly large for their medium – but they can be used elsewhere pretty nicely at least.
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One hell of a gross bear matey!! Neat work again or should I say as always!!
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