Great minds think alike...sort of. I'll be using bits and pieces of them for what I have in mind, but replacing a lot of stuff as well. I have a feeling these guys are going to find their way into more than a couple of these builds:

Oh, badass... I'm completely up for this (after I finish my D-Day Armor build)!

No clue what I'm doing but this is really something I don't want to miss!

My small contribution for inspiration of those who give of themselves for the good of mankind.

[Time is near the end is coming and people are changing before our eyes. What has happened, how did this cloud of death cover the living and bring about this change to our lives (the few)?

THE FEW. We are the few, little pockets of humanity existing, but only just. In our caves and compounds protected by those brave bands of warriors who risk all in daily recons and excursions to find supplies for the few to sustain themselves on until.

Until more souls are found to grow our communities in order to thrive and populate this dead world and make It safe for the living again. I swear like others that the human race will not go the way of extinction and pledge my life to construct the vehicles and the forces needed to keep our few families safe and one day. One day feel safe enough to allow our sons and daughters to play in the light again, not the dark dingy confines that now keep them safe from the hordes out there on the outside of our compounds that roam about in an endless effort to extinguish our lives forever.

“I CAPTIAN HOOK OF THE FREEMANS FEDERATION DO SWEAR TO UPHOLD THE SACRED TRUST OF THIS COMPOUND (74) AS ITS APPOINTED LEADER TO KEEP ALL FED, GIVE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, SAFE FROM WORRY, AND A NEW CHANCE FOR LIFE. AT THE COST OF MY LIFE, SO HEAR ME NOW WE THE SQUAD (74) IS HERE FOR YOU.”]

Bob

@ Matt: great set of figures that you have there, they fall right into my thinking of the UNIT (74) in my little preamble.

Bob

Those PMC sets should fit in nicely to a variety of zombie based scenarios. I think they can paint up several ways to give them a different look.

It's going to be great to see what we all end up with on this one. I am also going to use those sets or parts of along with one from Modern armies in miniature. Will be nice to see what we all do with it. Still there are plenty of different head sets out there to change them up a little!

Paul

Not only different heads, but better weapons! Picked these up last night to give an updated "non standard" look to the PMC kits. Now for some Hornet heads and hands...

True Matt, I've got some sa80's with UGL if I so desire to go that route but I am mainly thinking of adding improv weapons. Spiked baseball bats, riot sheilds and maybe the odd P.W.N (plank with nails!) The hornet heads are on order as of this morning! I am only going to use acoupple probably form the VIP set, But there are some suprises to be revealed later in december mainly project zelda....

Roll on christmas so we can get started.

Paul

Yeah I was looking at the figure sets last night. I think I am going to keep the kits' heads. I'm not sure about the weapons yet. I mainly used MP-5s for my Federal Zombie Response Teams. I had a good number of them in the spares. I definitely want to give the team a sniper...I'm thinking the guy with the pistol. I should have a 7mm Mag ad maybe even a M-14 in the spares.

I have a backup idea which, time allowing, may just end up being my second EOD2 entry. Basically it would be a defended checkpoint during the outbreak. I have some hazmat figures I made from Dragon's old Soviet Sniper set that could be checking civilians fleeing the quarantine zone. Behind them, armed troops stand at the read, watching the crowd and distributing food and water.

Now that would be cool, I still have a LOT oif ideas to persue for both the subject as a whole and for my dio. The pistol guy I a deffo use along with the guy on his right and may be the guy adjusting his helmet in the other set ( the guy kneeling is spoken for another project!) Just got a little research to do but building up a small collection of bits for it. I kinda was unsure about the usefulness of a sniper. Yeah great for headshots but if is up-high and the others have to leave in a hurry he would quickly become surrounded. Ok so they probably can't climb but if they are clever enough to wait around the bottom....

Superior numbers, lack of food and ammo..... Bit of a problem.

Paul

I figure the guy adjusting his helmet may find himself given a radio headset. That's the vibe I want to go with...these guys go in and are stuck. I'm also thinking about a couple of other survivors tagging along.

The sniper sort of falls into "this ain't what we signed up for" category. They are being sent in to an urban environment and under the original plan he could cover the team. As the situation falls apart, plus it explains why he's got a pistol out. Not to mention it breaks them up a bit in terms of appearance.

As far as zombies I am thinking of a few to set the stage. Maybe if they start shooting it'll draw more of them.

Yeah I am trying to find a few 'donors' to become members of the undead. Best I can find at the moment are members of the old Tamiya british stretcher bearers they have just the right sort of body positions and reaching out arms to be suitable plus I found a WW2 german I had floating around that seems to have resonable posture issues as to be suitable.

Psul

I have about a dozen old Dragon figure kits that will become some type of donor zombies. Or I may actually try sculpting the zombie bits after getting the Dragon figures down to a "wire frame" for lack of a better term. They're just collecting dust anyways.

I've got a box full of people parts from assorted kits and bad figure set choices. I'll be drawing my donors from there. My only gripe is a lack of female figures.

I'll probably try to come up with backstory soon. I'll go with an initial story to set the stage. Then I'll post a second, more scene specific story for whatever I decide to do.

Oops thats gone and done it now. I just had another idea so I have a second build to start for this camp!

No secrets for this project. A Humvee (cargo m988), news crew, cameras etc. Means I can use the VIP from that set and maybe one of the others as a cameraman.

Backstory for this to follow!

Paul

Paul, I like the news crew angle. You know it would happen, they'd be there right in the middle of it. You could take an Academy Maxi Ambulance and convert it into a news vehicle. I'm in the process of making one into a communications vehicle for something else. You could have police on scene, curious civilians gettign in the way, military/national guard, etc. I think you have a great idea there with a load of options.

Paul, that would be interesting to see. The media getting eaten by their own public

Bob

Cheers guy's I started the back story earlier, but I ended up in a rather different place than I started!

It's gonna be an embedded crew of 2 who how shall we put it panic leaving the soldiers to their own devices!

Paul

Back story time. This is the general set-up story for whatever I end up doing. It's based heavily on a story I wrote back in school.

The Zayne Vaccine was the brainchild of Dr. Horten Zayne, one of Novik Medical's lead researchers. His team had designed their vaccine based around a virus engineered and modified to seek out and destroy cancerous cells within the host and prevent any return of cancerous cells.. To limit possible impacts upon the environment, the virus was engineered to only be compatible with human cells. Given the life limitations, most of the research was conducted in computer models and on human tissue samples. The vaccine could not be tested on test animals.

The vaccine test data showed promise but Novik found it blocked by the US Food and Drug Administration. The company's testing limitations had caused the vaccine to not meet the agency's requirements. The following weeks saw the company and the government agency in a duel of motions and injunctions. Novik would get their wish through public pressure as well as some veiled threats of the company going through other governments to approve and distribute the vaccine.

The vaccine went into worldwide distribution and was ordered to be administered in unison as a promotion to mark Novik's "the end of cancer" campaign. The drug was sent to hospitals, medical centers, and even private doctor offices. The company also sent observers to monitor the treatments. Within a few hours the first problems began to manifest. The patients began to suffered from chills, fever, irregular heartbeat, labored breathing, and sensory disorientation. The patients would then lapse into unconsciousness. Novik observers deduced that these were just side effects of the virus.

Around the 24 hour mark, reports began coming in of some patients regaining consciousness but in a highly aggravated and hostile state. Many medical personal were viciously attacked and and injured as they tried to sedate and restrain the patients. It was noted that sedatives had little effect on the patients. Within an hour, medical personnel bitten by patients began exhibiting the initial symptoms as well. Likewise, the initial patients continued to remain aggressive and animalistic. Their vital signs had dropped. There were no signs of a heartbeat and the body temperatures fell to room temperature.

Novik officials began to panic. Their public relations people moved quickly to try to minimize their liability and try to put some sort of positive spin on the events. As they gave their press conferences, news broke of the condition spreading as the patients began breaking free and attacking more and more people. Local police moved in to try to regain control. Reports continued to coem in of police firing on people with no real effect.

In the United States, the CDC mobilized with Plan Compassion, a program to contain and treat a large scale infection. The Governors declared Martial Law and the National Guard units were mobilized to assist. However, the infected continued to emerge and the medical and security assets were overwhelmed.. The President enacted Project Sanctuary, establishing "safe zones" from where security and relief forces could operate. The government moved to secured facilities leftover from the Cold War. The press had adopted the term "zombie" to describe the infected. The military organize "fire brigade teams" that could be air lifted in to outbreak areas to try to keep them in check.

The US government would be decimated as several secured facilities became compromised In several locations, evacuees would sneak infected friends and family members in and keep their condition secret. They would change and spread the disease through the compound. The Presidency fell to Senator Lorna Conrad. She continued to try to demonstrate some control from NORAD. Real control fell to regional politicians, a mixture of Governors, Senators, and military officers.

Within a week the face of the world had changed. Huge swathes of nations were designated "quarantined" as security and military forces worked to contain the infection. But there were always breaches as these forces were hard pressed to maintain the perimeters. Within six weeks there would be as much infected territory as there was quarantined territory. Within two months, the safe zones were islands amid seas of infected. But there was hope. Rumors abound of scientists continuing to work on a cure or that the survivors only had to wait out the zombies until they dropped dead. That hope kept the survivors going.

Within these "islands" the populace would live under the graces of whoever was in charge. Most US recognized safe zones were basically under Martial Law with strict enforcement on arrivals to limit added infection. Necessity required some strange and uncomfortable alliances. Many of these the government simply chose to look the other way. Some communities were content to rely upon themselves and shrugged off the government authority. To keep themselves supplied most would send out scavengers to recover whatever they could from the infected areas. It was a high risk task, but one that was necessary.

But there were far worse people out there. Several extreme religious cults had sprung up and established their own strongholds. They saw the infection as divine retribution to cleanse the world. Then there were brigands. Some were nomadic, while others established strongholds of their own. Some would take over small communities and act as their "protectors". They all preyed upon whoever they could.

The situation was truly grim. It certainly seemed to be the End of Days.

I figured out what I'll build!

Academy's 1/35 M113. Many were sold as surplus in the 70's(?) to smaller armies and even metropolitan police forces, usually for SWAT. I plan on doing a 'custom' crimson paint that was quickly applied over the previous SWAT colors. I also plan to use Master Box's "Head To the Huey!" figure set as survivors; foolish survivors who made the fatal mistake of bringing their companion (who was bit or scratched by a zombie) home with them.... a few minor details, one of which cribs off of Sean's HO scale Winnebago (which reminds me of Dale from "The Walking Dead". Possibly a few 'zombies', or at least a few ex-zombies (or ex-people!) modified from a Verlinden set that has two dead terrorist type people. They'll get new heads, or their face masks will be made to look like bandages.

VERY excited for December 22!

Christopher, Other wounded options are Dragon's "US Marines (Khe Sanh 1968)" and "US Marines (Tet Offensive 1968)". The Khe Sanh one has a wounded Marine sitting on the ground. The Tet one has a wounded Marine being carried over another soldier's shoulders.

I think those could be tweaked to be used in a variety of roles.

Alex: Very nice back story. I might tap into your story line as my idea is predicated on having "safe zones" to operate from.

Happy Modeling, - zon

Ah, thanks Alex, I'll have to look into those figures for sure.

I love it seems that everyone read "End of Day's" and thought zombie apocalypse. What about stuff like Mad Max and The Road Warrior (which was a better film in my opinion).

For those goign with aliens I thought of a neat little energy weapon technique. Take a figure and position it so it looks like it is frightened....like have the arms up or even sprawled on the ground. Spray a like mist of black paint so that it leaves a scorched silhouette against the ground or a wall.

Zon, thanks. The scenes will add more to the backstory. Like the VIP being evacuated is Dr. Zayne. Though he is carrying the blame for the outbreak, he may also hold the cure. He also explains what happened, how the virus works, and some of his observations on the zombies...like their collective intelligence.

Christopher, yeah this one seems to be zombie heavy. Zombies are an easy analog for many disaster scenarios. Plus their fictional nature is easier to play around with than nuclear war, a worldwide fuel shutdown, etc.

Alex ,, Did enjoy your story and its a very good way to describe how a zombie nightmare would start , most people say that a virus of some sort starts the zombie apocalypse so yep nicely done dude

Christopher ,, Ya man Mad Max is a good idea ,,the road warrior idea works perfectly dew to the fact that its based on that sort of thing ,,trying to survive is what its all about .

On thing i have noticed is the weapons your Federal Zombie Response Teams are going to use Alex,mate MP5's will be useless against a horde of zombies .
One thing i do know a lot about is weapons specking from a pretty vast level of experience ,at 10 metres the 9mm para round is stopped by level 2 body armour ..very little impact energy and further ranged its nearly plain useless by today's standards ,5.56 is much better dew to its speed and hitting a dead head in the legs will cut them to bits ..huge impact speed at even out to 25 + metres ,7.62 mm is the mother of easy to get ass whopping rounds but it is also heavy to carry large amounts of ,trust me on this part ..400 rounds is damn heavy where as 400 5.56 rounds don't way much at all ,in civilian lingo 5.56 is 223 ,, 7.63 is 308 ,,very very common rounds for hunting ,,9mm is great for up close use but hell if they get that damn close its gonna be a bad day for someone .
Might want to look at giving these guys something like M4's and something belt feed ..always good to add those ,,trust me

Phill