When I went looking for more zombies to add to my ever-growing undead horde, I naturally hit the various mini-related message boards I frequent to get recommendations. Time after time I saw praise for a UK company with the curious name of Cold War Miniatures, so I decided to check them out. It turns out they offer the widest range of modern-era zombies I’ve ever seen, so I took the plunge and ordered a couple of packs. A mere five days later they were on my doorstep, which is a new personal record for transatlantic shopping.

All of Cold War’s “Dead Will Walk” range of zombies is sold either individually or by the five-pack, with each pack comprised of zombies sharing a common theme. This review focuses on the “Cop This!” pack, which unsurprisingly consists of zombie police and SWAT personnel. I’ve always wanted some undead “first responders” as it’s logical that they would be among the first to respond to a zombie attack, and thus among the first recruited into the shambling hordes. I’m also a sucker for the added horror factor of former guardians and protectors being transformed into ravenous ghouls. Good times.

The first thing I noticed, even just looking at the picture on the Cold War site was the great posing of all the minis. Classic Romero-style zombies are universally recognizable for their stiff, stumbling, awkward gait, which is customarily explained as a consequence of the rigor mortis experienced by all cadavers. Leaving alone the rather dodgy science behind this idea, it’s still an important genre convention. Zombies don’t stand or move like living people and you can tell with just a glance that these guys are the walking dead. That’s no small achievement, and the sculptor deserves high praise for his attention to such details.

One thing that struck me immediately was the great attention to detail on the figures’ clothes and equipment. These are uniformed officers, and thus it’s reasonable to expect that their belts, shirts, badges, and so on should be identical, and they are. The beat cops each have a nightstick, pistol, handcuff case, and all the rest of the gear a patrolman should carry on his belt, while the SWAT troopers are well-equipped with a plethora of pouches and gear strapped to their battle gear. Detail fanatic that I am I have a few minor scale quibbles about the SWAT guys’ giant canteens and the tiny size of everyone’s handguns, but these are not things that will attract any notice in the mass of undead flesh that is the zombie’s natural habitat.

There are a couple of minor flaws to these figs. The most common criticism I read while researching them is that they’re a bit skinny and I would have to say that I agree. I suspect that part of this perception is fueled by the vogue in recent years for “heroic” 28mm minis, many of whom are burly to the point of absurdity. The Cold War cops aren’t ridiculously thin, but they are noticeably undernourished-looking next to some of the other zombies in my collection. They also seem to be a bit flat in an odd fashion that I can’t quite explain. Hopefully the photos will illustrate the point better than I can write about it.

Finally, every one of these minis came out of their pack sporting a pretty serious set of mold lines which needed fairly extensive attention with from a needle file. The amount of cleanup wasn’t really excessive, but it was substantially more than I’m used to doing for one-piece minis at this scale, so it seemed worth a mention. Thankfully none of the lines marred any significant detail like faces, making them relatively easy to remove.

Overall I’m very pleased with these figs. Variety is the heart and soul of any zombie mob, and the excellent poses and well-sculpted clothes and equipment on these cops will earn them an honored place in the rotting ranks of my army of the undead. I can’t wait to get them on my painting table, and will add some painted photos once I get them finished. I definitely plan to do some more business with Cold War.

Pros: Good clothing and equipment detail, Very characterful poses

Cons: Somewhat flat and thin, Fairly extensive mold lines to clean up

Final Verdict: 4/5

Source: Purchased from Cold War Miniatures

MSRP: 7 GBP

Popularity: 12% [?]

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