Well, I didn’t have the best of weeks in the sense that work was too busy and stressful for my liking but more importantly, the postal service resumed their longstanding grudge against me by not delivering the 40k miniature I wanted for almost a week later than they should have. Since I finally received it on Thursday, I have nothing really to show off on it yet sadly but I am happy to say that I have started painting it and will definitely have progress to show next week.
As the title suggests, I did get one miniature painted this week for Fallout. I talked previous about the evolution of synth technology well with the completion of the Gen 2 Synth, you can now see Gen 1, Gen 2, and the Courser which is the most advanced and human-like. I like how the Gen 2 Synth came out as the textures are kind of hard to replicate with a brush but I think I’ve gotten the spotty wear across pretty well. The base is quite busy on this miniature and I really like how the various elements came together too. While it is cool to have three minis done for The Institute, I basically have repeat sculpts to paint from here on out so that is less exciting. Fortunately, I only need 2-3 more painted to have a “force” I can use in the game so I’ll keep chipping away at them as I have the desire.
I did start some other Fallout things but none of them are done or interesting at this point so that is all the hobby progress I have for this week.
Since this would be a short post if that is all I had to discuss, I wanted to discuss a couple of pop culture things that are hopefully fun/interesting First off, I recently finished Samurai by Stephen Turnbull. It was a great read and I learned a lot about samurai from it. I want to give a big thank you to the nicest guy in wargaming, John at justneedsvarnish.wordpress.com for recommending it. I will certainly be reading more about samurai in the future and maybe one day when I have more storage space than I know what to do with (ha!), I’ll do some gaming in this historical setting.
The other thing I was thinking about this week is that the Post-Apocalypse genre has become one of my favorites in recent years. With the Post-Apocalypse genre, I can’t claim to have read or seen everything out there but I felt compared to share a few of my favorites within the genre and a few others that I find noteworthy as well. In writing these out, I realized that I have barely seen any movies or TV shows that are within this genre, so focus on the areas that I know best. I also fully admit that I’m not hugely into zombie movies and I’ve never seen the autobiographical movies about living in Australia which are known as Mad Max either so there won’t be a ton of those on my list either. With that said, I’d love to hear any recommendations you might have for post-apocalyptic media below too!
Comics
The Walking Dead – An obvious choice but also a really good one. I’ve never watched the TV show(s) for TWD but I have read most of the comic series and its pretty good. The Walking Dead is the rare exception to me not being into zombie post-apocalypse media because of its quality. It has a lot of soap opera elements to it (without feeling like a soap opera if that makes sense) and is grim and somber. I like the overall world where most people are dead and nature is starting to reclaim buildings slowly but surely. As the story goes on, the characters and plot do suffer a bit but its still worth reading and one day, I plan on finishing the last couple volumes of the story.
Old Man Logan by Mark Millar – While some issues of Cable also have a really nice post-apocalyptic feel too, I really was impressed by this grim vision of the future in the Marvel Universe. It is a clever twist on familiar characters and there is nothing like it in the superhero world. Marvel brought this character back in more recent years and I’ve read some of the comics in that series which are good but they are not post-apocalypse just as a heads up. The movie Logan is also loosely inspired by Old Man Logan but I don’t think it has much of a post-apocalypse feel so it doesn’t quite make it into this genre either.
Video games
Last of Us and Last of Us II – You can thank this game for wanting me to discuss this with you today. I’ve nearly beaten Last of Us 2 and I find both of these games to be the pinnacle in the post-apocalyptic genre. There are basically zombies in the game but the human foes can also be quite scary. This game is set in the Seattle area which is lush but also rainy and depressing when it needs to be too. With limited ammo, you have to scavenge and craft stuff where you can (which is really fun actually) and the story and characters are as good you will find in video games. I can’t recommend these games highly enough and I am especially thinking of friend of the site, Grumpygnome, who needs to get around to playing these games one day. I bet he’ll find they’re of an even higher quality than The Mandalorian!
Fallout series – An obvious choice and I had to say something about it! While most people know Fallout, I would say that the story isn’t generally the draw of these games. It is the quests you go on and the opportunity to explore various cities that have both real and fictional locations within them. It is a very rich sandbox game that is a blast to make your own stories in. That is a big reason why the miniature game is a lot of fun too!
Walking Dead: Season One by Telltale Games – If you like TWD, you NEED to play this game. It has the best story and characters in the TWD universe. The game is an adventure game like the old point-and-click genre popularized on the PC so you don’t have to be a “twitch” gamer who plays first person shooters all the time to handle this game. You often have to make brutal decisions to decide who survives and stays with your group and that is a big part of the fun. The story and characters are deep and realistic so that helps too. The ending of this game is powerful and will make you feel some strong emotions too.
Books
The Road by Cormac Mccarthy – If you like some grim and depressing feelings in your post-apocalypse, this is for you! The setting is interesting in that it seems like the Earth is quite possibly doomed but for reasons you can only guess at. The people who are left alive are not nice either. In this environment, a father must protect his son and guide him across the US. There is a movie of this that I have never gotten around to seeing. I imagine it is not for those with weak stomachs and quite frankly, neither is the book. The Road has such beautiful, minimalist prose that I’m happy to go back to whenever the mood strikes.
The Postman by David Brin – This is a more optimistic version of the post-apocalypse where the world can be recovered to some degree. Set in Oregon or Washington (I can’t recall which), the accidental hero embarks on a quest to unite the remnants of humanity while working as a humble postman. I think the writer was striving for something with a bit of a sense of adventure like you see in the fantasy genre and while parts of the book are kind of cheesy, like the villains, it is a good tale. There is a movie version of this which features none other than Kevin Costner. I have no idea how good it is and I’ve never been drawn to his movies so I’ve not gone out of my way to check it out.
Silo trilogy by Hugh Howey – The first two books are pretty darn good and interesting but the third was just poor and left a bad taste in my mouth. This series has a bit of Sci-Fi feel because the remaining humans live in these underground silos specially built to keep them safe. But what happened on the surface and why is the protagonist living in one that is mostly abandoned? Some of these mysteries pay off and others not so much over the course of the trilogy. Howey is probably the leading author in this genre currently and has a number of Post-Apocalypse books published and while the Silo trilogy was ultimately a disappointment, I should probably give another one of his books a try since the genre is somewhat sparse.
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. – The setting of this book kind of reminds me of Warhammer 40,000 but less grim and less of Sci-Fi feel. Technology has been lost and cannot be recovered. People misunderstand and rely on superstition to try and make sense of the past. The monk protagonist is timid but earnest in his research and seeks to find out information from the lost world. This book lacks action and while charming and unique, takes a certain kind of reader to appreciate. It definitely stands out from anything else on the list though and that’s why I wanted to mention it.
So those are some of my favorites in the Post-Apocalypse genre. What favorites do you have? Are there any post-apocalyptic books, movies, or TV shows you don’t like? I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Kuribo's Painting 
First off, I really like the three synths. The different models also mirror different aesthetics of their time. The first Gen is akin to retro sci fi ideas of androids, while the second one reminds me of more modern ideas, like A.I Finally the last gen looks a lot like Terminator.
All in all great paintjobs with nice weathering and good leather textures.
If you have Netflix you can check out Dark (starts in our time, but gets post alpoc with a different spin to it) or American Horror story Season 8. As it is an Anthology series you might be ok just watching that one, but Coven is good to get the story properly.
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Thank you for the kind words! I agree that the synths are reminiscent of The Terminator movies too and I strangely kind of like that about them even if I’m not a huge fan of those movies.
Thank you for both recommendations as well. I haven’t heard of Dark but trailer looks intense and I’ll have to add that to my Netflix queue! 🙂
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“This game is set in the Seattle area which is lush but also rainy and depressing when it needs to be too.” – you have that backwards, Seattle is rainy and depressing but also lush 🙂 We don’t tan, we rust, etc. At least that is what we tell people from California that want to move here.
Seriously though, Last of Us is one of my go to games when I feel like gaming vs painting. Almost talked myself into a PS4 to get the Last of Us II and now there is a PS5, ah well, maybe my brother in law will buy the PS5 and I can get his PS4 at a reasonable price. Have heard mixed reviews on Last of Us II – is it as good as the first?
Haven’t read The Road but recommend the movie.
Really enjoy how you painted the Gen 2 Synth! When you do the duplicates of what you already have are you going to duplicate your existing paint schemes or variations just to keep your interest?
Looking forward to what 40K miniature you got! Their are a lot of great sculpt out there.
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Haha, I had a feeling you’d have something to say about Seattle 🙂 I do need to visit your city one of these days as it looks like a lot of fun and LoU II strangely makes me want to visit even more. What that says about me, I don’t know haha. Last of Us II is better than the first in my opinion. I heard the mixed reviews too and I don’t know where they are coming from. Maybe the game is harder for some people to play since there is a “pandemic” element to the story. I think the brutality and grimness of the story is a little higher than the first one too but the setting and characters are richer and more interesting so I give it a high recommendation. Its worth getting a PS4, just to play it.
I’ll have to give The Road a shot as I love Viggo as do all LOTR fans!
I will try to duplicate the painting scheme I used before as there aren’t a lot of opportunities to add variety to these minis like you could with say the Ruffians in MESBG. As long as I don’t take too much time off from painting a certain kind of miniature (maybe like 3-4 months or longer), I can usually remember how I did things or tell just by looking at the miniature. These minis are a bit more complex and I did a few things in unusual ways so there might be some inconsistencies between models. We’ll see 🙂
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A lot to read, Jeff, but I enjoyed it! 🙂 And thanks for the mention – I’m glad you enjoyed reading the Samurai book! I always find Stephen Turnbull’s books informative but easy to read.
The minis are looking good and I think you’ve got the Gen 2 Synth spot on! I wouldn’t worry if your painting’s lagging a bit behind I have only finished one model this year and only just got it varnished yesterday!
I’ve never really been into post-apocalyptic stuff – not because I don’t want to but more because I’ve got more than enough other stuff to game/paint/read/watch! I have seen the film The Postman and enjoyed it from what I can remember (it would have been a while ago) and I watched the first season of The 100 but then never got round to watching any more of it. If I do decide to look into post-apocalyptic stuff, you’ve provided more than enough material here for me to refer back to!
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Glad to hear it and I don’t see any other lengthy explorations of genres happening anytime soon for what that’s worth! I will definitely read more of Turnbull’s work for the exact reasons you mentioned as well 🙂
Thanks for the kind words on the synth and you’re right that having some lulls in painting is not the worst thing in the world. I’m sure we’ll both ramp up on some projects soon.
I can totally understand the lack of time issue. I never have enough time for all the things I want to do too! You also have a really rich subject matter to pull from since you like WWII. Truthfully, I have only gotten into post-apocalypse in the last 5-10 years and I find that it doesn’t have as much stuff out there so it is easier to experience a lot of the best books, movies, etc. for what that’s worth. I appreciate you reading about it all the same and I may have to watch The Postman one day. I like the upbeat tone of the book quite a bit 🙂
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These three Synths are really impressive! You did a great job on them!
As for post-apocalyptic stuff, I really enjoyed the video game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. It’s a bit old by now, but I think it has an interesting story and great characters, world and atmosphere. Gameplay is okay, but perhaps a bit dated by today’s standards.
For TV-series I’d highly recommend The Leftovers. It’s not your typical post-apocalyptic world and if I had to classify it it would get labeled a lot of different things before it’d get the label ‘post-apocalyptic’, but I don’t want to give too much away. I think it’s one of the highest quality TV series I’ve watched in recent years.
As for films, my vote would go to Stalker from Andrei Tarkovsky. Again, this film is a lot of things before I’d describe it as post-apocalyptic, but it certainly is that too. The running time is quite long and the film is perhaps a bit out there in certain ways, but under the right viewing circumstances it can be like a spiritual experience and one of the most unique and remarkable things I’ve ever watched.
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Thank you, Gero! 🙂
I haven’t played Enslaved but I remember when it came out and that some people liked it. I’m a video game collector so I’m sure I have the console it came out on and could give it a shot one day.
I remember when The Leftovers came out that some people said exactly what you described. I love HBO shows too so I will have to try to watch that one in the near future.
I have not heard of Stalker before and I just watched the trailer for it and looks very good. Another one to add to my watch list for sure! Thanks for both of the recommendations 😀
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I’m glad that you mentioned A Canticle for Leibowitz. I think it is an overlooked book, maybe one of the first great books in the genre. It lacks action, but more than makes up for it in the what the story unfolds. When I started to write my post-apocalyptic stories for my book, this was a definite influence, especially in my series “Found” about writings that may be found in this type of future.
I started watching The Walking Dead before I started the graphic novels, and it was interesting to see how the creators changed the story, sometimes slightly, other times more drastic. What I appreciated about Kirkman was that he’s not afraid to kill off main/popular characters. They can’t all survive, right?
Good topic!
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Hi Leon, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! I’m glad to hear that you also like Leibowitz. I admire how different the book is from your typical post-apocalyptic stories too. It is devoid of a lot of the stuff that has kind of become cliché in the genre like the cannibal and the evil survivalists/raiders. Knowing that it was an influence on you and your writing, I’d be curious to read “Found” and will have to seek it out.
I think the fact that anyone can die is one of the greatest strengths of TWD too. It not only fits the setting but it keeps you on your toes while reading too. I tend to be the kind of person who reads the book or graphic novel and then watches the TV show or movie too so maybe I need to give the show a shot! TWD is pretty omnipresent now and it is easy to forget just how ground breaking the series is/was.
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I’ve re-read Leibowitz a few times but not in years. It may be due for another. I got out of touch with TWD after season 7 (or 8?) and haven’t picked it back up.
I’ll give you 2 links: My book on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KGHH4HH and my free eBook with a few selected works: https://storyoriginapp.com/directdownloads/d3229c46-0717-4fe6-a528-a941c88b0711
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I couldn’t agree more on Leibowitz or TWD. I need to revisit both in the future. Thanks for the links, I will check them out! 🙂
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Nice mini mate and the Walking Dead is something I need to check out for sure. 😊
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Cheers and I agree! I think it might help get you inspired on some post-apocalypse dioramas in the future 😀
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As usual your newest Synth looks great and adds to your growing Institute presence. Brilliant brushwork mate!
When I think of Samurai in an English medium I always think of Stephen Turnbull. I quite like some elements of Samurai culture and equipment. If only I had more time…
As for Post-Apoc, I have been a big fan for many years. From seeing Damnation Alley as a kid, to Mad Max as a teen, various zombie shows as an adult and most recently the TV series version of Snowpiercer. Whatever the big threat, it is the disaster psychology surrounding the breakdown of civilization that interests me most. I could see this in real world terms whilst enforcing martial law in Louisiana following Hurricane Andrew in ’92.
For a quirky, older British take on post-apoc you may want to try The Last Train. It starts strong but finishes a bit meh. Watching it many years after it came out, it felt like elements of it were baked into the foundations of later post-apoc stories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Train_(TV_series)
If you can tolerate the surreal, A Boy and His Dog with a young Don Johnson is an interesting example of something which clearly inspired Fallout.
The book version of The Postman is much better than the movie but it the movie is watchable. I did not read the Road but the movie is grim. Really, really grim. I preferred Book of Eli. Nice twist at the end.
I have seen and read so much post-apoc that it does tend to all blur together. That said I remember being a bit surprised by the end of Last of Us. Whilst I did not play the game I watched a movie on YouTube that someone had made out of the cutscenes. Quite the story and world building but the end… ouch. Tough call.
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Thanks for the kind words and I completely agree on the genre of post-apocalypse. Its riveting and easy to relate to. I’ll investigate all of those leads you gave me as well! I’ve heard of A Boy and His Dog and had no idea that it had Don Johnson in it. I like him as an actor and the idea of seeing him when he was young is amusing in a good way to me. Book of Eli is one that I need to check out too.
You really need to play Last of Us, mate! I know your gaming time is restricted but send the wife and child(ren) away and play an absolute masterpiece. The first game isn’t terribly long and the second one is quite a bit longer but every minute spent playing it has been amazing for me. The storyline shows you a series of events from two characters’ perspective and it works so well. They really fleshed out the world and it reminds me of what makes early Walking Dead great. In Last of Us II’s case, I think the characters and stories are better than any in Walking Dead. Nobody is truly evil but nobody is really innocent either. It is modern day storytelling at its best! Hopefully that piqued your interest as I really do think you’d enjoy it and you’d be much better playing LoU 2 than giving the Walking Dead spinoffs a chance in my humble opinion 🙂
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Like how the synth looks and lame having issues with the postman not bring you your miniatures! That’s like your life’s blood right there.
Post Apoc has always been a cool genre but not one I’ve done a lot of time in. I’ve played the occasional miniature game at conventions and the odd zombie game. I don’t own any myself and doubt I would make the investment but you never know.
I read The Road after seeing the movie. Liked it a lot. There’s also a good movie with Denzel Washington that post apoc but I’m blanking on it and too lazy to look it up. 😀
I was really into TWD for awhile but then it was starting to drag, and then I missed a couple of episodes and never got around to watching it again. I might pick it back up or read the comic books.
I don’t play any video games right now but used to be a pretty avid gamer. Now I have a family….😀
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If we have to rely on USPS for hobby supplies and miniatures, they damn well better do their jobs! I can’t wait until that gets better for everyone though I suspect that most people aren’t suffering as badly as I am thankfully too.
Post-Apoc is definitely not for everyone and I think most people who game in it, do so for the zombie scenarios which I totally understand. I think you’re the only person I’ve talked to who has also read The Road, so kudos to you for that 😀 I really like that author and need to read some of his other books even if they are not Post Apoc.
I never watched the Walking Dead TV show but my sense is that it has been somewhat diminishing returns where the quality has gone down the longer it has gone on which is not at all unusual for a show. The comics are pretty good throughout, in my opinion. There are some things that make Rick become annoying as the story goes on but I think its definitely worth reading if you’re in the mood for a good zombie tale.
Haha, I know what you mean. If your family isn’t going to let you play video games (the nerve of them!), then tell them that I request they give you enough time to get your website updated 😉
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Nice work on that Synth, you’ve really got it looking like an undead robot (which I’m guessing is pretty much what it is?).
Some great suggestions of post-apocalyptic stuff to check out there, some of it already on my to-read/watch list and some that I’ll be looking into now. In terms of books what about Through Darkest America (and the sequel Dawn’s Uncertain Light) by Neal Barrett jr. Well worth checking out. Don’t read the synopsis on Goodreads as it gives away one of the darkest twists (it’s not a spoiler as such but I think the way its presented in the book lets it creep up on you which is a lot more engrossing that just being told outright).
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Cheers and yeah, they’re so human that they look undead which is probably why people in Fallout are so freaked out by them 🙂
Ooh, thanks for the recommendation! I have not heard of that one but will certainly add it to my list. It sounds like a great read!
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The Synths are looking good here, and when it’s time to paint those dupes, I think you may be able to do some limb/head repositioning and/or weapon swaps on the Gen 1 and 2 without much trouble. The Gen 3 looks a little trickier, but a careful head-turning looks like it’d be possible, and then of course there’s adding some scarring to his leather coat.
Post-Apoc, hey? Well, skipping over the things you’ve already listed (and I do highly recomnmend seeing ALL of the Mad Max movies (Thunderdome is the weakest of them IMO, but still worth a watch). You’ll certainly spot a ton of things done in these films that went on to become just a part of pop culture. The recent Mad Max game is also worth your time as well. ACG has a good, very detailed video on it if you’ve got the time (while you’re painting etc, I’d suggest).
The Metro series of Books (and games) have a lot of recommendations to them as well..
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Trying to convert the synths is not a bad idea at all! I may give that a go in the near future. Once I get Drazhar done, I intend on painting up another one or two to ensure I eventually get the ones I own done.
I will have to give Mad Max a try. My Dad was not a fan of those movies growing up so I never saw them but I heard great things about Fury Road and Tom Hardy is generally a solid actor so I think I’d start there. The Metro series is pretty cool and I’ve played a couple of the games though something about them didn’t quite hook me. It might be because I’m not a massive fan of FPS games or it could be that I played them when I had tons of freetime and now that I have a lot less, Metro isn’t a series I have the time to keep up with. Hopefully one day I can get back to them. Thanks for the recommendations, mate!
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I love the painting on those Synths. They’re very evocative sculpts.
I just read The Road and really enjoyed it. The humanity of The Man (or perhaps more accurately, The Boy in his role as ‘conscience’) contrasts very interestingly with the nihilism of the setting. I’ll recommend Station Eleven in turn.
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Thank you! 🙂 I’m glad to hear you liked The Road as well. It is just about the pinnacle of the post-apocalypse fiction, I’d say. I’ll give Station Eleven a shot! Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
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