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this is going to be a bit on the..well disgusting side, so if you don't want to be grossed out please do not read or look at this post to make it easier to define the different variations of zombies i am breaking them out in the various stages of decomposition. while the armor is a critical part of the death trooper costume, knowing a little about basic Zombology (zombie biology) will help creating the gruesome look you desire.. after all, its whats on the inside that counts Here are five basic stages of decomposition: Stage 1: Initial Decay (The "Fresh Stage") The blood "pools" in the low spots, causing the skin in those areas to look like a big purple bruise (livor mortis, or hypostasis). The rest of the skin, deprived of fresh blood, takes on that attractive deathly pallor. example: Stage 2: Putrefaction (The "Bloat Stage".. gross, eh?) To add to the zombie effect, the gas and bacteria cause a greenish discoloration of the skin, starting in the abdomen and gradually tinting the rest of the body. The gas builds up in the body, and hence we get the term "Bloat Stage". The abdomen becomes distended, the eyes may bug out, the tongue may protrude, and as the cells break down further and the pressure grows, the fluids within the body will begin to seep from its openings. example: Stage 3: Black Putrefaction (The "Eww, ICK!!!" Stage) They smell bad. Really bad. They leak all over the place. The soft tissues have been liquified by bacterial digestion. The skin is gooey. The body cavities have collapsed and the skin is not only gooey, but loose -- so loose that if you grab it too hard, the upper epidermis comes off in sheets. (This is known as "skin slip". All together now: "Eww, ICK!!") If the corpse has been exposed to insects, it's could even be writhing with maggots. The gases are pushing what's left of the internal organs out along with all the fluids. The hair is loose, and if you jiggle the nails and teeth, they come out pretty easily, too. example: Stage 4: Butyric Stage ("The Fermentation Stage")also know as “Saponification†This is the stage of hydrolysis of body Fat, the corpse starts to emanate a cheese like aroma. This happens as the adipose or fatty tissue enters a adipocere phase. for example, the conversion of the fat of a corpse into adipocere, produces glycerol often called "grave wax." This Glicerol has been know to actually cure and preserve the wood of the coffins. Making it some of the best “natural†wood protector around. Through archeological digs, wooden coffins that were made as early as 1750 have been preserved with virtually no decay!!!!! It's a nice way to say "rotting", and not quite as smelly as before, unless you really, really hate cheese. example: Stage 5: Dry Decay ("The Skeletal Stage") This should be fairly obvious. Any skin left on the corpse hangs in brittle tatters, and there's not much there except the bones. Depending on the conditions, bones can take years -- or centuries -- to decompose. (think mummification) example: lastly here are some examples of what i feel are not zombies just adding fake blood and "acting the part" is not a good example of a zombie MMMMMM Mc'brains..... this is making me hungry while this person has done a super job on the gory makeup, there is nothing that "screams" zombie (yep another pun)... he could easily pass as a person who has a serous head injury there are just too many kinds of zombies to count, but breaking them down into classes should be helpful when it comes time to become a death trooper. here is a great list of zombie movies that could be useful for ideas http://www.thewalkin...ombiemovies.htm