Review of Plaid Shirt, Flyboy Zombie action figures
Dawn of the Dead One:12 Collectivie

Introduction

Once upon a time, zombie action figures were non-existent. Fans of the classics both old and new clamored for someone to release something, but only a mere trickle of figures made it to market. Then came the Walking Dead, and a larger fascination with the genre across the world, and the floodgates opened. We got zombies in all shapes, styles, and scales, and from just about every franchise.

That flood waters have receded however, and we're back down to a trickle. Sure, the Walking Dead is still producing a figure here or there, but other zombie properties are less likely to get the plastic love. Thankfully, Mezco is still on our side, and have released their two pack of One:12 Collective undead, the Flyboy and the Plaid Shirt Zombie from the classic Dawn of the Dead.

These two are now shipping, and will run you $130 for the pair. They come packaged together.

Packaging - ***1/2
Surprisingly enough, this is one of the more colorful and decorative of the One:12 cardboard packages. It mirrors the original movie poster design, with plenty of red.  Inside, the figures are kept safe, side by side, in a plastic tray (yes, the box is bigger than a standard One:12), and everything is completely collector friendly.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Let me refresh your memory on these two. The Flyboy Zombie was one of the survivors who was eventually trapped in an elevator and bitten. He had some residual memory, leading the other zombies back to the remaining survivors in the Mall. Here's a quick clip.

The Plaid Shirt Zombie was featured on the poster itself. Of course, he was also on screen, but didn't have the same plot involvement as Flyboy. His makeup was quite extraordinary for the time though, and he was one of the more gruesome zombies in the film.

They've captured both extremely well. Flyboy had a twist to his neck that he couldn't quite straighten, and they've mirrored that here in the one piece head/neck sculpt. The likeness to the actor is extremely good, and the usual detail work on the hair and skin texture is apparent. The shoe sculpt is terrific as well, but I do wish they'd done a little more with the hands.

Plaid Shirt has a wicked messed up face - what's up with that eye? - and additional rotting, scarred flesh on his chest, visible through the damaged shirt. Tom Savini was pushing boundaries with practical effects at the time, and this guy is an excellent example. There's a ton of detail in the wounds and gashes, and it's important to remember that these guys are only about 6 1/2" tall.

Plaid Shirt Zombie has a terrific work boot sculpt too, but as with Flyboy, I really wish they'd done something more with the hands. There's not quite the same amount of detail, and the poses are quite basic.

Paint - ***1/2
Again, it's all about scale, or at least it's a lot about scale. These guys are small, and the paint work is extremely impressive.

Flyboy has almost perfect gray skin, and sharp, well defined blue eyes rolled upward. The glassy eyes have a natural shine, creating their own catch lights and producing a life-like - if you can say that about a zombie - appearance. The blood oozing from the mouth is glossy and bright, a trademark of the film, and the additional blood work around the neck and leg wound looks terrific. Even the red staining on the clothing is well done, not too much, not too little. I'm not quite sold on the marks on the forehead, but they look better in hand than in macro photos.

The clothing on the Plaid Shirt Zombie could actually use some more blood, especially the shirt. But I'm cutting them some slack here because of the amazing work they did on the putrid, rotting appearance of the face and chest. The paint work on the chest is particularly good, giving the sculpted damage a super realistic, soft fleshy appearance.

Articulation - **1/2
The zombies of the classic Romero films moved the way I expect zombies to move - slow, broken, and damaged. They are dead after all, and one of my personal complaints about more recent takes on the undead is their speed. Very few of these people could move that fast when they were alive, and being dead hasn't given them additional athletic abilities.

Of course, part of this is also because my favorite zombie movies had slow zombies. Flyboy was a particularly busted up example, with his feet and legs not really working the way he wanted. While it might seem like a stiff, lumbering character like a zombie could do fine with less articulation, the reality is they need all they can get to create the almost inhuman gait.

As I mentioned earlier, the head and neck are one piece on both of these. To get the trademark bent neck appearance of Flyboy, they sculpted it that way. It works well, and the lower ball joint on both figures does give you some decent tilt and lean movement.

The rotating hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists work great, and you should have no trouble getting most arm poses. The torso is a bit weird though - I wasn't able to get much lean or tilt out of either one, and the rolling chest joint (which you can see through the shirt of the Plaid Shirt) seems stuck or blocked.

The hips, knees, and ankles are where the biggest restrictions come in. While they stand great on their own, it's in more natural poses.  The ankles are pretty much blocked by the work boot sculpt, and you can't quite get the weirdly askew stance you'll want without depending on the display stands.

Accessories - **
Here's where they really come up short, but I'm not sure what extras you could sensibly give these guys.

Flyboy does have the one item he carried in the movie - the revolver. He had it in hand when he was bitten, and managed to keep holding it until his truly final demise. It just hung from his hand since he couldn't manage the complexity of firing it, but what was left of his consciousness wouldn't allow him to drop it. Or maybe it was just rigor mortis.

Both figures also have their own display stand. These have the simple foot peg and the more complex, long, clear plastic support rod. If you want to get a more crippled zombie pose, you'll need to use the stands.

Outfit - ***
The outfits are pretty basic - shirt, belt, pants, boots - but they are well tailored and match the on screen look. Scale is good including the patterns.

I've mentioned some of the positives already, like the blood staining on the Flyboy and the damage on the Plaid Shirt. There are a couple minor issues though, including slightly oversized collars.

The fit on the pants is great, and the shoe sculpt on both is excellent. These aren't particularly complex costumes, but they are solid quality and workmanship.

Fun Factor - ***
You'll be able to add these guys to other displays of course, and who can't use a couple zombies to spice up the shelf?

Value - *1/2
The usual One:12 figure goes for around $75 - $80, but let's be honest. These guys are far, far less equipped than the usual figure, where extra portraits, hands, and accessories are the soup du jour. I think $110 or so is really the max, although the one unknown is the production run. They didn't make as many of these as Captain America, of that you can be sure, but exactly how many they did make is a question, as is how quickly they'll sell out.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***
One of the things I love about the One:12 Collective is the variety of licenses and characters. While it's nice to get the big boys in the Marvel and DC Universe, I'm all over these lesser licenses. I love the original Dawn of the Dead (as well as the remake), and getting characters like this is my sweet spot.

However, they aren't for everyone. I'm sure the production numbers will reflect that, and I'm betting the price tag reflects those production numbers. For collectors that pick up these lesser known licenses, the higher price tag is no surprise.

As an aside, I really think the very last photo in this review requires a caption.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - **
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - *1/2
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has them for $130 as well, but with free shipping!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This isn't the first time we've seen these two in plastic form. NECA did a Plaid Shirt Zombie, and they also did a Flyboy, both as part of their old Cult Classics line. And to augment, they also did the Hare Krishna zombie.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!