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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Daryl Dixon - Walking Dead
Sixth Scale Action Figure

ThreeZero
Date Published: 2018-09-05
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3 out of 4

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Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Introduction

It's about time to kick off another season of the long running hit show The Walking Dead, and Daryl Dixon is winging his way to homes all over the world just in time to join you. This Daryl is 12" tall, and comes to you thanks to ThreeZero. After a very slow start to their releases for this license several years ago, they've increased the pace from tortoise to tortoise on Red Bull. They aren't blazing fast, but at least we're seeing some action.

The ThreeZero line, while still high end, is much cheaper in price than many others on the market. There were two versions of Daryl - a regular release that cost around $170, and an exclusive version available just through their store that was $180. I'm checking out the exclusive tonight.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Packaging - **1/2
Normally, I'm quite pleased with the Walking Dead packaging. The figures come in a narrow five panel box, with a good shot of the actual character on the front. It's all collector friendly, and a bit more ecologically conservative than some.

However, the exclusive has a feature that really bothered me. This version comes with some extra accessories for the figure itself, and one for you - a Walking Dead T-shirt. Yep, you get you're own black t-shirt with this guy. But the shirt is rolled up and stuffed inside the brown shipper with the figure's box, which doesn't sound like a problem until you realize the brown shipper is designed to only hold the box. Cramming the shirt in as well bends and smashes the back, which is not something a lot of collectors are going to love.

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Sculpting - **1/2
I have to give ThreeZero a lot of credit - this is a very hard sculpt to do. It's the wild, dirty, matted hair, a look that is almost impossible to recreate in plastic in any realistic fashion.

The detail in the stranding is good, and the hair is tight to the head, even along the bangs. It's definitely matted and wild looking...and I'm torn. Could it have been better? I think so, but they gave it the old college try, and it's not a disaster.

The underlying portrait is a more dicey. I like the squinted eyes, a trademark look for Daryl, but there's something off in the shape of the jaw and cheeks. The nose has a slight pug look, and the detail in the facial hair is soft. The overall effect for me is more cosplayer Daryl, not Reedus Daryl.

The arms include the plastic skin, covering the elbows. It does not cover the shoulder joint, which is hidden by the clothing, or the wrists, which are pretty glaring. This is the very thin but much stiffer automobile grade plastic, not the softer rubber we often see. I'm not a fan of any skin coverings on figures, and while I understand there are people that like the look, to me it's no better than an exposed joint. The skin always buckles and bends in weird ways, looking no more realistic in any pose other than straight arms. However, this type of plastic is less likely to degrade or split over time.

He's just shy of 12", and fits in fine scale-wise with the rest of the series. The hands are a little oversized - a pretty common problem thanks to the use of available bodies - but the sculpts work well with the various accessories.

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Paint - ***
The paint work is solid, with a nice, subtle transition from the skin color to the facial hair and eyebrows. The lips look good, and the skin has a tanned, weathered appearance that's not excessive or overdone. This tan color extends to the neck and arm coverings as well.

The eyes are tough to see, thanks to the wild bangs, but they're clean and sharp. The detail in the hair sculpt is highlighted, and the scar on his left hand(s) looks good. This isn't a 'wow' paint job, but at this price point the quality is where I'd expect it.

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Articulation - **
My biggest issue with this figure is not the portrait - which isn't a hit, but which is workable - but rather the floppy rag doll body. The body ThreeZero is using for all their figures has a reputation for not being super tight across the joints, but this one was ridiculously bad. The torso flops back and forth, and the hips and knees are barely able to maintain standard poses.

The ball neck works fine, although the longer plastic hair is a bit restrictive. The shoulders, elbows and wrists are the best joints on the body, all tight and yet all more mobile than I expected. Yes, the skin does cause some issues for the elbows, but if you don't mind having a weird pucker at the joint, you can get pretty deep bends.

As I said, the hips and knees are super loose, but the ankles have a different issue. The taller boots make the ball ankle pretty useless, but that's not particularly unique. The big problem here is one of connectivity - the boots tend to fall off constantly while posing him, even in medium stances.

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Accessories - ***1/2
Daryl is pretty well outfitted, and the exclusive comes with a couple additional items.

He has several swappable hands, plus a couple extra wrist pegs just in case. He comes wearing a relaxed set, and there's a gun grip set and a tighter grip set as well.

He has three weapons in total. There's a handgun, but no holster. The gun sculpt is good, and of course the magazine is removable. There's also a knife, which can fit inside a sheath on his belt. More on that sheath in the Outfit section.

And then there's his trademark weapon - a crossbow. The crossbow has three removable arrows in the holder in front, with one additional arrow you can load. The string pulls back and hooks, and the arrow can lay properly in the track. If you keep it that way on the shelf - which I probably will - remember that over time the string is going to end up stretched out.

I really love the crossbow, with one minor nit. The strap, nicely weathered and properly sized, falls off the little metal loops constantly. In fact, if I don't pose him with the crossbow on his back, I may take it off entirely to get it out of the way.

He also comes with a poncho, but I'm saving that for the Outfit section.

There's a basic display stand too with a support rod, but that's it for the regular release. The exclusive adds in an additional clothing pieces - a black shirt, which like the poncho I'll discuss in the Outfit section - and four more arrows with his makeshift quiver. They go nicely with the long sleeved shirt, and make for a great second look on the shelf.

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Outfit - ***1/2
ThreeZero does one thing other companies rarely do, and they do it really, really well. They weather their costumes. While that might not be necessary for Tony Stark in a three piece suit, it's ideal for someone like Daryl.

His outfit is pretty simple - jeans, boots, belt, knife sheath, shirt, vest, poncho, and red handkerchief. The boot sculpt is excellent, and the tailoring on all the cloth pieces is great. The clothing fits perfectly, and the wear and tear really makes the difference.

The jeans are particularly well done, but both the black long sleeved shirt and the brown shirt with cut off sleeves look great as well. Swapping shirts is pretty easy, but that's where one of my two main nits come in.

They used the tiny plastic snaps, and I hate these things. You have to be really careful snapping them together to avoid damaging the little plastic pin, and I'm far less likely to swap more than once when these things are involved.

My second big nit is with the sheath for the knife. The loop which wraps around the handle does not open, and it is very, very hard to slide the knife into place. You can do it - you'll see I did - but you need to take a lot of care and once it's in the sheath, you probably won't remove it.

I have a couple other minor nits as well. The poncho looks good, but really needs some more weathering, and you'll need to work on it for awhile to loosen it up and get it to lay naturally. And while the vest looks great overall, I think the wings on the back need to be a bit darker in color.

Still, it's a great outfit, and the inclusion of the second shirt is a nice add for the exclusive.

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Fun Factor - ***
Throw in his brother Merle and a handful of 'walkers', and you've got a great looking display. And the extra shirt with the quiver and arrows is an excellent option, one that I just might end up going with since it hides the elbows and wrists. The big drawback in this category is the floppy body, making posing and re-posing more frustrating than it should be.

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Value - ***1/2
While this figure is not without its issues, it's also just $180. The regular version cuts off another $10 - $15, and you won't find too many companies doing anything like this for $160 or so. I can live with a few nits at that price point, and I'll be happy to pick up any of the figures they produce.

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Things to Watch Out For -
The only time I was a little worried was when I fitted the knife into the sheath. You have to stretch the loop up quite a bit to get it over the hilt, and once you do, I'd recommend leaving it there.

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Overall - ***
The Walking Dead series has been hit or miss, and Daryl falls somewhere in between. He's definitely not the hit that Negan was, but he's close to Michonne's level, but he's a solid release and a step up from the disappointment that was his poor brother.

I believe Glenn will be coming next, and I'm hoping we see the releases speed up to get some greater depth into the cast before the end of the show and the inevitable end of the line.

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

Daryl Dixon Walking Dead sixth scale action figure by ThreeZero

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Where to Buy 
This exclusive version was available through ThreeZero's online store for $180, but has since sold out. Online options include these site sponsors:

- has the regular version for $160.

- is at $165.

- Entertainment Earth is at $168.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
The most recent Walking Dead figure from ThreeZero was one of their best - Negan. Prior to that we had Michonne, Merle, Rick Grimes, and the two pet walkers.

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

Discussion:
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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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