Wizard actually did a rather bizarre thing with this exclusive. They
offered the first 200 through Ebay about 6 weeks ago, and then offered the
rest through the magazine and online store just recently. There's only
1500 being sold in total, so it's a fairly short run exclusive.
Packaging - ***1/2
One of the nice things about many exclusives - Wizard exclusives in
particular - is that the come in nice, compact, sturdy boxes. That's the
case here, where we get the usually spiffy graphics, including some photos of
the upcoming wave 2.
The box could be a little more collector friendly, but if you're careful
you can reuse it to store your figures later.
Sculpting - ****
If you've bought previous Zim and Gir figures, then you know what these
look like from the neck down. The bodies are reused of course, and
there's no surprised there. And yes, Gir's head still opens up to hold
burritos or donuts, etc.
However, both heads have new sculpting features, making them 'redecos',
rather than simple repaints.
Gir has one oddly sized eye, while the other is the normal size. This
is reflected on the show, and matches up with his goofy personality
nicely. I was pretty surprised to see that he had a whole new left eye,
and it's a nice touch to make the exclusive have greater value for the money.
Zim has a very different expression than his past two versions. He's
not yet gone ballistic, but he's heading that way fast. The sculpted
mouth and exposed teeth, along with the new furrowed brow and thin eyes, makes
him my second favorite of the bunch. He's mighty cool, but nothing can
beat the insane expression on the HT Exclusive from series 1.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops are very good, with little to no bleed or slop, and extremely
well done small details on both faces.
Gir has a new mouth as part of the paint work, with his tongue sticking
out. It fits the rest of the expression perfectly.
Zim has his translucent red eyes again, giving his eyes greater depth and
realism. I've said it before but it's worth reiterating - going with
this material was a stroke of genius.
Articulation - Zim **1/2; Gir **
Neither of these figures is super articulated, but that's largely due to the
character designs.
Gir has a ball jointed neck and shoulders, with a cut joint high on the
arm, and that's about it. Something for the legs might have been nice,
but in reality it wouldn't have given you any additional posing.
Zim has neck, ball jointed shoulders, waist, and cut joints at the top of
the gloves. It's limited yes, but for this style of character works out
pretty well.
Accessories - **1/2
Unfortunately, the one area that the wave 1 figures excelled in is one
that this exclusive does not - the accessories.
Here each figure has a small black stand, which is just a nicety for Zim
(he stands fine without it) but is a necessity for Gir.
And then there's the view screens, four more of the buggers. They
come with three rods and three connectors as well, but no stickers for the
screens. I'm pretty sure I have enough screens at this point though, and
don't need to add any more to the display.
Fun Factor - ***
These figures would be fun for slightly older kids, those who are young enough
to be fans of the show, but old enough to handle the slightly delicate nature
of the arms and antennae.
Value - **
At $20 for the pair, these are at least $5 too high. Throw in
shipping, and you're going to feel the pinch. It's been an issue for the
entire series so far, but at least with the regular release figures you get a
ton of accessories to offset the high costs. Here, the rather lack luster
accessories do little to massage your hurting wallet.
Things to watch out for -
The only care you should take is in working the joints loose, especially the
cut joints on Zim's arms. I noticed they had a tendency to be painted
tight, and these are very easy joints to break when twisting.
Overall - ***
I'm very happy with this set because of the expressions on both Zim and
Gir. Unfortunately, the high price and boring accessories kept them from
hitting a higher score. Still, they're both must haves if your a big fan
of the show, and look terrific with their cousins.
SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpt - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - Zim ***; Gir **1/2
Accessories - **1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***
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