Sculpting - ***1/2
I don't know who did the specific work on this figure for Amok, but
they die a very nice job capturing the look.
I'm
sure that serious fans of the movie, those that have researched it and
read about it and have a zombie survival kit in their closet at home,
can tell you all about whether there was any actual make up or
prosthetics involved, but I'm betting no. Oh, they messed up his teeth
a bit, but the bizarre facial contortion was probably Bill's invention.
The
head sculpt captures the psychotic zombie appearance from those early
scenes, particularly as he looked up from the body of Barbra's brother.
There
is a second head sculpt included, done in a non-zombified style. It
looks much like you'd expect the character to look if he wasn't risen
from the dead.
The hands are sculpted in
general poses, and I
suspect (although I'm not positive) that we've seen these on some past
figure from some company. But they look fine and work alright with this
application.
Paint - ***
There are two paint schemes here - black and white and color.
The
packaged head - the zombie version - as well as the packaged hands are
done in black and white, just like the film. The work is good, with
clean lines and a good use of shading. Mine has a slight rub mark on
the nose, but other than that the paint is reasonably good.
They
went with the wonky eyes, looking out of the corners, and while they
aren't quite lined up for a 'normal' person, they work well for a
zombie, where everything seems a bit off.
There's
a second zombie head added as an accessory that's painted in color.
Well, sort of. It's clear that's what they MEANT to do, but not quite
what happened. He has gray eyebrows. Oops!
The regular head also is painted
in black and white and color, and there are no real issues here.
Articulation - **1/2
The bodies that Amok is using are decent enough, but they aren't
exactly cutting edge. The articulation is reasonable for these types of
characters, especially zombies - they aren't exactly agile.
But
as they move toward other licenses, where having a body hang natural
becomes more critical, they're going to need to find one that's a bit
more modern.
This body does have the ability
to swap both heads
and hands though, and it works pretty well. The hands pop off up on the
forearms, which means that in situations where the visible arm needs to
change
too (like here, where the skin needs to be ashen for the black and
white), and then skin tone for the color head), this particular body
works well.
Accessories - ***
The accessories are many, but a bit weird. He comes with 3 additional
swappable heads - a zombie version in both black and white and color,
and a non-zombie version in black and white.
I
say this is weird not because of the black and white vs color choices,
as that's a great idea. Having both versions gives you flexibility on
how you want to display the zombie, depending perhaps on the figures
around him. They also supply an extra set of hands that are in flesh
tone, to go with the flesh tone heads.
No, I say weird because
I'm not sure why there is a pair of non-zombie heads. Not that Mr.
Heinzman isn't a great guy, but as we never saw him on screen as
anything but a zombie, I doubt too many folks will be displaying him
that way.
I already ragged on the messed
up eyebrows of the color version of the zombie head, so I'll let that
slide here.
Oh,
and let's not forget the required display stand, which looks good, but
which I won't be using, even with the weird shoes. More on that in the
next section.
Outfit - ***
He's wearing his suit and tie, just like in the film. There's not much
exceptional about the usual suit, but Amok found a couple ways to make
it better than the average.
First,
there is the color. Rather than just go with a black shirt and tie with
a white shirt, they gave the shirt a grayish, ashen look, similar to
what a white shirt looks like in a black and white film. That's a nice
touch, and makes the figure look even better with the black and white
head and hands.
The suit, shirt and tie are all
well tailored,
and the scale is generally good. The collar on the shirt is a bit over
sized though, the only real issue with an otherwise well fitted outfit.
The
outfit is fairly complete, with a suit coat, pants, shirt, tie, socks
and shoes. There's belt loops on the pants, but no belt.
The two
issues that pull down the overall score for me is the shoes, which have
the same issue that we saw with Rondo. The bottoms are a bit rounded,
making it tough for him to stand.
The other issue is the gray
lining on the pockets. The problem is that the lining shows around the
edge of the pockets, looking like sort of a piping. It is a bit
distracting, and calls too much attention to the pockets.
Value -
**1/2
Sideshow has departed the $50 sixth scale market, and Hasbro has stuck
with the lower end. That leaves a niche gap, and Amok is posed to be a
player there. The price is about right, with quality work all around,
but they do need to up the accessory count in general. With this figure
it's fine, but with others (like Rondo), they really need a few extra
goodies.
Things To Watch Out For
-
Not much. My first figure had a detached shoulder, but that wasn't
something you could see in advance, or do anything other than contact
Amok Time after the fact for a replacement. They were great about it,
and got my new figure out to me zippy fast.
Overall - ***
I'm really enjoying the releases from Amok Time so far, including this
figure. Put this guy with the Barbra figure on your shelf, and you'll
have a classic scene from a classic film.
It's
amazing that 5 years ago you couldn't find a zombie figure to save your
brains, and now they're every where. Hey, I'm all for it - let's add to
that zombie shelf!
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***
Where to Buy -
As I mentioned earlier, you can pick these up directly
from Amok for $50, or:
- Corner Store Comics
has him for $47,
- Alter Ego Comics
has this guy for $48. - Time and Space Toys has him at $50.
- Urban Collectors
has him for $55.70.
- Things From
Another World hs him for $67.50.
- or you can search ebay using
the sponsor MyAuctionLinks.
Related Links -
I've covered several of
their releases already:
- Gort and Klaatu hit
first.
- then there was the Invasion of the Saucer-men.
- and most recently, Rondo
Hatton.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be
discussing it!
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