(This is the Series 2 box because I have no idea what happened to the pictures I took of the Series 1 box. Squint and you'll never know the difference.)
This toy review is going to be a little
different from the norm. I’m going to be reviewing 12 different
little figures here, so that’s going to require a bit of variance
from my regular format.
I was going to just cover the first and
second series in one post, but I got just enough mileage to split ‘em
up.
I guess I could have bullshitted my way
through twenty-four separate posts and had myself set through
Halloween, but I just can’t imagine writing distinctive pieces for
these guys. Heck, I couldn’t even manage four reviews for the new
Ninja Turtles, as you’ll see next week.
It turns out the price point is not an
issue, as for ten bucks (plus tax) you can get twelve of ‘em. I
think that’s a pretty darn good deal. I found the first series a
Target several months ago and took my pictures and everything; I just
couldn’t quite figure out how I wanted to write about them. They’ve
been standing around the Man Room since then, just waiting for
attention.
The other day I found Series 2 at Toys
R Us (for the same price, oddly enough) and brought them home. I put
a couple of pics up on Instagram and liked them a lot, but didn’t
feel like doing individual posts for each one. So I decided a post
was in order. I definitely want to bring attention to these new toys
because they are awesome. They’re essentially just like the
M.U.S.C.L.E. toys from the 80’s, but zombies. But rather than being
Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Living Everywhere, these are
Scary Little Ugly Guys.
First Glance: My first
glance was technically from the Toy Fair coverage and I was
immediately in love, but seeing that coffin-shaped box on the shelf
at Target was pretty exciting. It’s no translucent garbage can, but
it’s not bad.
Sculpt: This is where
things get a little different. I’m just going to discuss each of
the figures and what I think of them. Nothing too detailed, just a
sentence or two. This is mainly a post to spotlight these cool toys
and show you some pictures.
There’s a pretty good and random
assortment of characters here, as you’ll see. Oh, and be warned –
some of the names are kind of funny, but most of them are fairly
groan-inducing.
King Guts
This one is kind of
stretching the generally accepted definition of the word “zombie”,
but then again most modern interpretations are. I’m cool with him.
He’s nice and skinny and menacing and his headdress looks cool.
Plus he has a little Scott Ian beard.
Jon B. Gone
I think he’s supposed to
be sort of a Jimmy Hoffa type. I dig that the designers are doing
stuff like this. Rather than just sticking with shambling or groping,
they have some figures interacting with environmental objects in the
way a zombie would. This guy busting out of his coffin is just cool.
Gutslingin’ Grimm
General Custer, maybe? Or
just a generic sheriff. I’m not sure. But I like his mustache and
little bandanna.
The Corroding Kid
I really like this one.
Clearly somebody swept the leg. The name is pretty clever and I like
the execution of the figure. Pretty gory and gross for a kids’ toy.
Grave Lincoln
This one borders on being
disrespectful. I mean, I’m not particularly offended, but I
dunno – might be questionable. Especially since one of his dislikes
is “Theater Seating”. But he does look neat.
Inspector Bones
Obviously a Sherlock
Holmes character. The execution is nice, but I’m just not big on
this one.
Erik the Dead
This guy, on the other
hand, is great. Vikings are awesome and zombie Vikings are more so.
Rigamortis Lourdes
This is a good one. The
name is a bit much, but the idea of a zombie cheerleader with severed
heads as pom-poms is pretty darn funny. I would like to bring up that
these are toys for children.
Brain Eatin’
Brandon
He used to be a pizza
delivery guy. Now he is a brain delivery guy. I guess it would have
been legally imprudent to say he worked at Zomino’s Pizza.
Decayin’ Dom
I think he’s my
favorite, partly because he has one of those environmental props I
mentioned, but also due to the fact that he is clearly inspired by
the Tar Man from Return of the Living Dead.
Neil Armgone
This name might seem like
a groaner, but I kind of like it. Mainly because his arm actually is
gone. I like the idea of a zombie in a space suit and think it’s
something we don’t see nearly enough of outside of Doctor Who
and Dead Space.
Cap’n Scurvy Jack
Obviously a reference to
Captain Jack from Pirates of the Caribbean, but the name is
just awful. “Scurvy” just doesn’t do much for me. But the
figure itself is great and I’m glad to have him.
Not included in the box are these four:
Headless Halpert the football player, Piece Mail Pete the mailman,
Officer R.I.P. the cop, and Mighty-Bite Mac the boxer (who is Mike
Tyson and has an ear in his mouth). These all have terrible names and
I’m not going out of my way for any of them. They’re not bad
figures, but I’m not buying doubles of others just to get them.
Design: The figures are
all a sickly, pukey, green color. I think it’s perfect for the line
and it really makes them stand out in the Man Room. I wonder if this
is a trademarked hue like Barbie Pink™? I’d love to paint my
bathroom S.L.U.G. Green™.
Packaging: (That's the Series 2 box again - don't look too closely. Also, don't be disappointed when you see it again in a few days.)
There are two
types of SLUG Zombie packaging so far – coffins and blister cards.
The coffins each have twelve specific figures in them and the blister
cards have three random figures. I originally thought buying the
coffin got you all of the figures, but it doesn’t. There are
sixteen figures in each series, so you’re going to have to buy a
few blister packs if you want them. This is where I get a little
irritated, as it means collecting a whole set is going to require you
to buy not only doubles but to pay the extra that blister packs cost.
The coffin of twelve is $9.99 and the three packs are $3.99, so it’s
less than a dollar a figure for the big one and $1.33 apiece for the
smaller packs. But whatever – I think I’m just going to live
without the four extras. So far they aren’t characters I have to
have.
The coffin itself is pretty flimsy
cardboard with a window in the front to show one of the figures so
you know what you’re getting. I have to give JAKKS credit for that
one. Some other toy companies might have had some nice, full-color
depictions on the front and just let you assume you were getting
fully decoed figures.
Overall: I’m pretty
much thrilled with these guys. I love the idea of miniature,
collectible zombies and I definitely have a strong nostalgic love for
MUSCLE influencing my liking these things. They are well executed and
a great value, even if some of the characters and concepts aren’t
the best in the world.
4
out of 5
Go and buy some SLUG Zombies! Even if
you just pick up one of the 3-packs you owe it to yourself to bring
some of these gross creations home.
-Phantom
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