Roaming and Lurking: The Walking Dead Zombies Action Figure Review
What would a line of figures based on Image Comics' The Walking Dead be without zombies? Boring as hell, that's what! Without those slack-jawed, brain-munchers you'd just have some toys of people who walk around a lot and constantly bicker with one another when not dying left and right! Thankfully, McFarlane Toys released zombies as two of the first four figures in the series--that's a 1:1 zombie-to-human ratio and we like those odds! Join us as we take a look at the two undead figures from the first wave: the Zombie Roamer and the Zombie Lurker!
If there's one thing McFarlane Toys has managed to do better than anybody (NECA is currently vying for that accolade) it's monsters! These figures are in scale with McFarlane's Halo series, so the amount of tight detail on these smaller toys is stunning. From the flesh being tight and rotting on the bones, to the textures of the clothing, these are some pretty damn fantastic zombie sculpts! even the anatomy as the zombies are torn to pieces is detailed in full. when it comes to the sculpts, the Zombie Roamer and Zombie Lurker are above and beyond the human characters in the line.
The paintwork on these figures is a mix of drybrushing and washes to both bring out the sculpt details and make the figures look old and rotting. The skin on both figures looks properly rotted and even their guts have dull, flat finishes to show that these are not fresh corpses. in fact, the only glossy paint used is saved for the rubber blood that juts up out of the Roamer's head when his action feature is triggered. Now, if only that Lurker figure had an MTV Geek! logo on his t-shirt, he'd be perfect!
When it comes to articulation, the zombies fare worse than the human counterparts. Of course, this is due primarily to the undead figure's action features. plus, who needs a super-articulated zombie? Aren't their movements supposed to be stiff and slow anyway?! The Roamer features swivel/hinge shoulders, hinged elbows, swivel waist, swivel hips, swivel right thigh, hinged knees, and a ball-joint left ankle. The Lurker has a swivel/hinge neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, hinged elbows, hinged wrists, swivel thighs, hinged knees, and a ball-joint right foot for all your shambling poses.
The Zombie Roamer comes with one accessory: a hatchet. That's so you can place it crammed in the top of his skull. Cool, right? Wrong. it doesn't like to stay put and falls out more often than not due to the Roamer's split noggin. However, it is an inventive idea that might have worked better on a larger scale figure.
Where these figures lack in accessories, they more than make up for in action features. the Roamer has a push-button mechanism that causes his head to burst into 2 pieces and "blood" juts up out of his neck! It's reset by pulling down on the knife in his back and sliding the head pieces back together. This is a great effect for a shotgun blast and it's the first time we think it's been employed in an action figure. The Roamer can also be taken apart at the right wrist and left bicep. Speaking of dismemberment, the Zombie Lurker comes apart at the jawline (for sword decapitation action), the right bicep, the right forearm, and mid-torso. once his legs have been torn away, his intestines are exposed and can even be torn away as well. talk about thorough!
All in all, these are some of the best zombie figures you could ask for, especially when it comes to the fun factor! The Walking Dead Comic Series action figures should be hitting online retailers and comic book shops soon, with brick and mortar stores soon after. For more info on the line, be sure to check out McFarlane Toys' official website!
If you're chomping at the bit to get these toys along with some comics for FREE, then be sure to enter our TWITTER GIVEAWAY!
Stay tuned to MTV Geek! for all your McFarlane Toys and Walking Dead coverage!
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