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Review of Walking Dead Season 2 DVD Case
Zombie Head
McFarlane Toys
Date Published: 2012-08-29
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 2.5
out of 4
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Introduction
I'm a huge fan of the Walking Dead - the comic book series and the television series. They are each their own distinct
story, with some parts that overlap, and some that don't, but both are an excellent post apocalyptic tale.
The collectibles for the show have been pretty weak so far, but with the release of the Season 2 blu-ray 4 disc set, Best
Buy has an exclusive zombie head case.
I'm not reviewing the season here - although if I were, it would be a four star review - but rather just the case itself.
You can pick this guy up at Best Buy right now for $60, but that includes the full blu-ray set as well as the case to keep
them safe on the shelf.
Click on the image below for a Life Size version
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Packaging - **
The box is quite large, and oddly enough Best Buy thought that the zombie face was just too creepy for their shelves. They
covered up the photos of the case with a cardboard band that serves no other purpose than to hide what you're buying. I get
it - you're afraid someone might complain (although considering the covers of most video games, I'd say that shipped sailed
a long time ago) but you're screwing yourself by hiding the product in such a silly way.
The box also claims this is a 'limited edition', but with no edition size or numbering and no COA, it's a pretty
meaningless claim.
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Sculpting - ***
This is a fairly large blu-ray case, and looks close to 1/2 scale to me. That means all the detail work is very easy to see
with the nekkid eye, and there's no need for a macro lens to find the good...and bad.
The dead, flaky, wrinkled skin looks great, and the damage around the wounds has a realistic rotting appearance. The lips
and teeth are the real highlight, while the eyes themselves are the weakest feature.
Part of that is the fault of the next category, but the sculpting on the ooze from his punctured left eye just isn't
working for me. There's something about it that screams cheap plastic, whereas the rest of the head has a very life-like (or
more accurately dead-like) appearance.
I'm also not a huge fan of the elongated look of the back of the head, where the shape is not true to a skull. It looks
like this was done to help with the design of the opening feature, but a more rounded back would have been less alien-esque.
One of the cooler features in person is the screwdriver driven into his left eye. This is not a permanent piece, which
means that you can swap it out with an actual driver to add some more realism to the overall look. It slides in and out
cleanly, and looks great. It can also act as a handle to open and close the case, although it's not necessary.
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Paint - **
Unfortunately, I think the paint actually hurts the sculpt score this time around. The paint work detracts enough from the
sculpt that I'm probably being harder on the case in that category than it deserves.
The best paint is once again around the teeth and lips, where the rot and damage is improved with the paint work. The skin
and wounds aren't too bad, if a bit simplistic, but it's the undamaged eye that really hurts the overall look.
This is not a dead eye, a damaged eye, or a glassy eye. It's a weirdly colored, sloppily painted eye, and weird colors and
sloppy paint does not a realistic dead eye make.
I remember when McFarlane blazed the trail with amazing paint work, but it seems that this is the biggest issue they have
now, and it's hurt the line of figures as well.
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Articulation - ***
It's not traditional 'articulation', but the head does open to reveal the set of discs. It opens smoothly, and of course you
don't have to use the screwdriver as a handle if you don't want to. It's not particularly exciting - and it's not
particularly well hidden - but it does work cleanly.
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Value - **1/2
The entire package is $60, but that's not really the price of the case. Buying the season on blu all by itself will set you
back $30, so the case is costing you another $30. However, buy it right now and you can take advantage of another offer -
Best Buy is giving a $10 gift card with any $50 purchase of television shows. That means the price on this drops to $20, and
if you take advantage of that you can add another half star here.
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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
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Overall - **1/2
The best selling point for this blu-ray case, other than the obvious inclusion of the excellent season 2 blu-ray discs, is
the price. It's so rare that we actually get something pretty much worth what you're paying, especially if you're only
paying an extra $20 for the case.
Unfortunately, the paint quality really isn't what it needs to be with such a large collectible. I think while there are
some underlying issues with the sculpt, it still could have been a very realistic appearing zombie had the paint been at the
level we've come to expect.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - **
Sculpting - ***
Paint - **
Articulation - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - **1/2
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Right this very minute, this is available at Best Buy. Full price is $60, although you can get a deal right
now for a $10 gift card, or you can search
ebay for a deal.
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Related Links -
Other Walking Dead stuff includes Walking Dead figures series
2, the two humans in series 2, as
well as the first series of comic based figures.
And don't forget that NECA is doing busts, one for this same
'biter', and one for this same 'walker'.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case
any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be
discussing it!
Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!
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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
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