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Walking Dead Series 3 - Merle andMichonne
McFarlane Toys 
The latestwave of figures based on the hit television show the Walking Dead hashit shelves, and includes 5 different figures. There's two humans,Michonne and Merle, and three zombies, the Autopsy Zombie and both'pet' zombies that Michonne brought with her.
These are not exactly the same as the previous waves - they've uppedthe articulation, and from what I can see, improved the sculpt andpaint work. It's all good.
These figures run around $15 - $18, depending on the retailer. I pickedthem up at Toys R Us, where they are about $16 each.
Packaging - ***1/2
The packaging has changed as well, going from square to rectangular andhaving graphics that are more show-centric.
I like both changes. The rectangular card makes the figures look larger(they're not), and the new graphics really pop.
There's a couple annoying twisties, but at least they're well hiddenfor the MOCers. Of course, the change in style may annoy some MOCers,who usually like their displayed cardbacks to exhibit consistency.
| Clickon the photo below for alife size version
 
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Sculpting - ***1/2
The first place that I noticed a realimprovement is in this category. Both likenesses are far, far betterthan the previous, especially Shane and Daryl. I feel bad for Daryl onthe shelf - his bad boy brother Merle is much better looking. Or atleast, his portrait is much more accurate.
Michonne is great too,particularly when you consider the scale. You can nit pick some of thefeatures on both figures under the eye of the macro lens, but remember- these figures are only 5" tall. Scale has not changed, andthese fit in perfectly with the previous waves.
The hands aresculpted to work with the weapons as well, and both figures stand greaton their own. There is a good use of texture with some of thedifferent pieces of clothing, and each figure has at least oneoutstanding costume feature. For Michonne, it's her cool high topboots, and for Merle it's his deadly right hand complete with attachedbayonette.
One area where Merle does muchbetter than Michonne isthe hair. His sculpt is excellent, and the wash paint job looks veryrealistic. Michonne's hair is a solid color with no variation, and theTootsie Roll-ish-ness of her hair is obvious even with the human eye.
Here'sthe big difference between this wave and previous waves - if you poppedthe heads off these two and showed only them to a Walking Deadfan withno explanation, they'd still instantly know who they were.
Paint - ***
Like with thesculpt, it's important for readers to keep in mind the scale of thesefigures when considering the paint. The camera lens shows off issuesthat the human eye won't pickup on, but it's important to see those issues as well to get the fullappreciation.
Most of the cut lines are fairlyclean, and neitherfigure exhibits the 'throw paint at it to make it sloppy realistic'look. There's some wash to give them a sweaty or dirty appearance, butit's not over done.
The eyes are a little weak,especially onMichonne, and while most of the cut lines are good, there's still alittle slop here and there. Some of the colors - especially the skintones - aren't always consistent in finish, but overall this paint job,like the sculpt, is an improvement over past figures.
Articulation - ***1/2
One of my major beefs with the previous waves, especially the living,was the terrible articulation. They've made a huge improvement in thiscategory.
Both have ball jointed necks,pin/disc style ball jointed shoulders, elbow, wrists and ankles,pin knees, and a waist joint. The hips on both are a weirdsortof ball that doesn't have quite the same range of movement of apin/disc style, but is less obvious and ugly.
All these joints work well, andthese two are much, much more poseable than the past living humanfigures. As much as I've ragged on McToys over the last couple waves, Ihave to give them props for listening to the fans and collectors andmaking real improvements.
Accessories - ***
Both figures come with three extras, and all are fairly well done.
Michonne has her katana, aswell as a scabbard that fits over her head and arm to rest on her back.It looks good, and while the sword seems a smidge small (in volume, notlength), it fits nicely in her hands or the case.
She also has her poncho, whichis removable. It fits tightly around her neck and doesn't fall offeasily, but isn't difficult to put on or take off.
Merle has his handgun, whichfits perfectly in a holster on the front of his belt, and a smallknife. It looks like it could fit in a sheath on his belt under theshirt, but the shirt is too stiff to push out of the way.
Along with the handgun, Merlehas an automatic rifle, with a sling that allows him to carry it onhis back. With the replaced left hand, it's a bit tough for him to useit, but it looks good on his back.
Fun Factor - ***
With the increased articulation, the play value improves a bit,especially over the previous living characters. The accessories workwell too, and there's enough zombies for them to fight at this point.
Value - **
While I'm still not jumping up and down over the value, these do get abetter score than the last series due to the greater number of goodextras. If you can get them for $15 or less, add another half starhere.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!
Overall - ***
I almost went another half star this time -there's that much improvement over previous waves. That doesn't happenvery often, and McFarlane deserves some real credit for upping theirgame with this very critical license.
The price is still a killer, butwith the improved quality in several categories, it has become muchless of an issue.
Ialso picked up one of the two pet zombies, but since I couldn't findthe other (or the Autopsy Zombie) yet, I figured I'd wait on reviewingthem. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish them up in the next coupleweeks.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***
Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Big Bad Toy Store is pretty cheapat just $15 each.
- EntertainmentEarth has them for $15 as well.
- UrbanCollector has the figures for $20 each.
- or you can searchebay for a deal.
RelatedLinks -
Other Walking Dead stuff includes the RVand Well Zombies, Shaneand the Bicycle Girl, Walking Dead figures series 1, the two humans in series 2,as well as the first seriesof comic based figures. And don't forget that NECA is doingbusts, one for this same'biter', and one for this same'walker'. And if you like the RV Zombie, Mcfarlane also did acool blu-ray case using hishead.
Discussion:
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發表於 11-3-2013 14:22:28
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