Redneck Roadkill’s Zombie Roadkill Escape 360 Crane Decapitator Review

What is It?

Zombie Roadkill Escape puts a fun and unique twist on the traditional R/C toy.  Need a back story? Like any zombie product worth its salt, there’s a story to be told here.

Rednecks are trapped in a junkyard with zombie hoards advancing and no snackfood left in the vending machine.  Their only hope is to grab the 1955 tow-truck, customize it into a makeshift 360 Crane Decapitator and grill impaler, and try to make their escape.  Will they make it?  It’s up to you!

-RedneckRoadkillRC.com

Check out the Video:

What’s Included?

We received the Zombie Roadkill Escape truck in retail packaging.  The following contents were inside.

• One 1/24 Scale Radio Controlled Vehicle with Independent Suspension and Removable Bumper Stickers
• Double Toggle Full Function Remote Controller (Turn Right, Turn Left, Forward and Reverse)
• 20 Cardboard Standup Zombie Figures
• Instructions

About the Truck:

Without a doubt, the highlight of this product is the awesome zombie themed remote-controlled truck. The first thing we noticed was how light it is. This truck weighs just under 11.5 ounces without batteries installed. We know what you’re thinking and light doesn’t mean cheap.

Construction is a light but slightly flexible plastic. We were expecting stiff and brittle plastic but were surprised and pleased to learn there’s just the right amount of give. This isn’t a product you should expect to take a beating, but it will survive bumps into the wall and many hours of cardboard zombie bashing!

The detail and paint work on the truck are pretty impressive given the price point. This really does look like a 1955 pickup truck hastily converted to a zombie killing machine in a junkyard.

A grated spike grill impaler mounted to the front of the truck is perfect for running down zombies.  A spiked diamond plate fortress bed allows the two zombie killing guys in the back to do their undead wet work. They’d better steer clear of the crown jewel on this zombie killing jalopy: the 360 decapitator crane. This plastic crane boom arm with dangling blade head swings wildly around the truck taking anything out in its path.

Click the Images in gallery below to open a larger view:

Controls:

At first you might be a bit disappointed to learn you can’t control the 360 crane with the remote control. Instead, the non-motorized crane swings around freely based on how you move the truck. Learning how to swing the sometimes unpredictable crane in the desired direction is almost more fun than being able to directly control it. Half of the fun is swerving wildly past a horde of cardboard zombies and watching the crane swing through and devastate them all!

The remote control offers full function driving. None of that reverse to steer nonsense you find on cheaper R/C toys! You can steer left or right and drive forward and reverse. Independent suspension allows you to handle those little bumps the apocalypse throws your way.  Another great feature is the adjustable wheel alignment. Crushing the undead can throw things out of alignment over time. If you find the truck pulling left or right when attempting to drive straight, simply adjust the wheel alignment screw on the bottom to straighten things out.

Setup and Assembly:

Initial setup is easy. Start by opening the box and then cut the plastic zip ties holding the truck in the packaging. Put on the optional removable bumper stickers if you’d like. Next, remove the plastic retainer securing the remote control to the packaging. Pop in batteries (not included) in the truck and the controller. You’ll need to supply 4 AAA batteries for the truck and 2 AA batteries for the remote. Of course, we recommend high quality alkaline batteries for best performance.

Zombies:

Setting up the cardboard standup zombie figures is super easy as well. Simply insert a cross piece into the zombie base.  The pieces fit together very loosely and getting things to stand upright at first can be a little difficult. The loose fit is a benefit when it comes to destroying the zombies. They fall over a bit easier!  Some of the zombie standups have a detachable head that fits on their body like a puzzle piece. The standups breakdown easily for storage in a plastic bag once playtime is over.

About 20 zombies are included which is essentially about 10 different designs  repeated in two different colors each. Check out some images of the zombie standups below. Click or tap the images in the gallery below to open a bigger image for a closer look!

PROS:

• Zombie Decapitator Crane is very fun
• Crane spins freely
• Lightweight and durable
• Great details on truck
• Fast
• Real rubber tires
• Independent suspension
• Zombie Standups are easy to assemble and breakdown for storage
• Range is good and pretty close to the 50′ range quoted on the box

CONS:

• Can’t control the crane with the remote
• The stickers on our truck’s front grille were starting to come off upon receipt. We smoothed them back down but they have a tendency to want to start to come off again. We’re confident this is due to the rough surface.
• Requires 6 batteries
• Cardboard zombies will take a beating over time. Plastic would be more durable but would likely raise price.
• Remote Control is a little noisy with a hard “click” when you press the controls. You get used to the sound quickly however.

ZOMBIE ROADKILL ESCAPE REVIEW CONCLUSION:

Overall we’re impressed with the Zombie Roakill Escape R/C toy. The detail work is great and taking out the cardboard zombie figures is fun and challenging.  The fact the zombie decapitator crane can’t be controlled with the remote might be disappointing at first.  We quickly discovered the non-motorized crane is most of the fun. It takes a bit of practice and skill to master the dangling decapitator. The listed MSRP is $39.99 which seems a bit high. We’ve seen this on amazon for a bit cheaper, around $29.99 which is much more reasonable in our opinion.

We give the Zombie Roadkill Escape 360 Decapitator a 4 out of 5.

That wraps up our Zombie Roadkill Escape Review.  Looking to pick one up? Check out the resources provided below.

Where to Buy:

Zombie Roadkill Escape would make a great gift idea for the young zombie fan or just the undead fan that is young at heart.

Looking to make this zombie gift your own? Get yours at RedneckRoadkillRC.com or via Amazon.com.

The post Zombie Roadkill Escape Review – 360 Crane Decapitator appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

The new officially licensed The Walking Dead Wind Ups toys recently hit store shelves. These adorable collectible plastic wind up toys are brought to you by our friends over at Bulls i Toy. If the name sounds familiar it’s probably because they’re the same company behind other awesome Walking Dead collectibles such as Walking Dead Dog Tags, Chibis and more! It seems the folks over at Bulls i Toy really appreciate our detailed and honest reviews. They were interested in our thoughts on their new Walking Dead Wind Ups toy product line and offered to send over a sample set for review. Naturally, we jumped at the opportunity.

The entire set (or at least this series) consists of 7 individual Walking Dead Wind Up Toys.  These fun plastic wind up toys are fun for nearly any age, but they’re recommended for ages 3 and up. There is a possibility small parts could come detached and pose a potential choking hazard.

Here’s the set pictured above (Left to right from the top left)

1. Michonne
2. Rick Grimes
3. Walker
4. The Governor
5. Daryl Dixon
6. Andrea
7.  Glenn

Packaging:

Each Walking Dead Wind Up is packaged in a small cardboard window box package. That’s right collectors, we get a much deserved break from blind packaging! That means we won’t need to spend a small fortune to complete our collections.  This time around we get to see exactly what we’re buying.  This temporarily eliminates the blind packaging and the random frustration and desperation that often accompany it.  There’s no need for feeling packages while store staff and fellow customers give us weird looks. Walking Dead Chibis collectors you know what we mean! No worries however, blind packaging will return with the upcoming Walking Dead tokenz from Bulls I Toy.

Each cardboard box features the familiar dirty and distressed earthtone and blood splatter background design we’ve come to associate with the majority of AMC’s Walking Dead collectibles. Every box features a cardboard hanging tab flap on the top.  The top flap is usually secured with a piece of clear tape on the left and right side. The bottom flap isn’t glued and can be very carefully opened to allow collectors to open their items for display without destroying the original packaging.  Once opened there’s a second cardboard background inside the box. The actual toy itself resides in a plastic tray within the outer box.  Each box appears to be identical so there’s no character name or anything obviously unique to each different character. The back of the outer package features a handy visual checklist to ensure you collect all seven.

Here’s a photo of the visual checklist on the back of each box:

Daryl Dixon fans rejoice! He’s part of this series!

We took photos of each Walking Dead Wind Up toy. Check out the photo gallery below. Click any of the thumbnail images to open a larger view:

Price:

We found the Walking Dead Wind Ups we purchased at our local Target store for just $4.99 each. In our opinion this is the ideal price point. These are affordable enough and the series is small enough any collector should be able to complete the set. At this price you’d be able to collect all 7 for under $35.00 before taxes. Try that with any other Walking Dead collectible.

Toy Construction:

The Walking Dead Windups measure just under 4 inches tall and are constructed of plastic. The main body and head of each figure appear to be a two piece construction.  A small visible seam runs along the middle of each wind up toy where the front and back half meet. Three small metal screws appear to hold each piece together.  The mechanism to windup the figure protrudes from the right side of each figure. This small metal post is covered with a white plastic knurled knob for grip and comfort. The wind up mechanism feels surprisingly sturdy.  We tested all of our review samples and some of our own purchases and experienced no issues.  I remember some wind up toys from my childhood were very fragile. They’d typically be destroyed if they were wound backwards or if they were overwound.  Fortunately doing either seems pretty difficult with the Walking Dead Wind Ups. You’d have to be make a deliberate effort to forcefully overwind or otherwise damage the winding mechanism from winding backwards etc. If you try to break them I’m sure they’ll give. Otherwise these are built much better than we were expecting.

All of our Wind Up toys walked smoothly and without issue. Each figure’s arms move up and down as they step. It’s a nice touch because without it they’d ambulate with a boring shuffle. We only had one small issue with The Governor toy.  He would occasionally fall. His feet occasionally catch on each other. It’s very subtle and it’s just enough to cause the toy to fall from time to time. It’s a minor issue and if we were going to tie someone’s shoelaces together during the zombie apocalypse, The Governor would be near the top of our list. Check out our photos of Rick, Glenn, The Governor and Daryl Dixon in the photo gallery below. Click any of the image thumbnails below to open a bigger view:

For the most part paintwork and details on our Walking Dead Wind Ups was very well done. The flesh or main body area of each toy is a shiny skin colored plastic. (At least for the human characters.) The identifying characteristics of each character are well done and most details are very well done. Glenn has his baseball cap and jersey from Season 1.  Rick Grimes sports facial hear and his King County Sheriff’s uniform. The bottom line is every stylized character is instantly recognizable.

We do have some minor complaints. First Michonne’s hair comes off a little lazily done. The flat black paint for her hair doesn’t look horrible , but there’s room for improvement. Michonne sports her headband and some of her dreadlocks  hang down over the front of it. From the back and sides her hair just looks odd. If the two dreads weren’t dangling in the front it would almost look like she’s wearing a helmet or swim cap. It’s hard to explain but there is just a little added detail needed. Maybe some dark gray highlights to define individual dreads or to give some texture? We’re also a little disappointed in the katana on Michonne’s back.  It looks a little lame and like more of an afterthought. The tiny white and black katana look like someone hastily drew the at the last minute. Sorry Michonne. We don’t mean to beat up on you, but you’re one of our favorite characters and the detail work on your Wind Up toy just don’t live up to your level of awesomeness.

Andrea’s white shirt and gray tanktop undershirt look a little odd. We’re huge fans of the show so we know exactly what the designers were going for here. For those less familar with the earlier seasons of The Walking Dead it may be a little confusing.   At first glance it almost appears as if Andrea’s torso is bandaged. There were also some issues with the pain work on Andrea’s hair.  There were some scuff marks and dark marks within her blonde hair, but nothing too awful.

Our favorite figure in this series is definitely the lone walker.  The reason may be because he’s the only zombie. Then again he might be our favorite due to his bright color scheme, the blood spatters or the added level of detail present. Whatever the reasons we love the Walker and he’s pretty much perfect in our eyes!

Here are a few more photos of the walker. Click any of the image thumbnails below to open a bigger view:

Let’s wrap things up with a breakdown of what we loved and what we weren’t so pleased with.

What’s Great

The Price:  We’ve seen these routinely priced around $5.00. (Our local Target store sells these for just $4.99). We consider this an ideal price. These are affordable enough to make them obtainable for collectors of any budget.  Completing the set of 7 won’t cost fans an arm and a leg and that’s something we appreciate. Avid collectors can afford to buy two of their favorite characters and leave one sealed permanently.

Window Box Packaging:  Thanks Bulls i Toy! We desperately needed a break from blind packaging. Don’t get us wrong.  We don’t mind buying our collectibles in random blind packaging from time to time. It keeps things interesting and definitely feeds the urgent rabid need to complete your collection. Bulls i Toy easily could have blind packaged these. After all each one is the same size and shape. Paying around $5.00 to constantly get duplicates doesn’t sound like much fun. Paying $5.00 and knowing exactly what we’re going to get makes us smile. It also makes completing your collection easier and more affordable. We’ll save our pennies for collecting the upcoming Walking Dead Tokenz!

Sturdy Windup Mechanism:  Many of you won’t play with these. Should you decide to, they can take it. The winding mechanism was more durable and stronger than we expected.

The Arms Move Too:  It’s a subtle little addition to the walking motion but we really like the added realism of each figure swinging their arms up and down while they walk. Very cool!

Ideal Size:  Any serious Walking Dead collector runs out of space to store their collectibles pretty quickly.  Fortunately these Walking Dead Wind Ups are the ideal size. At just under 4 inches they don’t take up much shelf space.  Their small packaging doesn’t add much bulk which means there’s no significant difference in space requirements whether you choose to display them boxed or unboxed.

Reasonable Series Size:  We like the fact that there are only seven of these and the fact that we don’t need to chase down 3 different random and rare variants of each one.  There IS a set of Hot Topic Exclusive Wind Ups which consists of a a glow in the dark version of the set, available only via Hot Topic stores. Even with the exclusives considered, this is a reasonably sized edition that is achievable for any collector.

Equal Appeal as Toys and Collectibles:  These are affordable, cute and collectible.  Should you choose to remove them from their package they’re also fun low tech toys for nearly any age. This is the type of collectible you’ll find yourself playing with or letting your kids handle.

What’s Not So Great

Michonne:  We hate to complain, but the Michonne Wind Up is a bit of a disappointment.  Michonne’s hair just looks odd and incomplete. While it’s difficult to explain, her hair needs a little more detail as a finishing touch. A few added paint details could likely give her hair the added texture and detail it needs in order to look more like her famous dreadlocks. As it stands her hair looks like a flat black helmet from the back and sides. We found Michonne’s Katana a little comical too. Although these are cute and stylized toys, her katana just looks a little too simple and cartoon-like.

Only One Walker:   We really love the one walker in this set and wish there were at least another one or two zombies to collect.

Window Box Packaging:  While we’re thrilled with the ability to see what we’re purchasing, there is a down side. Resellers, ebay sellers and others can pick their favorites from your local store shelves. While we haven’t noticed this as much as we expected in our area, don’t be surprised if fan favorites like Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes or the Walker are sold out if you find these in stores.

Final Verdict:

The affordable price and easy collectibility of this series make these a no brainer. It comes down what you like as a fan and collector.  Either you like cute and stylized Walking Dead wind up toys or you’re opposed to the idea. There really is no middle ground. We love them! While they aren’t perfect they’re adorable, collectible and perfectly priced!

4.75 out of 5

About Bulls i Toy:  

“Bulls i Toy’s Mission is to lead the toy industry by providing the most fun and creative products through a commitment to excellence in partnership with customers, suppliers, and employees.”

– BullsiToy.com

Bulls i Toy manufactures many Walking Dead products including  Chibis, Dog Tags, Tokens and more. They’re also known for many other fun toys that aren’t Walking Dead related.  Be sure to check out their full product line using the link above.

Like the Bulls i Toy Facebook page for updates, contests and more!

Where To Buy:  The Walking Dead Wind Ups from Bulls i Toy are available at many big box and major retailers near you.  We’ve personally seen them at Target and have heard reports of them being available via Kmart and Walmart stores.  There’s a also a set of glow in the dark variants available only at Hot Topic stores. If all else fails you can always shop on ebay

The post Walking Dead Wind Ups Review and Unboxing appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

We love zombies and naturally we love AMC’s The Walking Dead.  In fact we’re pretty sure we’re up there with the best of them when it comes to  useless The Walking Dead trivia knowledge! Think you know your stuff too? You just might be able to prove it with the new trivia game from Cardinal Industries. When we came across their The Walking Dead Trivia Box we knew we just had to grab one and do a review for you. So let’s get to it. Here’s our review of The Walking Dead Trivia Box!

One of the first things you’ll notice is the outer packaging. As the name suggests, this trivia card game is packaged in a box format. The outer cardboard cube packaging measures approximately 5.25 inches on each side.  The front of the box features Rick Grimes pointing his Colt Python revolver.  One side features an image of Michonne and the other features Daryl Dixon with his crossbow.  The top of the box sports a large Trivia Box logo.  The background for all the imagery is the prison and overall  we really like the images and the color scheme on the packaging.

Take a look at some photos of the product packaging in the photo gallery below. Click any of the images to open a larger view:

The box itself is a little more sturdy than poster or card stock. We were honestly expecting it to be a little on the flimsy side. That wasn’t the case. It’s actually a little thicker than we were expecting.  Opening the box without damaging it was a bit of a challenge however.

Many Walking Dead fans and collectors are particular about their packaging. We may decide to open an item but we still want to do it without mangling the packaging. Opening the top of the Trivia box seems simple enough. It’s simply a flip up flap with a tab on the front.  Two clear round tape decals secure the top on the sides.  Our approach here is typically just to carefully slit the tape with a utility knife and cautiously open the lid. That was the plan anyway! Unfortunately the Trivia Box lid had other ideas.

Unfortunately the tab on the lid of this product is slit and slotted just enough to provide the top with a death grip.  It really does do an awesome job of staying closed. The outermost edges of the top flap tab grip down almost too well, making this product pretty darn difficult to open without damaging the package. We tried all our normal tricks. We inserted small flat objects under the edges and gently pried up and out.  No luck. We carefully wiggled, jiggled and shimmied. We did our best to gently coax that top flap open. Nothing worked. We had no choice but to tug a little harder than we wanted to in order for the flap to release. We ended up slightly tearing and bending the front corner on the top flap. While that may not be a big deal to everyone, it made us a little sad.  Once we peeked inside the Walking Dead Trivia Box our disappointment continued.

The entire contents of the game is simply a small deck of cards.  Don’t get me wrong. We know this is just a trivia game.  We knew it had an amazing low price. We’re not sure what else we were expecting either. That being said the box for this small deck of cards measures over 5″ a side cube.  The larger packaging leads you to believe there might be more than a deck of cards in the box. No sir! Open the box and here’s what you get:

The card deck consists of game cards measuring about 3″ square.  There’s one card featuring the game rules, 20 character cards and 189 trivia cards featuring two questions each. That means 100’s of triva questions to keep you and your friends and family entertained.

The 20 collectible character cards include Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne and Walkers.  There are three cards each for Rick, Carl, Daryl and Michonne.  The eight remaining character picture cards consist of popular walkers from the TV series. These include Bicycle Zombie, Michonne’s pets, Tree Walker and more.  We were a little disappointed to see Little Girl/Teddy Bear Zombie and RV Walker missing. Hopefully these and other past popular zombies from the series will get their just due in a future edition.

About Gameplay:

Playing the game using the provided instructions couldn’t be easier. This game can be played by two players or three or more players with slightly different rules. The recommended age range for this Walking Dead trivia game is ages 12 and up.

One of the aspects we liked about the game is the fact that there is a good balance of hard and easy questions. This will make the game enjoyable and playable for both serious and casual Walking Dead viewers. You’ll find some pretty easy questions such as , “True or False: Merle Dixon cut off his hand as a method of survival.” These easy questions are balanced with some more difficult questions and references to obscure minor plot details sure to stump even some die hard trivia buffs.

The questions are presented in either a True/False or multiple choice format. There are about 189 trivia question cards with 2 questions each. That’s nearly 400 Walking Dead trivia questions covering Seasons 1 through 4! Many of the cards also feature fun “Factoids” for information hungry fans. An example of one such factoid is as follows:  “Factoid:  Herschel Greene is of Irish descent, though his family has owned a farm in Georgia for at least 150 years.”

The varying levels of difficulty keep this game fun for fans of all knowledge levels. Difficulty could be increased for super fans by altering the rules and not reading the choices for the answers of the multiple choice questions. Making the multiple choice questions short answer could make it a little more difficult for those Walking Dead savant opponents.

One thing we don’t like about the format of the trivia cards is the answers are actually provided within the question itself. This makes it difficult if you’re bored and want to quiz yourself. For example, in a multiple choice style question the question is listed along with a choice of answers: A, B and C. The answer to the question is printed in bold. It’s a minor issue but we would have preferred another solution such as printing the answers at the bottom of the card.

Check out some photos of the trivia cards below:

The Walking Dead Trivia Box game is available now and is typically priced under $10.00. We found ours at a Walmart store for just $5.97! While this game is far from perfect, the price makes it a no brainer! The cost is worth it even if you only use it once or twice.

What’s Great:

• Attractive Packaging: We love The Walking Dead images on the box itself. The outer packaging seems to be a little sturdier than we expected given the low purchase price.

• Beautiful Collectible Picture Character Cards: They look great!

• Easy to Understand Rules: The rules are condensed on one single card and they’re very easy to comprehend and follow.  This allows you to start playing in minutes!

• Hundreds of Questions: You get nearly 400 Walking Dead trivia questions that are sure to take you at least a few game plays to master!

• Questions Through Season 4: This game features trivia questions spanning seasons one through four.

• Affordable: This game is available locally and online at a variety of retailers under $10.00. We scored ours at a local Walmart  regularly priced for just $5.97 US! That makes this an affordable Walking Dead zombie gift idea.

Meh.  (What’s Not so Great.)

• The Box is Difficult to Open Without Damaging It:  We’re a little weird and we don’t open many of our Walking Dead collectibles. When we do, we try to do it with minimal damage to the packaging.  The Walking Dead Trivia Box game is difficult to open without bending or slightly tearing the top flap. That slotted tab on the lid grabs on for dear life even after being opened repeatedly.  That’s great news if you’re worried about spilling the contents. It’s bad news if creasing, bending or tearing packaging gives you nightmares. Fortunately the low price allows weirdo Walking Dead collectors like us to purchase two games: one to open and play and one to leave sealed.

• You Can’t Quiz Yourself:  We didn’t like the fact that the answer to multiple choice question is bolded within the list of answer choices. The answer to the True and False questions are also very close to the question.  This makes it difficult to enjoy a night home alone quizzing ourselves on Walking Dead trivia. Yes. We’re lonely.  In all seriousness we get bored and don’t mind quizzing ourselves when friends or family aren’t available to play. The format of the trivia cards makes this nearly impossible. You almost need to have someone read the question to you to avoid giving away the answers.  This is a non issue if you don’t plan on quizzing yourself. Since the game is designed for two or more players we shouldn’t be complaining but we still thought it warranted a mention.  We’d prefer the answers printed in smaller font near the bottom of the trivia cards or some other solution.

• The Cardstock is A Bit Thin:  The picture and trivia cards are a bit thin and flimsy.  While we understand this helps keep the price low, we can’t help but wonder how long the cards will last. We’d love to see some glossy or heavier weight stock used for the cards, even if it added a dollar or two to the overall cost.

• The Box is About Twice as Bis as it Needs to Be:  The game storage box measures about 5 and a quarter inch on each side. It gives you a little false hope. It could easily be half the size and still look awesome!

The Final Verdict:

3.25 Brains Out of 5

The Walking Dead Trivia Game isn’t perfect, but it’s great fun and an affordable Walking Dead gift and collectible. As long as you don’t plan on playing by yourself or having the game last forever, you won’t be disappointed!

Where to Buy:

Get The Walking Dead Trivia Box for only $9.99 here!  Or check your local big box stores such as Walmart and Target.

Search and browse Walking Dead Trivia on Amazon:

The post Zombie Product Review – Walking Dead Trivia Box Review appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

I purchased The Walking Dead The Best Defense Board Game as soon as it came out. Like many other items I purchase, my schedule wouldn’t allow me to tear off the cellophane until a month or two after I purchased it. My son and I decided the night of The Walking Dead Season 4 finale was the ideal time for a little Walking Dead board game fun. We set up the game and decided to try it out while we passed time waiting for episode to air. Since I purchased the game for purposes of review, let’s take a look at what we thought of this board game inspired by AMC’s hit TV series.

This particular TWD board game takes a unique cooperative approach to game play. One to four players can play as one of 6 different characters: Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Maggie Greene, Andrea, Glenn Rhee or Michonne. The object of the game is to defend one of four key locations while protecting your resources. Stay alive and protect your resource card deck through 12 rounds and you win! That sounds simple but trust me when I say the game is much more complex than it  may sound from my description.

Gameplay:   The game board is assembled randomly at the start of each game. The center of the action is the 4 large cardboard location tiles. The four locations include the Prison, the Town, the Highway, or the Farm. One of four resource decks (Equipment, Food, Allies or Ammunition) consisting of 25 cards each is placed at each location tile. Walker attacks and other undesirable events are caused by players drawing from the Event card deck which is made up of 48 unique cards. Players can die by losing all their hit points in combat.  Worse yet, should any of the resource decks run out of cards the game is over. That’s what proves to make this game as challenging as it is fun.

The Walking Dead The Best Defense involves strategy and cooperation.  The players are survivors that need to work together to clear walkers from locations without dying. If any walkers remain at a location (even a location without survivors present) the walkers eat away at the precious resources there. Balancing the needs of the group and fending off the undead without utilizing too many resources up in the process provides some very realistic gameplay. To further complicate matters, the pesky event deck continuously throws a wrench in the works by adding walkers to locations and affecting resources.

There’s also a very cool leadership element that adds another bit of depth to the game. Players take turns being the leader and each character possesses unique leadership qualities that affect the game. If that’s not enough, players can add yet another level of strategy by choosing to defy the leader and leaving the group . . . with consequences of course. Once this all gets too easy and mundane for you, there’s room to complicate things even more by increasing the difficulty of play and implementing one of the 9 Ulterior Motive Cards into play. Whew.

If that all sounds a little overwhelming, it can be. I’ve only touched on some of the rules and gameplay elements here. In fact one of the few complaints I have with this game is it’s almost a little too involved and realistic when you first unbox everything. The rule book can be intimidating. To make matters worse, it is just vague enough in certain key areas to leave you scratching your head.  Don’t let that scare you off though.  After you play a couple games you’ll get the hang of things rather quickly.

This game is recommended for ages 15 and up and that sounds just about right. Younger fans can definitely play but be prepared to spend more time setting things up and be prepared to have some patience. I found explaining the game to a 12 year old (especially when I’m not sure I fully understood at the time myself) mildly difficult.  However we both had it figured out by about halfway through our second game. So with all that out of the way let’s get this zombie product review wrapped up.  Here’s what I loved, what I didn’t love and a final rating.

What’s Great

Quality Product:    The game pieces, character pawns, location tiles and many other elements are high quality cardboard. The printing and design is beautiful throughout with vibrant colors. The resource, event and other card decks don’t feel at the same level of quality but they still feel like they’ll hold up to years of gameplay.

Fun and Challenging:    My son and I really liked the realistic strategy element to this game. You aren’t just killing zombies, you’re trying to think about the needs of the group in the future and monitoring your limited resources. Taking charge as the leader has its own unique rewards and challenges just as it would in the real world. Although the game is pretty detailed you can easily find the right balance of challenge, difficulty and fun. We found playing with 2 players versus 4 to be faster and a little easier as well.

Nice Little Touches:    I really like some of the extra touches provided with this game. These are things that easily could have been eliminated to pinch pennies which makes me appreciate them all the more. Case in point: the round progress indicator. It easily could have been left out but it makes remembering what round you are on so much easier. (Assuming you remember to move the indicator after every round of course.) I also like the fact that they included a tray inside the box to hold everything neatly. Cryptozoic even goes so far as to provide tiny zip closure plastic baggies for you to store smaller game pieces which I thought was awesome!

Meh. What’s Not So Great

Too detailed?:    The game is almost a little too detailed the first time you take a look at things. The rule book isn’t crystal clear in a few areas and it’s a pretty long read for those impatient souls like me. It can be a little overwhelming at first. If you plan on playing with younger Walking Dead fans or impatient players I highly recommend taking the time to read through the rule book a couple times prior to setting up the game. This is NOT a game where you can skim the instructions and then set up and start playing instantly the first time.

Price:    If you buy local you should expect a typical price tag to read in the $30 to $40 range with $39.99 being the price you’ll see frequently. That’s a tad steep for a board game but not in the world of Walking Dead board games. I wish this would be more in the $24.99-$29.99 range for fans on a budget, but it is what it is. If 40 bucks for a board game is too rich for your blood just watch the web where you could score a much better deal.

Final Verdict:

Rating: 4.5 Out of 5 Brains

Overall this game is a blast to play. It’s a bit complicated the first play through but most players will pick things up quickly from there. While I found the extensive rule book a bit foggy in some areas and the price tag a little high neither of these would lead me to not recommend this game. The Walking Dead: The Best Defense is challenging, realistic and just downright fun.

SUMMARY

The Walking Dead The Best Defense Board Game

Product Description:

Do you have what it takes to be a leader in the zombie apocalypse? Can you protect your group and resources? Find out in Cryptozoic’s board game based on AMC’s hit TV series: The Walking Dead.

Review Summary:

The Walking Dead The Best Defense Board game is a little expensive, a bit difficult to figure out at first and a LOT of fun to play! We loved it and found the ability to change the difficulty level and the fact that the game is randomized at the start made replay-ability high. We highly recommend it!

 

Reviewed by: ZombieGift.com

Zombie Product Reviewed: The Walking Dead The Best Defense Board Game

Review Date: 04/12/2014

Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars

The post Review: The Walking Dead The Best Defense Board Game appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Unless you’ve been barricaded in your safe-house, you probably heard the new Walking Dead Chibis have hit store shelves. For those that don’t know, the term “Chibi” is a Japanese slang term we’ve adopted here in the U.S. It is commonly used to refer to a short person or a character or object that is very small and cute. It’s also the reason we cringed just a little when we heard the folks at Bulls i Toy were bringing AMC’S The Walking Dead characters to market in Chibi form.

Don’t get us wrong, we have faith in Bulls i Toy. They’re the same company behind The Walking Dead Dog Tags and Zombie Pets. Still. . . a die hard fan of The Walking Dead can’t help but worry when Michonne or Rick Grimes are going to be paired with adjectives like “adorable”, “cute” or “miniature.”  We got our hands on some Walking Dead Chibis and decided to post a review. Here’s our two cents on these new collectibles.

Packaging:

The packaging for the new Walking Dead Chibi line is pretty similar to the Walking Dead Dog Tag packaging. That means foil packs and the blind packaging we all love to hate. Buy a pack and you won’t know which Chibis you have until you open it. It’s the stuff that causes collectors to tear their hair out.

Each package of The Walking Dead Chibis we bought retailed for $3.99 each. At first our inner cheapskate was whining. Then we realized there are 3 chibis per pack and our penny pincher side settled right down.

The packs are very easy to open and each one contains a checklist pamphlet and three Walking Dead Chibis. Each pack contains one character Chibi, one walker, and one translucent or rare blood red translucent walker chibi. Check out photos of the packaging and inserts in the gallery below.

How Many are There?
At the moment there are 46 Walking Dead Chibis in total. There are 10 characters and 46 zombies. The walkers include 12 regular painted walkers, 12 translucent versions of the same walkers and 12 “blood red” translucent walkers.

The characters include:

• Andrea
• Daryl Dixon
• Michonne
• The Governor
• Maggie
• Hershel
• Merle Dixon
• Rick Grimes
• Carl Grimes
• Glenn

The walkers are pretty generic with the exception of Well Walker and a “Girl Walker” that looks like it might be inspired by Addy Miller’s “Teddy Bear Walker.”

What We Received:

We plunked down nearly $24.00 for 6 packs of Walking Dead Chibis  for the purposes of this review.  My son and I tore into them to see what we got. We received the following characters:

• 2 Hershels
• 1 Glenn
• 1 Maggie
• 1 Michonne
• 1 Rick
• 1 Well Walker (We affectionately refer to him as “Sloth” or “Baby Ruth.” )
• 1 Guy Walker 3
• 2 Guy Walker 5
• 1 Guy Walker 2
• 1 Girl Walker 5
• 1 Translucent Girl Walker
• 1 Translucent Guy Walker
• 1 Translucent Girl Walker 2
• 2 Translucent Girl Walker 6
• 1 Translucent Girl Walker 4

Out of 6 packages and 18 total random Chibis we received only 3 duplicates. That’s actually much better than we expected.  We didn’t find any random insert blood red translucents in our six packs so they might actually be somewhat rare.

Check out photos of the Chibis we received in the gallery below:

What’s Great:

Cute: Awww! They really are cute. Although these are recommended for ages 14 and up we can definitely see younger fans loving these. They are cute enough they shouldn’t terrify younger or more squeamish Walking Dead fans.

Price: We like the fact that these are one of the few affordable Walking Dead collectibles on the market. As long as you can actually find them, you can build your collection slowly and even trade with other collectors to get them all.

Blood Red Translucents: We like the rare random red translucent walkers.

3 Per Pack:  At first we were worried these would be one per pack. At this price three seems about right.

Not Too Many Duplicates: In our small sampling of 6 packs from the same retail box we received only 3 duplicates.

Meh. What’s Not So Great:

Blind Packaging:  We’re penny pinching zombies so we’ve always hated the whole blind packaging thing. I guess obtaining the Chibis you need and trading doubles and triples with friends is supposed to be the fun part. We’ll settle for scouring ebay to save ourselves time and money.

46 In total:  Our wallets hate the fact that we need to hunt down nearly 4 dozen different Chibis!

Translucent Walkers: We just don’t get these.  They look weird and they just don’t have the wow factor like their blood red rare cousins do.  Although it is admittedly over used in the zombie toy world, we would have  much preferred glow in the dark walkers over the translucent variants.

Paint on the Characters:  All of our walkers seem to be painted well. For some reason many of our character Chibis didn’t come out so well. They often feature blemishes and sloppy or incomplete paint work. That being said, we can’t be too hard on them because they’re small.

No Bicycle Girl or Michonne’s Pets:  We aren’t counting this against the Chibis but we thought we’d mention this because it bothered us.  We were hoping a first series would include Bicycle Girl. No such luck.  We were also a little disappointed that there are no pet zombies to display with Michonne. We’ll keep our decomposed fingers crossed these show up in a future series!

The Walker Naming System: The walker naming system is pretty lame. “Girl Walker 2” and “Guy Walker 5.”

Difficult to Match to Checklist: Some of the translucent walkers are hard to match to the checklist. The paint details don’t always match close enough and you have to spend a little time comparing your Chibi to the checklist photo in order to figure out which one you have.

Availability: Anything affordable, cute and Walking Dead related disappears fast. In our experience, Walking Dead collectibles from Bulls i toy disappear from store shelves faster than chickens in Hershel’s barn. You may need to turn to the web to complete  your collection.

Other Observations: We’re not sure whether that’s Well Walker or “Sloth” from The Goonies. We’re going to give him a Baby Ruth and see.

Final Verdict:

3 Out of 5

These are OK with us. They’re far from perfect but  my 12 year old son really likes them. I’m sitting alone on the great fence of apathy. That averages out to a 3.0 on our useless 5.0 rating scale.

I can totally see younger fans and Walking Dead fan-girls getting excited over these.  The kid in me thinks they’re pretty cool.  However, the responsible adult  in me thinks a grown man has no business collecting Chibis.  Then again the obsessive compulsive Walking Dead collector within me is kicking and screaming. He’s pretty damn insistent we need to continue throwing money at this until we have all 46 in our collection and neatly on display.

What are YOUR thoughts? Do you like the Walking Dead Chibis or are you sitting this one out?  Let us know in the comments section below!

The post Zombie Product Review: The Walking Dead Chibis appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

You can play cards with any deck. You can buy a cheap deck of paper thin cards and play miserably, or you can spend a couple dollars more and get some high quality playing cards that make the experience enjoyable. Now thanks to Bicycle Cards you can play cards with a high quality deck in a zombie theme! When I saw these at our local Target store the zombie fan in me knew I had to grab them and do a review.

Details: I purchased the Zombie Deck playing card pack for $2.99 each at my local Target Store. You can also find them on Amazon:

Packaging: Each deck is individually wrapped in plastic. Pull off the cellophane strip just like you would on a new pack of cigarettes or chewing gum to remove the plastic wrap.  At this point the only thing standing between you and these awesome zombie playing cuts is U.S. Playing Card sticker seal.

The zombie themed cardboard tuck box features a zombie wearing a suit and tie on the front along with the Bicycle logo.   The zombie theme continues on the back and side of the box as well. Check out the photos below for a closer look:

High Quality: The first thing you’ll notice (other than the amazing zombie artwork) is the quality of these playing cards. The cards are printed on a premium thick stock that seems to be the perfect balance of lightweight and durable.  These cards feature Bicycle’s “air cushion” finish. This textured finish allows for improved handling. This finish allows the cards to glide over one another with ease, making shuffling and fanning out the cards extremely easy.  The same finish allows your fingers to grip the cards better than cheap imitators making these cards functional works of zombie art!

Great Zombie Artwork: These zombie playing cards feature artwork by Todd Brainard. Each of the face cards have been given the zombie treatment and feature a different zombie character on each. To keep things interesting, all of the cards feature fun, funny and helpful tips for surviving the zombie apocalypse.

Some example tips (there are 52 in all) include:

• “Stock the Essentials: Don’t forget the toilet paper.”
• “Keep A Look-Out: Zombies go all night long.”
• “Try to Blend In: Practice your zombie walk”
• “Prepare in Advance: Better opt for cremation.”
• Survival Groups: The ultimate social network”
• And Many More!

Check out more photos of the zombie playing cards below:

What’s Great

Price:  Expect to pay around $3.00 to $6.00 a deck for these depending on where you purchase them. That price makes them a great stocking stuffer, easter basket filler or other affordable zombie gift.
Suitable for all ages:  These zombie cards are cool enough for poker night with the guys and safe enough for playing Go Fish with the kids on game night.

Quality:  These are high quality playing cards in every aspect.

Air Cushion Finish:  Allows you to grip the cards easily. Also let’s the cards to glide over one another almost like they’re on a cushion of air!

Guarantee:  The US Playing Card Company and Bicycle stand behind the quality of their product with a guarantee. If you discover a manufacturing defect in a deck that makes it unsuitable for normal game play just let them know and they’ll replace it as long as your deck isn’t extensively used. Just send them the Ace of Spades and the defective card to them! (See packs for full details.)

Amazing Zombie Artwork:  What zombie fan wouldn’t want want to play with this deck?

Fun Zombie Survival Tips:  They’ll make you laugh and maybe even save your life.

Each Card is Unique:  We fully expected to see the same zombie characters or survival tips recycled and used multiple times in the deck. We were delighted to discover each card is unique!

Meh. (What’s Not So Great)

It’s difficult to find something negative with a high quality and affordable zombie product like this. We we found ourselves disappointed with only a couple aspects of these zombie playing cards.

Availability: We found these decks locally at a Target store for just $2.99 each. Trust me when I say it was luck.  They’re so popular they just don’t stay on store shelves long. Ordering them online is often a better idea if you’re looking to save yourself some time.

Box Quality: We wish the cardboard tuck box would be a better quality. Make no mistakes, it’s a typical quality box. We just know we’ll be using these cards a lot and we can definitely see this box looking like it’s been through the zombie apocalypse in a matter of weeks. A plastic storage box isn’t conventional and isn’t possible at this price level but we can dream. How could would a plastic or metal “collector’s edition” zombie themed storage box be?

Final Verdict

5 out of 5

In the end there really isn’t much to complain about here. These are high quality playing cards with awesome zombie artwork. The affordable price makes recommending these zombie playing cards incredibly easy. These are a must buy for any zombie fan!

Where to Buy: You can check your local Target Store or other big box store but these can be hard to find locally. Check the listing for this zombie product at ZombieGift.com for other options or just save yourself a bunch of time and buy via amazon using the links below!

The post Zombie Product Review: Zombie Playing Cards From Bicycle Cards appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Hi zomibe fans! Today I’m here with a review of the new The Walking Dead Michonne’s Pet Zombie Bust Bank from Diamond Select Toys. This vinyl bust bank measures about 8″ tall and is a pretty cool and gruesome representation of one of Michonne’s “pet” zombies. He features a chain around his neck and of course he’s missing his jaw and arms which have been removed to make him “harmless”.

This bust is constructed of vinyl like the previous Walking Dead bust banks from Diamond select. It’s packaged in the typical cardboard packaging. Whether or not to remove this guy from his package can be a dilemma because he’s almost too cool to keep packaged. Walking dead collectors can carefully remove this zombie bust bank from it’s package by carefully lifting the tape on the base with a razor blade or similar tool. Carefully pulling open the bottom flap will give you access to the wire ties securing this Walking Dead collectible in the packaging. Carefully untwisting the wire ties frees the zombie and the packaging can be stored away still in great condition.

The detail in this piece is quite nice. He’s got exposed rib cage and bones and you can see the underlying musculature etc in many areas. There are only two areas on this piece that I’m disappointed with and I discuss those below:

What’s Great:

Great Detail:

There is a decent amount of gore on this piece. His removed arms and jaws reveal pretty gross and bloody areas. You even see exposed ribs, bones and muscles throught the piece.

Price:

At the time of this post this Walking Dead collectible is priced from about $15.99 to $25.00, making this piece affordable to all collectors. It also seems to be a little easier to find in store than the busts of the past. (Most Toys R Us stores in my area had a few in stock.)

Size:

The 8″ height is just about the perfect size. Out of the package these don’t take up too much room while still being large enough to be a centerpiece in any collector’s display!

Functional:

If you wanted to you could actually use this bust to store spare change. The bust features a coin slot in the zombie’s back and a removable and replaceable plug in the base to retrieve your coins with no damage to the toy later on.

What’s Not So Great:

The Paint On The Collar And Chain:

I’m not sure what’s going on with the collar and chain but it looks like the paintwork got a little lazy. The collar has an odd red stripe going around it on top of the silver. I’m assuming it’s supposed to be blood or possibly rust but it just looks weird with a red stripe going around the collar. It almost looks like someone did a shotty job of trying to paint the collar red and there’s just uncovered silver showing through due to a shotty paint job. Whatever effect they were going for here didn’t work well in the finished piece.

I’m also disappointed with the paint on the chain “leash” itself. The chain is too monotone silver and could have used a little wipe with a darker color to make it look more realistic. The spaces between the links are also painted silver. I can’t help but think they’d look better painted black to give the illusion of some space between the links. Either way the chain could have used more detail. In the end this is basically a mass produced piece so there problem isn’t time to offer that much detail in a collectible in this price range.

Rating:

I’m very pleased with this Walking Dead collectible. Aside from some minor paint detail issues it’s actually a near perfect piece when you consider the price range. We give the Walking Dead Michonne’s Pet Zombie Bust Bank a 4.5 out of a best possible score of 5.

Where To Buy:

– Get it at Entertainment Earth

– Get it on Amazon:

– Get it on Ebay: Get the zombie bust on ebay.

This bust may also be found locally at comic shops or stores such as Toys ‘R Us.

The post Zombie Product Review: Michonne’s Pet Zombie Bust Bank appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Here at ZombieGift.com we’re constantly scouring the web for zombie awesomeness. When I came across this awesome The Walking Dead/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure mash-up my mind was blown and I was in geek heaven. Nothing makes a zombie fan and a geek more happy than when someone finds a unique and creative way to combine something they loved in their childhood with a passion from their adult life.

These Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures from 4th & Goal Customs have been painted and customized to represent popular characters from the television world of The Walking Dead. There’s a Daryl Dixon figure complete with a crossbow and Daryl’s winged vest.  There’s even a custom TMNT version of Daryl’s motorcycle!  Other characters include Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes complete with his dad’s sheriff’s hat and “atomic paw” t-shirt, Shane and even a Merle Dixon figure. There’s even a black and white bloody variant of Daryl!

These were cool enough as it is but  then I came across Michonne and her Pet Zombies.  It was at this point I could barely contain my geekgasm.  (It’s no secret Michonne is one of my favorite characters from the comic and TV show.) Michonne features her trademark crazy hair and katana. Her pets are about as awesome as you’d expect two armless, jawless bloody Ninja Turtle zombies on chains to be.

Fourth and Goal customs has even told me new characters such as Zombie Sophia, Carol, Andrea and Maggie are in the works! I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

The best part of all this is YOU can own one, (or all) of these figures for yourself. If you’re interested in purchasing a Walking Dead character not listed yet you can even request one! These are made on an order to order basis. You can check them out listed on ebay right now. These are currently available via ebay for $55.00 each figure with free shipping included. Please note there is an additional cost if you want Daryl with his motorcycle or Michonne and her pets. I’m sure they’ll work with you on multiple figure purchases. Not into The Walking Dead? There are MANY other custom figures available. Check out some more awesome creations from the same artist here.

Contact 4th and Goal Customs via email, facebook or check out all their listings on ebay now.

Which figure is your favorite? Let us know in the comment section below!

Update – 8/28/2023

Wow. It has been a little over 10 years since this blog post went up. These are still just as cool as they were when we first saw them back in 2013. It was time to blow the dust off this post and do a little updating. We removed some of the links from the original post content above. They were pointing to ebay listings that haven’t existed for years. We don’t think these custom figures are readily available anymore. However, 4th & Goal customs is still going strong. His primary focus appears to be sports figures now.

We highly recommend you check out their facebook page mentioned above. Watching the progression in the quality of his custom figures over the years is pretty cool. If you’re dying to get your hands on these figures we recommend you contact 4th & Goal customs directly and inquire whether it is possible. We can’t speak for them, but even if you have to source and provide the figures maybe there is a possibility. My parents always said, “it never hurts to ask.”

If all else fails check out some of these zombie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mashups on ebay.

The post Custom Made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/The Walking Dead Figures appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Airsoft fans, or parents of those who shoot airsoft guns, will LOVE this target. My son is a huge airsoft fanatic and loves to shoot his guns outside. Both of us hate the cleanup however.  The problem is, those little plastic bb’s end up all over the yard.  We have, and use, those little targets with a net backdrop that catches the bb’s that hit the target, but they’re honestly a pain in the butt to use sometimes. If you aren’t careful when removing the net, half the bb’s end up on the ground anyway. Retrieving them out of the net isn’t quite as  easy as you’d think. I was searching for something a little better. My definition of something better was something that’s easy for my son to set up, works and doesn’t cost a fortune.

I found all of that and more with this Black Ops zombie gel target.

Let’s get something out of the way. The “Black Ops” in the title has nothing to do with the video game. While I suspect that the name is a clever way to capitalize on the popularity of the Call of Duty Video Games with the same name, there is NO other relationship.

This target is actually pretty awesome. This zombie target consists of a printed target image of a zombie in a black plastic octagon frame. The real genius is in the gel coating covering the target. The entire target image is coated with a thick rubbery gel coating. If you’ve ever used one of those washable reusable gel lint brushes you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.  The stuff is pretty awesome. The BB’s are supposed to hit the target and stick to the gel which then slowly releases the bb’s and let’s them roll or slide down the front of the target into the collection tray stand.

So does this thing actually work? Yep!

I’ll admit at first I was skeptical. My initial thoughts were that my son’s guns would shoot right through this target. If they didn’t blow right through the target then surely the bb’s would ricochet off the gel.  I was wrong on both counts. Granted I don’t let him shoot the most powerful airsoft guns in the world, but even my son’s spring powered and electric guns in the 200-400 fps range pack a decent punch from close range. They’re definitely capable of ripping through carboard with ease!

No issue with shooting through the target at all. The gel works great at catching the bb’s and absorbing their impact. In fact the first use or two the gel actually works a little too well. When it was new, the gel caught the bb’s but didn’t release them. Instead of rolling down the front of the target we had to pick the bb’s off. After a little use however the gel works exactly as advertised. The bb’s slowly roll down the front of the target and collect in the  plastic tray at the base of the target. As long as you are a good shot, clean up is incredibly easy with this target!

The gel coating is very durable and “heals” well.  The gel is pretty sticky so I’m sure things other than bb’s will stick to it.  Things like leaves,dirt, dust, pet hair or other debris could end up in the gel and make it less adhesive over time. That’s really not an issue though because you can rinse off the gel carefully to clean and rejuvenate it.

Another tip is to save the packaging material for the target. When you remove the target from the box the first time the gel surface is covered with a plastic film to protect the gel. My son carefully removed it without tearing it. Now when he’s done shooting he carefully sticks the protective plastic back over the gel and it keeps things from sticking to it while in storage.

Durability:

For the low cost I wasn’t expecting this target to last too long. It has far exceeded my life expectancy for it.  We’ve shoot this target many many times and we’ve had it for close to a year now and this thing still works like it did the first week we had it.  We haven’t had to rinse off the gel once and the target still works great. We’ve shot outside in some bitter midwest winter temperatures and the target has held up fine. The only real issue with the target has been some minor dents. If you miss the target and hit the black plastic frame the bb’s will dent the plastic and ricochet off. There are a few dents from errant shots, but that is really the only issue I’ve seen so far.

What’s Great:

– Crazy Low Price. This target is priced as low as $6.0o  In my opinion they could easily get away with charging $14.99 to $19.99.

– Durable

– Easy Set Up

– Works as Advertised

– Makes Post Airsoft Shooting Cleanup a Breeze

-Can be used standing or hanging on a wall.

– Perfect for indoor shooting in the basement etc.

What’s Not So Great:

There really isn’t much to complain about here, but I do my best to offer up fair and honest reviews. I forced myself to come up with a few things I didn’t like about the target.

– The Size. While not small, I suppose in a perfect world the target could be a little bigger. However for the low price I’m actually surprised it is as large as it is.

– I’d like the zombie to be a little more “zombie-like”. I’d rather have a grotesque decayed zombie with blood dripping all over instead of the whole glowing eye zombie look.

-The collection tray could be a little deeper to hold more bb’s. That way I could be lazy and empty it less often .

– The whole sliding down the target thing makes scoring any shooting games a little more difficult. You need to keep track of where you hit the target as you shoot. Since the bb’s slowly slide down the target you may have a headshot that’s in the collection tray when you’re done shooting. Since there is no hole to reference at the end of a round like there is with a paper target, you need to pay attention to where you hit.  Not a deal breaker, but it does make scoring a little more challenging if you aren’t on your toes.

Those are all minor annoyances at best.  Seriously there just isn’t much to complain about here. If you shoot airsoft guns or know someone who does this would make a great gift. I highly recommend it.  My son literally has about 6 airsoft targets and we haven’t used any others since we’ve purchased this one.

Where can I get one?

Whenever we review a zombie product that  people like we’re bombarded with emails etc. on where to buy it.  For that reason we try to include a link whenever possible.  I purchased this target from our local Walmart for about $10.00  to $11.00, but you can find it even cheaper on their website. The last few times I’ve checked, and at the time of this posting, this zombie target was priced at just $6.00 online!  At that price you can purchase a couple. Clicking the image or link below will take you to the product on the retailer’s web page. Purchasing through these links may earn us a penny or two in commission so keep that in mind. Every penny helps run the site and allows us to purchase more great zombie products to review.

Black Ops Zombie Gel Target

The post Zombie Product Review: Black Ops Zombie Gel Airsoft Target appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

G.I. Joe 30th Anniversary 3 3/4 Inch Action Figure Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper

What’s up zombie fans? Today I’m finally getting around to posting a review of a zombie action figure I picked up many months ago: The G.I. Joe 30th Anniversary Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper. I’m still shocked at the number of zombie fans that aren’t aware of this one so I figured it was time to make time to post a review.

Long Story Short:

This thing is bad@$$ and there is very little I don’t like about it. For those who prefer a little more detail, let’s take a more in depth look at this awesome G.I. Joe zombie action figure!

Detailed Zombie Review:

The Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper figure is part of the 4th wave of the G.I. Joe 30th Anniverasry collection. This awesome zombie action figure hit major retailer shelves in late 2011 or early 2012 depending on location. The 30th Anniversary collection celebrates 30 years of the 3 – 3/4″ sized G.I. Joe figure we all know and love. This particular figure combines G.I. Joe with zombies in a splendid mashup of zombie action figure perfection.

Back Story:
Cobra has the perfect way to create ruthless warriors that never question orders or think for themselves. Cobra developed a new secret blue substance known as “Compound-Z”. By giving “normal” Cobra infantry soldiers this secret substance via a hose attached to a special containment helmet, they can create the ultimate undead super soldier.

Details:
The Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper possesses all the standard G.I. Joe articulations. It measures about 3 and 3/4 inches tall and comes with the following accessories:
Compound Z containment helmet
Removable tattered harness
Compound-Z bulb with hose,
Black display stand with the Cobra logo. Stand is labeled “Zombie-Viper”.
Detachable hands interchangeable with the two included tendril arms.

Retail Price:

In the past I’ve spotted the Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper on store shelves from $6.99 to $10.99, with the $9.99 to $10.99 being the most popular pricing point in my area in the midwest. It’s pretty much a moot point now, because you’ll be extremely lucky to find one on a store shelf anywhere! If you do, I suggest grabbing all they have because they will NOT last long.

What We Love:

This thing is all kinds of zombie awesome! What’s not to love? The sculpt and level of detail are pretty incredible considering this is a mass produced action figure priced well under $20.00. I’ve seen hand made custom figures with less detail and love put into them.

The sculpting and paint work on this thing are incredibly well done. The figure itself is a wonderful sickly grey color. It features just the right amount of shading and detailing. I really love the fact that there are random bright blue veins and vasculature highlighted throughout the figure. It really drives home the point that this was a zombie created by that eerie Compound-Z substance.

The detail on the head and face of this figure are pretty epic. The highly detailed mouth is frozen in a horrible grimace. The expression captured with the eyes definitely imparts a sense of fear and dread into anyone who lays eyes on the figure. One look at this zombie face, complete with a ripped open forehead and evil gaze, and you know this zombie means business.

The figure is sporting what is left of his olive colored drab green Cobra infantry uniform. The legs and arms of his clothing are pretty tattered, ripped and torn. For some reason he has lost his combat boots and roams the battlefield barefoot and ready to kill.

One of the coolest features of this figure is the fact that he has detachable hands. You can swap out his hands for the included tendril arms. Although we prefer the traditional human handed zombie, when attached the tendrils really add to the creepy look of this zombie action figure.

We prefer the look without them, but the option to display this zombie action figure with the Compound-Z helmet and hose is pretty cool. We really like the fact that Hasbro made pretty much all of the accessories detachable. They easily could have taken the easier route and molded the harness and other items onto the figure.

Click images below to open a larger view in a new window:

What We Didn’t Love:

There seriously is almost nothing about this figure I don’t like. We try to post very fair and unbiased zombie reviews here, so I forced myself to come up with something. It wasn’t easy, but I did manage to come up with a tiny complaint or two.

One of the things I didn’t like about the figure was the fact that it was pretty damn difficult to snap on the hands or tendril arms when swapping things around. It could be done, but it was pretty tough. We had to worry that our hamfisted zombie -selves were going to break something! They DO go on, it just takes some oomph. We’re not sure whether this is an issue isolated to our figure or if it is common. I suppose having a tight fit without worrying about things falling off is probably desirable. Things probably get easier to swap once you’ve done it several times. It’s certainly not a major drawback. We don’t plan on swapping the arms out often so it’s not even a real issue for us!

Another minor complaint is the packaging. This is just a personal opinion and really has nothing to do with the actual figure, but I don’t like the zombie illustration used on the front of the packaging. It’s an awesome job, but with a head full of dark black hair it just looks too different from the zombie figure the package contains.

My final complaint is again something not directly related to the quality of the action figure. I’m simply upset with product availability. These simply flew off the store shelves. It is now nearly 6 months after they first turned up on store shelves in my area and I’m still kicking myself for not buying every darn one I came across! If I saw them and would go back to the store the next day they’d be gone. This speaks volumes about the zombie awesomeness of this figure!

Our Final Word and Rating:

This is one of the sickest zombie action figures you are going to see! Hasbro could have taken the easy way out and sprayed one of their existing figures green and called it good. Instead they put an immense amount of time and love into creating a Zombie G.I. Joe action figure and it shows. I really wish Hasbro would capitalize on the current pop-culture zombie craze and make an entire line of these zombie figures. I don’t think it is likely, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed anyway.

I highly recommend any zombie fan adds this to their collection. In the event you manage to shamble across these at a reasonable price I urge you to grab them all and send them to me!;)

Our Rating: 5 out of 5 brains!

Where Can I Buy One?

That’s the big question my zombie friend. If you’re looking to purchase local at the major retailers you are probably out of luck. In late 2011 or early 2012 you could have probably scored one of these off a big box store’s shelves. While it’s not entirely impossible to find one, I definitely would not count on it. (I’ve been searching high and low here for the last 3 or 4 months and haven’t found any.) Your best bet is to order online and that source is quickly drying up as well. You can still find these online from sites like amazon or ebay in the $15 to $30 range. Check out the links below and grab one of these before they’re gone entirely!

Amazon.com: 

Did You Know?: The Cobra Hazard Troopers are the specially trained to handle and administer the hazardous Compound-Z Zombie toxin. With their hazmat suits, gas masks, and biohazard labeled Compound-Z canisters these G.I. Joe figures are the perfect companion to the Zombie-Viper figures!

Want to have your zombie product reviewed or featured on our blog? Contact Us today for details!

The post Zombie Action Figure Review: G.I. Joe 30th Anniversary Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.