You’ve got enough to worry about. There’s the current state of politics and the shaky, uncertainty of our economy. You also need to constantly navigate through issues with work, family, friends and more. As if that all isn’t enough there’s the constant threat of a pending zombie apocalypse. Let’s face it. You don’t have a lot of time and energy left to spend on worrying about the best way to safely store and display your axe. No, we’re not talking about bladed weapons here. We’re referring to your beloved banjo, bass or guitar. Fortunately, you don’t need to look much further thanks to these insanely detailed “Toxic Zombie” guitar grips. We’ve been lusting after these when we first saw them on social media and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on one. When the folks responsible for them at GuitarGrip offered to send over a complimentary grip for review we were more than happy to oblige.

WHAT IS IT?
These are a unique handmade zombie twist on the conventional wall-mounted guitar hanger. These hands shaped hangers mount to a wall or other vertical surface and grip and safely hang and support a guitar by the head and neck area. Each grip looks like a hand coming out of the wall but there’s so much more to them than that. GuitarGrip offers a variety of different designs from simple single colors (in both male and female variants), to wild designs sure to wow and inspire. Our favorite, of course, is their “Toxic Zombie” model shown here.

INCREDIBLE DETAIL:
Part of the “Ghastly Grips” line, the detail work in the Toxic Zombie grip definitely lives up to the name. They could have taken the easy way out and simply taken one of their existing hands and painted it with some green zombie details. Instead, the designers went all out to create an entirely new design full of gross and gory detail sure to please any zombie fan. The undead come to life thanks to incredible design work. You can almost smell the putrid rotting flesh. The cleverly crafted aged and dehydrated peeling zombie skin reveals the underlying bony anatomy and musculature in several areas. The cracked and crusty fingernails definitely appear like they have helped claw their way out of a grave and into a meal or two. These grips are truly a work of art and we haven’t even gotten to the stunning paint.

The painting on these is amazing. The zombie skin is just the right shade of an olive drab toned zombie green. There are no cartoon-like and annoying fluorescent zombie greens here. Shading and details are very well done and the professional quality airbrush work helps complete the look. Each grip is base coated and then airbrushed with details before being glazed and then top coated with a matte clear coat for durability. As you clearly see in our photos here, the final result is nothing short of remarkable. We’re very impressed with how closely the actual product we received resembles the product photos. With handmade goods it can be very common for the final product to feature a little less detail or to look quite a bit different from product listing photos. That definitely isn’t the case here because these arrive just as advertised!

FUNCTIONAL:
Of course these aren’t just pretty. They’re also functional. Currently available only in the left hand version shown here, this grip should safely hold pretty much any even heel or uneven heel headstocks. It’s not really suitable for a reversed uneven hell headstock.

There’s much more than simply hanging a guitar from a fake hand. The GuitarGrip crew has obviously taken their time to thoroughly think through things and no small detail is overlooked. Each grip comes with a soft felt padded area to prevent damage to walls. A padded rubber grip area inside the hand protects your instrument while offering increased grip. They even provide easy to follow installation instructions and necessary mounting hardware.

INSTALLATION:
Installation is honestly incredibly easy. The preferred method is mounting the grip to a stud. In our opinon, this provides the most stability and pretty much eliminates the possibility of your grip ripping out of the wall. The mounting screw included with your grip mounts directly to a stud and for this method you’ll need:
1. A stud finder (or other method of locating a stud within your walls)
2. A drill
3. A 3/16″ drill bit

To mount you simply screw the flat ended machine threaded portion of the mounting bolt into the hanger base and hand tighten it until it stops. Next, locate a stud and drill a 3/16 hole 1 inch deep through the wall and stud. Finally grasp the grip by the wrist and insert the pointed end of the mounting screw into the hole you just drilled. Tighten by turning in a clockwise direction until the grip is securely and snugly mounted flush with the wall. You’re done!

Check out the video below which shows just how easy installation can be:

 
If you prefer other mounting options, GuitarGrip has you covered. If you can’t access a stud for some reason you can mount your zombie guitar grip using a simple 1/4″-20 drywall anchor or one of their custom decorative mounting discs. There’s also a slatwall bracket option that’s perfect for use in a retail or showcase environment.

Some of the aforementioned parts are available at your local hardware store or could be crafted by a knowledgeable do-it-yourselfer, but we were happy to see GuitarGrip isn’t gouging the unknowing with the prices on these options. Thanks to their reasonable prices on alternative mounting options it almost isn’t worth bothering with sourcing your own solution. It won’t save you a significant amount money. There’s definitely a small premium to be paid for convenience but it is often money well spent when you save yourself valuable time.

DURABLE:
The great attention to detail doesn’t stop with appearance. These feel incredibly well made and built to last. Each grip is solid and heavy without feeling fragile. The paint work is honestly much tougher than we were expecting. Thanks to the durable glazing and topcoating the finish feels very durable and we doubt you’ll have any issues with chipped, peeling or flaking paint with normal handling.

VIEW PHOTOS:

Check out some additional photos of the Toxic Zombie Guitar Grip in the gallery below:

PROS:

• Functional work of art
• NiceRetail Box Packaging
• Works well for guitars etc. with even heel or uneven heel headstock designs
• Incredible painting and detail
• Durable design
• Solid stud mounting
• Mounting hardware included
• Padded felt mounting area
• Cushioned grip area protects your instrument
• Easy to install
• Handmade right here in the USA (Made in Detroit, MI)

CONS:
There really isn’t much to complain about here. That being said, we do our best to point out both positive and negative features of the products we review.

• Currently only available in a left handed version
• The price (currently $65.00 at the time of this review) may be a bit steep for some. Sure you can get a lame wall hanger for much less somewhere else but this isn’t about the most economical solution. A significant amount of time and effort goes into a handmade product like this and we feel the price is reasonable considering the amazing detail.

FINAL VERDICT:

5/5

There honestly isn’t much to dislike here.  The Toxic Zombie guitar grip is a functional, durable and beautifully executed work of art. If you’re looking for a SICK zombie guitar hanger or the perfect zombie themed gift for the guitar player in your life, these are the answer!

WHERE CAN I GET ONE?:

Head on over to GuitarGrip.com to order. While there  you can also search their Store Locator to look for a local retailer near you.

You can also buy via Amazon.com:

The post Toxic Zombie Guitar Grip Review – Ghastly Ghoulish Grips for Your Guitar appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Update 11/2017: It has come to our attention iZombie hot sauce is no longer available. Feel free to read our review below and don’t be afraid to try one of PuckerButt Pepper Company’s many other delicious hot sauces and pepper related products.

Original Review:

You might be surprised to discover zombies  don’t have a great sense of taste. We agree. It’s hard to believe with all of the brain craving and flesh devouring.  Fortunately the PuckerButt Pepper Company has created a hot sauce made with the world’s hottest pepper to liven up the palates of both the living and the walking dead: iZombie Hot Sauce.

Fans of the new zombie TV series, iZombie, on The CW will know zombies really can’t taste much their food.  It turns out they prefer their food super spicy.  It seems when you reanimate, your taste buds stay dead along with many other bodily functions.  When it comes to zombie food, the hotter the better.  That’s why iZombie’s main character, Liv, pours hot sauce on pretty much every brain themed dish she consumes.

The folks over at PuckerButt created a special iZombie themed hot sauce made with the world’s hottest peppers.  When we learned of this we decided we had to get our hands on a bottle. PuckerButt sent us over a bottle for review purposes and we tore into it with the fervor of a horde of flesh starved zombies.  Were we able to take the heat? Do we recommend this zombie themed hot sauce? Read on to find out!

Packaging:

Our bottle of iZombie Hot Sauce was lovingly packed in a heavy small cardboard box, wrapped with bubble wrap.  Everything arrived safely in great condition.

Bottle and Label:

iZombie Hot Sauce comes in a 5 ounce glass bottle complete with a very cool iZombie themed label.  The high quality label features an image of Liv holding a brain in a jar along with the iZombie logo.   The bottle is so cool most fans of the show, or adorable zombies in general, won’t be able to part with it when empty.

Ingredients (Know Your Enemy):

There isn’t much left to the imagination here. The ingredients are listed as: vinegar, onions, peppers and garlic.  You would think something so simple would be pretty tame. You’d be wrong.  iZombie is made with the world’s hottest pepper: “The Carolina Reaper.” Yes. It is just as intense as it sounds. More on the heat later.

Appearance:

The sauce has a beautiful rich orange amber-red hue and a medium consistency. It’s not the thin watery mess you’d find with your typical cheap hot sauce but it’s also not as thick as some other sauces we tried. It’s basically the perfect consistency for you to heed the warning on the bottle: “Tread Carefully.”

The sauce is just thick enough to frustrate heat freaks.  Brave souls like us wanting to bathe their food in a sea of sauce will want to remove the plastic plug from the mouth of the bottle that restricts the flow of the sauce. For all you mere mortals . . . it’s there for a reason.  Baby steps my zombie friend. . . baby steps.

Aroma:

iZombie has a beautiful earthy pepper smell with just a hint of vinegar. This isn’t the pungent vinegar smell you’d associate with the cheap stuff. It smells like the quality sauce it is.  It smells very similar to some of the premium ghost chili pepper hot sauces we’ve reviewed in the past. The aroma hints at some heat, but your olfactory buds alone could never fully alert you to the angry fire packed inside this little glass bottle.

Taste:

We were surprised at how sweet iZombie was.  At first taste iZombie tickles your taste buds with a pleasantly sweet pepper flavor.   The flavor is almost fruit-like and this sauce really does taste great. . . until the heat kicks in and obliterates your mouth with sensory overload.

Yes. iZombie Hot Sauce is HOT.

Heat:

We know. We know. You want to hear about the heat.  Well, Puckerbutt knows heat. Puckerbutt Founder and President, “Smokin’ Ed” Currie developed what is now known as the world’s hottest pepper: Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper®.  The pepper was awarded the Guinness World Record in November of 2013.

How hot is the Reaper?  It typically measures over 1.5 million on the Scoville Heat Unit Scale but can hit peak levels over 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units.

Let’s put that in terms non pepper-nerds can understand.  A jalapeño pepper typically measures anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000 on the Scoville scale. That means the Carolina reaper is usually several hundred times hotter than a  jalapeño. Yep. That’s as hot as it sounds.

There’s a brief moment of bliss between the sweet savory roasted goodness of iZombie’s flavor and the heat.  Enjoy that brief 15 to 30 second window; the end is near.   Shortly after you find yourself thinking how unexpectedly flavorful iZombie is, the furious fire filled heat pummels your mouth.

The flavor subsides and the heat quickly begins to take over.  It all starts innocently enough.  It begins first as a warm tingling sensation on your tongue and in the back of your throat before rapidly building over the course of a few minutes in an angry and intense burning crescendo.  Your blood vessels will dilate. Your sinuses will open. Sweat may bead on your brow and tears may form in your eyes.  None of that compares to the burn.

The heat clearly lets you know Mother Nature doesn’t think people should be consuming peppers so hot.  They’re hot for a reason stupid!  Your mouth will burn. Oh will it burn. The burning is soon accompanied by a tingling and numbing of the lips. The intensity of these sensations depends on your heat tolerance and how much sauce you use.  One thing is certain. The Reaper hangs on tight.

The burning and numbness will persist for a good 15 minutes and that’s IF you’re already accustomed to hot and spicy sauces. The Carolina Reaper® lives up to its name!

In our opinion, if you’ve braved hotter peppers like the Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper or the Trinidad Scorpion, you’ll conquer the heat of this sauce without much extra effort.  If you’re expecting this sauce to be noticeably hotter than sauces containing the aforementioned peppers, you’ll be a little disappointed.  At a certain point ridiculously hot is just ridiculously hot.  Distinguishing variances at these extremes is difficult and subjective.  That being said, if you consider jalapenos or habanero peppers hot, you may want to ease into this sauce on your day off.

Side Effects:

It’s not uncommon for the uninitiated to experience some side effects to a sauce this hot.  Fortunately we’re fairly accustomed to hot and spicy peppers around here and we didn’t experience much in the way of side effects.  Aside from 15 minutes or so of mouth numbing and mind melting heat, iZombie didn’t bite back.  We experienced a pleasant warm sensation in our chest area for about 45 minutes or so.  Fortunately for our friends and family, the only PuckerButt we experienced was the company’s name.

Final Rating:

4.75 out of 5

What We Love:

• Great Aroma
• Sweet Fruity Flavor
• Intense Heat
• Awesome High Quality iZombie Label
• A Little Goes a Long Way
• All Natural
• GMO, Gluten and Nut Free

Meh. (What’s Not So Hot.)

• $12.00 a Bottle (But One Bottle is sure to last you a long time.)
• HOT is HOT!  If you’re expecting a HUGE increase in heat over sauces containing peppers like the Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper or the Trinidad Scorpion, you’ll be a little disappointed. This sauce feels hotter, but not significantly so.

Parting Thoughts:

If you like it hot we recommend picking up a bottle of iZombie from PuckerButt Pepper Company today.  A 5 ounce bottle currently retails for $12.00.  Aside from our reluctance to shell out $12.00 for a bottle of hot sauce (it really is worth it) there is little to complain about here.  iZombie Hot sauce would make an ideal zombie gift for fans of the show or zombie fans that love their sustenance served up in a blaze of burning flavor.

About PuckerButt Pepper Company:

• For more information about PuckerButt Pepper Company visit their website today at PuckerButtPepperCompany.com
• Subscribe to PuckerButt on YouTube
• Like PuckerButt on Facebook
• Follow them on Twitter

About iZombie:

iZombie Currently airs on Tuesdays in the US at 9pm/8c on The CW. For more information visit http://www.cwtv.com/shows/izombie.

Want your Zombie Product reviewed or featured on our blog? Would you like your zombie product featured on our site? Contact us for details! http://www.zombiegift.com/zombie-blog/contact-us/ or send email to blog@zombiegift.com or advertising@zombiegift.com.

The post Zombie Hot Sauce Review: iZombie Hot Sauce from PuckerButt Pepper Company 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.

 

Back in April we reviewed the Zombucks The Barber Silver Round zombie themed coin from Provident Metals here on our zombie blog. We were blown away with the quality and were eager to see what would come next.

Our zombie excitement peaked when the mailman delivered our mail earlier this week.  The folks at Provident Metals sent us another Zombie themed precious metal round to review.  This time they’ve sent the silver version of the latest edition to the Zombucks line: The Murk Diem Round.

When we did our first review we wrote a pretty detailed crash course explanation of precious metals and why many businesses and individuals choose to collect and invest in them. You can read that zombie product review here.  In the interest of time, we won’t be rehashing it all again in this review.

You could invest in and collect any old boring silver, but why would you when Zombucks exist?  The Zombucks line is a series of zombie themed precious metal bullion rounds from Provident Metals.  The fun thing about the series is every release is a zombie themed version of an actual popular coin from history. The entire series will consist of 10 different round designs. Each design is typically available in a Silver and Copper version.

The line launched with the first two zombie coin designs in 2013. The first offering was the 2017 Zombucks Walker round, a zombie themed interpretation of Adolph Weinman’s Walking Liberty Design.  The second release was the 2017 Morgue Anne round that pays homage to the popular Morgan Dollar that was issued from 1878-1904 and again in 1921. The third release in the Zombucks line was the 2018 ZomBuff round.  Its design was inspired by James Earle Fraser’s Indian Head Nickel (1913 to 1938).  The 4^th release in the Zombucks zombie themed coin series was The Barber, which was based off of Charles Barber’s Lady Liberty Quarter design (1892-1916).

There’s a catch with the Zombucks line.  Each release is time limited. Collectors only have a certain amount of time to make their purchase before the edition is discontinued. Take, for example, The Barber release. The Barber coin was available for purchase from April 1^st, 2014 through July 1^st, 2014. On July 2^nd production and sales of the proof were halted.  After a coin design has been discontinued the only way you can buy it from Provident Metals is to grab a very cool, but more expensive, proof version.

These proof versions come with an awesome claim shell case, numbered certificate of authenticity, box and more. We hope to purchase and review a proof version sometime in the future to give you a better idea of what they’re like.  For now, let’s continue on with this review.

Our Review of this Zombie Product

Provident Metals sent us the newest member of their Zombucks line: The Murk Diem. The Murk Diem is the fifth in a series of 10 rounds that will make up the Zombucks limited bullion series. For the purposes of our zombie product review, we were sent a 1 oz Silver Murk Diem Round.

Packaging and Shipping:  Shipping was very fast and our piece was double packaged in two padded bubble envelope mailers. The Murk Diem round was safely stored in an economical clear plastic coin sleeve along with a Provident Metals card.

The round was then sealed in a Biohazard zip closure storage bag which provided a nice finishing touch to the whole zombie theme. Since this was a review piece sent to us for purposes of product review it’s important to state we don’t know for sure how actual products purchased by consumers are shipped. We can say our zombie themed precious metal coin arrived fast and in great condition. There’s absolutely nothing for us to complain about here!

The Round:   The  2018 Zombucks Murk Diem pays tribute to Adolph Weinman’s Mercury Dime coin issued from 1916 to 1945. Here’s what the original coin looks like:

As you can see in the photo above, the original Mercury Dime features an image of the goddess Liberty.  The prim, proper and pristine feathers in her cap are said to represent freedom and liberty of thought.

Now that you’ve seen the inspiration for this zombie coin, let’s take a look at Provident Metal’s Zombucks version:

View more images of this zombie collectible in the image gallery below. Click the images below to open a larger view.

The highlight of this round is without a doubt the obverse side.   It looks like the zombie apocalypse has brought darker times upon the world because Liberty isn’t looking so hot on the front of the Zombucks Murk Diem. Provident metals has given Liberty a subtle zombie make over. Her feathered cap is now tattered and weathered. The feathered wings are a matted mangy mess and only hint of their former glory.

The goddess looks as if she’s succumbed to the Zombie virus. We’re pretty sure that’s some exposed brain matter at the top of her head. Take a look at her face and neck and all doubts fade away.  Bits of flesh are gone or peeled away, exposing the underlying musculature. Neck muscles and the bones of her spine are also visible.

Instead of “LIBERTY” the top of the face of the Zombucks version is inscribed with the phrase MURK DIEM which means “Dark Day.”  As luck would have it it, “Murk” is also a popular slang term that refers to murder or the act of killing. Dark days are upon us indeed!

To the left of Liberty is a “Z50” denomination, clearly indicating Zombucks are “The Currency of The Apocalypse”. Below and to the right,  “2018” is inscribed to finish off the design.

Just like when we reviewed The Barber, we were blown away with the level of detail and the crisp, sharp features on this zombie coin. There is no muddying in the design or loss of detail.  You can even see striations in the skeletal muscle of the neck  and other small details upon close examination!

We also noticed a nice lustre that was noticeably improved from the Barber coin we previously reviewed. We suspect the increased shine is due to the fact that the Murk Diem design has more flat negative space than the Barber and thus can reflect light more easily. Or maybe our Barber has just oxidized slightly since April. Whatever the reason, the Murk Diem seems to offer a little more lustre when we compared it to the 4^th installment in the Zombucks line.

The reverse of the round is pretty much identical to the other Zombucks editions.  It features a large biohazard symbol along with some cool blood spatter effects and the phrase “Zombucks The Currency of The Apocalypse”. We’ve been pretty surprised at the sharp detail here as well. The biohazard emblem has a very cool raised 3D effect that terminates in a nice crisp line in the center of each “arm” of the biohazard emblem. The effect really works to add  drama and depth. The reverse of the Murk Diem round sports the Provident Metals logo, which looks great. That’s a surprise considering the small size. The reverse is also inscribed with “1 oz .999 fine silver.”

What’s Great

• Stunning Detail: The design features sharp details and the entire proof is executed very well. At the low price level one might expect poor detail and other flaws. That certainly isn’t the case with this coin and other coins we’ve seen in the Zombucks series.

• Subtle Zombies: Subtle isn’t a word you use often when reviewing zombie products.  Zombie products are typically bold, gaudy and in your face with bright red blood and neon “zombie green” colors. Not so with Zombucks. Stand a few feet away and you could easily mistake these as normal “boring” coins.

• Affordable Pricing:   At the time of this review the Murk Diem coin is priced not even $3.00 over spot (the current value of 1 oz of silver at this moment). That means at the time of this post a Zombucks Murk Diem 1 oz Silver Round is priced from $24.48 to $25.291. Around $25.00 isn’t bad for an investment or unique zombie gift idea.  If you’re looking to be thrifty, the copper rounds are even more affordable and are the perfect solution for zombie collectors on a tight budget.  The copper versions can even be acquired for under $2.00 each before shipping!

• Highly Collectible:   The fact that each round is sold for a limited time and edition size isn’t released until after sales close make these zombie coins highly collectible.

• Great Concept:  As we’ve stated before, we love that these are inspired by and based off of classic coin designs. Provident Metals didn’t just slap some random generic zombie images on these rounds. The added attention to detail and extra effort are greatly appreciated by this reviewer.

• Design Introduces the Next Generation to Precious Metals:  The zombie themed design on these rounds should captivate a younger audience and introduce a whole new generation to the world of precious metal bullion investing and coin collecting. The fact that each design is based on an actual popular coin from history could potentially generate interest in coin collecting in zombie fans that wouldn’t normally consider collecting coins.

Meh. What’s Not So Great

There honestly isn’t much to complain about with the Zombucks series of coins but in the interest of a fair review I’ll discuss a few things that we weren’t thrilled with.

• Lose the Liberty: One small complaint is we’re getting just a tad tired of the whole “Liberty” theme that seems to be prevalent in the Zombucks series. In fact, only one coin in the series thus far hasn’t featured a zombiefied lady Liberty in some way. The first coin featured a zombie version of the Walking Liberty design. This was followed by the Morgue Anne which featured a zombie Liberty head. The next coin in the series featured a welcome break with the Zombuff design.  After that we went right back to Liberty. The Barber, featured…you guessed it, a zombie Lady Liberty. At least that time her eye was impaled with a pair of Barber shears. This latest offering features Liberty again on the Murk Diem. Liberty is a common theme on coinage so it’s not entirely their fault, but we still wish Provident would find a way to mix things up a little.

• Limited Availability: While the limited availability is great for generating demand and increasing collectible value, the limited availability of each round isn’t so great when you miss the sales window on a release. Four rounds have already been discontinued which means those of you just getting into collecting the Zombucks line will need to hit ebay or private sellers if you want one. The other option would be to cough up the dough for the more expensive proof version of a release from Provident Metals. Either way means a little more money out of your pocket.

• Only 10 Rounds: We’re a little disappointed that the Zombucks line only has 10 rounds. We’re already halfway through! The series is set to conclude with a final design in the 4^th Quarter of 2015. We doubt we’re the only ones hoping there will be a second series at some point!

• No Zombucks Branding on the Card: This is a very minor complaint but it bothers us none the less.  Although it’s just a small cardboard square inserted into the coin envelope, we’re slightly disappointed it wasn’t a Zombucks themed card in the coin sleeve.

The Final Verdict:

We gave the Murk Diem a 4.5 out of 5.

If you’re looking for a high quality and unique zombie gift that won’t be worthless in two years, look no further than the Zombucks line. The Murk Diem 1 oz .999 pure silver round features stunning detail and impressive 39mm size.

While we can’t help but hope some of the releases in the second half of the Zombucks series shamble away from coin designs that feature Lady Liberty, we suspect we’ll continue to fall in love with every gruesome Zombucks zombie coin to come.

REVIEW SUMMARY

Zombucks: Murk Diem Silver 1 oz. Silver Bullion Round

Murk Diem A 1 troy ounce silver bullion limited edition round from the Zombucks Bullion series from Provident Metals

Review at a Glance: Our Zombucks Silver Bullion Round sports a beautiful, nearly flawless zombie themed finish with a gorgeous high lustre. There isn’t much to complain about and we think we may be in love with the zombucks series! We do hope the second half of the series doesn’t have too many Liberty based designs.

Reviewed by:ZombieGift.com

Zombucks Murk Diem Silver Bullion Round

Date Reviewed: 07/13/2014

4.5 / 5 brains

ZombieGift.com

Where to Buy:

The Murk Diem Zombucks Precious Metal Bullion Round is available directly from ProvidentMetals.com from July 1^st, through October 1^st, 2014. After October 1^st Production and sales of the standard version of the round will cease. Only a proof version will remain available via Provident for a limited time thereafter.

The post Zombie Product Review: Zombucks “Murk Diem” Silver Round appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

So you’re a huge fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead and you’ve been bitten by the collecting bug. Welcome to the club. Unfortunately I have some bad news: it’s about as infectious and dangerous as the actual zombie virus itself. All hope is lost. You have the fever now and before you can worry about a cure you’ll be  consumed with a  growing and  burning desire to buy more and more expensive zombie and Walking Dead collectibles. If you’re like any of us normal working folks on a budget, your new sickness will cause you to face some tough decisions. Why?  Because many of the most amazing Walking Dead collectibles aren’t cheap my friend.  Case in point, The Walking Dead Bookends from Gentle Giant.

Aside from The Walking Dead Season 2 Blu-Ray Limited Edition Case the Walking Dead bookends were one of the first TWD collectibles I really lusted after. They looked gorgeous in the product photos, but we all know pre-production photos aren’t always indicative of the quality you’ll actually receive as an end consumer. As a single dad on a budget I faced a dilemma. Should I buy these?   Are they really worth nearly $90.00?  I’d ponder whether their quality justifies the cost and if they’re anywhere near as cool in real life. I decided to bite the bullet (figuratively) and count out my pennies to purchase  a set for review. Since I know many of my fellow collectors are in the same boat as I am, I decided to share my experience and thoughts on this one. If you’re a rich collector with unlimited funds, good for you! Don’t waste your time reading this and just go order these up. It’s really that simple. For the rest of us that need to worry about filling our gas tanks, buying groceries and having some financial breathing room afterwards, the decision isn’t so cut and dry.  If you’re on the fence about whether these are worth their cost, need more information, want to see a ton of photos or hear my thoughts on these then this is the article for you. Read on!

At a Glance:

• Officially Licensed Walking Dead Collectibles
• Set of Two Identical Bookends
• High Quality Durable Resin Construction
• Features Nice Detail and Quality Construction
• Measure approximately 6 -3/4″ tall by 4-3/4″ wide by 2-1/2″ deep
• Reported Edition Size: 1,800
• Release Date: The Week of September 16th, 2013
• While they have a couple minor issues overall I loved them.
• Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: About $89.00 USD.

Where’d I Get Them?:

I ordered well after the release date directly from Gentle Giant for $89.00.  As of the date of this post (3/5/2014) these are now sold out at Gentle Giant so you’ll need to find another source for them.

Packaging:

The bookends arrived properly packaged and protected. The shipping box was packed well and marked FRAGILE and GLASS to help ensure properly care and handling during shipment.

The bookends themselves come in a printed cardboard retail box. The bookends are wrapped in plastic and placed inside a fitted styrofoam insert. Everything is a nice snug fit. The bookends just fit tightly into the styrofoam and the insert just slides into the outer cardboard packaging. Dessicant gel packs are included to help control humidity and in effort to prevent damage due to humidity. A certificate of authenticity card is also provided in a clear protective plastic sleeve. See the photos of the packaging in the image gallery below for more details.

First Thoughts and Initial Impressions:

My honest first thought was “these are smaller than I expected.” The product photos for these used everywhere are typically the bookends by themselves with nothing else. If you’re too lazy or too busy to read a product description like I was, you have no reference on size. I guess I was expecting something about a foot tall. These actually measure about 6.75″ tall. That’s clearly described and listed prominently on the Gentle Giant site where I ordered these, so that’s on me!

The next thought I had was “these are awesome.” I was most struck by the attention to detail in the structure of the hands.  The sculpt on the hands is anatomically correct and  really something to admire. Hands can be very difficult to get right and zombified hands must be  an even taller order in the art world.  The details on the zombie hands are great. Things like tendons, bone structure, fingernails,skin wrinkles and vasculature are all dead on.

Finally, I was relieved there are actually two bookends in the box.  It may seem a bit naive, but you only see photos of a single bookend in the product listings on most sites selling these. Including Gentle Giant’s site where I purchased these. While they hint that you receive bookends (plural) they also don’t  clearly and specifically state you’re ordering and receiving a set of two identical bookends.   I was a little concerned you had to purchase two identical bookends separately. Fortunately I’m an idiot that needlessly worries; your purchase does indeed land you a pair of bookends.

Bookends in Detail:

Let’s take a closer look at these bookends. Each bookend is pretty much the same. Each one  features a triangular black/dark gray base with  a  raised white “The Walking Dead” logo on the outermost edge. The base has a very cool granite, stone or marble look to it. It looks and feels like real stone. The bottom of each base features The Gentle Giant and Walking Dead logos along with the phrase “Bookends Set Collectible Limited Edition” below them. Three small round rubber pad feet prevent your bookends from slipping and also help ensure they’re less likely to mar tables or shelves.  The base itself stands about 2.75″ tall. Enough about the base because the true beauty is in the zombie hands!

Each bookend features three zombie arms and hands reaching straight up toward the sky. As I’ve already stated, the anatomical detail is simply stunning. The hand structure is pretty perfect. Details such as palm creases, knuckles, bone structure, placement of veins and other details are all amazing. The only complaint I have is with some of the wounds on the back of the hands and arms. The larger round wounds look like they’re supposed to be festering sores. They just look a little boring and cartoonish to me. The deep round wounds are all filled with pretty much the same dark brown/maroon colored glossy paint. While I think I get what the artists were going for, it almost comes off lazy or hastily done. I’d like to see a little more detail (maybe exposed musculature or bone) in at least one of the larger wounds.  The zombie hands stand about 4 inches tall (from the 2.5″ tall base) at their highest point.

I was expecting something slightly bigger (that’s what you get for not fully reading product descriptions) but these are still a nice size. Each bookend stands about 6.75″ tall from base to the tip of the tallest zombie hand’s finger. While a larger size would be great, this size actually makes them ideal  for use in places like smaller bookcases or on desks or coffee tables. The weight of these feels just about right. Each bookend feels stout and sturdy and weighs in over a pound (about 1 pound 6 ounces).

Each bookend set comes with a baseball card sized certificate of authenticity letting you know you’ve purchased a real Gentle Giant collectible and not a cheap imitator.

Although the edition size is purported to be 1,8000 we could find no numbering on our bookends.  Gentle Giant doesn’t mention whether the edition size is limited to 1,800 individual bookends or 1,800 sets of bookends.  I’m assuming the latter but I’m going to contact Gentle Giant for clarification and I’ll update this post once I’ve obtained it.  I’m not sure it matters all that much because there’s no number on the bookends.  Our packaging and certificate of authenticity also lacked any reference to a number.  (Update: A representative from Gentle Giant responded to me the same day I inquired and confirmed the edition was limited to 1,800 sets. He also confirmed these are a single  run edition and are now permanently sold out at Gentle Giant. )

What’s Great:

Quality Construction:  These feel like they can stand up to display and use in everyday life without problems.

Great Detail Overall:  The anatomical detail in the hands is stunning for the most part.

Not too Big:   Matching Set of bookends is the perfect size for display and use in variety of situations and locations

What’s Not So Great:

Is Bigger Better?:   While I ended up liking the size, I can’t help but think how awesome a version nearly twice as tall would be. (I’m not sure I’d be willing to pay nearly twice as much though, so perhaps a bigger size is a moot point.)

No Numbering:   With an edition size of 1,800 these are touted as “limited edition collectible”. We just have no idea where our piece stood in the grand scheme of things. While we have no doubts Gentle Giant is true to their word, it would be nice to see edition size referenced with numbering on these.

Large Wounds on the Hands Lack Detail:    Some of the large wounds on the hands are a little boring to me. They lack the detail that I’d like to see and really don’t math the level of detail seen in product products and on the packaging.  Many of the large deep wounds feature the same brown/maroon glossy paint. Maybe it’s because the areas are large or because they contrast with the highly detailed areas surrounding them but these areas just look odd.  In my opinion I’d like to see some more detail at least in one of the large wounds. Exposed bone, muscle or more detail would be great! Other than that the paint and detail work are amazing and there’s little to complain about.

Final Verdict:

Love them!

4.5 out of 5

I had a few very minor complaints but overall these are amazing and I highly recommend purchasing them if you’re still debating.  To me they’re worth every penny of the $89.00 I paid.  I really like the fact that this is part of your collection that actually serves a purpose beyond looking good.   Sure they look great and are  will be a conversation piece in your home or office but just as importantly they also work great as bookends. They’re durable enough you can feel safe to remove them from their original packaging and let them hold up your zombie books or DVDs. They can withstand friends and relatives handling them and inspecting them. I’m pretty sure if the real zombies come I can use the base of these as a melee weapon for days.  How many items in your collection can you say that about?

If you’re thinking about these do yourself a favor and just order them before they’re gone. I’ve assembled a list of where to find these below. I do have relationships with many of these sites so if you purchase from the links here there’s a good chance I’ll receive a tiny commission or other compensation. It helps pay the bills, keep the site running and helps buy more zombie products for review.

Where to Buy:

Best Option: The best option was Gentle Giant Ltd. but these are now sold out. These were still listed at GentleGiantLtd.com for $89.00 at the time I wrote up this review. Although the bookends were  listed when I posted the review I wanted to double check availability.  I did notice when you click to add them to your cart they show as unavailable. I contacted Gentle Giant Ltd. and a representative got right back to me .  He confirmed these are indeed sold out on their site. He also confirmed they’re a single run edition so they won’t be back via their site.  Since I have first hand experience ordering this exact item from them, I can honestly recommend Gentle Giant  Ltd highly.  I’ve never had an issue with multiple orders and my bookends came packed well and shipping was prompt. Their sales and customer service representatives always respond very quickly whenever I do contact them with a question.  Head to their site to browse all of their Walking Dead products.

Unfortunately you can no longer buy these bookends from Gentle Giant and you’ll need to scramble to find them at a decent price from other retailers if you want them. Since these were limited to 1,800 sets that means other retailers will soon catch on that Gentle Giant is sold out. Prices are sure to shoot through the roof once other retailers learn the news. My advice is if you can find these close to the MSRP of $89.00 that I paid grab them! Don’t panic. I did manage to find a few other retailers offering these at a decent price.

Try GoHastings. They’re selling the Walking Dead Bookends for $88.94 at the time of this post.

Things From Another World has the Walking Dead Bookends listed for backorder for just over $71 but I’m not sure I’d count on them actually being able to backorder. It’s worth a shot though!

Of course you have other buying options such as ebay or amazon.com.  Pricing at these sites can vary greatly and is sometimes significantly higher than the manufacturer’s suggested price, so be sure to do your homework before buying.

What do you think of The Walking Dead bookends? Have a question about them? Let us know in the comments section below!

The post The Walking Dead Product Review: Walking Dead Zombie Hand Bookends From Gentle Giant 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.

ZombieGift.com here with another zombie product review. Today we’re taking a detailed look at the Zombie Garden Gnome manufactured by ThumbsUp!

There are plenty of Zombie garden gnomes on the market. Choosing which one is right for your needs might not seem like a difficult decision until it comes time to purchase one. Then you’ll promptly realize just how many options you have when it comes to purchasing zombie gnome lawn decorations. It used to be you had one or two options; now there are literally dozens. Relax. While this isn’t exactly a major life decision, why not have a little help from your friends at ZombieGift.com?

Deciding which zombie lawn gnome to buy depends on what you’re looking for. Looking for a cheaply made vinyl lawn gnome that will blow away if you don’t stuff it and weigh it down? You can find one. Want a cheaply made brittle concrete lawn gnome with paint that will wash off with the first few rains? Yep. You’ll find those too. How about an expensive, durable, high quality concrete zombie lawn gnome that will cost you a big portion of a $100 bill? You can go that route too.  Where does this particular zombie lawn gnome fit within this range? What are our thoughts on it? Read on to find out.

Details at a Glance:

• Handcrafted TerraCotta Zombie lawn gnome with weather resistant paint
• Measures approximately 11″ by 4″ by 4.5″
• Priced around $20 to $30 USD

Our Thoughts:

Our zombie garden gnome was priced at $19.99.  He  shipped in his own cardboard box retail packaging placed inside a cardboard shipping box.  Our zombie gnome box arrived with a dent in the top corner (likely something that happened in the warehouse prior to being shipped out) but luckily the gnome is packed inside Styrofoam. He was unscathed and ready for action. Check out photos of the box below:

After removing our zombie lawn gnome from his box we just knew he was nearly the perfect size.  Weighing in at around  1.5 lbs, this zombie lawn art is made out of durable terracotta.  The gnome is hollow with a hole in the bottom. While this may make the danger of breakage a little higher, it no doubt makes the gnome light enough for affordable shipping while also allowing for drainage. You could also stash some spare ammo, food, a spare key or other items in him in case you’re locked out of your safehouse when Z-day goes down.

Our new zombie garden friend has the classic undead shambler posture. His arms are awkwardly perched up at his chest and  his feet  are frozen in the old-school pigeon toed uncoordinated stance we all know and love. This guy isn’t a runner and that’s just how we like our zombies . . . be they gnome form or otherwise.

Our hand painted zombie very closely resembles product and packaging photos. His skin tone is a deathly looking gray tone and thankfully not the cartoonish green color seen on so many other zombie products. The paint details are a little flat and one dimensional for us in some areas but we only expect so much realism from a product in this price range.  Check out detailed photos in the gallery below:

So what’s our final verdict? Here’s a breakdown of the good, the bad and our final thoughts on this affordable zombie gift.

What’s Great:

– Price:  We snagged our zombie garden gnome for just $19.99. In our opinion that’s the perfect price for something intended for outdoor use. You could spend four to five times more for a better quality zombie garden gnome. Should that item get stolen or damaged you’d be pretty upset. It’s a  whole lot easier to suck it up  when a $20 to $30 piece of zombie lawn art gets, kicked, dropped, stolen or vandalized.

– Quality:  You could spend a lot more and get a better quality zombie garden gnome but this option should be durable enough for most people’s needs. We’re not sure how long the claimed “weather resistant” paint will endure the outdoors but time will tell.  For 20 bucks we’re more than happy to grab a paintbrush and take the opportunity to customize our zombie garden gnome should his paint fade over time.

– Size and Weight:  This zombie garden gnome is perfect if you need something modest in size that’s light enough for any member of the family to move around. While this may not be large enough to turn heads from a 100 yards away, it is the perfect low key zombie decoration. Its modest size makes it ideal for use indoors somewhere in a corner or on a bookshelf.

– Packaging:  We really like our zombie garden gnome’s retail box.

Meh. (What’s Not so Great.):

 – Hollow TerraCotta Construction: While our zombie garden gnome seems plenty durable, we have to think the hollow terracotta construction could make it brittle and a little prone to damage in the outdoor world.

– Paint Details Could Be Better: While we love the overall look of our zombie garden gnome, we do find some of the paint details to be a little flat and one dimensional. The skin areas look great, but some of the zombie’s clothing (particularly his coat and hat) just seem a little mediocre and lacking in detail. Maybe some extra shading, or even some damage to the clothing would help.

Final Verdict:

4 Out of 5

For the affordable price this is a great zombie garden gnome. We were looking for something of decent quality that was easy to handle and priced reasonably enough that we wouldn’t be irate if it got damaged or stolen. That’s exactly what we received! While we did find some of the paint details on the zombie’s clothing to be a little boring, it wasn’t enough to keep us from loving him. We love his classic zombie stance and he’s the perfect size for our needs. If you’re looking for a zombie gnome for indoor or outdoor use , that won’t break the bank in the process, we  can highly recommend this purchase.

Where to Buy:

Click the following link if you’re interested in purchasing the item featured in this zombie product review. Or check the listing for this product at ZombieGift.com or browse buying options on amazon using the tool below!

The post Zombie Product Review: Zombie Garden Gnome appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Finding unique and affordable zombie gifts for that zombie fan that seems to have everything can be a difficult task. That’s why when we find a unique zombie gift that will make their jaw drop without breaking the bank we make sure to get our rotten hands on it and do a full zombie product review. This gruesomely gorgeous impaled zombie pencil holder desk accessory is a perfect case in point.

Details:
Resin construction with hand painted details
Measures approximately 7″ long by 3″ wide by 1″ tall
Features a hole in the zombie’s chest that holds your pencil or small ballpoint pen
Priced under $15.00

Check out the photo gallery below for more photos of the impaled zombie pencil holder:

Our Thoughts:
We received our zombie pencil holder nicely packaged in a cardboard box snugly secured within a fitted styrofoam style packaging insert. It was almost like his own shipping coffin and certainly let him rest in peace on his way to our office. We much prefer our zombie collectibles to arrive in peace rather than pieces!

The size is exactly what we expected and there were no disappointments. In fact we were quite shocked to see the hand painted details matched the product photos very closely. Usually the product photo reflects the manufacturer’s best work.  Some loss of detail between product photos and the actual production pieces is common, especially with hand painted items.   That’s definitely not the case here. We were pretty blown away with the gory details on our undead desk accessory. He features sickly looking decayed flesh in a gross green-gray hue. He has deep wounds on his face, head and hands. A large hole approximately 1/4″ to 3/8″ in diameter sits in the center of the zombie’s chest. In addition to looking awesome, the hole serves a functional purpose and allows you to insert a pencil or small ballpoint pen into the zombie’s chest. The zombie looks like he’s clutching at your writing utensil and the end result sitting on a desk gives the dramatic impression that you just came out on the winning end of an altercation with a miniature zombie. We just wish the hole could be larger to give us the option of proudly using this with our more expensive pens or styluses. Your standard No. 2 pencil or cheap disposable ballpoint pens fit perfectly however.

What’s Great:

The Detail:  This zombie desk accessory features some pretty amazing detail. The hand painted details are very well done. The zombie’s skin features deep cracks with dirt and decomposition details throughout. The red bloody wounds are glossy in the right areas and give the impression that our walking dead friend may have been just recently immobilized. There really don’t appear to be any shortcuts taken with painting. Even the hole for the pen itself is painted deep down inside!

Quality Construction:  This is constructed of high quality resin. It’s not heavy but it’s heft is substantial enough to let you know this isn’t cheap plastic junk.

Price :  At the time of this review these zombie pencil holders were priced under $15.00 with discount pricing available for purchasing two.

Unique:  This zombie gift isn’t something you’ll see in every big box retail store. It’s sure to turn heads and be a zombie conversation starter wherever it is displayed.

Meh. What’s Not So Great:

Can’t Be Used With Large Executive Pens, Styluses or Other Fancy Writin’ Stuff:  This zombie product review has been yet another experience where we were left with little to b*tch about. Our only complaint is we’d like the hole for the pen or pencil to be a little larger. Fancy fountain pens, executive pens and styluses are a little larger than your normal No. 2 pencil and we’d like the ability to use those with this zombie gift.  A hole that large would likely require some sort of rubber insert in order for it to hold normal pencils so we can see why the manufacturer chose this design. We may just take our zombie friend out to our workshop and do a little drilling to make it perfect for our needs.

Could Scratch Your Fancy Highfalutin Furniture:  The only other drawback we could foresee is the flat bottom  of the zombie has the potential to scratch. You might want to be careful of any soft finish on your  fancy wood desk or table. Scratching would probably only occur  if you use or move the zombie excessively but if you’re anal about the finish of your furniture you might want to take some extra precautions.  Sticking some felt pads on the bottom would likely eliminate any risk of marring the finish on your pricey furniture.

Final Verdict:

4.75 out of 5

You really can’t go wrong with a mini impaled zombie sitting on your desk. All kidding aside, given the uniqueness, quality and pricing of this zombie gift we really can’t find much wrong with it. It’s almost flawless considering the price it’s currently sold at. While we’d like the option to use it with some of the bigger writing instruments we have . . . maybe we just need to find cooler looking pencils! If you need a unique and affordable zombie gift for the cubicle zombie or desk dwelling zombie hunter in your life, this just might be the solution.

Where to Buy: Click the following link if you’d like info on where to purchase the item featured in this zombie product review.

The post Zombie Product Review: Impaled Zombie Pencil Holder Desk Accessory appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Most of  you know us from our facebook page and all the zombie giveaways we run on our page.   When we saw this zombie wall sculpture we just knew we had to order some for the office. We decided we’d take some detailed photos and post a review for you. So let’s take a look at this zombie wall decoration and what our thoughts were.

Details:   This  zombie wall sculpture features a facebook inspired zombie “Like” design. It measures approximately 8″ wide by 4.5″ tall by about 1-1/2″ deep. Crafted entirely out of quality resin, it weighs in at around a pound.  A metal sawtooth hanger on the back helps support this hefty beast when you hand it in its final resting place.

This zombie plaque sports a severed zombie hand giving a thumbs up on a fake wood background complete with silver “nails” and a rough open wood grain look. The word “Like” is made with bones that have been painted red with some white highlights here and there. The best part of this zombie wall sculpture is definitely the severed zombie hand giving the thumbs up sign. This hand features some  pretty amazing detail.  The rotted flesh is painted a green or gray color complete with holes, wrinkles and wounds. The wounds show the underlining muscle tissue and is beautifully painted.   There’s even some exposed bone showing on the knuckles of one of the fingers.  The forearm bones in the zombie wrist area even look anatomically correct. It’s honestly a gorgeous work of art from a zombie and anatomical perspective. Check out the photos below for a better look. Clicking the images below will open a gallery for larger views.

What’s Great:

–  Quality Craftsmanship:  The heavy resin and metal hanger construction make for a high quality product.

– Beautiful Paint:  The hand painted details are top notch. The wounds on the zombie hand nearly look real and all of the details are very well done.

– The Price:  These are normally priced at around $14.95 and they’re worth every penny. We managed to find ours on sale for under $10.00 making our purchase an even better deal.

Meh. (What’s Not So Great):

Given the quality craftsmanship and great price there isn’t much to be upset about here.

– Our only complaint might be size:  We were expecting something a little larger.  Admittedly we failed to read the size in the product description so that’s on us. We were expecting something perhaps 12 to 14″ wide. We honestly ended up being fine with the size but we can’t help but think this zombie wall plaque would look very cool at double the size.

Final Verdict:

4.75 out of 5

The zombie fleshbook “Like” wall plaque is a beautiful work of art. It features high quality construction and amazing detail. We just wish it was a little bigger. It would definitely make the perfect gift for the zombie loving facebook user in your life.  We’d highly recommend it this zombie gift.

Where to Buy:

Click the following link if you’re looking to buy the item featured in this zombie product review.

The post Zombie Product Review: Zombie FleshBook Facebook Inspired Zombie “Like” Plaque appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Thanks to Renuzit, zombie fans can fill their home with the aroma of a zombie Halloween themed air freshener cone. I know what you’re thinking…relax. Fortunately they don’t reek like the stench of the undead.  Instead the fragrance, entitled “Rest in Peach”, fills the room with the lightly sweet smell of peaches.

On a zombie shopping trip to Walmart, my son and I caught sight of some Halloween themed air freshener cones.  When I saw a zombie hand reaching out of a grave on one of the designs, I knew I had to pick one up!

This gel air freshener features Renuzit’s classic old cone styling with a zombie themed shrink wrapper on the top. Using this zombie air freshener is just as simple as it’s always been. Simply hold the base of the cone and twist the top of the cone in a counterclockwise motion to unlock it. You can then set the desired strength of the fragrance by adjusting how far you open the cone. Open it fully for a stronger scent or leave a narrow opening for a more subtle aroma.

What’s Great:

The Price. I picked this up for just $0.97 before tax at my local Walmart! You really can’t beat that price!

Ease of use: It couldn’t be easier to use.

Open and Close: Unlike other air fresheners you can close it to make it last longer.

The Zombie Themed Art: The Halloween themed artwork is great. I love the dark grey, black and blue themed wrapper and the cartoony artwork is perfect for adults without scaring kids.

Strong enough for tough smells!: While you won’t be masking the smell of decomposing human flesh with these (Don’t worry about whether or not I speak from experience) they do pack a pretty powerful olfactory punch in wide ::CENSORED:: open mode.

What’s Not So Great:

There honestly isn’t much to complain about here. I’m not a huge fan of peach fragrances. Being a man I’d prefer something a little more masculine, but the peach fragrance is subtle enough it doesn’t bother me. Some intensely fake peach fragrances irritate me but this one is great! Lightly peach, lightly floral and sweet smelling aromas combine to make this great for a woman’s home while still be acceptable to all the bachelors out there.

My only other complaint is I’d like a zombie themed air freshener in other fragrances instead of being limited to the “Rest in Peach” themed aroma.

The Final Verdict:

In the end my complaints were nothing more than personal objections and nothing to hold against this product. If you like zombies, need an air freshener for under a buck and don’t mind a peach scent; this is the one to get!

5 Out of 5 Brains

The post Zombie Product Review: Renuzit Offers Zombie Air Freshener? appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.