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!
I’ve got to buy these!! Awesome for my “TWD” DVD’s!!