Zombo action figure review

When it comes to 2000AD, the galaxie's greatest comic, we've always been lacking for merchandise compared to the big two. So how could I not pick up this retro-styled figure of Al Ewing and Henry Flint's friendly, zombie/human hybrid, crime fighter, Zombo?

Funko's Reaction figure line has popularised the  3.75" nostalgia market, but post ironic interpretations of toys from days gone by have been a niche industry for some years now. Sold in limited runs, at a higher price, and aimed squarely at adults. And that's what you get here. The packing, reminiscent of Fisher Price's Adventure People, very much reflects the irreverent nature of the Zombo comic strip, as shown by the mock advert on 2000Ad's youtube channel. The spoof features on the card- complimented by Henry Flint's sumptuous art- offer dubious selling points  like "highly articulated" and "friendly smile" as well as a factfile, giving you a brief description of the comic's plot. It's all a nice glossy print, and the cardboard is really stiff, compared to cheaper cardbacks, so Unbox is thinking of the "mint on card" collectors, so it shouldn't curl in transit- postman incompetence not withstanding. And the bubble shows off the figure completely, so it makes a nice display piece, mint on the card. However, I review toys, not packaging. So lets set this cheery, flesh eating, psychopath out of his plastic prison, shall we?

"Hello Mister too old to be buying toys!"

"Have you met my friend, Eric?"

Right off the bat, I'm struck by the amazing sculpt. The musculature is great, even at such a small scale. The sunken eyes, the heavy brow and giant grin. The whole figure is a wonderful adaptation of Henry Flint's design. Even the way his right hand is slightly opened (for his hand-shaking feature) is well done, it's abundantly clear the amount of care and artistry has gone into realising a figure in a scale notorious for it's lack of detail. His whole body is molded in a sort of bile green, with added detail painted on. His eye sockets are emphasised by black paint around two-tone red and yellow. It's well done but there's no pupil, so maybe get a fine-tipped paint marker or micro brush if you insist on total comic accuracy. His teeth are painted in a flat white, but on mine, the paint as been rubbed off the front gnashers, but the white, that there is, does show off how well they've have been done. Even in the blister, this figure blows away most of the, underwhelming, output from Funko's Reaction figures.

Next to the only good figure, from the 2000Ad Reaction line

See? A proper 3.75" figure.

 The power pants, (perhaps a reference to the lead singer of Cameo?) are done in a simple gloss black and red, although there are some black stains on his back, but nothing you can't clean up. His body is littered with dull, purple, blotches. I assume to represent the chunks of flesh, that have been torn out of him. They don't ruin the figure for me, but I wouldn't miss them if they weren't there either. I understand it's part of the homage to toys gone, but I don't think it's particularly well done- in that his open, bloody, wounds look like he's been a bit clumsy with his Ribena.

"How do you do, Mister Waistcoat."

Articulation is, intentionally, minimal. His arms rotate 360 degrees at the shoulder and that's it. So even though he looks right at home standing next to vintage Han Solo,  there's no way he can co-pilot the Millennium Falcon, because he'll only stand. So maybe stick him in Jabba's desert sail skiff? Because the legs and head are totally static, it means you don't lose any detail from the hips and  neck, which only adds to the lovely detail of the sculpt. Zombo's speedos look like speedos, not a t-shaped nappy, and his beefy shoulders aren't broken by a articulation cut, which emphasises this figure as more of a collectible- only for admiring the aesthetic- than a toy.

OOOF!

Because of the fixed legs,  Zombo just doesn't stand well. The large, hunched, torso makes HIM a tad top heavy, and- I don't know if this is just on my figure- the legs have warped inwards, so he's slightly bow-legged and falls over more than a drunken game of Jenga. I tried heating the plastic, to straiten the legs out, but they just bend back in and I ended up slightly cooking the plastic and blistering his shins. So use hot water to fix his legs instead of hot air, or just admit defeat and fashion a stand, like I did, with some blu-tack and a Pringles, if you can't be fussed to drill a hole in his foot, to accommodate a stand.

"I love you" - "I know"

For some, £15 will seem steep for a 3.75" figure, that barely moves- although, give it a year or two and you'll be paying that in the highstreet- but for a limited-run figure, based on an indie comic (which is pretty damn hilarious, so give it a go), and is really cool looking (if cheery zombie crime fighters are your thing) it's not the worst price in the world. And certainly on the cheaper end of the price scale of those esoteric "art toys". In fact, I like the look of him so much, I'm tempted to buy another and paint him gray, for a Obmoz (the anti-Zombo) custom. He displays well in or out of the blister pack, despite standing issues, and I really hope Unbox make more 2000AD characters.


Company: Unbox Industries

Price paid: £15

Bought from: 2000AD web store