World War Z

So World War Z came out on DVD/Blu-Ray today. I read the book three times. Saw the movie in the theater. Accepted the fact they would be very different. The movie was entertaining. I think later it bothered me that the "zombies" weren't even really zombies...they were strong, super human, super fast, ...."rabid" people. The only advantage humans had in the book was that the zombies were slow, truly undead.

Anyway, I will watch the DVD "Extended Cut" and enjoy it just as well. With that, I will also post the second set of World War Z figures from Jazwares - Gerry Lane and Paramedic. The Gerry Lane figure looks nothing like Brad Pitt. The paramedic...well, I don't recall a paramedic at all in the movie. Overall, these figures are a fail when it comes to the movie and book, but you can always use extra zombie figures for whatever diorama you have set up.

Jazwares World War Z Figures

First of all, if you haven't read World War  Z by Max Brooks, do it, now! One of the all time best. And don't just think it's about zombies. I've read it three times and listened to the abridged and unabridged audio book a few times.

Second, if you have read the book, and are hesitant to see the movie, go see the movie. Just accept the fact it isn't like the book...or think of it as the early days of the great panic, and enjoy some popcorn entertainment.

Third, if you collect action figures and love zombies, and love World War Z, the four produced by Jazwares are great for adding to a zombie horde, just aren't the greatest if you are trying to recreate the movie or the book.

Only two have been released in the first series - Civilian Zombie and Special Forces Zombie. The next two are due around August and include Gerry Lane and Paramedic Zombie. Gerry Lane looks nothing like Brad Pitt - guessing if Jazwares is making the figures, cost was already a major factor. They are up and coming, but nowhere near NECA or McFarlane. The Gerry Lane figure comes with a Lobo which is cool. I don't recall seeing a paramedic in the movie.

Anyway, the Civilian zombie is shirtless. The Special Forces zombie is pretty cool in that you can exchange the head with a helmeted version, and remove the boney leg for a whole leg so you can have zombie and non-zombie versions. The Special Forces zombie doesn't come with any weapons other than the pistol molded in with the tactical vest.

The articulation isn't bad. Something about how the legs joints doesn't look right...almost like the characters are wearing Depends. The waste articulation is pretty good. They are definitely 6 inches tall so it would be hard to get them to assimilate into a McFarlane Walking Dead horde. The paint job seems too bright.

I won't complain too much, or else I would need to follow my own advice - you don't like how a company does something, build your own.

Not sure how sales will be on the figures. The movie has done rather well and there are already hints for a sequel. I don't care about the non-Brad Pitt figure of Gerry Lane. I would have loved if they did a figure of Segen though, the female Israeli commando who travels with Gerry. She was bad ass. Captain Speke would have been another good one, with more realistic special ops uniform than this one.

Anyway - I am glad I purchased the first two, will purchase the other two. Really doubting any more get produced beyond that from Jazwares. I had high hopes because their Mortal Kombat line is awesome.

World War Z Playset: The Raj Singh or Reinforced Square

I am a big fan of the book World War Z. Can't wait until the movie comes out. Looking forward to the action figures. In the meantime, I combined about 8 packs of the Gentle Giant Walking Dead zombie army figures along with two boxes of modern Marines from Armies in Plastic (www.armiesinplastic.com).

The Reinforced Square (RS) tactic is mentioned by Todd Waino as one of the most effective methods to dispatch the zombie hordes as the military takes back the United States. Todd also calls it the Raj Singh (RS) in honor of the Indian general who leads the fight against the zombie plague in India.

Hoping Gentle Giant makes more Walking Dead plastic "army" guys. A World War Z playset by any manufacturer would be pretty cool too.

World War Z Diorama - Part 2

I just realized that in my haste to post photos of my World War Z diorama months ago, I only posted one photo. My apologies for being hasty. Anyway, here are more pictures of the Battle of Yonkers. The 1:18 scale military vehicles and figures come from Target's Bravo Team, Walmart's Motorworks, and Blue Box International (BBI). The zombies are a custom painted (grey skin, splashes of blood) assortment of 1:18 scale figures (A-Team. Men In Black III, Bo Duke from the Mego Dukes of Hazard, a few star wars, and more Bravo Team military figures.

World War Z - Battle of Yonkers

For those of you who are fans of the Zombie genre and haven't read Max Brooks' World War Z, you are missing out. A fantastic book dealing with the zombie apocolypse on a global level. One key part is the Battle of Yonkers, the first organized military defense in the US.

It of course, ends disastrously. In this diorama, I stacked up the military vehicles side by side, as told in the book. Then had the beginning of the 10 million zombie trail coming up against the troops. Take a close look at some of the zombies, and you'll see some familiar figures. So hard to get a consistent scale these days for a large diorama.