by TJ Norris
GARDEN WARFARE: Here we have a trio of three double figure sets from Diamond Select Toys of the crazy characters from the irresistible series, Plants Vs. Zombies (EA, PopCap). There are four sets in the entire collection (watch for All-Star Zombie & Shadow Flower as well). Some of the following bright and zany lil’ guys come with accessories as well. It’s hard to believe the series was just introduced a short five years ago as its popularity has shot through the roof with gamers. It is strongly thanks to the thrilling pop aspect to this arsenal of wonderfully original zombies and strange unearthly creatures.
First up there’s Gatling Pea (an upgrade plant, firing twice as fast as a Repeater) and Scientist Zombie (in the zombie faction healer class). These guys are just plain wacky. The sculpts on these (and throughout the series actually) and just astonishing in detail, with a whole lotta weird going on. The Scientist sports this maniacal goggles that spoof his pupils and draw attention to his head which has somewhat of a pineapple-shaped poof of gray hair. He comes with a purple blaster gun and big yellow gloves, similar to Playtex Living Gloves. The makers made sure to keep him goofy and light as he is sans one show, and carries a detector/gizmo-backpack. The pain job on both the Scientist and Gatling Pea are just perfect. Gatling, with his helmet and goggles is basically a super-sonic peashooter with a built-in yellow barreled gatling gun as a mouth piece. His “arms and legs” are represented very creatively with leaf foliage and though he’s short in stature, he looks pretty darn stealth. Diamond Select Toys saw to it that down to his little round eyes that even the most discerning collector would be thrilled to encounter such an oddity.
Next we have the odd coupling of Engineer Zombie (a playable zombie, equivalent of the Cactus) and Chomper (a multi-use instant-kill plant). The rotund Engineer can wield the included Zombot Drone, his weapon of choice which looks like an uzi with a megaphone attached. Like the Scientist his only dons a singular boot, and a cool utility get-up including yellow cap and pencil. I love that his belly splits his shirt and vest, just makes him an alive caricature with one eyeball popping widely, grey flesh and a handlebar mustache - he’s sorta the sixth Village Person (er People, ah, you get it…). He comes with two other (three in all) accessories: a jackhammer and walkie talkie-like detonator. Chomper is a wild thing, and he’ll make any collector’s heart sing in ripe purple and jagged teeth! He’s a bit of a flashback nod to Audrey Jr. from Little Shop of Horrors crossed with a piranha. He’s basically a plant Deathstar come to life with a knife-sharp tongue and fuchsia-fin mohawk. Hey, this sucker can devour a zombie whole, so don’t let his sporty looks fool ya. His “smile” is ready to chew his opponents live.
Lastly, the set with the most parts here is Foot Soldier Zombie (uses a Z-1 Assault Blaster, included and is always fighting) and Camo Cactus (this variant is slow but deals out highly damaging shots w/accuracy). Well, if you did not know, Ms. Camo is a master of disguise, blending in with any environment. Here, with tulips growing from the top of her head and leaf-covered she could easily disappear into any suburban garden. There may not be another precedent for a cactus figure, and this one explodes with instant allure. Her circular mouth becomes a snoot for an additional canon-like appendage (accessory) and the figure’s slightly droopy eyes are perfectly painted in a rusty orange-red. She sprouts cactus arms covered in camo and the paint job on this figure is the strongest of all in the half dozen. Foot Soldier Zobie is skinny and comes with a bonus headband head accessory, and two guns, the larger of the two which can be attached to his back. His old boot with toes exposed is hysterical (the other, complete with sport sock has one toe showing), and his army-green outfit with matching chipped helmet is spot-on.
Overall, these are the sleeper hit of the season (and that’s from a guy who doesn’t even - yet - play the game). One of those rare times where a figure/s have spurred my interest in wanting to play something I’ve only previously looked at rather casually. This entire set has stolen our attention this week, and should grab yours.
RATING: 10/10
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