Just in time for the Halloween season, Diamond Select Toys has just released the latest in its Marvel Select line of the undead — Zombie Magneto, which is their first Marvel Zombie in nearly eight years. Does it hold up to past releases or should DST have let sleeping corpses lie? Let’s find out!
Like all figures in the Marvel Select line, Zombie Magneto is a 7-inch scale articulated figure. The packaging is standard MS fare. It’s a large box with a large window, eye-catching graphics, and interesting text on the back. I’ve always been an opener, but kudos to MS for maintaining their look for all these years.
The first thing that hits you with every MS figure release is the sculpt, and Zombie Magneto does not disappoint. Sculpted by Phil Ramirez, DST has given us a figure that fits perfectly with the look of the Marvel Zombies released years earlier. With the recent advancements in MS figures, this could have easily stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the earlier releases, but Magneto fits in just fine.
The face sculpt is the highlight for me, as it is just full of details and is probably my favorite face of all the zombies. The open mouth, rotting teeth, and hazy eye just make this one scary-looking figure. The helmet is a separately sculpted and removable piece. It looks silly without it as the rest of the head isn’t up to the same level of detail as the face, but having it as a separate piece really adds to the level of realism. It looks fantastic if you ask me. Other highlights include the exposed spine with overlying belt, rotten left knee, and tattered cape.
As with most MS releases, Magneto comes with a detailed base. This one is simple but effective — a street scene with manhole cover and the arm of the Green Goblin holding a pumpkin bomb. Awesome.
The paint work is some of the best I’ve seen on an MS figure. Gone are the heavy washes and drybushing, which has been replaced with some really subtle weathering — particularly noticeable around the collar, helmet, and boots. The gory bits showing through his costume could probably use a glossy finish, but that’s something that even I could modify on my own.
The articulation is on the weaker side, especially considering how great MS has been lately. Magneto has a ball-jointed head, disc shoulders, single-pinned elbows, cut wrists, double knees, rocker ankles, and legs similar to what we saw on Silver Surfer — the frustrating ones with no forward movement. There is no waist or ab articulation of any kind.
Aside from the hips and leg configuration, which really is awful and should never be used again, my one complaint is that Magneto is unable to hit any truly zombie-riffic poses. With no ab crunch (understandable given the sculpt), cut waist, bicep swivels, or forward movement in the legs, he ends up looking far too upright and heroic-looking. Even some more advanced wrist articulation would have helped. The previous Marvel Zombies (Hulk, Cap, and Spidey) all had limited articulation as well, but the sculpt on each was twisted and contorted which made them all the more monstrous. This guy will still look great standing in a triumphant vanilla pose, but you’re awfully limited in what you can do with him.
I was never a huge fan of the source material, but the Marvel Select Zombies are some of my absolute favorite figures. Even amidst the overabundance of zombies in today’s market, the Marvel Zombies are still unique and fun. They don’t really fit with anything else, and that’s what I like about them. For the casual collector, $25 might be a little steep for what you get. It’s a beautifully sculpted figure for sure, no one can argue that, but it also has an outdated articulation scheme and is, some would say, an outdated property.
For me, though — buying the Marvel Select Zombie Magneto was really a no-brainer.
Thanks for reading!
