Huzzah -- they’re finally out in Australia!
Minifigures Series 14 had an official release date of
September 2015, but as is often the case they began showing up earlier in the
US and UK. Well, now they’ve made their ways to the sunny shores of Sydney, and
you can read my take on them, starting with Part
One and Part
Two.
In this instalment, I take a look at the three zombie
figures that have been included as part of this series. The Monster Rocker has
been slotted in here as he’s kind of
a zombie too.
Zombie Pirate
Looking like some sort of refugee from the Pirates of the Caribbean series of
films, the Zombie Pirate was a must-buy due to my love for all things Lego Pirates. All the stereotypical pirate
elements are in place – hook hand, eyepatch and peg leg, but they’ve been
nicely supplemented with a ragged, decaying coat and gigantic sword. He was a
captain in life, and now in death too.
The only real downside is that I am not particularly fond of
this guy’s beard-piece. It works well for conveying a hillbilly look, but it
seems unnecessary here. I’m just as content to display him without it, which
gives him a menacing side-burned look. He’s not as good as the Pirate Captain
from Series 8, but he is pretty great nonetheless.
Zombie Businessman
There is nothing particularly appealing about being a
zombie. While I can see why people might like the idea of being a vampire,
werewolf or some other supernatural creature, a zombie (at least the modern
conception we have of one) does little more than lumber around, consumer human
flesh and eventually rot away.
But the Zombie Businessman is particularly depressing.
Presumably some kind of mid-level executive during life, in undeath he
continues going to the office every day to make sure the bills get paid. Bedecked
in his tattered business suit, he looks more befuddled than menacing. It’s
surprisingly endearing for an undead, shambling corpse.
His accessories rank as some of the best in the series – a
suitcase (which opens up and would be great for any number of other
minifigures) and a newspaper (The Zombie Times, whose headline reads simply
“BRAAAINS”). I hope we see a few more colour variants of this guy in the
future.
Zombie Cheerleader
I just don’t know about this one. I’ve got the previous
cheerleaders released under the minifigures banner, and they were kind of
endearing. This one just seems a little weird. I think it’s the missing tooth.
I get that she’s a zombie and all, but it just throws her whole look out for
me. She’s probably my least favourite of Series 14, but she’s still several
cuts above the weak spots of other series. Fun but not essential.
Monster Rocker
Oh wow, this guy is amazing! The Monster was one of the best
minifigures back in Series 4, so it’s great to see a new version of him now.
And he is ready to rock!
Lego’s market research team has obviously concluded that rockabilly/punkabilly/psychobilly/punk rock fans make up a big chunk of their
market and are now releasing sets to cater to that niche group of buyers. Fantastic.
He’s adorned in denim, a studded belt, with a padlock necklace hanging from his
neck...best of all, he’s got a back patch on his jacket reading “Shock and
Roll”. Last but not least, he’s equipped with a red, bat decorated guitar (or
bass, the choice is yours). Now I just hope we get more not-Universal Monsters
rendered in this style. It would be incredible to have a full band line-up. One of the best minifigures Lego has done,
full stop. On another note…
Right now, it’s pretty easy to be a bit burnt out on
zombies. Since 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead brought them back to
the big screen just over a decade ago, zombies have penetrated through the
mainstream and become ubiquitous in a way that I think few would have
predicted. So much so that it’s pretty easy to feel burnt out on the whole
thing. Lego is obviously riding a larger cultural trend here, but
these are refreshingly fun additions to the existing plethora of zombie
merchandise out there.
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