Review of The Walking Dead Comic Series 3 Rick Grimes figure!

I said that I wouldn't get into the Walking Dead TV figure line, and now I have 5 figures from it. I also said I wouldn't get into the Walking Dead comic figure line, then he came out, and I am indeed into the Walking Dead comic figure line....*sigh*...curse you McFarlane.....

The Basics:
Scale: 5"
Price: $12.99 - $19.99 in store, $14.99 and up online.

Character Bio:

Rick Grimes was formerly a police officer in the small, peaceful town of Cynthiana, Kentucky. After being wounded in a shoot-out and waking up from a coma after a month, he has now become a reluctant figurehead of a group fighting to survive a world where the dead no longer stay dead, and the living should be feared just as much as the dead.

So this is one of those figures that can sell you on an entire line, let's just get that perfectly clear before we go any further. As I said above, I was never interested in the Walking Dead comics line, but after getting this figure, I am kicking myself for two things. One is not getting the NYCC Jesus when I was at NYCC, and the second is not getting the comic Michonne, Governor, or plethora of walkers at my local comic shop on the day they had their 50% off sale. So you know, that sucks. This figure however, certainly does not. Why? Read on dear comic/figure enthusiasts.

 

First off the sculpt on this figure is gorgeous. It's remarkably accurate to Charlie Adlard's artwork in the comics, and I am very tempted to get this figure AGAIN in the black and white 2 pack that comes with Andrea, just to have a fully comic book styled Rick. Yeah, it's that good. It's just the subtle details, like the rip in his shirt on his chest, and the bits of skin peering through the bandages on his stump that make the figure come alive that much more. The one area where I feel the sculpt suffers slightly is the lower torso, where the legs are. There was an attempt to save both sculpt and articulation but it didn't work out well. The details of the pants kind of get lost once you start moving the joints around. I do definitely appreciate the effort, but I think Daryl executed the blending of this new articulation and sculpt better.

The head sculpt is probably my favorite part of the figure.It just looks so damn good, like he stepped right off the page. The shaggy hair is flowing ever so slightly, and his beard looks really cool. Even his expression is just a stern, driven expression, perfect for Rick.

 The paint work on this figure is also perfectly applied, but you should definitely check it on the shelf if you can before purchasing. I had the luxury of choosing from three, one had slightly wonky eyes, and the other had a bit too much pink on the cheeks and the brown from the beard was bleeding into the lips. This guy was perfect, so that is one thing to note. Other than that, all the paint was applied perfectly, and the blood splatter...well...there's really no wrong way to paint blood splatter, unless it doesn't look like blood, but this most certainly does. He also has a really nice wash on the shirt which gives it a really "lived in" feel, and goes that extra step to make this figure pop.

 Now sculpt and paint are only half of what makes a figure. Does Rick excel in articulation and accessories? Yes, and well...mostly.  His articulation is close to perfection save for one joint, which I can understand. He has a really nice ball joint in the neck, swivel-hinge shoulders, swivel hinge elbows, and on the left wrist only, a swivel at the base of the wrist, and a swivel-hinge where the wrist meets the hand. He has a swivel at the waist (slightly limited but understandably so), swivel-hinge hips, swivel-hinge knees, and swivel-hinge ankles. Now the one joint I would have liked is the abdominal ball joint that Daryl had, however Daryl had a vest to hide it whereas Rick doesn't, so I understand why he doesn't have it, and I do feel like it would ruin the sculpt. The one thing I would change (and this is simply personal preference, is I prefer ball joint ankles to the swivel-hinge ones. It's not a knock on the figure, but I've seen how they are on the Merle and Governor figures and I feel they look a bit more natural once posed, but not a knock on the figure at all.

Now the accessories:

First up Rick comes with an axe. It has a great sculpt and is painted well with great detail and some serious blood splatter. It fits perfectly in his hand and can also be stored in a loop on his belt. I would advise caution because the loop is very tight and too much force may break it.

 

 Rick also comes with an assault rifle, which looks great in terms of paint and sculpt. The problem is getting it into his hand. The trigger finger isn't sculpted long enough to fit into the trigger guard, meaning he can hold the gun, but not perfectly. Other than that you can sling it over his shoulder which you'll see below.

 Rick also comes with a shotgun which, like the assault rifle, looks great, but doesn't fit well into his hand. The best way for him to hold it is 4 pictures down.

 Lastly Rick comes with a revolver which, if I'm correct, he uses more in the show than in the comics. Either way it looks great and fits snug in his hand, or, when not being used to kill the undead, in his holster.

 I love that he can fit them all on his person if you don't want him holding them. That is a serious plus in my book.

Lastly, it's comparison time. Here's how he stacks up height wise to the only other Walking Dead figures I have.

 FINAL THOUGHTS:
Wow, I had passed on this guy originally at NYCC for $30.99 and I was kicking myself for that, so when I saw him for $19.99 at my local comic shop I didn't even hesitate. I'm so glad I didn't because I have to say that out of the two (technically four) comic Rick's out there, this is the definitive one. Whether you want him in color or black and white, you can't go wrong picking up this figure. He does have a few flaws but the good definitely outweighs the bad.
9 OUT OF 10!!!