LEGO Review: The Zombies

Set #: 9465
Pieces: 447
MSRP: $39.99

Of all the sets in the Monster Fighters theme, The Zombies was the one I was most excited about, especially when it was just a rumor. Monster Fighters seems to primarily fixate on the classic (Universal) movie monsters: Frankenstein monster, the Wolf Man, Dracula, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Zombies don’t really fit into that group, but they’re close enough that the set works within the series without standing out too much.

Zombies also give the Monster Fighters line somewhere to go after the first run. I can’t say whether LEGO® will do another wave – and I sort of doubt it – but by introducing non-Universal, but still traditional monsters, they give themselves some opportunities expand the theme a bit, which is cool.

But what about the set itself? Well, let’s break it down.

Bag One

In the first bag we get most of the parts to the obligitory vehicle that has to appear in every set for some reason, and we also get the minifigures (more on them in a bit). It’s not a bad parts selection, with a handful of unusual pieces like the cow catcher, a couple gold 1×1 round tiles, a trans-yellow 2×2 round brick, and a nice selection of useful Technic bricks (the ones with holes in them).

I will also point out that the directions have been updated in a very, very useful way. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have long struggled differentiating colors in the build instructions, particularly with separating black and dark bluish-gray bricks. Now, the manual has the black-bricks outlined so you can tell much more easily what color to use. Nice!

The completed first bag makes quite an interesting vehicle. It’s a sort of hot-rod meets Mad Max car right now. The engine is huge and blocky, and the cow-catcher is amusingly cartoonish.

Here it is from the back.

Bag Two

Bag two finishes off the car and starts construction of the sarcophagi. Lots of nice parts here, including loads of SNOT bricks, and five more round tiles, this time in light bluish-gray.

Here we have the finished car, now adorned with two spinning hammers and – of course – flick-fire missiles. It looks a little less Mad Max now, and a little more Looney Tunes. That is, of course, all in keeping with the Monster Fighters theme, so no complaints here. It’s delightfully wacky.

Here we have the two sarcaphogi, which I think are probably the weakest part of the set. I like the general shape of them, but the studs-out look and complete boxiness makes them look just a bit unfinished. I guess you could say they look like a sad old graveyard, but I think these could have been a bit more exciting. There’s also an issue of sizing here, which I will address momentarily.

As you you can see, there is a Technic element sticking out the side, as you can probably guess, rotating this opens the grave and has the zombie sit up. This is a really cool, clever feature perfectly in keeping with the set’s vibe.

Unfortunately, the coffins simply weren’t built large enough to hold the Bride minifig, as her skirt is wider than a minifig’s legs. It wouldn’t have taken much at all to compensate for this, but for some reason the designer didn’t bother. Instead, the instructions simply indicate that we should use the Groom and the Driver to fill the graves, leaving the Bride outside. I’m sorry, but that’s just stupid. If the Groom rises from one grave, the Bride should rise from the other.

Bag Three

Bag three gives us a few more nice parts, including a couple corner-slope pieces, some textured 1×2 and 1×4 bricks, two telescopes, three flames, and two more 1×1 round tiles. Not a bad haul.

This bag builds the foundation of the mausoleum, which isn’t too exciting at this point. You can see the bit of Technic goodness that opens the coffins here, but there’s nothing attached to it.

The build itself is nice enough, with a mix of light and dark bluish-gray and black, it’s appropriately drab and dreary.

Bag Four

In bag three we get loads of good stuff: glow in the dark bones and a spider, several teeth/spikes, four of those new brick-bricks, a couple windows, lots of slopes, and a couple of those cool seaweed things.

And then there’s this: the zombie Moonstone. Again, I’m not really sure what use this will be, but I love the design of it. The zombie hand reaching out of the grave is perfect imagery for this set.

Here’s the completed build. The two sarcaphogi connect with the mausoleum. When you turn the moonstone, the graves open and the zombies rise. Pretty clever, for a play feature.

I like the build of the mausoleum as well. Sure, it’s small and relatively simple, but there’s some pretty nice detail work here, like the stained glass window in the back, and the roof with the horns and bat.

There’s another play feature inside; when you press a tab on the back, a cauldron full of bone and 1×1 round tiles flies out. Then it spills all over and makes a mess, so I just sort of left it inside.

The Minifigs

Of course one of the biggest draws of this set is the minifigures, and The Zombies doesn’t disappoint.

First up we have the appropriately named Monster Fighter, Jack McHammer. Dressed like a cyborg lumberjack and sporting one of the new hammers from the Thor sets, this is a pretty damn cool figure. I love the printing here, especially the back printing for extra detail.

Then we have the Zombie Driver, who has shown up in a few sets now. He is appropriately tatters and zombified, so no complaints here.

Next up is the zombie groom, who has a unique head and body printing. Looking quite dashing in his vest and top hat, Zombie Groom is ready for a night on the town.

Finally we have the Zombie Bride, who is absolutely fantastic. She’s dressed in a tattered gown, and features a unique, two-sided zombie head. On one side she looks confused, on the other creepily satisfied. So far as I am aware, that’s also the only time we’ve seen that hair piece in that dull blond color. The Zombie Bride is awesome.

The Verdict

So is The Zombies a good set? Well, that depends on what you want it for. To build and use as the set on the box? It’s okay. The car is kind of cool, and the mausoleum is decent, but the graves are poorly designed and make the whole set feel unpolished. The car also takes up far too much of the piece count, meaning the actual graveyard feels small and undeveloped.

On the other hand, this set is loaded with great pieces, including two zombies that are unique to this set.

With another draft or two, this could have been the must have set of the year. As it stands, it’s got some great figures and pieces for MOCers and comicers like me, but still manages to be a bit disappointing as a set.

Grade: