I recently received a package from MiniBigs with two of their popular items: the Zombie Defense Pack; and their custom zombie minifig, “Zombie Al“. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Zombie Heads
One of the cool things about this set is that it comes with two official LEGO® zombie heads, which are always in demand from fans (were to get zombie heads is one of the questions I get most often from readers, along with how to photograph LEGO®). Better still, one of the heads is the female zombie, which has only appeared in one set that has already been discontinued.
Shotgun
This is a great shotgun. I love pump-actions, since I think you’re much more likely to see them than auto-loaders in a zombie survival situation. The flashlight on the barrel and the shell-holders on the stock are great additions. My only complaint about this item is that the grip seems just a little undersized and slides around a bit in the minifig’s hand.
AK47 with Scope & Bayonet
There are a few different AK47s out there from various manufacturers, but what makes this one interesting is that it’s got some modularity to it. Both the bayonet and the scope are options, and can easily be added of removed. In fact, in the sample I received, they were packed separately on a sprue. The mold is very nice, and the scope really gives the rifle a different feel. The bayonet is interesting, because it doesn’t look like a regular knife. Instead, it’s simply a spike, which makes a lot of sense for zombie combat.
Combat Vest
Like the AK47, there are quite a few different tactical vests out there. One thing that’s nice about this version is that it integrates with another item here: the walkie-talkie slips into a pocket on the back of the vest. The actual vest has a nice, simple design, with pouches dominating the front.
Combat Knife
I’m a big fan of this combat knife, because it reminds me of the ridiculous models made popular by First Blood and the other Rambo films. If you grew up in the 80s, odds are you owned one of these “survival knives”, with the saw on the back and the hallow handle to hold waterproof matches and the like. And if you owned one, you probably remember just how crappy a knife it was. Of course, I’m sure there are some really well made knives out there with a very similar design (sans the hallow handle, of course).
This is quite a nice mold. like a lot of the other items here, it’s just detailed enough to be recognizable, but not so detailed that it looks out of place with regular LEGO® items. The blade shape is nice because it’s different from from other other knives out there, and I really like the shape of the pomel.
Crossbow
The crossbow is the big item in this set, which taps into the insane popularity of the Daryl character on AMC’s The Walking Dead. It’s a really cool item, which comes in two pieces. the bottom has to clips to access the bow part, and they click together perfectly.
One interesting thing about this item is that the bow can be detached, although it’s not quite the right width to use as a regular bow, I’m guessing clever builders can find some cool things to do with it. The bolt (quarrel/arrow) is molded into the base of the crossbow, however, so if you want to use it as a bow, you’ll need to find something to use for ammo.
Machete
The machete here is very different from most others I’ve seen. Instead of a typical jungle-style machete, this this looks like a heavy-duty combat weapon. Since I’m more of a fan of civilian-styled improvised weapon, this isn’t my favorite item here. However, I’m betting military and sci-fi builders will absolutely love this one. It would also look good in fantasy scenes.
One thing that makes this item visually interesting is that it features three holes along the spine of the blade, presumable to cut down on the weight of this massive machete.
Extendable Baton
This is one of those items that, until I saw it, I didn’t realize I wanted it. You’d be hard pressed to find a police officer these days without a collapsible baton, but for some reason I never really thought about how we need a LEGO® version.
Flashlight
I love this item. Weapons an armor are plenty cool, but I’m always a sucker for more everyday items like this flashlight, probably because you just don’t see as many. This has a sort of throwback design, with the head of the light being oversized like a flashlight from the 80s or before, rather than a modern streamlined tactical light. I really like this because it’s got a civilian feel to it.
Walkie Talkie
The walkie talkie is designed to function as both a minifig accessory, and to fit into the back of the tactical vest. As such, the design is quite small, especially the bottom portion of the radio. In fact, your minifig can only hold this when the radio is held sideways in the hand. Interestingly, this makes the walkie talkie actually face the minifig, which is pretty cool in my book.
Zombie Al
Regular readers will likely recognize Zombie Al, who has appeared in the comic before (The Bonus Features, if I recall correctly). This is a really, really cool figure. Al’s face is fantastic; this zombie looks mean and nasty. He wants to eat you, so you’d better take him out quick, or start running.
The detail on the torso is great too. I love the exposed ribcage, if for no other reason than it is modeled on the official LEGO® skeleton piece, which is just cool. Al works well as both a normal zombie, and as a decayed body laying on the ground to help make up the scenery of a MOC.
The Verdict
The Zombie Defense Pack is a really solid collection of weapons, armor, and everyday items for $15.00. If you’re into zombies, this one is worth checking out. Zombie Al is a really cool figure with some awesome printing. You can pick him up for $12.00
Pretty nice, digging the crossbow. How’s the quality of the plastic compared to BrickArms and Brick Warriors?
The quality is quite good; I’ve actually been using the combat knife in the comic for a long time now (Clark’s weapon).
the bayonet on the AK piece is based on real world russian bayonetes for the AK/SKS family. they use a ‘spike bayonete’ with is optimized purely for thrusting, and amounts to little more than a pointy metal stick with a small blood-groove to make extraction from the target easier.
NATO militaries have general used a blade bayonet, basically a knife you stick on the gun. this is because the NATO militaries rarely even use bayonets, but a soldier having a knife on hand is useful.
that said the US military used spike bayonets prior to the adoption of repeating weaponry. spike bayonets were common with muzzle loading weapons, since you could still safely reload while they remained fixed, and it was really easy to make a spike with a ring on it that slid over musket barrel.
Really awesome information here, Mithril. Thank you.
I guess I’ve just seen bayonets on AKs that people own, and those are all blade-style. I need to research this a bit more, it seems.
some countries use blade style bayonetes with the AK series, and i beleive the modern russian federation has switched to the blade style, but the soviet era model was just the spike, a carry over from the ww2 rifles.
http://www.ak47bayonets.com/pic/7-2006/images/00-7-15-06-086.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Squintyeyedsmile/media/Guns/AkBayonetextended.jpg.html
Very cool, Mithril. Thanks for the info!
That extendable baton reminds me of the “sick stick” batons from Minority Report.
Oh good call, Galt. I need to rewatch that one.
It’s definitely my favorite movie starring Tom Cruise.
He’s been in a couple I’ve liked. I thought the War of the Worlds remake was quite good (except for the end), Rainman is always fun, and I loved him in Tropic Thunder.
But yeah, the less of him I typically see, the better.
Why do you do this too me Dave? Take my money, take my money now!
Lets hope they post to Australia!
Because I’m an evil, evil man.
That shotgun’s a Remington 870 MCS just like the one available in Black Ops II zombies! So much awesome! 😀