NECA Cult Classics 6 Inch Shaun of the Dead Action Figure Review

I haven't realised that such a long time has passed since my last action figure review. I've still got a couple of action figures left in my collection to write reviews on but currently I don't have the financials to keep this hobby going :'( I wish I did as I loved collecting these figures and I've still got a lot on my wish list. I guess I have to be patient and wait until I find a good job and save some money but at this point I'm quite pessimistic about this.

Anyway let's get back to my review now (even though I haven't even started it yet). The following review will be for NECA's Cult Classics Shaun of the Dead 2Pack Shaun and Ed. I will also compare this item to my NECA Shaun of the Dead Talking Shaun, a figure I previously reviewed before. Check out the picture below. Sorry for the poor quality, my current camera is quite outdated to the point of being displayed in a museum and guess what? I don't have money to get a new camera!

Let me start the actual review by saying that this was my last and final addition to my Shaun of the Dead action figure collection. I currently possess all Shaun of the Dead figures in my collection and I proudly display them on my shelves. There are some unreleased Shaun of the Dead themed figures, for example a zombie Ed, which looks incredibly stunning. But then again, this didn't even make it to production so I guess I'll be left with what I've currently got :) 

I am afraid the accessories in this figure set are fairly limited. The accessories include; the iconic Winchester rifle, a molotov cocktail, a shovel, a playstation gamepad and finaly a single gripping hand for Ed, so there aren't a lot of variety if you want to display them in multiple poses. The articulation is fairly limited too as only the arms can be moved. Speaking of displaying them, I ran into quite a bit of trouble trying to pose them a certain way. I will get into detail on this issue in the coming paragraphs.

But before I do, let me talk about the overall look of Shaun and Ed. The details on Shaun and Ed are simply fantastic especially compared to my previously reviewed Talking Shaun figure; although, my only complaint is that I wish this figure could be 9 or 10 inches tall instead of 6. Considering the amount of money I spent, which is almost half of what I make per month (working freelance so the pay isn't that decent...), I'd have liked it to be a wee bit taller but I'm still happy with the product and the Shaun of the Dead feel it gives. I actually liked this figure A LOT better than the talking figure.

Yes there are some problems with the paint application here and there but I won't nitpick it and just enjoy how similar the head sculptures of these figures are with actual Shaun and Ed. Unlike Neca's Talking Shaun, Shaun figure in this set ACTUALLY looks like Shaun!! Same goes with Ed. I also really enjoyed the blood spatter detail on their shirts.

Here is a closer look at head sculptures:

Focus on Shaun 

Focus on Ed

The figure is safely stored in a box, actually maybe a bit too safely as it took me about 15-20 minutes to open the package. But then I was surprised by Ed's left arm because it wasn't attached to its place of articulation. It was like that when I took the figure out of the box very carefully. It's not like I forced it either, it just wasn't secured on him. And about that, I tried quite a lot to attach it back in its place, which was incredibly difficult. Despite all my efforts, the arm is still loose and when I move his arm even just a tiny bit it falls off again so I gave up and left it that way.

After my hassle about Ed's arm, it was now time to get him to hold the shovel. I had no idea how to do this as there wasn't a manual included with the figure set so first I tried to force his hand open but it never opened wide enough for him to hold the shovel. However, if you decide to buy one of these; don't make that mistake because the handle of the shovel can be removed easily to make Ed wield it so don't try to force Ed's fingers open like I did. I'm glad I didn't broke his hand in the process when I realised how simple it really was. Just remove the handle and slide the shovel between Ed's fingers and then re-attach the handle back on its rear and you're done. 

However, Ed's arm wasn't the only problem I had to go through. Another main trouble I had was with Shaun and his Winchester rifle. I just couldn't get Shaun to hold Winchester the way he holds it in the official picture of the figure. I did get close though and while I tried to get him to hold the rifle (again very gently), the rather thin plastic handle right under the trigger ripped in half. Luckily it didn't come off completely and in its current position it's difficult to detect so I'm safe I guess. After I slid his right hand on the trigger it was time to get the muzzle to rest on Shaun's left hand which proved to be a difficult task as well. After the incident with the trigger I didn't want to force it any more than I needed in fear of breaking the whole rifle but anyway I finally managed to get him to properly hold it. Shaun doesn't hold the rifle near his eyesight like in the official pictures but he holds it across his chest. I tried to raise his arms to his eyesight to make him look like he is targeting a zombie but it just didn't work, so again I had to leave it that way :)

After this tiresome exercise, all there was left to do was to attach this fantastic duo on the stand which resembles the floor of Winchester Tavern. There is even an open Hog Lumps package on the floor as well as some shattered bottles, I just loved this little touch of detail. Despite my unsuccessful attempts at making them pose the way I wanted, they still look brilliant! It is definitely a figure that every Shaun of the Dead fan should have in their collection. I just hope you won't have a mother like mine whose first reaction was "You paid that much money for that fat man????" :p Damn it mum! What do you know about Shaun of the Dead??