On The Walking Dead TV Series, one of the most transformative character arcs has been Carl Grimes. A character that started out as a defenseless child has slowly morphed into one of the most formidable survivors one the show. No longer the liability he once was, Carl is now one of the most capable members of Rick’s crew. In Season 6 of the show, Rick and Carl’s no-nonsense ways made quick enemies of the inexperienced people in Alexandria, culminating in Carl getting his eye shot out during a Walker herd attack on Alexandria.
McFarlane Toys has chosen this scene, and his look in the following episodes, to craft their own figure of Carl Grimes. The 7″ scale figure is part of McFarlane’s Color Tops Collection. I recently picked up the figure and have over 40 high resolution photos and a review to check out. You can see them after the jump.
The Walking Dead – Carl Grimes 7″ Scale Figure
Pros
- Solid overall sculpt
- Two excellent head sculpts
- Good upper body articulation
- Great paint deco
Cons
- No weapons
- No lower body articulation
Overall
The Carl Grimes figure comes packaged in Blue Wave packaging of McFarlane’s Color Tops Collection. The box is a collector friendly window display, featuring a few photos of the figure on the back. Carl sits on a plastic tray, held in by a few twist ties. The figure includes an extra interchangeable head sculpt, a bloody cloak, a removable sheriff’s hat and a figure stand with The Walking Dead logo printed on it.
Carl has a nice overall sculpt. Details are strong throughout, with realistic looking clothing. The pose is fairly static, as the lower body has no articulation (outside of a bit of needless swivel on the legs). The figure features two outstanding head sculpts, each with a great likeness of actor Chandler Riggs. The sculpt is clearly a 3D sculpted design, as there are a few softer spots that I tend to see across many of this type of figure production. However, those softer spots are only noticeable upon very close inspection. The paint work does a fine job of adding extra detailing throughout. The head looks to feature some digital printing, which we see in the S.H. Figuarts releases. This keeps fine lines sharp and colors vibrant and adds to the realistic look of the figure. The upper body has some decent articulation, which looks to be in line with their 5″ scale Walking Dead figures. The arms are fully poseable, the neck can turn and there’s a swivel at the waist. The lower body has no useful articulation.
This is the first Color Tops figure I was drawn to, as the sculpt and likeness were too spot on for me to pass up. It’s a vast improvement over figures like Rick Grimes (whom I also picked up for the photo shoot). the added upper body articulation is a huge step in the right direction. McFarlane is set to introduce additional articulation in future waves, so hopefully a few of the past characters who were in static poses get new versions with the improved articulation. It won’t sway those looking for more play value in their figures. However, if you’re a fan of the line, then Carl is easy to recommend. Check out a few select photos below and the full gallery after that.
Backdrop used is The Alley by Extreme Sets.
CompaniesMcFarlane
CharactersCarl Grimes
Scale7 Inch
Sub-LineColor Tops