Thursday, April 4, 2013

McFarlane Toys • The Walking Dead Custom Zombie Merle Dixon Figure • Season 3

I decided to take a short break from customizing McFarlane football figures and took a crack at another McFarlane product. As a huge fan of The Walking Dead it was too tempting not to take their Merle Dixon figure and customize it into his "walker" form. This was my first time customizing something at this scale with this type of articulation. I learned a lot and had more fun than I've had in a long time.

It's available for sale on eBay!
Link to eBay Auction
  • Removed holsters & pouches and the two leg bands. Resculpted the pants in their place and put back in seams, wrinkles and details.
  • Resculpted the face looking carefully at the prosthetic used on Rooker's face and matching those.
  • Sculpted a bit of flesh coming from his mouth.
  • Removed the knife from his stump and replaced it with his prison shank.
  • Added the tear to the back of his jacket and sculpted entrance & exit wounds.
  • Removed his two fingers that were bitten off and added bony nubs in their place.
  • Repainted the pants and jacket to match Merle's wardrobe in the episode "This Sorrowful Life"
  • Carefully painted the blood in the same patterns as seen the episode, referencing dozens of screen shots.
  • Shaved the shoulder & hip joints to allow more movement and limit the amount of rub