Sideshow Collectibles' Undying Carcass Sideshow Exclusive Edition

**JessHorsley** · 10-28-2010, 11:39 PM

The undead walk the earth and prepare for the end of days...

Be sure to pick up your own Undying Carcass from Sideshow Collectibles today!

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It's Halloween weekend which means it's the perfect time of the year to display those grotesque, horrifying and down-right disturbing action figures and collectibles. While a variety of manufacturers make some truly sickening pieces, leave it to Sideshow Collectibles and their on-going The Dead line of original creations to truly make people want to gag...

So, without further ado, allow me to introduce the Undying Carcass.

PACKAGING:

Like all of Sideshow's statues, the Undying Carcass comes packaged in an attractive cardboard box with eye-catching graphics and text. A part of "The Dead" line, the text is written in the easily identifiable spray painted font; the back of the box featuring a description of the character and the line. The front, sides and back of the box also feature images of the figure. Due to the stark black, white and red color scheme used on the box, buyers will have a hard time remembering anything but the seemingly bloody and violent look of the box.

Inside the box, the statue comes in numerous pieces, including the two variant heads, the body, and the base. Each piece is wrapped in foam paper and surrounded by Styrofoam, ensuring it arrives to the collector in pristine condition.

Overall, an attractive box with a perfect color scheme, great photos, and a solid protection job.

SCULPT:

At 16" high, 12" wide, and nearly the same deep, the Undying Carcass is a sight to behold. Brought to life by a number of artists - including The Sideshow Collectibles Design and Development Team, Don Rutherford, Joe Allard, Kevin Ellis, Tom Gilliland and Martin Canale The Gore Group - the Undying Carcass reeks with detail. Truly a work of undead art, this escaped zombified patient, standing atop a broken pavement/stone base, looks as though he's both shocked to be moving and hungry for flesh.

The figure itself is posed stepping over what appears to be broken steps, arms swinging freely in the air. The position of the body conveys somewhat unliving movement, the pose too uncomfortable for the living.

The figure's body is distressed and destroyed in a number of places, including visible spine bones on the back, festering sours and muscle tissue on the arms and legs, and - most disgusting of all - the stomach has been eviscerated, the undead creature's guts a pile on the stone street below it.

To add to the already sickening appearance, the Sideshow Exclusive version includes two different and unique heads. The first one - a rotting, flesh-covered monstrosity with only one eye, tears in the flesh along the ridge of the skull, and an open-mouthed and slack-lips - makes the zombie look scary but mindless. The second head - a snarling, fleshless terror with exposed bone and muscle tissue everywhere - makes the zombie look like a rage-infested killer. Both have their appeal and fans of classic zombies will probably appreciate the rotting head while fans of the more modern, rage-infected zombies will probably like the fleshless head.

Overall, the sheer sculpted detail in this statue is mesmerizing. From the previously mentioned flayed muscle tissue and the protruding and exposed spinal column to the festering sores and two unique head sculpts, fans of the undead will instantly be attracted to this monster.

PAINT APPLICATION:

First let me say there are certain colors which make one instantly think of certain things: yellow - sun, green - grass, brown - dirt, red - blood. So why is it this statue, a combination of all of these colors, only makes me think of death?

The Undying Carcass feature a variety of colors, perfectly applied to the unrealistic sculpt which gives the statue an even more ghastly appearance. Whether it's the red, bloody gut pile on the stone base, the pale gray/green/yellow skin perfectly shaded to look dead, or the red and pink exposed muscles and sores, this is one beautifully painted statue.

The most disturbing thing to me wasn't the perfectly detailed fleshless head with exposed yellowing bone, it was a single green area on the figure's back which made it look almost too dead (if there is such a thing?). Where's this zombie been? How long has it been dead for there to be green stuff growing under its skin?!?

Overall, the Undying Corpse features one of the most impressive paint applications I've seen on a statue or figure this year. Truly a work of art that fans of the undead will apprecaite.

ACCESSORIES:

I make mention of this category only because the statue, as a Premium Format Figure, comes with torn, stained and removable hospital gown which makes this creatures story even more interesting.

COST & OVERALL IMPRESSION:

At $285, it's a bit hefty on the price. That said, the Sideshow Exclusive is limited to only 400 pieces so that's something to consider. However, while the statue strikes an imposing figure, it seems smaller than other 1/4 scale pieces, due no doubt to the skinless and ragged condition of the zombie. Likewise, since this is a Sideshow original, fans could expect the Undying Carcass statue to be less expensive than other Premium Format Figure statues which have been licensed.

No doubt a lot of work, time and effort went into creating the Undying Carcass and it's great to see Sideshow's The Dead line - which was originally strictly 1/6th scale - beginning to look for alternate means of gaining a larger audience.

For die-hard zombie fans, I would recommend the Undying Carcass. Likewise, if you're a die-hard The Dead fan (and I know they're out there), this is a "must own." At 16" tall and covered from head to toe in sheer grossness, the Undying Carcass is a statue no one will soon forget should they come across it on display in your home.

Be sure to check out additional photos of the Undying Carcass below and pick up your own Undying Carcass from Sideshow Collectibles today!

- Jess C. Horsley