The Good: Great sculpt, Good accessories, Decent collectible value
The Bad: Some balance issues, Vastly over-accessorized, Cannot hold any of his accessories
The Basics: The Invader Zim Wizard World Chicago Exclusive Invader Zim Old Man Disguise figure is one of the less expensive, though pretty cool, Invader Zim figures!
As space in our apartment frees up, I’ve been eagerly getting my wife new things so the place feels more “ours.” I’ve had so many collectibles around that have dominated our décor that as we find things she is interested in, it’s been pretty cool to find things that reflect her interests. Lately, we’ve manages to track down some of the Invader Zim figures for her and some of the hardest to find have been Invader Zim and Gir. So, I was pretty psyched when I discovered that the exclusive figure sets of Zim and Gir together were actually more readily available than the single figures. As a result, the first Zim figure that ended up in her collection was the Old Man Disguise Invader Zim figure set!
From Palisades Toys the Invader Zim toy line was augmented by the Wizard World Chicago Exclusive action figure set, Invader Zim Old Man Disguise, which is the two-pack that features both of the primary characters from Invader Zim.
Basics
The Invader Zim Wizard World Chicago Exclusive Invader Zim Old Man Disguise figure is a 5" tall hard plastic representation of Invader Zim as he appeared in the old man disguise in the episode of Invader Zim (reviewed here!) “Walk Of Doom.” This version of Invader Zim Old Man Disguise is made of hard plastic, save for the flower on the hat Zim is wearing and the hands of the figure, which are made of a softer plastic.
The Invader Zim Wizard World Chicago Exclusive Invader Zim Old Man Disguise and the accompanying Gir in dog disguise with its hood down are pretty impressive sculpts based on the two-dimensional representation of Invader Zim on television. Fleshed out well into the three dimensional figure, the Invader Zim Old Man Disguise figure is taller than the Gir figure, which makes sense. Zim has his mouth wide open, with his tongue going at a weird angle inside the mouth. Gir has his mouth closed, but has big wide eyes. The Invader Zim Old Man Disguise is sculpted accurately, which means that his legs are tiny and pointed without disproportionately large feet and his arms are also very thin with tiny clawed hands. Zim is wearing a flowered hat, a fake beard and a trench coat distinct to his appearance in “Walk Of Doom.” This version of the figure is clearly from where he is freaking out because his one eye is incredibly large, while the other is squinting. Gir is cool in his green suit, but unlike other versions of the figure, his head is visible and the green dog hoodie head is on the figure’s back.
On the coloring front, both figures were exceptionally easy to render correctly and Palisades Toys did an excellent job with them. Because they are based on an alien character and a robot character created with monotones, things like skin depth and shading do not apply. Instead, Palisades kept the figures appropriately with solid colors for the grays of Gir, the green of Zim’s skin and the blacks of both their extremities. On the coloring front, Invader Zim Old Man Disguise is perfect and his accessories match the level of detailing the action figure has.
Accessories
The Invader Zim Wizard World Chicago Exclusive Invader Zim Old Man Disguise comes with a stand for each figure (they cannot be mistaken or interchanged because of the way Gir’s has a “floating” cylinder to attach him to the stand, whereas Zim has a standard peg to plug the Zim figure into), the Mad Dog, IRKEN Vermin, obedience controller, and a lunch tray.
The Mad Dog is a 1 1/2” tall black and purple dog with an eye that looks puffy and gross. Its tiny legs barely support the mini-figure, so it tips over quite a bit. The hole in its ear looks accurate compared to the animated version of the menacing dog and it fits the coloring of the characters well.
The Irken Vermin looks like a little menacing sperm with an angry face and giant teeth. The 1 3/4" long vermin looks like it might be a match for Gir, but could be squashed by Zim’s boots!
The Obedience Controller is a 1 3/8” long device that is arguably the most disappointing accessory as it cannot fit into Zim’s hands.
Similarly, the 2 1/8” by 1 1/2" lunch tray accessory is cast in monotones and does not fit into Zim’s hands. Still, the peas in the tray are a nice touch!
Playability
The Invader Zim Wizard World Chicago Exclusive Invader Zim Old Man Disguise is a very problematic toy on the playability front. The figure has a disproportionately large head, especially with the hat, that makes it very top-heavy. It falls over exceptionally easily. Off his stand, it is impossible to get him to remain standing. On his stand, the Old Man Zim falls over occasionally. Gir cannot stand off his stand, but he is solid on it. Unfortunately, him being on his stand robs Gir of his articulation.
The Wizard World Chicago Exclusive Invader Zim Old Man Disguise has pretty limited articulation, which is also based in part on the limitations of the sculpt. This Invader Zim Old Man Disguise comes with only four points of articulation: torso, shoulders and neck. Only the shoulders are attached by hinged ball and socket joints, which allows for greater articulation and a decent range of motion. The neck joint and waist are simple swivel joints, so they basically rotate, without providing much else on the poseability front.
Collectibility
This figure seems to be one of the easier ones to find and it is one of the few Invader Zim action figures (from any series) that is still easy to find in the $30 range. That is about $70 less than the average Zim OR Gir figures, so this represents one of the best, most affordable ways to get a Zim figure for one’s collection.
Overview
The Invader Zim Old Man Disguise action figure is a good figure, despite not being able to hold any of his accessories. Fan might like the fan-favorite version of the character (“Walk Of Doom” is a very popular episode) and while it might be a better piece for display than play, it is still worth picking up!
For other Invader Zim toy and action figure reviews, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Invader Zim GIR from “Germs” plush
Series One Of Doom! Ms. Bitters
Series Two Of Doom! Almighty Tallest Purple
6/10
For more toy reviews, please check out my Toy Review Index Page!
© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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