Ashley

Observation: it was a missed opportunity to not name the other woman in this wave of figures "Madison." As we've gone along, the chapters of the Zombie Lab story have gotten more informative about the characters - at least, what the characters are doing now. There's less information about who they are or what they were doing before. So Chapter 5 may talk all about what specific actions Ashley is performing, but who is she? What are her dreams and goals? What brought her to Tower 101's doorstep on this fateful day? The initial zombie outbreak happened three years ago, so what has she been doing between then and now? If I were a better, more creative person, I could come up with an interesting tale for you; but creativity is for people with glasses who like to lie. So tell your own story. Tell it to us, so we can enjoy it. Ashley is the first female figure in this line to have long hair - at least, long hair that's falling free (Marian had hers pulled into a ponytail). It may be my cultural bias showing, but she looks Hispanic, rather than Chinese. Or maybe Filipina? It's entirely possible she'd look like a Hong Konger to a native, that everybody just sees what they want to see. Like Marian, Ashley is wearing a leather jacket, though hers is black instead of brown. She's also wearing shorts, which really makes us wonder what the weather is like in Hong Kong. Is it super warm, but only up to three feet off the ground, and then it gets immediately cold? Also, how much sense does it make to be wearing high heels in the middle of a zombie plague? You want something that will let you move quietly, or run away fast. Heels do neither. Locker Toys Group licensed Boss Fight Studio's Vitruvian HACKS "character kit system" for Zombie Lab, so Ashley is destined to have great articulation. Namely, a balljointed head and neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows and wrists, a balljointed torso, balljointed hips, double-hinged knees, and swivel/hinge ankles. Her hinges were uniformly tight, and hard to get moving; I took it slowely and carefully, so I didn't have to wait for any replacement parts like with Bane. It's awfully hard to balance her on those high heeled shoes, so it's a good thing the figure comes with a roadway display base. In addition to the base, her accessories include a smartphone, a weaponized push broom, and a meat cleaver. None of those are new pieces, but they do make sense within the parameters of the story. Chapter 5 is included here, on the back of her character art card - that just shows her standing around in an alley, nothing thrilling or dynamic. And she definitely looks more Asian in the art than she does on the toy (though big differences between painting and plastic are nothing new in this regard). Ashley may not be a fashion icon, but zombies can always use more food sources. -- 05/31/19

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