Interview with Mike Jones of Peril Unlimited

By Geoff Bough

It's a rarity to find cool zombie action figures these days. Custom figures have taken some of the wind out of the corporate toy maker's sails (pun intended). Mike Jones has created Peril Unlimited, his at home custom toy studio in California. Zombie figures are his specialty and these are some of the best looking zombie sculpts I have ever seen. We got to talk to Mike about his figures and Peril Unlimited, check it out:

Rev: When did you first start making these brilliant zombie action figures and what inspired you to do so?

Mike: Peril Unlimited and Ash are a little over 7 months old but it took over a year to save up the money to actually get the zombie made. I was working a full time job on the night shift in a warehouse and had three part time jobs all firefighting related during the day and early evening. Every Thursday when I woke up I knew I wouldn't be getting back to sleep until late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. That was the longest most awful year of my life, but it allowed me to sock away enough money to have Ash made. Ironically, I feel I spent that year as a "zombie" myself from a lack of sleep.

I've always had a love of zombies and as a child of the 80's was lucky enough to be able to "be there" when all the great zombie movies were just coming out. I was doubly fortunate that the local pre-cable TV stations were still playing the old Hammer horror films alongside Blackbelt Theatre. In my opinion those old black-and-whites really set the tone for my adult monster making career. I learned about atmosphere and texture. That may explain why I use a finely sifted black mineral earth to coat my zombies. The black earth creates texture as well as a stark color like you would find in the old films.

The face of Ash is a composite from many different sources but mainly Evil Ash from Evil Dead II. To me... that was what a zombie should look like! The sculptor in China didn't speak much English so we communicated via e-mail with lots of smiley faces next to things I liked and sad faces next to things I didn't. Somehow though.. the first version of Ash wound up with vampire teeth...

Rev: These are honestly some of the best zombie sculpts I have seen, can you take us through the process of creating one of these figures? How long does it take to create one?

Mike: Like most creative people, the process starts with an idea that's constantly churning in my brain. When I'm trying to sleep neat ideas pop into my head. When I have some quiet time more ideas pop up. I've got enough zombie ideas to make at least a dozen more very different character zombies with ease. With all the other "stuff" I've got floating in my brain alongside the undead I've been able to map out a ten year business plan without too much difficulty.
The problem that grinds everything to a halt as usual is money. All the "great ideas" are worthless without the means to turn them into molded ABS plastic.

The thing is though, all the great zombie fans have responded so well to Ash that money is slowly becoming less of a problem. It's just like the expression goes "if you build it, they will come." I can forsee a time when I'll be able to get several figures out per year rather than busting my ass all year long just to get one limited edition manufactured and out the door.

Rev: How many zombies have you created and what are your plans for the future of the figure line?

Mike: I've created my first dozen but they only exist on paper right now. I've customized well over 300 of the Ash zombies for my customers and I made 500 bodybags by hand because I couldn't afford the standard packaging that all the other action figures have.... but it turns out that people love the bodybag so it works out well for everybody.

My plans for the next zombie include a zombie cheerleader, some zombie accessories and then a bunch of zombies that right now are top secret

Rev: Have you ever created figures from any of the popular zombie films for your personal collection?

Mike: I'm a decent customizer and I learned my kung-fu from a guy named Fred Jeska who is not only a world class customizer but is the co-host of the Sacramento GI Joe show. Check out his website and be amazed!
http://www.freewebs.com/kellysheroes/zombies.htm

Oddly enough I have yet to make a single custom zombie. I make lots of fantasy figures based on my Dungeons and Dragons characters though. It tends to relax me and gives me a breather from the zombies so that I can refresh myself.

I always swore that if the toy business became too much like actual work and ceased to be fun I'd drop it in an instant. My day job with the fire department pays well, I love it, and I only work ten days out of the month so I have the luxury of not needing Peril Unlimited to put food on my plate. That's great for my customers though because I can take financial risks as well as put more time into my figures rather than just cranking them out.

Rev: What are some of your favorite zombie films?

Mike: I loved the Dawn of the Dead remake mainly because the cast was so well chosen. Return of the Living Dead is a very guilty pleasure of mine. 28 Days Later was great, 28 weeks later stunk on ice. If you count Re-Animator as a zombie movie you can count me as a big fan. Shaun of the Dead was brilliant. If you really want to go old school I loved seeing Jason and the Argonauts fight the skeletons (I'm aware that they're not technically zombies but when I first saw that as a kid I nearly lost my mind)! Ultimately I'm a fan of most of the movies out there.

Rev: How do you feel about the current zombie renaissance? Do you think it's something that will stick around for a while?

Mike: I'm glad to see the rest of society is finally catching up to us! I thought that when 30 Days of Night showed up in the theatres that zombies would be pushed to the side by vampires, but that doesn't seem to be the case. With more movies, comics, the zombie walk folks, a supposed TV show, and video games coming out I forsee the undead marching on for quite some time.

The zombie genre seems to be always balancing on the head of a pin. The Walking Dead comic has proven that well written fiction can exist in a world of zombies but a movie likes Day of the Dead II may just be so bad it knocks the zombie movement back ten years (Vegetarian zombie????).

Rev: Tell us where we can get these awesome limited edition figures.

Mike: My web page www.perilunlimited.com is your best bet. I'm slowly working on upgrading it so it looks a little more professional but it isn't going anywhere. If I'm out of a product I have a links page to a few other buyers who carry my product and may or may not have it in stock. I also have my e-bay store Peril Unlimited.

Rev: What can we look forward to seeing from Peril Unlimited this year?

Mike: 2008 is the year Peril Unlimited loses its baby teeth and grows a set of fangs! The zombie cheerleader is a done deal. I'd like to squeeze in three or four more zombies or top secret zombie related items before the year is out as well. I'd love to tell you what's coming up next but anticipating is half the fun!

Be sure to check out www.perilunlimited.com and order some of Mike's amazing zombies! Keep your eyes peeled for a Peril Unlimited contest here on Revenant!