#1031: Cyborg Ninja

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

CYBORG NINJA

METAL GEAR SOLID (MCFARLANE)

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In my family, I’m the action figure guy and my brother Christian is the video game guy. The cool thing about those two hobbies is that they have a tendency to overlap, with lots of games getting action figures. I’ve been known to dabble in such figures, but I generally stick to ones from games I’ve actually played. Not so with today’s figure, who comes from Metal Gear Solid, a game from a series of games I’ve never once played. I did watch the “movie” version of the first MGS, though, for what that’s worth. Anyway, despite not playing the game, I like a few of the designs, especially today’s figure, the Cyborg Ninja, better known as Grey Fox!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

GrayFox2Cyborg Ninja was released by McFarlane Toys in 1999, as part of their Metal Gear Solid line. This figure is actually the camouflaged variant of the main figure. There were a number of similar variants in this particular line, but it’s actually pretty sensible for Grey Fox, who spends a good portion of the game cloaked. The figure stands 6 ½ inches tall and he has 16 points of articulation. His articulation is a bit better than a lot of McFarlane’s earlier stuff, but still he’s really only good for a basic standing pose. It’s a shame, since Fox is pretty agile in the game, and it would be cool to do a bit more with the figure. The real killer is those freaking v-hips. V-hips are consistently annoying, no matter the figure. Grey Fox’s sculpt is decent enough, especially since it’s based on the PS1-era graphics of the original game. He looks more or less like the character he’s supposed to be. He lacks the cool detail work that later versions got, but he was also a fraction of the price, so it’s acceptable. I will say that his arms seem a bit short and his legs a bit long, but that could just be a stylization thing. The paintwork on the figure is more detailed than you’d think, given the whole active-camo thing. Every detail of the suit has been outlined in black, so that you can still see what he’s supposed to look like. It’s a nice effect, and makes him feel like a whole figure, rather than just a cheap recolor. Grey Fox included a sword (done to match the rest of the figure), an extra head with the faceplate open, and an extra arm with a rail gun attachment. The extra arm is really cool, because it has an elbow joint, which the normal arm does not. Why they didn’t just put elbow joints on both arms is beyond me, though.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Cyborg Ninja figure was actually my very first exposure to MGS. I saw a picture of the figure in ToyFare and thought he looked kind of cool. It was years before I had any clue who he was or what MGS was. In the last couple of years, Tim’s introduced me to the games, and I still quite like Grey Fox. For my birthday, I took a trip to 2nd Chance Toyz and Tim pointed this figure out to me. I would have preferred the regular version, I think, but this one’s not bad. He’s got the sorts of problems I’d expect from an old McFarlane figure (weird proportions, no movement, fragile, etc.), but he’s still a decent enough figure that I don’t regret getting him.

#1030: Captain America

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

CAPTAIN AMERICA

MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES

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In 2006, Toy Biz was in their last year of making Marvel toys. In that year, they were committed to offering Marvel figures in just about every style imaginable. Marvel Legends was their flagship line, so they used its name on a few different things, including the double-sized Marvel Legends Icons. When Hasbro picked up the Marvel license, they continued Icons for a few more series, but the line ultimately fizzled. With Marvel Legends back on the upswing, Hasbro has decided to give the scale/style another try. Of course, like the recently renamed 3 ¾ inch line, this new line has *also* just been named Marvel Legends Series, which makes differentiating between all the lines a bit difficult. It’s Star Wars: The Black Series all over again! Oh well, might as well just look at this here Captain America.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cap12inchML2Captain America is one of the first three figures in the 12-inch Marvel Legends Series. He uses a variation of Cap’s “Marvel Now” look, which is a pretty solid meshing of the comic and movie styles. The figure actually comes in at 11 ¾ inches, so he’s just under 1/6 scale. He has 32 points of articulation, which includes moving shoulder pads, but doesn’t include any actual waist movement. He does still have some movement further up on the torso, but it doesn’t offer quite the same movement. When Toy Biz did the Icons figures, most of them had sculpts that were more or less up-scaled versions of some of their 6-inch Legends. At first glance, I thought Hasbro may have just up-scaled the 6-inch Marvel Now! Cap, but this figure appears to have an entirely new sculpt. The overall quality of the sculpt is quite good. The uniform exhibits a number of fun textures, which make it look like it’s been assembled from a number of different materials. I particularly like the knit appearance of the white areas of the costume. I also quite like that you can actually see the zippers and stuff that show how the costume would be put on in real life. It’s nice that Hasbro is taking advantage of the larger scale to add in details that you might not expect to see. One of my main issues with the smaller-scale Now! Cap (and most of Hasbro’s comic Caps) was the head, which I felt didn’t have the classically heroic look I’d expect from a Captain America. This figure does a bit better, mostly due to the larger scale, but I can’t help but feel that his eyes are just the slightest bit too wideset. It’s not enough to ruin the figure, but it’s enough to bug me a bit. The helmet is a separate (non-removable) piece from the actual head, which is a nice touch, which helps sell that it’s a helmet. Cap’s paintwork is pretty decent. Perhaps not as impressive as it could be, given the scale, but it’s still pretty nice considering Hasbro’s track record with such things. There are even a few bits, such as the kneepads, where they even go above and beyond what we’ve come to expect, and give us some actual detail texture work. Cap includes an extra, unmasked head, as well as a spare empty helmet for him to hold, two sets of hands in fist and gripping positions, and, of course, his mighty shield. The shield is tied into the figure’s “action feature.” When you press the star on Cap’s chest, the star on his back pushes out, and can be flipped over and plugged into the center of the shield. The shield’s straps can then be removed and it can be mounted on Cap’s back. It seems like a rather complicated way of handling something that’s usually done with a simple peg system, but I guess that might not have worked as well at this scale.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When this guy was announced at Toy Fair, I was actually pretty excited. I mean, yeah, it’s another Captain America, but it’s a pretty cool one. My parents bought me this figure on my birthday this year, at my request. I can’t say that I would spend $50 on every figure this line decides to offer, but I feel like Cap was worth it, and I’m happy to have him. Here’s hoping Hasbro can make this line a success!

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#1025 – Addendum: Jon Snow Quick Fix

Posted by Ethan Wilson in General and tagged with , , ,

 

In my review of the Jon Snow Legacy Collection figure, I touched on how much of an effect a bad paint job can have on a figure. My initial opinion of Jon was rather low, given his almost complete lack of resemblance to Kitt Harrington (Tim and Jill pointed out that he actually looked a fair bit like Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham, an assertion I agree with). While writing the review for the figure, I noticed that the paint on the eyebrows and beard didn’t at all follow what was sculpted, so I did a quick photoshop just to see what the figure was supposed to look like. And that made me realize that the figure could be better than the final product ended up.

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As I showed with my Aliens customs post, I used to do a fair bit of customizing (though, I’ve sadly gotten away from it in recent years). So, I dusted off my old paints and set my sites on improving this guy. A quick skin tone touch-up and some new eyebrows later, I can’t help but feel that this guy is, like, *a lot* better. The whole shape of his face is different, the likeness is better, and his proportions even look a bit less out of whack. He’s not a perfect figure, but he’s certainly much improved from where he started. Imagine what someone with more talent than mine could do!

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#1029: Green Arrow

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

GREEN ARROW

DC ICONS (DCC)

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Green Arrow can be a tricky character to handle. He sort of walks that fine line between being an intriguing modern day take on Robin Hood and just being Batman with a bow and arrows. If I’m honest, I think he works best when he’s sort of a mix of the two, as odd as that may seem. He’s a character that I used to really like, but as of late his characterization has kind of stuck with grim and depressed, which doesn’t tend to be my thing. But, I can still enjoy older interpretations of the character, which translates to more than a few action figures in my collection.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

GreenArrowLBH2Green Arrow was released in the first series of DC Icons, as figure 03. Like all of the early figures in the line, Ollie was designed by Ivan Reis, based on Mike Grell’s illustrations of Green Arrow from The Longbow Hunters. It’s a good choice because, while it isn’t a straight classic Green Arrow, it’s from a rather definitive point in the character’s history, and it also has the hood, for those more familiar with more modern takes on the character. The figure is a little over 6 inches tall (making him thus far the tallest figure I’ve looked at) and he has 29 points of articulation. Green Arrow has a sculpt that is technically unique to him, but is aesthetically very similar to the likes of Green Lantern, Flash, and Mister Miracle. Arrow’s is more unique than most in the line, though, since he’s wearing a lot of looser fit clothing. The general quality of the sculpt is quite good, though there are a few issues that hold him back a bit. His limbs definitely feel a bit on the skinny side, especially the arms, which are doubly small, since he’s supposed to be wearing something with flowing sleeves. Also, like the other figures I’ve looked at from the line, his facial expression feels a bit bland. In general, his face feels a bit smooth, which is especially out of place given that Grell’s Ollie from Longbow Hunters is supposed to be a good ways into his career. Still, the overall look is pretty good, and he definitely feels like a Green Arrow figure. The paintwork on Ollie is nice and clean. In fact, despite it’s somewhat subdued qualities, I think it might be my favorite of the Icons figures I have. The paint on the hair/beard is particularly good, with a slight metallic sheen to it, which helps make it look like actual hair.  Ollie is packed with a bow, hands in both fist and gripping poses, two single arrows, and two pairs of arrows to fill the quiver.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I kept meaning to pick up Green Arrow. I really did. He was actually the figure I wanted the most from the first series. Of course, when the first series arrived at my comic book store, this guy was the first to sell out, so I didn’t get him and I just never got around to ordering him. I ended up getting this guy from my parents as a birthday present this year. He’s not perfect (a common issue with the Icons figures), but he’s certainly fun, and I’m happy to have him.

#1028: Freddie Mercury

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

FREDDIE MERCURY

S.H. FIGUARTS

Freddie1

“…I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy. Because I’m easy come, easy go, little high, little low. Anyway the wind blows doesn’t really matter to me, to me….”

So, hey, how about something different? Up to this point, I’ve looked at figures based on super heroes, science fiction, fantasy, horror, comics, movies, and video games. That’s all well and good, because that’s a pretty diverse selection. But you know what’s missing? Music. Yeah, this site could stand to have a little bit of music! If we’re going to do the whole music thing, why not start with one of the greatest frontmen of all-time from one of the greatest bands of all time? Yes, it’s Freddie Mercury, lead-vocalist of Queen!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Freddie2Freddie was released as part of Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts line earlier this year. It’s not the first time Freddie’s had a figure; NECA put out a couple of figures of him about 10 years ago. However, those were back before NECA really got into the articulation thing, so they were little more than glorified statues. This figure goes completely the other direction in that regard, with 30 points of articulation. The range of motion on those joints is also pretty killer; though the elbows and knees are technically just single joints, they have the same range as double joints. What’s Freddie4more, the articulation is worked into the sculpt very nicely, so none of the joints really stick out or anything. Freddie stands about 5 ¾ inches tall, which puts him in proper 1/12 scale. Obviously, he fits in pretty well with the rest of the S.H. Figuarts line (though maybe not quite stylistically), but he also fits in pretty decently with the likes of Star Wars: The Black Series and Funko’s various Legacy Collection lines. Freddie is based on his appearance from his 1986 performance at Wembley Stadium, which is a pretty good choice, since it’s definitely one of his most recognizable. It’s also pretty visually interesting, which is always paramount when it comes to action figures. The sculpt on Freddie is quite nicely handled. He’s a bit more realistically proportioned and detailed than some Figuarts figures, which I definitely appreciate. The likeness is quite good on the basic head, which is impressive, since likenesses aren’t typically a Figuarts thing. While the general details are more on the realistic side, there’s definitely still a bit of a stylization to the overall look of the figure, mostly in the harsh creases on the clothing. It’s not so stylized that he looks artificial, but it’s enough to add just a bit of dynamism to the figure. The paintwork on Freddie is some of the best I’ve seen on a Figuarts figure. It’s not that previous figures had bad paint (because they didn’t), but more that they never attempted to be an actual, real life person, which this one does. And it does it rather well. Sure, it’s not Hot Toys or anything, but it’s also half the size and a quarter of the Freddie7price. The paint on the clothes is nice and bold, and makes him stand out nicely, while the paint on the face is subtle and lifelike, so he doesn’t just look like a cartoon version of Freddie. They even added a little of paint to represent his chest hairs. That’s attention to detail. Part of the appeal of Figuarts is the amount of extras included with each figure. Freddie is no exception. He includes two extra singing heads, four pairs of hands (fists, tight grip, loose grip, and open), a microphone on a stand, and a mic on its own. The heads are definitely the star attraction here, and they offer a ton of fun when it comes to posing. The extra hands allow for a number different looks as well, and the mics are very good recreations of the real thing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Freddie was a birthday present from my parents. He’s one of the ones I specifically requested, as I’ve actually been eyeing up this figure since it was announced back in October. He’s definitely outside my usual arena of collecting, but you’ve got to go outside your comfort zone sometimes, right? Especially when it comes to a figure this good. Freddie is definitely the best Figurarts figure I’ve gotten, which is no easy feat, let me tell you. This is certainly one of my favorite figures of the year!

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#1027: Khal Drogo

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

KHAL DROGO

GAME OF THRONES: LEGACY COLLECTION

Drogo1

For the final day of Westeros Week, I’ll be heading back over to the Essos side of things, and taking a look at the Dothraki, once one of the most feared factions in the series. Oh how the mighty have fallen. They were set up as this great threat; an unstoppable army under the control of the last Targaryen. But, by the end of the third season, they’ve been pretty much entirely replaced by the Unsullied and the Second Sons as Daenerys’s forces. Their exit from the series can best be attributed to the loss of their leader Khal Drogo, a warrior undefeated by anyone. Well, apart from an untreated infection. That killed him real good. Despite only being in the first season of the show, Drogo made an undeniable impact, and still has quite a few fans even six seasons later. So, it’s not a huge shock that he got an action figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Drogo2Khal Drogo was released in the second series of Funko’s Game of Thrones: Legacy Collection. He was figure number 10 in the set, which places him right smack dab in the middle of Robb and Arya Stark. Drogo is the last figure I’ll be looking at from this particular series (though he’s not the last figure I haven’t covered. There’s a Daenerys variant that I don’t see myself getting). The figure stands about 6 ½ inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation. Drogo really only had the one look in the first season of the show, though he was seen both with and without the war paint. This figure opts to give him the war paint, which is good, because that makes him a bit more visually exciting. Drogo isn’t the most posable action figure, due to his design being a bit on the constricting side of things. That being said, Drogo wasn’t the most agile guy on the show, seeing as his bit was to be the person equivalent of a wall. Drogo has one of the better sculpts from the line. The proportions are nicely balanced, and the detail work on his clothing is up to the same great standards as the rest of the line. The likeness to Jason Mamoa is pretty decent, if not spot-on. You can definitely tell at a glance who it’s supposed to be, which is the important thing. The hair and beard braids are a bit in the fragile side (one of the beard braids has already had to be repaired), but that’s not a huge surprise, given the intricate nature of the design. Drogo’s paintwork is pretty well handled overall. In particular, the fact that the war paint actually looks like body paint is pretty impressive, since just getting decent coverage in the first place can be difficult. The figure includes two larger sickle-style swords and two smaller blades that can be stowed in the sheaths on his belt.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Drogo is another of the Game of Thrones figures I got as a birthday present from my parents. After getting Dany, Drogo definitely was high on my list. He’s a fun character with a fun design, and he translates quite nicely into action figure form.

And that marks the end of my Game of Thrones: Legacy Collection reviews. The line isn’t without its flaws, but it has overall been a very fun little subset of my collection. Honestly, the biggest flaw the line has is its limited run. What I wouldn’t give for a Catelyn or Sansa, or even Ceresi and Joffery. Heck a Season 6 Jon would be awesome too. I’d love for Funko to come back to this line, but the recent move to a smaller scale indicates that won’t be happening. And that’s a shame.

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#1026: The Hound

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

THE HOUND

GAME OF THRONES: LEGACY COLLECTION

Hound1

It’s really hard to start up a review of the Hound without using any obscenities. Like really hard. Because obscenities are sort of his thing. Yes, for day 6 of Westeros Week, I’ll be taking at Sandor Clegane, better known as The Hound. He’s a character who starts off rather unlikeable, and, well, I can’t say he becomes likeable, but the audience starts to like him. Greater evil and all that. It also helps that he’s the least evil Clegane we’ve met (though being less evil than the Mountain doesn’t take much doing). He was popular enough to get himself an action figure, which I’ll be taking a look at today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hound2The Hound is another figure from the first series of Funko’s Game of Thrones: Legacy Collection. He’s figure 3 in the line, and he’s also the last figure from Series 1 that I haven’t reviewed. He’s based on Clegane’s look during Seasons 3 and 4 of the show, when he’s off on his own and then later when he’s Arya’s captor. The figure stands 6 ¾ inches tall (making him the tallest figure in the line) and he has 25 points of articulation. He lacks any sort of waist movement, which is rather restrictive, but his articulation is otherwise pretty decent. His sculpt is overall pretty good. The armor is very nicely detailed, and he chainmail is handled surprisingly well. The build and size of the figure looks appropriate to Rory McCann’s appearance on the show, which is good. The weakest piece is definitely the head. The likeness to McCann is there, but the likeness to the Hound is not, if that makes any sense to anyone. One of the distinctive traits of the Hound is the rather grisly burn on the right side of his face. Here, it’s little more than a slight bump on his forehead. Now, like Jon, it’s hard to tell Hound4how much of this is the fault of the sculpt and how much of it’s just poor paint. There’s definitely some texture on the face that the paint just sort of ignores. The worst offense of the paint is the right eyebrow. Going by the show, it shouldn’t even be there, but on this figure, they’ve given him a pair of matching, perfectly intact eyebrows. It throws the likeness way off, and he looks much better with the right one removed. The rest of the paint’s actually pretty good, especially the wear and tear on the armor. The Hound includes his distinctive helmet (with a moving visor), as well as two different broad swords. One of the swords can be stowed in the permanently affixed sheath on his back, while the other goes in the removable sheath on his left side. The side sheath is held in place by slipping it into a little loop on Clegane’s belt, which, it should be noted, tore right off the first time I tried to use it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like yesterday’s figure, the Hound was a birthday present from my always supportive parents. He’s not one of my must-have figures, but rather just someone who fills out the set. That said, eyebrow issue aside, this is a pretty solid figure, on par with the rest of the line.

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#1025: Jon Snow

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

JON SNOW

GAME OF THRONES: LEGACY COLLECTION

JonSnow1

Welcome back to Westeros Week everybody! In any long-running series, there are inevitably the breakaway hit characters. Characters who start off as just a member of the ensemble, but become slowly more and more prominent, until they’re a major character. While he was certainly set up as an important player from the very start of the series, Jon Snow wasn’t one of the leads. He’s off on his own, with hardly any input during the show’s first season. Heck, Kit Harington was ninth billed during the first season (and he didn’t even get a credit all to himself; he shared with Harry Lloyd). In season 6, he was fifth billed, and he had a number of episodes devoted primarily to his story. Not bad for a bastard! Now, let’s look at a one of his action figures, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

JonSnow2Jon Snow was released in the first series of Game of Thrones: Legacy Collection. He was figure number 1 in the line, because Funko knows what’s up! Jon Snow is seen here in his standard garb following his acceptance into the Night’s Watch, which is a good look for him. The figure is 5 ¾ inches tall (which is about right for Harington), and he has 26 points of articulation. Jon Snow has some of the better articulation in the line. Everything is pretty smooth and solid. Unfortunately, the articulation comes at the price of the sculpt. Jon Snow has easily the weakest sculpt in the line. The body is the worst offender yet in terms of the narrow shoulder issue that plagued these guys. Jon Snow’s not a huge guy, but with the big fur collared cape and everything, he should definitely be a lot bigger than he is here. Most of this line has stood out for its attention to detail on the costumes, but Jon Snow doesn’t quite live up to the rest of the line. Most of his clothes are rather plain and untextured, and the fur on the cape in particular just looks too even and artificial. Also, while just about every other figure in the line has managed to do a decent job of hiding the mid-torso joint within the clothes, Jon Snow’s joint is just there, for the whole world to see. It honestly looks a bit like he’s wearing a belly shirt over another shirt. Not ideal. The last part of the sculpt is the head. It really doesn’t look much like Kitt Harington. That being said, it’s hard to say how much of the issue is the JonSnow4actual sculpt and how much is just poor paint choices.  It definitely feels a bit on the large side, though. The paint on Jon Snow is…well, it could definitely be better. The face is the worst part. The beard and whole mouth area are just really odd looking, but the most annoying part is the eyebrows. Those aren’t Kitt Harington’s eyebrows, and if you look closely, you can see that they were sculpted correctly, but the paint just totally ignored it, which throws the entire likeness off (it improves quite a bit if you fix them). The body fairs a bit better, since it’s mostly just straight black with a few details here and there. It looks like they tried to do an effect similar to what we saw on Robb’s cape, but it didn’t work quite as well this time. Jon Snow is packed with his sword Longclaw, which is one of the cooler swords the line gave us.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This figure was a birthday present from my parents, who helped me complete my GoT set. Jon is one of my favorite characters on the show, so I definitely wanted to get a figure of him. However, I purposefully held off because I knew this wasn’t one of the line’s stronger figures. It’s kind of a shame, because the rest of the line is pretty strong, and I’d love to have a Jon Snow of an equivalent quality. Purely looking at the quality of this guy just as a cool action figure, he’s not bad. The poseability makes him one of the more amusing figures from the set to play with. However, he kind of fails as a figure of Jon, and he almost feels like he’s from an entirely different line than the rest of the figures.

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#1024: Daenerys Targaryen

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

DAENERYS TARGARYEN

GAME OF THRONES: LEGACY COLLECTION

Daenerys1

Today is Day 4 of Westeros Week (though for today’s review, it might more aptly be named Essos Week). In lieu of an actual intro, I’m just gonna write out the character’s full name. Yes, today I’ll be taking a look at Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Mhysa, Breaker of Chains, the Unburnt, and Mother of Dragons. Get all that? Good, let’s get on to the figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Daenerys2Daenerys was released in the first series of Funko’s Game of Thrones: Legacy Collection. This is the first of the two Daeneryses that Funko released in this style. She was figure 5 in the set, making her the second to last figure in the first series, chronologically. Daenerys is based on her Dothraki garb from the latter half of Season 1. While it lacks some of the elegance that she’s become more known for as of late, it’s a pretty solid look, and comes from the period in the show where she really kicked off her main character arc. The figure stands about 5 ½ inches tall and has 24 points of articulation. While her sculpt doesn’t have quite as much detail work as some of the other figures in the line, Daenerys still exhibits some pretty awesome sculpted work. She’s got one of the better hair sculpts the line gave us (it’s even shaped to sit nicely on her shoulders and chest), and her various garb all has the appropriate texturing. The face isn’t quite Emilia Clarke. You can tell who it’s meant to be, but there’s something just off about it. Daenerys’s hands are both sculpted as though they’re meant to hold something, but as I’ll touch on when I talk about the accessories, she doesn’t actually have anything to hold. With that in mind, I kind of would have liked to get more pre-posed hands, allowing for a bit more expressiveness. It’s not something I can really hold against the figure, though. Daenerys’s paintwork is overall pretty decent, but there are a couple of issues, mostly to do with the face. The paint on the face (and the rest of the areas of exposed skin, for that matter) is rather on the thick side, which makes the sculpt feel a bit softer, and she also has some issues with the application of her eyes and brow, which look just slightly wonky on my figure. Nothing terrible, but noticeable nonetheless. The rest of the paint is pretty solid, though, and the accent work seems to work particularly well on this figure. For accessories, Daenerys includes her dragon Drogon. Drogon can plug into Dany’s shoulder (via the rather obvious holes around the joint), and looks pretty decent perched there. Technically, this Dany wouldn’t have Drogon, of course, but I’m not really that bugged by it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I first started collecting the GoT figures, I didn’t really plan on getting a Daenerys. It’s not that I dislike her, but she was someone that I took a while to warm up to, and I really was trying to draw the line somewhere. While I was on vacation this year, I spotted this figure at Yesterday’s Fun, and managed to resist the urge to buy her on three separate occasions. Unfortunately, I mentioned this resistance to Super Awesome Girlfriend, Tim, and Jill, and they wouldn’t let me go home until I bought her. They’re kind of a terrible influence are they? Daenerys is a pretty decent figure, though I can’t say she’s one of the best from the line.

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#1023: Tyrion Lannister

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

TYRION LANNISTER

GAME OF THRONES: LEGACY COLLECTION

Tyrion1

All hail the half-man!  For the third entry in Westeros Week, I’ll be taking a look at everybody’s favorite pint-sized Lannister, Tyrion!  Tyrion is probably as close as the story will ever get to having a clear cut protagonist, being one of the few characters to get a consistent level of screen time throughout the course of the series.  He’s also one of the most consistently enjoyable characters, and one of the few prominent characters to have anything resembling a moral compass.  And he slaps Joffery a lot, which never ceases to amuse.  I’m getting distracted.  Let’s look at the figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Tyrion2Tyrion Lannister was released in the first series of Funko’s Game of Thrones: Legacy Collection.  He’s figure 2 in the set.  There are actually three different versions of Tyrion, all of which make use of the same number.  The basic Tyrion depicted him in his battle armor from the end of season 1, and the SDCC variant of that gave us Tyrion from the second season’s Battle of Blackwater, which was the same as the basic figure but with a new, scarred head.  The figure I’m looking at today, however, is the Walgreens-exclusive Hand of the King Tyrion, based on his appearance when he took on the role in Season 2.  I prefer Tyrion to be more of a planner and less of a fighter, so this was definitely the look I wanted.  The figure stands about 4 ½ inches tall (Peter Dinklage is 4’ 5”, so the figure seems to have gotten the height down pretty well) and he has 26 points of articulation.  Like Ned, Tyrion’s elbow movement is incredibly limited.  Must be a Hand of the King thing.  Maybe that’s why they all die (well, okay, not all)!  Fortunately, the limitation isn’t quite as big a deal with Tyrion as it was with Ned.  Generally speaking, I think Tyrion may have one of the better sculpts in the Legacy Collection.  The likeness is definitely there (I suppose the hair could be a touch longer to be the appropriate length for Season 2, but that’s super minor).  The detailing on the clothing is once again superb.  Each little crease and stitch is there, and you can even tell the difference between the different types of materials, which is quite impressive.  Also, Tyrion might be the first figure I’ve looked at in this line where his shoulders aren’t too narrow, which is definitely a plus.  Tyrion’s paintwork is pretty solidly handled.  Most of the base color work is pretty clean (excepting the quite noticeable slop on the edge of his collar) and there’s plenty of great accent work to sell all the various layers of the sculpt.  Even his painted stubble doesn’t look too bad.  I do wish the Hand of the King pin looked a bit less gummy, but that’s pretty minor.  Tyrion includes a dagger, which can be held in the sheath on his belt.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Tyrion was picked up from Yesterday’s Fun while I was on vacation last month.  This was actually a figure I was planning to get anyway, so when I found him there, I was pretty happy.  Tyrion’s probably one of the best figures that the line had to offer, though I’m not really sure why this version ended up as an exclusive, rather than the default.  But hey, I’ve got the figure, so that’s all that matters.

Tyrion3