The Good: Detailing, Dead cool sculpt, Accessories
The Bad: Action motion, Practical flexibility
The Basics: Looking just like the villains of The Fellowship Of The Ring, this toy is nice, but nowhere near perfect.
Because I started my reviewing experiences in the media fields, when I moved into toy reviews, it was very different for me. When I first encountered the Witchking Ringwraith action figure, reviewing toys was still new territory for me. It's like living in a city and suddenly discovering a whole new row of shops down some side street you never ventured down before. So, as I sat looking over my desk, I noticed new things I could evaluate and the Witchking Ringwraith leapt out at me.
Well, actually, it fell off my shelf and onto me as I was typing. It has a habit of doing that just about any time I try to repose it in anything other than a simple standing with sword out pose. It is one of the few flaws of this figure.
For those who do not know, the Ringwraith is the villain of the film The Fellowship Of The Ring, the first chapter in The Lord Of The Rings saga. Actually, that should read "Ringwraiths" and "are," but as this is a single figure . . . One of the plus sides of the Ringwraiths is that they are ghostly, undead and there are nine of them and they all look the same in The Fellowship Of The Ring (which is reviewed here!) so anyone who might be playing with The Lord Of The Rings figures can pretty much never have too many of this figure. So, parents buying a child a toy from this series cannot go wrong with a Ringwraith, but given the content of the films, it does beg the question what are you doing buying a kid this toy? Parents (or friends) who buy their young adult and adult children (or friends) toys, you can't go wrong with this figure.
The figure looks perfect, just like the Ghost of Christmas Future creature that was in the movie. It's pretty impressive for those of us who grew up on Star Wars figures or Masters Of The Universe to see an action figure like this where the clothes are plastic, but have a great deal of flexibility to them, like rubber. Considering this is a cloaked creature, the softness of its cloak makes a big difference in terms of playability. This figure is far more flexible than any old Strawberry Shortcake or Barbie doll!
However, the figure's joint flexibility is limited by the cut of the clothing as well. When the arms are bent upward at the elbow joint, the effect is somewhat ridiculous given the sleeves stick way out. Despite that, the figure has many points of articulation: ankle, knee, hip, waist, shoulder socket, elbow and wrist. The astute reader will note there is no neck articulation as this creepy adversary has no head. As well, there is a button in back that forces the right arm forward in a stabbing motion. This action is severely inhibited by the draping of the front portion of the cloak as well as the scabbard beneath it.
Moreover, the movement of the leg joints is almost completely pointless. Given that the Ringwraith is essentially wearing a big, flexible dress, the legs are still limited to the way the cloak moves. So, no matter how one bends the legs, the toy is still mostly supported by the cloak, making leg movements other than slow, purposeful, deadly stride or standing still utterly pointless. Still, I suppose it's nice to have the option, save that moving the legs too extremely may cause the short sword scabbard to come off the cloak and it's a bear to get it back on.
On the plus side, this is a very realistic sculpt. It looks very cool and it has killer (pun intended) accessories with both a long sword and a short sword that has a spring action to make it look like it is sinking into its opponent. That is pretty cool. Moreover, the toy is durable. It holds up well over years (almost three already!) with little loosening of the joints.
Despite the minor problems with poseability (though, how else are you going to pose a Ringwraith other than menacing and killing?!) and the action button, the Witchking Ringwraith (unsure why it is officially called the Witchking Ringwraith, instead of just Ringwraith) is a great addition to any The Lord Of The Rings collection by the quality of the sculpt and the accessories.
For other The Lord Of The Rings products and toy reviews, please check out:
Eowyn action figure
The Fellowship Of The Ring By J.R.R. Tolkien
Fellowship Of The Ring Trading Card Game
6/10
For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2010, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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