Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A Strong Woman Gets A Decent Feminine Toy: Eowyn From The Return Of The King!



The Good: Nice sculpt, Good playability, Nice action
The Bad: Colors are way off/combines outfits, Mediocre balance
The Basics: An Eowyn figure that looks like the heroine is a nice addition to a male-crowded toy line.


[Back when I was writing for the review website, one of my first branchings out was into toy reviews. The Eowyn figure, as it turns out, was my very first one! I've decided to keep that review intact, as opposed to update it with the form criteria that my subsequent action figure reviews had. The rating, however, reflects my current standards! Thanks for reading and enjoy a real retro-review from me!]

In a bit of a change from all of the media-based reviews I do, I figured it might be fun to try to write a decent review on a toy. Already it is proving to be something of a challenge because I keep finding myself asking, "How much can one truly write about an action figure?!" Well, if there was ever an action figure to write a lot about, the new The Return Of The King Eowyn figure would seem to be a worthy choice.

Eowyn, one might recall, is the daughter of King Theodin in The Lord Of The Rings (click here for my review of the film series!). It should be rather easy to remember who she is; she is one of only three women with a real part in the saga, though unlike Galadriel, Eowyn (and Arwen) never has five or more continuous minutes on screen. Eowyn is the blonde.

Eowyn was previously sculpted in the The Return Of The King figure line in battle armor from the portion of the movie where she is disguised as a man. This sculpt puts Eowyn in a dress, bodice and hair unbound as she appears in most of the two films. The facial expression and rolled up sleeves suggests this figure is actually supposed to be from The Two Towers, when Eowyn is swinging her sword around and Aragorn spars (if it can be called that) with her.

This figure stands just under six inches tall and is accessorized with a sword reminiscent of Theodin's blade. With articulation at the neck, shoulder, biceps, elbow, wrist, waist, thigh, knee, calf and ankle, this figure is exceptionally posable. As well, because of the dress she is wearing, her balance is easy to maintain, making her a figure with excellent playability.

The realism of this sculpt is wonderful. This looks just like Eowyn, which is a refreshing change from many of the The Lord Of The Rings figures I have seen, especially the hobbits. Eowyn's hair is realistically detailed and cast using a softer, more rubbery plastic so it moves and does not inhibit the movement of the head. Similarly, the skirt portion of Eowyn's dress is very flexible allowing a great deal of movement for the legs beneath.

The problem with the dress is that it does not appear to actually be an outfit from the movie. Certainly, the bodice is the one she wore in the middle of The Two Towers, it matches in color and look. The dress however, is not one that she wore either with that bodice or ever in the movie as it was shown. The light purple color looks nice, but the closest garment in the reality of the The Lord Of The Rings movies was an underdress peeking out from one of Eowyn's other The Two Towers outfits.

That aside, this is an excellent figure and a refreshingly different version of Eowyn than the warrior version released earlier in the series. However, as Eowyn is still an action figure and easily the toughest female character in the The Lord Of The Rings, this sculpt also has a button in back that activates a sword swinging action. Pushing the button moves the right arm upward in either a stabbing motion or defending position (depending on how the wrist is oriented). So, even with a more feminine version of Eowyn, the toy is still interesting and playable.

The last item of note here is that this figure seems to be very difficult to find. Inserted at one figure per case, this is a chase figure. Finally, though, it is a chase figure worth chasing! With excellent articulation and a distinctive look, this Eowyn figure is both a collector's piece and a toy anyone who is playing with The Lord Of The Rings figures will enjoy.

For other toys based on popular movies, please check out my reviews of:
Watchmen Dr. Manhattan - limited edition variant figure
12" Boba Fett doll
Hot Toys The Dark Knight 1:6 scale Two-Face doll

7.5/10

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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