Five Frames On Screen, Eternity In Plastic: "Galadriel Entranced By The One Ring" Figure!

The Good: Recognizable sculpt, General sense of balance, Cool function!
The Bad: Playability, General sense of inaction
The Basics: A frightening moment in The Fellowship Of The Ring is made into an intriguing action figure that works beautifully as a toy!


It always fascinates me what characters in a major franchise are transformed into collectibles and why. With the massive cinematic effort The Lord Of The Rings (reviewed here!), merchandising ran rampant and the action figure line produced by Toy Biz was a strange mix of phenomenal sculpts and pegwarmers. So, when Galadriel appears in two major The Lord Of The Rings figure releases, this is surprising to many. Her initial release was a simple Galadriel figure, reviewed here! The second release, Galadriel Entranced By The One Ring, takes an obscure moment from the film and explodes it into a fully realized action figure!

Galadriel, one might recall, is the elf queen of the wood elves and the bearer of one of the rings of power. Galadriel appears in each film in the trilogy, but is also one of the ancillary characters most disconnected from the main action of the film. Her role in the films makes her both an essential action figure, and a likely inaction figure; Galadriel is a more cerebral character than a character of action. In The Fellowship Of The Ring (reviewed here!) Galadriel becomes tempted by the power of the One Ring for but a moment and reveals the dark queen she would become if ensnared by the Ring's power.

Basics

Galadriel Entranced is essentially the same basic sculpt as the white dress Galadriel, Lady of Light figure initially released on a The Fellowship Of The Ring blister card. The rework entirely recolors the dress, skin, hair and facial expression of Galadriel. Instead of the docile elf matron, Galadriel Entranced has a zombie look to her with her tattered gray dress and her green-tinged skin tones.

This sculpt features Galadriel in her black-gray dress, fingers outstretched and hair unbound as she appeared in the moments when the One Ring tore into her soul. Her eyes are bugged out and her fingers while structurally identical to the original have a sensibility to them like she is desperately reaching for the ring. It's pretty awesome. Despite being on screen for only a few frames, Galadriel Entranced perfectly captures those moments!

This figure stands at 6 1/2 inches tall and features an outer dress made of a more rubbery plastic, which allows it to have some flexibility and in effect makes the articulation of the legs worthwhile. As well, because of the dress she is wearing, her balance is surprisingly easy to maintain, making her a figure with excellent poseability.

The realism of this sculpt is surprisingly good. This looks just like Galadriel from that brief, nightmarish sequence, which is a refreshing change from many of the The Lord Of The Rings figures I have seen, especially the hobbits. Galadriel's hair is realistically detailed and cast the same softer, more rubbery plastic as the dress, so it moves and does not inhibit the movement of the head.

Accessories

Galadriel Entranced does not have any accessories.

The closest to gimmick that this figure has is a button on the back of the toy which lights up evil Galadriel's eyes! Galadriel Entranced has a small battery which allows the eyes to be lit up and that is an interesting and fun twist on the usual figure. Moreover, it works perfectly for this figure and because of the limited nature of the illumination, it possesses a realism that figures like the flaming ringwraith lack.

Playability

Galadriel Entranced is quite poseable with ten points of articulation. She has joints at the shoulders, wrists, knees, groin socket and waist. As well, her head has a ball joint which usually allows for greater and more realistic articulation there, but in this case - because of the hair - does not. Instead, Galadriel is more or less limited to about ninety degrees range of motion with the head to turn left to right.

Moreover, the leg articulation is somewhat pointless; the groin socket might allow Galadriel to move her legs some, but the figure is almost always supported by the dress as opposed to the actual legs. And the looks pretty ridiculous with the knees bent in a semi-running pose with her dress flayed out and holding her off the ground. In other words, the poseability aspect of the playability is pretty much a wash save when Galadriel is inactive and standing with her arms outstretched in a desperate attempt to grab the One Ring..

Galadriel is intended as a support figure who supports play and doesn't truly interfere or, you know, play with the other figures. There is no hole in the bottom of the foot for support, though she does not really need it, either.

But on the playability front, she offers the potential for an interesting counter villain to the usual orcs and uruk-hai figures in the toy line. Galadriel Entranced allows young people to use their imagination on her villainy and support that imagination with a clever little gimmick (the glowing eyes).


Collectibility

Galadriel Entranced is inherently collectible based on the fact that she's one of the women in the The Lord Of The Rings figure line and there are only two others! This version is much harder to find than the "Galadriel Lady Of Light" figure, which keeps the figure's value high even years after the film phenomenon has faded.

Those looking at action figures as an investment will find the Galadriel Entranced figure to be a generally good investment as she was fairly rare. She tends to be available in the $15 - $25 range even now, with those prices increasing as time goes on. By the time this figure was released, many of the retailers did not carry the The Lord Of The Rings figures any longer.

Overview

While I might have preferred some form of action base to accompany the Galadriel Entranced figure, this is a cool sculpt and a decent concept, despite the lack of accessories. Its esoteric nature might encourage only devout fans to look for it, but it seems worthwhile to me, especially in a toy line where there are only three female characters represented.

For other The Lord Of The Rings action figures, please check out the reviews of:
Flaming Ringwraith
Witchking Ringwraith
Eowyn

7/10

For other toy reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here for an organized listing of the various toy reviews I have done!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Ringwraith On Fire: When The Batteries Run Out, So Does The Novelty.

The Good: Decent detailing, Interesting concept, Poseability
The Bad: Battery issues, Novelty wears off quickly, Lack of accessories
The Basics: When the Ringwraith is set on fire by Aragorn, it makes for an interesting toy, despite the inherent limitations of such an esoteric figure.


It always surprises me these days to find something I've had in my collection unreviewed. So, it was a pleasant surprise for me when I sat down this morning to write my reviews that I discovered The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring Flaming Ringwraith unreviewed; I set to evaluating the one on my shelf right away.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of this figure, the Flaming Ringwraith is not any sort of rainbow-flag waving concept figure from the The Lord Of The Rings toy line, rather this represents a crucial scene from The Fellowship Of The Ring. In The Fellowship Of The Ring (reviewed here!), at the moment it looks like the villainous Ringwraiths will overcome Frodo and his hobbit allies, Strider arrives, torch in hand to save him. Using his sword and torch, Strider forces the enemy to retreat, ultimately taking one out with a torch and setting it ablaze. The Flaming Ringwraith figure represents that moment in the film when Aragorn lit up the ringwraith.


Basics

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!

The cloaks are layered and the right side of the figure (when it is facing the player, the left side of the creature) is covered with blobs of orange plastic that represent the flames. When one touches a button on the back of the Ringwraith, the blob right below the hood lights up, as if the enemy is on fire. It's a clever enough concept and it looks pretty good, save that not all of the fire bits light up. Thus, the whole effect is somewhat irregularly applied and its instant novelty wears off quickly.

Moreover, the battery does run out, with surprisingly little use. There is a tiny battery port on the back of the figure below the activation button which is easy enough to get to given the flexibility of the layered cloaks. It does, however, require a tiny screwdriver in order to get into the port to change the battery and this, too, is not the most convenient thing. I had supposed that my figure's battery ran out of juice so quickly because I got it new originally in the store and likely hundreds of people had pressed the button. However, the fresh battery did not have impressive results in the lighting of the flames and the battery began to show signs of straining - dimming the flame - within seventy-five presses of the button.

The detailing on the cloaks and gauntlets is nothing short of amazing and it is easy to see why fans of Toy Biz would be impressed with the The Lord Of The Rings figure line, including the Flaming Ringwraith.


Accessories

The Flaming Ringwraith comes adorned in the rubbery cloaks and the rubbery flame but is only enhanced by the longsword which fits into the hard plastic scabbard on the Ringwraith's belt. Rather bafflingly, the sword is made of a similar rubbery plastic to the cloaks, making it flexible and strangely disconcerting. The detailing on the sword is good, but one wonders immediately why it was not cast in a hard plastic instead of the softer, more pliable type.

Moreover, it is disappointing that this is the only accessory to come with the figure. Where is the shortsword carried by most Nazgul as well? Why not have a flaming brand with this figure to plunge into the voluminous head cavity to make the figure make sense?


Playability

The Flaming Ringwraith is ridiculously articulated, in ways that are both impressive and pointless. With twenty-one points of articulation, this is cool for posability, at least, that is the theory. The toy has joints at the arch of the foot, ankle, calf, knee, groin socket, waist, wrists, elbow, shoulder, bicep, and fingers on both hands. The astute reader will note there is no neck articulation as this creepy adversary has no head.

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.

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. As for the mid-foot articulation, this would be a phenomenal idea for those setting their figures up for display pieces, but for the fact that the foot cannot be seen beneath the robes! Still, I suppose it's nice to have the options.

The flaming patches minorly inhibit some of the movement on the figure's left side, but let's be honest; most people purchasing these figures are not looking for playthings, but rather display pieces.


Collectibility

The Flaming Ringwraiths were released rather late in the The Lord Of The Rings toy release. Thus, despite the lingering annoyance of battery issues, the Flaming Ringwraith was fairly underproduced and still commands a decent price in the secondary market. Collectors seem to be able to make out with about $25.00 for this resculpt of one of the more common figures from the first wave of The Fellowship Of The Ring figures.

And it does have its novelty.


Overview

It is that novelty and the battery issues, this is a creatively conceived and generally well-executed toy. Despite the minor problems with poseability (though, how else are you going to pose a Ringwraith other than menacing and killing?!) and battery issues, the Flaming Ringwraith is a worthy 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 action figures, please check out the reviews of:
Galadriel Lady Of Light
Witchking Ringwraith
Eowyn

5/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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Barefoot (Not Pregnant), Galadriel Makes For Mediocre Action Figure.

The Good: Recognizable sculpt, General sense of balance
The Bad: Lame accessories, Playability, General sense of inaction
The Basics: Galadriel is a welcome addition to the The Lord Of The Rings toyline, but this one could be better.


It has been some time since I sat down and reviewed my first The Lord Of The Rings action figure and I think it is interesting that the first one I reviewed was Eowyn (reviewed here!). At the time, I was quite nervous and I did not have a sense of standardization to my action figure reviews and I did something of a freeform review. Fortunately, today I know how to answer the crucial question of "What all can be written about an action figure?" In the case of Galadriel, it seems like there would be quite a bit and the truth is, for a figure with such a good sculpt, it is surprising I've been so disappointed in the action figure.

Galadriel, one might recall, is the elf queen of the wood elves and the bearer of one of the rings of power in The Lord of the Rings (reviewed here!). Galadriel appears in each film in the trilogy, but is also one of the ancillary characters most disconnected from the main action of the film. Her role in the films makes her both an essential action figure, and a likely inaction figure; Galadriel is a more cerebral character than a character of action.

Basics

Galadriel appears sculpted in the The Two Towers figure line for the wide and more common release of the figure put out for The Fellowship Of The Rings. In other words, this is the identical - in every way - figure to the white dress Galadriel, Lady of Light figure initially released on a The Fellowship Of The Rings blister card. There are no changes in sculpt, coloring or accessories between the two primary Galadriels and this is a simple repackaging that makes a previously very limited figure released to a general audience in a bigger way.

This sculpt features Galadriel in her white dress, fingers outstretched and hair unbound as she appears in most of the three films. The facial expression is a pensive one with piercing eyes that are instantly reminiscent of Cate Blanchett as Galadriel.

This figure stands at 6 1/2 inches tall and features an outer dress made of a more rubbery plastic, which allows it to have some flexibility and in effect makes the articulation of the legs worthwhile. As well, because of the dress she is wearing, her balance is surprisingly easy to maintain, making her a figure with excellent posability.

The realism of this sculpt is surprisingly good. This looks just like Galadriel, which is a refreshing change from many of the The Lord Of The Rings figures I have seen, especially the hobbits. Galadriel's hair is realistically detailed and cast the same softer, more rubbery plastic as the dress, so it moves and does not inhibit the movement of the head. While the sculpt is good, the coloring of the hair is homogeneously blonde and lacks the subtle reds that Blanchett brought to the role. The detailing of the brooch Galadriel is wearing along with the subtle textured pattern to her gown more than makes up for the all-blonde appearance.

Accessories

Galadriel completely falls down on the accessories front. Granted, Galadriel has limited screen time in the films and talks more than anything else, but this supporting character come ready with very limited support. Galadriel has two accessories: her cloth cloak and the pitcher from the Mirror Of Galadriel.

The cloth cloak is one of the absolute lamest accessories to ever grace any of the figures in the The Lord Of The Rings action figure line. The piece of gauzy fabric has elastic bands and a hood that allow Galadriel to be coifed in another layer of clothing and thus obscure more of her sculpt. But the fundamental problem is that it does not go on in any easy or recognizable fashion that makes the figure look good. Instead, the gauzy fabric has a buoyancy to it that puffs up the slight figure and makes her look ridiculous and puffy. I have never left the fabric cloak on my Galadriel when displaying her because "terrible" is all that it adds to the figure.

The other accessory, the pitcher from the Mirror Of Galadriel is an appropriate, if lame accessory for Galadriel. As a cerebral character, it would not have been appropriate to adorn Galadriel with a knife or sword, but it still feels cheap that she's given a pitcher instead of something like an action base of the Mirror Of Galadriel. The pitcher is 1 1/4 inches tall and has a big enough handle to easily slip over Galadriel's hand and seems like it would be an instant choking hazard, but for the length. Still, it's not recommended to keep around a child (or cat) who will put anything in its mouth.

Playability

Galadriel is quite poseable with ten points of articulation. She has joints at the shoulders, wrists, knees, groin socket and waist. As well, her head has a ball joint which usually allows for greater and more realistic articulation there, but in this case - because of the hair - does not. Instead, Galadriel is more or less limited to about ninety degrees range of motion with the head to turn left to right.

Moreover, the leg articulation is somewhat pointless; the groin socket might allow Galadriel to move her legs some, but the figure is almost always supported by the dress as opposed to the actual legs. And the looks pretty ridiculous with the knees bent in a semi-running pose with her dress flayed out and holding her off the ground. In other words, the posability aspect of the playability is pretty much a wash save when Galadriel is inactive and standing straight and regal.

It's also when she's too lazy to hold anything. Galadriel may be stood up fairly well because of how the dress supports her, but her hands have fingers extended straight, so she cannot truly hold onto the pitcher from the Mirror. Instead, it slides easily out of her hands when the person playing with the figure tries to get her to support it.

Galadriel is intended as a support figure who supports play and doesn't truly interfere or, you know, play with the other figures. There is no hole in the bottom of the foot for support, though she does not really need it, either.

But on the playability front, she's boring and while she can be stood physically in many different poses, almost anything other than rigid and regal makes her look utterly ridiculous.

Collectibility

Galadriel is inherently collectible based on the fact that she's one of the women in the The Lord Of The Rings figure line and there are only two others! This version is much more common than the The Fellowship Of The Rings carded variant, but it's the identical figure, so only the most devout collectors will bother to hunt down the other for their MOC collection. Fans who are taking the figures out to pose them will find this one to be inexpensive enough and generally available as this version of Galadriel was sufficiently mixed in the cases of The Two Towers figures.

Those looking at action figures as an investment will find this Galadriel figure to be a generally poor investment as she was mass produced and not at all rare. She tends to be easily available in the $10 range even now, which illustrates a lack of appreciation consistent with this line of action figures.

Overview

It is strange for me to rate such a good sculpt so low, but the truth is, I've always been disappointed with the Galadriel figure. She should have had an action base or something other than the "dress up" clothes that are dull and silly for her. She deserved better and so did fans/collectors.

For other The Lord Of The Rings toys and games, please check out my reviews of:
Witchking Ringwraith action figure
The Lord Of The Rings RISK
The Siege Of Gondor Trading Card Game

4.5/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.




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Ever Wonder What A Ringwraith Looks Like Under That Cloak? Here's Your Chance To See!

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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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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