SEARCH      FEATURES    NEWSLETTER    EMAIL     HOME
Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Sansa Stark, Jorah Mormont figures
Game of Thrones

Dark Horse
Date Published: 2016-01-22
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

Please share with your friends!

Game of Thrones Sansa, Jorah Mormont figures by Dark Horse

Dividing Bar

Dividing Bar

Introduction

We still have a few months to wait for the premiere of the new season of the Game of Thrones, but Dark Horse is making that wait a little less painful with the release of two more of their 8" scale statues/figures. This time around we get Jorah Mormont, looking dashing in his soft armor, and Sansa Stark, beautiful in her black dress and dark hair.  These started shipping a couple weeks ago, and will run you around $20 - $25 depending on the retailer.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Game of Thrones Jorah Mormont figures by Dark Horse

Dividing Bar

Packaging - ***
The boxes continue to do their job, showing off the figure nicely and keeping it safe. There is a fair amount of waste, and the use of the twisty ties instead of a plastic cover is a little annoying, but the nits are minor.

Game of Thrones Sansa Stark figures by Dark Horse

Dividing Bar

Sculpting - ***1/2
These figures are done in an 8" scale, but it's very approximate.  Both Jorah and Sansa are about 8" tall including the base, which is probably not too far off for Sansa (the base adds about 3/8" or so depending on the character), but seems short for Jorah.

Considering this scale, the detail work on the costumes and hair is extremely impressive. The wrinkles in Jorah's face, the fine stranding in Sansa's long hair, the varied textures in their clothing, all done at a level well above what you'd expect at this price point.

This is the older Sansa, the woman Sansa, not the girl Sansa. Her hair is dyed a darker color, and she's started to exhibit her naturally regal persona. I love the pose and the inclusion of the small details, and her expression works well with the character's personality. It's not a perfect match for the actress playing the role, but rather a very close cosplayer. Don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful figure, and I was probably more impressed with this one than any other in the series so far. The sculpt really is gorgeous, and that's so rare with female figures.  But it's not quite Sansa.

Jorah has all the same pluses...and minuses. On the timeline of life, he's on the opposite side from Sansa, because this is a younger Jorah, with a softer face. The detail work on the armor and clothing is exceptional, particularly considering the cheap price point.  For comparison, here is a terrific shot of Jorah wearing this exact costume. There's several different textures applied to imply different materials, and his jewelry and accoutrements are all cleanly cut. But while I can recognize this as Jorah - a younger Jorah, but Jorah nonetheless - it's as if someone in a cosplay situation picked the perfect costume for themselves, because they bear a striking resemblance to the actor. The likeness isn't atrocious, but it's not *quite* right, either.

I waffled around for some time with this category.  Neither likeness is perfect, but the overall quality of the detailing (at this price point!) is too good to overlook. Because of that detail work I ended up going a half star higher than I might have otherwise.

Game of Thrones Sansa Stark figures by Dark Horse

Dividing Bar

Paint - ***1/2
Super clean paint accompanies the detailed sculpting.  Again, there's a ton of tiny features that are either added or accented by the use of properly applied paint.  The soft beard on Jorah, the pattern on Sansa's dress, the tiny baubles on their hands, all have very clean lines and consistent colors. Again, this all has to be considered in relation to the price point, and this sort of quality is rare even on statues that cost three times as much.

That's not to say they're perfect, and there's a spot here and there that's not quite as good as the rest. For example, the outside edge of the circle on Sansa's necklace is skin tone, rather than the darker color it should be. But most of these issues are quite minor. My one real nit here is with the eyes on both figures. While they are clean, they are also fairly flat and lifeless. Both could have been improved with a bit less of a toy-like application for the eyes.

Game of Thrones Jorah Mormont figures by Dark Horse

Dividing Bar

Articulation - Bupkis
This is one of those situations where the score has no weight on my Overall.  I realize these are plastic statues, or what I like to refer to as 'Nerd Hummels'. They aren't supposed to have any articulation, and since that's my expectation going in, the lack thereof is not a negative. However, someone unfamiliar with the line might be thinking there's a joint or two, so I've included the category for informational purposes.

Game of Thrones Sansa figures by Dark Horse

Dividing Bar

Accessories - Bupkis
Same as above. These figures are attached to the base, and any extras are a permanent part of their look.

Game of Thrones Jorah Mormont figures by Dark Horse

Dividing Bar

Dividing Bar

Value - ***
I've mentioned it a couple times now, and the $23 price point is a solid value for any sort of plastic figure in the 6 - 8" scale.  Add in the excellent quality of the paint work - well above what we see with other collector lines in this price range - and you get a slightly better than average value rating.

Game of Thrones Sansa Stark figures by Dark Horse

Dividing Bar

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***1/2
This was a tough one for me, largely because I think there's a dichotomy between the exceptional work on the sculpting details and realism, and the accuracy of the portrait.  The former is terrific, the latter not so much.

But in hand, I felt they deserved the extra half star.  I ended up weighting the overall attractiveness of these two, as well as the value you're getting at this price point, more than the accuracy of the head sculpts.  Clearly, your mileage may vary.

And I must say that I wish every DC Collectibles statue that I paid $70 - $100 for had paint work like this.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - Bupkis
Accessories - Bupkis
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2

Game of Thrones Jorah Mormont figures by Dark Horse

Dividing Bar

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has them for $23 each.

- Entertainment Earth also has them for $23 each.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Just a couple months ago, I checked out Breinne and the Hound, and there was also Bran and Hodor, Joffrey, Tywin and Petyr; earlier in this Dark Horse series I covered Cersei, Jaime, the White Walker, Robb and Arya, as well as their Daenerys, Drogo, Ned Stark, and Tyrion Lannister. They've also done Jon Snow, but I don't have a review of him.

Funko has also done Jaime and BrienneArya and Robb, and the second release of Danaerys, along with her beau Drogo. Before that we had the Walgreen's exclusive Tyrion, Daenerys, and I reviewed the first wave of figures in three sets, here, here and here.

Perhaps the best of the bunch is the new sixth scale Tyrion and Ned Stark from ThreeZero. They have Jon Snow coming next. We're still waiting for Jon Snow, and Jaime has been up for pre-order.

Other Game of Thrones collectibles I've covered include the Daeny bust from Dark Horse, the Hand of the King pin, and the Catspaw Blade from Valyrian Steel.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!

Dividing Bar

Dividing Bar

Please share with your friends!

Game of Thrones Sansa Stark figures by Dark Horse

Back to Main Page
This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

This page copyright 2000 - 2017, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved.