Review of Aragorn - Lord of the Rings
Deluxe Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

While it took almost 20 years from the time we first started getting sixth scale versions of the Lord of the Rings characters until we finally got a complete Fellowship, Aragorn has never been in short supply. Toybiz, Sideshow, ACI, and Asmus all have done their best to bring the main man to life, sometimes more than once, so if you're going to do him again, it better be something pretty special.

Asmus decided to go for it, releasing another take based this time on his look in the Two Towers, and more specifically, the Battle of Helm's Deep. They created a regular version, which sells for around $200, and a deluxe version that you could only get through their website, and retailed at a whopping $299. I'm looking at the deluxe tonight.

Each of these also had an edition size, something Asmus does for all their LOTR/Hobbit figures. There were 1500 of the regular produced - the common number for them - and just 500 of the deluxe.

Packaging - ***
The basic box is thin and sturdy, with just a single plastic tray inside to hold the figure and accessories. It's relatively collector friendly, although there's some of that sticky plastic over the Evenstar, holding it down. There's a edition size and number on the inside 'cigar band' wrap as well.

The deluxe includes a second package for the base and additional accessories, held in some very high quality foam instead of plastic. There's no edition size and number on the package this time, but it is on the base of the special diorama.

By the way, based on the number on my figure and base, it looks like they only produced 1500 in total of the figure, and then sold 500 of the 1500 as deluxe. I don't have official confirmation on that, but based on the numbering it appears so.

Sculpting - ***
The regular version comes with a new head sculpt of course. This latest version is a bit more dynamic without going over the top, with a slightly open mouth (sort of a snarl), and eyes that are looking up and to the side.

This portrait also includes the cut wound on the right cheek. The hair is sculpted with nice stranding, and they've gone with their latest hairline technique, where they include some hair on the forehead to avoid the dreaded fivehead. The detail on the skin texture and beard is excellent as well, and overall it's an extremely realistic, lifelike sculpt.

I also like this new expression, particularly for battle stances with the sword. It gives him some emotion without looking silly.

But is it Aragorn? That's a bit more debatable. If I were going purely on likeness, I would still prefer their very first version over this. There's something just slightly off here, perhaps with the nose, perhaps with the set of the eyes, that isn't quite Viggo. However, because of the much improved look of the hair and the new expression, I have to say this is now my overall favorite. It's never about just one thing - the final impression is a combination of many.

The deluxe includes a second portrait, based on this same sculpt. He doesn't look much different, but there's two changes for those looking for less dynamic posing. First, there's no wound on the cheek, and second, the eyes are looking straight ahead. The open mouth snarl is still there, however. This might be a nice option to swap out the head on your original Asmus figure, in case you were keeping it because of the very cool costume.

I have one other complaint that I'll lodge here, that pulls this score down a half star. The underlying body has some skinny legs, and that means the well sculpted boots and well tailored pants end up showing off those skinny legs. He needs a bit more bulk below the hips - not a lot, but a bit.

And yes, he stands just over 12" tall, fitting in nicely with the rest of the series. The sculpted boots look great - more on those in the Outfit section - and the various hands, while slightly big, aren't ridiculous.

Paint - ***1/2
Asmus continues to improve their production paint work, and the skin tone, aging, and freckling on both portraits is quite impressive. We've seen far too many great sculpts ruined by mediocre paint, so it's all the more critical that Asmus get this right.

The eyes are very blue, with a nice reflective surface that gives them realistic depth and wetness. The teeth, while tiny, are clean and even, and there's a nice transition between the hair on the head and beard and the skin.

Articulation - ***1/2
I found the body to be extremely posable this time around, due in part to a less restrictive costume, and due even more to the two piece boot design.

I'll get my only gripe out of the way early - the head and hands, especially the hands, can be tough to swap. The pins on the wrist joints are somewhat soft, allowing the two halves of the joint to pull apart. Be sure to squeeze the ball with your fingers while you're taking the hand off, and you'll have a lot more success.

Other than that, the body worked great. The ball joints at the top and bottom of the neck allow for plenty of tilt and lean, even with the sculpted hair. The shoulders, elbows and wrists can take plenty of action poses, including some life-like two handed sword poses. The torso bends, crunches, turns, and tilts, allowing you to break up those unnatural straight lines in the upper body. And the hips, knees, and ankles can manage shallow to deep stances, and are stiff enough to maintain them long term.

As I mentioned earlier, much of this leg pose potential is due to the two piece boot design. You get plenty of lateral (rocker) and vertical (forward/backward) movement in the feet, and the joints are nice and tight.

Accessories - ****
Remember, I'm grading the deluxe here, which includes a number of extras.

Let's start with what the regular and deluxe have in common. There are two additional sets of hands to go with the fists he comes wearing - an open set, and a gripping set. These are soft enough to allow you to put the accessories inside without damage, but still strong enough to hold them. I already mentioned having some caution when swapping, but there's a couple extra wrist pegs in case. There's an extra neck peg as well.

He has three weapons, all made from very high quality  die cast metal. There's the Ranger sword, which fits neatly in the sheath on his belt, as well as a small dagger (which also goes in said sheath in a separate slot) and the Elven dagger. This final knife has sculpted ruins along the blade, and a separate scabbard on the belt. Because these weapons are metal, those tight joints in the arms become more important.

The regular also includes the small Evenstar pendant. The sculpt is quite nice considering the itty bitty scale. Finally, the regular has a simple black display base and crotch support rod.

The deluxe adds in a huge (~18" tall) diorama made from polystone. There's a small base with stairs, and a large two piece pillar. They provide two screws to attach the two pieces of the pillar together, and then attach the pillar to the base. It's really impressive looking, and adds a lot to the display. There's a second crotch support rod included, and while it's black plastic like most, it's sculpted to look like a column as well.

There's also a torch, which can be inserted in a holder on the pillar, or can be carried by Aragorn. To add some additional flair, there's an Uruk-hai Helm, also made from real metal, to place on the ground at his feet.

Oh, and let's not forget that second portrait we discussed earlier! So is the deluxe worth that extra hundred bucks? I'd say yes.

Outfit - ***1/2
Both the ACI and Asmus versions that came before had more complex, multi-layered costumes. However, this is a pretty specific look, and they nailed it.

There might not be as many layers, but there's still a few. The cloth chain mail looks great, and the faux leather vest is perfectly tailored. It also includes some nice wear and tear along the bottom edge. The pants are properly fitted, and the sculpted parts - boots, gauntlets - look fantastic. The belt has both the knife and sword sheath already in place, and putting it around his waist and securing it is easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
You should have plenty of posing and re-posing potential here, combining him with the other characters in the display. I've already changed him up a couple times on the shelf, and suspect he'll be one I regularly futz with.

Value - **1/2
At almost $300, the deluxe is not cheap by any standard. However, the regular figure is an excellent price, coming in at under $200 at many retailers. The quality certainly is in line with that price point, and while another $100 might seem extreme, you're getting a great diorama, a second head sculpt, and two additional extras on top of that. I'm going with an average value score here, thanks to the extra goodies.

Things to Watch Out For -
I already mentioned the wrist pegs - make sure you're squeezing the ball at the center when pulling the hands off. Otherwise you should be good to go.

Overall - ***1/2
I'm going to give this figure the highest praise anyone can - if you can only have one sixth scale Aragorn, this would be it for me. I still prefer the face on the original Asmus release, but the hair sculpt on that one made him look pinheaded. The look of the ACI rooted hair and huge rabbit feet knock that one out of the running for me. And I never picked up the second Aragorn Asmus produced.

I will be keeping my others though, including the Sideshow and Toybiz versions. It's fun having the different incarnations on display, showing how the industry has progressed over time.

I just recently paid the balance on my 'crown' version of Gandalf from Asmus. This is supposed to highlight their ground breaking new level of quality, and I'm looking forward to seeing if the improvements are worth the extra money.

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

Where to Buy 
The only store that had the deluxe version was Asmus Online, where it is $299. When I checked, they only had four left. Online options for the regular include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other sixth scale Aragorn figures include this version from ACI, the very old Sideshow version, and the first version from Asmus with sculpted hair. And if you really want old school, check out the one from Toybiz produced almost 20 years ago.

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

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