Review of The Nun (Valak) - The Conjuring Universe
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

Let's start off with a negative - I am not a fan of the Conjuring movies. First, the Warrens were utter scam artists. If the movies were standard horror fare, I'd be less annoyed, but they are played off as 'true' stories, and I find that pretty reprehensible.

Second, it doesn't help that they are neither unique or all that interesting. They did better with the Annabelle offshoots (still a mixed bag), but the two main Conjuring movies are rather dull. They did it far better with the original Amityville Horror - watch that instead.

I watched the Nun, and it's another pretty standard release. But regular readers know I love two things in my sixth scale collection - variety, and monsters.  Valak the Nun provides both.

Quantum Mechanix, one of my favorite sixth scale companies these days, have just released their Nun figure. She'll run you around $200, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***1/2
Some nice, creepy, gothic graphics on a very sturdy, well made box.  The interior clam shell tray holds the figure and accessories safely, and it's all quite collector friendly. Rather than using photos on the cover of the figure or actual character, I much prefer artwork. Sure, add some photos elsewhere, but go with something more original like this for the cover.

Sculpting - ****
This figure comes with two portraits, one stern (like most nuns are), while the other in full on attack mode.

Both sport excellent likenesses to the character. The long, hooked nose is key, but the shape of the face and set of the eyes matches nicely as well. The nose varied a bit in different scenes, due to extortions in the face and expression, so getting it exactly right is up to a bit of interpretation, but I think they did a tremendous job.

There's also a subtle skin texture, and other realistic details that add to the life-like (if you can call it that in this particular case) look of the figure.

The expressions are equally well chosen. The 'normal' look matches up with her portrait, and is intense without being extreme.  The second is much more dynamic, with open mouth and squinting eyes.  The eyes are positioned with the lower lids raised, an excellent way to imbue hate and violence in any facial expression.

She's about 11 1/2" tall, an appropriate height for most female six scale figures. She should fit in with other characters in your collection, and will make for a nice addition to the horror monster shelf.

Paint - ****
As with the sculpt, the paint work is excellent.  The white skin tone isn't human of course, and the black eyes and lips create a ghoulish appearance. The black isn't perfect though, implying it's not make up but rather a rotting of the flesh. This is part of what makes the character so creepy.

There's the veins as well. These thin lines of dark color also imply infection, fever, sickness, all qualities that work on the subconscious to create unease. It's a great design, and well executed here by Qmx.

But perhaps her best quality is her eyes. Glossy and sharp, the bright color reflects light, and they almost seem to glow. I did nothing to them in any of the photos, and yet they pop when the light hits them.

Articulation - ***
The underlying body isn't perfect, but for this sort of character, it does the job.

The ball neck is a bit restricted by the way the two heads swap on a very long, very thick post. You can't get as much tilt and lean as normal, but swapping the heads was much easier than I anticipated, considering the hood.

The shoulders, elbows, and wrists are pretty standard sixth scale stuff, but the left elbow on mine is a little floppy and weak.

The torso can crunch a bit, and of course turn, and while the hips, knees, and ankles have good mobility, the dress does tend to reduce the depth of any stance.  The ankles work quite well though, and have plenty of rocker and forward/backward movement.

Perhaps most important is the wiring along the edge of her black veil. This wiring will allow you to pose the veil straight down at the sides, curved in toward the face, or pulled back behind her head. You can use it with more dynamic poses to flip the edges out as well, and create movement.

Accessories - ***1/2
She's a tad light in this category, but that second portrait makes up for a lot. It's great getting the two looks, and adds to this score exponentially.

There's also an assortment of hands. She comes wearing a simple set of posed hands, but has a set of splayed fingers, grasping hands, and gripping hands specifically to hold the painting.

Yep, there's the painting, and it's not just a hunk of cardboard. This is an actual canvas, stretched on a plastic frame, with the nun painted on it.  This allows it to look much more realistic, right down to the canvas texture.

She also has a silver cross, which you can obviously hang around her neck the first time you swap heads.

Finally, there's a simple display stand with a logo, and a crotch support rod.

Outfit - ***1/2
Her outfit consists of the dress, belt, shoes, knee high socks, white underwear, and 'wimple', the large white collar. Each head has a veil and 'coif', the tight fitting hood, already in place.

The material and construction are very high quality, and the tailoring is excellent. Most important, the veil lays across the shoulders and back naturally, and took very little futzing to get in a plaice I liked.

However, the veil is better on the screaming head than on the calm head. The calm head, which she comes wearing, had a kinked top edge where the wire was bent. I worked with it quite a bit but couldn't completely get rid of it. You'll notice that in the photos of the screaming face, the top edge of the veil is a bit more rounded and consistent, whereas the calm face has more of a peak. It was worse when she first came out of the box, so if yours has one, keep working on the wire and it will get better.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
I have all sorts of potential match ups for this lovely lady. She'll be an excellent companion for other modern horror icons, like Pinhead or Freddy...and she can go up against Ash for some display fun. And do you remember the zombie priest that Sideshow did a few years back? Yea, she can pair up with him for some good old fashioned horror escapades.

Value - **1/2
At $200, she falls in that middle ground. Quantum Mechanix isn't as cheap as ThreeZero or Asmus, but the quality of their figures tends to be a bit higher as well. The Nun fits the price point, particularly with the addition of the second portrait.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. There's not a lot here to damage or break, and the quality is top notch.

Overall - ***1/2
While the movies do nothing for me, the character herself is a terrific, creepy design worthy of a sixth scale edition. I'm really glad I picked her up, and she is going to look great on the horror shelf.

This is exactly the sort of character I like to get - unique, interesting, and extremely well done.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has her for $199.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I don't have any other Nun reviews, but she'll go nicely with other horror icons like Leatherface, Freddy, Jason, Pinhead, and Michael. Or have Ash take her on!

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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