Review of Oberyn, Ygritte
Game of Thrones action figures

Introduction

The new season of Game of Thrones is right around the corner, and with some of the story lines finally reaching past the books, fans are anticipating some real surprises. The number of collectibles on the market has shrunk a bit, but Dark Horse continues to produce quality figures (which are actually statues) in their series. Two of the latest characters to get the plastic treatment are fan favorites (and favorites of mine) Ygritte and Oberyn Martell. Both are currently shipping, and will run you around $23 each, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
The window boxes look good, including the character photos on which they based the look of the figures. The window is particularly important this time for those picking them up locally, allowing you to avoid any paint issues.

Sculpting - ***
Both sculpts are recognizable, but not quite dead on.

Oberyn stands about 9" tall with the base, coming in about the same as the average male in this series. The walking stance is a bit boring, particularly considering his fighting skills, but most of the figures in the line have been in more relaxed poses. The portrait captures the hair and attitude, but some of the features are off.  The nose is a bit broad, the jawline a bit narrow, and the overall face shape is more triangular than what you might expect.  Again, it's recognizable, but not perfect.  The best work is really in the detailed costume, right down to the snake skin textured lapels. My only beef here is with the necklace, which is oddly attached to his chest, rather than sculpted fully around his neck. I suppose this was to make it look like the chain disappeared under the cloth, but the final result looks weird.

Ygritte is also recognizable, although the face is a bit generic. There is something in the eyes, nose and mouth that lends itself to the character though, and if you popped this head off the body, I think fans would still recognize her.  It's a bit plain, but the highly detailed costume, with it's multiple textures, makes up for quite a bit. She's shorter of course, coming in at about 8" including the base.

Paint - **1/2
Ninety percent of the work here is great, particularly on those detailed costumes.  Unfortunately, what is wrong is so obvious in hand that it's glaring and distracting.

I love the colors of Oberyn, who will stand out on the shelf with the browns and blacks of most of the rest of the series.  Small details are done well, and even the beard and hair look good in hand.  Macro photos will show off some of the strokes in these painted areas, but in person they will blend in nicely.

Ygritte is also generally quite nice, with an even, light skin tone, and some very nice highlighting on the darker clothing.

But the eyes, an area that has generally been extremely well done, are poor on both figures. And it's the left eye on both as well.  While the right eye lines up nicely with their expected gaze, the left is trailing off to the side. If you only see one pupil at a time, it still works (as it is in some of the photos), but when you can clearly see both eyes at the same time, the difference is obvious and annoying.

Articulation - Bupkis
They might not sell them as 'statues', but that's what they really are. Expect it and it won't effect your overall impression.

Accessories - Bupkis
Another informational only category this time, just to ensure you realize that none of the parts, like the bow, arrows, or quiver, are removable. These are one single piece right out of the box, including the base.

Value - **1/2
At around $23 each, these remain a solid value. I did drop them a half star to just average this time, due to the eyeball paint issue. Still, the price point is good for a figure this size and quality on the current market.

Things to Watch Out For -
If you're picking them up at your local comic shop or toy show, remember to check the eyes carefully. Once you have them out of the package, you should be fine, since everything is sturdy and solid.

Overall - Oberyn **1/2; Ygritte ***
These two are excellent additions to the line up so far, but they do have issues with the eyes. Poorly painted eyes like this have not been an issue in the past - check out my previous review of Jorah and Sansa to see what I mean.  I'm hoping that means these were a one off, but this might be a pair you buy in person, rather than on-line sight unseen.

The left eye is the only serious issue Ygritte has, so I weighed the sculpt slightly heavier than the paint and ended up with a *** overall.  However, Oberyn also has the weird think going on with the necklace to add to his own eyeball problem, and because of that he lost that additional half star.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth also has them at $23 each.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I just recently covered Sansa and Jorah, and just before that 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 Brienne, Arya 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, Ned Stark, and Jon Snow from ThreeZero. Jaime is 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.

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