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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Gandalf the Grey - Crown Edition
Lord of the Rings Sixth Scale Action Figure

Asmus Toys
Date Published: 2021-03-29
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 4 out of 4

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Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Introduction

Asmus Toys introduced a new brand to their line of sixth scale action figures - the Crown Series.  The idea was simple: produce a super high end figure, something beyond the current market, at a premium price of course. Going for the most realism possible was the idea, but that wouldn't come cheap.

Their first figure to get this new treatment is now shipping - Gandalf the Grey, from the Lord of the Rings license. This is the third time Asmus has done Gandalf, the second time in the Grey outfit, but this release was marketed as the be all, end all, making all previous versions obsolete.

As I said, he just started shipping. I bought mine through Asmus, which means you tend to get it a bit earlier than buying through U.S. retailers, but they should be shipping it out soon as well. Expect to pay around $340 or so, depending on the retailer.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Packaging - ****
As you expect with a pricey, high end release, the packaging is extremely nice. There's an outer slip cover that only encases about 80% of the box. The box itself is very, very thick and well made, and inside there's foam trays, no plastic.  The head with the rooted hair is the big selling point, and they've packed it separately from the body in its own little box with a foam interior. There's even some decent instructions, all too often missing from sixth scale releases.

The one weird thing is no edition size or number. This is weird only because with their regular figures they normally have one - most are a run of 1500 for example - so you'd assume with this Crown series they'd continue it. There is a nifty little business card sized Certificate of Authenticity, but no numbering.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Sculpting - ****
While there are many nice features on this new figure, it's the portrait that is the big selling point. Asmus' first Gandalf was, how shall I put this...bad. The sculpting was soft, the head had a weird elongated look, and he wasn't particularly good even for the time (about seven years ago). Their second attempt, just a couple years later, was much, much better, and used a combination of rooted hair and sculpted beard. This is a technique that can provide great results, as we saw with the Gandalf and Sarumon, as well as both versions of Dumbledore from Star Ace.

But Asmus wasn't satisfied, and when they released their terrific Gimli, they went for a rooted beard. It worked great, but it wasn't perfect - the edge of the beard on the cheeks was still thick and rolled. It wasn't a real issue for Gimli though, because he had his helmet, and that covered the cheeks.

But if they were going to go with the rooted beard for Gandalf - along with rooted hair - they'd have to solve the edge problem. And they did, beautifully. Both the hair edge along the forehead and the beard edge along the cheeks are extremely realistic, flattened and smoothed out. It's really impressive work, and as something quite new and unique, no doubt a big driver in the price point.

The hair is also quite fine, very soft and very natural. If flows and lays neatly, and while there's plenty of product on top of the head - perhaps Gorilla Glue - the rest of the locks are clean. The only sculpted hair is the eyebrows, which was a smart move, as they need to be much more subtle and unobtrusive. Even the mustache is attached hair, and it's just about perfect.

The portrait itself is exceptional as well. The aged skin texture, the bags under the eyes, the wrinkles and folds - it's a truly realistic sculpt, so much so that you can mistake it for an  actual person in a macro photo at first glance.

There is a LOT of hair, however. A lot. The beard is big, with plenty of long hair coming off the head. But comparing it to photos, I'm actually quite happy with the end result. Yes, the beard is a little thicker here, but you can adjust things if you'd like. You can pull the long hair back behind his shoulders and separate it more from the beard, creating a gap, or you can pull the beard together more, making it straighter in front. I preferred having it flow together, almost like a lion's mane, but your mileage may vary. That's the beauty of rooted hair - you can adjust it.

Since they were pulling out all the stops with this figure, they also went with adjustable eyes. The head and neck post are a unique design - you have to see it to understand it - and the head is held on with a magnet. When you pop the head off, you can get to the eye posts to adjust them with a small included tool.

The hands are all a unique sculpt, with a lot of age added. They swap easily, and are made from a softer material, making it easier to put the accessories in place.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Paint - ****
You expect some stellar production paint with a figure this high end, and you definitely get it. The mottled skin tone is quite realistic and gives him the appropriate age, and the bright blue eyes are wet and glassy, creating their own natural catch lights. The hair isn't all silver or all grey, but a variation that looks natural. And the paint work on the accessories matched the realism of the work on the figure and face, creating an overall winner.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Articulation - ****
The underlying body works extremely well, and while you probably won't put him in any ninja poses, he can take and maintain some nice fighting stances with no trouble.

That's due in large part to the soft, leather boots. They are a fantastic piece of work, and I'll rave about them some more in the costume section, but suffice to say their design allows for great ankle mobility, and you can keep the feet flat on the ground in deeper stances.

The torso is padded slightly, so you'll need to work it a bit to get the crunch and tilt just right. But it is possible, and you can get a very natural look to the torso with a little effort.

The rest of the joints are tight and solid as well. Swapping hands can be a little annoying, but that's not the fault of the body but rather the shirt he wears. These have the thumb hole in the sleeve, so you have to mess with it each time you replace the hands.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Accessories - ***1/2
Considering the price point, he's not quite as loaded as you might expect, but the items that are here are all very well done.

He has eight extra hands to go with the gripping set he comes wearing. These included a better set of grips, as well as several posed hands for specific looks. As I mentioned, they swap easily, but you will have to mess with the thumb hole on the sleeve each time. There's a couple extra wrist pegs just in case. I do wish one set of the grips was tighter, because the thin handle on Glamdring can flop around a bit.

Obviously he has Glamdring and the scabbard. The sword is metal, and fits neatly in the scabbard, which in turn fits neatly in several loops on his belt. I'm pretty sure this is the same Glamdring we've gotten from them before, but considering it was already perfect, there wasn't much they could improve.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

He also has two versions of the staff, and both of these are new and improved (greater detail) sculpts. One is the Battle at Moria version, with the crystal in the crown. The other is often referred to as the Radagast version, which is fitting for the diorama base he comes with. This version has his pipe inserted within the more open crown.

The pipe is a soft plastic, and comes slightly bent because of how it is woven into the staff. You can straighten it out a bit though, and it looks good held in one of the griping hands.

There's a soft leather bag as well, with a strap to sling it over his shoulder, as well as a small sculpted bag attached to the strap.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

One of the most unique extras is the Diary of Moria. The thick book opens, and has printed pages throughout! It's one of the nicest sixth scale books I've seen, at least from a mass production perspective.

Last but certainly not least, he has a diorama base. There are a couple small steps leading down to the gate at Bilbo's house, with the sign declaring "No admittance except for party business". Next to the gate is the mailbox, with an opening door, and there are plenty of plastic plants growing at the base.

The base is made up of several parts you assemble. I had no trouble getting the gate together, but the mailbox post did not want to fit properly in the base. I had to carve it a bit to make it work, a bit of a disappointment at this price.

Like the recent Aragorn, the support rod for the base is not a straight post, but rather styled like a Roman column. While that made sense with the base for Aragorn, I'm not sure it makes any sense here. Still you should be able to hide it under his long robes.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Outfit - ***1/2
The last Gandalf had a great outfit, yet somehow this one outdoes him.

But let's start with the bad. That damn hat. Yea, I don't like it this time either, and no one has ever gotten it to look good. This time it's held in place with a magnet, but it sits too far forward, and because it's a magnet, you can't do much to adjust it. I'll be skipping it on the shelf. I did try out the hat from the previous version, and it's not bad - see the later photos of him on the shelf for an example.

The rest of the clothing is fantastic. The layered pants and robes are realistic and high quality, and they've added a very natural looking dirt and wear. The belts are already in place, and putting the sword scabbard on is easy. The multiple layers are well tailored, and the overall final look - without the hat - is very life-like.

The outer cloak can be tied at the neck, but if you have fat fingers you might want to find someone to help you. The hood is large, but lays neatly on the back out of the way.

The best aspect of the entire costume is the boots. I thought the boots they did with the last Gandalf were great, soft leather with real laces and a hard sole. And yet, they've topped them here. It's the same combination, but somehow they got even more realistic with the final result.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Fun Factor - ***1/2
While the hands can be a little annoying, overall you should have a ton of fun working with this guy. The long hair and beard can get snagged in the neck though, so take a little time when putting the head in place.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Value - **
Ah, here's the rub. The average high end sixth scale figure is going for around $230 these days. Hot Toys is pushing it with more and more releases in the $250+ range. Can this figure be worth an extra $75 - $100?

The costuming and accessories definitely have him in the $250 range, no problem. It's the head that drives the extra cost, and considering we've never seen rooted hair of this quality in a mass production figure, I'm happy to say he's worth $300. The extra $30 or so - depending on the retailer - drops the score a half star off average here for me.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. One of the nice things here is that while the price point is high and the quality is high, the figure isn't fragile or weak.  You will want to take care with the hair of course, but normal handling shouldn't be an issue.

When you're swapping the hands, I suggest popping the hand off the wrist first, then removing it from the thumb hole on the sleeve, then reversing the process (put the thumb in the sleeve first, then pop the hand on the wrist) when attaching the new hand.

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Overall - ****
I don't need another Gandalf. This is the one for me, and it lives up to the hype. While there might be more hair and beard than you like, you can work with that, unlike a sculpt. I'm betting you can get exactly what you want on the shelf with this guy, with a little patience and effort.

I'm not sure I need any more repeats though from Asmus. I have enough Aragorns and Gandalfs, and while Sarumon could benefit from the rooted beard, I'm pretty happy with the one I already have. I'm hoping that rather than go after another Lord of the Rings character in the Crown series, we see them expand into other licenses that will benefit from this level of quality.

I added two photos from the shelf, the first showing the three Gandalfs together and the second showing the new Gandalf with the old Gandalf hat. You'll notice I changed the hair and beard a bit when the figure went on the shelf. The hair is pulled back more, the beard tightened up a bit, showing more of the shoulders. I liked the fuller, wilder look in photos, but on the shelf in person, I preferred seeing some of the shoulder.

Also, the second shelf photo has him wearing a hat, but not his. This is the version that came with their previous Gandalf, and is slightly smaller. I like it better than the new hat, but I'm still not sure if it will be the way I display him, or I'll stick with the bare head. But it's good to have options!

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

Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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Where to Buy 
I bought mine directly from Asmus, where he's $350. Online options include these site sponsors:

- has him for $330.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I just checked out their newly released Aragorn, and you should also check out their previous Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White.search ebay

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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Gandalf the Grey Crown Edition Lord of the Rings sixth scale action figure by Asmus

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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