Review of Bellatrix LeStrange
Harry Potter sixth scale action figure

Introduction

Harry Potter remains one of my all time favorite franchises. I can always revisit the movies and the books, and I love the characters depicted in their own ways in both.

Star Ace continues to produce their line of sixth scale figures based on the films, and the latest release is the insane in the membrane Bellatrix Lestrange. Strange she is indeed, and a nifty villain who combines beauty and deadly cunning. I've been looking forward to her release, since other than Hermione, the Star Ace shelf is quite the sausage fest.

She comes in not one but three versions.  There's the regular release I'm checking out tonight, which will generally run you around $210 - $220, depending on the retailer.  You can also get this regular version packed with Dobby, much as they did with Lucious Malfoy, and they'll run you about $280 for the pair. They also have a 'prisoner' version, which I'll review sometime in the next week, and she comes in at $200 - $210.

Packaging - ***
Nice work on the graphics, and their use of spot UV gives it a special look. It's all collector friendly, although they did use some of the sorta, kinda, sticky film to hold the smaller accessories in place.

The cover also has a sticker telling you this is the 'normal' (is she ever normal?) version, since they use the exact same box for the prisoner variant.

Sculpting - ***
Bellatrix is played by Helena Bonham Carter, a beautiful actress who does have a unique and undeniable look. Unlike many pretty people, her features exhibit qualities that set her apart.

They've done a reasonable job here, although it's not up to the best quality on the market. The eyes, nose, and lips capture the look, and the shape of the face, particularly in the jawline and cheeks, is definitely her.

There are some issues, but I believe it's less about accuracy and more about realism. They've toned back the skin texture, almost to the point of a Barbie. They've maintained some on the lips, but a little more across the face would add quite a bit to the life-like quality.

The expression is a tad bland as well. I wish she was looking downward a bit more, like she is on the cover, because this was a really recognizable expression for her. Still, the set of the lips and the tautness of the cheeks does keep her from looking too much like a mannequin.

They went with a rooted hair style, and it was definitely the right move. She has a serious mane of hair, as she did in the films, and they've matched the style extremely well. You can add some of your own touches with some hair product as you see fit, but she looked good right out of the box.

The sculpting on the hands is very good, and the tiny rings look excellent. The hands are designed to work well with the accessories, and allow for some great poses. They also went with an underlying body design that is more appropriate to the actress and character.

She stands about 11 1/4", which seems relatively reasonable next to the other characters in the line.

Paint - ***
I think much of the issues with the sculpt - while there are some - really revolve around the paint. It's not as realistic this time, with a little too much emphasis on the eyes and almost no realism in the skin tone.

The eyes are a smidge sloppy too, with some bleed into the whites that pulls the score down for me. It's not God awful slop, but it's not what I'd consider appropriate these days in this scale and price range.

The work on smaller details helps though, including the rings on the fingers. The paint work on the Deatheater mask is great as well, and the lips and eyebrows show appropriate quality.

Articulation - ***
The underlying body has all the usual articulation, and the costume is generally unrestrictive.

Since they went with rooted hair, you can get good tilt and lean movement out of the ball jointed neck. The shoulders, elbows, and wrists allow for flowing, natural poses, including wand holding battle stances.

The hips and knees work great as well, and the dress does little to interfere, but the waist is fairly solid thanks to the plastic corset. The ankles can turn and move forward to back slightly, but the one piece solid boots take away any rocker movement.

Accessories - ***
She doesn't have a ton of extras, but there's the critical goodies she needs.

I mentioned the nicely sculpted hands, which include rings on both the left and right. She comes with posed hands in place, and you can swap in a wide left or one of two wand gripping rights. They swap easily, and stayed in place while I was posing her.

She has two different wands - her personal bent version, which fits nicely in the holster on her costume, and the second wand she acquired after being disarmed by Ron. Both have very accurate sculpts, and fit neatly in the provided hands.

As a Deatheater, she needs a Deatheater mask. This one looks great, and the elastic bands fit perfectly around her ears. It fits tight to her face, but is easy to put on and remove.

She also has the dagger, another key extra for the character. It's tiny, but she can grip it pretty well in the tighter right hand. The necklace is included too, and you can easily pop off the head to put it around her neck.

Finally, she has a basic display stand with support rod. Nothing fancy here, but it will get the job done.

Outfit - ***
Star Ace does a nice job on the costumes, and this one is another solid execution. The cloth is good quality, and the construction - including the stitching - is very good.

The sleeves on the arms have the eyelets and string holding them together. It's a cool look, but I'd take a little care when swapping hands so as to not pull on the sleeves at odd angles.

The corset looks good, but the holster doesn't allow the wand to sit inside as far as I'd like. The one piece boots look good, but are very stiff, removing some of the ankle mobility.

The dress itself is very well made, with some nice patterns and pleating. Overall, she'll fit in great with the others on the shelf, and the outfit is one of her stronger features.

Fun Factor - ***
She's not super exciting on her own, but pair her up with another character or two - like Ron - and you'll have a great display. You can also work with the hair to get just the look you prefer, always a big plus in this category.

Value - **
The $200 price range is getting to be 'low end' these days in the sixth scale market, but I still have some pretty hefty expectations at that price. The regular release will cost you closer to $220, and while I appreciate the extra cost of this quality of rooted hair, it's still hard to justify that price point completely.  Of course, there's the low production run and high license cost too, both of which I have no doubt are true.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. I did take some care when swapping hands to not get to crazy with the sleeves. I didn't want to damage any of the eyelets or loosen up the string too much.

Overall - ***
Star Ace has had their highs and lows with this series. Bellatrix is a solid player somewhere in the middle. She's not the amaz-balls that the Gambon Dumbledore is, but she's certainly far superior to Teen Hermione.

I'll be checking out the Prisoner Bellatrix as well very soon. We still have Griphook, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood coming (in terms of new characters), but I so wish they'd favor us with a McGonagall!

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Star Ace Harry Potter figures include Lucious Malfoy, Newt Scamander, teen Hermione, Dobby the House Elf, Dumbledore (Gambon), Teen Harry,  young Draco Malfoy, the Draco/Harry two pack in their Quidditch gear, the casual dress Hermione, the Casual Ron and Harry, Dumbledore (Harris), Hagrid, Snape, Tri-Wizard Harry, the young Hermione, young Harry and Ron, Voldemort, Sirius Black, Mad Eye Moody, and Sirius in his Prison Garb.

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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