Review of Elrond - Lord of the Rings
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

I recently reviewed the Twilight Witch King from the terrific Lord of the Rings/Hobbit series of sixth scale action figures from Asmus, but I jumped over one - Elrond!  He actually hit my porch first, but the Witch King was just too damn sexy to push out. But it's time to circle back and get caught up with this line, and check out the elven warrior and leader.

This guy started shipping about 3 weeks or so ago, at least in the U.S. You can expect to pay around $200, up slightly from some of their other releases.

Packaging - ***1/2
The box is attractive, and uses photos of the figure rather than the character. The background graphics and colors are great, and of course it's all very collector friendly inside. The plastic trays also hold the figure and accessories quite safe. There's some simple instructions, but they won't tell you anything you don't already know, since the assembly is already complete with this figure.

They do have a cigar band type wrap on the inside, which also acts as a Certificate of Authenticity of sorts. It has the edition size - 1500 as usual - and your specific number on it.

Sculpting - ***
There are some very good features with this sculpt, particularly in showing off the skin texture and realism that Asmus has been getting with their latest releases. The detail stranding in the sculpted top half of the hair looks amazing (there's several sculpted braids going down the back as well), and the subtle, realistic skin is quite good.

The likeness is reasonable, and the expression is stoic and determined. The lower half of the hair, the long section, is rooted. This works well, especially from the front. You can fill it in behind the ears and over the shoulders, and it blends well. However, in  back it's more obvious, particularly in bright light. The painted hair is more matte, while the rooted hair has a glossier finish. Still, they are getting better and better at blending these two methods, and I think it works well with characters like this. I've included a shot from behind later in the review.

I dropped the score a bit though because of the neck joint. This is a two piece head and neck, not unusual. But the edge of the head, where it seats on the neck, is quite thick, and the sculpted edge is well below the jaw line beneath the ears. Turning or tilting the head makes it a fairly obvious joint.

He stands about 12 inches tall, and should fit in fine with the rest of the pack.

Paint - ***1/2
Another area where they continue to improve is the production paint work. Here we have a very realistic skin color, with a soft translucence that is quite lifelike. The transition between skin and hair at the hairline is subtle and looks terrific, and the eyes are bright and clean. The paint work does a nice job complimenting the sculpt, and actually adds to the realism of the overall look.

There's some nice detail work on the plastic armor too, with a cool repeating design. It's even and consistent, and the color of the armor looks great.

Articulation - ***
The underlying body has all the joints you expect, but this outfit is more restrictive than some.

I've already complained about the weird neck joint, but you will be able to get some decent tilt and lean action out of it, even if it looks a bit wonky at times.  The shoulders, elbows, and wrists are a little restricted by the clothing and armor, but you can get natural arm poses with a little effort, and the hands swap easily.

The torso is pretty much locked up tight thanks to the stiff armor from neck to waist.  You can turn it slightly, but that's about it.

The hips are a little better, but the skirt does make deep stances tricky. The knees and ankles work great, and the two piece boots allow for plenty of rocker movement in the feet.

Accessories - **1/2
He's pretty light in this department, but he has a critical item or two.

There's two more sets of hands to go with the relaxed set he comes wearing. There's a set of closed fists, as well as a set of tight grips. There's a couple extra wrist pegs too, but I didn't have any issues swapping hands.

He also has his real metal sword, and it's a beaut. The carvings in the blade and hilt look great, and it has a nice heft. It fits neatly in the scabbard on his belt, and you can slide it into the gripping hand. I slide it in from underneath, blade first, and had better luck than trying to force the larger hilt into the tight space.

That's it however, and while the sword is nice, it's not a lot.

Outfit - ***
Some of the pieces here are outstanding, but others leave something to be desired.

The sculpted armor, while restrictive, does look great. It fits over several layers of well tailored clothing, and bulks him up a bit. The sculpting on the two piece boots and rubber belts looks terrific, and the detailed scabbard holds the sword nicely.

The best part of the costume is the soft, flowing cape. It has enough weight to hang naturally, and looks great in just about any pose.

The worst aspect? That's easy - the chain mail cloth, especially the piece around the neck. The cutting is a bit sloppy, with one side not quite matching up to the other, and it doesn't hang well around his neck and shoulders. I tried futzing with it, but short of removing the armor and cape, you aren't going to be able to do much. Hopefully, yours will look a bit better right out of the box.

Fun Factor - ***
While he's not the most posable of all the Asmus figures, you can still get some nice fighting and relaxed poses, and you should have no trouble coming up with reposing ideas over time.

Value - **1/2
At $200, he's slightly higher than the average Asmus figure in this series. The quality is solid - the only issue I had was with the neck piece of chain mail - and it's a complex costume. Still, he's not the amazing deal that most of these figures are.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. I did find it was easier to slip the sword into his hand from the back side, blade first, rather than try to force the larger hilt into the very tight grip.

Overall - ***
While he's not quite as nice as their Gimli, Twilight Witch King, or Mouth of Sauron, he's a solid release, and well worth adding to the set.  These figures will make an amazing display together, and one of these days soon - sooner than I had expected, I think - I'll be able to show you mine.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Asmus LOTR and Hobbit figures include the Twilight Witch King, the Mouth of Sauron, King Theoden, Arwen, Eomer, Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo Baggins, Gimli, Boromir, Legolas, Thranduil, Sam and Frodo, Grishn'akh, Gandalf the Gray, the Mouth of Sauron with his steed, Merry and Pippen, Saruman the White, Tauriel, Aragorn, Bard the Bowman, Eowyn, Nazgul Steed, Morgul Lord, Gandalf the White, Gothmog, and Guritz.

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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