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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Jon Snow, Ghost, Sam Tarly, White Walker
Game of Thrones action figures

Funko
Date Published: 2016-06-04
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 2.5 out of 4

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Jon Snow, Ghost, Sam Tarly, White Walker Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Introduction

I don't know about you, but I'm going through some serious GoT withdrawals today. I think that looking back, season 6 may be my favorite, and it started and ended so very strong. The show has been hitting on every note for me, with nary a single character that's boring me or disappointing me.

I can't say the same for the collectibles based on the show. Not much is out there right now, and the once very promising line of sixth scale figures from ThreeZero seems to be stalled. Perhaps SDCC will surprise me, but right now things are looking pretty bleak.

Funko had a terrific line of 6" figures as part of their Legacy Collection, but unfortunately that line ended too soon. It had its highs and lows, but overall was a solid set of figures. Funko went back to the drawing board, and came up with a new set of GoT figures, this time in a 4" scale, very similar to their ReAction series.

The first wave includes Jon Snow, Sam Tarly, a White Walker, Ghost (all reviewed tonight), Ygritte, Rattleshirt, Styr, Tormund Giantsbane, and the Night King. If you notice a theme with these 9 figures, it's because there is - the Wall. They are also releasing a play set of the Wall which will include an exclusive Tyrion figure.

These smaller figures come in at a smaller price tag - $10 each.  You can probably get some deals on them if you pick up all 9, and the Wall play set will run you around $35, depending on the retailer. The Wall isn't out quite yet, but the nine figures in this first wave are all shipping now.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Jon Snow Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Packaging - ***
While these are Wall themed, the packages go with a Throne design. It's quite attractive, and the die cut card back looks great. I did notice several of mine are not staying together - the bubble is not well affixed to the card.  It wasn't consistent with all nine, and some were very tight. Others were barely staying on.

There is some basic personalization, with the name of the character on a small interior card on the front, and a specific character photo on the back. Not much in the way of text, but that's not a major issue. They aren't collector friendly, but you probably weren't expecting that with a ten dollar action figure.

Jon Snow Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Sculpting - Jon **; Sam **1/2; Ghost ***; White Walker ***1/2
There's some serious differences between these figures in a couple categories, and Sculpt is one of them. Let's start at the bottom and work our way up.

Jon is...someone.  I can't quite decide who, since the combination of wide face, widely separated eyes, weird lips, and tiny nose don't remind me of anyone in particular. This is clearly a head sculpt not helped by the paint job, but I don't think a repaint is going to save it.

From the neck down, he's much better, with some nice work on the fur around the collar of the cape and the smaller details on the costume. He stands almost exactly 4" tall.

Sam is an improvement in terms of likeness. He's not dead on, but I can tell who he's supposed to be, and they did a better job capturing the hair and beard style, and getting the general shape of the face right. Ah, but then you go below the neck, and something happens. This looks like Sam if he were on Atkins, not the Same we know and love. They gave him a slightly heavier torso, but since they didn't want to alter the legs and hips too much - reuse is critical, you know - they ended up creating a figure that's about half the size of the on screen Sam.  He also stands about 4" tall.

Ghost works out nicely and while he's pretty much just a wolf, they actually got a realistic look and about the right size. I like the expression, created with a squint in the eyes and the ears folded forward slightly.  He looks dangerous, and I wish ThreeZero had pulled off something similar with their larger version.  He's 2 3/4 inches tall at the ears.

The best work is the White Walker, with his craggy skin and sinewy body.  They did a great job on him in the 6" line as well, and they've captured an appropriate expression and plenty of detail in this smaller size. He stands 4 1/8 inches tall, just slightly bigger than Jon and Sam.

Jon Snow, Ghost, Sam Tarly, White Walker Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Paint - Jon *1/2; Sam, Ghost **1/2; White Walker ***;
Once again, poor Jon gets the shaft. His below average sculpt is not helped by a really awful paint application.

He has huge caterpillar eyebrows that Groucho Marx would envy. He has massive lips that Julia Roberts would envy. And he has a weird, lopsided mustache that no one would envy. Mine even has a stray black mark on his forehead, adding insult to injury. The work on the smaller details of the costume is better, but no one will be able to get past the face to notice.

Sam is an improvement, almost to an acceptable level. The facial details are still pretty heavy handed, but the eyes, eyebrows, and facial hair are cleaner.

Ghost is largely white, but they've done a nice job on the mouth and eyes, and added some darker paint around the head and shoulders to give him a slightly dirty look. There's some slop around the nose and muzzle though, hurting the otherwise solid work.

The White Walker almost pulled another half star here, thanks to a great job on his face, eyes, and hair.  The piercing blue eyes, darker cheeks, and wash that highlights the skin details all look great.  Sadly, there is some slop around the brown gauntlets and greaves, enough to hold him back from a higher score, but in hand it's fairly minor.

White Walker Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Articulation - **1/2
These are very similar to their ReAction figures, except they added some articulation. Not a lot, and not that alters the posability all that much, but it is there. Let's discuss the three people first, since they are all quite similar.

There's a ball neck, which allows for some minor tilt and lean. There's cut shoulders, pin elbows, T hips, and pin knees. The pin elbows and knees are above and beyond what the ReAction line sports. Without rotating hinge joints at the shoulder, no ball hips, and no wrist or ankle joint of any kind, the addition of the pin joints provides very little extra posability, but at least you can bend the legs and arms.

Ghost has four cut joints where the legs join the body. He also has a ball neck, although the movement is pretty restricted by the sculpt. Nothing super special here, but enough for a basic animal figure.

Sam Tarly Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Accessories - Ghost Bupkis; the rest ***;
Poor ghost is the loser here, but I'm not sure what you'd pack with him anyway. While that's not normally an excuse I buy, this time I have to admit it makes sense.

The White Walker, Samwell, and Jon all come with one extra, a weapon for each of them.  Sam has a crossbow, the White Walker has a spear, and of course, Jon has his sword, given to him by Lord Mormont.

The spear and crossbow are a little big, tough for the small hands of the White Walker and Jon to hold. You can manage it, but it's not easy.

The winner here is Jon's sword, with a very good sculpt and paint job on the tiny hilt.

Ghost Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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White Walker Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Fun Factor - ***
These aren't exactly the most articulated 4" figures on the market, but if there was a kid into such a thing, they'd still be fun. The real issue is that for adult collectors, who like to pose their figures, these are going to have less appeal, and yet they are the ones who know the source material. It's sort of an action figure catch-22.

Sam Tarly Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Value - **1/2
You can't get much for ten bucks these days, but that was the price for the ReAction figures. These come with slightly better articulation, and better accessories (for the most part), so I'm willing to go with an average rating here.

Things to Watch Out For -
Obviously, if you're picking these up off the peg at your local comic shop, you'll want to watch for the best paint jobs. If you're buying online like me, you'll just have to hope for the best.

Jon Snow, Ghost Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Overall - Jon **; Sam, Ghost **1/2; White Walker ***
If you love the ReAction series, I suspect you'll be very happy with these.  The paint quality is pretty similar, and the sculpting is actually better in most cases. While the added articulation isn't super useful, they did it without raising the price, which is a plus.

If you're not a fan of ReAction, you'll be far less impressed.  The paint work still has a way to go to compete with the likes of Star Wars and Marvel figures in this same scale, as does the sculpting.

Of these four, the White Walker is easily my favorite.  Poor Jon fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, but Sam is more indicative of what most of the rest of the line is like. Individually these aren't all that, but I suspect that with a large group gathered around a play set, they'll look pretty good.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - Jon **; Sam **1/2; Ghost ***; White Walker ***1/2
Paint - Jon *1/2; Ghost, Sam **1/2; White Walker ***;
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - Ghost Bupkis, the rest **1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - Jon **; Ghost, Sam **1/2; White Walker ***

Jon Snow Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has the singles for $10 each, and the Wall play set for $35.

- Entertainment Earth has the figures for $10, and the play set for $30.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
The earlier Funko 6" Game of Thrones figures included Jamie and Brienne, Arya and Robb, and Danaerys, along with her beau Drogo. Before that, I hit up the Walgreen's exclusive Tyrion, and the first wave of figures in three sets, here, here and here.

If you're looking for something bigger and more expensive, check out ThreeZero's Tyrion, Ned Stark, and Jon Snow.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
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Jon Snow, White Walker Game of Thrones action figure by Funko

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

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