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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Sandor Clegane - The Hound
Game of Thrones exclusive sixth scale action figure

ThreeZero
Date Published: 2017-08-07
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3 out of 4

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Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Introduction

My favorite show on an network, any service, any time, any day, is on tonight - Game of Thrones. It's not for everybody, but for those of us that love the world of Westeros (and Essos), it's outstanding.

ThreeZero has been doing a series of sixth scale figures based on the show, but ThreeZero doesn't rush things. Their last release was Jaime Lannister, way back in November of last year. They've just started shipping The Hound, Sandor Clegane, a much anticipated fan favorite. Up next will be Danerys, but we don't have any official announcements after that.

Sandy came in two versions - the regular release available through all retailers, and the exclusive only available through the ThreeZero site. The regular will run you a reasonable $195, and the exclusive - with one extra accessory - originally cost $210. Prices on the exclusive (reviewed here) are on the rise of course, as he is long sold out, but you can still pick up the regular Hound at some retailers.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Packaging - ***
The bright packaging took me a bit by surprise, but it does match up properly with the colors and sigil of House Clegane. The exclusive version includes a sticker indicating it's exclusivity. Inside, the figure and accessories are held safe in a couple very collector friendly plastic trays. There's nothing particularly unique here, but it does the job and the exterior box is attractive.

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Sculpting - ***1/2
This is one of those portraits that I think gets way more hate than it deserves. It's not perfect by any means, but I believe it's much more accurate than some would lead you to believe.

Let's start with the realism. The skin texture looks great, and the burn wound on the right side of his face is realistic and well done. It stretches all the way back along the side of his head too, even though the hair will cover it most of the time. The beard could use a little finer detail, but the rooted hair looks great.

And yes, you'll need to play with the hair to get it the way you want it. And how you want it is not going to be the same as how someone else wants it. On the show, it's been a wild mane, so just about any style you give it will have a similar example on screen. The good news is there's plenty of it, so you can go from having just a few strands on the side of his face to quite a bit, and with a little product you can get it as flat or as styled as you want.

The expression is also properly emotive. He has a stoic, hard look, but nothing too extreme, just enough to avoid the 'wax museum' look that far too many Hot Toys figures exhibit these days.

And then there's accuracy. I think it's a solid Hound portrait, capturing the general look of the character and the actor quite well. While he's not quite Tyrion quality for me, he's certainly well above Jon Snow and Jaime, similar to Ned in terms of accuracy.

There's only one extra set of hands, and these are sculpted in gripping poses. Unfortunately, the grips are too big to work great with the weapons, a negative here.

Mr. Clegane is a big boy, coming in almost 13" tall, with the proper girth and internal scale to go with the extra height.

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Paint - ***
If there's one area that could use a little work, it's the paint. ThreeZero still needs to up their game with production paint work.

The skin tone is good, and I like the slightly reddish tint that the scar tissue exhibits. There's a decent subtle transition between the beard and face, and the eyebrows - including the scarred right one - look great.

The eyes are a little iffy, lacking the sort of detail we normally expect, and like with the sculpt, the paint work on the beard could have a little better variation overall. It's not terrible work, particularly in hand, but it's one area that ThreeZero should focus on with upcoming releases.

The work on the armor is great, with plenty of detail paint and realistic dirt and wear in a number of areas. This is a well worn suit of armor, and the mud on the boots and greaves looks particularly good. He's not a fancy knight, but he definitely gets the job done.

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Articulation - ***
The underlying body has all the articulation you expect, and it includes ratchet joints - 'clicky' - at key areas like the hips and knees. These provide extra support, but do limit some of the positions of those joints.

The armor can be a bit limiting too. I found that the ball jointed neck worked well, but the arms (which I'm assuming have rotating hinge shoulders and elbows) can't quite reach across the body as far as I'd like. He can do a two handed sword pose though, and look good doing it.

The hands swap easily, and the longer wrist pegs that go into the hands avoid some of the problems we see with the competing TrueType body, particularly when a figure is wearing armor like this. The hands stay on, even when posing.

My big issue, the one that holds this guy back from a higher score, is the ankles. They simply don't have the rocker movement they need for medium to deep stances, and the feet won't stay flat on the ground. That hurts the realism of those poses, and is something we've expect not to be an issue.

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Accessories - ***1/2
The exclusive adds one very cool, very well done extra accessory, making it the right way to go out of the gate.

Both versions have one extra set of hands, designed in a gripping pose for the various weapons. He comes wearing a relaxed pose set. The gripping set doesn't work all that great with the thin hilts however, a surprise to me. It's not that hard to get right, and the fact they didn't strikes me as odd.

There are three bladed weapons - a long sword that fits in a scabbard that attaches to his back, a short sword that slips into the belt on his waist, and a dagger that also fits in a sheath on his belt. All three look great, with unique sculpts, and all three are made of plastic. I'm good with that, since it allows him to hold them in any pose without the weight pulling him down.

There's a fourth blade - the 'katar' he wears in another sheath on his chest. I couldn't come up with any great way for him to hold it, but it is a critical part of the look of his outfit.

That's it for the regular release. The exclusive includes his trademark helm, shaped like the head of an attacking dog. The helmet is actually two pieces - the helmet and articulated jaw, and a collar. This collar covers up the gray cloth collar of his outfit, and since it's a separate piece, you can actually use it all the time if you prefer the look.

The helmet looks great on his head, fitting over the hair and dome neatly. The articulated jaw allows you to see more or less of his face, and the sculpted dented surface gives the impression of hammered iron. It's a great looking extra on or off.

And speaking of 'off', they've included a small display stand for the helmet (including the collar). That's another nice touch, allowing you to display it neatly next to the figure even when he's not wearing it.

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Outfit - ***
I've seen a number of comments were people have been unhappy with the sculpt on this figure, but happy with the outfit. Count me in the exact opposite camp.

The outfit is easily my biggest issue, but only certain sections. I do very much like the hard plastic armor pieces, with their sculpted and painted wear and damage. The pants look good too, and even the gray undershirt, barely visible at the neck, is well done. Perhaps my favorite aspect is the chain link style cloth you see on the arms, and under the torso armor. It looks very realistic, and the pattern is properly in scale.

But the rubber torso armor, rubber waist belt, and rubber chest belt are less impressive. It's not because they are 'rubber', which does allow them to do some pretty intricate designs and details. But they were hard to work with, and both belts had issues with pieces coming loose.

The leather loops on the back of the chest belt, designed to hold the scabbard of the Great Sword, were poorly positioned. You end up putting a lot of pressure on them when it's all assembled, and eventually I pulled the top one loose and had to re-glue it.

The waist belt tends to pop apart at the scabbard location as well. You can pop it back together, but once you do it tends to happen more and more often. I suspect I may end up gluing mine.

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Fun Factor - ***
While the overall figure could be a bit more posable, you should be able to get some solid fighting stances, and even some nice relaxed poses. As you get additional figures, you'll have more options for display, increasing the fun long term.

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Value - ***
This guy was right around $200, whether you picked up the exclusive or the regular. You could save a few bucks with the regular of course, but this was one of those occasions where the exclusive release really was worth the extra effort.

The quality might be a bit shy of the best on the market, but the price is as well, and considering the cost I'm good with the overall design decisions.

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Things to Watch Out For -
I mentioned that the loops for the scabbards on the belt and harness are a bit dicey. Be careful working with them, and have some superglue handy.

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Overall - ***
I'm pretty happy with the final result here. I think a repaint by a skilled customizer would make the sculpt pop, and I like the rooted hair and weathered armor. I'm not digging the belts, and there are a few more minor issues (ankles, too wide gripping hands, etc.) but nothing that's a deal breaker.

If you're looking for a comparison with the rest of the line, Tyrion is still my favorite overall, and Jon Snow is still my least favorite. From a likeness perspective, I'd put both Ned and Sandor on an even slot behind Tyrion, with Jaime just behind, but if I were only considering the armor, Jaime would beat out Sandor.

Dany looked great at SDCC - let's hope they can deliver, and they best hurry up and announce another character soon.

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

Game of Thornes Hound Sandor Clegan 1/6th action figure from ThreeZero

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- still has them available to preorder at $186.

- has their pre-order sold out at $180, but they aren't in stock yet and some may become available.

- Entertainment Earth is also pre-sold out for their pre-orders (at $195), but they have Dany still up for pre-order at just $165 - and free shipping too!

- Sideshow has him still available at $195.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other ThreeZero GoT figures include Jaime Lannister, Tyrion, Ned, and Jon Snow. If you're looking for other Game of Thrones figures that might be a little cheaper, there's the now defunct Funko original series, as well as their new series. And don't forget that Dark Horse has their own series of 8" statue-like figures.

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

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