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Introduction
Fantasy stories often mirror other fantasy stories - there's only so many great ideas out there. I bet you know someone in your family who has a hard time telling Gandalf from Dumbledore, and that's not the only close characters between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. There's a little bit of the Ringwraith's in the Dementor's, the subject of tonight's review.
Star Ace continues their run with the Harry Potter license, releasing two versions of the Dementor in sixth scale. The regular will run you around $190 or so, and the deluxe - which includes a light up feature - is about $205.
These guys just started shipping in the last week, and should be available at the usual online retailers.
Packaging - ***
The usual well done box, with nice graphics and a very collector friendly package design. The deluxe version includes a small sticker on the front
bottom corner to highlight the difference. They've included brief instructions as well, useful for the light up feature.
Sculpting - ***
I don't recall ever seeing a really clear look at a Dementor in the movies. Always shrouded in ethereal cloth, you know there's a skeletal figure
under there - you can see the hands - but exact details are sketchy. We've also seen a number of artistic representations, but as Star Ace is
working as an official licensee, we have to assume this depiction is fairly accurate to what the licensor wants.
And yes, it's a skeletal, creepy, dried up husk of a human. There's a head, neck, torso and arms...and that's it. This is one of this cases where the display base is absolutely critical.
I like the dried up, corpse-like appearance, with its detailed texture and shriveled flesh. He's almost a skeleton...but not quite. The work on the nose and teeth looks great, and the bony hands are claw-like and grasping.
Height is pretty subjective with a 'floating' character. But on the stand in a fairly straight stance he comes in at about 13" tall.
Paint - ***
The paint work supports the detailed texture, although there's not a ton of detail work. The mouth has a little variation on the teeth and gums, but
for the most part, he's all one gruesome design.
Articulation - ***
With only half a body, there's not as much articulation as usual. The ball jointed neck works pretty well, and the single pin elbows and cut
shoulders give you a few arm poses to work with. Each finger is jointed as well, so you can alter the look of the grasping grip.
The costume has several wires at key spots, allowing you to stretch out the material to the sides or behind him, perfect for flying poses.
Finally, the 'kiss' effects that can be inserted into his mouth have a ball joint too. This is particularly useful, since it allows you to direct the blast up, down, or to the side.
The biggest problem is the shoulders. The simple cut joints mean the arms can only move forward and back, and with very little rotation in the elbows and no wrist joints, you can't get any turn outward or inward.
Accessories - **
Unfortunately, he's pretty light in this category. Of course, I'm not sure a Dementor would have a lot of possessions, but a couple other extras
would have gone a long way.
He does have two slightly different 'kiss' effects. Both are a translucent blue plastic, with slightly different tips. One is a pretty standard blast, while the other looks like tiny, gripping fingers. These pop into the mouth easily, and the angle can be adjusted.
His only other extra is his base. This time it's critical, since he has no legs. The support rod is heavy duty bendable metal, allowing him to take good flying poses, and the base itself is a sculpted stone floor.
Light Feature - **1/2
The deluxe version includes a light up feature - that's what makes it deluxe. There are three batteries included. You simply pop off the back of the
head (no screws to mess with) to reveal the battery compartment and switch. There's no cover on the battery compartment either, making this one of
the easier light features to load. Flip the switch, and the single LED lights up the eyes and mouth.
The mouth allows the bright white light to come through and illuminate the kiss effect. The eyes are red lens, filtering the light to create the desired effect. We all know how tough red is though, and it's obvious here that the filtered eyes are much dimmer and harder to see, even in a dimly lit room.
Outfit - ***
Nothing super fancy here, but it's well made. He wears a torn, tattered cloak, which flows in various ways thanks to the adjustable wires. The hood
is a separate piece, with long sections flowing down the chest and back. Again, there are wires to allow you to get the hood in just the right
position for each pose.
The costume is dirtied up a bit as well, although they didn't go nuts. Rather than looking like he rolled in a mud puddle, it looks like it's been worn for a very long time with nary a wash.
Fun Factor - ***
While I have my issues with the light up feature, and he could use a few extra accessories, he's still a pretty posable character with a lot of
potential to spice up the display shelf.
Value - **
This guy will cost you about $205. Dump the light up feature, and you can cut about $15 off that price with the regular release.
While I like the figure, I can't justify a price point over $180 for the deluxe and $160 for the regular. With other companies doing licensed
figures in that range with more complex outfits and accessories, this price point is hard to swallow.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
Overall - **1/2
My biggest issue with this figure is the price - if he was more in line with $180, I'd go another half star easy. I just can't justify the
higher price point though, based on what you're getting.
I expect some folks will complain about the overall look, but I like where they went with it. I think he'll look great on the shelf tormenting Harry, and might actually make the teen version look better when paired together.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - **
Accessories - **
Light Feature - **1/2
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - **1/2
Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Entertainment Earth has the regular for $193 and the deluxe for $210, but they also have free shipping on both.
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
Other Star Ace Harry Potter figures include Griphook, the
prisoner version of Belletrix,
the
regular Bellatrix,
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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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.