Review of Harry Potter action figure

Introduction

McFarlane's first series of Harry Potter figures are hitting more stores, although I haven't yet seen the entire wave. I have picked up (and reviewed) Ron, and tonight I'm covering the all important Harry. I know Voldemort is out, but it appears that he's the one in demand, because he's never on the pegs around here. Buckbeak is out too, but he's so woefully out of scale with the rest of the line he simply doesn't count. Hermione? I'm thinking she's not yet in the pack out.

Harry and the rest of the gang will cost you around $20 at most retailers right now, including Target.

Packaging - ***
Before you say anything, yes, I know that's a photo of Ron's box. I trashed Harry's before I realized my error, but the two boxes are pretty much identical.

It's not completely collector friendly. There's a plastic string you'll have to cut holding in Harry, and most of the accessories have tape over them. I do like the use of the newspaper design, which we are seeing across the Harry Potter license right now.

Sculpting - **
When I reviewed Ron, I mentioned that if you had just the right angle, and just the right light, and squinted just the right way, you'd recognize a 30 year old Ron. If you have all the ideal conditions with Harry, you'll recognize a 30 year old cosplayer.

It's only thanks to the glasses and hair that you'll know who this is supposed to be. The face itself looks nothing like the teen Harry. There's nice detail work, especially in the hair, but the likeness is way off.

Then there's the stork-like neck. This is exacerbated by the articulation. The ball joint is only at the jawline - there's none at the torso. The neck is sculpted leaning slightly forward, making it necessary to tilt the head back for any reasonable stance.

The body has the same pooched out belly, but the clothing is well done. There's a variety of textures, but he also suffers from the ugly wrists and ankles, just like Ron. He has some seriously ugly elbows as well, a problem Ron avoided.

He's in the 6 3/4" range, making him slightly shorter than adult 7" scale figures, as expected.

Paint - **
Details on the face - eyebrows, lips, eyes - are decent, but he's even more washed out than Ron. Yes, I know, Harry was definitely white, but this guy looks like an unused page in a new coloring book.

The various layers of clothing are different colors, and the edges between them are slightly sloppy. I'm also not a huge fan of the heavy wash they used on the jeans, which over emphasizes the wrinkles and folds.

Articulation - ***
They definitely went for the articulation on this series, some of it more useful than others.

The ball jointed neck seems to only be articulated under the jawline. I was able to get some movement out of Ron's at the torso as well, and you can actually see with his figure where the joint is. However, I can't get Harry's neck to move at all, and I can't see any joint line buried in the layers of shirts and jackets.  It doesn't help that the neck itself is sculpted with a forward lean, and the head likes to pop off while posing it.

The rotating hinge shoulders, cut biceps, double pin elbows, and rotating hinge wrists work fine, even if the elbows do look ugly as sin. The disc between the upper and lower arm is huge and quite obvious.

The chest has a rolling joint, and the hinge hips, double pin knees, and rotating hinge ankles work fine. I do wish the hips had more outward movement (or there was a cut thigh), but it's a minor complaint.

Accessories - ***
Harry follows Ron's lead in this category.

He has his wand of course, but the sculpt is pretty basic. Be careful putting it in the hard, tight right hand.

He also has his patronus, with a clear plastic rod and stand to support it. The stag is a decent size, and adds a lot to the overall impression of the figure. In fact, I'd be happy to say it's the single best thing about him.

There's also a small display stand, with two plastic supports to hold the included cardboard backdrop. Or you can just stand it behind him, like I did for one of the photos.

Fun Factor - ***
He's less fun than Ron, simply because the articulation is a bit more clunky and less useful. He has all the other positive attributes though, and kids looking for a reasonable Harry Potter in this scale can have a good time.

Value - ***
At $20, you're getting a decent deal. Most 6" figures are in that range, and 7" scale figures tend to be another $5 - $10 more.  Yea, I'm not thrilled with the portrait here, but they can't blame the price point on missing the accuracy.

Things to Watch Out For -
As I mentioned, take some care with the wand. Otherwise you should be just fine.

Overall - **1/2
If you're looking for a terrific looking Harry Potter in a 7" scale, you need to keep looking. Let's hope McFarlane produces another version with a better portrait at some point, because this one isn't going to cut it. The Ron might have not been perfect, but I could at least get a semblance of the character out of the facial features. Here, it's the glasses and hair style that save him.

I haven't seen Hermione yet, and I've not picked up Voldemort. I was happier with Ron when I had him out of the package, but sadly, my situation with Harry is the opposite. I'm now no longer sure this will be a series I continue.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth have him for $20 as well.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I covered Ron last week. Most of the other recent Harry Potter figures have been from Star Ace in their sixth scale line, like the Dementor, 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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