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

Introduction

We've seen a lot of sixth scale companies take on the Lord of the Rings license over the years. While some have gone fairly deep - Sideshow - none have ever managed to give us the full Fellowship. Will Asmus Toys finally be the one?

With the release of Boromir, they've made it to eight. We already have Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippen, Legolas, and Aragorn - that just leaves Gimli! And we saw Gimli at SDCC last summer, making it all the more likely that we'll get the Holy Grail of team ups...finally. Sure, something could go terribly wrong right at the end, but I certainly hope they'll beat the odds.

Boromir is interesting because he straddles both sides of a current sixth scale argument. Is rooted hair or sculpted hair better? Both camps have their pros and cons, and it's not a debate I think will ever see a real conclusion. Boromir comes both ways, and you can pick up the sculpted hair version for around $190 or so, and the rooted hair version around $215. Asmus was nice enough to send along both heads for me to check out, and I certainly have my preference.

Packaging - ***
Nothing too interesting here, but they do have a great shot of Bean as Boromir that you can use for comparisons.  The entire thing is collector friendly of course, and matches up with the rest of the series.

I do want to note that the heavier cloak that is specific to Boromir is in a plastic bag taped underneath the trays. It's easy to overlook, unless you know it's there.

Sculpting - sculpted hair **1/2; rooted hair ***
Let's jump right into the category that will be much debated - the sculpt. The interesting part is that it looks like both portraits are identical...but the change in hair actually makes them look slightly better or worse as well.

The portrait does capture Bean, especially in the eyes, mouth, and jaw line. I don't love the nose though, which is a smidge too large, and the face seems a little too old, more Game of Thrones than LOTR.

The realism is there as well. Every company has been stepping it up in this area, and Asmus is really made tremendous strides since they started. The wrinkling and skin texture is terrific, and even the facial hair has the subtle transition that makes it so much more life-like.

Boromir was never a super expressive guy, and the emotive nature of the portrait reflects that. However, there's no dead look in the eyes or lax appearance in the face. He's determined and tough, and the expression makes that clear.

Which makes the hair the big dividing aspect between the two. I argued that Legolas would have been so much better with rooted hair, and the sculpted hair pulled down an otherwise great sculpt.  Here we get to see that in full view.

The sculpted hair doesn't look too bad in hand, but in macro photos you can see that it doesn't have the sort of detail of the best hair sculpts on the market. It's a little too thick and clumpy, and the rough look creates a helmet hair impression.

The rooted hair gets away from the fine detail issue - with tiny strands, it's clearly going to look more like hair. The part is more obvious however, and stray hairs are always going to show up flying around in macro photos. The big advantage is your ability to mess with it, and create the style and look you like.

The rooted version comes out of the box heavy with product and very flat on his head. I took a couple shots that way, and then started fluffing and futzing. It's a fairly short hair style, but I ended up with a look I liked eventually (most clearly exhibited in the first photo of the review).

Swapping the heads wasn't too bad, but the hands were difficult. They included hands designed to work with the various accessories, and the scale is good.  He stands about 12 inches tall, fitting in with the rest of the Asmus Fellowship.

Paint - ***
Asmus is getting much better with their production paint.  Here we have a very good skin tone, and the transition from beard to skin is well done. It's a bit better on the sculpted hair version, where it's slightly less 'clean'.

The hair on the sculpted version matches the beard color of course, but I was particularly impressed by how well the rooted hair matched. Both versions have lighter hair than the prototype, and that's a good thing. This lighter color better represents his natural hair in brighter light.

There's also some nice wear and dirt on the clothing, added through carefully chaotic paint operations. This is an area where Asmus has been great all along, and it creates a realistic look for characters like these.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body is an improvement over some of their past figures, where there were some QC issues with wrists and joints.

I did have trouble swapping hands though, so I recommend using some heat. Don't heat the wrist pegs themselves, since I think you could still pull them apart if they are too soft. Instead, stick with heating up just the hand whenever possible.

Neither version of the hair creates too many issues with the neck articulation, and while the tunic and shirt reduce some of the shoulder movement, it's not any worse than a normal human would experience in the same outfit.

The boots are made from a very soft rubber, allowing the ankles quite a bit of forward/backward and side to side movement. You should be able to keep the feet flat on the ground in short to medium stances without too much trouble.

Accessories - ****
He has a nice set of extras, and the quality is exceptional.

Of course, he has hands. He comes wearing a relaxed set wearing gloves, and there are two more glove wearing sets - fists, and tight grips.  There are also two sets of bare hands - medium grips and relaxed. There's a couple extra wrist pegs just in case.

He also has a large shield, with nicely done leather strap and metal clasp. It can hang over one shoulder or across his body, or he can grip he interior handle with one of the hands provided.

The Horn of Gondor can also be hung over his shoulders or across his chest, and the sculpt and paint work on it are excellent.

He has two weapons - a small dagger and his large sword. These blew me away. They are die cast metal - and his joints are tight enough to allow him to hold them high without wilting - but the detail work on the hilts and guards is amazing. You have to see these in person to really appreciate how gorgeous they are.

He comes with two cloaks, which I'll discuss in greater detail in the Outfit section. Suffice to say, they improve the score here as well.

Finally, there's a relatively basic display stand with support rod.  It matches with the rest of the series for those looking for consistency in their display.

Outfit - ***1/2
This is a very complex outfit with plenty of layers. There's the outer blue long tunic, with the long sleeved red tunic underneath. Of course he also has pants, boots, and a nicely done belt with attached scabbards for the knife and sword. There's a set of hard plastic gauntlets, and the two cloaks I mentioned earlier.

The sculpted and painted pieces - boots, belt/scabbards, gauntlets - look terrific. The silver highlights on the blue and the gold highlights on the red are sharp and clean, and there's some nicely done dirt and grime along the bottom edges. It's all tailored well, and made from quality materials.

The Elven cloak is my favorite, and really adds something to the character. When they're all together on the shelf, it will create a nice 'team' feel as well. The second cloak, his heavier, patterned version, was not as attractive. I included one shot with him wearing it, but it won't be the way I go for display. The material is quality stuff, and I like the furry edging, but the thicker material doesn't lay as well across his shoulders and back. Both cloaks have a wire inside the edge of the hood for better positioning around the neck and shoulders.

Fun Factor - ***
You'll have plenty of fun posing this guy and reposing him a little while later.  Go for the rooted hair version and you'll have lots of fun futzing with his locks too - and get a reputation as the weird dude who plays with dolls. Hey, it takes a lot of work to get the hair just the way you want it!

Value - **1/2
The sculpted version can be had lots of places - including right from Asmus - for under $200. Considering the quality of the costume and accessories, that's a solid value. If I were going with that one, I'd go with three stars here. But I prefer the rooted hair version, and the extra $20 brings this score done to average for me.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. Always be careful when pulling the hands free, and if you can, use some needle nose pliers to hold the ball tightly together as you do it. I didn't have any trouble this time, but it's worth taking care based on past experiences.

Overall - ***
This is another solid release from Asmus in the series. No, they are not the best of the best, but the costumes and accessories can hold their own in the current market, and they are improving on paint and sculpt.

I recognize Boromir here, and the portrait has the realism and emotion I like. The likeness could be better - the nose is bugging me - and I'm not a big fan of the sculpted hair. Spend a few extra bucks and go with the rooted version, particularly if you like to futz with your figures. By the way, the photo below was taken right out of the box, with the plastic band pulled off the hair and nothing else done. As you can see, it starts out pretty flat, but you may actually prefer that.  Your mileage may vary on the styling, but that's the beauty of a rooted hair head sculpt.

I'm really looking forward to getting Gimli. I can't wait to complete this set, and while there are issues, I'm happy overall with the way the series has turned out.

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

Where to Buy 
You can pick up the rooted hair ($215) or sculpted hair ($190) versions direct from Asmus at their online store. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has just the sculpted at $200, but they have free shipping.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Previously, Asmus released Legolas, Thranduil, Sam and Frodo, Grishn'akh, Gandalf the Gray, the Mouth of Sauron, Merry and Pippin, and the excellent Saruman the White. Asmus has also released Tauriel, Aragorn, Bard the Bowman, Eowyn, the Nazgul Steed, the Morgul Lord, Gandalf, 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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