Review of Bran Stark - Game of Thrones
Deluxe Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

One of the recent "it's on facebook and everyone has to do it" trends was naming your top ten television shows. Game of Thrones was one of only three modern shows to make my personal list. It will be a tough one to knock off, and I doubt I'll be stopping my collection of ThreeZero sixth scale figures based on the series any time soon.

Their latest release is Bran, a kid who becomes an integral protagonist despite his lack of mobility in a world where 'accommodation' is not exactly a priority. This version is based on his look late in the series, and will go well with their upcoming season 8 Arya. They also have a Tormund Giantsbane still to come, as well as a new Jaime Lannister.

Bran, like most of their figures, came in two flavors - regular and deluxe. I'm looking at the deluxe tonight, which had one more accessory and costs around $205 depending on the retailer. The regular release was closer to $190.

Packaging - ***1/2
The packaging has remained consistent, and I really like their use of the house sigel on the slip cover, embossed in the cardboard. Inside, several plastic trays hold the figure and accessories safe, and there's some clear instructions on how to assemble the wheelchair. It's all collector friendly of course, although once you assemble the chair you're unlikely to break it back down again.

Sculpting - ***1/2
ThreeZero continues on their roll with their portraits for this series. Bran is easily recognizable, clearly the character, with plenty of detail in the hair and skin. The shape of the face, the lips, the eye shape and spacing - all are just about perfect.

It can be tough doing kids, because they don't have the skin texture and damage - wrinkles, scars, etc. - to add realism. Make his face baby smooth, and he looks more like Barbie than Bran. Give it too much texture, and he looks 20 years too old.

They nailed it here, using both paint and sculpt to make the skin realistic without looking too old or too doll-ish. The detail work on the stranding of the hair is nice as well, and they have something going for them that I don't mention enough - properly sized hands. Other companies seem intent on continuing the practice of making sixth scale hands the size of oven mitts, but here you can see an excellent example of correctly sized hands.

Bran stands just shy of 11 1/2" tall.

Paint - ****
The paint work is solid, not quite Hot Toys quality overall, but damn close. The skin tone is slightly freckled, and the work on the eyebrows and lips is quite clean.

The reason I went all the way to four stars instead of three and a half is the eyes, particularly on the warged head. The deluxe includes a second portrait with 'warg' eyes - watchers of the show know what I mean.  They have created a white out appearance, but there's still a hint of the iris below, just slightly darker than the rest of the white. They are also slightly glossy, not as flat as as usual with this sort of effect. It's a pretty impressive detail.

Another aspect of the eyes on both heads is the lower lashes.  Everyone adds lower lashes with paint, but most of the time they are a bit too thick and obvious. Here they are really subtle, adding a lot of realism without looking like he's into mascara.

Articulation - ***1/2
Okay, this isn't a figure you'll have in a lot of fighting poses. It's been a long time since Bran could stand on his own, so I doubt many people will have him upright on the shelf.

But he does have all the usual articulation, and it's critical for getting him into a sitting pose. In fact, some of the most articulated sixth scale bodies out there don't do sitting poses great, largely because of the hip and pelvis design required for it.

Bran pulls if off well enough, although I was never quite able to get him fully seated. The thick coat and clothing tend to get in the way, and the hips don't quite allow it. Still, he does sit well enough to look great in the chair, and that's what counts.

Of course, the wheels on the chair are also articulated, and it can roll.

Accessories - ****
Bran doesn't come with big numbers of extras, but a couple are really key.

I already mentioned that the deluxe has the second portrait with the 'warg' eyes. This is a huge addition, well worth the extra 10 - 15 bucks, and is the look I'll be going with on the shelf. The heads swap easily.

He also has two additional sets of hands to go with the relaxed set he comes wearing. One set is fists, the other tight grips. The hands are a tough swap though, and require some heat to make it easier. As usual, they threw in a couple extra wrist pegs just in case.

The most important weapon in the entire story is the dagger, Catspaw. There is a sheath for it as well. The sculpt and paint work are excellent, and while we are scheduled to get this sheath and dagger again with the season 8 Arya, it's a nice add here.

It gets mighty cold in the north, and Bran has an extra faux fur blanket to cover his legs. It's quality stuff, and I'll be using it in the display as well.

Finally, there's the wheelchair. It comes in parts which you assemble. The plastic is very sturdy, and there's a steel axle to ensure no sagging over time. The paint job is the most impressive part, with snowy areas added to the wheels and foot rest.

Outfit - ****
Most - 95% - of the outfits ThreeZero has produced in this series have been excellent. There is only one that truly sucked (Cersei) and there were a few that had issues with specific areas (Jon's big ass boots), but overall they've done a terrific job. Bran's costume is an excellent example.

Lots of layers, lots of complexity, all of it high quality and well done. There's nice faux fur, snow and dirt effects, and almost perfect tailoring.

You can strip off the heavy outer coat if you'd like to go with a more indoorsy look, but I much prefer the heavily wrapped appearance.

It's also worth noting that the two piece boots are really well done, allowing for a ton of ankle mobility. That might not seem important since he isn't standing, but getting the feet to look natural in the chair requires it.

Fun Factor - ***
The character is never going to lend himself to a lot of reposing. But the warg head allows you to swap up the look a bit, and you can add different characters at different times to interact with him in the display. Of course, ideally we'd get a Hodor now.

Value - ***1/2
At around $200, you're getting a really solid deal.  It's a high quality sixth scale figure, with a very complex costume with lots of layers, two portraits, and the very cool chair. Something like this from Hot Toys would cost you at least another $75.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. The hands are made from very hard plastic, so you will probably need some heat to swap them, but otherwise you should be good.

Overall - ***1/2
The line has had some blips, but overall I'm tremendously happy with the quality and character selection. We still have three more figures coming for sure, and I have high hopes that we'll get several more before they are done.

Bran will make an excellent addition, and considering how crucial his role becomes on the show, he is certainly a worthy one. ThreeZero has managed to keep the price down, while improving their quality from release to release, a trend I certainly hope we see continue.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the regular for $195 and the deluxe for $210, with free shipping!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other ThreeZero Game of Thrones figures include King Joffery, the Night King, the second Jon Snow, season 7 Tyrion, Brienne, Cersei, a White Walker, Arya, Daenerys, the Hound, Jaime Lannister, the first Tyrion, Ned, and the first Jon Snow.

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

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!