Review of Draco Malfoy - Harry Potter
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

While I enjoyed Fantastic Beasts (which I finally saw just this last weekend), it also reminded me by comparison just how great the original Harry Potter series was, and how they struck gold with the child actors. While he was never the main antagonist, Draco Malfoy plays a critical part in the story of Harry and his growth over his years at Hogwarts, and I'm quite happy that Star Ace has included him in their series of sixth scale collectibles.

This release has Draco in his Slytherin school robes, designed to match up with the young versions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione already available. This is not their first Draco, however, with the Quidditch uniform version hitting last summer. However, for many collectors this look is much more 'classic', particularly with a Sorcerer's Stone Draco.

He is currently shipping worldwide, and will run you around $200 depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
This is a pretty basic package, with the glossy photo of the character offset on a matte, dark background.  It's a tad plainer than some of the other releases, but it's entirely collector friendly, as you'd expect.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Did they update the sculpt from the Quidditch release? That's the sixty four thousand dollar question. I like it quite a bit, but any alteration is very, very subtle.

The skin texture is ever so slight here, enough to add some realism and avoid a doll-like look, yet not aging the character too much.  The detailed stranding of the slicked back hair looks great, and the shape of the lips, nose and eyes all look accurate to me.

Holding them side by side, I can't see any difference in the overall portrait. I highly doubt that any change occurred, since doing anything this subtle would have been a waste of money. They certainly updated the Harry sculpt from the SS version to the CS version, and that sort of obvious change didn't occur here.

Draco is a little shorter, coming in at about 9 1/2" tall. I've included a shot later in the review with casual Harry for reference. The slight loss in height is probably due to a shorter neck than we saw with their Harry, which is not a bad thing.

Paint - ***
The overall paint work is clean and neat, with solid quality all around. The lips and eyes look great, with very little bleed and great color.  The eyebrows are trim and neat, and the variation in the hair works about as well as you can expect. Doing super blonde hair in plastic is always difficult, because paint can never quite capture that slightly shimmering, translucent look that real hair this color has. But they did what they could, and it looks reasonable good.

I will say that the hair line is a little less impressive. Perhaps I'm just getting more picky, but the transition from hair to skin is a little wonky here, with too much of the very edge of the actual sculpted hair being done in a skin tone. It's a minor nit, but one that I don't recall having an issue with before.

The Star Ace bodies are always a little lighter in color than the painted faces, but the difference between the face and neck on Draco isn't a huge issue, thanks to the higher collar on the sweater and robe.

Articulation - ***1/2
This is the same underlying body that we've seen with the previous kids from their first year at Hogwarts.  The double ball neck works well to add personality and attitude to any pose, the rotating hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists allow for good arm poses, the torso and waist joint can easily turn and maintain twisted stances, and the hips, ankles, and knees work together to provide natural shallow to deep stances.

My one nit is with the ankles, covered a bit by the shoes and less mobile than I'd like. I want greater side to side or 'rocker' movement in them, to get the best flat footed pose in deeper stances. Still, it's a pretty minor nit, and the Star Ace small body is one of the better on the market right now.

Accessories - ***
Can you say 're-use'? I knew you could. And Star Ace certainly can.

Malfoy comes with a few extras, all of which we've seen before in one incarnation or another.  There are 5 different hands, including the pair he comes wearing. These work with holding the various accessories, and are fairly easy to swap.

He has his wand of course, which does fit neatly in a left or right provided hand.  The sculpt is accurate, and it's sturdy enough to avoid breakage with normal handling.

He also comes with a 'training' broom, which was the same broom other Sorcerer's Stone figures, like Ron, came equipped with. The sculpt and paint work are solid, even if we have seen it before.

Then there's the lantern, another re-use, this time from Hagrid.  It lights up - more on that in a later section - and is properly scaled. It looks great, but I'm not sure if it's the best choice possible for Draco.

Finally, he has the clear plastic display stand. It includes enough of the posts and grippers to do most standing poses, although you won't technically require it.

Light Feature - ***1/2
While the lantern might not make the most sense with Draco, it is a great accessory in general. There's no battery included, so you'll need to supply one. I had an extra around, thankfully, so no extra trip to the store was required. The compartment and switch are on the bottom, within easy reach. Swapping the single cell in or out is simple enough, as is turning the lantern on or off.

It's fairly bright, easy enough to see in room lighting, and has a nice candle-like color and glow. I liked it a lot when Hagrid had it - I like it just as much here.

Outfit - ***1/2
The basic outfit consists of his outer robes, sweater, shirt, tie, pants, and shoes.

The pants, shirt, and sweater look terrific. The tailoring is really nice, no easy feat in this sub-10" size.  Companies have trouble getting ties looking right on 12" figures, so Star Ace doing it here is a big plus.  The knit sweater is the proper colors, and the sharp crease in the trousers looks great.

The shoes are basic but workable, nothing to write home about but he does stand up nicely on his own.

The outer cloak is the same one we've seen before - the whole costume mirrors Ron and Harry, just in different colors.  The only change to the robe is the addition of the Slytherin logo on the left breast. The hood in back lays flat and remains out of site, and there's a thin wire in the very bottom edge of the robe itself, allowing for some posing and manipulation.

Of course being the same robe means the minor nits I had before - oversized clasps on the front, as well as a slightly too large school emblem - remain. At this point I'd prefer they stay consistent however, so that all four kids look identical in their standard school uniforms.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Add this character in with your Ron, Harry, and Hermione in their school robes, and you'll have a terrific display of kids.  The school uniform gives the figure a bit more flexibility in posing and display as well, since you can match him up with various adults. The body is articulated well enough to allow for lots of re-posing over time, and while the accessories are few, the most critical are present.

Value - *1/2
Here's where this tasty bite might stick in your throat.  At $200, he's coming in about $15 more than either Ron or Harry in the same costume.

This is worth noting because of the re-use. There's nothing significantly new here. The portrait is a re-use, the costume is a re-use, the accessories are all re-used...it's very difficult for the normal buyer to justify this high a price point for so little new content.

However, if you didn't pick up the Quidditch version of Draco, waiting for one to go with the kids and professors in a bit more standard look, then this is the guy for you.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. He's sturdy, and the outfit and accessories are built to withstand normal handling without an issue.

Overall - ***
The quality of this figure is very much in line with the rest of the Star Ace series.  Solid sculpt and paint with an excellent outfit, good base body, and a reasonable number of accessories. If you don't have the Quidditch version of Draco, I strongly recommend him. If you do, it's a bit tougher sell, since so little has changed, but it all comes down to what having another of the kids in their basic school uniform attire is worth to you.

I would have gone another half star here if this figure had been a tad cheaper. Even at $180, a price in line with the earlier Ron and Harry, he would have pulled that extra half star. But with so much re-use, it's very hard to justify the higher cost.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has him for $200 as well.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Of course, you'll want to check out the Draco/Harry two pack in their Quidditch gear for comparison to this figure. The most recent review covered the casual dress Hermione, but before that we had the Casual Ron and Harry, Star Ace Dumbledore, 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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