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Packaging - ***1/2
The design of the LOTR boxes is a bit more attractive and eye catching
than the plain Jane Star Wars stuff from GG. That's probably more the
fault of the licensors, but who's to blame is irrelevant. Here, the
design is more attractive, and they also sport the window so you can see
what you're personally getting. And of course, they have the cool
little baseball card style COA's.
Saruman is a limited edition of 3500, while Sam and Frodo are 3000.
But considering how cool sales have probably been (or so I hear), is that
really 'limited'?
Sculpting - Saruman ****; Sam ***1/2; Frodo ***
The sculpting on all three of these is outstanding, especially the armor
on Sam and Frodo.
One of the common complaints with GG's mini-busts is that they often lack
texture on the clothing and other areas. The smooth appearance of the
clothing, often seen on Jedi robes for example in their Star Wars busts,
takes away from the realism of the sculpt.
On Sam and Frodo, that's clearly not an issue. There's some
wonderful detail work on the chain mail and leather armor, and even the
helmets have dings and dents added that make them appear to be roughly
formed by a blacksmith.
The head sculpt on Frodo is good, if not quite perfect. It very
well could be the best Frodo likeness we've gotten so far, particularly
below the eyes. The nose, lips, cheeks, and shape of the head and
jawline are dead on.
The eyes take away quite a bit though. They're HUGE! It's
like Gollum had sex with Marty Feldman and popped out Frodo. The eyes
pull Frodo down at least a half star here.
Fortunately for Sam, he has no such issue. There haven't been as
many Sam sculpts, particularly in high end collectibles, so I can easily say
this is the best headsculpt of the hobbit we've gotten. The photos
don't do him justice either - in person, it's amazing.
Both Sam and Frodo (although Frodo more) are in a pained, exhausted state
at this point. That's obvious in the expressions, although I think the
Sam expression is a little less wussed out than Frodo's. Of course,
Frodo always was the whinier of the two.
Both sculpts pale in comparison to Saruman though. He really is
outstanding, with and excellent detail work in the wrinkling of the face and
the fine hairs of the beard. Put this guy with the earlier Gandalf
bust, and you have one Hell of a pair.
Paint - Saruman, Sam ***1/2; Frodo ***
The paint isn't quite as good as the sculpt here, but it's still solid
work. Both Sam and Frodo have the glossy look on their hair and face,
which I usually complain about. But here you know they are hot, sweaty
and exhausted, and the gloss look actually works.
The dirt and blood effects on Frodo work a bit better than the same
effects on Sam (where they seem a bit more like a paint wash than dirt on a
character), but he suffers fro those big eyes here again. The paint
does nothing to make them look less buggy.
Saruman's paint job is almost perfect, but I do think they could have
done a bit more with a wet look in the eyes. That would have been the
one addition I would have liked that would have given him the full four
stars in this category as well.
I also really like how the Palantir was painted, and the slitted eye
looks great either lit or unlit.
Design - Saruman, Sam ****; Frodo ***1/2
Frodo's design is good, if not quite as outstanding as Sam and Saruman.
He's tired, using the sword to help support himself, and the combination of
the outfit and appearance fits perfectly with the Mount Doom style base.
I do like the pose of Sam's body a bit better though, with the tired yet
relaxed hold on the huge sword over his shoulder and the tilt to his head.
Both busts are designed to work well with or without the helmets too, which
can be tricky to get right.
Saruman's design fits the character perfectly, and you can't argue with
the crazy eyes. Oddly enough, he isn't looking over the bottom lids in
the actual box photo of the character in the same pose, but that look works
perfectly with the Palantir in his hands.
Accessories - Sam/Frodo ***; Saruman Bupkis
It's fairly unusual to get 'accessories' with busts, but occasionally Gentle
Giant does it. Here, both Sam and Frodo have their Orc helmets to
complete their Orc disguises. You can display them with or without, as
the mood strikes.
Both look terrific, although Frodo's does seem a bit too large.
That's a really minor quibble though, and is probably due to the better
sized and suited version that Sam managed to get.
You do have to get the helmets on the head just right so you can see
their eyes, and it's quite easy to have them off kilter. But I'd
prefer that to something that was so tight that it damaged the head over
time.
Obviously, Saruman lacks any such accessories. However, he does
come with the three (or four?) watch batteries that power his light up
feature.
Light up Feature - Saruman ****; Sam and Frodo Bupkis (obviously)
The Palantir in Saruman's hands lights up with a very bright light.
The painted eye slit looks terrific when it's lit, and the best part - it
flickers! Yes, it's supposed to do that, giving it a very evil, other
worldly feel. That kind of small touch is what sets this bust apart
from others.
As I mentioned earlier, Sam and Frodo aren't supposed to light up, so
there's nothing wrong with the fact that they don't. They both have
those nifty little ring drawers (in back on both), which work fine for
storing your stash. As long as there isn't much to store.
Value - Saruman ***1/2; Sam, Frodo ***
If you end up actually paying the $50 SRP, then you can knock another half
star off here. That's a pretty average value, at least for Sam and
Frodo. The light up feature of Saruman still gets him at least 3 stars
though.
However, there's no reason to pay more than $40 for these - $45 tops.
That's the same price other companies are charging for mini-busts that
aren't a) this detailed, b) lack anything like the helmets or light up
feature and c) are not of this type of quality.
Things to Watch Out For -
The helmets do fall off easily, so keep that in mind when picking up the
busts. I've also heard that some folks are having issues with paint
rubs from the helmets on the faces, but that wasn't an issue for me.
Overall - Saruman ****; Sam ***1/2; Frodo ***
It's possible that I'm being a bit hard on Frodo. If he had been
released on his own, without the other two for an obvious and direct
comparison, he might have squeaked out another half star.
The sculpting on the hair, armor and even face is terrific...with the
exception of those Gollum eyes. Putting on the helmet helps a bit, but
his helmet is so much bigger and oversized than Sam's that once again it
gets a bit of a negative comparison.
Sam is excellent all around. The likeness is fantastic, especially
in person. The details on the armor are outstanding. My only
real complaint is that the dirt wash they used didn't work quite as well as
I would have liked.
And that leaves Saruman. From the nifty flickering of the light up
feature to the excellent sculpt, he's outstanding. I would have liked
a little more gloss on the eyes, but that's fairly minor compared to his
generally amazing appearance.
All three of these are so far removed from the Elrond bust, that it's
hard to believe they're part of the same line from the same company.
Gentle Giant has to learn consistency. And I'd prefer high quality
consistency, not consistent crap.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpt - Saruman ****; Sam ***1/2; Frodo ***
Paint - Saruman, Sam ***1/2; Frodo ***
Design - Saruman, Sam ****; Frodo ***1/2
Accessories - Sam/Frodo ***; Saruman Bupkis
Light up Feature - Saruman ****; Sam/Frodo Bupkis
Value - Saruman ***1/2; Sam, Frodo ***
Overall - Saruman ****; Sam ***1/2; Frodo ***
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