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Review of Robb & Arya Stark - Game of Thrones action figures
Funko
Date Published: 2014-10-29
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.25 out of 4
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Introduction
For fans of the hit HBO series "The Game of Thrones", the wait until the new season can seem longer
than a Westeros winter. Fortunately, companies like Dark Horse and Funko are making the wait a little
easier with the release of their latest figures based on the show.
I'll be getting to a couple of the Dark Horse figures next week, but tonight I'm checking out Funko's
take on a brother and sister from Winterfell - Robb and Arya Stark.
These two characters are a dichotomy for me. I've never found Robb interesting - not in the books, not
on the show. His story isn't bad - just dull.
On the opposite side is his much younger sister, Arya. She is one of my very favorite characters in both
media versions. Her strength, her determination, and her spirit make her a protagonist I can really like
- let's hope she doesn't end up dead any time soon.
Her and her brother are part of this latest Funko wave, and run about $20 each. Barnes and Noble
is the first brick and mortar retailer to get these, but you can find them at a number of online
retailers as well.
Click on the image below for a Life Size version
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Packaging - ***
While I generally really love these style of boxes - Hasbro is using them for their Star Wars Black
series as well - for some reason Funko has decided to go the twisty tie route this time. While the
interior tray is designed to hold the figure tightly, they also added in 3 or 4 ties, an additional
annoyance that isn't necessary.
Ignore the ties, and you have a completely collector friendly package.
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Sculpting - Arya ***; Robb ***1/2
The portraits on both these figures look quite good in person, but I think Robb has the upper hand.
From the neck down, the sculpt is exceptional on both. The detailing and texturing on the various faux
materials is terrific, lending depth and quality to the sculpted clothing.
Rob's face is the closer match to the actor, even in macro photos. Fans of the show will
recognize him instantly, and the detailing on the hair and beard helps create a more realistic look.
Arya is one of those sculpts that looks great from certain angles...and not so great from others. Come
at it slightly from either side, and it's one of the best sculpts they've done. But look at her straight
on, and the broad forehead is a little too much, and the cheeks look fat and puffy. This is one that's
all about the angles, so picking the best pose to show her off will be important.
Her head is also slightly too big, seemingly bigger than her older brother's. Again, this is an effect
that is more obvious when looking at her straight on than from off to either side.
These are a six inch scale, with Robb coming in at 6" and Arya at 5".
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Paint - ***1/2
I've been impressed by the paint work on this series overall, and both of these show very little slop
and clean lines.
There's not a ton of small detail work on the outfits, since these are Northerners, and they tend to
dress in some pretty dark, dull colors. But the work on the eyes, skin, lips and hair is very nice,
enhancing the quality of the sculpt, rather than detracting from it.
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Articulation - ***
I hadn't planned on reviewing this pair first. Instead, I cracked open Jamie Lannister and Brienne,
another pair from this series that fit thematically and contextually together.
However, I managed to snap Jamie's left arm off at the elbow almost immediately. I've heard other folks
have had this problem as well. I've got another one coming, but until then, I figured I'd move on to
this pair.
But my previous issue made me very wary when working with their arms. Robb's elbows are already
restricted quite a bit by the armor, but I wasn't going to push my luck either way. Likewise, I could
barely get Arya's elbows to bend, and I wasn't going to go all in trying to see what would happen.
The rest of the joints work fine. There's a decent ball jointed neck, along with ball shoulders,
pin/post wrists, waist, cut thighs, ball hips, double pin knees, and pin/rocker ankles. Other than the
elbows, the joints moved fairly well, and the range of movement is decent.
The leg articulation is particularly useful this time around, and you should have no trouble getting a
relatively natural stance that they can maintain long term.
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Accessories - ***1/2
Each figure comes with one accessory, a common number for this line.
Arya has her sword, Needle, which was a gift from her half brother Jon (although I personally think
he'll turn out to be her cousin - just saying). And Robb has his longsword, which fits nicely in his
hand, but seems just a smidge too long to fit completely into the sheath.
Both have decent sculpts and paint, although Needle is a bit fragile - handle with care.
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Fun Factor - ***
I knocked these two off a half star from my usual GoT Fun Factor rating, due to the issues with the
elbows. The slightly limited joint, along with the fragility, makes them a bit less fun to play around
with.
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Value - **1/2
At $20, these are in line with the average price for 'collector' figures these days. If you can
manage to get them down around $18 or even less, you can bump this another half star.
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Things to Watch Out For -
I have two cautions - one, take care with Arya's sword. Needle is a bit fragile, and getting it into her
hand can be tricky. Don't put too much force on the weapon itself.
And two, watch those elbows. As I mentioned in the Articulation section, I had trouble getting them to
move very much at all, and I snapped one on my Jamie Lannister figure. I'd stick with simple arm poses
if you find too much resistance.
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Overall - Arya ***; Robb ***1/2
Funko continues to deliver on this series, their first foray into actual action figures. They've started
producing figures in other lines (have you seen the Magic figures yet?), but they've done well creating
a solid base on which to build.
Arya ends up with the slightly weaker score here, due to the bipolar nature of her portrait. She was
more of a must-have for me, due to my feelings about each character, but I have to admit that Robb, or
at least his action figure, won out this time.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - Arya ***; Robb ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - Arya ***; Robb ***1/2
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Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
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has them for about $18 each.
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is at $20.
- Entertainment Earth has them for $20 each as well.
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
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Related Links -
I just covered the second release of Danaerys,
along with her beau Drogo. Before that, I hit up the Walgreen's
exclusive Tyrion, and the first wave of figures in three sets, here,
here and here.
I've also covered several of the recent Dark Horse figures, including their Daenerys,
as well as Drogo, Ned Stark, and
Tyrion Lannister.
Other Game of Thrones collectibles I've covered include the Daenerys
action figure from Funko, the Daeny
bust from Dark Horse, the Hand
of the King pin, and the Catspaw
Blade from Valyrian Steel.
Discussion:
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where I'll be discussing it!
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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
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