Review of Jaime and Brienne - Game of Thrones action figures

Introduction

The holidays are fast approaching, and I always get asked what I think are great gifts for the geek in your life.

If you know and love a geek, odds are you know all about the Game of Thrones. The hit HBO series is a fan favorite for many, and picking up a collectible based on the show is always a safe bet. But if your geek is a collector, you really have two choices - Funko figures or Dark Horse figures?

I've been reviewing both lines since their inception, and tonight I'm covering two more of the latest Funko series - Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth. Next week I'll be covering more of the Dark Horse series as well.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of these two in particular, I wanted to go over the major differences one more time, for those gift seekers. If you're pondering these, there are really just two questions you need to answer to make your choice.

The first is scale. The Funko series is done in a 6" or 1/12th scale. That makes most of the adult males about 6" tall, maybe slightly bigger, while figures like Arya are naturally smaller. This is a very common scale, and fits in nicely with the older lines like Marvel Legends or DCUC, and current lines like Star Wars Black.

On the other hand, the Dark Horse figures are done in the larger 8" or 1/9th scale. They also come on a base which makes them even a bit taller than that, often pushing 9" overall. Because of this scale difference, there's no mixing and matching between the two lines.

The other difference is articulation. The Funko figures are action figures in the truest sense, with plenty of articulation to create your own favorite dynamic poses. On the downside, that means you can also break one of those joints, and the overall sculpt is going to be less natural.

The Dark Horse line are Nerd Hummels - plastic statues designed for collectors. There's zero articulation, so the pose you see is the pose you get, but it does mean there's no ugly joints breaking up the appearance.

So all you need to know to decide is does your beloved nerd prefer 6" or 8"? and do they like it with or without articulation? Those two answers will point the gift giver in the right direction.

Now let's get back to this pair of characters. These are available now online and in stores for around $20 each, and are part of the six figure wave that includes a new Daenerys, Drogo, Arya and Robb.

Packaging - ***
Twistie ties? Seriously? While Hasbro's use of these boxes with Star Wars Black is stellar, Funko's addition of the ties hurts them here. Get rid of those (and they really are unnecessary), and you'd have a completely collector friendly package.

Sculpting - Brienne ***; Jaime **1/2

If I were grading these figures from the neck up, this score would be even lower. If I were grading from the neck down, it would most certainly be higher.

Brienne has the better portrait of the two, no doubt about it. For reference, you can compare with this photo of the character. It's clearly her, and I'm sure part of the problem is how hard it was for them to translate the short hair into something that looked right. I also suspect that this is one of those cases where the underlying sculpt is actually much better than we can tell, because the paint work is hurting, rather than enhancing, the appearance.

Here's a photo of poor Jaime, as he looks on the show in this same armor. It's pretty obvious that something went terrible wrong with this one. He has this cartoony look, almost to the point of a Disney prince. In fact, I could see this sculpt on an animated character and it would make a better fit.

Like Brienne, the paint work isn't doing him any favors, but unlike Brienne, I don't think there's a salvageable sculpt hiding under there.

But then we drop below the neck, and things improve ten fold. Jaime's Kingsguard armor looks amazing, and it even includes sculpted details that are merely painted on in the full size version. The various layers and materials look amazing, and highlight just how cool this particular outfit is. If we ever get a sixth scale version (I'm looking at you, ThreeZero), this is the costume I want.

Brienne's armor isn't quite as detailed, but the overall sculpt is just as well done. They've matched the on screen look extremely well, particularly for this scale.

If I had one nit, it would be that Jaime's cape is a bit too stiff. This wouldn't be an issue if it didn't reach the ground, but it does, and can make getting him into some poses a bit more difficult.

But that's a minor issue, and not one that should detract from your appreciation of the armor sculpt. I suspect some people will take issue with the size of the scabbards - these are not removable - but they are necessary to hold the very long (appropriately so) swords, and in person they don't detract from the overall look.

Paint - **1/2
Neither figure has a terrific paint job, although the similar break between face and body exists in this category as well.

Both have better paint work on the armor and costume than on their head sculpt.  It's not perfect - you'll notice a stray mark here and there, or a poor cut line - but it would certainly rate a higher score than this.

But the painted eyebrows, lips and eyes are just too weak to support any higher score overall. Both of them have iris' that don't remain in the actual eye, and Jaime's silly eyebrows only add to his cartoony appearance. Add in some very bright lips on Brienne, a woman not known for her makeup, and you end up with a paint scheme that detracts from the final product.

Articulation - Jaime **1/2; Brienne ***
There's plenty of good articulation here, but much of it is held back by the restrictive armor.

They both have ball jointed necks, shoulders, elbows and hips, with a cut waist, double pin knees, cut thighs, and pin/rocker ankles. While there's restriction, you should be able to get some reasonable poses.

Jaime scores lower because of a breakage issue. I had to actually return not one but two Jaime's, but for different reasons. The first I ordered online, and he came without his sword. I returned this and bought a second in person, but when I opened him up and started to move his joints, his arm snapped off at the right elbow immediately.

This third one had a similar issue - the left elbow was painted tight. I was finally able to get it free, but not until the paint on the inner joint had completely popped off.

I've heard others with this same problem on this figure, and that consistency is troubling.

Along with that, I found that he couldn't grip his sword in his right hand. It was painted so heavily that the thumb was stuck tight to the fingers, making it impossible to get the hilt into his hand. I ended up cutting the thumb free, but this sort of quality issue needs to be addressed by Funko.

Accessories - ***
Each figure has one accessory, which is the norm for this series.

Considering who these two characters are, it should be no surprise that the one accessory is their sword. Both have good sculpts - you can even see the lion's head hilt on Jaime's - and they fit nicely in the scabbards on their belts.

Fun Factor - Jaime ***; Brienne ***1/2
Jaime loses slightly here because of the issues with his elbows. Breaking a figure is never fun, and that seems to be a consistent issue for him. Brienne, on the other hand, worked cleanly right out of the box. She's fun to pose and display, and overall the Funko GoT line is a good example of a solid action figure series.

Value - **1/2
While I'm loathe to admit it, the $20 price point that these are going for right now is pretty much the norm for a 'collector' series in this scale. The overall quality is in line with the Star Wars Black or Magic figures, making this an average value.

Things to Watch Out For -
I've mentioned it a couple times, but watch out for those elbows, especially on Jaime.

Overall - Jaime **1/2; Brienne ***
Brienne is a decent figure, in line with most of the rest of the series in terms of sculpt and paint. She's not up there with Drogo, but she's not well below the norm, either.

Sadly, Jaime is a disappointment. The armor and outfit are great, but the cartoony head sculpt is out of place with the usual quality - and even style - of the rest of the series.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has them for $20 each.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Also in this wave was Arya and Robb, and 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:
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!