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Review of Ron Weasley - Harry Potter action figure

Star Ace
Date Published:
Written By:
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Introduction

My favorite reviews are of great products from new companies, where I can help spread the word on something collectors might otherwise overlook. That's why the Star Ace Harry Potter reviews are quickly becoming ones I always look forward to writing.

I covered their first release, Harry from the Sorcerer's Stone, just last month, and now I'm already looking at the second release: Ron Weasley.

Star Ace sent this guy along for the review, so it's a little early. I expect we'll start seeing him ship in quantity within the next 2 to 4 weeks, right after the holiday season.

You can get Ron for about the same price as Harry, right around $185 depending on the retailer.  Star Ace already has Voldemort up for pre-orders, with Hermione and Sirius Black coming soon. We've even seen photos of Sirius, so I believe Hermione is the only one still under wraps.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Packaging - ***1/2
When you get a new figure from a new company, there's always a breaking in period. I review things like this pretty quick when they hit my doorstep, so it's not uncommon that by the time I get around to the second and third figure in a new series, there are things about it that I like better...and some I like worse.

In this case, the packaging is one of the former.  I only went *** for Harry's box, but the packages are starting to grow on me. There's some very nice embossing on the front, and the use of the character photo is a great touch. There could be more text, and the style is pretty simple - an outer sleeve covers a five panel box inside - but the graphics are strong, as are the colors. 

And of course, it's completely collector friendly, which means you can remove the figure from the package without any real damage to the box, allowing you the opportunity to pop it back in later for sale or storage. This means there is absolutely no excuse to keep Ron in the package!

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Sculpting - ***1/2
If you look at the front of the box, you'll clearly see the look they were going for as they designed the Ron portrait.

The hair looks amazing, just about as good as you can get with a sculpted look. The style, length and part match up well, and the stranding is quite fine.

The face is clearly Rupert, although the eyes are just a smidge too almond shaped. I think they were going for the half lidded look on the cover of the box and stretched out the corners just a little too far.

The nose, chin and mouth are all spot on though, making the minor nit with the eyes just that - a minor nit. I'm even seeing a little more texturing on the skin this time, making him slightly less doll-like than Harry.

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is well above average, and certainly well above the quality wee see from most new companies in this market.

The brown hair has a good wash that brings out the detail, and the skin tone is even and soft. Even the eyebrows and lips are clean and neat, with just the right tone and color.

My only nit here is with the placement of the eyes, and the slightly too dark black around each. This isn't a true case of lazy eye, but the two iris' don't quite match up perfectly, making the gaze uneven, if just a smidge.

The black is also a little weird looking, probably designed to help the eyes pop but it's a bit obvious, even when not seen through a macro lens.

Still, the quality here is well above what we've seen with other human figures from companies like Medicom, Sideshow, Asmus or ACI, and while it doesn't quite rival Hot Toys or Enterbay...yet...it shows great promise.

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Articulation - ****
Companies like ACI and Asmus, who are working on 1/6th versions of the Hobbits and Dwarves for their Lord of the Rings series, should take particular note. This shorter body is excellent, with a ton of solid articulation and a top notch design.

The ball jointed neck works extremely well, allowing you to add all kinds of personality to any pose. The shoulders, hips, knees, waist, ankles, wrists - they all provide a terrific range of movement.

Sitting, crouching, broom riding - everything is easy to manage with this newly designed smaller body. All the joints are tight too, with no fear of the figure sagging or falling in most poses.

This body makes Ron (and Harry) about 10" tall, which translates to around 5 foot in 1:1 scale. As they release new versions, it will be interesting to see if they attempt to compensate for the height differences that develop as the kids grow older.

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Accessories - ****
One of the areas where Star Ace is excelling right out of the gate is Accessories. They've packed a ton of great extras with Ron, all of them very character specific.

This is also a category that will give you an indication of just how much a company loves a license they are working on. When it's something near to their heart, they put a lot of effort into the extras.

Ron starts out with a few critical items. He has his wand of course, and not the broken version we saw in the second film. While I'm glad they gave us the whole version, a second damaged wand would have been a great touch.

He also has Scabbers, his rat, and now that Harry has his owl, it's a no brainer that Hermione will come with Crookshanks. Scabbers is a solid sculpt, with nice paint ops showing off the eyes and other highlights.

Some of the advertisements for this figure say there are five pairs of hands - that's a mistake. There are five hands, not pairs. He comes wearing two in a relaxed pose, with two intended for gripping the broom and one for the smaller wand. That final hand is a right, of course.

Swapping the hands is a little tricky, since the posts on the wrists are very short. Star Ace should consider adding in extra wrist joints, since this body is fairly unique, and replacing them (if the worst should happen) would be difficult.

Speaking of the broom, it's probably the most unusual extra included, since Ron was never particularly great at riding one. As he got older, he got better, but it was particularly difficult for him in this film. This is a simpler broom than Harry's, as you'd expect.

Still, it's a nice addition, and it works well with the Swiss Army knife style display stand. This stand also came with Harry, and has multiple arms, elbows, and clamps, allowing it to hold the figure and/or broom in a ton of poses.

There's also a couple very Ron specific extras, including his ugly sweater and a pair of chicken drumsticks. The sweater is just as ugly here as it was on film, but I am a little bummed that Harry didn't get to have his as well.

The chicken legs could have simply been two of the same leg - no one would have complained. But they actually made them slightly different, with one smaller than the other. Bravo!

His last accessory is the best - a 32 piece chess set, as seen on screen. In this first movie, chess was Ron's thing, and even Hermione couldn't beat him. Obviously, his chess skills were critical later in the movie, so adding in a sixth scale representation of this set was a terrific idea.

The board has four feet that hold it up off any table top. There are 16 red pieces, and 16 white pieces. The pawns are different between the two colors, but the rest of the pieces match from side to side. I think I got them right when placing them - I guessed at which was the rook and which was the bishop, based on their appearance.

The sculpts and paint work are great, and they look like they were carved from some sort of stone or perhaps ivory. Getting plastic to look like other materials is always part of the trick, and they've done an excellent job here.

You may find placing the pieces on the board a true exercise in patience. I found that putting the main pieces on first, starting from the inside square and moving out, worked the best. Then I placed the pawns upright in the center of the board, and slid them into place using the blade of a small knife.

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Outfit - ***
The one area where they still need a little work is the costume. While the fit and tailoring are excellent, there are several nits that bug me more this time around than they did with the first release.  Remember that 'breaking in period' I mentioned? This is another example. The package might be growing on me in a positive way, but the over sized clasps and the cheap Gryffindor patch are becoming less attractive with time.

The lower layers are great, however. The clothing consists of the white shirt, striped tie, and gray sweater, with the gray slacks and black shoes. And yes, he's wearing socks. For comparison, here's a shot with Ron and his buds wearing this clothing.

The fit seems a little better on the sweater this time, because the tie is folded with a flatter, tighter knot. It's not pooching it out quite as much, and this shows off the excellent tailoring even better.

While they have managed to get these three layers of clothing to remain in scale, the cloak does have the big closures, as well as the cheap looking house symbol.

On the plus side, the thin wire is present in the bottom hem, allowing you to do some basic posing with it. The hood is also very well done (and wired), and is purely ornamental. Since they never wore it, this was the smart way to go, allowing the hood to be thin and fold neatly down the back.

Unfortunately, I don't think we'll see my two costume issues corrected for Hermione, since they'll be going for consistency with the trio.

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Fun Factor - ***1/2
This is a very sturdy figure, with little chance of breakage even under normal play situations. With normal collector handling, it will last with nary an issue. And because of the terrific articulation and the nice assortment of accessories, even an elder can have fun posing and reposing, recreating their favorite scenes from the first movie.

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Value - ***
Most high end sixth scale figures are now running $220 - $240, well above the prices from just a year or two ago.  Thankfully, Ron is back down in the $180 - $190 range, a decent value considering the number of unique accessories.

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Things to Watch Out For -
Swapping hands is a bit tricky, but that's the only real issue.

I'd take some care if you decide to remove the gray sweater. I put the ugly sweater over it, rather than remove it, simply because I was concerned it would get a bit stretched out in the process of taking it off and putting it back on.

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Overall - ***1/2
Every year about this time, people think about the upcoming year and the releases that are scheduled, making special note of the figures and lines that they are anticipating the most. It might be because of the license, it might be because of the past successes, or it simply might be because of a favorite character or a hole in their collection.

This series from Star Ace hits just about every one of those issues for me, and is easily one of my most anticipated series to add to in 2015. With the quality of Harry and now Ron, I have no doubt that adult characters like Sirius and Voldemort are going to be outstanding, and I have my preorders already in.

The real trick is going to be Hermione. Women are always difficult to do in this scale - girls are even harder. If they can capture everything that makes Hermione such an endearing character, they'll capture even more fans for this series.

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

Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has both Ron (on pre-order) and Harry (in stock) for $185.

- Entertainment Earth also has him on pre-order for $185.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
First, you should check out the Star Ace website for more information on the plans for this line in 2015.

I just recently covered the first release, Harry Potter. That's it so far from Star Ace, but I've covered a ton of Harry Potter merchandise over the years. Perhaps my favorite series has been the Gentle Giant busts, like Filch,  Cedric DiggoryKreacher and the second Sirius Black,  Ginny Weasley and Ron in his Quidditch gear, two Lupin's, the Weasleys, light up Harry, Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, Draco Malfoy, Merperson mini-bust, Voldemort, Hagrid and Mad Eye Moody, Ron and Hermione, Snape and Dumbledore, Dobby and Dementor, and a guest review of Harry and Sirius.

- I've also checked out the Noble Collection wands, the action figures from NECA including Fenrir Greyback, Half Blood Prince Harry, Ginny, Draco and Mad Eye Moody, the OOTP series 3, the first series of figures, along with the first series of OOTP, and the series 2 Snape released early at Borders.  Also from NECA in this scale is the very cool Hagrid.

- in a smaller scale, there are the 3 3/4" figures that are the UK exclusive from Cards Inc, or if the US collectors want an alternative in this scale, check the small versions of the NECA OOTP figures, exclusive to Borders in a three pack right now.

- Gentle Giant also did a statue of the Hungarian Horntail, and the Riddle Grave.

- and I looked at another of the Noble wands, this time with the Olivander box.

- just case you forgot how bad some of Mattel's figures were, here's Extreme Quidditch Harry and Dueling Club Harry.

- and if you're looking for a slightly different Hagrid, don't forget the Mattel version!

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Ron Weasley Harry Potter sixth scale action figure by Star Ace

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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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