How do you make a creepy figure even creepier? Make it glow in the dark, of course! Earlier this year, Funko released one of the more heebie-jeebies-inducing figures of the year in their White Walker figure from the Game of Thrones Legacy line. Now, in celebration of the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, Funko has released a special edition of their Game of Thrones White Walker as a glow-in-the-dark exclusive. And if you couldn’t make it to San Diego this year, the good news is this figure is also available in limited quantities at your local Barnes & Noble bookstores. That’s where I got mine, so it’s worth the trip if you’re interested in this figure.
Does the glow effect make this figure worth the hassle of tracking down? Let’s find out!
The packaging is largely the same as the previously released standard edition of the figure and even lists the other figures from the first wave one the back, so this is basically a “swap” figure (or variant, if you’re unfamiliar with the terminology Hasbro has been pushing).
Check out the video below for an articulation demonstration and some additional thoughts:
The two figures are identical apart from the paint jobs. I think I do prefer the original release just because it’s more true to the character’s appearance on the show, but I do like the icy blue look of the SDCC version.
I like that they maintained his cold, brutal stare. The original does this exceptionally well, and this figure is largely consistent in that regard.
The blue plastic appears to be the “glow in the dark” element while the white is merely a drybrushed paint laid over top of the blue to create an “ice” effect. The effect works, but it ends up making him look a bit like the X-Men’s Iceman. Because of the blue, I can’t help but think he looks like he’s made out of ice and snow, rather than being a reanimated corpse, basically.
The only issues I’ve noticed are the clear plastic joints, once again, and his knees being potentially upside down. The paint scraped off his elbow joints the very first time I moved them, so it’s now eternally visible. I don’t think it looks all that great, so it’s going to take some creative posing in order to hide it. It’s really not that big a deal because, after all, it could have been worse — they could have broken.
When comparing the new version to the standard version, I noticed their knees are reversed/upside down. The left and right knees are the same on both figures, but on the GID figure they’re flipped around. I think the GID figure has the correct configuration since they look better and he has an easier time standing.
The glow effect looks creepy and weird. It’s actually a more subtle glow than what the pictures here would indicate. I had a heck of a time getting the glow to show up on camera, so what we’re seeing here is the result of a very long exposure. It’s not 100 percent faithful to what you actually see in hand, but I’m just happy I was able to get the glow to show up at all. It’s way more ghost-like in person. Very eerie and creepy. I like it a lot.
This was not a figure I was in a hurry to get, and if it weren’t for the convenience of his being available at my local Barnes & Noble, I’m not sure I would have made the effort to procure one. But after having him for a couple days now, I’m glad I picked up one. The glow effect is really well done, which makes him worth the trouble, and the White Walker is one of my favorites from the first wave, so I don’t mind having a repaint.
He was $19.99 at Barnes & Noble, so if you’re interested, I’d head over there ASAP.
