“There are no men like me. Only me.” – Jaime Lannister
If there is anything that the hit HBO show Game of Thrones does that causes perpetual grief (aside from the constant killing off of main and beloved characters) for its fans, it is the VERY long time span between seasons. We are currently hip-deep in the nine-month hiatus, and while spy reports from the various film sets are running like a leaky faucet, it just doesn’t compare to settling in every Sunday night for an hour-long thrill ride and (often times) tragic exercise in self-abuse. However, for those of us that collect little plastic people for a hobby there is hope, for Funko has taken it upon themselves to provide us with some great action figures based on the series’ heavy-hitters, both living and long deceased. The second wave is just starting to hit Barnes and Noble stores, and, as luck would have it, we are early adopters!
That means that we will be bringing you full looks at all of the new figures over the coming days. Anticipation has been riding high for this assortment ever since series one went in the books in February of this year. Originally slated to hit in the summer, this assortment features Jaime Lannister (duh), Brienne of Tarth, Khal Drogo, Arya Stark, Robb Stark, and Daenerys Targaryen, and it continues to blaze through some of the most prominent and popular players of Westeros (and Essos). Now, character selection alone has not been driving all of the hype, fans have been waiting to see if Funko was able to overcome some of the production issues that struck with series. So how does this new assortment fare? Well…
Not to hold you with bated breath, but I find this assortment to be leaps and bounds ahead of the first in terms of quality and production control. Not everything is perfect yet, but the improvements are easy to see, and this feature of Jaime will probably be a bit longer than those that follow as I will be addressing the improvements/issues that apply to all of the figures in the series here. I think the pictures alone start to tell the story of some of the things that had room for improvement the last go around, so let’s take a look at what has gotten better first.
One of things that series one struggled with was accurate likenesses to the actors in the final production pieces. With all of the figures, it was apparent that the sculpts where there, but some of the factory paint did not accomplish getting the look of most of the actors down as well as it could. I think you can see that Jaime here is pretty darned close to getting the look of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau locked down, and that is pretty much the case for all of the actor likenesses. Sure, some like Jaime and Robb are stronger than others (Dany and Brienne), but overall, I find this assortment to be a vast improvement in the likeness category, so good on Funko for taking the time and effort to make improvements. A few paint things here and there like getting eyes perfect, having a bit more subtle coloration, and avoiding paint on joints (and hand grips) can still be improved upon, but if as much is put in between this wave and the next as was done between February and now, we will be sitting pretty.
The overall production quality control has been greatly improved with this assortment as well. I think that fragile joints that would often break coming right out of the package was the biggest issue with the first series, and I am happy to report that I had ZERO instances of this happening this time around. The plastic used for the joints and accessories feels stronger, yet more pliable with series two, so I did not feel scared that any joints would tear or swords would snap taking them out of the blister. Most of the figures still needed a little help with getting the joints going due to tightness or paint seals, but a little heat did the trick in all instances and every joint came loose without a single break. So, Funko, thank you for taking care of this, and please continue to improve; I think if the next series has strong joints like these, but are not stuck coming out of the package, you will have it down cold.
So, since likeness and production quality improvement apply to all of these figures, let’s dive into Tywin Lannister’s first born (and favored) son, the Kingslayer himself, Jaime. As you know, this figure is based on his appearance in season one when he was a colossal d**khead, so while it is not my personal favorite look for him, it is certainly toyetic, and the King’s Guard armor is a detail playground if you can get it all to work. I am happy to report that Funko (and, of course, the cats at Gentle Giant) DID get the armor to work, and I have to say that Jaime’s sculpt is probably the strongest that we have gotten in the line thus far. Someone at Funko or Gentle Giant must be a fan because a lot of love and care has been brought to the details.
The armor design in the show is absolutely stunning and from what I can tell, Gentle Giant captured every little chip of mail and embellishment the Iron Bank can buy. The sculpted crown and intricate filigree came through production perfectly, and I cannot see any sculpted detail that was sacrificed as the figure passed through production. Now, if you go back and look at the prototype shown at Toy Fair, you will see that some of the paint deco did not cost out in the final version and some of the white that was painted on the details was lost. Personally, I think it actually looks better this way as the white kind of cheapened the look of the armor in my eyes, and, really, this looks more accurate to the later series armor look anyhow. I am sure that the verdict will be split amongst the fandom, but I am glad something like paint was left out over, say, some sculpt. It will be easy enough to go in with a little white paint and pick up the highlights if you so choose.
The rest of the sculpt is just as good, and not one spot on the figure is lacking or inaccurate. Again, I think Jaime’s sculpted likeness in his face is probably the best we have seen of the line thus far, and his left profile really shows it off. If the paint was just a touch more source accurate, he would perfect, but as it stands, he is really close for me, so I will not even bother thinking about repainting him myself. If you compare Jaime to, say, Jon Snow or Ned Stark from the first series, you can see that his sculpt is as good as theirs, but the paint is better and makes the figure much more accurate to the actor. Jaime’s sword is also much more durable than those that came before, and I don’t believe the clear plastic that was employed previously in the accessories has been carried over here. There is some strength to it, but it also bends instead of being brittle, so that is a great improvement.
Jaime has all of the standard articulation that was set with series one, and this time, it is completely functional. Ned Stark has about the same amount of articulation as Jaime, but he feels like a statue by comparison due to the limited range of movement in the engineering. Funko made some great improvements here, especially in the feet, knees, hips, and shoulders. In addition to that, the material used for the costume that surrounds those pieces is made of a nice, pliable plastic that does its best not to inhibit the motion more than necessary. Now, I am going to be a bit of a stickler here and say that I hope the range of movement in the elbows continues to improve with the next series. Jaime’s elbows cannot quite achieve a 90⁰ range of motion, and since most of these characters bear swords, getting as much movement at that spot is really important. So, again, the steps made from series one to two are great, but let’s continue to have a bit of focus on making sure that all of these great joints can take advantage of their full and intended range of motion; it will go a long way in making them even better overall.
Jaime is a great foray into the second series of Game of Thrones Legacy, and I am quite pleased with how he turned out. He is a character that has gotten better and better as the show has gone on, so I hope that the war-torn and sans-hand version is in our future, as well as his short-haired current look. As it stands, though, I think Jaime has the best overall sculpt in the line yet, and I really hope the same care is given when Funko gets around to releasing his dad Tywin. Hint, hint; nudge, nudge. You can pick up your own Jaime at B&N.com, and keep it tuned right here — we will have looks at all of his series-mates coming soon!
Additional Links
