REVIEW: Dark Horse's Game of Thrones Figure Series 5

[JeffSaylor]

Three New Characters You Love To Hate...

CLICK HERE FOR OVER 130 NEW PHOTOS OF DARK HORSE'S NEW GAME OF THRONE FIGURES!

HBO's Game of Thrones is now into its fifth season, and strange enough, Dark Horse has just released their fifth assortment of Game of Thrones figures! Already 10 figures deep, this extensive series gains three new characters. Fans get the most despicable person to ever grace the show with Joffrey Baratheon (boo! hiss!), another equally foul face in Tywin Lannister (boo! hiss!), along with the enigmatic Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish (Not sure what to make this guy yet. I like him and don't). While they're all characters we love to hate, they are just what you need to expand your Dark Horse Game of Thrones figure collection!

Packaging for this assortment is the same sophisticated closed window box collectors of this series have come to love. There's a great view of the figure from the front, nice bio on the back for the GOT uniformed, and the box sides boldly display a live shot of the character from the show. Like DST's Marvel Select packaging, lining up the box sides makes for a nice Mint-In-Box display - granted one that takes up a lot of shelf space. For the rest of us, opening these figures is as easy as sliding out the plastic tray inside and unraveling one or two twisty ties. It's a painless affair and you'll be admiring your GOT figure in no time.

Petyr Baelish is the first figure I unboxed, a character most fans of the show know as Littlefinger. This is a character I have mixed feelings about. I LOVE Aidan Gillen, the actor that plays him. He exudes this slimy, manipulative aura that's fascinating to watch. He has this charming charisma to him... but he can't be trusted. Or can he? No, I'm siding with the former; Littlefinger is all about personal gain at the cost of others.

While not one of Dark Horse's strongest portraits, actor Aidan Gillen can be gleamed in the sculpt. Littlefinger is certainly there, the character primarily captured on the figure by his stately robed attire that he is constantly seen wearing. He's like a politician in a suit and tie, all business all the time. Dark Horse's choice in pose is also excellent, the calculating Littlefinger standing at attention with his hands calmly folded in front of him. My main critique with the Littlefinger figure is its size. While far from Tyrion small, the figure - especially when compare to the other figures in this wave - is woefully out of scale. Littlefinger isn't a tall guy (5'9" according to Aidan's IMDb profile), but there's no reason Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson being only 5'7") should dwarf him. Regardless, we're seeing a lot of Littlefinger so far in Season 5 so his inclusion in this wave is a good move. He's an enigmatic character that has his fans and that makes him a must-have for your collection.

Ah, Joffrey, how we hate thee. Smugly played by Jack Gleeson, Joffrey Baratheon is, without question, the most loathed character on Game of Thrones. Or rather - *spoiler alert* - WAS. I'm skipping the formalities, because quite frankly you either A) Already watch Game of Thrones religiously and already know all the spoilers or B) After dragging your feet for five years, you have no intent in ever watching Game of Thrones so spoilers don't matter. Anyways, back on subject: Yes, while characters come and go on Game of Thrones all the time, rarely is a death so celebrated. Cheers could be heard across the glove when Joffrey kicked the bucket. That said, Dark Horse's Joffrey Baratheon figure is a tough sell. I know, villains are great collectibles too. But Joffrey was not a villain you rooted for. I'm sure actor Jack Gleeson is a swell guy in person, but man did he make you despise his character!

Collection completists will of course have to have Joffrey, and Dark Horse did a great job on him. Aside from his scale being off, the figure radiates Joffrey's smugness (slap!). Depicted in his wedding attire, the flamboyant gold outfit fits the character's spoiled nature perfectly. His crown is expertly sculpted and the texturing on his robes delivers a complex depth. Joffrey clutching his chalice of wine is also a nice touch, a nod to the character's violent poisoned death. So yeah, perhaps Joffrey isn't the most loved character to be on Game of Thrones, but he'll certainly be a conversation piece in your collection!

Tywin Lannister. Another character you love to hate - not Joffrey level hate - but you loathed this guy all the same. The price of being a Lannister. Brilliantly played by Charles Dance (I just saw him in Dracula Untold!), Tywin was almost like Littlefinger in that he's so well-acted, you really do kinda like the guy. A major character until the end of Season 4, this is a figure that Dark Horse had to produce. The ruthless character is expertly sculpted as he appeared as the Hand of the King. He even has the "Hand" pin sculpted on his wonderfully textured robes.

Dark Horse went with a walking pose for Tywin, a first for the series. While it first struck me as a little bit odd, the more I thought about it, the more the pose made sense. Tywin was always shuffling about King's Landing to important meetings and such. Dark Horse also did a good job on capturing Charles Dance on the figure's portrait. While a bit wide-eyed, the figure certainly has that stern, maniacal Tywin look.





Dark Horse's newest wave of Game of Thrones figures may not be a bunch of characters you particularly like(d) on the show. However, they are/were major characters that deserve the Dark Horse figure treatment. Being this deep into the series allows Dark Horse to play around a bit with characters that aren't exactly adored by the fans. But who am I kidding? If you think about it, there aren't that many truly "good" characters on the show to begin with!

Coming up later this year: a deluxe figure of Hodor with Bran this summer (there's some good guys!), followed by Brienne of Tarth, Sansa, the Hound, and Jorah Mormont in September.

Dark Horse's Game of Thrones Figure Series 5 - Littlefinger, Joffrey and Tywin - are hitting retail now, each figure priced at a SRP of $25.


CLICK HERE FOR OVER 130 NEW PHOTOS OF DARK HORSE'S NEW GAME OF THRONE FIGURES!

Miss our past Dark Horse Game of Thrones figure reviews?

- CLICK HERE for Dark Horse GAME OF THRONES Figures Series 1!

- CLICK HERE for Dark Horse GAME OF THRONES Figures Series 2!

- CLICK HERE for Dark Horse GAME OF THRONES Figures Series 3!

- CLICK HERE for Dark Horse GAME OF THRONES Figures Series 4!


Review and Photos by Jeff Saylor

Review Samples Courtesy of Dark Horse

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