Link (World of Nintendo)
Even if you have never played any of the Legend of Zelda games, chances are you will still recognize the elfin hero from them if you see merchandise of him, although you will probably not be aware that Link is an Eternal Champion sort of character, always reincarnating to carry out quests in the land of Hyrule at the service of Princess Zelda (whom also seems to be fond of reincarnation herself).
One trait Link has in most of these lives, is that he is often portrayed as a left-handed character, with few exceptions, like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword game, which serves as the source for the action figure I’ll be reviewing today.
Bandai makes this version of Link for their World of Nintendo toy line, which includes a host of characters from several Nintendo games. This Link is 4 inches tall and portrayed wearing pretty much the same outfit he always has: green hat, tan pants, brown boots with chainmail under the green tunic.
The sculpture is stylized to match the animated aesthetic of the character, so there are not a lot of textures going on, but there is plenty of articulation in the form of:
• Swivel neck.
• Pin & disk shoulders.
• Double pin &disk elbows.
• Pin & disk wrists.
• Swivel torso.
• Pin & disk hips.
• Pin & disk knees.
• Ball jointed ankles.
All of these points of articulation work well, except for the hip joints, which are severely hindered by the rubber skirt piece.
The paint job on Link is generally good, with just a little sloppiness at some edges. There is not a lot of paint, though; since most of the figure was molded in the colors they needed to be. Link does have big anime-style eyes, nicely stenciled in place using at least three different colors.
Link comes with a longsword (presumably the Skyward one), a scabbard that can be attached on his back and a “mystery accessory” in a colorful cardboard box. This mysterious piece is a shield emblazoned with the Tri-Force crest.
This shield was clearly designed to be held on the left arm, and to properly slide it in place you need to remove the left hand, grip the shield handle and slide it back over the forearm. It is not a terribly difficult thing to do, but after a couple of times you just want to leave it alone for good.
The sword fits nicely inside the scabbard, but I found it a little bit annoying that the placement of the peg-hole in Link’s back makes the tip of the hat bump constantly onto the weapon, unless Link is turning his head to the right. Then again, it is just another instance of finding a pose that works for you and leave the figure alone.
Overall, even though I will not be rushing out to play any Zelda game anytime soon, I am quite pleased with this action figure of Link.
Errex Score: 86/100
Category: Featured, Other Games, Toy Reviews, Video Games