White Walker
The undead are getting a lot of coverage in media in recent years, thanks in no small part to the groundbreaking visual effects featured in movies and TV series.
One such show is HBO’s Game of Thrones, based on the books written by George R.R. Martin. Although the story does not want for antagonists, one of the more mysterious and visually striking factions are those of the Others, also known as the White Walkers.
These necromancers have been sparsely featured in the show up to the fourth season, where we get to see exactly the level of menace they represent for the fictional continent of Westeros.
Funko made the White Walker figure I’m reviewing today, for their 6-inch Legacy Collection. This particular Walker was the only one seen clearly in the show for a long while, and his plastic representation seems to be spot-on.
The Walker resembles an emaciated, dried up corpse, attired in leather greaves, bracers and skirt. Both the dry skin and leather textures are very well sculpted and the facial features are sculpted perfectly.
The articulation in this Legacy Collection figures seems to be quite extensive, falling closer in terms of style to the model of the 6-inch Star Wars than to the Marvel Legends one, so that this Walker has:
• Pin & disk shoulders.
• Pin & disk elbows.
• Pin & disk wrists.
• Floating torso.
• Ball jointed hips.
• Upper thigh swivels.
• Double hinged knees.
• Pin & disk ankles.
• Rocker feet.
Overall, articulation works pretty well, even considering the limits imposed by the character design. There are some issues regarding the material selected for the articulation pieces, though.
Each of the pins and disk joints in this figure were made from transparent plastic, and then painted over to match the deco on the figure. While the T-bar hip design, similar to that found in the ARAH G.I. Joe figures, is a very efficient type of joint, the barbell connecting the legs to the torso is made from plastic instead of metal, which worries me a little.
This method of production doesn’t come without its own set of problems, as the dried up paint can jam a joint but also, in my experience, transparent plastic tends to be less flexible than colored materials, thus increasing the risk of a breakage.
Now, I did manage not to break any joint in my figure by slowly and judiciously using a combination of heat and cold to loosen up the articulation points that might have been stuck.
The paint application on the White Walker is really good, albeit a bit limited in the color selection. The figure features shading washes on both the bluish-gray body and the ashen brown leather bits that really showcase the sculpted textures with highlights drybrushed on top.
The eyes are particularly worth mentioning, as they are painted in a bright, piercing, cold blue that pops really well amidst the heavily shaded eye sockets. Then hair does seem a bit lacking in the paint department, although it is still passable.
As far as accessories go, the White Walker comes armed with only a spear, tipped with a shard of ice. The piece seems to have been molded from translucent plastic and then had the shaft painted brown and gray, with a tuft of rubbery plastic at the base of the tip to simulate strips of leather.
The Walker has the thumb and index fingers fused together in both hands, making it almost impossible to slid his weapon in without the use of hot water to soften up the plastic. Once the accessory is in, it is very unlikely that you’ll want to take it off again, thus limiting the amount of posing you’ll get out of this figure.
Despite the minor design oddities that made it into this figure, the White Walker is actually the only figure in this line that is immediately recognizable from the TV show and that alone is all the encouragement I need to add it to my collection, but it also makes for a great Frost Giant variation to go along my other figure lines.
Errex Score: 92/100
Category: Featured, Game of Thrones, Other Television, Toy Reviews
I love the texture on this figure. I might try to snag one of these that is hanging around.