Review : Arya Stark, Game of Thrones (Funko Legacy)

Review : Arya Stark Game of Thrones (Funko Legacy) Wave/Series : Collection 2, #09 Released : October 2014

Price : £14.99 - £19.99

Arya Stark is numbered #09 in Funko's Legacy range of Game of Thrones figures, and is part of the 2nd series made up of 6 figures from season 1 and 2 of the show.

Like all of Funko's GoT figures, the box is reflective of the colours of the house the figure is aligned too. Arya therefore arrives in the grey box of House Stark, like her father Ned from series 1 and brother Robb from series 2. The box is adorned also with the Wolf sigil of House Stark on both the front and on the left hand spine. The rear of the box shows an image of Arya from the show and then to the right of this a check-list of the 6 figures from series 2.

Arya does look a little lost in the box, being a smaller character than most, but I am pleased that Funko didn't adjust the packaging which will mean uniformity for MIB collectors. Out of the box and Arya is slotted into the usual perspex tray, with just one accessory her fencing sword.

Arya stands 5" in height, and therefore is much shorter than the other characters in the range and therefore accurate in terms of Arya's age in the show. The head sculpt is not the best likeness to Maisie Williams, and unfortunately looks a bit too masculine. If anything the head is too wide and if you squashed it a little and made it less round then the likeness may have been improved. The hair piece is a good piece of sculpting and looks bedraggled and unwashed.

It is the clothing that has made so many of these GoT figures pop on display, with some brilliant attention to detail. Even though she is dressed as a servant / beggar, Arya's outfit is full of detail. Starting with the over-shirt, and this is sculpted with individual stitching down each line of the shirt, and over into the sleeves. Under this is a grubby under shirt, which is suitably sculpted to be dishevelled and creased. Arya has a tied belt - obviously too big for her - that tucks round the back and under a fold in the tunic. The legs are quite plain, but still include some cloth folds and seams, and even some sculpted rips and holes. The whole figure finishes in a pair of flat shoes.

All of this detail is nothing without a good paint job, and Arya's is really well done. The under-shirt is an off white with lots of dark washes to grime it up nicely. The tunic is a leather brown colour, but includes a dark wash to make the sculpted stitches pop, and also make it look worn and grimy. The trousers have also been dirtied up with a grey base coat over coloured with darker grey and a tan brown. The shoes are plain but still include a different colour for the sole vs the shoe itself.

The hair of Arya is quite dark, but you can see a number of shades and on mine there is a sheen on the front strands which may be a deliberate application to add a wet or greasy look. My one criticisms on paint is that they haven;t carried the grimy finish to the skin tones. Arya's hands and face are far too clean and don't quite fit with the overall look of the figure. Arya also suffers from cracking and flaking paint on the skin tones where they meet joints, most noticeably on the wrist joints and also it is starting to show around the back of the neck.

Articulation is always a pinch point for Funko figures as there have been numerous issues with weak joints. Series 2 is a big step on though, and Arya moves pretty well straight out of the box. Her head rotates to either side and also up and down. The ball joint shoulders can get the arms out to either side and over the head and the joint is well hidden with the shoulder withdrawing neatly into the torso when they are raised, but take them too far and the joint becomes exposed which spoils the look. The elbows are also suitably well hidden under the end of the outer tunic sleeve, and these bend to almost 90 degrees. The wrists are pegged and also bend on a pivot so they both rotate and move up and down, but it is here that the articulation takes the paint off too easily.

The waist is jointed just above the belt, so the torso can be rotated. Hips are nice and tight and have although you won't get Arya sat down or in the splits, she can crouch and stand more wide legged in a fencing pose. The thighs have a swivel, and the knees are double jointed so Arya can kneel if needed. The ankles have a rocker and this does allow you to tweak the feet, sadly the feet aren't attached well and look like they are turned in slightly.

Arya's one accessory is her fencing foil which is quite basic in terms of sculpt and also painted rather garishly with a puce handle. It does have four different colour applications though, and sits neatly into either hand.

Arya is never going to be the stand out figure of series 2, particularly against Khal Drogo or Jamie Lannister. She is however a brilliant addition to a GoT collection. There is a question mark over the likeness, and the too clean skin does frustrate me a little. The durability is much improved and the only quality issue is the paint flaking on the neck and wrists. I score Arya Stark a well rounded 4 out of 5.

Buy from AMAZON UK Buy from AMAZON US