In the Summer of 2020, Hasbro surprised many fans with the reveal of a new 6-inch action figure set from Dungeons & Dragons. The two-pack of fan-favourites Drizzt Do'Urden and Guenhwyvar from Forgotten Realms was a Hasbro Pulse Exclusive and at that point was a US-only release. Roll forward to the Spring of 2021 and Hasbro Pulse launched in the UK which then led to the set being released in the UK in the Summer of 2021.
It is still unclear if the Dungeons & Dragons release of Drizzt and Guenhwyvar is a single release, or if it was a trial for a wider D&D line of figures. It is presented as an exclusive, with a foil outer sleeve over a curved window box beneath. The artwork is taken from the Icewind Dale material, including Drizzt facing off against Icingdeath, with the foil art taken from the Drow's home in Menzoberranzan.
The package opens up to allow the figure tray to slide out in its cardboard tray. The tray is decorated as a backdrop from one of the villages of Icewind Dale with what seems to be Kelvin's Cairn in the background.
We start with Drizzt who is a brand new sculpted figure and utilises the pin-less joints we have seen on a few of the other Hasbro lines. He is based on the visuals from the recent Dark Alliance videogame, which itself is close to the source material. Drizzt is wearing his deep blue armour with gold trim and leather straps and shoulder pauldrons. The gold trimming is neat and tidy but also very bright against the blue armour.
Drizzt is wearing a fur-trimmed cloak which can be removed by popping off the head. The cloak is cast plastic rather than soft goods and is shaped well enough. The white fur is painted over the base green plastic but is then left as plain white when a wash would have enhanced the sculpt further.
Drizzt is packed with two head options, both based on the D&D artwork for Icewind Dale. While there is no 'real' Drizzt to base this on, Hasbro has still used face print from the look we see in the Dark Alliance game to pick out the purple eyes and the shading of the light grey skin tones.
The first head carries a grimaced look with teeth exposed and clenched, while the alternative is a more generic neutral look.
The clever innovation on Drizzt is that the hairpieces can also be swapped. This gives you four combinations to choose from. The hair swap works well enough with space left in each hairpiece for Drizzt's pointed ears. Both hair pieces have to be tucked down under the cloak piece which is not ideal - nor easy. Once in situ, there is no obvious gap or seam, but moving the cloak can push the hair up and expose the join.
The set gives Drizzt plenty of accessories, including two pairs of hands so you can have him hand to hand fighting with clenched fists or with a pair of gripping hands for two scimitars Icing Death and Twinkle, both of which are included in the set. Each bladeis individually sculpted and a good match to the source material for the two blades. Twinkle is a silver blade with a painted wood effect handle and a blue pommel. Icingdeath features a darker silver blade and blue trim to the wooden handle.
To recreate their magic powers, there are also two sword effect pieces cast in translucent blue plastic that slide neatly over the blade for an alternative display. I am not usually a fan of this type of effect, but this is a very neat and surprisingly effective feature. When not in use, both blades have hip-mounted sheaths which also work really well, just get the blade the right way round as they are shaped internally to marry up to the blade.
Drizzt is also given his Mielikki pendant. This simple piece is made up of a ring of softer plastic and a discernable unicorn head painted in white at the front. You need to pop off the head to get the piece around Drizzt's neck and it is all but hidden if you leave the cloak in place. While a neat touch it is perhaps a little unnecessary and could have been sculpted on the figure itself.
The final accessory for Drizzt is a black (onyx) figurine of a panther, which is of course the way Drizzt summons his panther Guenhwyvar from the Prime Material Plane. Like the pendant, the shape is recogniseable if not hugely detailed. It is simply cast in black plastic. An alternative left hand is included to hold the piece.
That leads us nicely onto Guenhwyvar, who is essentially the second figure in this two-pack. She is cast in black plastic and arrives with her tail as a separate piece in the box and this has to be popped into the socket on her rear end until it clicks into place. The size and proportions of Guen look good to me - she is as tall as Drizzt if stood up on her hind legs.
Paint apps include yellow eyes, white teeth and the inner mouth area. All of these are well applied. There is plenty of detail on the fur, and a spectral 'sheen' paint app has been added to try and add some further definition - a similar treatment and colour as the Terror Dog BAF from the Ghostbusters line.
Guen is well articulated with a total of 19 points of articulation. The jaw can open and close and the tail rotated in its sockets. Each leg can be posed and the two body joints allow for some curve in the Panther when stalking ahead.
Drizzt himself has 22 points of articulation and is a figure that demonstrates the best of Hasbro engineering to date. Not only is he pinless as mentioned, but he also features butterfly joints in the shoulders and the two joint neck section. There is some restriction in movement from the armoured skirt and the pauldrons, but plenty of action poses are possible. The one issue is the ankle rocker which is quite loose and Drizzt is not easy to keep standing - a stronger ratchet within the ankle is needed.
The set also provides some other pieces which align with the D&D source material. There are a set of six creature cards illustrating various creatures of the Forgotten Realms. These look great, but are on paper stock and not card as you might expect them to be.
The set also has a D20 dice included for use in your D&D games. The dice and the card are perhaps another touch that wasn't necessarily needed and going forward if the line does progress I am not sure this level of content is needed.
Drizzt Do'Urden and Guenhwyvar as a set are two action figures I am very happy with, and not overly expensive at the £40 price point exclusive. There is little to dislike about the set, and the big question is will we have companion pieces like Bruehner or Catti-brie in the future, or was this a one-shot and done deal for Hasbro? For me, if the collectors base is not quite there for a mainstream line then this is a great option for Hasbro Pulse and a crowdfund situation for future releases.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, hasbro, dungeons and dragons, forgotten realms, drizzt do'urden, guenhwyvar, icewind dale, heroes, dark elf, drow. astral plane