“You have chosen... wisely. But, beware: the Grail cannot pass beyond the Great Seal. That is the boundary, and the price, of immortality.”
The third wave of Hasbro’s Indiana Jones Adventure Series figures was released in October 2023 and while it contained a couple of figures from The Dial of Destiny, the wave and its build-an-artifact were themed around The Last Crusade including the much anticipated Grail Knight figure.
The Grail Knights packaging is the standard windowless box with its sandy base colour and map design overlaid with images of the figure and the Adventure Series logo. The side spines contain artwork of the character and a checklist of the Build-an-Artifact for this wave (The Grail Table) while the reverse of the box features further images of the Knight and his accessories. The only reference to The Last Crusade as the source material is made on the back of the box but there is no synopsis or character bio as exists on other Hasbro lines.
The Knight is a full new figure, recreating the Knights Templar costume from the movie starting with textured metal boots, tan trousers, and a similarly coloured tabard applied as a softer plastic sleeve over the base body. This tabard features folds and creases as you’d expect from a fabric and reaches to the Knight’s knees. It includes a couple of painted belt details, with the upper belt also including gold-painted buttons. The Templar symbol is sculpted into the front of the chest and painted in red with what seems to be a silver trim. The arms use the same beige colour and run down to the wrists where more armour can be seen with chainmail gloves.
The head is sculpted within a chainmail hood, with only the face of the Knight visible. The likeness is impressive with a depth of sculpt that captures the likeness to actor Robert Eddison as we see him during the film and his makeup to depict his very advanced years. The photo decor is on point, and there is no glossy or waxy finish which improves the finish no end.
The whole outfit is then offset with a removable cloak, this is packed separately and can be displayed on or off the figure. It is made of white plastic with sculpted rope ties at the neck painted in red. A further Knights Templar sculpted symbol sits on the left shoulder, again painted with red and trimmed in silver. The cut of the cloak mimics the folds and flow of cloth and is shaped perfectly to meet the floor and flow out behind the Knight.
Our Knight comes with his sword and a working scabbard. The sword is a grey silver plastic with a painted silver hilt. While many of the Indy accessories have lacked detail, the details of the sword hilt are impressive and would have been accentuated further with a dark wash. The scabbard is simpler in design with a brown finish and silver end caps. It includes a peg on the reverse the corresponds to a socket on the Kngith’s belt allowing it to be displayed worn - this fit is OK, but not overly secure and you may find it dropping off if the figure is knocked or handled.
The sword fits in either hand, with sufficient articulation for two-handed poses - and poses where he is drawing the sword from the scabbard, which is my preferred look. There are 18 points of articulation in total, all of which work as they should - but the trade-off for such an impressive-looking figure with plastic robes and cloak is a restriction in articulation. Essentially the arms are about all you will move, the head being held in by the hood, and the legs by the tabard. The Knight poses beautifully and is perfectly stable once stood.
It is worth mentioning that the Grail Knight is the figure in the wave that comes with the Holy Grail accessory - this is specifically shown on the packaging as being associated directly with the figure and not part of the Grail Table build-an-artifact piece. In one way, its inclusion makes sense as the Knight was protecting the Grail for so long - but he also never handles it in the movie, so considering it this way would see it best packed with Elsa or Indy. The Grail piece is simple in design - 'the cup of a Carpenter' - and has a brown external finish with a golden lining. It will fit in the Grail Knight's hand, or in the hand of any of the Indy figures - while it will also sit perfectly as part of the Grail Table diorama with all the various false Grails.
Visually, the Grail Knight is a highlight not only of Wave 3 of the Adventure Series figures but the line overall. His on-screen design has been replicated in a 6-inch scale to great effect, with no soft goods in sight, and the head sculpt and finish are pretty much as good as we’ve seen to date. Accessories are great, and articulation is enough to work with the sword & sheath. And posed with the wider Grail Table diorama, you can’t really ask for much more.
Keep Track of all the Indiana Jones Adventure Series from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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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...