Review : McFarlane Game of Thrones Jon Snow
- Mephitsu
- Mar 28, 2020
- 5 min read
Jon Snow was released in 2019 as part of the first wave of Game of Thrones 6 inch scale action figures from McFarlane. The wave was based on the final season with figures of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark and the Night King.
Packaging 2/5
McFarlane have chosen a clamshell design for the Game of Thrones figures with a card sandwiched between the two halves of the blister to create the figure backdrop on one side, and the card back on the other.
The GoT logo sits in a further insert at the front of the blister at the figures feet, while the character name sits in a sideways orientated panel half way up the right hand side. The text you can see is not character bio or anything exciting and is instead a warning that reads...
"The Game of Thrones television series is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 18"
Above the nameplate is a circular panel which contains the same dragon symbol of House Targaryen as Daenerys. This is a very obvious oversight, considering Arya Stark has the wolf head of House Stark. McFarlane would have been better ditching this part of the packaging, as seen on the Night King, if they were not going to be robust about accuracy.
Round the back of the box is a checklist of the other figures in the wave although this has been done side on rather than on the same orientation as the box?
Paint & Sculpt 2/5
In hand the likeness to actor Kit Harington is there - sort of - it is buried however under some awful face painting. The eyes and eyebrows are all over the place, the lips too red and painted to look pursed and the beard too patchy. The hair is well executed with a lot of sculpted design into the tied knot at the back and how it bunches out from the tied piece. The head is also quite small for the rest of the figure, another case of proportional issues for McFarlane.
The body is actually well done, starting with the armour around the neck and chest with the double wolf head icons sculpted into the piece. Jon is wearing a thick padded Gambeson, and this is textured with a diagonal design. The arms are a differing pattern, and colour, to the body.
The belt is tied around the waist with a silver painted buckle and silver buttons down to the end piece. The legs are quite plain with brown basic boots finishing Jon's ensemble.
Accessories 2/5
Jon comes with his sword, Long Claw. This is cast in a hard plastic and is featureless. The wolf head is a blob with a mouth that is painted dirty grey and not the white bone we see in the show. The paint doesn't even cover the full pommel. The blade in the show carries inscription, but McFarlane have just painted a plain grey stripe down the centre of the silver blade.
I appreciate that details at this scale are difficult, but Funko already nailed this sword in the 6 inch scale back in 2014 with their Jon Snow figure and this McFarlane version is a poor imitation. It even arrives bent, and being a hard plastic it cant be straightened properly under heat.
The second accessory is much better. The dragonglass dagger is done in a similar way to the Night King's weapons - being case in a translucent plastic with paint around the grip. If you compared the two weapons side by side you may think they were from different lines considering the gulf in quality and finish.
Jon's hands are very stiff and not very pliable which makes getting the weapons into a grip very difficult. There will be a lot of broken Long Claw's out there if collectors are not careful and take their time teasing the grip open. There is no scabbard for the sword, but both sword and dagger can be slipped into Jon's belt if you wish. The lack of a scabbard is another disappointment.
And as is the norm for McFarlane figures, a stand is also included. This is circular and cast in gloss black with a white Game of Thrones logo. There is a single peg that corresponds to a hole in the figures right foot.
The stand works well although the fit is not particularly tight. Jon does OK on his own without the stand, but there are issues in the ankle joints which will leave Jon toppling over - stand or no stand.
Articulation 3/5
Jon comes with a total of 14 points of articulation. This is about standard for the line, and for similar figures like the Harry Potter line or those from Call of Duty
Head : ball joint neck
Body : waist swivel
Arms : shoulder pinned pivot, single jointed rotating elbow, ball joint wrist
Legs : hip pinned pivot, single jointed rotating knee, ankle rocker
Posing in the arms is OK, but there is not enough scope to have Jon hold Long Claw in both hands in a fighting pose. The waist joint is not easy to engage being hidden under the outer garments. The legs too are hidden behind the skirt sections, but can be posed out into fighting stances, with the skirt section moving with the legs thanks to the rubbery material used.
The ankles are quite loose and the figure suffers from stability issues if not balanced quite right. Even with the stand he has a habit of toppling forward. And if he does take a shelf dive then that hard plastic on the figure and accessories will not survive a fall too well.
Summary
Once again a McFarlane release suffers from proportional issues this time a small head with attorcious paint apps. The body is good and articulation is passable for a figure of this price point.
The accessories are in two different leagues with an excellent Dragon Glass dagger and a terrible, and bent, approximation of Long Claw with no scabbard.
I score Jon Snow a below average, and disappointing, 2 stars out of 5.
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 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, mcfarlane, game of thrones, jon snow, house stark, king in the north, long claw, dragon glass
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