“There will be no rules going forward.”
Luthen Rael, as seen in the first season of Andor, was released in Spring 2023 in the first wave of Andor-focused figures - the 10th wave of the Galaxy collection overall. The wave was the first to see what would end up being a temporary move to plastic-free windowless boxes. Images of the figure were presented on the box instead, posed on the front and with a checklist of contents around the side. The Andor figures use a deep red colour scheme on top of the black and with the slanted side artwork. Luthen is number #06 in the Andor collection sitting between Bix Calleen and Mon Mothma.
The first thing to strike me as I unpacked Luthen was his height, he is a tall character standing at 16cm or 6.3 inches tall. I was initially puzzled by his stature, but checking online it is accurate with actor Stellan Skarsgård standing 1.9m tall. Luthen is wearing his large overcoat as worn during his dealings on Ferrix in the show. The coat is an individual piece in a drab green softer plastic with a lighter painted trim up either side of the extended collar. The coat is removable, but that is essentially pointless considering the arms of the coat are sculpted down to flared sleeves from which the shirt beneath is painted a purple hue, and the hands as fingerless black gloves. Under the coat, Luthen the torso is cast in the purple of the shirt with sculpted buttons and a pair of brown painted braces. The baggy trousers are a differing shade of the green tones used on the figure and ends tucked into a pair of ankle-height black boots.
The head sculpt on Luthen is remarkable in its likeness to Skarsgård and it is certainly one of the best this year. The depth of the sculpt captures the lines and features of Luthen’s face, overlaid with the photo-real paint application but without the glossy finish which we’ve seen so often on other recent Black Series figures - and the difference is astonishingly good.
There are 17 points of articulation on Luthen, with the figure losing the thigh swivels that are now apparently being phased out across the line. Leg movement remains sufficient with the rotation built into the knees and sufficient movement in ankle rockers and hips to present a number of alternative stances within the confines of the coat which does reach down to Luthen’s ankles. The arms include elbow and wrist joints and a two-part shoulder that includes the ball joint and a butterfly joint. The arms are fully manoeuvrable, but perhaps not that pretty once they are posed as the arms of the coat are flattened and then flared meaning when they move they don't act as they should in terms of gravity and it can look off and out of place. The head sits on a dual joint neck aiding posing and expressions without the need for a visible joint.
Luthen features two accessories, the first is a hold-out blaster cast in grey plastic with a metallic gunmetal finish and with a painted off-white grip. This is made to fit in the right hand of the figure but there is no holster options as we might expect considering all that space to hide one beneath the coat. The second weapon is the baton which can actually split apart revealing the knife underneath. This is cast in brown with a painted grey cap on one end and a dull grey-silver blade on the knife. These two elements fit in either hand but again there is no place to stow these when not in use.
Luthen Rael is a figure that delivers one of the best head sculpts and finishes in the line this year, with clever accessories including a baton that hides a knife as we see on screen. He is wearing a costume as seen in the show, but the execution of this does leave the figure looking bulky and with articulation limited both physically by the costume, but also aesthetically as those huge puffy flattened arms start to look really odd when raised from a neutral position. This was not perhaps Luthen’s most striking costume from the show either, and I do hope that we may see the head sculpt reused on a second figure with the blue hooded look we see later in the series. Luthen Rael remains widely available at retail along with most of the Andor figures.
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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...