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On top of the standard release of Tyrion in Armour, Walgreens in the US were given an exclusive Hand of the King Tyrion in 2014. Weather it is the paint or there is a different sculpt under there, but the face sculpt on the exclusive version is much crisper and a far better likness than the standard release. The hair is painted darker with highlights to add depth and the five o'clock shadow is really well done. This theme continues down into the brand new sculpted tunic, which has a some particularly intricate designs across the chest and up into the shoulders. The tunic is painted red with washes to weather the tunic which are unfortunately, and as complete contrast to the floral design on the shoulder, very blotchy and clumsily done. The other issue is the hand of the king broach which like the Ned Stark figure is completely obscured by a giant blob of thick gold paint. The skirt of the outfit is done in soft rubber and has a nice finish which again is fainted to look weathered. Arms and legs are plain and without much detail. The hands are sculpted with Tyrion's rings, one on each hand, and these are also well painted with no bleed or misalignment that you may expect. The articulation is identical to the standard release (see here) and can be summed up as limited and with varying weak spots which you need to be careful of. There is also that frustrating issue that Funko continue to use different coloured pins in their joints vs the actual figure. That means that when you bend the elbows for example there is a clear peg visible underneath. Stability remains an issue and remember there is no peg hole to drop the figure onto a stand to help him remain upright. Exclusive Tyrion comes with a short sword which is slotted into it's sheath when unpacked. The sword is nice enough, but quite basic in terms of both sculpt and painting. The Funko issue kicks in here however as when I pulled mine out of the sheath, the whole thing came away from the belt. The issues on paint consistency is a frustration with some areas being done masterfully and others terribly and if Funko ever get these sorted and strengthen up the joint issue then this will be a range to be reckoned with. There are areas of improvement and this exclusive Tyrion is an improvement vs his standard release, but not enough to be scored past the 3 out of 5. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Review : Daenerys Targaryen Game of Thrones (Funko Legacy) Wave/Series : Collection 2, #12 Released : October 2014 Price : £14.99 - £19.99 Daenerys Targaryen is the 12th, and possibly final, figure in the Funko Legacy Game of Thrones collection. As of writing it seems the hiatus of the collection is becoming more and more permanent with no news on a 3rd series, and what looks to be a move by Funko away from realistic action figures to more contemporary ranges more like their highly successful Pop! figures. Daenerys is the 2nd figure, after Tyrion, to receive a 2nd version within the 12 figure range and that in itself is a bit of a shame as she probably didn't need it, with the first version being a very strong release and the series having plenty of other characters that would warrant a release - from Tywyn to Ser Jorah to Sansa Stark or Grey Worm. Daenerys comes in her Slaver's Bay outfit, predominantly seen in series 3 and into series 4 of the show. As with all the GoT releases, Daenerys box is themed around her house, Targaryen. With a red design and the three headed dragon sigil on the front and across each spin. The rear of the box shows Daenerys from the show and a list of all 6 figures included in the second series of figures. Out of the box, and Daenerys stands 5 1/4 inches high, comparable with the height of the actress Emilia Clarke who stands 5ft 2 inches high - and for the action figure scale police she is also the same height as her series 1 version so I applaud the consistency. The head sculpt is either brand new, or at least a tweaked version of the series 1 head. There is a sterner look to this Daenerys and this is supported by a crisper paint job around the eyes and mouth vs the wave 1 version. The hair piece is also different, sculpted to flow off to either side of the head and a pony tail down the back. Like the wave 1 version, the hair is painted in a light blonde and then washed with a darker tone to add depth. Sadly, they have gone too yellow on this release and it doesn't really match the silver hair of the Targaryens from the show. The outfit is relatively plain in terms of a blue dress, into which is sculpted very little detail. There is a texture to the outfit, and this is more obvious on the lower skirt piece than the top chest piece. There is very little attempt to sculpt folds into the cloth and the whole thing is painted in a flat turquoise. Both arms are bare skin, so again are a flat colour - and the old chalky paint issue comes into play again with paint flaking off around the elbow joints far too easily. Under the skirt are a pair of grey leggings, and there is more detail in these than anywhere else on the dress. The leggings are ruffled and sculpted with folds in the cloth and then painted in grey with a darker grey/brown wash - which brings out the detail, but detail that is all hidden under the flat turquoise boring dress. The figures boots are knee high and painted in a brown leather look finish - and here there has also been some paint applications but its very subtle and doesn't do much. The whole outfit ensemble is topped off with a cloak. And like the dress this is a flat turquoise colour. Now here they have added some folds to try and represent a natural flow of the cloak, but all that hard work is ruined by the fact the cloak sits far too far away from the body and bulges out in places where it shouldn't bulge. Unless you stick Daenerys left elbow back into the cloak it looks like she has a hump. The finish on the cloak is also too glossy, and a bit of weathering round the base of the cape would have been nice. I never road test these GoT figures too thoroughly on articulation as there is a historic issue of weak joints and easily broken figures. Daenerys feels a bit more robust than others I've had and without any bulky armour she does have a reasonably good field of movement. The head looks from side to side, but is held back by the hair - and with the way the hair is sculpted her head only looks good in one position otherwise you get phantom hair suspended out to the side with nothing supporting it. Arms are on ball jointed shoulders, rotating elbow joints and a pegged wrist. As I mentioned, moving the elbows strips the paint too easily leaving the weird clear plastic they seem to use exposed. The right arm is more moveable than the left, with the left held in place by the ugly rubber cloak. The waist joint works better than most I have seen on this range, and can twist Daenerys' torso to either side. The legs, are all but locked in place by the skirt - but are jointed well at the hips, knees and ankles. Daenerys comes with just the one accessory, the slavers whip, and that fits in either hand. It is decorated pretty well with gold trim on the handle and the ends of each tassel. The original Daenerys came with a baby dragon, and with so little detail on this figure I kind of which Funko could have packed in bigger dragon to add some value. If you lined this figure up with Jamie Lannister or Khal Drogo - both from the exact same range and series - you would be forgiven for thinking they were made by two different companies. For her plain outfit, ill fitting cloak and basic paint job (aside from the well painted trousers no one will see) I score the Series 2 Daenerys Targaryen a disappointing 2 out of 5 and hope that she doesn't rain fire down upon Mephitsu Towers in retaliation. It will be a shame if this is the last GoT figure from Funko. They had flaws, but they also had plenty of high points if you look across the range as a whole. Sadly it seems that they weren't overly well supported in stores judging by the clearance prices we are seeing today. I hope that perhaps Funko can see a way to push on with a 3rd series, or indeed an enterprising company picks up the licence and 6" scale and builds on what Funko have started. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Robb Stark is number 11 in Funko's Legacy Game of Thrones collection, released in 2014 as part of series 2. Robb arrives in the standard window box that we are no accustomed to, with a colour scheme and design identical to that of his father, Ned Stark, as seen in series 1. The box is adorned with the Stark Wolf Crest and on the rear is a listing of the 6 figures that make up series 2, as well as a shot of Robb directly from the TV show - as played by Richard Madden. Once opened, you will find Robb packed in the inner perspex tray along with his sword accessory. In hand, Robb is a solid enough figure with a good weight to him. The sculpt, as completed by Gentle Giant, is really impressive. The head & face is a really good likeness to Richard Madden, but the sculpt detail is actually found further down in his clothing. The leather armour tunic is patterned and overlaid with a studded neck & chest piece. The arms are adorned with elbow armour, wrist bracers and end in wrist long leather gloves. The legs are a little less impressive as just plain black trousers ending in knee high boots. From Robb's waist hangs a tied leather belt which is sculpted with a wolf design buckle, and hanging from this is a wrapped sheath into which the sword sits snuggly. The outfit is finished with the fur cloak which is strapped around Robb's torso and hangs realistically off his shoulders and eventually flows down to the ground. It is worth saying that THIS is the outfit, or at least style of outfit, that we wanted to see Ned Stark in - not the Kings Landing version. We should hope that if the line continues we can at some point get a Winterfell Ned Stark. Articulation will always be restricted when you have a bulky armoured figure, and the addition of the cloak sadly restricts Robb even further. The ball jointed head can look up and down a few degrees and can move side to side but is soon stopped in its tracked by the cloak collar. The arms can move upward to almost 90 degrees from the body, and the fur pelt section of the shoulder cloak will move with the arm. The elbow joint moves neatly underneath the armour and the wrist, which is on a peg, can only really rotate rather than bend back and forth. There is a waist joint and you can move Robb's torso a few degrees to either side before the belt and sheath start to catch. Under the skirt of the tunic are double jointed knee joints, which would work with the hip articulation to give a really good range of movement. The issue is the skirt, which blocks the majority of this movement - leaving Robb's only real option for stance as a neutral one. The cloak does also make Robb over balanced to the rear, so you will be thankful of the ankle rockers and the thigh swivel to get that balance right to keep Robb upright. Paint applications on the outfit are awesome. Despite looking all "brown" from a distance, once you start inspecting Robb up close you will see varying shades and colours with washes to bring out the detail, and on the cloak in particular some really good weathering at the base of the cloak to represent mud splashes. Buckles, clasps and buttons are all picked out neatly in bronze and the belt buckle and top of the sword sheath are painted in gold to bring out the sculpted gilding. The fur cloak is washed to bring out the depth of texture, and this same process is used on Robb's hair. My only criticism of the painting is the face. The eyes are really good, but the beard is sloppy with a smudge under the lips which ruins the face sculpt sadly. Robb's only accessory, as we mentioned, is his broad sword which is really tight to fit in either hand. The arm articulation isn't good enough to get Robb in a 2 handed fighting stance, which is a shame. I suspect most people will simply drop the sword into the sheath for display. I really like Robb Stark, it is already one of my favorites from the range. He looks mean, moody and captures the on screen persona really well. I guess you cant have ultimate articulation and realistic cloaks and armour, and anyone who knows me knows I favour looks over articulation and pose-ability. One negative for me is the sloppy paint on the beard - there always seems to be one bit on every GoT figure from Funko that is just lazy and spoils all the other neat and detailed paintwork. I also found getting him to stand naturally a bit frustrating with the cloak pulling him backwards, and of course Funko decided not to put peg holes in the feet to allow the use of a pegged stand. Those two minor gripes aside, I award Robb Stark a solid 4 out of 5.

Review : Khal Drogo Game of Thrones (Funko Legacy) Wave/Series : Collection 2, #10 Released : October 2014 Price : £14.99 - £19.99 Without spoiling the end of this review, I think I may have a new favourite Game of Thrones figure! Khal Drogo is number 10 in the Funko Legacy Game of Thrones range, landing in late 2014 as part of the section collection of numbers 7 through 12. Drogo, as not aligned with any of the four main houses, arrives in a bronze/brown box and instead of a sigil in the lower left circular insert you get instead a map of Westeros. This same image has been used on other "non aligned" figures such as the White Walker and Brienne of Tarth. As usual the left hand side is drawn up like a book spine with the GoT logo, character name and a repeat of the circular badge - or in this case map. Round the back is an image of Drogo from the TV series as played by Jason Momoa and a text checklist of all 6 figures in this 2nd wave. Sliding Drogo out of the box, and it is clear that he is possibly the most "geared up" GoT figure to date. In his perspex tray he is surrounded by four varying weapons, that is double what any other figure has had to date in this range. Drogo stands just 6 inches high, and at 1/12 scale that puts him at 6ft high where as Momoa is actually 6ft 4. This isn't a massive variance, but I would have liked Drogo to have a bigger stature on display, something comparable to Brienne or The Hound. The sculpt on Drogo is insanely good, capturing that stoic facial expression initially and around this the intricate beard and the pony tail which reaches down past his waist and is sculpted in a rubbery material to give it some play. The top half of the chest, the exposed bit, is well defined and that muscle definition carries upwards into the neck and down the arms. Each arm finishes in wrist wraps, and each wrap - left and right - is a different design and texture, a nice touch when they could have used the same on both. The hands are also wrapped in a bandage, and again each hand is different with the right covered fully up the knuckles, while the left is only across half the back of the hand. Back to the torso and just under the chest the outfit starts with the leather girdle (for want of a better word). This is sculpted to include tribal decorations and stitchings front and back, and is inclusive of two straps which will hold some of Drogo's weaponry. The belt is meant to be an intricate horse design, and it is here that the figure doesn't quite capture the detail, being a little undefined. From the belt hangs a textured skirt piece and then we go down into a pair of flared trousers which are suitably ruffled and folded to match the behaviour of real cloth. The feet are done in leather look boots, and despite being covered by the hem of the trousers, you can still see defined straps and fastenings under the trouser legs. All of this is painted really well. The face is suitably weathered, with darkened eye sockets and into these extremely sharp white eyes with blue pupil. A scar is delicately painted over the left eye and the beard and hair are drawn out with a base coat and a dry brush in a lighter brown. Across the chest and shoulders are extremely crisp tribal tattoos and they run right round onto the back of the figure. Strappings and bandages are painted and weathered, as is the lower girdle - none of this figure is unnaturally clean and he looks like he has just stepped out of his tent into the desert. The one bit that does let the figure down is that belt, not only is it undefined in sculpt, it seems to be lazily painted in a gold finish, but they haven't painted all the way over the items, so parts of it remain the same brown as the clothing above it. Down into the trousers and thankfully we are back on form with both a darker wash into the folds of the cloth, but some reasonably realistic sand/dust spray around the knees and up the back of the calves and thighs. Articulation was always going to be better on Drogo. Unlike armoured and cloaked figures like Brienne or Robb Stark, Drogo is free of a lot of the sculpted parts that will restrict movement. To that end he is pretty awesome to pose. His head rotates fully, with the beard and hair subtle enough to flex with the movement of the head. Both shoulder joints are fully moveable up and down and to the side, the only downside is that you lose the lines of the chest tattoo's when the arms are moved away from the neutral stance. If there is a chest or waist joint, it is fully hidden and locked behind the girdle. Both legs move freely with joints at the hip allowing a full range of movement. Unlike many Funko figures of this type which are stiff and fragile, Drogo feels more robust - and in fact his hips are bordering on being too loose to keep him stood upright. The double jointed knees allow Drogo to kneel fully and pray to the Horse God and even though they are locked in by the sculpted trouser hem there is a rocker on the feet - although it does barely move. My one criticism on the figure I got was the thigh swivels - firstly I think these are unnecessary and secondly on mine there is a huge gap between the top section of the thigh and the bottom. This is a shame as it does detract from a pretty awesome overall figure. As I said early, Drogo comes with four individual weapons. The first are a pair of curved daggers. These are quite plain in design, and painted a tad sloppily with the gold of the hilt running onto the blade (looks like the person in charge of gold paint in the Funko factory has let us down here). These blades fit in either hand, and then also slot into the sheaths either side of Drogo's chest. The larger curved sickle type blades are a much darker and duller finish. They have been dry-brushed in silver and silver detail painted onto the fastenings. The smaller weapon's dry brush is a bit too heavy handed for my liking but that's only really visible up close. Again, like the daggers, these larger weapons fit neatly into either hand. I started this review with the bold statement that this may be my new favourite Game of Thrones figure, and after looking at him closely through the review I can safely say I was right. Drogo has very few flaws that have plagued other GoT releases such as breaking joints, poorly or lack of weathering and a lack of accessories. He doesn't quite do enough to get that perfect 5 out of 5. As much as I would love to give him top marks, I think the sloppy gold paint and the dodgy thigh joints do lose him one mark, therefore I score Drogo a very strong 4 out of 5. Buy from AMAZON UK Buy from AMAZON US

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

Brienne of Tarth is the 8th figure in Funko's Legacy range of 6 inch figures from Game of Thrones. She is part of the second series of figures, released in 2014, and made up of 5 other figures including Robb Stark and Jamie Lanister. Like all Funko GoT figures, Brienne comes in a display box with the box colour scheme of each box being aligned to a faction or house from Westeros. Brienne's box is a grey colour with the Westeros map in the bottom left insert. The rear of the box shows a screen image of Brienne, as played by Gwendoline Christie, and a listing of all 6 figures that make up series 2. Out of the box and Brienne stands an impressive 6 1/2 inches high, a tad taller when scaled up than the reported with the 6'2 height of Christie herself. It is also nice, although not really relevant, that this figure is a similar height to Hasbro's Captain Phasma from Star Wars - also played by Christie. I haven't found a GoT figure from Funko as yet who does not have a stunning sculpt, as you would expect when being delivered from Gentle Giant. Brienne's headsculpt captures the stern and determined look that Christie potrays on screen. The armour is beautifully detailed and decorated with varying panels from a bronze chestplate across overlaying shoulder pieces, elbows and bracers. Brienne sports two belts down into a chequered texture skirt piece. Beneath this are plain trousers which tuck into knee height armoured boots. Everything is crisp and well detailed, and my only criticism would be the lack of a helmet which I think would have been nice as a display option. I usually find that Funko figures are painted to a good standard, but then let down with some sloppy finishing on certain areas. This thankfully is not the case with Brienne. From the head the eyes are neatly picked out and the lips done in subtle tone rather than going with a brighter red that we seem to find on many female figures. The hair is painted blonde, with a darker brown wash which not only adds depth, but gives Brienne that bedraggled look she sports in battle. The armour is bronze in the main, but has been washed in a black to bring out the lines and joints of the armour. The arms have a blue metallic armour under the bronze and this is also washed and in cases dry-brushed on the edges to add a touch of bronze. The skirt is a plain green, but with the chequered sculpt it captures the light well enough to bring out the definition. The trousers, most of which are hidden under the skirt, are painted and then dry-brushed in a lighter grey tone which in reality wouldn't have been missed. Like the armour, the boot shin armour are bronze painted and washed and the final boots underneath a green leather. All the belts and fastenings are neatly painted with buckles trimmed out in a dull gold. The Sword sheath is a lighter brown with darker brown leather wraps and the sword is then decorated with a silver blade and a two colour hilt. All good so far. So let's look at the final element, articulation. Like all Funko figures I have handled so far, the figure still feels a little weak in the joints and I would recommend heating them up with a hair-dryer prior to moving them about too much. Although Series 2 seems to be more robust than the earlier Series 1 figures I still think there is a risk. The head is sat on a ball joint (I am told can also be easily popped off and swapped onto the Hasbro Phasma figure) and rotates the full way around the body, it does however lack any significant up and down movement due to the high collar of the armour. Both arms are jointed at the shoulder, and the armour panels here are done in a flexible rubber to aid movement. This means that Brienne can get her arms out to 90 degrees to her body, you won't however get any further than this without potentially ripping off the armoured shoulder panels. The elbow is jointed just under the larger elbow armour and the wrist is neatly done with a pivot and swivel with the hand armour moving with the joint - although this armour does stick out in a weird way with certain hand positions. You can feel a waist joint, but it does not move, so the next points of articulation are at the hips. These feel to have a good range of movement, but you are blocked by the skirt in all directions. That leaves you with simply getting Brienne into wider leg stance rather than a one legged kneel or sitting position. The knees are double jointed, and with the two joints you can get Brienne to a double kneel - but the rigid sheath stops this being of any use. The leg articulation ends with rocker ankle joints. To sum up, there is very little wrong at all with Brienne of Tarth. I have mentioned the lack of a helmet, which may have been nice, but isn't a deal breaker as she only really wore this in one scene in Season 2. I have also spoken about the fragility of the figures - but I have had nothing break on Brienne and this issue is certainly not exclusive to Funko, with NECA figures needing a similar treatment. The sculpt is beautifully realised and enhanced with some fantastic paint applications considering this is a £20 figure. If you want to niggle about articulation, a two handed sword stance would have been nice. Considering all that, there is not quite enough for a perfect 5, but Brienne walks away with a very high 4 out of 5. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Review : Jamie Lannister Game of Thrones (Funko Legacy) Wave/Series : Collection 2, #10 Released : October 2014 Price : £14.99 - £19.99 I am reaching the end of my Game of Thrones reviews now, and Jamie Lannister is the penultimate figure I am covering from Series 2. Released in late 2014, Jamie is numbered 7 in the series and was included in the 6 figure second series alongside Khal Drogo, Robb Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Arya Stark and a 2nd version of Daenerys who we will get to soon to round us out on series 2. Jamie arrives in the gold Lannister box with the Lion head sigil to the bottom left and on either spine. The rear of the box has the full sized image of the actor, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, in character on set. Jamie's figure is based on his season 1 King's Guard outfit and is one of the most intricate sculpts I have seen at this scale - bettering that of Brienne of Tarth by quite a way. Let's start at the head though, and if you look closely the underlying sculpt is a good likeness for Coster-Waldau. Sadly it has been let down a little by overly thick eyes and a poor attempt to create a 5 o'clock shadow which ends up looking more dirty than stubble. His longer hair, as seen in series 1, is swept back and this is well painted with a darkish/blonde and then washed to bring out the depth. For some reason however they have made the hair glossy which again doesn't do anything for the overall look of the head. That is all forgotten though when you get down to the armour. The detail is stunning right across the piece, starting with a beautifully intricate breast plate and into a similar design on the shoulder pads. The arms are covered in a gold leaf chain mail design and below this are wrist bracers, each of which have inlaid armoured panels. Under the breast plate is a skirt of the same gold leaf chain mail, tied over with a leather belt and an ornate gold and black sword sheath. Under all this is a green tinged under shirt and some off white trousers. The boots include two angled shin guards, and the whole figure is finished off with a sweeping off white cloak which clasps at either shoulder. All of this armour is neatly painted in gold and washed with a darker colour to bring out the detail even more. The sheath is perfectly painted with no leak from the contrasting black into the gold or vice versa. The clothing is all washed so it looks worn and dirty and that same effect is applied to the cloak. So not only does Jamie look stunning, he also looks "real" in terms of not being shiny and clean. Looks are one thing, but Funko's Legacy figures have always suffered with quality issues around the joints - and sadly Jamie is still prone to some of these issues. The overall articulation is good and starts well enough with the head joint rotating to allow Jamie to look either side - although there is no up and down movement. The shoulders are where the issues start. Unlike some other figures from GoT we have seen, the shoulder panels on Jamie are not designed to move with the shoulders and any movement to the shoulder joint will see these pop away from the body. The elbows are so stiff that I am not sure there is even a real joint there, and even with heat applied I have yet to get them to move. There is no chest or waist movement, and the hips are held in place by the armoured skirt. That leaves the knees then next real point of movement, and even these are stiff and can achieve very little because of the skirt. That will leave you leaving Jamie in the same neutral pose in which he arrived, and even that is a tad awkward as the cloak is too long to the height of the figure and you have to pull it backwards to let Jamie stand up, viewed from the side this starts to look stiff and unnatural. This is a real oversight when you compare it to the Kingsguard outfit in the show where the cloak ends at least 6 inches above the floor. Jamie's only accessory is his Kings Guard sword, which is sculpted well and painted as neatly as it's sheath. Sadly it will only ever be kept in its sheath as the hilt will not go into either hand which seem to have been sculpted with the thumb permanently attached to the other fingers and the resulting "hole" being too small for the Lion's head on the hilt of the sword. And the quality concerns extend to the sheath which hangs off two flexible straps, the back one of which is badly glued and fitted and pops off as soon as you push the sword into the sheath. So what do you do in this situation with a score. The figure is a clear winner on looks, 5 out of 5 any day of the week. And yet all that is spoiled with overly stiff joints, issues with the shoulders and the sheath and the unforgivable issue of a knight who can't hold his sword. Considering all this then I am going to let Jamie off with a 3 out of 5, and he only just scrapes into the 3 on looks. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

The White Walker is the 4th figure from Funko's 1st series of Game of Thrones 6" scale figures, and is my 2nd purchase of the line following Tyrion Lannister. Unlike other boxed series figures, Star Wars Black Series for example, the Legacy figures come in different coloured boxes dependent on the figure alignment within the Game of Thrones story. The White Walker arrives in a grey box with silver and grey titles and wording. On the reverse is a Portrait shot of the Walker directly from the TV show and then a list of the 6 figures that make up series 1. Out of the box, and I was ultra careful after the issues I had with Tyrion and that are widely reported as rife within the early GoT figures from Funko. Thank fully the White Walker popped out of the pack in one piece and was relatively easy to articulate from the get go - but I still steamed him over a kettle for a few seconds to loosen them further rather than avoid any damage. He stands a touch over 6 1/2" which allows him to stand a good head taller than the normal sized GoT figures and is accurate to his appearance in the show. The sculpt, done again by Gentle Giant, is brilliant and the head in particular is rather striking with the sunken cheeks and eye sockets. Down into the torso and body and the sculpt really delivers to capture an emancipated body. The clothing comprises of a leather skirt and leather bracers on both the forearms and shins, these are quite plain but still have some nice stitching sculpted in and some jewels and decoration on the skirt. The sculpt is really nicely painted, with a blue base colour washed over with a bone, almost white, colour to bring out all the details. The eyes are a stunning bright blue and the hair is nicely painted in an off white and the chin has a look of coral almost. The leather areas are washed to look weathered and my only painting complaint is that the very small detail decoration on the skirt is painted too thick and the detail is lost. This sadly seems to be a common theme with the GoT range as I have seen this already on Tyrion and the Ned Stark figure I will be reviewing next. Articulation scares me to death on these Funko Legacy figures due to the reported fragility and my own experience of snapping Tyrion's leg. I am happy to report no such issues with the White Walker. The head can rotate to either side even with the long hair sculpt. The shoulders are on ball joints and can swivel a full 360 degrees as well as moving out to almost 90 degrees to the body. With an elbow joint and a wrist pivot and swivel you can get the arms into some half decent poses. The chest has a torso joint but this barely adds any movement to the body and without any practical benefit wasn't really needed. Under the skirt the hips are ball jointed and the White Walker can get into a splits position if he really wants, aided by that flexible rubber skirt. There is also a thigh swivel which doesn't add a lot of value but slight twists can be enough to get the figure standing securely. The knees are double-jointed so he can flick his lower leg up up almost enough to touch his own posterior, and this allows for some wider action stance or indeed a kneeling position. When moving the knee joints in particular you can also feel a ratchet within the joint, and that will obviously allow the figure to hold his position rather than flop over with weak leg joints like a couple of figures I have reviewed recently. Finishing at the feet the ankles swivel and are meant to pivot looking at the joint, but the ankle bracers do restrict that movement. The White Walker comes with a nicely designed ice spear which is also well sculpted and well painted. My only criticism of the spear is it feels too short and if you pose the Walker with his arm outstretched holding the spear it is about an inch too short from touching the floor. I also found that the spear was really difficult to get into either hand. Once in it won't go anywhere, but I would be worried about the longer term effect if you moved this a few times. My final gripe is the decision by Funko to not provide their Legacy figures with peg holes in the feet. The Walker stands reasonably well, but the ability to drop him onto a peg hole stand would have widened the options for display. All in all I am really happy with my White Walker, and he has gone a long way to restoring my faith in the line. I am pleased to give the White Walker a 4 out of 5, let down only by the lack of peg holes, a short spear and some over thick paint on a couple of details. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Daenerys Targaryen is the 5th figure from the first series of Funko's Game of Thrones Legacy figures. She arrives packed in a very striking red box to represent her house, the Targaryen's, and the box is adorned with the house crest on the front lower left panel as well as down the full left hand side. On the reverse there is a full length picture of Daenerys from the show alongside details of the other 5 figures in series 1. Once unpacked Daenerys stands at 5 1/4" high so is therefore the diminutive build as seen in the show and therefore perfectly scaled to the other characters in the range. The sculpt is done by Gentle Giant and is a fantastic piece of work. The figure is a decent resemblance to Emelia Clarke, and her intricate hair has been sculpted around this head sculpt in a flexible plastic and looks brilliant with a number of plaits and ties at the rear. Her outfit, that of series 1 of the show during her time with the Dothraki Horde, is nicely done with a leather tunic on her upper torso, that then flows down into a flexible rubber skirt and beneath this some leggings and down to a pair of riding boots. Her arms are bare skin, but with a pair of finger-less gloves sculpted into the hands. Sadly, and like so many GoT figures, the paint applications are not consistent and in areas they spoilt the wonderful sculpt. The hair is the first issue, as it has been given a blonde base colour - which is fine - but then lazily washed with a much darker brown. This kind of works from a distance, but up close looks like her hair is muddy. The face itself is neatly done, the lips in particular are really nice considering the usual temptation is to go with a gloss red colour for the female characters. In comparison the clothing is really well done and has a real look of distressed leather achieved with some subtle colour washes and dry brushing. The exposed skin is one tone, but that is fine, but there are some bleeding of the skin colour onto the gloves and the strap of the tunic - not much - but it is there. Articulation is always a risky one to check out on Funko figures, and like so many before it I had a hand pop off as soon as it came out of the box. The head is restricted slightly by her hair, but by making the hair flexible plastic it is possible to rotate the head fully and with it sat on a ball joint there is movement both up and down to a degree. With no clothing to restrict them the shoulders have a full range of movement and there is a standard 90 degree elbow joint and a rotating wrist. The torso has a ball joint, neatly hidden under the bottom flap of the tunic, and this allows the figure to rotate at the chest and also lean forward and backwards. The legs have a full range of movement, although they are blocked in slightly by the flexible skirt. With double jointed knees you can kneel the figure and the feet are on a swivel joint to allow her to stand reasonably well. There is no peg holes again (poor show Funko) so even with this leg movement you will likely have her standing neutrally on your display. Daenerys comes with one accessory, that of a baby dragon. Although there are no instructions, it isn't hard to figure out that the peg holes on the dragon's feet line up to two holes on the figures right shoulder. It is a very tight fit but after some faffing you can get the Dragon seated neatly, and you then see that its wings have been sculpted to fit around Daenerys head and the dragon's tail flows nicely down her back. The Dragon has zero articulation, but is a nice touch, although I think if Funko had thrown in all 3 dragons and perhaps an egg or two, it would have been better received by fans. All in all Daenerys is a superb figure, with a really good sculpt only let down by the ongoing Jekyll and Hyde paint applications. Not quite enough for a 5 out of 5 at the £15-£20 price point that this sits, but a solid 4 out of 4 and looks great on display Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Lord Eddard Stark is my third Game of Thrones figure from Funko, and was released in 2014. He arrives in a gray window box adorned in the bottom corner with the Stark House Wolf. On the rear you will find a picture of Sean Bean as Ned Stark and a list of the 6 figures that make up series 1, Ned himself is number 6. Once opened Ned comes packed with two swords which we put aside for now and talk about a little later. Ned is presented in his Kings Landing, Hand of the King, outfit and for me I would have preferred the bulkier Winterfell cloak as seen on the Dark Horse statue. The sculpt is not bad, but not the best Gentle Giant have done. It is a passing resemlence to Sean Bean but is further hampered by some heavy handed paint on the beard. On the flip side the eyes are really well painted as are the subtle highlights in the hair. The leather armour is pretty well done with a neat pattern in the armour and visible rivets. The paint on this is pretty impressive in the main with a base colour, a number of washes and then drybrushing of silver to pull out the details in the sculpt as well as making it look weathered. But then the figure goes from Hero back to Vilian with the hand of the king brouch completely obscured by thick heavy gold paint. Then there is the belt which goes around the waist and into a sheath - this is also pretty poorly painted and the silver paint has missed every rivet on my figure. Then you go back to great again as you find under the armour is a tunic which has a chequered pattern within the sculpt and again is painted to bring out the detail, but very subtly done. The legs are done in a plain trouser, but even though they are hidden under the skirt of the armour, these are also washed in brown to give a dirty weathered look. The outfit is finished with knee high boots and the weathering continues here, with more focus put on the feet to represent mud splashes. I handle any Game of Thrones figure from Funko with great care after breaking my first one straight out of the box. But thankfully Ned is still in one piece and has a decent range of articulation. Starting at the head this is on a ball joint so can rotate a full 360 degrees as well as having a decent range of movement to look both up and down. Shoulders are balljointed but are VERY stiff. I would recommend steaming these before trying to move them as the shoulders and hips are the weakest points and most likely to break with even a small amount of pressure. The elbows have a joint and the wrists have both a swivel and a pivot. There is however a couple of issues with this wrist articulation. First the peg on the pivot is a differnt coloured paint (it looks clear) to the flesh colour of the hand - so it just spoils the figure (I had the same issue on Tyrion). And the pivot doesn't actually move very much at all due to the sleeves of the tunic - it may as well have been left out which would have sorted both problems. You can feel a wasit joint, but it doesnt move, so the next articulation is at the hips. These are ball jointed and again handle with caution. The hips give a real range of motion and coupled with the flexible lower skirt of the armour you can put Ned into kneeling positions or even doing the splits if he is inclined to do so. The jointed knee's support this movement further and there are rocker joints on the ankles to allow him to stand flat flooted and pretty stable. Of the two accessories the smaller sword is the better of the two as it can either be held in hand or slotted away into the sheath. The larger sword, although relevant to the figure, looks oversized and I go back to my original point that had Ned been in his Winterfell cloak - then this giant sword would have looked fine. This figure is a very odd one to score as there are some really nice touches like the weathering on the armour and under clothes, and then some real lazy painting on the beard and belt. Funko Legacy also lose marks for their ongoing issues with stuck and weak joints and even though I didn't break this figure I had to do some work to get him to move freely which shouldn't be needed. With better consistency in paint quality and better joints this figure would hit at least a four. As it stands he is a 3 out of 5, Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Review : The Hound Game of Thrones (Funko Legacy) Wave/Series : Collection 1, #03 Released : April 2014 Price : £14.99 - £19.99 The Hound is the 3rd figure of the 6 figure first series of Game of Thrones figures from Funko. Released under their Legacy range of 6" figures, Hound arrives in a grey coloured box with the usual window opening to show off the figure, and with the character name and sigil across the bottom. Around the right hand side is a wrap round of the display window, whilst the left is a book sleeve design with the Games of Thrones logo at the top, character sigil in the centre and character name underneath. Once slid out of his box, and The Hound arrives with a couple of particularly brutish looking swords as well as his custom helmet. I'll talk more about that helmet later. The Hound stands an impressive 6 1/2 inches high, which on a 1/12 conversion equates to bang on 6ft 6, the height of actor Rory McCann. Starting with the sculpt, and the head is probably the weakest element on the figure. It does pass as a resemblance to McCann, but they haven't gone "gruesome" enough on his burns - which are simply represented by a red hue to the skin on one side. The eyes are also a tad cross eyed when painted, and the beard looks more like mud/dirt in places - particularly down the neck. That being said, once past the head and The Hound is a magnificent armoured figure, with plenty of detail. The armour is made up predominantly of a chain tunic onto which is an armoured neck-collar and then strapped in with both a waist belt, but also a back strap which also holds the rear sword sheath. Each arm continues the chain mail and onto this are plates of armour starting with large shoulder panels and then working down in segments to the elbows. There is an odd "flap" on each elbow, similar to what we saw on Brienne of Tarth. I suspect it is meant to move with the elbow, but just ends up looking odd flapped out to the side of the arm. The arms finish with some impressive metal gauntlets. The legs are nice and thick and heavy set and tuck into some knee high shin guards and down to some plain black boots. The helmet is the crowning glory of this armoured brute. It has been designed in a soft rubber material to allow it to fit over the head without much fuss, and it achieves this easily, whilst also fitting neatly into the collar of the armour - no floating helmet head here that we so often see when a practical helmet is used instead of a head swap. The Hound comes with two large swords, both of which fit neatly into either hand, or can slot into either the rear back sheath or the side sheath that hangs off his belt. Both are neatly painted with at least three paint applications on each rather than a flat metal hilt. The armour is also nicely painted throughout. Yes it is all pretty much grey metal, but there is considerable applications of dry-brushing to bring out the studs on the tunic and the buttons and studs on the armoured panels. All in all, The Hound is a nice looking brute. The issue however, as it has been with many Funko Legacy figures, is articulation. First off, most of the joints on the figure are stiff out of the box and although I didn't break any on this figure, I have had two Funko figures break far too easily when you try to pose them. I am now over cautious and heat all my Funko figures now to release the joints, anyone who isn't aware may well jump straight in and snap the joints. The head articulation is fine, and rotates with the helmet on as well as without. The shoulders move outwards and rotate and aren't restricted by the shoulder armour, which is flexible enough to move with them. The elbows on the other hand are really hard to use, in fact I have yet to find the joint let alone move it. This could be an issue with my figure being wrongly assembled, but to have the same issue on both arms feels more like a design flaw to me. That leaves the elbow being able to rotate only, the same movement that is afforded at the wrists. Unless you can work out the elbow movement, you will never get The Hound in a double handed sword pose. The legs are much better, and are quite smooth at the hips and The Hound can get into a sitting position if needed. If anything though the hips are too smooth and loose and on a smooth surface I am already seeing the figure start to slide out in a splits position - and I hate that wide unnatural stance. The knees are double jointed - although feel stiff at first and could be a weak spot if not eased into use - and that allows The Hound to kneel if needed. The skirt of the tunic is flexible enough to support this movement into kneeling or crouching positions, albeit looking a little odd in how it has bent. If you are a fan of Game of Thrones, or just like armoured knights, then The Hound will be a great addition to your collection. Once you are past the lack of any real pose-ability, and as long as you are careful when easing the joints into use, then The Hound is a cracking figure with real character. It is a shame that Funko chose not to go further with the burns decor to more accurately represent the character, and in a perfect world the paint apps on the face could be better - but aren't as noticeable once the helmet is in play. I award The Hound a 4 out of 5 score, and I would urge anyone who is still deliberating on this range to jump in now while the prices are so low. Order from Amazon UK Order from Amazon US

Funko have emerged as a prolific collectible company as of recent years, with their very popular POP range and their extensive Reaction range which covers numerous licences. Their legacy range was their first foray into the "realistic" action figure market and they announced in 2014 that their first licence under the Legacy banner would be HBO's Game of Thrones. Like many fledgling ranges, I hung back for about a year waiting to see what Funko would put out. So far we have had 2 waves of 6 figures, and a couple of exclusives. Upon the receipt announcement that wave 3 is being sculpted, and the price of the current two waves being relatively low (especially on import from the US) I decided to pick up one or two and see how things go. My first figure is Tyrion Lannister who we will be looking at here. Tyrion was released in 2014 and came in a standard version (reviewed below), an SDCC version of the same figure with a scar on his face. And finally a US Walgreen Exclusive "Hand of the King" version which I review a bit further down (click here) Tyrion is the 2nd figure from wave 1 and comes in a tan coloured box very reminiscent of that used by Hasbro on the Black Series. Front and left side (as you look) are adorned with the Lannister house crest, and the rear contains details of the other 5 figures in the wave - although they are simply listed and not pictured like you would expect? Once out of the box Tyrion is a nice figure. The GoT figures are sculpted by Gentle Giant so the sculpt is pretty impressive for a 6" figure. The figure is sculpted in 6" 1/12 scale and Tyrion is obviously sculpted to his correct height from the show and stands a tad under 4 1/2". The head sculpt is a great likeness to Peter Dinklage and there is enough detail down through the armour and clothing. The breastplate has a sculpted Lannister Lion and a chain necklace, both of which are a little soft on the sculpt but do the job. Work your way round the figure and there are plenty of other details including the armour straps, bracers and boots. Paint was pretty well applied across the figure. I didn't find any significant bleed, but there was a couple of splashes of paint on my figures nose and hair which had to be scraped off carefully. If there is any criticism of the paint is that in places it looks to be applied too thick. When you look at the Lannister Lion and the chain on the chest details seem to be lost under the paint. Articulation starts at the ball jointed head which can rotate and look up and down. The shoulders are articulated and the armour has been designed so that as you raise the arms the shoulders slot under the armour rather than restrict the movement. The elbows are jointed and there is a wrist swivel. For such a small figure there is no chest or waist movement, but the legs are full articulated. The bottom section of the armour is done in a softer plastic to allow the legs some wider movement, and with a knee joint and shin swivel and jointed ankles there should be the opportunity to get Tyrion to stand and pose really well. Yet here are my biggest two issues. The first is the fragility of the figure. I am always wary of locked joints and never apply any degree of force to a new figure and instead take them off for a steam bath. On this one I simply pushed the left leg which simply dropped off. This is not an isolated incident and was rife within the early figures in particular. I hope Funko will come good on future waves with better quality plastic/joints. The second issue is one of balance. Tyrion is a squat figure and should therefore stand really well due to a low centre of gravity. Yet the figure's feet seem to have been sculpted with a rounded sole and therefore it takes an absolute age to get Tyrion balanced. The usual answer would be to put him on a stand, but Funko haven't added any peg holes to the feet. Tyrion comes packed with a battle axe which is well sculpted, well painted and fits snugly into his hand - you cant ask for much more. In summary the sculpt is impressive, the paint is adequate, the articulation is well thought out and no-one can deny this is a good looking figure. Sadly an action figure, and particularly one that is rated as 17+ and sold as an adult collectible, has to stand up on its own. The fragile joints are also a real concern. I have thought long and hard over how to score Tyrion. In the end it came down to the issues and how it lines up with other similar size collectible ranges. Without the broken joint issue I would have scored Tyrion a 4 out of 5, but I can't look past the damage and unlike my recent Ant-Man review the damage is not an isolate issue, but a clear weakness across the line if you read the online feedback. I am therefore going to score Tyrion a 3 out of 5 and would warn anyone purchasing these figures to be extremely careful with the joints - I for one will be steaming all future figures straight after opening. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US