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wallace_trustLate last year, my dear Mother surprised me with a truly extravagant gift-- a pre-order of the new Frodo and Sam collector's set by Asmus Toys. Of course she knew just what I would want! ^_^ I received the dolls in February and we marveled at them together. I haven't seen much about these on the Net, so I wanted to write a review, but the weather's been so rainy out here that I couldn't get a good day to photograph them until now!
The first thing I was pleased to see is that they arrived together in the same shipper box. Frodo and Sam should always travel in the same box! ^_^
The individual figure boxes are very lovely, sturdy and featuring silky smooth enamel printing. They are reminiscent, in quality and feel, of the gorgeous Sideshow figure boxes, though they do not open like books. Here's Sam's COA, #27 out of 1000! Frodo is also #27!
And here's Sam, all snug and safe in his plastic packing ^_^ He comes with his pots and pans, a ladle, a wooden spoon, some sausage, his Lorien cloak, his barrow sword, scabbard and belt, and his coat, weskit, shirt and trousers, (more on these later) as well as his satchel and water bottle and some extra hands for posing. One of the best items is a bag of extremely tiny extra buttons! ^_^ Unlike the Sideshow figures, neither comes with a pipe.
The next thing I was struck by when unpacking these dolls was how substantial and sturdy they feel. Another thing I love about them are their body proportions. These dolls are made to true hobbit-scale, with shorter torsos and legs, and are clearly recognizable as such.
Did I mention the clothes? They are very fine! The material is richly colored and textured and of high quality, sewn with infinitesimally tiny stitches!
Sam's face is sculpted reasonably accurately, with a somewhat grim expression suitable for his encounters with Shelob or the orcs. My camera could not capture the really fine points, but you can actually see each individual pore of his facial skin, as well as the most minute streaks of color in the irises of his eyes! The same is true for Frodo! This must have been accomplished by 3D printing technology-- I cannot possibly imagine someone being able to paint these details by hand, even with only a single hair for a brush.
The final touch is real fur on the feet of both hobbits! This is delightful in concept, but I do believe rooted hair would have worked a bit better.
Overall, these figures have a slightly darker feel than the others I have collected. The artists were not going so much for hobbit cuteness-- though the body proportions are very cute-- so much as gritty realism, and I think they succeeded very well! ^_^
The first thing I was pleased to see is that they arrived together in the same shipper box. Frodo and Sam should always travel in the same box! ^_^
The individual figure boxes are very lovely, sturdy and featuring silky smooth enamel printing. They are reminiscent, in quality and feel, of the gorgeous Sideshow figure boxes, though they do not open like books. Here's Sam's COA, #27 out of 1000! Frodo is also #27!
And here's Sam, all snug and safe in his plastic packing ^_^ He comes with his pots and pans, a ladle, a wooden spoon, some sausage, his Lorien cloak, his barrow sword, scabbard and belt, and his coat, weskit, shirt and trousers, (more on these later) as well as his satchel and water bottle and some extra hands for posing. One of the best items is a bag of extremely tiny extra buttons! ^_^ Unlike the Sideshow figures, neither comes with a pipe.
The next thing I was struck by when unpacking these dolls was how substantial and sturdy they feel. Another thing I love about them are their body proportions. These dolls are made to true hobbit-scale, with shorter torsos and legs, and are clearly recognizable as such.
Did I mention the clothes? They are very fine! The material is richly colored and textured and of high quality, sewn with infinitesimally tiny stitches!
Sam's face is sculpted reasonably accurately, with a somewhat grim expression suitable for his encounters with Shelob or the orcs. My camera could not capture the really fine points, but you can actually see each individual pore of his facial skin, as well as the most minute streaks of color in the irises of his eyes! The same is true for Frodo! This must have been accomplished by 3D printing technology-- I cannot possibly imagine someone being able to paint these details by hand, even with only a single hair for a brush.
The final touch is real fur on the feet of both hobbits! This is delightful in concept, but I do believe rooted hair would have worked a bit better.
Overall, these figures have a slightly darker feel than the others I have collected. The artists were not going so much for hobbit cuteness-- though the body proportions are very cute-- so much as gritty realism, and I think they succeeded very well! ^_^
no subject
Date: 2017-03-20 04:01 pm (UTC)One difference I noticed with those you just received is the number of different hands. I believe the Sideshow versions only have one. I like the faces as well.
Enjoy them!
ETA: You're very lucky to have gotten them. I just went to the Asmus website and both Frodo and Sam are sold out. :-(
no subject
Date: 2017-03-20 06:15 pm (UTC)There are a few of these sets left on eBay, but I'm sure they will become a rarity!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IN-STOCK-1-6-Lord-of-the-Rings-Frodo-Sam-Figure-USA-BONUS-Asmus-Toys-Hot-Gandalf-/302133292780?hash=item46588c2eec:g:Ct4AAOSw4DJYj684
no subject
Date: 2017-03-21 12:50 am (UTC)