Toy Review – Game of Thrones Legacy: Tyrion Lannister from Funko

Lest you think I forgot about these new figures from Funko, let’s return to the land of Westeros and take a look at my favorite character on television – Tyrion Lannister.

Before I talk about the sole member of the Lannister family that isn’t an intolerable shitbag, let me update you on the status of my damaged Game of Thrones figures.

If you remember from my reviews of Daenerys and The Hound, both of those figures broke rather catastrophically. Funko – being new to the 6” figure business and also not wanting to be irresponsible jerks like certain other toy companies – decided to make things right for the many people that had bought defective figures. They gave out an address so that we could send in any defective figures and have them replaced from new batches that had been corrected. The estimated date for return was April.

I had been in communication with a representative from the company. Not only about the broken figures, but also about recording a podcast with somebody from Funko. I haven’t initiated further contact yet because this year so far has, quite frankly, been something of a nightmare. I haven’t heard anything back about my figures or the program, but I would imagine they’re pretty much inundated with broken figures right about now. If I haven’t seen or heard anything by this time next month I’ll inquire. Although hopefully I’ll be able to get my shit together and follow up on the podcast thing before then.

Okay, so Peter Dinklage is amazing. We all know it. If you’ve seen Game of Thrones you know that he’s one of the biggest powerhouse actors on TV. It’s the reason he was cast as Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Granted, Tyrion gets some of the best and most memorable lines I’ve ever heard, but if his character wasn’t portrayed so well and Dinklage’s delivery wasn’t so perfect it wouldn’t matter. He has just as much to do with Tyrion being fantastic as George R.R. Martin does. More, possibly.

I never really imagined I’d be able to buy a Tyrion figure. I thought the best we were likely to get would be a statue or something. And there is a statue out, but I’ve seen it in person and it isn’t great. There’s also a Figure of Tyrion from Dark Horse. While the Funko version and that statue portray Tyrion in his armor as seen in the battle at King’s Landing (which probably has an actual name, but I don’t know), Dark Horse went with the look I prefer – Tyrion in his regular clothes.

This guy is not a warrior. I get why a company making a likeness of the character would want to go for the more action-oriented look, but I want a Tyrion that looks like he’s doing what Tyrion does best – playing the game and talking down to the competition. So I might just have to buy that Dark Horse figure as well.

FIRST GLANCE

Peter Dinklage – by virtue of his size – has the most immediately recognizable proportions of any of the cast. If one of the other guys legs were a little too long or head was a little small it might not be that noticeable. But Dinklage has a singular profile and it was crucial that Funko get it exactly right. They did.

And while I might not prefer the armored version, it is a striking figure. The Lannisters might be assholes, but they know something about presentation.

PACKAGING

While I have to admit that the perfect packaging is probably just a plain ol’ plastic blister on a sturdy piece of printed cardboard, these boxes are super. The design decisions are all classy and the overall look is very appealing. This box says, “This is a fancy collectible. It’s much nicer than those “action figure” things that you buy. You might need to drink tea while you open it.”

The lack of any kind of bio on the back is a little disappointing, but I do lie the decision to simply list the other characters in the series by name rather than having pictures. It puts the focus on the one in your hand.

LOOKS

The head sculpt on this figure is fantastic. The hair is a separate piece, which not only gives it a better look than if it were part of the head, it also eliminates the possibility of paint slop where the hair meets the skin. This is a common issue with action figures and I’m glad to see Funko avoiding it. The face is dead-on. The sculptors captured Dinklage’s heavy brow and strong jaw and the excellent paint app brings out the features. I’ve been very impressed with the eyes on these Legacy figures so far.

Tyrion’s breastplate has the Lannister lion on the front with sculpted straps running to the back. I thought that there was paint missing on some of the straps at first, but some are grey and some are brown. I’ll just assume this is accurate to the show costume because I have no idea. The necklace on top of the breastplate has a nice sculpt, but is attached in kind of a sloppy manner. It doesn’t sit quite right and the glue spots used to attach it are fairly visible.

Tyrion’s arms have sleeves, shoulder plates, bracers, and gloves. The sculpting on all of the parts is excellent. The shoulder plates have the Lannister lion on them. They’re made of a very soft plastic so that they can slide over the breastplate when you move the figure’s arms. The material seems sturdy enough, but I am worried about the plates coming off of the figure with too much movement. The bracers look excellent. The laces on the inside are well done and such a nice touch.

Unfortunately, my Tyrion has two left arms. Yes – seriously. While I was doing pictures and stuff I noticed that the right arm was kind of odd, but didn’t think too much about it. But after looking at the pictures and checking out some photos of the figure online I realized that the elbow joint and the shoulder plate were backwards. The hand is correct, so the other portions aren’t really that noticeable. If I had realized it before I sent the other two figures back I would have included Tyrion. As it is I think I’ll just keep him. One day I’ll do a list of all the anomalous figures in my collection.

His skirt is a little off-center. I just haven’t adjusted it yet. It’s made of a slightly firmer rubber than the shoulder plates, but gives way easily so as not to interfere with leg movement. The sculpt is nice and it looks like a much firmer piece than it is. It matches the rest of the figure perfectly.

The knees have swivel joints and I wasn’t sure which side the laces on the boots were supposed to be on. One leg had them on the front and on the other they were in the back. I put them on the front because that makes the most sense.

The paint on the figure is mostly very good. There are a few minor blotchy spots, but overall Tyrion has a great paint job. The washes on this figure are the best and most consistent of the Legacy line so far. Everything on Tyrion looks worn and real. Funko did a great job of planning the deco. If only they had planned assembly as well.

ACCESSORIES

Tyrion comes with a big (to him) battle ax. I can’t imagine that the plus signs on either blade are accidents, but they look so odd. Otherwise the ax is excellent. It’s made from a hard plastic and is quite sturdy. It fits neatly into Tyrion’s hand or hands. The paint is excellent - the head has a great wash and looks metallic and the studs on the haft are each individually painted.

This is a great looking weapon (provided the “pluses” are intentional). It interacts with the figure and features a complete lack of the word “China”.

FUN

Funko did an admirable job of articulating this figure. Given its profile they could have easily eliminated some of the joints and released a simpler figure. But Tyrion is a lot of fun to pose and mess around with. The shoulder plates do make me a little nervous, but otherwise he’s very easy to move and bend. He interacts well with his accessory, too.

I know part of my satisfaction with this figure comes from the fact that I like the character – and the actor – so much. I’m also happy because I like firsts in my collection. And this is the first… I have no idea what the politically correct term is at this point. I feel like “little person” isn’t right anymore. I mean, honestly he’s just a short dude. I don’t want to categorize Dinklage as anything other than a tremendous actor. This is the first non-mutant, non-monster-type short dude action figure I’ve owned.

OVERALL

Were it not for the right arm that is really a left arm this would be an excellent Tyrion. There are a few little paint issues, but overall it’s a great looking figure. I’m hoping that we get a plainclothes Tyrion in the future, though. I’m going to need one to sit around Castle Grayskull and match wits with Cersei Lannister.

4 out of 5