Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Random Toy of the Day: Dragon Age MiniMates

Back in May, I posted about planning to unbox by new Dragon Age MiniMates as soon as a moved - I didn't quite get to them as quickly as I'd intended, but this morning I finally got around to it.
The Dragon Age MiniMates: Alistair, Morrigan, Varric & Leliana

As I'm mentioned a time or two before, I'm a fan of the Dragon Age franchise, but haven't always been happy with the tie-in products that they've released, and this set is no different.  I was looking forward to seeing characters from the franchise in block-figure form, and I wasn't disappointed with the details on the figures themselves, but the character choice and packaging were weak.

In the box.
Most MiniMates are packaged in boxes that open via a side flap, which means that when the figures aren't on display you can use the package as storage.  But for some reason this set was blister-packed.  For figures that have so many tiny accessories, not having convenient storage is quite the disappointment.
The back of the box.
I found the character choice equally baffling - the packaging using the Dragon Age: Inquisition theme, and while all four of these characters do appear in that game, three of them were only playable characters in Dragon Age: Origins.

Morrigan

Varric. Love the details on his armour and crossbow, but the figure
is the same height as the others, while in-game he's at least
a third shorter, so that was a disappointing missed detail
.
Leliana. Interestingly, her bow and arrow are two
separate pieces.
.
Alistair
Overall, while I can't complain about the detail and accessories on these figures, I still finding myself liking them more than loving them - aside from Varric's height there's nothing wrong with them though, so it may just be that I'd have preferred a different character line-up.

.

10 comments:

  1. Hi JS!
    Disappointment definitely effects us and how we perceive a product, so I can relate to your liking rather than loving these little guys. I hate blister packs on anything, they are so difficult to open and are completely useless once they are. It can also be a real bummer when you have to try and find another box the right size to store them when not in use...but thank heavens for plastic craft boxes!
    Hugs,
    X

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    1. That's a good reminder that I should start looking for extra craft sorting boxes! :)

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  2. Knowing nothing about the game, I find the figures adorable -- so detailed within the blocky format! But yeah, I get why someone with serious knowledge of what's going on would have caveats.

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    1. It's true, regardless of what I think about the character choices, the detailing on these was very well done. :)

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  3. *jumps on the DA hype* I love this franchise too!! And I find the MiniMates adorables, althought I agree with you on mostly everything you pointed out about them!
    Anyways, I think they are lovely and have lots of details! Leliana and Morrigan were my faves from the set :3

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    1. Another DA fan! You'll understand why I was slow to post this week - The Descent DLS just came out! ;)

      Your favourites make sense - Lelina and Morrigan really do look the most like their in-game selves, it's true!

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  4. I like the face paint, very detailed! Yes, a lot of blister packages are awful aren't they, I prefer boxes too!

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    1. Yes, and considering that MiniMates have always (aside from a few blind bags) come in boxes instead of on cards, I'm baffled as to why they did something different from these. Ah well...

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  5. Hmm. This is going to sound weird, but even though these are clearly more detailed, I actually find Funko Pops to be more engaging. I think the boxy nature of the MM's make them come across as ... static, I guess.

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    1. It's funny how style can balance (or cancel out) articulation that way, isn't it?

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