Friday, March 4, 2016

Out of the Box: Dragon Age Alistair (ThreeZero)

I've posted a few times now about this Alistair figure from ThreeZero: while at first it was excitement about finally seeing a 1/6th scale Dragon Age figure, as the release was pushed back from November to the new year, to January, to late February some of that excitement had started to turn into frustration.  But the wait is over, and he arrived today!

ThreeZero is a Hong Kong-based company that produces 1/6th (and some larger) figures from a variety of game, TV, and movie franchises (you can check out some of their past and future releases here on their Facebook page). The figures are similar in size and style to the same-scale figures from Hot Toys and Sideshow and sit at a similar price point.

This particular figure has 15 points of articulation (head, chest, waist, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles) and is wearing a well-constructed fabric outfit. His accessory set included a large shield and sword and two pairs of option hands (one pair with sword grips and one pair of fists).



Looking at the box, fans of the Dragon Age franchise will notice something that confused quite a few people when the figure was first announced: the box is branded with art and title of the most recent game, 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition. 
The Inquisition-themed box.
While Alistair can appear in that game, he's an optional character, and in one of the two scenarios in which he does appear, his role is basically a brief cameo.  Similarly, the likeness of the head (and the style of the outfit) are clearly based on that game and the tie-in comics.  I enjoyed the comics, so I like the look, but I've heard quite a lot of complaints from fans of the first game (Dragon Age: Origins, in which Alistair is a major character, and has a very different look - both because of art style changes and because the later games/comics are set a decade after Origins) who were disappointed to not see a figure who looks like that version of the character.
The character-themed side of the box.
Inside the box, the figure and option hands were secured between two layers of plastic, with a third piece taped to the bottom holding the sword and shield.

The inner packaging.
The back layer of the packaging.
Freed from the packaging, the first thing I noticed was the furryness of the faux-fur trim - the contrast to the rougher fabrics of the armour is a nice touch.
Freed from the packaging with sword and shield
in hand (although not with the sword hand attached -
he can be posed more realistically with that hand
swapped out).
With the top layer of clothing removed.
Rear view.
Interestingly, the boots on this figure are two pieces. The calf sections are separate, but base of them is actually the feet of the figure himself, which means he's designed a bit like a Bratz doll, which struck me as a strange design choice.
Taking off his boots means taking off his feet.
Since the head sculpt was the most-discussed thing I saw pop up in discussions when this figure was released (due to that choice of creating the Inquisition/comic version rather than the Origins version), I popped off the head to get a few close-ups.
Front view
Side view
Overall, I like the amount of detail that they put into this head - on its own it's a quality sculpt, although I understand the complaints who wanted to see the "cute" version of the character from the first game.
The neck peg.
The figure seems to go well with other 1/6th scale figures, although for display purposes, it's worth noting that unlike many figures at this price point Alistair did not come with a stand.
In between Hot Toys Wolverine (L) and Sideshow Krycek (R)
The slight difference in height is purely due to the lack of stand.

Next to Monster High Clawd.
Does Alistair disapprove if you side with the werewolves?
I don't remember. ;)
Overall, I have to say that delayed release date aside, I can't complain about this figure - he's well-made, poses well, has nicely detailed accessories and can stay upright even without a stand.  While I would have preferred a different boot design, that's a fairly minor complaint. 
Alistair patrols the garden.




17 comments:

  1. I love his face up. He is quite a handsome fellow!

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    1. They did a great job on the head, didn't they? :)

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  3. Hi JS,
    Don't know a thing about this figure's character, but his head looks well sculpted (quite handsome in fact) but when it's on the dressed body, it looks kinda small and out of proportion. Especially when you see him next to the other two dolls. Is it the clothes or does he look that way undressed?
    Hugs,
    X
    Sorry about deleted post, had a hiccup with my fingers. :)

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    1. I think it's mostly that giant furry piece that makes his head look tiny, although the padded vest portion of the armour probably adds to that too.

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  4. I'm a little off for dudes with no real-ish hair, but this guy is kinda cute... and his outfit is awesome!

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    1. Heh, I know what you mean about the hair! Still, as sculpted hair goes, it's not too-too bad. And yeah, the outfit makes up for it! :)

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  5. Thanks for your review!

    So this was the one that you had mentioned about being constantly delayed. That gets a bit frustrating but I'm glad he arrived safely (and finally) to you.

    I was actually surprised that his clothing is real fabric. I don't know why I thought it would be like the actual figure itself but it's neat to see. Reminds me a little of the RAH figures.

    His facial features are very detailed which I like. I've never played the games so I can't really say much on that front but I like the music used for the games. I listen to that quite a bit.

    He looks like a worthy addition to your collection. I would actually love to see all your figures or display space for them if you ever feel inclined to share. You have such neat figures.

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    1. Thanks! He doesn't have quite the level of articulation that the RAH figures do, but they do use similar fabrics sometimes, so I can see the resemblance.

      I think it's been a couple of years since I've done a display post - I've moved since that one, maybe I should give it another go! :)

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  6. I'm glad he finally arrived. He looks really detailed. I keep thinking I'd like dolls with more detail like that, and then I remember how much they cost! Maybe later.

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    1. Heh, it's true about the price - it forces moderation though, so that's one good thing! ;)

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  7. But did one of his feet break? His peg is in his leg but also stuck in a shoe.

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    1. The ball joint is supposed to disconnect on both sides, so it's not broken, it's just stuck. Since he doesn't have a change of shoes, I'm not going to worry about it.

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  8. Congrats on getting him! I played all Dragon Age games (including Last Court) and I see his face so different from the in-game models, to be honest!
    The clothes looks really well made, and I think he looks great with the other figures!

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    1. Thanks!

      I think they must have based the face off of the comic art from the Those Who Speak/Until We Sleep/The Silent Grove series more than the in-game models. I think I'll be keeping him on a shelf next to those actually! :)

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  9. Still waiting for mine since there's a screw up with my order but your review gives me an idea what to expect when it arrives.
    I think people are not that disappointed with the face not looking like Origins Alistair, but rather it also does not look like Inquisition Alistair, instead looking like a random person.
    I also think it weird that ThreeZero would choose Alistair from a game that barely features him..unless Bioware/EA compelled them?
    The separated boots doesn't bother me..makes for easier/better articulation versus if it was in one piece. Plus you'd need that articulation since there's no stand included.
    Are the clothes removable?
    I hope ThreeZero would continue the line. I'd like to see Varric or Dorian.

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    1. I would definitely buy a Dorian too (and a Cassandra, Morrigan, Isabela and Anders for that matter) - I hope this figures does well enough that they do at least a couple more of them.

      The clothes are removable. The bottom layer is a little thin compared to the top ones, so I didn't strip him down for the photos because I was afraid of damaging it, but I was probably overly cautious since it's clearly designed to come off (there are hooks down the sides).

      It's subjective of course, but I actually do think the head on the figure looks a lot like comics Alistair.

      I hope yours makes it to you soon! It must be a pain to still be waiting when this release was already delayed so many times.`

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