POP! Movies - Nazgûl (The Lord of the Rings)

I like the Lord of the Rings movies, but I don’t really love them. I’ve seen each of them a few times each, and there’s no doubt that they demonstrate a level of quality, attention and care that most blockbusters don’t. But they just never resonated with me in the way that they did for many of my friends*.

I think there’s a few reasons for this. One is that I was already a massive fantasy fan via gaming sources such as Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons and Terry Pratchett (admittedly all highly influenced by Tolkien in one form or another) well before the movies were released, so it didn’t really introduce me to anything I wasn’t already familiar with**.

Of course, plenty of other people who loved them already loved fantasy too. I think for some fans (though not all) seeing the mainstream success of Lord of the Rings was something of a validation of their private interests – which had no doubt been the target of malicious attention in the past by many of those who now sang the praises of the films. But how others feel about my interests has never bothered me all that much, so I guess it didn’t resonate on this front either.  

But I did love the books, and by default that’s meant I have a fondness for certain elements of the movies, and one of them is the Nazgûl. There are nine Ringwraiths in total, but Funko have so far released only two – this subject of today’s review and the Twilight Ringwraith. I hope we get the Witch-King of Angmar eventually, but I doubt we’ll get ever get all nine...though given their similarity in appearance, it might be a little redundant.    

You can read more about their extensive history here, but the tl;dr version is that they were originally nine humans who swore themselves to Sauron’s service, and received magic rings from him in return. But swearing yourself to serve evil is never a good idea, and Sauron’s gifts were poisoned chalices. The Nazgûl were corrupted and turned into shadows of their former selves, eventually adopting the armoured Grim Reaper look.

As with the real costume, the character design is fairly basic; textured and tattered black robe, along with armoured hands and feet. He’s spattered with mud (so I suppose this is from the scene where they’re pursuing the hobbits in The Fellowship of the Ring) and he’s also wielding a battered-looking blade. It’s a great translation of real-world design to POP, mimicking the invisible look of the original via partially hollowed-out head beneath the cowl. Well done!

My only real criticism is that unlike most POPs, the head doesn’t actually turn, though this may be an issue specific to mine. Also, the sword can warp a little in the package, so keep your eye out when purchasing.

Nonetheless, the Nazgûl is an essential buy for Lord of the Rings fans. It’s been a while since there were any new Lord of the Rings POPs, and with the inclusion of characters like Saruman and the Balrog, this is a particularly good series.  

    

*Conan the Barbarian though? That is essential viewing.

**A few years later I’d experience similar things when 28 Days Later was released – a great film, but not the transformative, this-turned-me-onto-horror experience that it was for plenty of others.  

Lego Review - The Wizard Battle

Set: 70095 - The Wizard Battle

RRP: $17-22, depending on retailer

Pieces: 113

Build Time: 30-60 min.

The Background

Love it or hate it, Lord of the Rings has exercised a profound influence on modern fantasy. I enjoyed the movies, but (as is generally the case with adaptations) I preferred the book. Tolkien can be as tedious as he was creative, but there is no doubting the richness of his literary creation. Few have managed to equal it, though countless writers have followed in his footsteps. Its influence is evident in just about every mainstream piece of fantasy produced since the 1950s. 

So when I saw Lord of the Rings Lego sets turning up in stores last year, I was intrigued. I don’t like much of Lego’s licensed stuff (outside of the video games), but I was hoping that they’d do this one, knowing that it would lend itself to some exceptionally cool minifigures.

However, on closer inspection, I wasn’t that impressed with most of them. The first one that piqued my interest was set 9469 (Gandalf Arrives), which currently sits unassembled in my cupboard. It was purchased more as an investment piece, but I may open it (or possibly pass it on) in the near future. Time will tell.

I didn’t mind some of the other sets available at the time, but there was nothing that particularly jumped out at me, insisting that I must take it home and buy it. But recently I found myself in a Big W, checking out the new batch of sets had just been released. These were a whole different proposition. The Wizard Battle caught my eye instantly, as it featured my favourite character (Gandalf) alongside Saruman, who’s played by one of my favourite actors (Christopher Lee) in the film. The duel between the two is one of my favourite scenes as well, so all the pieces (pardon the pun) fell into place on this particular set.

My birthday was not far off, so when my one of my sisters asked me what gift I’d like, this was one of the more obvious choices. As requested, it arrived shortly after the day itself – well done, sis.

The Minifigures

For me, minifigures are the keystone that most sets live and die on. It’s been more or less the same since I was a kid, really. For some, Lego is an opportunity to build a model which is never ever to be touched again. For others, they’re like any other toy. You build them, but you darn well play with them afterwards. At the age of 28, I now sit somewhere between these two spectrums.

This is a fairly minifigure-centric set, so I’m pleased to report that I was very happy with the way they turned out. The heads have two expressions printed on them, one on each side. However, the main difference that you’ll notice once the beards are attached is that their eyebrows are slightly more furrowed in one than the other. Still, when the beards are off you’ll be impressed at how impressive the resemblance is to their real-life counterparts…almost eerily so. It’s something for those learning about the uncanny valley to keep in mind, I suppose.  

I’m slightly disappointed that Gandalf doesn’t have a cape, but they’d already given him his cape and signature hat in at least one previous set, so I can’t really complain. His staff also seems a little plain, but granted it’s fairly plain in the movie itself….

Saruman is particularly impressive. His beard and hair are all one rubbery piece, and his face comes in two expressions – “good” and corrupted. His staff as well, though simple, is quite effective.

Overall, I’m very happy with these guys – I built them about a week before I put the rest of the set together, and set them up with my copy of The Hobbit on Blu-ray...which unfortunately, I still haven’t watched.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
                             

The Build

The build is relatively simple, taking me around 30 min. There’s not a lot to it – it’s essentially Saruman’s throne, and an extended platform with a palantir on it. Still, simple as it is, it has a couple of cool features.

 

First and foremost is the Eye of Sauron itself, which gazes out through the palantir. It doesn’t do anything as such, but it does look very cool. The palantir’s stand also rotates via an axel system, the controls of which sit on the back of Saruman’s throne. Judging by the pictures on the back on the box, this is intended to aid in simulating the two wizards flinging themselves around the room at each other, just as they do in the movie.

Saruman’s throne also has a nifty feature – there’s a flick-trigger at the back of it, which violently ejects the evil wizard from his chair to lunge towards Gandalf. I can’t see myself using it, but it’s a cool little extra add-on. I can see kids getting a lot of enjoyment out of it.

Aside from that, there’s not a lot to say – it’s a bit too simple for the hardened builder, but I think it still manages to convey the look of the scene surprisingly well.

Overall

This is a cool, simple set, but it suffers from what I like to call the “licensing tax” – essentially, you pay extra because the name “Lord of the Rings” appears on the box. This is something that’s all too common with licensed Lego sets – if this were a generic wizard battle, I daresay it would only be around the $14-$17 mark. It’s only a few dollars of difference in this case, but on a small set like this it can be a real dealbreaker. It’s a problem that’s particularly prevalent in ranges like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars and Super Heroes.

There’s not a lot in it for those who are fans of building structures, rather than the using the minifigures as part of a small playset. Still, for those who are keen on minifigures, I think you’ll be particularly happy with Gandalf and Saruman. 7/10 from me, on the whole.