espite the bitter controversy that Middle-earth figures may cause among admirers of J.R.R. Tolkien's works--Tolkien himself expressed sentiments against such commercialization--there is a market for these toys among insatiable fans. Toy Vault continues to capitalize on that market with its latest action figures: two versions each of Frodo and Ugluk the orc.
Frodo arrives in two guises: Frodo in the Barrow Downs and Frodo in Lorien. He is quite Halfling-proportioned, well balanced and faithfully rendered. A bit stocky, he has large hands and long fingers, as well as the famously large and hirsute Halfling feet. His garb is specific to his environs and is largely rendered in real cloth. The Barrow Downs attire is white with gold trim. He also comes with the rune-encrusted blade used to hack at the hand of the attacking barrow-wight. Lastly, Frodo in the Barrow Downs is accompanied by a hexagonal stand emblazoned with a portion of a map of Middle-earth.
Frodo in Lorien has more accouterments: homespun pants, a lace-up shirtwaist, a silver belt and an over-jacket of medium navy. A moss-colored hooded cloak with a leaf-shaped clasp completes the rustic attire. For accessories, Frodo in Lorien has a belt with a pouch to carry his lembas and phial from Galadriel. He also carries a small rucksack, a walking stick and the fabled Sting (Bilbo Baggins' elven-forged blade, with its scabbard).
Ugluk is similarly attired and equipped, though its clothing is rendered in plastic only. Ugluk, an Orc sports an extra-long dagger, a rune-infested sword, a spired and spiked helm and a faux-wooden shield emblazoned with his master Saruman's white hand sigil. His left arm has a studded sheath, which has no actual opening for a blade. Ugluk on the Hunt is outfitted with a quiver and three arrows, a thick recurve bow and a waterskin. It also comes with a hexagonal map stand.
Kudos for accuracy, but...
Kudos to Toy Vault for accuracy. Frodo in the Barrow Downs is correctly attired in white and little else. Also correctly, it is Frodo in Lorien that is equipped with mithril mail and Sting, which were given to him by Bilbo after they were reunited in Rivendell, well after the Barrow Downs adventure.
The orc is especially well done, as it is nicely threatening-looking. Plastic is the correct medium for the realistic expression of these literary figures on this scale (four to six inches tall). Real-cloth garments often invoke an unwanted "toyness," as they are usually produced from low-grade materials and do not drape as well on a four-inch frame as they might on a four-foot one. Both Frodos suffer from this real-cloth treatment, but this is an issue that bothers some fans much, while others not at all.
The only really negative point that can be made about these figures (aside from whether they should have been manufactured at all), is the superficial rendering of Frodo's features. His face, in both versions, is unduly cheerfully molded. Hobbits do indeed possess excessively good natures, but they are not without their own complexity. Fans would expect Frodo in the Barrow Downs to have a bit of his Old Forest trials written on his face. Certainly fans would expect a more considered, weary and travel-tested demeanor from Frodo in Lorien, for by his arrival in Galadriel's realm, he had defended his comrades against the Barrow-wight, been wounded by a poisoned Nazgul blade and lost Gandalf in the fiery mines of Moria.
As figures go, these are excellent. Yet they still might fall short of being truly satisfying for many, for they are wrought from far superior original material. Fans might experience this paradox: pleasure in these figures and the anticipation of new models, yet an equal or greater pleasure in a knowledge that nothing will ever better the renderings in the mind spurred by the words of the master.
