Action Figure Review: Jareth The Goblin King (McFarlane Toys)

‘I have turned the world upside down and I have done it all for you.‘

There are certain films that gain such a cult following that even people who have never seen them can reference them with ease. These movies become part of pop culture and, in some ways, part of history itself. The movie this figure comes from is one of those films. Labyrinth, Starring David Bowie, is one that every kid from the 80’s and 90’s know about or have at least a basic knowledge of. Many years back NECA did their versions and, while quite good, they are now nearly impossible to find and the few that are available run in the hundreds of dollars. Now that McFarlane has the license, one is affordable once again.

Today’s Figure:

This is the first release of the Labyrinth line from McFarlane Toys. Featuring David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King, the figure takes its design from a pivotal scene in which Sarah (played by Jennifer Connelly) has a dream where she is attending a ball thrown by Jareth. In this scene Sarah must overcome Jareth’s advances in order to return to the ‘real world’ and it contains one of Bowie’s iconic songs, ‘As the World Falls Down’. While not my favorite, this is one of the many outfits worn by Bowie in this film and all of them are really stunning.

The Box:

The box is standard fare for McFarlane Toys, minimizing waste while showing the figure in all it’s glory. The logo from the movie is featured prominently at the top with Jareth the Goblin King at the bottom. The back of the box shows a few shots of the figure in action with the ‘color tops’ number at the bottom. The ‘Color tops’ refers to the original releases in this format in which the boxes has a stripe of color depicting its series, they dropped this after the first few figures released. The box can be both placed on a shelf or hung with a hangtag attached to the back. It is a standard box but is not ‘collector friendly’ as the figure is twist tied into a plastic tray and you do have to cut several pieces of tape to get into the box. I open and display most of my toys collectibles, so this isn’t a problem for me, but some may find it a turn off.

What’s Inside:

Inside the box you will find Jareth packaged with his iconic ballroom mask, his crystal ball and the stand. While a little skimpy on accessories there really isn’t anything else that would make sense packing with him. The Figure stands 7 inches without the stand and about 7 1/2 with.

Sculpt:

The head sculpt is most definitely David Bowie although at some angles he looks a little off. The hair sculpt is a little thick but at this scale it is really tough to accomplish that sort of do so they made a solid attempt. The rest is really well done, from the sequins on his jacket to the shirt sleeve ruffles, everything is sculpted gorgeously. The accessories are very well done as well. I have one complaint on the gripping hand, the mask ‘stick’ is very difficult to get in the hand without breaking it so be VERY careful wit it.

Paint:

The paint is solid as most of the McFarlane releases have been. They nail the look and it is VERY clean. My main complaint here are the sequins. In the movie the jacket sequins were made of shiny baubles and these are fairly flat. They really should have used a shiny material or paint with a mirror finish in order to properly pull it off. Otherwise it is well done.

The stand is simple with the movie logo painted in white on a black finish.

Tailoring:

Nothing here, the whole thing is plastic!

Articulation:

The figure boasts articulation in all of the joints but the poses are very limited to one or two looks. Although limited, this is a VAST improvement over the earlier releases that were very static and more ‘statuesque’. While better articulation would have been appreciated, it really isn’t necessary in this figure. If they ever do the ‘Magic Dance’ or the end scene Jareth, then I hope they improve the articulation.

The major nit here is that, on the box, it shows Jareth holding his mask up to his face. This image is VERY deceptive as the elbow and arm do not get close enough to pull this pose off properly.

Overall:

I really dig this figure. It isn’t the perfect release but until either Mezco tackles this in 1:12 scale (hint hint) or someone goes the 6th scale route, I will happily display this figure on my shelf. I really hope they make a Sarah (Connelly) to go with him soon!

A couple things to watch out for, the crystal ball only sits in his left hand and falls off VERY easily so watch this. The ankle joints feel a little loose and when you put him on the stand via the foot pegs they can come off the figure easily. Also, keep in mind, that mask stick is very fragile and the hand that holds it is HARD to get it into. So be careful!

Where To Get:

This is a new release so it will start popping up all over the place.

The going price is about $18-$24 so be sure you don’t pay too much.

you can get it HERE from clark toys for $24.99, HERE from Entertainment Earth for $17.99 and HERE from Calendars.com for $22.99.

He’s a really cool piece and worth it if you are a fan.

Thanks for reading my review. You can also find other reviews on my home page and here: My Intro to the new Vynl line from Funko ( http://wp.me/p93it6-9l) and the PX Exclusive Daredevil from Mezco (http://wp.me/p93it6-KR).

Late to the Game 10/16/17

The iconic Ballroom Scene: