Gollum is an integral part of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and has been given two releases to date by Diamond Select Toys in their Lord of the Rings Select line. The first was a Convention Exclusive Set alongside an ‘Invisible’ Frodo figure which saw Gollum released with his boat as seen in The Hobbit. The general release was a Deluxe box set that we are looking at here.
The packaging for Gollum is a window box and is more cube-shaped. Unlike the standard figures, this packaging has taken advantage of the rear space - with Diamond choosing to add the ‘One Ring to Rule them All’ text over any background info for Gollum.
While the figure and the stand would have gone in a standard box, this format does allow for the figure to be posed in the packaging and gives us two lovely side windows displaying the accessories. The first set of accessories are for Gollum and we will look at these in due course. The second set of accessories are a bit of a ‘Thank You’ inclusion from Diamond and are reflective of pieces that were not included with the original Legolas and Gimli releases.
We have a trio of arrows for Legolas’ quiver as well as the twin blades that now fit into the similarly empty sheaths on his back. Gimli gets another axe, which is perhaps a little excessive considering he has three already, but this one is his smaller axe. Without sounding ungrateful, the inclusion of some Elven Cloaks - as seen on the prototypes - would have also been welcomed.
Once unpacked, we find Gollum posed onto the included rock diorama piece. Take note of how he is positioned here as it is not as easy to put him back in this position once he has been moved off the rock and posed in other positions. The rock is well painted to actually look like rock and includes shaped sections at the top with foot pegs allowing Gollum to be posed in position securely.
Having been unimpressed with the promo shots of Gollum, I can say with certainty that he is the best sculpt and execution in the line so far with three heads all reflective of the various sides of his personalities. The skin tone is a pale and unnatural flesh colour and what muscle definition there is is picked out in a darker wash. Over this, we have applied dirt and grim effects while the features of the faces are wonderfully painted with those large blue eyes and wicked grim with the sharp teeth underneath. The heads are missing any hair, but I am OK with that decision as adding it in paint apps would have looked odd - as would trying some form of sculpted or soft good solution considering how thin and wispy it is on screen. Gollum’s only piece of clothing is his loin cloth, cast in brown and then fixed onto the front and back of the waist. The loincloth doesn’t appear to join up at the sides which is not ideal but the gap in the hips for articulation could be interpreted as the connecting piece.
As well as the three heads, Gollum is packed with three pairs of hands with each designed for a specific job. The first pair as fitted are for holding onto the rock, while the second pair are sculpted to hold the two fish accessories included in the set. The final pair includes a right hand with a Ring of Power sculpted between the thumb and forefinger and this is the star of the show when fitted and coupled with any of the heads. My only niggle with the hands is this final Ring of Power hand which doesn't quite fit fully into the wrist on my figure.
Due to the nature of his physiology and those thin arms and legs, Gollum is also the most articulate of the Diamond figures to date. He has 14 points of articulation - missing out on the thigh swivel. These are all single joints but are wide-ranging in their motion. Gollum can stand on his own and can be posed upright or crouching, and with some work, I would think a position on all fours is doable but I wasn't brave enough to push the joints that far considering they are quite thin. You do also get an oval stand in the set to help with posing, although I didn't have any call for it during the photo shoot.
Gollum is a great example of what the line could be in terms of World Building experience and certainly lays down a marker for the other Hobbit-sized figures that may follow in future waves. The sculpt is great, as is the paint job, and full advantage has been taken of his slim arms and legs with articulation to match. The inclusion of the rock and that gorgeous Ring of Power hand is awesome - even if they are more aligned to his appearance in the Hobbit. If you have been mulling over this set and its price tag which seems to range anywhere between £30 and £50 then my advice is to get it while you can - I doubt you will be disappointed and neither will Legolas who gets tooled up in the bargain.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...