Photo Blog Post: "Double Vision" (feat. Tifa Lockhart)

Aside from writing packaged reviews, I'll be publishing some photo blog posts as well. As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words"... and rest for my fingers ;)

Packaged Review: Funko Legacy Collection Game Of Thrones Daenerys Targaryen (Dragonscale Costume)

The alluring conqueror of Astapor...

Don't mess with her, she's PMS-ing

The Game of Thrones is one of the most popular television shows today. It is an American fantasy television series produced by the HBO cable network, and since its small-screen debut it has become 'the biggest drama' and 'the most talked about show' on television according to The Guardian. The show itself has received widespread critical acclaim around the world, thanks to its interesting storyline and its scene-stealing actors and actresses. GoT has a lot of notable female characters, like Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, the Red Woman/Melisandre, etc., but my favorite among them is Daenerys Targaryen.

As a brief character profile, Daenerys is one of the last confirmed members of House Targaryen who ruled on the Iron Throne for nearly three hundred years (that's until fifteen years before the events of the first novel take place). Throughout the series she becomes this strong, confident and courageous woman who turns herself into a top contender of the coveted Iron Throne. And if I'm not mistaken, this chick has the most number of a.k.a.'s and titles as compared to all the other characters in the show. Her monikers include the following:

- Daenerys of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name
- Queen of Meereen
- Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men
- Lady Regnant of the Seven Kingdoms
- Protector of the Realm
- Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea
- Breaker of Chains
- Mother of Dragons
- Daenerys Stormborn
- Dany
- The Unburnt
- Mhysa
- The Queen Across the Sea
- The Silver Queen
- The Dragon Queen

Whew! So, if Daenerys were to go to Starbucks and buy herself a brew, the unfortunate barista would suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome after writing down her name(s) on the cup. Kidding aside, for me a strong character like her deserves a lot of regal sobriquets, and I personally prefer the titles 'Breaker of Chains', 'The Dragon Queen' and 'Dany' for her. As a GoT fan myself, I'm actually quite impressed with her character overall, not to mention she's being played by one of the most beautiful stars of this era - the ever lovely (and sexy) English actress Emilia Clarke!

Now on to the packaged figure:

Daenerys immortalized

Right off the bat, this figure is quite a good representation of the platinum-haired charmer clad in her Dragonscale costume in Season 3. For a figure that belongs to a 6-inch scale line, Dany (let's keep her name short, shall we?) is relatively petite when lined up with the other figures of the wave. That's okay though - Miss Clarke in real life stands at a measly 5'2", which justifies the height of the figure. Aside from the core figure, there's not much going on within the package - just one accessory which I will discuss later in the review. Moreover, the package says '12', which means that she's officially the 12th figure of the line.

I can't help but notice some Cybertronian photo bombers

I could say that the GoT Legacy Collection line offers one of the most collector-friendly closed window boxes. The left portion of the box is purely translucent plastic, which allows for clearly seeing the nigh side of the figure. In this view, the sculpted hair of Dany can be clearly seen, and kudos to Funko for nailing it in terms of the features, particularly the braids. Moreover, the figure sports a blue cape with a yellowish underside.

Hail Hydra!

On the other hand, the right side of the box is a printed portion. It displays the obligatory 'Game Of Thrones' title, Dany's name, as well as the Legacy Collection logo. In the middle is the crimson Targaryen House emblem, which is a hydra-like representation of Dany's tres bambinos: the emerald Rhaegal, the achromic Viserion, and the obsidian Drogon (who, by the way, happens to be the biggest momma's boy of the three).

It's either she's about to deliver a speech, or she needs a jacket

The back of the box lacks a character bio, but holds a reference photo of Emilia Clarke's character which depicts her wearing the Dragonscale garb. Looking at the character roster, she's part of the second series/wave of the line, along with the incestuous knight, the maid who looks like a man, the ruthless little brat, Conan the Barbarian, and a casualty of the infamous Red Wedding. Additionally, the lower portion bears the brand logos of HBO, Gentle Giant Studios, and Funko.

From the bottom to the top

The top of the packaging also shows a larger 'Game Of Thrones' title and the number 12. The bottom part sports the big Funko logo and their website, as well as a couple of social media icons.

Daenerys:"Ermahgerd, therts ser nert mah..."

Though it's a good representation of Dany, I must say that Funko really didn't quite capture the looks of the actress, and this is evident especially when looking at the figure's face up close - she just looks like a random blonde chick. Now I'm not saying that it's a bad sculpt; it's pretty decent actually, but in terms of nailing the likeness 100%, Funko still has got to work on that.

Reminds me of blue cake icing

Moving on to the torso area, the long blue dress is executed quite well. It has a subtle yet neat drybrushing that brings out a gritty texture, which is nice considering that it is a "Dragonscale" costume. Dany also wears some sort of twisted golden bracelet on her right hand.

Courtesy of Levi's and Nordstrom

As for the figure's lower limbs, she's wearing some sort of modern skinny jeans and high boots. Not that I'm complaining, but in my opinion it's somehow inappropriate for a 'sword-and-sorcery'-esque show to exhibit such a contemporary attire. That being said, Dany looks good in it, and for me the jeans and boots are perhaps among the best parts of her costume.

Don't misbehave, or else...

And last but not least is her sole accessory, which is the golden whip. In the series, this was given to her by the Astaporian slave-trader named Kraznys mo Nakloz as a symbol of ownership over the Unsullied warrior-eunuchs. The detailed whip resembles a cat o' nine tails, with some hint of golden hue on various areas. Given that in the show Dany got rid of the whip once she gained control of the Unsullied, I'd prefer a small-scaled Drogon instead, which would have made more sense as she used the dragon to toast and ghost Kraznys (yes, it's a long story). Or better yet, why not both?

Final thoughts: I'm really glad that I finally got my hands on this Daenerys Targaryen figure, owing to the fact that this is my favorite version of the GoT character as well. Although it is not a dead-ringer of Emilia Clarke, it's truly an excellent figure in its own right, and to me it's also a worthy addition to my collection. I plan to keep the figure within the box sealed for eternity, as I have seen enough YouTube videos (such as this one) of Funko figures easily popping off particularly on the waist section when they are being posed. Anyway, the Funko Legacy Collection is something a mint-in-box collector such as myself will appreciate, given that the figure inside can be seen more clearly as compared to any other action figure line. And for a price tag of around US$30, it's a pretty good bang for the buck, considering that I got myself a nice replica of a British hottie!

She's ready to deliver some ass-whoopin' (and toastin')

Is the Dragonscale costume your favorite version of Dany? Feel free to share your comments below.