Review: Weta Workshop Mini Epics Wave 1, Frodo and Gimli

Ever since Weta Workshop announced their new line of Mini Epics vinyl characters, I'd been eyeing them. So over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, when I saw that they were having a sale, I quickly ordered the Frodo and Gimli figures, which were the two characters from the first wave that I was most excited about. Jump past the break to see photos of the unboxing and get my reaction to this new line of collectibles.

So first off, I was pleasantly surprised that my order arrived quickly––like, REALLY quickly. I got an email from UPS telling me the order had shipped, and the next day the box was on my doorstep. Does Weta ship US orders from Seattle?

I'll admit I'd been a little skeptical of the marketing for the Mini Epics line, which has a decidedly "street" vibe to it . . . the font and the online artwork looks pretty graffiti-esque. Don't get me wrong . . . graffiti and urban grunge is cool and definitely has it's place, it's just not something I typically associate with the Lord of the Rings.

But when I opened up the UPS box, I was surprised to find that I actually really like the packaging that Frodo and Gimli came in (also, forgive me for the photo quality . . . this was my first attempt at using a homemade lightbox):

The artwork on top of each box features the specific character, and is really well done. The front of the box features the characters name as well as their series number (1 for Frodo, 3 for Gimli). In this first wave of vinyls, there are two box sizes: small, for Frodo, Gollum, and the Moria orc (5.6" Wide x 6.3" High x 4.7" Deep); and large for Gimli and the Uruk-Hai Berserker (6.9" Wide x 7.9" High x 4.7" Deep). Inside, the characters are backed by a watermarked map of Middle-earth––for Frodo the map was a very light green, for Gimli an orange-red matching the rest of his packaging. Each character is held securely by clear plastic frame that pops easily open once you remove it from the box. Twist-ties (already removed in this photos) secure the figures to the plastic packaging. My only complaint about the packaging was that Gimli's clear plastic packaging extended down over his face (you can just make it out in the photo above). Undoubtedly this was necessary to securely hold the figure, but it did obscure the dwarf's face. I'm not the kind of collector that keeps figures inside their boxes, so this didn't really bother me, but I can see it being annoying for anyone who wants to keep their Mini Epics unopened. Below are some more close-ups of Frodo and Gimli still in their boxes:

And for good measure, here's two pictures of the characters out of the box, but still in their plastic packaging (second image shows how Gimli's face is mostly covered by the plastic):

Both characters come with a small booklet describing this new line of collectibles, as well as a clear, rectangular plastic stand with a small peg. Each character has a hole in one foot that slots snuggly onto the peg, attaching them to the stand. This clear stand was one of my only disappointments . . . it felt like a missed opportunity where Weta could have made a cool looking stand unique to each character. You know, Frodo's stand could have been sculpted to look like the red bricks of Bag End and Gimli's stand could have looked like rugged gray stone. Still, I suppose the simple stand kept the total cost of each character down, so I shouldn't complain. Here's a photo of the booklet and stands:

The most interesting thing about the booklet is that it gives a preview of the next wave of Mini Epics:

I'm super excited to get my hands on all four of these up-coming characters, and it really only leaves me with one question: why the heck did they decide to release the Uruk-hai berserker and Moria Orc before some of these more well-known fan favorites?! (probable answer: MONEY)

 The character design and sculpting of Frodo and Gimli, done by Mauro Santini, is fantastic. I love them because they encapsulate the essence of these two iconic screen characters in a new stylized aesthetic. I am a huge fan of the art style of the old Rankin and Bass Hobbit and Return of the King cartoons, and I feel like these Mini Epics channel that same stylized feeling. It's fantastic. Here's a few shots of both characters:

For me, the most impressive thing about these "cartoon-ized" sculpts was that each figure still had an impressive degree of detail. For example, check out Frodo's Lothlorien broach, and Gimli's dwarvish armor:

The painting is well done with very little slop between colors or fuzzing around the edge of, for example, Gimli's bright orange beard. The choice of colors is good too, with a large enough palette of browns to keep Gimli's outfit from becoming a monotonous, dark blob.

Finally, the material the figures are made out of is surprisingly tough . . . the figures have already received a fair amount of handling from my six year-old son without showing any signs of wear.

All in all, I was really impressed by these vinyl figures. If pressed, I'd say I have only two complaints: 1) the stands they come with are incredibly plain, and could have been customized a bit more; 2) Frodo's eyes are HUGE compared to Gimli's . . . you don't really notice it when you're looking at just one or the other, but side-by-side it really jumps out at you. However, I expect that this is because at the moment I only have two figures. So I'm not too worried because I assume that as more figures are released, we'll start getting a nice mix of small-eyed figures like Gimli, as well as giant eyed hobbits, and the collection will start to feel more cohesive.

I give these first two LOTR figures from Weta's new Mini Epics line 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest!