The Witcher 3 has gone into gaming history as one of the best games of all time. So, when McFarlane Toys announced that they had acquired the license to make figures from the game, I was excited. Finally, some articulated Witcher figures. I had to grab Geralt as soon as he was available.
The packaging is pretty standard for McFarlane Toys. A box with a window view of the figure and all of his accessories with a product shot of the figure on the back. But taking the figure out of the box is where the fun begins and I’d say I’m having fun…
The Sculpt
This thing looks beautiful. The head sculpt is just about perfect and the links in the chainmail pieces of armour are so well done. They are actually sculpted on the figure. The detail is phenomenal. There is even a texture on his pants and some stitching sculpted here and there.
The straps and buckles on his armour is all sculpted on, which gives the figure this sense of complexity which I like. However, something that bugs me is that due to the one-piece rubbery torso, sometimes the stomach area bulges and it looks like Geralt likes to party a little too much. Dad-bod Geralt, anyone?
Articulation
You’d be hard pressed to get much head movement out of Geralt due to his hair sculpt. Also, the entire torso is a rubbery kind of sheath. So, torso articulation also won’t be as wild as other figures. Other than that, the articulation is the same as we’ve seen with other McFarlane figures in recent years. I like how his shoulder pads are made with a pliable plastic, so that his shoulder rotation still has some range.
Accessories
This is where it is both a hit and miss for me. I’ll start with the good news. The werewolf head that comes with the figure looks incredible. The detail blew me away. Initially, I spent more time looking at this thing than taking the figure out of the box.
It’s quite distracting when taking pictures of him because of how my eyes are just drawn to this little gruesome head. It also has a rope that can fit in Geralt’s hand. Geralt does come with a hook on his right hip but the hook is bendy and doesn’t really hold the head properly.
The bad news are the swords. These things are so bland looking that I had to paint them silver to get rid of the dull plastic-looking paint. I also painted in the runes on his silver sword and they look much better now. But good luck trying to get him to hold his swords.
McFarlane has this annoying habit of making their figures’ hands way too stiff which makes it hard to get their weapons in their hands. Looks like I’ll have to bring out the hair dryer and heat them up a bit to get the fingers nice and pliable. It’s still annoying, though.
Geralt’s swords slide nicely into the sheaths on his back and he also comes with a standard base with a peg to fit into the soles of either foot. I like that McFarlane does that.
I really like this figure and the flaws, although annoying, are easily fixed. There are more figures coming in the line and McFarlane has recently teased their upcoming Witcher Netflix figures as well. I’m looking forward to mashing both versions of The Witcher onto my shelf. Though, I’d need to keep him away from any monster figures I have; he might just cut their heads off!
Pros
- Looks amazing.
- Extra attention to detail.
- Arm and leg articulation is not hindered at all despite sculpt.
- Werewolf head is a nice addition and looks super gross (which is good).
- Can detect when the wind is ‘howling’.
Cons
- Swords are originally bland, painting is advised.
- The hook is too soft making it pretty much useless.
- Hands are very tight, hairdryer or warm water is recommended to loosen them.
