So the Mercenary has arrived and I'm ... pleasantly surprised!
Based on the pics, I was bracing for a pretty bad likeness. In hand, while it's not the best, it IS much better than I was expecting. He's immediately recognizable. Most of the way there. Though I still say a mischievous smirk would have gone a long way to sell the resemblance.
I try not to get too picky on cheaper, unlicensed figures, but if I have a gripe it's the costume. I'm not bothered by the recycled Aragorn boots. But the fabric materials ... yikes. The pants and tunic seem to be a really cheap pleather (think old Sideshow Aragorn or Indiana Jones). It's very thin while also being very stiff. Almost crinkly. I think it's probably going to resist most attempts at futzing and feels like it's going to be prone to cracking and flaking not too far down the road. I understand that they need to keep their costs rock bottom on these unlicensed figures (since they could get shut down by the rights holder at any time), but ...
The biggest puzzlement for me with this release is the fact that he seems to be wearing a fat suit under the tunic. Bronn? He's a very lean and wiry guy. Why would they do that? Maybe the tunic was slightly too big for the body and they were trying to smooth out weird looking wrinkles? No idea. But there's no way I'm undressing him to find out. There's no way I'd be able to get that tunic off without destroying it. (I suspect he's actually glued into it.)
Anyhow, the short version is: I like him, don't love him. Four out of five stars for the sculpt. Two for the outfit. Five for the pricetag. Doesn't really have any accessories to speak of. (The sword is pretty generic and seems to be the same as the one that came with Davos with a few minor alterations to the pommel. No idea if either is accurate to the screen-used props. Doubt it strongly.) Would have been nice to get his dagger.
But overall, he's fine. Solid B-minus. Passes muster for the price.
