Tuesday, December 11, 2012

HENRIK LUNDQVIST - McFarlane NHL Series 32 Figure Review

Being a New York Rangers fan is oft a painful experience. Years of anguish and heartbrake, with desperate hopes pinned on a chosen few. I've been following the Rangers for over 30 years, and that ought to say enough. Beloved among the (often) cursed is the venerable stalwart, King Henry, the Saving Grace. I never had a chance to get the Series 13 Henrik Lundqvist figure- I never even saw him in the stores- and I've often regretted it. So, needless to say, I was anxiously looking forward to the new Series 32 version. There may be no hockey, but we've still got hockey figures...
What you see is exactly what you get with McFarlane's Henrik Lundqvist. He's a slightly posable statue done in a 6 or 7 inch scale. Articulation gives you swivels at the neck, shoulders, "wrists", and the tops of the pads. They are enough to tweak the pose slightly, changing the personality of the "save" a little. As far as the pose goes, it's a good one. Very Lundqvistesque. The details and paint are stellar (mostly)- very crisp and well-defined. You can even see the scruff under Henrik's chin beneath the mask! I had an odd initial reaction to the figure the first time I saw it in person. The uniform is not white. It's more a vanilla, or light beige. I also noticed black grease lines under Lundqvist's eyes, which he doesn't wear. It's unlike McFarlane to botch accuracy to such a degree. I was even more puzzled because the stick and the mask highlights are very CLEARLY white. It wasn't until I noticed the sticker at the bottom front of the package that I understood: this is Lundqvist as he appeared at last year's WINTER CLASSIC. Yes, the uniform was off-white, and yes, he wore eye grease because it was an outdoor game. Kudos to McFarlane!

I've got a couple of very small gripes with the figure. Getting him attached to the stand was a real bear. The pads just don't level out enough to get the steel peg in the left one into the hole properly. I actually left the right pad off the base, attached the post, then swiveled the right pad into place. His legs still put a lot of opposing pressure on the base, which warps if he's not positioned just so. You'll also notice a lot of black smudging on the stick blade. I think it's there intentionally, but it doesn't look great. It isn't a natural look- more like someone slopped some paint there than scuff marks from the game. Finally, the string attachments at the collar of the jersey are painted in place. I think asking for a sculpt would have been too much, and the jersey itself may have even had a painted stringing at the collar, but it just looks too symmetrical to be realistic.

Otherwise, love my Lundqvist figure! Finally! This guy was WAY overdue in the NHL Lineup from McFarlane- and I've especially grown to love that this is a unique deco from a one-time game. Giroux (I think) is part of this series, as well, so you can set up a Winter Classic showdown rematch any time you want. McFarlane has released a harder-to-find blue jersey variant (yes, I want), as well...

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