The Elven Princess known as Arwen comes to the rescue of Frodo Baggins after he is stabbed by the Morgul blade of the Witch King. She puts the young hobbit on her horse, Asfaloth, and rushes him to Rivendell. Only Elven medicine can save the life of the gravely wounded Ringbearer.

Arwen is about 7" tall, and is seen here in the outfit she wore when she first met the Hobbits; that being a mixture of purple breeches two-toned grey skirts and an ornate bodice, not the slinky white backlit number she threw on for Aragorn. A mixture of pvc and actual cloth, the various layers of costume still allow a wide range of movement.

Push the button on her back, and her Everstar lights up. What's an Everstar? I don't know. But it sits right between her... shoulders... and glows. Ooh, pretty. Glowy. Moving on.

Unfortunately, Arwen does not come with the sword she wielded so defiantly in the movie; the set does, however, include a figure of Frodo, looking sick and pale beneath his green cloth cape. Frodo is only articulated at the neck, but is a more appropriate scale than the other Hobbits, and can be removed from the saddle so you can create a scene of the elf girl when she was still looking for the band of travelers.

The sculpting on Arwen is quite good--she's actually got the figure of a real woman, not the wasp-waisted waifs normally seen in action-figure land. From a certain angle, she sort of resembles Alanis Morissette as God, but rest assured; thanks to the magic of RealScan, she really does look approriately Liv Tyler-ish. Arwen's hair is billowing out behind her as she rides, complete with two thick, well-detailed braids.

Arwen has normal articulation at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, and hips, plus a few extras: taking a page from McFarlane Toys' book, the legs feature ratchet-type joints covered in rubber to create invisible joints. In order to allow Arwen to actually ride Asfaloth and yet still look normal in a standing pose, there is also a swivel joint just above mid-thigh.

The horse is almost 8" tall, and is excellently detailed. The saddle, straps, and bridle are all modeled directly from their on-screen versions. The fur-trimmed saddle blanket has been painted very well, and the saddle itself has the look of worn and cracked leather. The horse has its own action feature, as well--press the large button on the horse's flank, and its front legs flail, simulating a gallop away from the pursuing Ringwraiths.

The horse's legs are articulated at the hip, the knee (not the rear legs, though), and the ankle, though the front legs won't stay in position if you move them yourself (due to the galloping action). There is also a ratchet joint in the middle of the horse's neck (again covered by pvc), so you can make his head pull to the side if you so wish, just like when Arwen was trying to escape the forces of darkness by cornering sharply around trees. His mane and tail are also molded from pvc, and sculpted to look as if the wind were whipping through the hair as he runs.

With unequaled attention to detail on both the horse and its rider, and including a figure of the movie's main hero, this is a set not to be missed.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 19.99