.

The packaging for wave 2 is the same as for the other LOTR 2-packs. Although you can see exactly what you are getting through the window, the cards are larger and more unwieldy than the dinky little Marvel 2-pack boxes.

The back of the packaging shows each of the new sets in wave 2, plus the exclusive Elves. I always like the style of the artwork and text, it seems very faithful to other products in the Lord of the Rings line whilst still managing to bring its own quirky Minimates charm to it.

Twilight Frodo has quite an interesting history in the Lord of the Rings Minimates line. Initially released as a hidden figure in last summer’s Toys R Us exclusive 4-pack, it appears that the earliest sets had a blue clear Frodo, whilst later sets had a clear figure with no tinge to it. However I’m sure I reviewed the 4-pack in a timely manner yet the one I reviewed was the clear clear one rather than the blue clear one. After Twilight Frodo was announced for the wave 2 2-packs, people wondered which version would be packed in the set. It looks like the clear clear one was the winner!

This figure is, for all intents and purposes, the exact same figure I reviewed in the 4-pack. However with it being a later release, the hexagonal torso piece for the torso peg to plug into has been replaced by the <> style as found on later 2″ Minimates. The blue clear Frodo also has the hexagonal type of torso connector piece. The 2.5″ Minimates such as Aragorn have not had this change made to them.

One of the comments I made about the 4-pack Frodo was that the facial details seemed quite low on the head block, this has now been resolved so mine might just have been a bad paint app.

Th efigure itself looks great in this style, with all of the detailing of the original Frodo figure, just translucent. Like the Frodo’s released before, Twilight Frodo has Sting and his sheath, in the same translucent style as the figure itself.

Overall, this is almost identical to the clear 4-pack Frodo, but scores slightly less because of the confirmed existance of the blue one, which I think looks better.

MMC Score – 7 out of 10

This variant of Aragorn is taken from the end of Fellowship of the Ring, so he is dressed slightly differently to the Aragorn in the 4-pack, who was based on his appearance in the Two Towers.

The facial expression is different to the first Aragorn. Whereas that one had a steely yet calm expression, on this figure his mouth is open and teeth clenched in a snarling rage. I don’t think this expression works as well. Another difference is that his stubble has intensified, again I don’t think this looks as good. The hairpiece is a reuse, identical to the first one.

The detailing on the custome for this figure also isn’t as elaborate as the first Aragorn. Gone is the chain mail effect on the arms, replaced by standard grey. Even the skirt piece, which is molded exactly the same, has less detailing on it. All in all, this is a blander, drabber version of Aragorn.

For accessories, Aragorn again comes with his huge sword and sheath combination – easily the largest out of all the figures, the sheath is so big it has to be at a near 90 degree angle in order for it to have any ground clearance at all. He also comes with a Lothlorien cloak, which is a reuse from the Boromir figure.

Overall, this is a fairly decent verson of Aragorn, but to my mind it’s not as good as the previous version for detailing and therefore scores lower. 

Review and pictures by Danny Mills

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