01.03
The Lord of the Rings line has never been about variants. The Marvel line has one in each wave, but the LOTR waves didn’t go down that path. However, once the TRU exclusive 4-packs were released in June 2004, it became apparent that somewhere down the line, one of the figures had changed. That figure was Twilight Frodo. Initially released as a clear blue translucent variant of the normal Frodo, at some point the Twilight Frodo changed colour to be clear untinted. The wave 2 version of Twilight Frodo is also clear untinted, making the blue one much harder to find overall. I would like to thank Lurch77 for getting hold of this figure for me.
Packaging
This figure was blindly packed as a hidden character in early Aragorn/Saruman/Legolas sets, therefore the packaging would be the same as that set.
The Figure
Twilight Frodo (Blue Variant)
Twilight Frodo is a variant based on when Frodo uses the power of the Ring to become invisible to those around him. As said in the intro, this figure has quite an interesting history in the Lord of the Rings Minimates line, with 3 confirmed different variants, not bad for such a small and unassuming fellow like Frodo, really!
The confirmed variants are (for those of you keeping score):
TRU 4-pack exclusive, blue version, hexagonal torso hole
TRU 4 pack exclusive, clear untinted version, hexagonal torso hole
Wave 2, clear untinted version, <> torso hole
This begs the question – are there any blue <> torso versions? Email me if you have one!
This figure itself is the same as the untinted one in the 4-pack, same detailing, same translucent weaponry, but I think the blue tint looks better than the clear tint. The problem with the untinted 4-pack Frodo’s low facial detailing doesn’t appear on this figure.
Overall, I think this the best version of Twilight Frodo to get as the blue tint is more visually appealing.
MMC Score – 8 out of 10
Review and pictures by Danny Mills
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