The DiD accessory thread

While working on my Gimli custom, I began to wonder if it would be worth picking up the rest of the DiD (Dragon in Dreams) LOTR 1:6 figures in order to swap out some of the accessories with the SSC figures. I was impressed with their use of metal and wood for Gimli's weapons, so I was curious if the other figures would also include weapons or accessories that were of better quality than the ones that Sideshow gave us.

I recently received DiD's Legolas and decided to start this thread for others who might also be interested in doing the same. I currently have Aragorn, Gandalf and Samwise on the way from the UK, so I'll update this thread with those comparisons once they arrive. But for now, let's take a look at Legolas.

I'll start with the swords. From left to right we have the Sideshow, Toybiz "soft" and DiD versions. It's pretty obvious that the SSC ones are the ones to get, despite the fact that the DiD ones use real metal. The detail work is considerably sharper on the Sideshow version, and the DiD version is clearly missing the all-important etching on the blade. The Toybiz version doesn't even merit mention.



Next up is an accessory that was sorely missing from Sideshow's release, the bow he received from Galdriel. On top is the Toybiz "soft" version with the DiD version underneath. The detail work actually seems a wee bit sharper on the Toybiz version, but the bow is also much thicker and bulkier than the DiD. Dealer's choice, but I'd probably go with the DiD version if I had to choose.



Another weapon/accessory that was absent from Sideshow's release was the Rohan sword that Legolas used at Helm's Deep (IIRC). On the left is the Toybiz version and on the right is DiD's. Again, the detail work on the hilt seems just a tad better with the Toybiz one, but that's about the only positive. The DiD one is made of real metal and fits incredibly snuggly in the metal sheath. No contest, the DiD one is the one to get.



A comparison of the various quivers. Sideshow's on the left, followed by Toybiz, and DiD's on the right. The Sideshow quiver is the one he had before the Fellowship arrived at Lothlorien, whereas the other two represent the one he received with his new bow. It should be noted that the DiD version is made of reinforced pleather with leather straps, and metal at the opening and base of the quiver. The Toybiz one is more correct in terms of the colour of the design, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about it.



This next accessory was also absent from the Sideshow release. It's the leather pauldrons that Legolas wore at Helm's Deep (again, if memory serves). The Toybiz versions are made of flexible plastic/rubber and are merely stitched onto the fabric custom. The DiD versions, however, need to be strapped on. Note that one DiD pauldron is actually linked to the quiver via leather strap.



So, final verdict. Is it worth buying the DiD Legolas? I'd have to say yes. The pauldrons and Rohan sword really complete his TTT or ROTK look, and the bow and quiver are the ones he used from Lothlorien onwards. You can easily switch out the DiD swords for Sideshow's, in order to have the best of both worlds. Here are a couple of shots of Legolas with the DiD Rohan sword and pauldrons.





I'll have the comparison shots for Aragorn, Gandalf and Sam soon. Also note that I ended up getting an extra DiD Legolas via lot auction, so if anyone is interested in getting one, PM me.

This is an excellant thread. I already bought an extra Did Legolas and am waiting on another Sideshow Legolas to make a Two Towers Legolas.

I was thinking about upgrading my Legolas... Not sure I will because the only places I could find the weapons is a bit pricey. Maybe down the road a bit when we finish the Hobbits I'll start upgrading the others.

jason2885 said:

There is one thing that I was wondering would it be possible to take the top off one of Gimli walking axes and place it on the small throwing axe so that we could have all of Gimlis axes

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Which axe(s) do you mean?

Personally, I didn't feel Gimli was want for anymore weaponry.

Entropy Chicken said:

Which axe(s) do you mean?

Personally, I didn't feel Gimli was want for anymore weaponry.

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Umm I think he had a small throwing axe with basically a shorter hilt than the walking axe.

Here is a picture it is the one of on the right.


I know it would be slightly out of scale but still we need a complete Gimli weapon set.


Also I dont know what scale these are but would it be possible to cast Pippin and Merrys to get a correct sword for them.

I think that one comes with the roto.

I wonder if they are removable at all from the plaque?

The swords wouldn't really be a problem to sculpt, but the scabbards might be tricky.

Entropy Chicken said:

I think that one comes with the roto.

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Yep but it doesnt really go that well with the rest of the axes. Im actually think about buying another DID so I can make another Gimli and though about trying to do the switch.

I dont know either but I think they may be quarter scale upon reading more about them which means they are too big.

I dont think they are removeable but I guess if you were willing to destory a set you could get them off

jason2885 said:

I dont know either but I think they may be quarter scale upon reading more about them which means they are too big.

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Yup, those are all 1:4 scale, same as the helms. We'd need to shrink them down a bit before they'd look in proper scale with the figures.

I edited the first post a bit. I just finished watching FOTR again and Legolas definitely gets a new quiver with the bow Galadriel gave him. So, the Sideshow version gives you everything for the pre-Lothlorien look, whereas the DiD version gives you the accessories and weapons for that point onwards.

Great comparo, El Skutto. You just need a Darren Carnall sculpt on that body and you'll have the perfect Legolas.

Blu Falcon said:

Great comparo, El Skutto. You just need a Darren Carnall sculpt on that body and you'll have the perfect Legolas.

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Is he still selling those? I checked out his website and it looked like he was taking a break for a while. I think he was getting married or something. But I'd definitely be interested, since his head sculpt freakin' rules.

Did he do any others, besides Legolas?

El Skutto said:

Is he still selling those? I checked out his website and it looked like he was taking a break for a while. I think he was getting married or something. But I'd definitely be interested, since his head sculpt freakin' rules.

Did he do any others, besides Legolas?

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His rework of Strider is incredible as well.

Blu Falcon said:

His rework of Strider is incredible as well.

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So how does one go about ordering one of those heads? I didn't see any kind of ordering info on his website.

You PM or email him.

pixletwin said:

You PM or email him.

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Cool, thanks. I ended up sending him an email, as it doesn't appear as though he's logged into his Freaks account in a while. One thing to note is that he's no longer taking commissions to paint things for people, but I hope he's still casting and selling his head sculpts.

Darren's "Anakin" is a must-have.

I was able to snag one of his Anakin's and Legolas a while back. I haven't had any luck finding his Aragorn though.

I finally received my DiD Sam, Gandalf and Aragorn figures from the UK tonight. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

We'll start with Sam. Let me just say that I was very disappointed with this figure. The head sculpt doesn't look a thing like Sean Astin, the clothes are all made of cheap material and are way oversized, and they even screwed up his weapon.

For some odd reason, Sam comes packaged with Sting. Other than that brief bit near the end of ROTK, I don't think Sam ever used Sting for any length of time. But, since that's what was in the box, I decided to compare it to the version that came with SSC Frodo and the Toybiz soft Bilbo figures.

Pictured left to right are the Toybiz soft, followed by Sideshow's and finally DiD's. The first thing I noticed is that the DiD hilt colour is different from the other two. Whereas they use a silver colour, the DiD uses more of a gold. I don't know which is more movie-accurate, but I believe it's the gold version. But that's pretty much it for the positives. The blade has no etching of any kind, and the scabbard is just a plain cloth sleeve. There is much better detail on both the Toybiz and SSC versions, with Sideshow's being the clear winner.



And that's pretty much it for Sam. He has no other weapons or accessories of note, and none of his clothing items even come close to the quality of Sideshow's. Final verdict, avoid like the plague.

I thought I'd include a shot of his feet. It looks like they just dipped his lower legs in glue then flocked them with some of the creepiest-looking fake hair I've ever seen. It reminds me of that girl who didn't shave her legs in the movie Without a Paddle.

Next up, Gandalf. This isn't actually a fair comparison since Sideshow's figure is based on his Gandalf the Grey persona, whereas the DiD is based on his appearance as Gandalf the White.

The only accessory that can be compared is his sword. We have DiD's version on top, with Sideshow's underneath. It's pretty obvious that they don't even come close in terms of looks. Sideshow's is much thicker and longer, and the scabbard has some nice detailing and colour. Not so for the DiD version. The sculpt of the hilt and blade is much weaker, with less sharp details, and the scabbard is just a plain metal sleeve. I don't know if Gandalf changed the colour of his scabbard after changing his outfit, so I can't say which one is more screen-accurate or if they're both appropriate, but the SSC version is the clear winner here.



And that pretty much does it for Gandalf. There's a good review of this figure over at Michael Crawford's Toy Review of the Week website, so I'm not going to re-hash the same points. But I will say that the DiD outfit would be pretty good for a Gandalf the White kitbash, provided you could find a decent head sculpt to replace the one that comes with the figure. It's not as bad as their Sam, Gimli or Aragorn head sculpts, but there are more flaws than a simple repaint could fix.

Final verdict, skip him unless you intend on making a Gandalf the White custom.

Looks like Legolas and Gimli were the only ones eh? Too bad.