DiD LOTR figures: anything worth using?

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abake

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I was looking at the old DiD figures and some of the stuff looks actually pretty nice in the pictures, so I was wondering if anybody has direct experience with them.
How are the boots?
The outfits?
The gear?

There's a lot of stuff, that if half as good as their WWII stuff could look fantastic.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
 
The DiD Gimli is a must if you intend to make a custom Gimli 1:6 figure. As for the rest of the DiD line, the only ones worth getting are Legolas and Gandalf.

Legolas includes the bow and quiver he recieved from Galadriel, as well as the leather shoulder pads he wore at Helm's Deep, so it's a great accessory pack to go with Sideshow's Legolas figure.

Gandalf is useful if you intend on making a Gandalf the White custom figure, but only his outfit and staff are required. The head sculpt is way off and Sideshow's Glamdring is much nicer and more screen accurate than DiD's. The quality of the materials used in the outfit isn't exactly top-of-the-line, but there are some nice, subtle touches like an ironed-on design along the fringe of his cloak. Plus, I'm a sucker for white suede boots with rubber soles and laces.

Finally, you can pick up their Aragorn if you want the dagger that he received in Lothlorien. But that's pretty much it for the DiD releases. I posted a series of figure-by-figure comparisons with photos on another board, but I'll see if I can't copy that over into this thread.
 
Here we go:

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 post this 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
 
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Next up, 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
 
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Finally, Aragorn. There isn't as much to compare as I'd hoped, as the DiD version does not include his bow, quiver or arrows. But it does include one accessory that was sorely lacking from Sideshow's release, so that's something.

The usual sword comparison, with Sideshow's on top, the Toybiz soft version in the middle and DiD's version at the bottom. And that's probably how I'd rank them, too. Similar to Gandalf, the DiD version is clearly smaller than the other two, and lacking in some important details. Both the SSC and Toybiz versions have detailed scabbards that include the small knife in the side. On the Sideshow version, that small knife is removable, whereas the Toybiz version is merely sculpted on. But that's still much better than DiD, which completely omitted the knife entirely. No contest, stick with Sideshow's version.

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Which brings us to that all-important extra accessory. It's the dagger that Aragorn received later on in the first movie; I'm thinking at Lothlorien but my memory's a bit fuzzy on the specifics. It actually has a nicely-sculpted hilt with decent colours and paint applications, and comes with a pleather scabbard to attach it to his belt. I'm sure Sideshow could have produced an even nicer version had they wanted to, but the simple fact is that this weapon is unique to the DiD release.

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So is it worth picking up the DiD Aragorn just for the dagger? Knowing what I know now, I'd have to say no. Unless, of course, you manage to snag him for $10 or less. Otherwise, save your money.

Here's a summary:

Worth buying: Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf (if you're contemplating making a Gandalf the White custom)
Dealer's choice: Aragorn
Skip entirely: Sam (and presumably Frodo as well)
 
Fantastic reviews and help man!
Thanks a lot.
Do you have any info on the outfits themselves?
I find SST's Legolas outfit a bit bulky, and DiD's Aragorn outfit looks decent, anything worth using there?
Thanks again for the help.
 
For my TTT Aragorn custom i went with the ToyBiz Rotocast version of the elven hunting knife. I bought the DiD one and imo it looked too big, the scabbard is featureless and the weight of the metal put strain on the SS leather belt (mine looks v. fragile dunno about other peeps).

Pics - DiD first and Toybiz Roto second

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Also my pic of Legolas with the DiD Lorien Bow - agreed that the ToyBiz one has sharper features of the branch / leaf motif but I'm okay with this one:

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Fantastic reviews and help man!
Thanks a lot.
Do you have any info on the outfits themselves?
I find SST's Legolas outfit a bit bulky, and DiD's Aragorn outfit looks decent, anything worth using there?
Thanks again for the help.

Without exception, all the DiD clothing is of lesser quality than the Sideshow versions, and in many cases lack small details, like embroidery. You should check out Michael Crawford's toy review site as he discussed the outfits in much greater detail than I.

There's a chainmail tunic that comes with the DiD Aragorn, but it honestly looks like garbage. They just took a net-like material and sprayed it with silver paint and glitter. If you want chainmail for your Aragorn, I'd recommend getting one of the Ignite mail hauberks from eBay. I decided to skip the mail entirely as very little would actually be visible under all his outer clothing.

As far as I'm concerned, the only outfit worth getting is Gandalf's, and only for making a custom Gandalf the White. Gimli's is better than the one that comes with the Toybiz soft version, but I'm betting Sideshow could have produced a much better version had they not cancelled the line (allegedly).
 
The DiD stuff is worth scavenging. The Gimli is the one that will yeild the most though. (ToyBiz head soon to be replaced by the awesome head EC resculpted).

ToyBiz Gimli, Custom Gimli, DiD Gimli

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Cool, thanks a lot for the info.
From what I saw, it seemed the boots and some of the garments could be nice, but since you have first hand experience I'll heed your advice!
 
Wow what a useful thread! Thanks a lot for the info! I was just checking out DiD Legolas for some useful parts.
 
Without exception, all the DiD clothing is of lesser quality than the Sideshow versions, and in many cases lack small details, like embroidery. You should check out Michael Crawford's toy review site as he discussed the outfits in much greater detail than I.

There's a chainmail tunic that comes with the DiD Aragorn, but it honestly looks like garbage. They just took a net-like material and sprayed it with silver paint and glitter. If you want chainmail for your Aragorn, I'd recommend getting one of the Ignite mail hauberks from eBay. I decided to skip the mail entirely as very little would actually be visible under all his outer clothing.

As far as I'm concerned, the only outfit worth getting is Gandalf's, and only for making a custom Gandalf the White. Gimli's is better than the one that comes with the Toybiz soft version, but I'm betting Sideshow could have produced a much better version had they not cancelled the line (allegedly).

Unless you like glitter all over your house, I'd recommend the "chain mail" being the first thing you toss after buying the DiD LOTRs. It gets EVERYWHERE!
 
I don't suppose anyone has an extra DiD Frodo head laying around? I'd like to try the hair for a Merry/Pippin custom.
 
I don't suppose anyone has an extra DiD Frodo head laying around? I'd like to try the hair for a Merry/Pippin custom.

I don't have the Frodo, but I do have the DiD Sam figure lying around. Note that the hair isn't a separate piece like with Sideshow's hobbits - the head and hair are cast as one piece.

But if you want it, I'd be willing to ship it over for a couple of bucks plus shipping. PM me if interested.
 
Appreciate it! But I do already have an extra Sam I can open and take apart if need be. I don't think his hair is "full" enough to really work for what I had in mind.


I don't have the Frodo, but I do have the DiD Sam figure lying around. Note that the hair isn't a separate piece like with Sideshow's hobbits - the head and hair are cast as one piece.

But if you want it, I'd be willing to ship it over for a couple of bucks plus shipping. PM me if interested.
 
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