InArt: The Lord of the Rings - Gandalf 1:6

Pop Collectibles claim they have started shipping Gandalf orders.

Mine is out for delivery today. A local buddy got him in last night and said it was the best unboxing he had ever done.

Gandalf is arriving today. Very hyped to finally have it huge thanks to Kit he's the goat when it comes to shipping.

Wow there’s literally 4 boxes to get through to get to the figure, love it!

Wow and I had not even taken the head out the tube. No filter, I’m gonna need some time to assemble this figure and get the futzing right. lol

Got him! And yeah I'm like jeez extra protection, was about to think InArt was playing a joke on me and I was gonna find a smaller box with a card. Lol

Gandalf was delivered today.

First the bad, which isn't much, but still sorta annoying -

• Pulled the body out of the protective baggy to find neither of the feet/boots were attached as they just fell right to the floor. Luckily nothing was broken/damaged, they just weren't put into the ball sockets at the factory for some odd reason
• My foam trays are already falling apart at the layers. I'm currently gluing them back together. Not sure why they don't use the mostly solid foam like HT uses in their DX figures.
• My display stand has a small but pretty noticeable chip on the front right corner that I saw as soon as I pulled it out of its baggy.Will have to paint it to match as best I can so that is sort of disappears

For my remaining thoughts -

• Headsculpt: Definitely exquisite like everyone else has said. I'm still not a fan of the PERS as I feel like I'm not getting the range of motion that I get from HT SERS instead. I like the color of the eyes though. Hair and beard work is much improved over Joker. The mustache while not as bad as the Crown GTG, it's not as well done as the proto, at least on mine. Fleshtone paint work is fantastic.
• Accessories: incredible and well detailed-no complaints. The One Ring is definitely an amazing piece with the crazy small etching done on it.
• Clothing: Really great for the most part, just needs water treatment. I'm not sure if the sleeves on mine were made a bit too short, but I currently can't for the life of me get the thumbs in the thumb holes and get them attached to the wrist joint. There's just not enough give in the fabric and/or shirt sleeves themselves to loop the the thumb and attach them to the wrist joints. Thankfully, the boots material is so soft even though they appear to be pleather that I don't see cracking being an issue anytime soon. Not much else to say about the clothing, it's Gandalf in his grey robes.
• Hat: I was worried about this as I've had previously purchased the fabric hats from both Asmus GtG figures. The InArt one effortlessly fits on the head and looks right with pretty much no futzing. Absolutely love it
• Display stand: aside from what I noted above, it's wobbly just as others have gotten, but mine isn't has bad as the video one of our members posted. Magnets don't feel as strong on mine either - not as grabby as TDK Joker's display stand. With TDK Joker, I can lift the figure by the midsection and the base will come with him. With Gandalf, the base starts to lose it's grip as I try to test the strength in the same way. I do like the shine of the gold paint inside the engraved nameplate.
• Art Box: size and overall presentation are great aside from the foam layers mentioned above. I feel like 2 of these boxes side by side as an overall box would've been big enough to house the TDK Joker 2 pack rather than the skyscraper they gave us

Conclusion: I do not feel this is the best 1/6 figure ever created (shocker, I know ), but I understand why others do. But, do I like it? Yes. Am I glad I sold all my Sideshow LOTR PFs for this and future InArt LOTR items? Yes and no. This definitely doesn't have the presence that a quarter scale piece does, but it also has much more realism without having to go out of my way to get the head(s) repainted. Also, the plus of the space savings as far as boxes go As I work with it more in the next few days, I'm sure it will grow on me even more. Lastly, I do think Aragorn has the chance to have the title of greatest if it comes out like the proto, at least for me. Looking forward to Aragorn and Harry Potter, but still so-so on Battinson.

Had the same issue with the box layers coming undone. I put Gandalf together for a bit but left mostly everything in the box and decided to put him back and deal with him tomorrow. I also need to clear space and sell some other figures. Overall it's an awesome figure, and yes I believe I have the same issue with the sleeves but I'll try tomorrow and see how it goes.

Great breakdown review @Gipetto0812

Same issues here with the foam layers coming apart and the sleeves not being long enough to put thumbs through the holes. I need to futz with it more to see if I can get them to fit. The robes definitely need some water treatment as they are stiff. The wings on my moth were broken off, but easy reglue to fix.

I didnt have any issues with the base, but I noticed that with these magnets compared to the Joker as well. I do wonder if some of that is because of the weight of the Gandalf base being heavier. I have found that he seems much easier to balance than the Joker.

The paint apps are absolutely incredible on the sculpt and the hands. The details on all of the accessories are insane. This was the most enjoyable unboxing experience I've had. Looking forward to more releases from InArt.

Gipetto0812 said:

I do not feel this is the best 1/6 figure ever created (shocker, I know )

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What still holds that place for you -- the best 1/6th figure ever created?

Appreciate that honest and transparent breakdown @Gipetto0812

To insert the hands/thumbs into the sleeve, I recommend taking the hands off first and inserting them into sleeve before you attach to the arm.

As for the magnetic connection feeling weaker, seems like that’s the case because the soles are thicker on Gandalf as opposed to on Joker.

I also take issue with the PERS. I wish they were SERS and had a wider range. But others have done mods were they’ve converted them into SERS, so not a big deal at the end of the day.

Seems like there’s also poor QC with the bases. Not good to see.

I don’t even have this, but from an outsider’s perspective, I still think it’s overall the best licensed mass produced 1/6 figure. I’d love to get it at some point to represent the IP.

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your Gandalf figure.

Haven't checked Gandalf's eyes but thought inart made them as SERS if it does still use the single joy stick mine are yet again misaligned.

Earth 616 Collector said:

Great breakdown review @Gipetto0812

Same issues here with the foam layers coming apart and the sleeves not being long enough to put thumbs through the holes. I need to futz with it more to see if I can get them to fit. The robes definitely need some water treatment as they are stiff. The wings on my moth were broken off, but easy reglue to fix.

I didn't have any issues with the base, but I noticed that with these magnets compared to the Joker as well. I do wonder if some of that is because of the weight of the Gandalf base being heavier. I have found that he seems much easier to balance than the Joker.

The paint apps are absolutely incredible on the sculpt and the hands. The details on all of the accessories are insane. This was the most enjoyable unboxing experience I've had. Looking forward to more releases from InArt.

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thanks
That's a good point about the magnets in the base maybe being weaker so you have a better chance to balance him. He did seem to balance just fine. I guess I'm just so used to the pull that Joker's feet have that I had expected the same thing.

Sucks that the wings on your moth were broken. The little package that had the envelope, moth and ring in it had the envelope between the moth's wings so I'm thinking that helped with any pressure during shipping. I was worried about that as well.

Wor-Gar said:

What still holds that place for you -- the best 1/6th figure ever created?

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Can't say I have one. If anything, maybe the DX15. I think top to bottom, that's still one of HT best aside from the hat. I mean from a technical standpoint, I guess this Gandalf could be it. Or maybe that will be JND's Joker if we're speaking almost purely on the what's achievable for a mass produced product at this scale. I guess what I meant more was that this wasn't now my favorite figure in my collection. Doesn't take anything away from it as I still think it's an amazing piece. With InArt seeming to push more with each release, I think Aragorn will maybe give me the wow factor I've been looking for.

hyperaccuracydrive said:

Appreciate that honest and transparent breakdown @Gipetto0812

To insert the hands/thumbs into the sleeve, I recommend taking the hands off first and inserting them into sleeve before you attach to the arm.

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Yep, I tried that already next step would be water treating the sleeves a bit to maybe make them a bit easier to work with as the fabric is prett stiff right out of the box. But, if it's this hard to get them on the figure, switching them out will be a task too, so I'll wait until I get a post I like first so that I will be content with it for awhile

hyperaccuracydrive said:

I also take issue with the PERS. I wish they were SERS and had a wider range. But others have done mods were they’ve converted them into SERS, so not a big deal at the end of the day.

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Yea, I just don't want to potentially have to permanently modify the figure if I don't have to.

hyperaccuracydrive said:

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your Gandalf figure.

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Oh you definitely won't see me post pics of this figure. My pics never do figures justice. This thread is definitely better served without my pics

Gipetto0812 said:

maybe the DX15. I think top to bottom, that's still one of HT best aside from the hat.

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Jack Sparrow and Nicholson Joker are two of the best HT figures for sure, two of the best figures in all of 1/6th. They would be in my Top 5. Despite both hats.

I was hoping Gandalf would get into that Top 5. I'm so curious to get him in hand to see for myself. I don't have the affinity for Gandalf that I do for Jack and Sparrow but the figure always astounds me, even in poor photos, so it must have presence, especially in the right pose.

I also have high hopes for Aragorn. I can't imagine that InArt can deliver on that proto though. It's just too much to hope for.

Received my InArt Gandalf a couple days ago from Kit.

As @Gipetto0812 mentioned, clothes were stiff out-of-the-box. A fair amount of water spritzing relaxes the clothes enough to sculpt folds with precision.

Overall, an exceptional figure!

Wor-Gar said:

Jack Sparrow and Nicholson Joker are two of the best HT figures for sure, two of the best figures in all of 1/6th. They would be in my Top 5. Despite both hats.

I was hoping Gandalf would get into that Top 5. I'm so curious to get him in hand to see for myself. I don't have the affinity for Gandalf that I do for Jack and Sparrow but the figure always astounds me, even in poor photos, so it must have presence, especially in the right pose.

I also have high hopes for Aragorn. I can't imagine that InArt can deliver on that proto though. It's just too much to hope for.

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I can also see why someone chooses DX15 over this. Despit Gandalf being super awesome and well made it didn't blow me absolutely out of the water when opening the box. I guess it isn't my favourite character of them all which definately plays a role (that should be Aragorn). Top notch figure, but I think there are others that can claim first spot.

I futz the body and water treatment the cloak last night gonna work on the head this morning light paint brush with some warm water and get him assembled. Left him like this overnight so no one shall pass takes a good bit of time FYI with a little warm water and wet soft brush but it’s coming along. Makes me want to revisit inart rooted joker now that I have a better understanding of how they do the hair product and separating the hair strands to give most realistic look.

Anyone heard anything at all from TNS yet?

A morning of being a salon hairstylist is what I feel like at this stage lol but worth the effort! here where I am so far. I’m gonna chill out a bit.

This is the most amazing figure I've ever gotten. Look at this guy!View attachment 20240121_104517.jpgView attachment 20240121_104525.jpgView attachment 20240121_104537.jpgView attachment 20240121_104650.jpgView attachment 20240121_104700.jpg