Monday, January 28, 2008

Professor Dumbledore


I've been trying to get a good Dumbledore figure since Mattel came out with their first line from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, where the Dumbledore figure was based on the appearance and performance of the late Richard Harris. Due to some sort of production problems (I think he was given two left hands) release was limited and delayed, and because he was such a popular character he was snatched up quickly. I never found one, and the ones available now go for inflated prices. Mattel came out with a second Dumbledore figure, based on Michael Gambone's personation in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I didn't like this figure, mainly because it was produced in a different scale to the other figures, and seemed clumsy and blocky.


At last NECA (http://www.necaonline.com/) has come out with a great version of Dumbledore, and I have actually been able to get one. I got mine at the local Hastings, for $14.99. The sculpt is great, the scale almost compatible with the Mattel figures (especially the children), and the details are fine. Further good news gladdens my heart: I learn in the February issue of Toyfare: The Toy Magazine (http://www.wizarduniverse.com/) that the people at NECA are planning a line of figures from previous Harry Potter movies to include a Richard Harris Dumbledore (replete with cool accessories) and Mad-Eye Moody.


The picture accompanying this post is from the product card. I would like to include images of the actual figures I have, and if I had my old scanner I could have. On that one I could lay a 3D figure down and it would just take a picture. The scanner I have now seems to only work with flat images. I suppose I will have to get a digital camera if I want to have such pictures, especially from older toys from which I have no packaging.

1 comment:

AlanDP said...

I recently discovered that I have the same problem with my new scanner. I can't scan pipes with it, because it zero depth of field. Fortunately, the digital camera that I have takes good pictures of them. If you get a camera, make sure it has a "macro" mode for photographing close-up pictures of small objects.