Review of Bilbo Baggins - The Hobbit mini-bust

Introduction

The second film in the Hobbit trilogy ended on a cliffhanger that defines cliffhanger. With Smaug on a rampage, we cut to black, leaving everyone on the edge of their seat.  It's a long wait til we see who survives and who doesn't, but Gentle Giant is helping the Tolkien addicted with their regular fix of mini-busts.

The latest release is perhaps the most important, since the entire story centers around him. It's Bilbo Baggins, the somewhat reluctant hero.

This bust is a low run, with just 576 produced. There's no exclusive, and with that low of a run there doesn't need to be. How times have changed in the mini-bust market - I was just looking at one of my Darth Vader busts the other day, and noticed that the edition size was 25,000. Yes, you read that right. Back then, Gentle Giant was giving the Hamilton Collection a run for their money when it came to stretching the concept of 'limited'. Not so these days.

This guy is available for around $65 or so, but you can get an even better deal with a little hunting. I have some great suggestions at the end in the Where to Buy section.

Packaging - ***1/2
Same colorful box that reminds you of Middle Earth, same basic photos, same sturdy Styrofoam trays.  There's also the usual nifty Certificate of Authenticity, and the actual number of this bust, as well as the edition size, is printed on the box, the COA, and the base of the bust itself.

Sculpting - ***
If you don't like dynamic poses, than this is the bust for you. Poor Bilbo is looking a lot like a mannequin, holding Sting up straight in one hand and staring off with a glassy eyed expression. Like the Governor that I just reviewed, the actual head sculpt is much more accurate to the character than the early marketing photos would lead you to believe, but he's still very dull and uninspiring when it comes to his pose and expression.

Since these are done in about a sixth scale, and since Bilbo is a much smaller character, he's only 5 1/2" tall including the base. He takes up much less volume than the full sized adults, like the upcoming Legolas.

Paint - ***
The basic paint job is decent, with only a little slop here and there, but the flat colors and simple detailing adds to the dull overall impression.

The most interesting work is on his tie, where it appears they used some tampo printing to get the colorful small details.

Value - ***
With his smaller size comes a smaller price tag, which is as it should be. You can find him for under $60 without too much trouble, which remains a very good price for any Gentle Giant mini-bust.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***
While the likeness is much better in the final production bust than what we saw with the early marketing photos, the bland expression and the boring pose take away a lot of the visual interest.

It's a bit disappointing, since you must have a Bilbo, and I really don't want them to revisit him. But he's acceptable, and I'm hopeful that the more dynamic look of the upcoming Legolas will offset some of the 'meh' I'm feeling toward the line right now.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***
Value - ***
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has him at $69.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
On the bust side, I covered the Goblin King, along with Dwalin, and other recent Hobbit goodies include the Key to Erebor replica, and the 4" scale action figures.

In the sixth scale arena, there was the recent release of Gothmog, and the Morgul Lord.

Other sixth scale figures include these by Sideshow - Gandalf, Sam and Frodo, Aragorn, Faramir, Boromir and Legolas.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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