Packaging - ***1/2
Gentle Giant usually does a good job with the packaging for their busts. They use the sturdy Styrofoam, so you don't end up with little bits of it all over the carpet. The box has decent graphics, and it includes the edition number on the bottom. Everything is collector friendly of course, and to top it off, they include a window so you can see the bust you're getting before you purchase, at least if you're lucky enough to have a local store that carries these.

And let's not forget the best part - they continue to include their nifty Certificates of Authenticity, done up baseball card style!

Sculpting - Kreacher ****; Sirius **1/2
Kreacher is a great looking sculpt, right up their with Gentle Giant's work on Dobby. In fact, in some ways I like this sculpt better, because it captures the grumpy, downtrodden, untrustworthy nature of Kreacher so perfectly.

The house elf is hunched over, grasping the small piece of dirty clothing in his hands. There's a ton of fine detail work, right down to the veins in the arms and the wrinkles around the eyes.

He's a little large, scale-wise, when compared to the other busts. I think of Kreacher (and Dobby) as fairly small, half the size of an adult human, yet Kreacher is not that much smaller than Mr. Black.

Sirius isn't quite as good of work, and it's not a purely technical issue. I think there's a reasonable Gary Oldman sculpt hiding under the paint somewhere, but the face and eyes seem a bit lopsided, as though it didn't quite come out of the mold properly.

The detail work on the hair and beard is great though, and the costume is properly recreated.

My bigger issue with the Black sculpt is one of design and attitude - while it appears they were going for the look you see on the front of the box, with a serious expression and stolid outlook, what they ended up with was more of a smirk. With the smirking mouth, upturned eyes, and left hand on his hip, he looks positively...jaunty. And jaunty is not a word I associate with Sirius Black.

Paint - Kreacher ****; Sirius **1/2
Again, Gentle Giant hits a home run with Kreacher in this category. The subtle paint work adds a revolting realism to his skin and face, and even the rotting teeth are highlighted.

Most of the skin finish is matte, bordering on semi-gloss at most. This works well with the skin color and age spots, as well as the shading on the ribcage. The clothing has a slightly glossier appearance, differentiating it from the rest of the bust.

Unfortunately, Sirius doesn't get quite as good of a paint treatment. There is only a little slop, but the glossy skin tone and slightly wonky eyes hurt the realism. A better paint job could have brought out more of the Oldman portrait lurking beneath the surface, but instead this job further hurts the overall appeal.

Value - ***1/2
Considering the low edition sizes, you would expect these to be on the higher end of the current market price range for busts. Instead, they are on the lower end, coming in around $50 each. That's a particularly good deal, especially for new characters like Kreacher.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing, as long as you don't drop one of them on a hard floor.

Overall - Kreacher ****; Sirius **1/2
Kreacher is up there at the top of my list when it comes to the mini-busts I've seen so far this year. He has a great sculpt, and solid paint work to back it up. I like the selected pose, and they manage to capture everything that makes Kreacher Kreacher.

I think the portrait on Sirius is an improvement over the first version, produced several years ago, but the weak paint lets it down.  Also, while the basic portrait is more accurate, the pose and facial expression don't really say "Sirius Black" to me.

I have to applaud Gentle Giant for keeping this series running, however, and they've announced another half dozen or so upcoming additions. While every one of them might not be a home run (and God knows they've had some trouble with the ladies), I'm happy that these are still available and expanding. Outside of the Noble Collection wands, they're the nicest series of Harry Potter collectibles we've gotten over the years.

Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - Kreacher ****; Sirius **1/2
Paint - Kreacher ***1/2; Sirius **1/2
Value - ***1/2
Overall - Kreacher ****; Sirius **1/2

Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Big Bad Toy Store has Kreacher in stock for $55, and Sirius for just $47.

- Andrew's Toyz has Kreacher at $55, and Sirius Black at $49.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've reviewed a ton of the Gentle Giant Harry Potter busts:

- There's Ginny Weasley and Ron in his Quidditch gear.

- there were two Lupin's, regular and transforming.

- prior to that was another set of 'twins', the Weasleys.

- I've covered others including light up Harry, Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, Draco Malfoy, Merperson mini-bust, Voldemort, Hagrid and Mad Eye Moody, Ron and Hermione, Snape and Dumbledore, Dobby and Dementor, and a guest review of Harry and Sirius.

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