Review of Harry Potter Collectible Wands
Prop Replica

Introduction

Fans of Harry Potter have not been blessed in the collectibles department. NECA has been doing action figures in the States, but they've been very hit and miss. There's the small UK figures from Cards, Inc, but these were tough to come by for most of us. Perhaps best of the lot is the Gentle Giant mini-busts, where there have been some outstanding examples...and some really poor versions as well.

In my opinion, the most consistent, interesting, and well done collectible series we've gotten is the replica wands from Noble Collection. For several years, they've produced a couple dozen wands of the key - and sometimes not so key - characters, often in their movie replica Olivander box. In the cases where they didn't come in the box, they came with some sort of specialized display. I have four of these (Harry, Snape, Dumbledore and Moody), but at the $35 price tag, couldn't invest in them all.

Noble has released a whole bunch of new wands based on a ton of the secondary, and tertiary characters, and whatever the word is for 'character you saw once in the background'. These are released with a much more basic box, and at a lower price point. I bought for of these new wands - Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy, Professor Slughorn, and Professor McGonagall.

I bought the set of four wands with a free display, which represents the best value if you're picking up a bunch. The four cost $114 - or $28.50 each - but the display is usually an additional $36 if purchased on its own. By committing to four wands, it came along free. You can pick any four wands that you'd like.

These wands have fairly simple boxes, lacking the cooler Olivander boxes of the original releases. You can still pick up the key Olivander versions for about $7 more a pop, and I have to say that having at least one with the movie style box is a nice touch. But I'm glad that they've released this larger quantity of wands at a reduced price, and if the box had to go to get that, I'm fine with it

Packaging - ***
These boxes aren't as cool as the Olivander movie style versions, but they aren't bad. The black outer sleeve is die cut to show off the silver foil name plate, and the inside is designed to hold the wand and metal name tag carefully. There's no COA or edition size - these aren't sold as a 'limited edition'.

Sculpting - ***1/2
The wands are sculpted with plenty of detail and realism, giving them the look of wood or metal. The scale is great, fitting your hand nicely, ready to cast spells and impress your more nerdy friends.

Tonks wand has a natural, organic look, almost like a water lily or other flower. Slughorn's includes stalk-like 'eyes', just as you'd expect from a slug, and a wavy shaft. McGonagall's has a very Victorian appearance, while Narcissa's reminds me of something a wealthy goth chick would carry.

I picked these because of the designs, and I'm very happy with the variety and style. Of course, much of this is the effort of the movie prop designers, who are responsible for making them so different from each other.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint is designed to give each wand the look of the appropriate material - wood, metal, etc. While they are all made from a hard plastic material, they look like very different composites.

All three look great, with very little slop, but my particular favorite in this category is Slughorn's. The black and white color looks great, and the metal tone on the handle is very realistic. 

The other three are all well done - the organic striping on Tonks, the translucent topper on McGonagall's, and the stud pattern on the handle of Malfoy's all add visual pop that sets them apart.

Accessories - ***
The general quality on the display stand and small name plates is very good, but there are a few issues.

The stand is wood, with a soft velvet-like material lining the inside. There's a depression in the bottom for the tip of the wand, and a small clip to hold it in place. These four clips are positioned at a lower and higher spot, theoretically to work with the majority of wands.

Unfortunately, that doesn't quite work. Of these four, two fit perfectly - Slughorn and Malfoy. The other two do not, due to their design, and if you hang this display on the wall (as intended), they will fall forward onto the plastic window.

That plastic window runs across the bottom half, and has a very nice Hogwart's emblem. Below that is a bar, where you are supposed to clip the small metal name tags.

The clips are designed to work here, or to simply clip on the want itself. They work fine in either way, or you can just keep them in the box and do your best to remember which is whose.

I did run into a problem with the name plates. They sent me the incorrect one with the McGonagall wand - they sent Ginny Weasley instead. I haven't had a chance to call them yet, but I'm sure once I do they'll correct the issue quickly. Still, make sure you unwrap the name plates when you get the wands even if you don't plan on using them right away, just in case the wrong one found its way into your box.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
While these aren't toys per se, they can certainly be used that way. While you might be able to break one if you really worked at it, they are quite sturdy. Kids who are fans can easily use these for dress up, and fans who are into cosplay can use them for conventions and parties without fear of damaging an expensive item.

Value - **1/2
It's pretty unusual to find a good movie prop replica for less than $30, even one that doesn't require a ton of materials or complex manufacturing. At $28.50 a pop, you'll be able to add the more unique styles to your collection without breaking the piggy bank.

Things to Watch Out For -
Be sure to check the name plates that shipped - other than that, you should be good to go.

Overall - ***1/2
I picked these not because of the characters (although both Tonks and McGonagall are favorites), but because I thought the wands were particularly cool. Now I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't bite the bullet and go for the 10 wands with the free display case, because they've added even more that are really outstanding, especially the Deatheater series.

Good prop replicas are surprisingly difficult to come by, especially at this price point. These are the sort of thing that looks better the more you have, which is always a plus for hoarders collectors like us.

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

Where to Buy 
While you can pick these up on ebay, they are almost always more expensive than if you simply buy them direct from Noble right off their website. The selection is always better too!

Related Links -
I've covered a fair amount of Harry Potter stuff:

- previous action figures from NECA include Fenrir Greyback, Half Blood Prince Harry, Ginny, Draco and Mad Eye Moody, the OOTP series 3, the first series of figures, along with the first series of OOTP, and the series 2 Snape released early at Borders.  Also from NECA in this scale is the very cool Hagrid.

- when it comes to the Gentle Giant busts, there's been Kreacher, Ginny Weasley and Ron in his Quidditch gear, two Lupin's, regular and transforming, the Weasleys, 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.

- in a smaller scale, there are the 3 3/4" figures that are the UK exclusive from Cards Inc, or if the US collectors want an alternative in this scale, check the small versions of the NECA OOTP figures, exclusive to Borders in a three pack right now.

- there was the guest review of the Tonner dolls.

- Gentle Giant also did a statue of the Hungarian Horntail, and the Riddle Grave.

- and I looked at another of the Noble wands, this time with the Olivander box.

- just case you forgot how bad some of Mattel's figures were, here's Extreme Quidditch Harry and Dueling Club Harry.

- and if you're looking for a slightly different Hagrid, don't forget the Mattel version!

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

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!