When I went to Massachusetts in June, one of the souvenirs I brought
home was the Mount Doom Sam figure that I found in Harrison’s Comic Book
shop in Salem. I found it hard to resist the stalwart hobbit who
bravely bellowed, “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!” I
brought him home and gave him a place of honor on the piano. But
something seemed to be missing. Where was the object of Samwise’s
loyalty? When I discovered that this Sam figure had a specific
complement, one who perched precariously on a rock grazed by molten lava
and whispered, “I’m glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the
end of all things,” I decided that if I ever found myself a few dollars
short of the magic $25 mark on Amazon, I’d use Mount Doom Frodo to make
up the difference. I didn’t have to wait too long.
July
brought with it a new album from Celtic Thunder, my favorite musical
discovery of the past year, as well as news that my old friends Simon
and Garfunkel had recently released an album culled from concerts in
1969. When I saw that Amazon was offering both at half-price, I knew
there was no point in delaying my order, and Frodo gave me just the
boost I needed to push it into free shipping territory. Now I have Frodo
and Sam standing together on the piano, solemnly surveying the living
room.
Like Sam, Frodo has 29 points of articulation. Wrists,
ankles, elbows, knees, neck… You name it, it’s moveable. Clearly this is
designed to be a fully functional toy rather than just a display piece.
As a result, Frodo looks a little clunkier than he would with less
articulation, especially around the upper legs, but I’d say it’s a
worthwhile trade-off. Frodo’s skin is grimy, and his feet are covered in
hobbitish hair. The hair on his head is wavy and the same dark shade of
brown, and the expression on his face looks vaguely melancholy. Frodo
wears a dingy button-up shirt of a light brownish-off-white color. The
top button is unbuttoned, and the Ring on the chain is clearly visible.
His pants are dark brown with matching suspenders. None of the clothes
are removable, nor is the Ring, and while Sam carries the dagger Sting,
Frodo has no weapon to brandish.
Like Sam, Frodo stands about
four and a half inches tall, though his base is a bit taller than Sam’s.
The color of the rock is a bit darker, and to the side is a puddle of
fiery red lava threatening to engulf a smaller rock. Each of Frodo’s
feet has a hole in the bottom, allowing them to fit onto the pegs on the
base. Sam fits more easily onto the pegs than Frodo does, but with a
little persuasion he’ll stay put. Of course, it’s also the base that has
the built-in sound chip, triggered by pushing in a knob of rock on the
front. Sam has two lines, but Frodo has just the one. I can’t complain
much about that, since it’s my favorite of Frodo’s lines in the movie,
but Elijah Wood’s whispery delivery makes him a little harder to
understand than Sam. Nonetheless, it’s a great feature.
I
recommend hanging onto the back of the package, which gives instructions
on how to work Frodo, including how to install the three LR44 button
cell batteries. The little write-up is nice too, though I think the
writer of the paragraph-long description could have done with a quick
refresher course on the importance of agreement of tenses. Also, given
the quote and the base, it seems he should be described as stumbling down the slopes of Mount Doom instead of up.
On the whole, I think I prefer the Sam figure, but Frodo is still a
great likeness, and it seems fitting to reunite the two determined
questers at the final stage of their journey. Prices on Amazon
fluctuate, but I think I paid seven dollars for mine, which is half of
what I paid for Sam. (That’ll teach me that Amazon is usually the best
place to go; Sam is about the same price there as Frodo is.) If you’re a
fan of Lord of the Rings, especially the movies, Mount Doom Frodo is a great catch, especially in tandem with Sam.
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