Geralt from CD Projekt Red's The Witcher RPG series (in turn, based on books by Andrzej Sapkowski), is many things: monster slayer; lover; adviser; sword for hire; hero; star of one of 2015's most heavily awarded video games.
Now, courtesy of Jinx, Geralt is also a stylish collectible vinyl figure. Those who preordered the figure earlier this year (it's still available for preorder, in fact) should be receiving their cute-yet-fierce Geralt soon, as the figures are expected to ship out the week of July 27. Jinx was kind enough to send a vinyl Geralt my way ahead of the figure's official release, and I've gotta say, this is one collectible fans of franchise won't want to pass up.
Geralt's vinyl figure look comes from the armor he wears toward the beginning of The Witcher 3, the same armor that was seen in many of the game's early trailers. He sports his signature scar running down the left side of his forehead and eye, two swords (steel for humans, silver for monsters), a crossbow and his trademark yellow cat eyes. His hair's pulled back in a ponytail, and he wears a wolf medallion on his neck. His left hand is open, while his right hand is held open just enough for a sword hilt.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the figure, and one that isn't made entirely clear in official product images, is that Geralt's steel and silver swords are removable. Both are distinct and can be placed in Geralt's right hand. Though he pinches the sword's hilt between his thumb and index finger, rather than holding the entire hilt firmly in his hand, the blade sits securely in place and doesn't budge.
Also not immediately apparent is that Geralt's arms, hands and head can all be rotated, allowing fans to pose the monster hunter as they see fit. It would have been easy for Jinx to craft a figure that couldn't move at all, much less come with removable swords, so it's great to see they put forth the extra effort. After all, Geralt's nothing without his swords. Here's what he looks like with sword in hand, striking a pose on my bookshelf:
All in all, the figure looks great. The paint lines are clean, and his armor and appearance look just like that in-game, albeit in cute vinyl figure form. If I have one complaint about the figure itself, it's that Geralt's wolf medallion isn't quite as distinct as it should be. His medallion here comes off more as a silver blob rather than what can be immediately identified as the iconic sigil of Geralt's witcher school. Considering how important the wolf medallion is to Geralt's overall look, it would have been nice if it stood out more here.
For those who loathe removing collectibles from their boxes, it's worth noting that Geralt comes in some beautiful packaging as well. The top of the black and red box is adorned with The Witcher wolf medallion logo, while the back sports an outline of the figure within. A diamond pattern featuring various sigils and icons from the game world can be seen on the two sides of the box, while the outline of the figure on the back and the logo on the top is framed with the symbols of Geralt's various magical signs, with which players of the RPG series are no doubt familiar.
It's a slick-looking figure and box, and even better is that it doesn't break the bank. At $29.99, it's pretty cheap as far as collectibles go, and this figure's quality is top-notch. For those who love collecting vinyl figures or are simply a big fan of CD Projekt Red's award-winning game series, this Geralt is a no-brainer.
