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What do Harry Potter and satellite radio have in common? They both have a Sirius with a lot of promise but no future. Ha!
Sirius Black - Harry's godfather -
in an Animagus who can transform into a shaggy black dog. His family's home at 12 Grimmauld Place serves as headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix.
When he first appeared, Sirius Black had just escaped from Azkaban Prison, so he wasn't looking too good. Like a shabby maniac, in fact. But by the time of Order of the Phoenix he's been out in the real world for a while, so he's dressed more like a real human being. His fashion sense is a bit outdated, but he was locked away for more than a decade, so cut him some slack. Still, for a guy on the run from Dementors, he's not doing too badly. In addition to pants and a shirt, he's also wearing a vest and a long jacket. And dig the pointy boots, too. Not the most stylish look ever, but it still beats Ron's dress robes.
The likeness on this figure is really remarkable. Yes, we've seen good likenesses before, but this is bordering on creepy. NECA has completely captured the looks of Gary Oldman, here. Behind the beard, behind the mustache, beneath the scraggly hair... it's near-perfect. Now they just need to adapt this to some of his other movies. Come on, it's Gary Oldman: he's been in a ton of movies you love. You may not have recognized him in it, but he was there. Get crackin', NECA - pull in those licenses!
There was only one Sirius at the store, so thankfully his paint is good. His brown coat has tan stripes, his vest seems to be a tri-color paisley and his shirt has perfect pinstripes, as well.
His pants are just black, but the belt buckle is fully painted. He has a silver chain hanging from his vest, and his rusty red boots have tan soles. Everything is clean and crisp. There's even a wash on his hair that gets darker the thicker the hair is supposed to be. Wow! His neck is a bit too pink, but his face and hands are fine. The eyes are particularly good, but the veins on the backs of his hands are too heavy.
Sirius is attacking someone with his wand, if the figure's pose is to be believed. NECA's Harry Potter toys don't have any set amount of articulation, instead each offering what works best for the specific toy. Sirius moves slightly at the ankles, but that hardly counts. The useful articulation includes a balljointed waist, balljointed wrists, balljointed shoulders and a peg neck. The waist and the shoulders work together to give you a decent range of poses. Nothing to be done with the legs, of course, and they're to be commended for not trying to fool anyone by giving him elbows; we don't need any more NECA Arm, thanks.
The figure's only accessory is his wand - he's too big to get a piece of this Series 1 BAF, I suppose. Sirius' wand isn't described in the books, but in the movie, it's covered in runes and twists in the upper half.
NECA's version doesn't have the runes, of course, but the shape is right. It's funny to note the way the different figures hold their wands - Ron, for instance, is positively clutching his in a death grip, while Sirius, here, has a dainty grip. Why? Because he's more skilled and confident. That shows character! You have to wonder why he has a wand at all, though. He broke out of jail - they had to have taken his original wand away, and it's not like he could just mosey into a wand shop and order up a replacement.
Unlike a lot of people who would absolutely die to be in a Harry Potter movie at all (let alone in a major role), Gary Oldman only took the Prisoner of Azkaban job because he hadn't worked in a year. There was originally some talk that he wouldn't be returning as Sirius Black for Order of the Phoenix, because he hadn't been contacted by the time filming began. Truth was, they just didn't need him yet, and the rumors got out of control. If there was any lingering doubt, this figure should clear things right up. Sirius Black may not be as popular as the kids in Series 1 (after all, would you rather have the stars or a dirty hobo?) but this is still a very good figure, certainly worth purchasing.
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