KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #41: Deep-Cut Maidens — Mystery Pack (NYCC 2026 Exclusive)

I'm a little late with this review, as New York Comic Con 2026 (October 8–11) is already behind us. Still, I wanted to share this convention-exclusive reveal! This limited-edition mystery pack contains a surprise action figure featuring one of two possible female, deep-cut characters, both sharing the 31^st slot in the Echoes of Future line.

Created specifically for NYCC and available nowhere else, this is one show exclusive you don’t want to miss!

Thelioke^TM

Character details

Name: Thelioke

Subtitle: ingenious weapons-tech mastermind

Classification: extradimensional elemental being

Sex: female

Relationships: sister of Ramedras, ancestor of Galamars

Home: Cereutis

Era: tens of millions of years before Foundation

Affiliation: Multiversal Balancers

Rank: dame warden.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #1 - The secret origin of chaos

Character summary: the creator of the Space Pearl, who died due to a violent burst of energy released during the process of its formation. Thelioke was an ingenious weapons and technology inventor, possessing an intuitive talent for designing and building advanced mechanical devices.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme).

Description

Head: like with her brother Ramedras, the most striking feature of this figure, apart from a pair of white glowing eyes, is the texture of her skin, which seems to consist of numerous little steel-grey blocks that are carved to represent diamonds. She wears a pearl-white veil, topped with a metallic light-blue diadem that subtly evokes the head of a bird (three rhomboidal, translucent white quartz-like gems resemble a beak and a pair of eyes, while the patterns adorning the two cheek-pieces echo the forms of stylised feathers). The headgear, which combines avian motifs with a distinctly tech-inspired aesthetic, is removable, revealing a striking resemblance between this character and her brother Ramedras; this likeness is particularly apparent in the presence of a hairless look and a series of engraved lines across the forehead

Body: her limbs show the same diamond-patterned dull metallic skin seen on her head. The only exceptions are her bare, clawed hands and feet, which display a distinctly techno-organic appearance (i.e., an intricate tangle of metallic muscle fibres, blood vessels and nerves) and impart a peculiar blend of human and unhuman characteristics. Additionally, each arm is fitted with a light-blue armband bearing a short, translucent white quartz-like protruding spike

Wearables: a long, sleeveless pearl-white dress with a broad, ankle-length skirt featuring a wide, inverted U-shaped opening at the front; both the bodice and skirt are embellished with sculpted intricate, seemingly indecipherable patterns. Over the dress lies a shiny, light-blue scale-armour scapular, which covers the shoulders and extends into a long central piece hanging down the front to the ankles; this piece is secured around the waist by an off-white sash, tied with two knee-length ends that hang down at the front. The outfit is further reinforced by a pearl-white breast plate accented with metallic light-blue, featuring two crossed straps over the abdomen, each decorated with small, square steel-grey plates engraved with the same intricate designs found on the dress; a six-pointed, star-shaped translucent red-orange gemstone adorns the centre of the chest. The figure's forearms are protected by a pair of pearl-white leather wrist guards, each consisting of three overlapping layers, while her legs are encased in double-layered, thigh-high pearl-white leather guards embellished with criss-crossing steel-grey straps engraved with patterns echoing those securing the breast plate. Completing the ensemble is a broad, elaborate shoulder guard comprising a collar and spaulders, seemingly assembled from numerous steel-grey elements whose angular designs evoke a fusion of crystals, blades and feathers; attached to the back of this shoulder guard are two wing-like steel-grey structures, similar in design and construction to the guard itself, which fold together to form a cape-like covering.

Thelioke's stylised breast plate.

Action feature

Based on the limited information available in the comics, Thelioke had the ability to conceive and design weapons and highly advanced mechanical devices, then manifest them by manipulating and rearranging the metallic atoms in her wing-cape to assemble intricate constructs. These creations could range from conventional melee weapons to precision-engineered machinery, limited only by her knowledge, imagination and mastery of atomic manipulation. The wings look fantastic on this figure, featuring a nice steel-grey-to-gunmetal colour gradient that gives them a sleek, metallic appearance. Even better, she comes with two elaborate ngulu-like silver weapons that can attach to the tips of the wings while she holds them; the wings can rotate inward and outward, allowing them to be positioned behind her like a cape or spread wide for more dramatic poses (the overall effect reminds me of Scarlet Scarab from the Moon Knight TV series).

Weapons and accessories
Aside from the two ngulu swords, Thelioke comes with a metallic light-blue sceptre featuring a long, straight staff with a white leather strip wrapped around the grip. The top of the pole boasts an elaborate double ngulu with "stag beetle mandible"-shaped silver blades.

Hoang^TM

Character details

Name: Hoang

Subtitle: revered grand matron

Classification: archosauromorph reptile with bird-like traits

Sex: female (hen)

Relationships: mother of Pang

Home: Idakarr (Tahron's former name)

Era: 570 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Kimarhan (a tribe of forest warriors who eventually form the Grand Resistance to oppose the rising reptilian authority)

Rank: high priestess.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #1 - The secret origin of chaos

Character summary: a bird-like creature born with the gift of magical foresight, who discovered early in life that her powers could be used for good. After settling in the forest inhabited by the Kimarhan tribe, she guided her child, Pang, as he grew into a young warrior, having foreseen that he would one day join the Interspecific Commission.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme).

Description
Head: resembling that of a bird of prey, featuring a pair of nearly human-like blue eyes framed by khaki feathers (with the exception of a pair of yellowish eyebrows), and a fairly large but short yellowish beak equipped with visible nares. The head is covered by an ornamented metallic light-blue skull cap, worn beneath an orange hood surrounding the face and wrapping beneath the chin; the hood is decorated with light-blue details evoking a stylised bird's face, including two eyes, a beak-like front peak, and a five-pointed, comb-like crest.

Body: digitigrade legs covered with khaki feathers (with bent knees to accommodate the feet with the heel sections high up), scaly greenish-yellow hands and feet ending in pinkish talons (two of which point forward and two go backward in each foot, while a patch of khaki feathers covers the back of each hand)

Wearables: an ankle-length, long-sleeved light-blue dress, featuring sculpted feathers and folds across the bodice and skirt, and two front slits that expose the legs (I like the contrast between the tightly fitted sleeves, which fully cover the arms, and the exposed legs). Over the dress, she wears a long, open sleeveless orange robe. A large, deep-teal feathery collar crowns her neck and shoulders, and incorporates a three-layered, soft-goods wing-cape. The cape's feathers transition in colour from deep teal around the shoulders and along the inner layer, through pearlescent lavender across the middle layer, to deep crimson red along the outermost feathers accented by glowing golden edges and tips.

Action feature

In the comics, Hoang possesses various mystical abilities, including perceiving events in the future, projecting lifelike illusions, manipulating the minds of others, and healing the wounded. Additionally, when she spreads her phoenix-like wing-cape, she can unleash powerful energy projectiles. In the figure, the sides of the cape are sewn to form two broad, wrist-length sleeves designed to fit and drape over the arms, allowing the wings to spread when the arms are extended. To attach it, simply pop off her hands and slide her arms through the sleeves (each sleeve also includes two elastic loops for the elbow and wrist to keep it securely in place while posing). Another cool extra is a pair of translucent light-green flaming energy orbs, intended to represent some kind of projectile-creation spell and designed to fit over her hands.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the two flaming energy orbs, Hoang comes with a long orange copper staff featuring an elaborate mace head at each end. What makes it even cooler is the inclusion of two snap-on translucent light-green flame effects that fit over the ends of the staff (each plugging onto the top of the mace head and clipping around its base), making the staff a truly lethal-looking magical weapon.

Final thoughts

Overall: ultimately, I’m left with pretty mixed feelings about this release. On one hand, I wonder how necessary these two characters really were in the grand scheme of things; on the other hand, they both look so good on the shelf that I say why not? The more figures, the better! That said, I’m still sceptical of the mystery pack format. The risk of playing the blind-box lottery and ending up with a dozen duplicates just to hunt down both figures is frustrating; though to be fair, that concept paired with such deep-cut characters makes it pretty perfect for a niche convention exclusive. As for the figures themselves, they are undeniable winners! Thelioke is a massive highlight, and I’m so glad the rumoured SDCC 2026 plan (that lazy silver repaint of the female Multiversal Squire with crystal-accented outfit) got scrapped for the awesome, comic-accurate version we actually got. Hoang is just as great, with stellar sculpting, vibrant colours and a soft-goods cape that adds a really nice extra touch. I also love that both share an avian motif and winged mantles, even if the construction is completely different. If you don't mind the blind-box gamble, these two are surprisingly awesome additions to the line

Rating: ☺☺☺ / 5

KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #40: Yardak

Toy prototype details

Name: Yardak^TM

Subtitle: air-wrought battle knight

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 30 in the line.

Character details

Name: Yardak

Classification: extradimensional elemental being

Sex: male

Home: Cereutis

Era: 570 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Multiversal Balancers

Rank: knight banneret.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #3 - The unforeseen fall of destiny

Character summary: the creator of the Unity Point and a fearless Multiversal Knight, always ready to fight when danger struck. Composed entirely of air, his unusual physiology required a specialised containment suit that kept his body confined while granting him superhuman strength and durability, allowing him to operate effectively on the battlefield. Yardak's resourcefulness was put to the test during a dangerous rescue mission against the Bogthropod forces, in which he took part under intense pressure. Fighting alongside his Theriom allies, he relied on sharp combat instincts and unwavering resolve to overcome the chaos of battle.

Articulation

Standard (new scheme).

Description

Head: fully enclosed in a gas mask-style facepiece made from a textured, rubbery purple material, which features a visor consisting of two large, merged oval dark eyepieces (giving it an appearance reminiscent of the mask worn by Black Noir from The Boys), and a central mouth guard flanked by two large blueish-grey side-mounted filters. A dark-green helmet crowns the mask, with two white bands running along either side from the forehead toward the nape, and two rounded headphone-like earpieces mounted on both sides; three black corrugated tubes extend from the head assembly, connecting the side filters and the rear of the helmet to his backpack. The head incorporates a light-pipe feature—a transparent window is integrated into the upper-rear section of the helmet, allowing light to pass through it and illuminate the visor from within, creating a nice glowing effect. The neck maintains the sealed, protective construction of the mask, covered in corrugated purple material with evenly spaced horizontal ribs

Body: covered in a full-body suit made from a textured, rubbery purple material, fitted with small black tubes (some sculpted, some separate but glued on) on the limbs. Scattered stitches across the suit hint at the many battles it has endured

Wearables: an elaborate harness with white leather straps and several metallic dark-green armoured components, i.e., two spaulders, a high-tech chest panel and a matching high-tech backpack. His hands and feet are protected by purple tactical gloves and boots, respectively, all with an armoured, high-tech design accented by white detailing; additionally, the gloves feature blueish-grey fingertips, while each boot features a blueish-grey toe cap fitted with a large, sharply pointed cone spike projecting upward. Around his waist is a white belt with evenly spaced horizontal ribs and a dark-green squircular buckle, while a similarly ribbed dark-green groin protector covers the crotch area of his suit. Extra protection is provided by a pair of armoured thigh pads (each featuring a serrated blueish-grey surface crossed by a snake-shaped black stripe resembling an electric heating element) alongside dark-green corrugated elbow and knee guards with evenly spaced horizontal ribs. The shoulder, elbow, wrist, thigh, knee and shin guards are each fitted with a blueish-grey valve, totalling three along each limb. The front chest panel is densely equipped with technical instrumentation, i.e., a keypad, a display (which is actually a lenticular sticker), an analyser-like device and a neck protector featuring a rotating lever, while the removable backpack includes two separate cylinders (each fitted with its own manometer) along with three sight glass level indicators, a number of exhaust pipes and nozzles, and a pair of small impellers. Throughout the entire harness runs an intricate network of components, such as cables, tubes, gears, pistons, gauges, metres and switches, connecting the backpack to the front panel and continuing downward toward the waist and crotch area.

Yardak's stylised harness.

Action feature

In the comics, Yardak is capable of emitting hot gaseous appendages (actually ultra-thin streams or tendrils made of plasma) from the numerous valves scattered across his body. To recreate this ability, the figure includes 12 translucent purplish light-blue plasma-blade attachments that plug into the valves on his limbs. Additionally, he can generate whip-like plasma streams from his fingertips, using them like a gaseous, multi-bladed urumi. The figure therefore includes two alternative hands, sculpted in a splayed-open pose and featuring a threadlike, translucent purplish light-blue appendage extending from each fingertip. He can also manipulate those finger-generated streams to create powerful, tornado-like plasma blasts. To represent this ability, the figure includes two translucent purplish light-blue tornado effects designed to replace his hands.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the various plasma attachments and alternative hands, Yardak comes equipped with a dark-green plasma gun designed to resemble a compact jet engine, featuring side exhaust pipes, a visible turbine, a rectangular muzzle/suction-inlet, and a rear nozzle connected to the bottom of the backpack by a corrugated black tube; the weapon can be securely stored by attaching it to a dedicated slot on the centre of the backpack, where it fits snugly in place. In the comics, after inflating his body, Yardak can release a plasma-energy form from within his suit through the gun: the weapon emits a blast of superheated gas representing his aeriform inner being, with his mind and consciousness operating within this energy form while his suit is left behind as an empty husk. In this state, he can fly at supersonic speeds, phase through solid objects, and release thermal energy as explosive discharges or waves of intense heat. He can remain separated from his suit for approximately 60 seconds, and once this time limit is reached, the gun switches into vacuum-pump mode and draws the plasma being back into the suit. To recreate this ability, the figure includes corrugated extension pieces for the neck, elbows and knees (to replicate his inflated state), along with a purplish light-blue plasma-blast effect for the gun and a separate purplish light-blue plasma-being accessory designed to be displayed with a swirling, tornado-like form from the waist down.

Additionally, his mouth mask attaches to the lower portion of the face (which is actually a flat surface with no facial sculpting) via a peg-and-socket connection, allowing it to be detached and swapped with an alternate version based on an earlier concept design (when removed, the two original side-tubes can connect into spare slots on the back of the helmet). The alternate mask features a single blueish-grey, front-mounted valve linked by a black corrugated tube to an included extra dark-green belt piece, which itself connects back to the backpack via two additional black corrugated tubes.

Final thoughts

Overall: Yardak is a really strong entry in the line and another great example of why this series continues to be so much fun. Basically a KR version of G.I. Joe Airtight, the character has been given plenty of attention to detail, and all the added accessories make him even more enjoyable to display and mess around with. He’s a great figure and one that definitely deserves a spot on the shelf

Rating: ☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #39: Bogthropod Ensigns

Toy prototype details

Name: Bogthropod Ensigns^TM

Subtitle: enslaved standard-bearers of evil

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: multi-pack (2-pack) - Nº 9 in the line.

Characters details

Names: unknown

Real names: Rhadiel and Herrion Amhalgaard^TM

Classification: human-primivod hybrids

Sex: female and male

Relationships: lost siblings of Desion (Masq-Lor)

Home: Cereutis (originally Tahron)

Era: 25 years after Foundation

Affiliation: Bogthropod

Rank: ensigns.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #3 - The unforeseen fall of destiny

Character summary: two mysterious warriors who led the Bogthropod legion during its final attack on Theriom City. Silent and devastatingly powerful, they fought with brutal strength, proving to be a major challenge even for the four protectors of the Key opposing them. Their helmets bore an uncanny resemblance to those of Fai-Rha and Herrion, hinting at a connection no one could yet explain. Their identities were eventually revealed when their masks were removed, exposing the tragic truth that they were none other than Masq-Lor's lost siblings from another timeline, aged and stripped of their former selves through brainwashing and enslavement. Turned into living weapons as part of Gladorr's plan to manipulate history, the two Ensigns had become twisted shadows of the heroes they once were. Their final defeat not only triggered the horrifying end of their existence, but ultimately became the catalyst for Gladorr's dreadful resurgence.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme), with the addition of an appendage composed of 12 ball jointed segments and a terminal pair of hinged jaws for the female figure, and a pair of ball hinged appendages for the male figure.

Description
Heads: the two figures wear silver helmets identical in shape to Fai-Rha's and Herrion's helmets, but each is also equipped with a full-face blueish-grey steel mask. Over each face mask sits an additional cracked, dark-grey eye mask (or visor) with a vaguely organic appearance and a sinister design—two large skull-like eye sockets that seem almost completely black and hollow contain a pair of small, eerie white eyes (tinged faintly with light blue) gleaming from deep within, while two massive side pieces curve downward like a bighorn ram's horns and two shorter, straighter pieces protrude from the centre of the forehead resembling those of a bighorn ewe (the overall aesthetic of these eye masks gives me some MCU's Proxima Midnight as well as Masters of the Universe Revolution's Havoc Sorceress Teela vibes). Each full-face mask also features a fanged air intake covering the mouth area, along with a pair of short, curved tusks protruding from the cheeks

Bodies: covered from neck to toe in armour whose style, in my opinion, strongly evokes the Knights of the Zodiac. However, small gaps here and there reveal a full-body suit of light steel mesh beneath it, with a blueish-grey sheen and intricate circuitry woven throughout; along the flanks, two openings in the armour expose the same underlying details

Wearables: each figure wears several pieces of pearlescent white armour, accented throughout with angular, metallic light-blue trimmings and embellished with small exposed tech-mech elements. These pieces include a cuirass featuring a bright white structure at the centre of the chest piece (which may serve as a kind of power generator and bears a holographic four-pointed, light-blue throwing star symbol), two rerebraces (each fitted with an oversized, studded pauldron bearing a raised blueish-grey symbol resembling a trilobite, along with various battle dents), two laminar forearm guards equipped with small laser cannons, and two gauntlets with reinforced knuckle guards; the arm armour is complemented by matching thigh guards, laminar shin guards fitted with large, studded knee guards, and boots with reinforced instep guards. Additionally, two criss-crossed, studded pearlescent white belts share a common round buckle, which bears a blue gemstone carved with three vertical wavy lines; the belts are equipped with two medieval-style armoured tassets (engraved with motifs evoking their grappling appendages) and Roman-style, studded light-blue central lappets hanging at the front. This doesn't reflect the original concept colour scheme, in which the male figure was supposed to wear entirely white armour and the female entirely light-blue armour. Honestly, though, I am much happier with the final decision to mix the two colours across both figures, as it gives the pair a more cohesive and visually balanced appearance.

Female Bogthropod Ensign's stylised armour.

Male Bogthropod Ensign's stylised armour.

Action feature

Both Ensigns are highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, aided by their respective seemingly organic, cybernetically-controlled grappling appendages attached to their armours. The female Ensign is armed with a long, mechanical tail consisting of a blueish-grey steel framework of multiple jointed sections (similar to Scorpion) that extends from between her shoulder blades and can whip in all directions; this cybernetic tail terminates in a pair of curved, dark-grey articulated forceps-like pincers resembling a male earwig’s cerci. The male ensign is equipped with a pair of large, articulated blueish-grey steel appendages sprouting from his upper back and arching over his shoulders, each terminating in a dark-grey endpiece shaped like a stag beetle’s mandible, which he uses to crush his opponents.

Weapons and accessories

Each figure comes with a blueish-grey steel standard bearing a Bogthropod banner (an oblong flag with an emblem consisting of a stylised dark-blue trilobite crossed by three horizontal wavy lines, set on a black field with a broad horizontal crimson band across the middle) that is attached along its top edge to a support bar mounted horizontally on a long staff. The staff is topped by a metal finial shaped like an insect head (an earwig head for the female Ensign and a beetle head for the male one). The finial is connected to a toothed chain whip normally concealed within the staff: when triggered, the finial deploys an arrangement of three upper spikes (like a trident) and two lateral axe blades, and can be launched outward on the chain whip, which extends from the staff and is fitted with short spikes along its sides. So, the finial on each standard can be detached and replaced with an alternate version featuring the spikes and blades deployed (vaguely resembling the warriors' horned masks), designed to appear airborne while connected to the staff by the toothed chain whip; the chain whip, which is a wavy rigid piece, can also be removed, allowing the alternate finial to attach directly to the staff.

In addition, although these abilities are only depicted fleetingly in the comics, the female Ensign can modify the shape of her pincers to resemble those of a female earwig, while the male Ensign can produce two additional pairs of curved, spiked bars from his mid and lower back (in that configuration, he reminds me of Crushman from Kinnikuman), making their attacks even more vicious. So, the two figures come with an alternate pair of needle-nose pliers-like cerci, and two pairs of additional appendages, respectively.

Finally, the package also includes two pairs of alternate helmeted heads: one pair with damaged eye/face masks and another with the masks removed, revealing Fai-Rha’s and Herrion’s aged, decrepit faces underneath.

Final thoughts

Overall: the Bogthropod Ensigns are both really good figures and they make for a powerful 2-pack. I think I like the male figure a bit more than the female, but they’re both incredibly well-made, with excellent articulation, detailed sculpts and plentiful paint applications. The extra appendages that showcase their special abilities are fantastic too! This is a great set and well worth picking up, particularly if you’re a fan of the Bogthropod faction. PoliganToys has plans to continue the line with just a few more new characters, so it looks like we’ll be able to fill out the KR|EoF roster by the end of this year

Rating: ☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #38: Sajron & Nemhetra (EoF Edition)

Toy prototype details

Name: Sajron^TM & Nemhetra^TM (EoF Edition)

Subtitle: heirs to the Key’s legacy

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: multi-pack (2-pack) - Nº 8 in the line.

Sajron

Character details

Name: Sajron

Family name: Amhalgaard^TM

Classification: human with one-quarter primivod genetic material

Sex: male

Relationships: son of Desion (Masq-Lor) and Sei-Lha

Home: Tahron

Era: 25 years after Foundation

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: trainee (as apprentice minister); service warrior.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #3 - The unforeseen fall of destiny

Character summary: Masq-Lor's and Sei-Lha’s son, who, driven by a passion for military combat and prepared for the possibility that evil might one day return to Tahron, trained in the ways of battle from a young age during a period of peace. Eventually, he reconciled with Nemhetra, the Therioms’ most recent former enemy, and together with her and his father’s siblings, he assumed the role of protecting the Key and the still-powerful multiversal walls from the terrifying new threat posed by Gladorr. Though still young when entrusted with the immense responsibility of defending Tahron against Gladorr’s baleful forces, Sajron followed in his father’s footsteps, quickly growing into the role of a true hero.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme).

Description

Head: like the other protectors of the Key, Sajron wears one of the silver enchanted helmets (specifically the one inherited from his father), which under certain circumstances produces a feline-like half mask (or visor) and grants him extraordinary physical and mental abilities while slightly altering his appearance. The figure features a helmeted head with olive brown skin visible around the mouth; the visor is activated, evoking the appearance of a cheetah, with a fawn-coloured coat (though its colouration varies across the different prototypes I have seen, ranging from smoky ochre to russet) marked with a few solid black spots and a pair of tear-like black streaks running from the inner corners of the eyes down the sides of the nose, and fierce feline eyes still retaining his signature heterochromia (a green left eye and a blue right eye). The helmet is completed by a pair of metallic cat ears

Body: after transforming, his olive brown torso and limbs are marked with horizontal black stripes, a few of which feature an embedded eye-shaped, dusky-grey blotch

Wearables: a harness primarily made of mustard-yellow leather with chain-like silver details, two silver bracelets, two silver boots, a silver belt, and a skirt. The harness is somewhat reminiscent of Foundation Masq-Lor's (and also a bit Cyclops's), though its straps are relatively broader; it only has three straps converging into a silver, slightly off-centre Theriom emblem on the chest, with the bottom-left one missing, while the top-left one widens into a big cat face-shaped pauldron. The bracelets, boots and belt are reused from Foundation Masq-Lor, including their corresponding clip-on enhancements (they are all removable except for the boot pieces, which for some reason are glued in place). The skirt is composed of four flaps (one at the front, one at the back and one on each side), with each flap constructed from lamellar armour made of small, rectangular mustard-yellow leather plates embellished with silver rivets and laced together into vertical rows; the skirt is further adorned with two thin silver chains, one extending from the left side of the upper front edge to the right side of the upper back edge and the other running in the opposite direction, with the two chains loosely crossing over one another at the centre front.

Sajron's stylised helmet with top crest.

Sajron's stylised harness; the off-centre oval on the chest piece represents the Theriom symbol.

Action feature

In the comics, Sajron possesses weak paranormal powers; in particular, he can temporarily alter the appearance of objects by manipulating the light that falls on them. However, this ability is not represented in the figure in any way.

In addition, the bracelets can generate two large, Lion-O-style metal mechanical gauntlets shaped like the paws of a big cat, with silver surfaces decorated by thin black blotches. Besides functioning as shields capable of deflecting slashes and energy blasts, these gauntlets also serve as offensive tools for ripping and climbing. Fictionally, each gauntlet can fire rope darts from its sharp claws (each claw resembling a small kunai) and can itself be launched on a chain. So, the figure includes four gauntlets, three of which are designed to replace the corresponding hands and wrist guards while covering nearly the entire forearms up to the elbows: two depict the standard paw form, one (for the right arm) features five rope darts deployed, and the final one (for the left arm) is sculpted as though flying through the air in a semi-clenched pose, connected to an alternate wrist bracer by a rigid chain.

Weapons and accessories
Sajron comes with a halberd, which is one of the four components of the Key (the one whose blade has four tips) and the same weapon once wielded by his grandfather Tir-Hing and later by his father Desion, except that it's painted with some golden details here and there rather than plain silver. It can also be stored on the back of his harness via an integrated clip.

The figure also includes the option to recreate Sajron's enhanced form appearing briefly in the KR|Horizon comics. To achieve this look, it's simply necessary to remove his harness, as he is depicted bare-chested in that appearance, and equip him with two included flail-style weapons. In In the Eye of the Storm, Sajron generates what initially appear to be floppy tassels (or tendrils) extending from his wrist guards. At first, it almost seems like, due to his inexperience, he's unsuccessfully attempting to imitate his father's ability to produce claws; however, these appendages are soon revealed to be flexible steel whips, razor-sharp along both edges, which he wields with deadly effectiveness, giving his enhanced form a far more dramatic and menacing presence. To recreate this look, there's a pair of multi-bladed urumi, each featuring four whip-like silver blades, which plug securely into the clip-on bracelet pieces and look fantastic once attached. Despite their wavy appearance, the blades feel surprisingly sturdy and not at all flimsy or fragile.

Nemhetra

Character details

Name: Nemhetra

Family name: Amhalgaard^TM

Classification: uncertain, seemingly human

Sex: female

Relationships: daughter of Demo-Rha and Ir-Ash, cousin of Desion (Masq-Lor), Herrion, Rhadiel (Fai-Rha) and Mor-Rak, half-sister of Sei-Lha

Home: Tahron

Era: 25 years after Foundation

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: trainee (as apprentice advisor); service warrior.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #3 - The unforeseen fall of destiny

Character summary: Deptilion's daughter and a former enemy of the Therioms, who, following her defeat in the final battle against the three Amhalgaard siblings, earned Masq-Lor’s trust through her determination and resilience. Mindful of their shared bloodline, The Senior Minister decided to forgive her and invited her to join the Theriom army. Nemhetra was soon chosen as the fourth protector of the Key and entrusted with wielding her father’s halberd. This arrangement initially caused tension within the Therioms, but over time, despite the cruelty and corruption instilled in her by her former guardians, everyone came to recognise the goodness within her heart. By standing alongside the Therioms, Nemhetra finally found a path to make amends for the wrongs of her past.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme), with the addition of a ball jointed tail.

Description

Head: like the other protectors of the Key, Nemhetra wears one of the silver enchanted helmets (specifically the one she wore during the events of the KR|Horizon era), which under certain circumstances produces a feline-like half mask (or visor) and grants her extraordinary physical and mental abilities while slightly altering her appearance. The figure features a helmeted head with fair light-grey skin visible around the mouth; the visor is activated, evoking the appearance of a white tiger, with a near-white coat striped with black, and fierce feline eyes still retaining their original green colour. The helmet is completed by a pair of metallic cat ears, and it allows for her long red hair to come through the back

Body: after transforming, her fair light-grey torso and limbs are marked with tiger-like black stripes. She also grows a long black-striped, near-white tail, which in the figure is connected to the back of her belt/skirt piece via a ball joint and is made of flexible plastic

Wearables: a crop top-like silver armour with pearlescent white details resembling feline pointed teeth, two silver bracelets, two silver boots, and a silver belt attached to a skirt. The bracelets and boots are reused from Foundation Fai-Rha, including their corresponding clip-on enhancements (the bracer pieces are removable, while for some reason the boot pieces are glued in place). The skirt is composed of pearlescent white leather strips or lappets embellished with silver rivets.

Nemhetra's stylised helmet with side crests.

Nemhetra's stylised armour.

Action feature

Like with Sajron, Nemhetra's bracelets can generate two large metal gauntlets shaped like the paws of a big cat, with silver surfaces decorated by thin black stripes. Besides functioning as shields capable of deflecting slashes and energy blasts, these gauntlets also serve as offensive tools for ripping and climbing. Fictionally, each gauntlet can fire energy lashes from its knuckles (a subtle nod to her darker past) and can itself be launched on a chain. So, the figure includes four gauntlets, three of which are designed to replace the corresponding hands and wrist guards while covering nearly the entire forearms up to the elbows: two depict the standard paw form, one (in a fist pose, for the right arm) features four magenta glowing tentacles deployed, and the final one (for the left arm) is sculpted as though flying through the air in a semi-clenched pose, connected to an alternate wrist bracer by a rigid chain.

Weapons and accessories
Nemhetra comes with a halberd, which is one of the four components of the Key (the one whose sawtooth blade is curved inward) and the same weapon once wielded by her father Ir-Ash/Deptilion, except that it's painted with some metallic-blue details here and there rather than plain silver. It can also be stored on the back of her armour via an integrated clip.

Final thoughts

Overall: this 2-pack makes for an epic addition to the KR|EoF line! Both figures feature strong sculpts, plenty of personality, and a solid selection of accessories that make them fun to pose and display together. As a duo, Sajron and Nemhetra complement each other perfectly and feel like they were always meant to be paired. Whether you're expanding your army of defenders of the Key or just looking for two standout characters, this set offers excellent value and is an easy one to recommend

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #37: Cyber-Dreanogs

Toy prototype details

Name: Cyber-Dreanogs^TM

Subtitle: lethal mechatronic annihilators

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: multi-pack (2-pack) - Nº 7 in the line.

Character details

Name: unknown

Classification: robot (containing biological components in the head section)

Home: Cereutis

Era: 25 years after Foundation

Affiliation: Bogthropod

Rank: frontline drone.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #3 - The unforeseen fall of destiny

Character summary: some time after the Therioms destroyed the factory responsible for the mass production of the deadly Rexodon Troopers, the Spektrosaurs discovered and seized another hidden Rexodon facility where more Troopers were being developed. When Nar-Aja took command of the Spektrosaur faction following Lor-Drek's death, she used these machines to rebuild her decimated army by grafting the heads of her fallen warriors onto robotic bodies, granting them a second chance to fight. In gratitude for Masq-Lor's help during the final battle against the Rexodons, Nar-Aja donated the secret factory to the Therioms, who eventually reprogrammed the Troopers and transformed them into battlefield avatars remotely operated by their own soldiers. During Gladorr's assault on Theriom City, his battalion of newly forged Cyber-Dreanogs revealed a terrifying ability: latching onto the mechanical avatars like metallic parasites, they could override their systems and seize complete control of those war machines. In moments, the Therioms watched in horror as their own forces turned against them, becoming weapons in the hands of their enemies.

Introduction

The unforeseen fall of destiny comic book introduces a new mechatronic evolution of the Dreanogs. Unlike their original techno-organic forms, these entities can separate into a number of components and attach themselves to multiple "hosts". In the story, the hosts are robotic, although the process could potentially be adapted to living beings as well. Once bonded, each Dreanog corrupts its host's mind and systems, compelling it to serve the forces of evil. When a Dreanog hovers and disassembles, its upper portion transforms into a helmet/visor assembly equipped with seven cables (or neuro-tendrils) connected to other components of its body; these include a mechanical spine derived from its tail, two chest/back/shoulder guards formed from the collar region, as well as two wrist guards and two shin guards derived from the arms and legs, respectively. Meanwhile, the central body portion reconfigures into a cuirass. Upon attachment to a host, the mechanical spine, the pauldron pieces and the cuirass fuse together to form a unified suit of armour, while the wrist and shin guards expand into heavily armoured gauntlets and boots; all these components remain linked to the back of the helmet through the neuro-tendrils, allowing the Dreanog to exert control over both the armour and its host as a single integrated entity. So, the package includes two figures, referred to as the Assimilation Unit and the Corrupted Host, which will be described separately.

Assimilation Unit

Articulation
The Cyber-Dreanog Assimilation Unit's articulation scheme differs from the standard one significantly and is the following:

• head (swivel)
• shoulder (ball hinged, x4)
• elbow (ball hinged, x2)
• wrist (swivel + hinged -for left wrist front-to-back movement and right wrist side-to-side movement-, x2)
• waste (swivel)
• hip (ball hinged, x2)
• knee (swivel, x2)
• ankle (double hinged -for both front-to-back and rocking movements-, x2)
• tail (swivel)

Description

The Cyber-Dreanog figure is relatively small in size and features a spheroidal robotic body with articulation closely mirroring that of its organic counterpart. The torso is encased within a technological shell, predominantly flat red with metallic accents. Dominating the centre of the chest is a large, circular dark-red glowing structure reminiscent of a compound version of HAL 9000's iconic eye, lending the machine a menacing presence, while the back is equipped with a pair of rocket boosters. Mounted atop the torso is a metallic red, swivelling head shaped like a flying saucer, distinguished by two short horizontal horns and a triradiate, Y-shaped frontal aperture. The figure is completed by two pairs of robotic limbs and a mechanical tail extending from the torso casing. The limbs are slender in their proximal sections, which are seemingly composed of multiple silver articulated segments, while the forearms and lower legs are disproportionately large and bulbous, encased in red armour plating characterised by a honeycomb-like texture and ending in clawed hands and feet. In addition to its primary arms, the figure possesses a smaller secondary pair of silver arms projecting from the lower centre of the torso, each terminating in a two-jawed claw.

Corrupted Host

Articulation
Standard (new scheme), with the addition of hinged opposing groups of fingers.

Description

Head: the lower portion of the head is metallic black, showing several mechanical and electrical components. Its shape resembles the skull of an Ankylosaurus, featuring a broad profile and jaws that taper into a distinctive beak-like snout. Covering the upper section is a flying saucer-shaped metallic red helmet/visor derived from the upper portion of an Assimilation Unit, equipped with the same frontal aperture and pair of short horizontal horns; below these, two additional horns extend backward and downward from the rear of the head

Body: arms and legs are constructed from black metallic components and covered in intricate machinery and circuitry patterns, resembling an electro-hydraulic endoskeleton and featuring an array of exposed tubes, wires, pistons and articulated mechanical joints. These technological details are also present beneath the removable armour, revealing a torso built around the same tech-mech framework used for the Destructomorph Troopers, which incorporates the same dials, sliders, buttons and knobs, along with the distinctive rectangular lenticular sticker positioned at the centre of the chest creating the illusion of coursing sound waves

Wearables: a red armour accented with metallised details, derived from the torso portion of the Assimilation Unit, whose chest plate is distinguished by the same large, circular dark-red glowing structure; the armour is further enhanced by a silver, back-mounted mechanical spine, a small secondary pair of silver arms projecting from the abdominal section (each terminating in a two-jawed claw), and a pair of metallic red pauldrons, each featuring an integrated air intake on the chest section and a rocket booster mounted on the back. The forearms and lower legs are encased in oversized, blocky red robotic gauntlets and boots, featuring spiked cuffs and tops; each boot flares outward at its midpoint, revealing paired air outlets on both sides. Each extremity is equipped with eight digits arranged into two distinct groups of five and three elongated, razor-sharp claws; this configuration gives the hands and feet the appearance of grapple rakes, and each foot claw is further enhanced with integrated wheels and tracked treads elements. Six silver flexible cables extend from the rear of the helmet, connecting to the pauldrons, gauntlets and boots (they are designed not to impede articulation and they can also be detached if desired). Completing the outfit are a red belt and a golden-yellow crotch piece, both richly detailed with cybernetic motifs.

Cyber-Dreanog Corrupted Host's helmet.

Cyber-Dreanog Corrupted Host's armour.

Action feature

An eye-changing feature is present in both figures described above. Behind the head/helmet frontal opening sits a rotating drum housing three distinct single-eye units, which can be selected by turning the dome-like upper section. The first eye resembles a dark-green compound eye, at the centre of which is a tubular mouth lined with ten small, sharp whitish teeth; the second takes the form of a human-like, bloodshot eyeball with a red iris and a black pupil; the third consists of a circular silver panel centred around a diamond-shaped, glowing white structure reminiscent of a cluster of LEDs, at the core of which lies an inverted-triangular blue lens seemingly capable of projecting a laser beam.

Weapons and accessories

The set comes with a distinctive cornucopia-shaped, metallic red cannon with the texture and appearance of a crustacean shell, topped at the muzzle by a small trilobite-like ornament. In the comics, this weapon seemingly forms out of thin air after the Assimilation Unit merges with its host, and fires powerful, concentrated blasts of solid energy that manifest as ring-shaped, pink glowing shockwaves capable of striking or killing opponents (an aptly designed pluggable blast effect is also included). The Corrupted Host figure can hold the cannon in either clawed hand, each of which is sculpted with a C-shaped grip near the hinge, to securely accommodate the weapon's handle.

Additionally, the front armour piece of the Corrupted Host figure can be swapped out for an alternate chest plate. While identical in overall shape, this version features, apart from a few smaller battle scars, two large holes, one on the left side of the chest and the other on the right side of the abdomen, revealing the tech-mech framework beneath, complete with gears, hydraulics and part of the chest display.

Final thoughts

Overall: the Cyber-Dreanogs Assimilation Unit and Corrupted Host are excellent figures, and this is absolutely a set you'll want to army-build, just as you would with the standard Dreanogs. Strong sculpts, a fun and functional action feature, and the consistently solid articulation from this line make the Cyber-Dreanogs a fantastic addition to the KR|EoF roster. The Corrupted Host, in particular, stands out as one of the most exciting prototypes so far, while accessories like the horn-shaped cannon and alternate chest plate add even more value to an already excellent set

Rating: ☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #36: Niväz

Toy prototype details

Name: Niväz^TM

Subtitle: resolute aqueous knight

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 29 in the line.

Character details

Name: Niväz (pronounced Nee-vés)

Classification: extradimensional elemental being

Sex: female

Home: Cereutis

Era: 570 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Multiversal Balancers

Rank: knight commander.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #3 - The unforeseen fall of destiny

Character summary: the creator of the Parity Ring and a fearless Multiversal Knight, always ready to act under pressure. Sharp-minded during chaos, she helped coordinate a dangerous rescue mission against the Bogthropod forces. Resourceful and determined, Niväz fought alongside her Theriom allies with courage and quick tactical instincts.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme).

Description

Head: Native American features, light-blue skin, long dark-blue hair that gradually fades into a paler blue at the tips, and a pair of solid white glowing eyes. She has some interesting facial details such as small bumps coming off the sides of the chin and engraved lines tracing along the cheekbones, going over the eyes and across the forehead as well as on the chin, which give her a somewhat moko-ed or even cybernetic appearance. She also wears an orange copper-looking helmet with a sort of samurai-inspired aesthetic; it features curved, pointed ornaments that sweep upward and backward, as well as forward (functioning as cheek guards), a blade-like ring encircling the crown, and a crest shaped like a long, pointed fin rising from the front and extending along the top, embellished at its base by a luminous white gemstone. The design of this helmet reminds me of the stylised sci-fi fantasy aesthetic of some early 1980s female action figures, like Mara from Blackstar and Shaya from Power Lords

Body: light-blue skin with constantly shifting, water-like ripple patterns that suggest her liquid nature; indeed, the "fluid" body of this figure is beautifully sculpted with intricate, seemingly flowing patterns. Also, she is barefoot and wears two orange copper bracelets on her upper arms, set high near the shoulders

Wearables: a white leotard with orange details (including the frame of a diamond-shaped white motif on the abdomen, which tapers downward and merges into the brief-style lower portion), pairs of white wrap-around wrist and shin guards (each featuring fold-over overlapping panels and a rounded upper edge that creates a curved V-shaped notch accented by a snowflake-shaped ornament near the elbow or knee), and a white cape that gradually fades into translucent icy-blue toward its jagged lower edge, creating the appearance of liquefying ice. The cape is secured by a white collar featuring a pointed, icicle-shaped centre-front extension set with a glowing orange gemstone. Although the outfit is supposed to be made of a slush-like material, the comics briefly explain the orange colouration by mentioning that certain portions are structured in a way that refract light into warm tones.

Niväz's stylised garment.

Action feature

In the comics, Niväz's body is entirely composed of living, sentient water with conscious control over its cohesion, density, shape and movement, making it highly resilient to physical damage, as bullets and blunt force either pass through or are absorbed with minimal effect. She also has limited influence over water in her immediate surroundings (such as water flowing through pipes), enabling her to generate crushing high-pressure jets, although doing so requires significant effort. More prominently, she can seamlessly shift between liquid water, favouring evasion and durability, and solid ice, enhancing her offensive and defensive capabilities as well as striking power. She achieves these phase changes by rapidly freezing or melting her body through precise control of heat transfer. However, she must avoid extreme heat, as turning into water vapor and becoming too dispersed could make her unable to reform. When she freezes, her body becomes encased in a thick layer of ice, turning her translucent white like a living ice statue, while detailed crystalline elements form on her helmet, torso and limbs. This effect is reflected in the figure through a colour-changing feature: when placed in cold water or a freezer, her skin and hair shift to a slightly translucent white with a faint blue tint; when returned to warm water, they revert to their original blue colour. The face is the only exception, since her frozen portrait is represented by a separate mask that fits tightly over the regular watery visage. Additionally, to achieve the more crystalline look for her armour, the figure includes an attachable helmet piece that mimics the pointy fin producing a snowflake-shaped halo in frost-white fading into translucent icy-blue with a seemingly glowing effect, along with five separate frost-white armour parts that clip onto her lower legs (shin and knee guards), forearms (wrist and elbow guards), and back (a guard that rests over the upper edge of the cape and wraps around her shoulders), all featuring snowflake-patterned engravings as well as branching, blade-like translucent icy-blue protrusions and jagged frost-white crystals that, from a distance, may resemble fur-like trim along the tops, collar and spaulders. There are rumours that these snap-on pieces were originally intended to be much larger, allowing the figure to fold and “transform” into a solid block of ice, but this concept was ultimately abandoned. The final additional piece (though depicted in the comics as part of Niväz's fluid form outfit) consists of a large, inverted-triangular frost-white belt (also densely decorated with elaborate carvings evoking snowflake motifs), from which hang a long, jagged front loincloth that tapers downward like an icicle and a matching long rear train that extends and narrows behind her, both gradually fading from white into translucent icy-blue toward their tips.

In her liquid form, she can hold a stable humanoid shape at will. Technically, she’s also capable of shapeshifting into other humanoid forms through water sculpting, or even becoming fully transparent and nearly invisible, but these abilities are never depicted. Alternatively, she can collapse into a pooled state, allowing her to flow rapidly and slip through narrow gaps. To replicate this effect, the figure includes a clip-on water-pool base that pops on and off the feet pretty easily (it reminds me of an old Hydro-Man figure from Toy Biz).

In her solid form, she can disperse into scattered, snow-like particles to evade attacks, reposition and then instantly reform to strike. More notably, she can increase her size (and, if needed, fully regenerate) by absorbing moisture from the air or drawing in water from nearby sources, with her strength growing proportionally to the available mass. This ability is represented by two included icy swap-out arms (from the elbows down) with oversized fists, again reminiscent of the above-mentioned Hydro-Man figure. In addition, she can conjure crystalline ice constructs (such as barriers and platforms, as well as weapons like spikes, blades and projectiles) by weaving them from threads of freezing moisture, although maintaining large or highly complex structures requires significant energy. To showcase these abilities in action, the figure includes two ice effect pieces that fit over her regular hands. Each effect begins as a watery coil wrapping around her forearm before extending into a projecting ice beam, with icicles radiating forward near the hands and backward near the target (very reminiscent of Iceman). These are moulded in translucent light-blue plastic in the more fluid sections, with white paint apps to give the more solid beams a frosted, snowy appearance. Some of the previously mentioned icy weapons are also included with the figure and I'll describe them in the next section. Finally, she can lower the surrounding temperature with her icy breath, creating localised freezing effects such as coating surfaces in frost or trapping targets in ice. To capture this power, a translucent light-blue plug-in icy breath effect piece that fits into the mouth opening of the ice face mask is included.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the pool base, face mask, ice armour parts, icy arms, and ice beam and breath effects, Niväz comes with multiple weapons for both her fluid and icy forms. First up is a splash-shaped light-blue water shield with a squeezable front surface that lets you see some bubbly liquid moving inside. It's essentially a small gel-filled sensory pad with an orange clip on the back that attaches to her wrist, and is intended for her liquid form. For her solid form, we instead get an ice rod that is fictionally capable of extending indefinitely or reshaping itself into an arborescent ice crystal. So, this weapon comes in two translucent white (with a faint blue tint) configurations: a long icicle stick, which Niväz wields with great skill in staff combat, and a mace created by shortening the ice rod and generating 12 protruding spikes arranged in quadruplets across three levels (viewed from above, these branching spikes align with the angles of a dodecagon). Finally, the set includes a snowball, a fun little accessory that fits snuggly in her hand.

Final thoughts

Overall: Niväz turned out to be a pretty solid figure. She’s not necessarily the best KR|EoF prototype of the year or anything like that, but her colour scheme really stands out, especially with the fun colour-change feature. The sculpt is excellent, and she comes packed with a very generous amount of effects and accessories. The design also feels like a thoughtful modern take on vintage characters like MOTU Frosta or ThunderCats Chilla. In sum, she scores highly and is definitely worth adding to my collection

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #35: Nar-Aja (EoF Edition)

Toy prototype details

Name: Nar-Aja^TM (EoF Edition), aka Hell-Storm Nar-Aja

Subtitle: battle-hardened snake leader

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 28 in the line.

Character details

Name: Nar-Aja

Classification: lepidosauromorph reptile

Sex: female

Home: Tahron

Era: Foundation

Affiliation: Spektrosaur

Rank: army corps general.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #3 - The unforeseen fall of destiny

Character summary: a descendant of an ancient lineage of mystical snakes created by the reptilian wizard Sphenorat^TM, who distinguished herself as a formidable battlefield colonel, frequently leading reptilian assaults on mammalian territories and unleashing overwhelming terror in their wake. After Lor-Drek's death and, most profoundly, the loss of her husband Volcrotran, she rose from the remnants of the Spektrosaur army as its new pragmatic and calculating leader, driven more by necessity than ideology. Balancing ruthlessness with a keen instinct for unity, Nar-Aja forged strategic alliances with former adversaries instead of pursuing blind conflict. In the aftermath of a battle with the Rexodons, she emerged as a stabilising force, reuniting the Reptonoid's splinter factions into a single, coordinated power that no longer sought war.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme), with the addition of a tail, which is a ball jointed separate piece. It features two articulation points, two swivels at about one-third and two-thirds of its length.

Description

Head: closely resembling her Foundation version's cobra-like head (but without the hood), characterised by reddish, scaly skin, except for the lower jaw and throat, which are rendered in a greenish (rather than yellowish) tone accented by dark-brown spots. Her right eye is light-blue, while the left one is a darker blue that appears glassy (suggesting it may be artificial) and is marked by a visible scar; a three-pronged ornament extends from between her eyes, branching outward like two stylised golden eyebrows with a light-green central vertical element resembling a cobra. The opening upper jaw reveals two large fangs and a forked tongue sculpted on a pink-toned interior

Body: her scaly skin is characterised by a camouflage pattern of greenish and dark-brown tones, with the limbs marked by broad reddish bands running down their sides. She also features three-digit hands and feet tipped with golden claws (possibly wearing nail guards), as well as a long, slender tail (predominantly reddish with two greenish crossbands), which is a separate piece emerging from beneath the skirt and ending in a pointed, triangular (or spade-shaped) tip where the reddish hue fades into greenish

Wearables: a brown armour with light-green details, echoing her original design but with notable refinements (the neck section is formed from a series of fang- or claw-shaped elements, while subtle gold accents evoke cobra imagery such as eye-like motifs on the chest plate, fang shapes along the abdomen, and a hood-like, scale-textured structure framing the shoulders), three coiled snake-shaped brown bronze bands adorning her arms (two short, slender ones wrapping around the upper right arm and right wrist, contrasting with a much longer, thicker one that forms an elaborate bracer on the left forearm, complete with curved spikes protruding between its loops), two thigh-high brown boots with jagged tops, a brown bronze belt (whose buckle resembles a cobra head), and a light-green skirt that, like the boots, appears to be made from large overlapping leather scales. The boots expose much of the feet (they are only secured by a single loop around the central toe) and parts of the legs (through open diamond cutouts), and are adorned with slender snake-shaped golden elements running along and around the shafts; also, they give the impression of being high-heeled, but each of her digitigrade legs is bent at the knee to accommodate the actual heel suspended high above the ground, with an off-white dewclaw extending downward to lift and support the foot in a way that can’t possibly be comfortable to walk on. Finally, she wears a removable light-green snakeskin cape, pierced with large, irregular holes along the lower edge and split by a vertical slit that allows her tail to pass through. The cape is equipped with an elaborate cobra hood-like collar, made of two flattened, widened expansions that flank her head and meet at the back in a heart-shaped form, while at the front they descend as two separate, segmented extensions (reminiscent of the lappets of a nemes or Ahsoka-style lekku) reaching down to the abdomen, where a sculpted medallion shaped like the Spektrosaur emblem hangs between them (more on this later); the rear surface of the collar is reddish, decorated with a golden motif consisting of two circular patterns connected by a curved line, while the front is yellowish with brownish, radiating spiny ribs and features a hypnotic slit eye-shaped glowing red jewel on each side. Although the hood-collar slightly hampers the head movement, good poses are still possible.

Nar-Aja's stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comics, Nar-Aja possesses several abilities, including extending her sharp, stiletto-like venomous dewclaws from her feet while kicking, as well as squirting venom from her fangs in self-defence. While the former ability is not recreated in the figure, the latter is rendered with her signature translucent yellow plug-in spitting effect for her mouth.

Additionally, after shattering the urn that hangs from her neck and contains the ashes of her deceased husband Volcrotran, and “breathing in” his spirit, Nar-Aja can conjure an evil spectre from her jaws splayed wide. The urn is beautifully sculpted, looking like a flame-shaped greenish ampulla encased in a golden medallion, and seemingly fastening her cape, which, in the comics, falls when the chain is ripped. To reproduce this very cool concept, it's necessary to remove the figure's original head and cape, then add a new "collar" piece, which represents an alternate version of her head featuring glowing yellow eyes and the mouth opened to an extreme gape; this piece just sits around the neck ball joint and is kept in place as more pieces are assembled on top. These additional components form a set of skeletal, ghost-like parts, primarily cast in translucent yellow plastic that glows in the dark, and painted with black lowlights. They can be attached in sequence in various configurations, creating the impression that the spirit is gradually emerging from Nar-Aja's body through her mouth. The process begins with the spirit's head, which roughly resembles a horned viper skull, characterised by a triangular shape, black eyes with slit-shaped yellow-green GITD pupils, and two curved dark horns rising above the eyes. The lower jaw can open, revealing a sparse set of small, sharp off-white teeth, including a pair of more prominent downward-pointing fangs. These fangs can be swapped out with a substantially extended version thanks to a removable gums insert, mimicking an extendable/retractable action; each fang features a small forward-facing orifice near the tip, suggesting a hollow venom channel. Also, an optional long, forked tongue can be inserted into a slot in the open mouth (alternatively, Nar-Aja’s spit effect piece can be used). An elongated neck can then be inserted between the spirit’s head and Nar-Aja’s body. This spine-like piece features a series of curved spikes protruding from the sides of the vertebrae, possibly a reference to Emergence Volcrotran’s retractable neck appendages. Optionally, once the spirit’s head is not hindered by Nar-Aja’s stretched-mouth head, a cobra hood part can be added; this hood has visible ribbing on the underside and connects via a removable piece at the back of the head, which reveals a slot to plug it in. Finally, the configuration can be extended further by inserting a torso piece, either between the spirit’s head and Nar-Aja’s body or between the elongated neck and Nar-Aja’s body. This torso is formed from a bundle of snakes, like numerous small serpentine skeletons stretching and slithering in all directions; two of them are larger and longer, textured with bumps and equipped with keeled ridges along the sides, and function as elongated arms with swivel-hinged "shoulders". Each arm ends in an articulated horned viper skull (with an opening lower jaw) in place of a hand; these heads closely resemble the main one, but each features hollow eye sockets and two extra horns below the primary pair, pointing backward and down. There is also an alternate version of these two head-hands, each featuring a group of three smaller snakes emerging from the eye sockets and the mouth.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from her venom-spit effect and the various components used to recreate her spectre-conjuring ability, Nar-Aja comes equipped with two cool weapons: a mace and a shield. The mace is composed of a subtly wavy, greenish wooden handle capped with two light-green, oxidised bronze fittings: the bottom end is adorned with a rattle-shaped ornament, while the top features a striking head with four knife-edged flanges. A knob at its peak is sculpted like a snake head with a gaping mouth and is designed to accommodate Nar-Aja's spit effect; additionally, a portion of the four-flanged head, including the snake head, two flanges resembling a stylised cobra hood, and a shaft normally concealed within the handle, can be removed, echoing the projectile-launching mechanism shown in the comics. The shield appears to be mostly crafted from light-green, oxidised bronze with gold accents, and its design evokes a roughly triangular cobra head, formed by four horizontally overlapping plates, set against a circular backdrop of radiating, intertwined vipers that hold a brown bronze ring in their mouths (like the spokes of a bicycle wheel), around which yet another slender snake coils. The lower section is detachable and can be replaced with an alternate piece that helps represent the cobra with its jaws agape, from which a long, brown bronze blade (shaped like a stylised bifurcated tongue) protrudes. This interchangeable feature mirrors the comic depiction, where the shield’s lower portion slides downward to unleash the blade in a sudden forward thrust, viciously piercing enemies. I love the battle-worn detailing on the shield, and it can also be stowed on her back when she isn’t wearing the cape—it fits neatly into a slot on her back plate, making it easy to carry while also giving protection against attacks from behind.

Additionally, to enhance the appeal of this already striking figure, the package includes a snake-like tail piece that can attach to the spectre’s body. This elongated, partially coiled and highly poseable lower section features three ball joints and a waist swivel, as well as a spider-like tip and a detailed sculpt that carries over the same skeletal, ghost-like yellow GTID design from the upper body. An additional torn, brown fabric belt/loincloth piece (complete with some interesting little silver tags with runes on them hanging from real chains) is included to ensure a secure fit between the two sections.

Finally, Nar-Aja comes with a winged yellow-green energy snake that’s highly flexible and can coil around her shoulders and arm. This isn't shown in the comics, so it's unclear whether it's meant to be an alternate design of the snake companion from her Foundation version or more like the form the spectre takes when it emerges from the urn.

Final thoughts

Overall: Nar-Aja is an outstanding figure and an amazing reinterpretation of the character, definitely a strong example of how much value PoliganToys is packing into the latest KR|EoF releases. This prototype stands out as one of the best so far, thanks to her fresh, distinctive design and the way her new "transforming" feature is executed. The ability to swap multiple parts and create different versions of the character makes her both fun to play and visually striking on display. With the hope of future Spektrosaur soldier army builders on the horizon, Nar-Aja already feels like a perfect centrepiece. This is a great addition to the line, an easy favourite of the year, and a figure I’m genuinely excited to have in my KR display

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5