KR Review #21: Wheel-Wolf

After three months, the KR line finally gets its very first transport - the Wheel-Wolf^TM!

This vehicle is a great prototype and looks fantastic surrounded by the figures. The only downside? It might be the line’s sole vehicle for a looooooooong time.

Details

Name: Wheel-Wolf

Subtitle: all-terrain armoured vehicle

Classification: land vehicle

Home: Tahron

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: transport.

Description

The Wheel-Wolf is a six-wheeled armoured fighting vehicle with the heaviest armour on the hull front, which subtly resembles a wolf head. The wheels sport large off-the-road flotation tires, the hull is painted in a camouflage pattern of beige and brown and the large wolf-head is in a silver colour.
The right half of the bodywork, excluding the front part, is hinged at the side of the floor board, specifically at the gap between the front wheel and the two rear wheels. In this way it can open by folding down, in order to reveal the cockpit/cabin. I'm not sure whether I like this solution, since in the comics the Wheel-Wolf has two side gull-wing doors and one large rear door, which make it much more realistic. On the other hand, I understand that in the proposed way it's easier to place the action figures inside. Oh... have I mentioned that this baby is big?! Yeah, it fits two figures comfortably (one on the front and one on the back), even if in the comics it is proportionally much bigger and can carry something like eight or ten people.

The large two-piece windscreen in the front and the two small windows on the sides are the only transparent features of the vehicle. Several parts, both outside and inside, including a high-tech dashboard/handlebar, have a lot of sculpted technical details, such as weapons, tools and electronic devices.

Action feature

The wolf-head armour is designed for breakthrough operations and can slide forward. Also, the wolf's jaws are articulated and can open to reveal a large black cannon.
Additionally, two silver side missile launchers can swing down and spread out; each launcher fires one missile thanks to a spring-loaded mechanism.
The hull opening feature allows the Wheel-Wolf to transform into a kind of attack-station. With the open vehicle in a vertical position, the windscreen can fold open and the wolf-head (together with the dashboard) can swing around into an horizontal position. In this way a figure can stand upright by stepping on the backrest (transformed into an elevated floor) and can control the jaw-cannon via the handlebar. This is also a totally new feature, never seen in the comics, but I actually enjoy it and it makes me like the half-opening oddity better.

Weapons and accessories

The Wheel-Wolf comes with a small set of accessories. First, each wheel can be equipped with a snap-on silver spike, which makes the whole thing really look badass. Furthermore, the roof can be topped with two clip-on guns, one black on the front and one silver (combined with a radar dish into a sort of small turret) on the rear side (or the other way around), both of which can rotate left and right. Either gun can also be attached on the top of the framework in the attack-station configuration. We also get two nicely sculpted plug-in blasting effects, a bigger one for the jaw-cannon and a smaller one for either gun, and a ladder to climb up to the elevated floor of the attack-station.

Overall, the first KR vehicle is a slick piece, at least from a design point of view. The sad thing is that the future of vehicles in this line is quite in doubt, it depends on how the sales will go if and when the toys get to the market. All I know is that I'd definitely like to see more vehicles from PoliganToys!

KR Review #20: Dinophys

I knew that December would be the month of surprises in the KR line. The opening surprise was the very first variants multi-pack. And I knew that there would also be a creature. What I didn't know is which creature we would get. I was ready to bet 1 M€ it would be Ki-Wun^TM, Masq-Lor's pet; it's logical reasoning - the first creature belongs to the first character. Fortunately I didn't bet (besides I can only dream about having a million euros...), because PoliganToys proved me completely wrong.

The first creature prototype I've received from PoliganToys is Dinophys^TM, Deptilion's mount.

Details
Name: Dinophys
Subtitle: untouchable critter
Classification: cnidarian
Sex: female
Home: Tahron
Affiliation: Destructomorph
Rank: steed.

Background

Dinophys makes its only short appearance in the third KR comic issue Clash of the leaders, where it's shown carrying Deptilion^TM into battle and fiercely attempting to strangle and poison any who opposes its master. It is briefly recounted that during the rise of the Destructomorph faction, Deptilion captured this medusoid creature from the depths of the sea surrounding the island of Semhadar^TM. The squishy beast eventually found a new home in Dekropolis^TM and became loyal to Deptilion, who named it Dinophys after a legend about mysterious sea monsters.

Articulation.

The only articulated parts are the seven tentacles, which will be described in details in the action feature section, and their central component, which is connected to the head via a swivel.

Description

Dinophys strongly resembles a giant Portuguese man o' war. The centrepiece is the head, whose sculpt is exceptionally good. It looks like a sort of air sac, cast in a translucent grey and tinged with a hint of pale purple. Unexpectedly (or is it?), it doesn't seem to have a mouth.

Attached below the head, there are seven long, curled stinging tentacles. Their colour is identical to the head tint, but it's solid and not translucent. The proximal parts of the tentacles are covered with bulges, while their distal segments carry a number of stings, which look like small pink spikes.

The head is crowned by a blueish pearly carapace, which displays several leopard-like clusters of bumps and a few spines all over its surface, as well as two large demonic eyes on the front; these eyes, however, are fake, just a sort of ornament of the shell. The real eyes, which are small, green, glowing and still devilish, are located on the translucent sac, right under the carapace.
The shell is also topped with a jagged crest and extends sinuously backwards to form a saddle, on which a removable seat is fastened. This is made of metal and leather, is raised at the front and rear, and can accommodate a figure. Everything is complemented with a pair of stirrups attached to the saddle and two reins emerging from two holes in the carapace.
It may sound like an incredibly unbalanced structure, with that long shell projecting backwards and nothing to sustain it on the rear. But, no, the tentacles stretching towards the back work perfectly to stabilise the whole thing.

Action feature

Dinophys' ability is to constrict and poison its enemies with its tentacles. This coiling-round skill is brought to reality by the plentiful articulation for the tentacles. Each appendage is articulated with a ball joint at its base, where it meets the central component below the head. Additionally there are two swivels at about one-third and two-thirds of each tentacle's length, which allow for a lot of great attack poses.

Overall, Dinophys is a pretty great figure. Its completely new sculpt is a great representation of a deadly sea monster, plus it gives it an entirely different look than anything else we have seen in this line so far. I'm really glad it has seven tentacles (although in the comic they seem to be many more), which make it distinct from other octopus-like or starfish-like monsters we'll likely see in the future. The only detail I would improve is the colour of the tentacles - I'd like them to be as translucent as the head instead of solid, in order to give them a more slimy look.

KR Review #19: Rexodon Troopers

The Theriom and Destructomorph Troopers sure are cool. However, there is just something about the Rexodon Troopers^TM that really catches me. That big bulky dinosaur look that conceals a robotic core is definitely a factor.

I think Bi-Harr's drones were my most wanted army builders in the KR line. Now I've finally put my hands on this amazing multi-pack (a 2-pack, to be precise) prototype, the fourth I've received from PoliganToys.

Details

Name: Rexodon Troopers

Subtitle: bio-mechanical troopers

Classification: archosauromorph reptile-robot hybrids

Home: Tahron

Affiliation: Rexodon

Rank: drones.

Background

The Rexodon Troopers first appear in the third KR comic issue Clash of the leaders, where they are featured as numberless robot enforcers, mass produced by Bi-Harr in his headquarters' plant. All the Troopers are dressed in organic armours derived from reptilian creatures; also, they are linked to a central computer, so that they can be programmed to follow any evil command they are given by their general. Thanks to the combined reptilian-robotic strength, the Rexodon Troopers have the ability to overpower most enemies and are more than a match for the heroic Therioms.

Articulation

Standard, except for a few additions. One of the two figures has a tail, which is a separate piece and clips onto the back. It features two articulation points - two swivels at about one-third and two-thirds of its length, which allow for plenty of poses. The other figure has two additional fully articulated arms.

Description

In the comics, each Rexodon Trooper appears as a bionic reptilian warrior (part organic and part technological) that can transform in order to reveal a robotic drone within. Despite the two figures represent identical characters, they feature the two opposite configurations and look very different. So, I'm going to describe the two Troopers separately.

Reptile mode

Head: similar to an Ankylosaurus, characterised by a wide and low shape, orange skin and light-blue eyes. The front parts of the open jaws are covered in a bony beak, while several leaf-shaped teeth are visible further behind it. Two horns project backwards from the back of the head and two additional horns below those point backwards and down. The neck is bent forward and is covered with two bony half rings

Body: orange scaly skin (except for the abdomen, which is yellow-green), claw hands and feet. The limbs are equipped with a black electro-mechanical exoskeleton, which displays a number of silver details such as tubes, wires and hinges (a few wires also stretch onto the chest). The back is covered in an armour of large bony plates and the massive tail ends in a large black metallic club

Wearables: two black bracelets, two black calf protectors, a black belt and a furry ivory-coloured loincloth. A third half ring covering the neck is made of black metal and extends into two armholes.

It's interesting to sum up the way the reptilian configuration fictionally transforms into the robotic one, to appreciate all the cool details:

1) the tail-club splits and the two halves swing back against the end of the tail

2) the end of the tail swings back and around to form the robot's feet and reveal the robot's legs

3) the robot's legs separate, by swinging and pivoting the upper thighs, to form the hips

4) the base of the tail with the reptile's legs swings up to form the robot's torso

5) the reptile's claw feet slide back to reveal the robot's hands

6) the reptile's head and neck swing up and back, and the chest swings open to reveal the robot's head.

Robot mode

Head: black metallic reptile skull, showing a few mechanical and electrical components, the eyes emit a red glow. The head has a rather evil look and a structure that matches the reptilian configuration. Also, this head is almost a reuse of the Destructomorph Trooper's (DT later on) head, except for the absence of the helmet

Body: black metallic thighs showing lots of machinery/circuitry patterns. These are definitely a reuse of the DT's electro-hydraulic thighs. The feet and calves derive from the tail and, as a result, look quite big and mostly covered with orange scales and bony plates. The hands are the DT's default ones, while the arms, from the wrists up, are covered with elements of the reptile legs. Under the removable armour, the torso is also the same tech-mech piece used for the DT, with identical dials, sliders, buttons, knobs and rectangular lenticular sticker at the centre of the chest (which gives an illusion of coursing sound waves)

Wearables: a black chest armour with white details and the Rexodon symbol, i.e., a red reptile skull, at the centre, a black belt and a white crotch piece; the last two elements show lots of cyber details. The back armour is composed of reptilian elements, such as a portion of the tail and the upper body parts spread out, including the two arms.

Rexodon Trooper's (robot mode) stylised armour; the circle at the centre of the chest piece represents the Rexodon symbol.

Action feature

The only action feature is something we've already seen with the DT - the front piece of the robot's armour can be replaced by an alternative chest piece. The latter is identical to the former, except that has two large holes (one on the left side of the breast and one on the right side of the abdomen), through which the technological framework underneath is visible, plus a couple of minor battle damages. The armour back piece is not replaceable.

Weapons and accessories

The Troopers come with a few accessories. First up is the robot's laser rifle, which is all white with a semi-toothed silver blade along the upper length of the barrel and can be held either as a gun or as a sword.

Next up is an entirely new piece (i.e., never shown in the comics), which is a staff made from a long jawbone with several sharp teeth on the end, and is intended for the reptile-mode figure. The staff is mostly painted in ivory colour, but there’s a nice amount of black metallic techno details (such as buttons, switches and levers) along the whole thing. I think giving a weapon also to the reptile guy is an excellent touch that lets him blend in with the other Trooper better.

Overall, this 2pk is incredibly strong. The two figures have loads of new pieces and even new articulation. The only disappointment is how limited the figures are. Rexodon Troopers are meant to fight in groups of either reptilian warriors or robots, and that’s a bit hard to do at the moment. I'm probably asking for too much, but a real transformation action feature would increase the options exponentially: 2 reptiles + 2 robots! Another unfortunate part, like the case of the DT, is the lack of at least one damaged head, which, together with the damaged armour, would work spectacularly.

KR Review #18: Hiruk

I'm a big Destructomorph fan. It’s not that I think the other factions aren't cool or anything, but Deptilion's minions are simply badass. And Hiruk^TM is the proof. I mean, doesn’t she look like a girl that is going to kick your ass?

Hiruk is the 15^th action figure prototype I've received from PoliganToys.

Details

Name: Hiruk
Subtitle: energy-draining amazon
Classification: annelid
Sex: female
Home: Tahron
Affiliation: Destructomorph
Rank: captain.

Background

Hiruk first appears in the third KR comic issue Clash of the leaders, where she plays a key role in the merged Destructomorph-Rexodon army's fight against the Therioms. A member of a race of worm-like creatures living in the most inhospitable swamps on Tahron, Hiruk was called from the depths by a magic spell of Demo-Rha, in order to replace the deceased Ah-Rak. Equipped with highly technological tools by Deptilion, Hiruk became a loyal member of the Destructomorphs. When called upon in battle, she uses her enhanced energy-draining powers to defeat her enemies.

Articulation
Standard, excluding hinged abdomen.

Description

Head: light-bluish skin, devilish green eyes, round mouth (equipped with a number of sharp yellow teeth surrounding a reddish cavity, similarly to a lamprey), wrinkled neck. She carries a straight, helical purple horn (covered with spiny recurved hooks), which projects from the forehead

Body: light-bluish skin, ringed (i.e., segmented) arms and legs. The left arm displays a thicker green ring (similar to a clitellum), which is complemented with a triplet of purple bony protuberances. Each finger (three per hand) and toe (four per foot) bears a pad located on its end

Wearables: a light-green armour with dark-blue details, two light-green bracelets, two light-green calf protectors (each with a ring of fine hairs along the upper edge), a light-green belt and a fringe dark-blue loincloth.

Hiruk's stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comic Hiruk possesses two energy-draining devices, which she uses to suck enemies of their strength. In the figure each apparatus, similar to a large pump, is mounted by means of leather straps on her forearm and is equipped with an extandable suction cup (the extension is real, but not the suction). Each cup bears three white teeth, which fictionally cut the victim's skin to absorb his/her energy. The two pumping devices are connected to two transparent cylinders with the aid of two hoses, which look like ciliated tendrils. The two cylinders, filled with bubbling blood, are arranged in a "V"-shape on Hiruk's back, using an upside-down ribcage as a mounting. That's really a crazy detail, it looks like she took the carcass of some undefined animal, placed the cylinders where the lungs used to be and put it upside-down, spine-to-spine on her back. Each cylinder receives one hose at its bottom and is connected to Hiruk's nape via an additional hose departing from its top. So, we can imagine that the strength drained by the pumps from the unfortunate foe travels along the ciliated hoses, reaches the cylinders, becomes visible as gurgling blood and finally flows from the cylinders to Hiruk's skull through a second pair of hoses.

Also, in the comic we see that after an injection of energy and before leaving her victim unconscious on the ground, something funny happens to Hiruk: her forehead horn extends! The figure's horn is actually detachable and can be replaced with a longer one; nice touch, if one doesn't care about the hole in the unhorned head.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the additional horn, Hiruk comes with one more accessory, which is a nicely detailed scythe characterised by a long curved silver blade at the end of a long dark-blue pole.

Comic
Together with the action figure we get the third comic issue Clash of the leaders, which has already been summarised in Bi-Harr's review. It's just a pity that Hiruk only appears in this issue and not in future ones.

Overall, Hiruk won me over, even if there are some details I don't really cherish, like the hole in the forehead. Think of how cool an alternative head, perhaps with a closed mouth, could have been!

KR Review #17: Tauton

For me, December is a “yeah!” month for Key Raiders (well... not only for that, hehe). While some figures finally got their variants in the line and there will be more surprises in the coming days, my personal “yeah!” is for none other than the fighting lieutenant himself - Tauton^TM!

Tauton is the 14^th action figure prototype I've received from PoliganToys.

Details

Name: Tauton

Subtitle: fighting officer

Classification: human

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: officer cadet; expert in hand-to-hand combat and weapons master.

Background

Tauton makes his first appearance in the third KR comic issue Clash of the leaders. At a young age, Tauton was asked by King Li-Khon^TM to step into his army of brave Theriom Troopers and take up the arms against the reptilian forces. As a result, he fought courageously with Tir-Hing against Bi-Harr's thirst for tyranny, eventually rising to the rank of officer. In addition to his great abilities in combat and use of traditional weapons, Tauton is also a skilled engineer and constructed a pair of robotic gauntlets as well as a set of advanced electronic weapons. Tauton is often called to fight for justice alongside the heroic Therioms, countering evil with his smashing power.

Articulation

Standard, except that the wrists are ball jointed and the right hand is especially engineered with a hinge to hold an arrow.

Description

Head: Asian features, olive brown skin, black hair, hazel eyes. He sports a band of golden fabric (ornamented with black designs vaguely reminiscent of Asian characters) worn around the head

Body: torso, arms and legs covered with a tight black uniform. The uniform looks solid black at a distance, but up close it appears to be painted in a camouflage pattern of black and very dark grey

Wearables: two studded glossy black bracelets, two black boots, a glossy black (obviously) belt and a golden groin protector. The sculpt of his feet vaguely suggests that the boots are actually a combination of socks and rope sandals.

Tauton is also equipped with two different outfits, which, to make it easier (and not because I like using words relevant to feudal Japan in a totally unrelated context), I will call ninja and samurai respectively. The ninja clothing is composed of a black thigh-length tunic, which is complemented with a hood (the piece formed of the two long, windswept ends of the headband can be detached at the knot on the back of his head), a dark-grey sash round the waist with a small silver dagger tucked in, and a very detailed golden bandolier (i.e., a shoulder belt), all in one sculpted piece. The samurai gear includes an alternative head wearing a full-face black helmet, a black cuirass with gold details, two golden shoulder armours (with raised, riveted ridges showing where the plates come together), two golden clip-on greaves with studded knee guards, and a golden tasset belt. Each element shows lots of tech-mech details, which add an interesting cyber character to the samurai look. The helmet looks like a rigid balaclava, which perhaps would fit the ninja outfit better, but the subtle presence of a dome on the top and a neck guard on the back still give hints of a samurai theme; the facial armour displays a reinforced mouth protector and a silver visor, which can be removed to make the eyes visible. One of the two greaves carries a sheath with the same small silver dagger seen in the ninja garb, which is unfortunately not removable. The tasset belt displays small silver weapons, i.e., throwing stars and hand grenades, all the way around.

Of course, these are the two extreme cases... the real fun starts with mixing and matching all those elements to create unlimited (well, almost) combinations.

Tauton's stylised "samurai" armour.

Action feature

Tauton is a skillful martial artists, kick-boxer and weapons specialist. These abilities are brought to life thanks to a great deal of accessories, of which many have been listed in the wearables section and more will be described later. But what really takes his combat skills to the next level is a pair of large golden snap-on techno-gauntlets. These can replace the original hands and are definitely (and intentionally) disproportionate. The gauntlets work both as armoured gloves and sleeve armours, and are characterised by different poses: fist for the left one and chopping hand for the right one.

Weapons and accessories

In addition to the alternative head, clothing accessories and gauntlets, Tauton comes with a black quiver that can connect to the back of either the ninja shoulder belt or the samurai cuirass; it contains several arrows (which are not removable, but have differently shaped fletching, indicating that each possesses a different specialty) and bears a number of holsters. These include one front and one side clips, which are designed to store a compound bow and a stick respectively, and two side scabbards for two swords. The swords, a smaller wakizashi and a bigger techno-katana, have slightly curved blades, which can be detached from their hilts and attached to the extremities of the stick to form a double-bladed staff. Alternatively, the stick may be equipped with two kamas at its ends. Additionally, we get a nunchaku with a functional plastic chain, which can be stored on the tasset belt and even connected to one end of the stick to create a flail, and a single arrow, which can be held by the special right hand. All these weapons are partially black and partially (the metal parts) golden colour.

Finally, the bandolier and the tasset belt can be decorated with two swappable snap-on emblems: a red Theriom symbol (a seven-pointed star with the two side points elongated) and a silver symbol that evokes a throwing-star.

Overall, Tauton is a solid figure for the line. I'm really glad that his gauntlets are worked up to be compatible with other figures, like Xonedar^TM and the Destructomorph Troopers^TM. Also, some original thought went into the design instead of just a straight comic rendering: the new pieces, such as the ninja tunic and the swappable emblems, are all sharp and kick-ass, allowing for plenty of display options.

KR Review #16: Key Raiders Variants 3pk

I must say that I’d really be looking forward to a KR variant. We knew that some variants were on the way, that's what The PoliganMan told us during the 1^st round of questions and answers. What I didn't expect is that we would get three variants in the same month! I'm also very glad that PoliganToys decided to deliver these variants as a multi-pack (the third I've received) instead of singles. Quick and easy!

The looks of these figures come from artwork seen in the comics: when off duty, Sei-Lha^TM wears ordinary clothes rather than uniform; Demo-Rha^TM transforms into a flying human torch by merging with the spirit of her father Nemhisto^TM; Mor-Rak^TM turns into a giant warrior, who is made either of lava or ice or sand, by means of his Antikythron.

This review is going to be pretty different from the usual form. Details and background stories of these characters have been covered before. Articulation is generally standard, except for the absence of hinged abdomen in the two female figures.

The main focus of this review is the appearance of the three figures and the accessories that come with them.

Plainclothes Sei-Lha

Description

At a first glance Sei-Lha's head might look identical to one of the heads included in her original release, characterised by brown skin, short brown hair and blue eyes. In reality, it is a bit different: the eyebrows are in a more relaxed position and the mouth displays a subtle smile; in general, she looks less aggressive and shows an "at ease" attitude. The brown skin is also visible on her exposed arms and legs.

Apart from the silver bracelets, silver boots and silver belt, which are slightly more detailed than the ones used in the first release, Sei-Lha wears a simple short dress. I realised that I'm totally ignorant about dresses and not able to describe her outfit properly. So, I had to ask my wife and she defines it as a cap sleeve, high-necked fit and flare dress. The dress is beige colour with brown neckline, armholes and hem; the belt separates the fitted part above the waist from the flouncy part below, allowing for the waist swivel.

Weapons and accessories

Sei-Lha is accompanied by Lirek^TM, her loyal condor. This has a ball jointed neck, hinged hips, swivel talons and ball-hinged wings, and is equipped with a removable body/head armour and a perching forearm cover. Its plumage is uniformly black, with the exception of a frill of white feathers nearly surrounding the base of the neck and large patches and bands of white on the wings. Its attack armour, which fits around the head and clips near the tail, is a nice translation of Sei-Lha's original jet-pack (including two missile launchers and blasting effects) and helmet, while its talons can turn and grip Sei-Lha's silver clip-on forearm cover.

Flying Torch Demo-Rha

Description

I’m not going to spend too much time getting into the details, since this figure is pretty straightforward: she is almost identical to the original release, but cast in a translucent orange with minimal paint apps on the symbol (solid red) and her eyes (yellow). I said almost... in fact, she's not just a repaint, because her whole body is on fire... I mean, literally! The flaming sculpt has a stunning design to it, but in some spots the fire seems to me more like liquid lava than flames.

Weapons and accessories

Demo-Rha comes with a translucent orange version of her cape (the original jagged design helps to add a flaming character to it) and a translucent orange staff, which is different from the original. It is topped with a pitted dark-red stone covered by flames. I believe this accessory is a completely new concept, because I have no memory of seeing it in the comics, and, to be honest, I wouldn't have minded a flaming version of her original staff.

Titanic Fighter Mor-Rak

Description

OK, here's the thing - this figure will be released as one sculpt with three different looks. This means that each 3pk will feature Sei-Lha, Demo-Rha and one of three possible Mor-Rak's versions. The difference between the three versions is the paint, which simulates different materials and is actually a key element of the figure, considering it is mostly one colour. However, it's not clear yet whether we'll be able to choose the version we are interested in or the selection will be totally random. Anyway, I got all three prototypes, so I can describe them exhaustively.

Let's start with the shared feature, which is the sculpt. The most impressive part of this figure's sculpt is his size. This guy is nearly 23 cm (around 9") tall! Which means 7 cm more than the other figures and 11 cm more than his "normal" counterpart. The body is composed of pebbled, fractured bulky rocky elements, with a lot of details such as cracks and crevices, while the "clothing" on the crotch piece appears like cascading slabs. What I really like in Mor-Rak's face are his cube-like features and deep-set eyes.

The first version looks like it is made of solidified basaltic lava, in which there are lots of highlights and accents that are brought out by some pronounced colour differentiations: of course, there is the dark grey stone colour, while the eyes and the largest fractures are painted in a bright orange to mimic the presence of incandescent fluid lava. The second version is the ice type, whose body has been moulded in a translucent blue plastic, with a light layer of white paint to make him look frosty; the eyes are also white. The third version is the sandy one, which is made up of a light tan plastic, with a darker brown to accent the fractures and the eyes. But it’s the pale brown dry brushing that really gives the figure that living sand look.

Among the three figures in the multi-pack, Mor-Rak is the only one that has an action feature. Both the lava and sand versions can launch the left hand, which is in a fist pose and bigger than the right hand, via a spring loaded mechanism. The ice version still displays the big left fist, but this is not shootable; instead, the feature is that when heated, this version of Mor-Rak turns clear.

Weapons and accessories

Mor-Rak comes with two armbands and a collar, which look different depending on the version. The lava version has flaming basalt pads, the ice version gets rings that seem made of fur (but at a closer look it also turns out to be ice) and finally the sand version has sandstone bands. To be honest, I think the inclusion of these accessories is totally unnecessary; the figure looks great as it is, with no need of add-ons.

Altogether, I'm very pleased with this set! I love the overall look of the three figures and I love the colours. I think these three are some of the best additions to the KR line yet and I hope more and more variants will be produced in the future.

KR Review #15: Bi-Harr

New amazing prototypes have arrived from PoliganToys, so I have to finish the reviews of the previous ones this week. Let’s kick things off with the first reptilian leader - Bi-Harr^TM!

While this 13^th action figure is not necessarily one of my favourite so far, I have to admit that I love his striking look.

Details

Name: Bi-Harr

Real name: Anfis

Subtitle: double-headed general

Classification: archosauromorph reptile

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Affiliation: Rexodon^TM

Rank: general.

Background

Bi-Harr's first appearance is in the third KR comic issue Clash of the leaders. Born as an abomination, over the years the dual-headed creature Anfis became a blessing for the reptilian species. Thanks to his two minds working together, Anfis was cleverer than any other living thing. Taking the name Bi-Harr, he raised an army and challenged the free mammalian people for rule over Tahron. Being gifted with twice the brain power of his rivals, his tactical advantage was doubled. Although he defeated several leaders of the Therioms^TM, these heroes succeeded in trapping his mental faculties beyond the multiversal walls. Centuries later, a weakened Bi-Harr attempts to form an alliance with Deptilion^TM, by promising (treacherously) to let him rule in exchange for getting back his powers from their extra-dimensional lock-up.

Articulation

Standard, with one additional neck.

Description

Left head: similar to a Pachycephalosaurus, characterised by wrinkled dark-blueish skin, a large bony dome atop its skull, a pair of large amber eyes with vertical black pupils, a muzzle ending in a pointed reddish beak (with a closed mouth), and a fairly long, thick neck. The dome's rear side is edged with yellowish bony bulges, which extend towards each eye forming a sort of bumpy eyebrow, while a number of short yellowish bony spikes project upwards from the snout (the most central of these spikes is covered in skin)

Right head: vaguely similar to an Apatosaurus (or a similar sauropod), characterised by scaly reddish skin, a large brown cranial crest, two short ossicones covered in skin, a pair of large light-blue eyes with vertical red pupils, several sharp white teeth lining the wide open mouth, and a thick neck (slightly longer than its counterpart's)

Body: the left arm and leg show a wrinkled dark-blueish skin with several yellowish bony bumps, while the right arm and leg show a scaly reddish skin with large brown ridges which run down the sides; he displays claw hands and feet (where visible). The real surprise about Bi-Harr's body is under the removable armour... I could never imagine that PoliganToys would come out with something like this: an astonishing convoluted structure which is actually his elongated tubular body running from one head to the other! So, we discover that Bi-Harr is actually a sort of four-armed amphisbaena (i.e., a snake-like creature with a head at each end), who uses two of his arms as legs, in order to acquire a bipedal posture. This tremendously intricate body structure is sculpted extremely well; a cool detail is the visible overlap of the two body types, where the wrinkled and the scaly skins melt into each other

Wearables: a silver armour (which bears two collars and two shoulder protectors on the top, and an asymmetric skull-symbol on the front), yellowish leather fingerless-glove and sandal-boot on the left limbs, brass bracelet, armband and boot (all decorated with arabesque patterns) on the right limbs, a studded brass belt and an asymmetric loincloth. The collars are embossed with two different designs: a round pattern on the left and a diamond-shaped pattern on the right; these patterns are also replicated on the two shoulder protectors, which, like the collars, are made of two different metals, probably copper on the left side and brass on the right side. The asymmetric skull-symbol is located right under the gap between the two collars, but its lower jaw stretches down to the bottom edge of the armour; each half of the skull resembles the correspondent head and is made of a metallic material, again copper on the left side and brass on the right side. The two halves of the asymmetric loincloth are also made of different materials: tawny fur on the left and scale armour (consisting of several overlapping copper plates laced together) on the right. The brass belt (which is also decorated with round studs on the left side and diamond studs on the right side) has a buckle which is a symmetric variant of the armour skull-symbol, whose elongated lower jaw covers the dividing line between the two sides of the loincloth. The upper part of this skull-buckle is red (while the lower jaw is goldish) and recalls the Rexodon symbol. The brass armband around the right biceps (where the ridge presents a trough) is removable and can be put on the other arm.

Bi-Harr's stylised armour; the shape at the centre of the chest piece represents the asymmetric skull-symbol with the elongated lower jaw.

Weapons and accessories

No, I haven't forgotten about the action feature section. Problem is that Bi-Harr has no action feature whatsoever. It's understandable, it's a matter of cost-saving due to his entirely new sculpt, but I can't hide a bit of disappointment.

Bi-Harr only comes with a silver halberd, which is one of the four components of the Key (the one with the blade curved outward) and the third halberd we get after Deptilion's and Tir-Hing's ones.

Comic

Together with the action figure we get the third comic issue Clash of the leaders. In the story we meet Bi-Harr, the leader of the Rexodons, for the first time. He has secretly observed the efforts of his former enemy Deptilion for long and wants to take advantage of his potential to seek revenge on the Therioms. After rescuing Deptilion from the labyrinth-cave in the Bay of Sortok, Bi-Harr arranges a meeting with his old rival and pretends to be interested in an alliance against the Therioms. Bi-Harr proposes the Destructomorphs attack Theriom City with the help of a few Rexodon members and Deptilion agrees in spite of warnings from Demo-Rha. The merged army attacks as planned, but this time the heroic defenders are well prepared. Suddenly, Bi-Harr appears in the battlefield and reveals that he and the remaining members of his faction have taken advantage of Deptilion's absence to destroy Dekropolis, the Destructomorph's headquarters. The Therioms are now forced to witness a battle between the Destructomorphs and the Rexodons. At some point, it is revealed that the real Deptilion has been replaced by an advanced Destructomorph Trooper, who is powerful enough to kill all the present opponents. Masq-Lor can't allow this senseless massacre and uses all his resources to destroy the robot. This causes an explosion that leaves a huge crater in the ground, separating the three factions. Being unable to continue the battle, the evil parties retreat, while the Therioms give aid to a now unconscious Masq-Lor.

Overall, my feelings about Bi-Harr are similar to the ones I have for Nemhisto. The figure is great, with a terrific look and an awesome sculpt, especially underneath the armour. On the other hand, I kind of feel the lack of some cool action features or accessories. But after all, Bi-Harr is a central character in the KR universe and I think that his figure is cool enough as it is.
About the comic, the story is pretty interesting for several reasons. First of all, we finally see one of the reptilian factions, which we have read about in the previous issues. Then, we discover that the mysterious powers locked behind the multiversal walls are actually Bi-Harr's mental abilities, although there's no mention about how the Therioms managed to move those powers from his brains to the extra-dimensions. Last but not least, it seems like Deptilion survived another disaster at the end of the preceding story, but eventually his duplicate's identity is exposed and we are left with no clue about his real whereabouts. For sure, a very positive aspect of this comic is that it features a lot of new characters, and that's what we like!

KR Review #14: Colotros

Since the KR line began to pick up steam, I've started going through the more obscure characters, to see who might get made. I recently ran across Colotros^TM, but didn’t have high hopes that this six-armed monster would ever get made.

Now that his action figure prototype (the 12^th I've received) is in-hand, I can definitely say that I’m glad PoliganToys proved me wrong!

Details

Name: Colotros
Subtitle: encrusted warrior
Classification: cnidarian
Sex: male
Home: Tahron
Affiliation: Destructomorph (indirectly)
Rank: guardian of the cave in the Bay of Sortok.

Background

Colotros only appears in the second KR comic issue Hunt for the energy stone, where he is presented as the monstrous keeper of a supernatural stone. After the temporary defeat of the reptilian forces, Tir-Hing and Elykta hid the powerful energy stone deep inside the labyrinth-cave in the Bay of Sortok, to prevent their enemies from retrieving it. As a precautionary measure, they assigned the six-armed oceanic creature Colotros to remain there and guard the prodigious relic. Over the years, the quest for the stone and the wish to tap into its powers for both good and evil has begun to spread around Tahron. Now, Deptilion, the survived leader of the Destructomorphs, confronts the Therioms once again, in order to access the energy source. For Deptilion's own advantage, Colotros is forced to stride into battle, swinging his sharp harpoons to fight against the Therioms.

Articulation
Standard, with four additional fully articulated arms, two of which have ball jointed wrists.

Description

Head: similar to a statue made of a red porous rock (presumably coral), with antler-shaped stony branches as hair and beard, eyes emitting a faint yellow glow, half-open mouth through which four sharp whitish canines are visible

Body: made of a red porous fractured rock, three pairs of arms, claw hands and feet. The two top arms are equipped with barbed spear-like whitish structures instead of hands

Wearables: a dark-green armour with orange details and a convex grooved blue symbol, which resembles a brain coral, at the centre, two dark-green bracelets, two dark-green calf protectors, a dark-green belt and an orange gorgonian-like loincloth.

Colotros' stylised armour; the circle at the centre of the harness represents the "brain coral" symbol.

Action feature

The only real action feature is the presence of a structure on the back that works similarly to Ah-Rak's carapace - instead of arachnid legs, Colotros has two pairs of fully articulated muscled rocky arms. This part that includes the four arms can be removed, together with the armour, to transform Colotros in an alternative two-armed stony warrior, cool!

Also, in the comics Colotros' "harpoons" are extendable and can rapidly stretch out from the two arms towards his opponents; unfortunately, this feature hasn't been reproduced in the figure. Instead, we get two pairs of snap-on interchangeable harpoons in two versions: retracted and extended.

Weapons and accessories

In addition to the snap-on interchangeable parts, Colotros comes with a surprising pair of hands, which can replace the harpoons; in this way we can make a six-handed version of the figure, even if this never appears in the comics.

Colotros' weapon is a bladed copper boomerang. This is very nicely designed, with an interesting "S"-shape instead of the classical "V"-shape for this kind of weapon; also, to me it looks like the blades are toothed in such a way that they slightly resemble a pair of sea pens, but I'm not totally sure about this detail.

Moreover, we get Colotros' sidekick. At some point in the story, Colotros looses one hand due to a bad catch of his own returning boomerang; the amputated hand suddenly comes to life, generates three more stony fingers and transforms into a sort of spidery creature. This horrible beast eventually falls upside down and, in order to turn over, grows further, giving a hint that it's going to become a new Colotros. Fortunately, the Therioms succeed in destroying it before that happens. The accessory is the tentacled form, which has four small yellow glowing eyes, eight tendril legs, and one disturbingly lipped mouth. It really makes a great addition to the figure.

Finally, Colotros also comes with the energy stone and its crystal-like stand that appear in the comic book. The stone looks like a two-piece black meteorite with hints of light coming from its inside; the inner core of the stone is actually made of yellow-orange glow-in-the-dark plastic. Why two pieces? ***SPOILER WARNING (to read, select the following text)*** Because at the end of the story the stone is shattered in two on the ground.

Comic

Together with the action figure we get the second comic issue Hunt for the energy stone. In Mor-Rak's review I forgot to mention that the same comic book also comes with our young primivod friend. In the story we learn that Deptilion miraculously survived the destruction of the Quartz Tower and retained possession of the fourth halberd. Under his leadership, the Destructomorphs kidnap Tir-Hing, who knows about the location of the energy stone. This is a powerful relic that Deptilion needs to find, in order to regain his strength. While Masq-Lor and the Therioms set out to free their leader, Deptilion tricks Tir-Hing into telling the secret place. The Therioms succeed in finding where Tir-Hing is held and in saving him, but Deptilion is already on his way to obtaining the stone. Now both parties race to the stone's hiding place - the labyrinth-cave in the Bay of Sortok. There, Masq-Lor and his fellows encounter and fight Colotros, a rocky monster with multiple arms, before they finally find the stone. However, Deptilion is there too and he holds Mor-Rak as a hostage. Masq-Lor attempts to negotiate with his enemy and Deptilion pretends to free Mor-Rak in exchange for the stone. In the very last moment Deptilion orders his minions to kill all the Therioms, but Masq-Lor causes the stone drop and a clash ensues between the two opponents. In the meantime, a giant seaweed emerges from the ground impregnated with energy fluid within seconds. While the Therioms manage to escape, the giant seaweed destroys the cave and takes Deptilion with it.

Overall, I’m very happy with Colotros' figure, he’s damned close to perfection. He's also related to a pretty intriguing element (the energy stone) of the KR mythos and the line wouldn’t be complete without him. I can't say the same about the comic; the story is very stereotype, almost a repetition of the first issue (Deptilion wants something and kidnaps someone to get it), but somehow it has a certain flair. One interesting detail is the contrast between Colotros' background story and his role in the comic: in the former, Colotros is kind of hired by the Therioms to protect the stone and then turned against them by Deptilion, while in the latter he simply looks like being casually in the cave and annoyed by the intrusion of unexpected visitors.

KR Review #13: Mor-Rak

I’m going to make this review shorter than usual. Just a compact article to shed a bit of light on what is probably the smallest-scale character in the KR universe - Mor-Rak^TM!

Mor-Rak is the 11^th action figure prototype I've received from PoliganToys.

Details

Name: Mor-Rak

Subtitle: young apprentice warrior

Classification: primivod mammal

Sex: male

Relationships: Tir-Hing's nephew and Masq-Lor's cousin

Home: Tahron

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: trainee.

Background

Mor-Rak appears briefly in the first KR comic issue The hidden halberd and more extensively in the second issue Hunt for the energy stone, where he's presented as the humorous son of Gax-Uhr^TM and Sih-Len^TM, and a young member of the Theriom elite. Mor-Rak stands out for his great resourcefulness, curiosity and acrobatic skills. After the rise of the Destructomorphs, evil outweighed the forces of good and Mor-Rak was recruited by his uncle Tir-Hing as a trainee, in order to fight for the Therioms and to serve them throughout Tahron’s future. Although he is not allowed to participate in an open conflict yet, he acquired incredible abilities from the Antikythron^TM, a device infused with mysterious power, that can harness energy from nature. By using these powers, Mor-Rak can loyally assist and watch over his fellows, often turning the tide in battle, or can move through time, allowing the Therioms to prevent historical dangers.

Articulation

Standard, except that elbows and knees are swivel/hinged, calves and tail are ball jointed, and there are no bicep, abdomen and thigh joints.

Description

Head: predominantly monkey-like (similar to a macaque, even if he's a primivod, a fictional anthropomorphic marsupial), characterised by a round shape, short brown/black fur, slightly prominent face with reddish skin and long white hair bundles at the cheeks, big green eyes and subtle smile. The face is very well sculpted and definitely fits the young age and the cuteness of the character. It's important to specify that the fur... is real! No, I don't mean that it comes from some real animals, but that it's made of short synthetic hairs instead of being sculpted (like in Tir-Hing's case, for example), a detail that adds further cuteness. I'm not sure it's only my impression, but I guess a particular painting technique has been used to give the feeling that the big bright eyes move as they are viewed from different angles

Body: smaller than the adult characters (only 12 cm, almost 5"), slim, brown (with black blotches) to white "real" fur, grey-green skin at the hands and the bare feet, very short tail. The fur on the torso is brown with black blotches on the back and white on the front, while the fur on the limbs (which, in my opinion, is slightly longer than on the rest of the body) is brown with black blotches on the outer parts and white on the inner parts. The short tail, which is a new entry in the Theriom characters and is also made of "real" fur, is ball-jointed; however, due to the short length of the tail, this joint is totally useless

Wearables: a light-green armour with brown details, two light-green bracelets, two light-green calf protectors, a light-green belt and a brown fabric loincloth with a small purse on the front.

Mor-Rak's stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comics Mor-Rak, thanks to his father's teachings, is a very skilled acrobat. This feature is transferred to the figure by delivering two alternative feet in a grasping pose, which can replace the ones used to make Mor-Rak stand. The hands don't need to be replaced, since they are already in the grasping position. This prehensility feature allows Mor-Rak to clasp a hand/foothold and swing to another one. Not much as an action feature, but still something.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the alternative feet, Mor-Rak comes with three accessories. The first is his rope that can be used either as a whip or a lasso. The rope is fastened to a brown handle at one end, while the other end bears a small hook; this is designed for catching hold of the middle of the rope itself, in order to turn the whip into a lasso by forming a noose. In such lasso configuration the hook works like a running knot, tightening the noose as the rope is pulled. The rope can also be inserted in a loop on the side of Mor-Rak's belt.

Then there is a stand, which looks a bit like a dry tree with three branches and is used by Mor-Rak for his acrobatics.

Finally, we have the antikythron, an instrument whose origin is unknown. Mor-Rak utilises the antikythron to combine himself with the forces of nature and become a powerful warrior. It is believed that this instrument was engineered in very ancient times, but how Mor-Rak has obtained it and how he has learnt using it is a mystery. The antikythron looks like a short silver staff characterised by an interesting technological design and has a baldric that can be worn by Mor-Rak for easy carry. The part near the handle displays six large coloured buttons plus a few smaller black switches and sliders all the way around. The top part is fictionally composed of five pieces that can open (in an upside-down umbrella fashion) to reveal the machinery inside; unfortunately, such a feature hasn't been reproduced in the toy accessory and instead we get three interchangeable snap-on top pieces, which are the closed, the open inactive and the open energised version respectively. The open inactive form shows the five sides spread out and a central axis, on which three short horizontal coaxial red arms hold one vertical coloured crystal each (in the comics, depending on the orientation of these components, the instrument generates a different power); all these pieces, i.e., the whole top part, each coaxial arm and each crystal, spin vertically and individually via swivels with a flick of your fingers. The energised version carries a well designed glow-in-the-dark energy vortex at its centre and also spins.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about Mor-Rak. I love the character's enterprising personality and the idea that he can turn from a young boy to a supernatural giant thanks to an enigmatic device. On the other hand, I think very little of that character's concept has been put in the action figure. I'm not impressed by the acrobatic rendering and I'm even less impressed by the antikythron. I'd rather have seen its five sides snapping together by a peg and falling open after unlocking that peg, even if I understand that this would have required a bigger engineering effort. Also, with such a smaller scale figure, I would expect a larger counterpart to be included in the package - in the comics Mor-Rak transforms into a giant warrior who is made either of lava or ice or sand... I'd be very happy to get at least one of those!

KR Review #12: Destructomorph Troopers

Deptilion finally gets his army builder set this month... I have been so impressed by Xonedar few days ago, that I almost forgot about this!

This is the second multi-pack (a 2-pack, to be precise) prototype I've received from PoliganToys, so let’s take a look at Desptilion’s Destructomorph Troopers^TM!

Details

Name: Destructomorph Troopers
Subtitle: robotic troopers
Classification: robots
Home: Tahron
Affiliation: Destructomorph (originally a Rexodon^TM project)
Rank: drones.

Background

The Destructomorph Troopers are a frequent presence in the KR universe and appear since the first issue The hidden halberd. During his offensives against the Therioms, Deptilion often utilises these robotic drones to carry out his evil plans. Based on a project that Deptilion stole from his long-time rival Loghar^TM, the Troopers have been reprogrammed to serve the Destructomorphs and equipped with several innovations, such as a built in 3D scan/projection system to impersonate their opponents and a counter-gravity field generator to increase their mobility. They also carry a variety of weapons, including laser pistols and back-mounted blasters. Often on the front lines of conflict, the Destructomorph Troopers challenge their antagonists in inexhaustible fighting.

Articulation

Standard, except that waist and wrists are ball jointed.

Description

Since the two figures are identical and have matching sets of accessories, from this point forward I'm going to describe a single Trooper and the description will apply to both of them.

Head: black metallic reptile skull, showing a few mechanical and electrical components, the eyes emit a red glow. The head structure resembles an Ankylosaurus' skull and its look is definitely evil; the shape is wide and low, and the front part of the jaws ends in a beak. It also wears a horned yellow helmet, whose extremely simple design, combining barbarian and robotic features, is very nice looking to me. Two additional horns project backwards and down from the back of the head, right below the helmet's silver horns

Body: black metallic arms and legs, showing lots of machinery/circuitry patterns; despite the description may sound similar to the one I used for Xonedar, this case is actually very different: while Xonedar's limbs are cyborg/android-like, i.e., robotic but still with a human shape, the Destructomorph Trooper's ones look more like an electro-hydraulic endoskeleton, with tubes, wires, pistons and hinges. Such features are also present under the armour, but with a surprise - once I'd uncovered it for the first time, the torso looked kind of familiar to me and it took not long to understand why... it is structured like a DJ controller, no kidding! I'm a DJ in my spare time, so I know what I'm seeing: the pecs look like two jog dials, the abdomen bears sliders, buttons and knobs, and at the centre of the chest there's a rectangular lenticular sticker, which gives an illusion of two sound waves coursing across that panel. Nice Easter egg!

Wearables: a red armour with yellow details, two red cuffs, two red shin protectors, a red belt and a yellow crotch piece; the last two elements show lots of cyber details. Once again, I feel there is too much red in the Destructomorph characters... I really hope this issue will be addressed with the upcoming colour-scheme changes.

Destructomorph Trooper's stylised helmet with 3D scanner deployed.

Action feature

In the comics, the Destructomorph Troopers have the ability to perform 3D scans of their opponents via stereoscopic cameras that come out of their helmets; afterwards, thanks to several holographic projectors embedded in their body, they can take on the appearances of the people they have scanned. So, each Trooper can be equipped with a nicely detailed 3D scanner, which snaps on the rear part of the helmet. Regarding the projectors, I guess their replication in an action figure was much more challenging, but anyway we get a sheet of small three-dimensional glow-in-the-dark stickers, which are a smart idea to add the illusion of light spots embedded in the figure. It is possible to see the outline of the 3D-GITD stickers pretty clearly up close, but they work well at a distance and, in case, they can be removed without leaving any glue residues.

Additionally, the front piece of the armour can be replaced by an alternative chest piece. The latter is identical to the former, except that has two large holes (one on the right side of the breast and one on the left side of the abdomen), through which the mech-tech framework underneath is visible, plus a couple of minor battle damages. I find this damaged armour very well designed, it really gives the feeling that the Trooper has been hit by a major blast. On the other hand, I'm a bit disappointed not to find also a damaged head, which I would definitely expect after such a shock. The armour back piece is not replaceable, but is equipped with two black guns mounted on two adjustable armatures, so that they can be set in either a vertical rest position or a horizontal (just over the Trooper's shoulders) attack position.

Finally, thanks to the presence of a few ad hoc ball&socket connection points, some of the Trooper's body parts, i.e., head, torso and hands, can be easily disconnected. I'll get more into the details in the accessories section.

Destructomorph Trooper's stylised armour.

Weapons and accessories
Each Trooper comes with a great deal of accessories. Apart from the already mentioned 3D scanner for the helmet, holo-projectors stickers and alternative chest piece, we also get two blasting effects for the back mounted guns. This is interesting, because it seems that PoliganToys is testing a new approach in respect of shooters; so far we have seen either spring-loaded mechanisms or totally passive guns, but this time we get a nicely sculpted pair of plug-in explosion effects instead, which I really like. Furthermore, there is a laser pistol, whose design is very similar to the back mounted guns, except that the colour is yellow and not black. The pistol can be inserted in a holster attached to the back of the belt; I find that position pretty uncomfortable for the Trooper, because of both limiting the waist rotation and making it difficult to reach out for the pistol when it's needed, so I can't understand why the holster wasn't placed at one side of the belt instead.
Earlier I have mentioned a few particular ball&socket connection points. These include the wrists, which allow the hands to be replaced; we get a set of four hands: one for holding the pistol, one in a fist pose and (another great surprise!) two with a circular saw coming out partially from the side of each palm. The alternate hands pop in and out of the arms easily, but are nice and solid. The lower body, from the waist down, can also be replaced with an alternative piece, which looks a bit like a rocket engine. This is a reference to a comic strip in which the Destructomorph Troopers are shown to disconnect their legs and fly away by using a counter-gravity field generator. The flying configuration works fine as it is, but in case we want to add a bit of a floating feel to the posing, we also get a translucent stand, which plugs solidly into the bottom of the "rocket" piece via a ball&socket joint.
Last but not least, there are two sets of alternative repainted heads and weapons, one for each Trooper, which is the only case of non-matching accessories. Since the Destructomorph Troopers can get the resemblance to anybody, PoliganToys has decided to add Masq-Lor's and Sei-Lha's repainted unhelmeted heads, which are similar to the originals on the right side, but show slightly livid skin (with hints of mech-tech components on the cheek), a black eye (with red pupil) and reddish hair on the left side, almost to suggest that the holo-projectors are not working properly in that spot. It's up to you to decide whether these heads should snap on the Troopers' (it doesn't make much sense, since the rest of their body is robotic) or on Masq-Lor's and Sei-Lha's bodies. I chose the second option, so I can pretend that those two heroes are actually Destructomorph Troopers in disguise. The set is completed with yellow and silver versions of Masq-Lor's normal sword and Sei-Lha's rotating shield.

Overall, this 2-pack makes for a great addition to the Destructomorph faction. Since I’m a big fan of army building, if this set ever goes on the market, I think I’ll buy two more, to make a nice little army. The only disappointment is about the missing damaged heads, which I would have liked much better than the two fake heads.

KR Review #11: Xonedar

It’s been a few days since I’ve reviewed a KR figure. The Destructomorph^TM Troopers should be the next up for review, but I’m not much in the mood for reptilian robots at this moment and I’ll be taking a look at Xonedar^TM instead!

Xonedar is the 10^th action figure prototype I've received from PoliganToys.

Details

Name: Xonedar

Subtitle: hyper-technological engineer

Classification: partially human

Sex: male

Relationships: Sei-Lha's father

Home: Tahron

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: lieutenant commander; expert in intelligence, mechanical & materials engineering and surgery.

Background

Also Xonedar's first appearance takes place in The hidden halberd, where he's presented as a Theriom member of great renown, who was seriously injured during a terrible accident while working on a shipbuilding project in the past. He was healed by his fellow soldier and loyal friend Koptros^TM, who transformed and grafted his body with cybernetic parts by encasing each of his cells into a microscopic technological structure invented by Xonedar himself at an earlier time. By adjusting the properties of these techno-elements in his body, Xonedar gained the ability to shape himself to almost unlimited forms. He was then upgraded for battle with several built-in weapons, so that he could serve the Therioms in their fight against evil once again. Confronted by his foes, Xonedar uses his unstoppable robotic strength in heroic combat and his amazing bionic eye to spy on the evil enemy.

Articulation

Standard, except that waist, wrists and calves are ball jointed and there is no abdomen crunch.

Description

Head: he constantly wears a dark-blue cyber helmet with silver details, which only allows us to see the mouth surrounded by black skin; the rest of the face is covered by a single large dark bionic eye

Body: black metallic arms and legs, showing lots of machinery/circuitry patterns; the legs look particularly reinforced in the thigh and knee areas. Under the armour he displays a clear transparent torso accented with steel edging, inside which a complex combination of bluish-grey gears, valves, wires and organs (e.g., heart, lungs and guts) is visible; this is quite a surprise, because I don't remember if what's under the hood has ever been shown in the comics. At the centre of his chest there is a lenticular sticker, whose design animates (this reminds me a bit of the Shazam logo when it “listens” to a song) and colour shifts from red to green as it is viewed from different angles; there will be more about this later

Wearables: a silver armour with dark-blue details (the two colours alternate clockwise), two silver gauntlets, two silver boots (displaying details similar to wheels and continuous tracks), a silver belt (displaying small tools, i.e., a penknife, a pair of pliers, a pair of tweezers, a hammer, a screwdriver and a wrench, all the way around) and a dark-blue crotch piece. Everything looks a bit bulkier than what we have seen in most of the other figures so far.

Xonedar's stylised helmet; the dark oval at the centre represents the bionic eye.

Action feature

Fasten your safety belt, because this is going to be one of the craziest journeys into the action feature section we have taken so far. Let's start with the head... such a small part and so many features! The eye is rotating, which means there are three interchangeable eyepieces placed on a horizontal drum that turns via an earphone-shaped dial on the right side of the helmet. The first eye is dark-purple colour and is supposed to be Xonedar's default far-seeing eye (which in the comics is a combination of a high-resolution camera and a radar, and looks completely black), the second eye is a dark-orange&black high-energy detector (which resembles the trefoil symbol used to warn about ionising radiation), while the third section of the drum is actually a socket. The latter shows a few cool cyber details and bears a hole at its centre, which is used to connect further plug-in eye pieces, namely a night/thermal vision goggle with a big green lens and a silver&blue zooming (for real!) directed-energy cannon. Both pieces can be easily removed thanks to their protruding parts, but of course they prevent the drum from turning when connected. One more thing about the eye - the top-rear part of the helmet is a transparent window; when the drum displays the dark-purple eye, the light will first pass through this window and then through the hole in the cyber-socket positioned at 120° to the displayed eye, making the latter glow. Actually this works best with a strong light (I used the flash of my smartphone) in a relative dark environment, but in general the effect is quite perceptible, although it's not even close to the light beam that he uses to blind opponents in the comics.
That was just about Xonedar's head, but what about the rest of his body? Earlier I mentioned a lenticular sticker at the centre of Xonedar's chest, which is also visible when the armour is worn and gives him a kind of Iron Man look. Fictionally speaking, this chest-piece is a sort of reactor which powers Xonedar's vital functions, while in real life it simply spins via a dial on his back, causing its design to change and its colour to gradually fade from red to green to red and so on. The two parts, chest-piece and back-dial, are linked by a couple of gears inside Xonedar's torso, making the rotation effect somewhat gimmicky.

Last but not least, all the ball&socket connection points are particularly robust and allow several of Xonedar's body parts, i.e., head, torso, hands and shins, to be easily disconnected. Why? Well, he's a sort of cyborg and by reading his background story we learn that following an unspecified (but probably very bad) accident, every single cell of his body has been encased in a techno-element, giving him the ability to take different robotic forms. I wish such an ability could be mirrored by the figure, but of course it can't be. However, some of Xonedar's "powers" seen in the comics are well reproduced, such as his extensible neck, limbs and torso, and his transforming hand. I'll get more into the details in the accessories section.

Xonedar's stylised armour; the circle at the centre of the chest plate represents the power reactor.

Weapons and accessories
Xonedar comes with a large number of snap-on accessories. First of all, the extensions for his neck, torso, wrists and calves; these show a silver colour and many more cyber details than in the comics, which I really like, and in my opinion their length is just right, not too short, not too long. Since neck, wrists and shins are fictionally not only unlimitedly extensible but also flexible, each extension has one articulation point, expanding Xonedar's poses in a way that I couldn't have imagined. The torso extension is not articulated and is thicker than the others, but is also equipped with a small sliding door that reveals a hollow space within; this is a nice replica of the "bomb crusher" tool he will show in one of the next comic issues. Besides the extensions, there are also three silver&blue snap-on tools that can replace his left hand: a large 2-jaw articulated claw, a blaster with a spring-loaded missile, and a chainsaw. These tools are very nicely sculpted, also with many cyber details; funny thing is that we can attach them to any socket connection points we want and not only to the left wrist (though that's where we see them in the comics), with plenty of crazy combinations.
Additionally there are four other accessories: a microphone, a mouth shield, a long range listening device and a double rifle. Both the microphone and the mouth shield snap (one at a time) into the helmet, giving Xonedar an extra-cool look. The listening device slightly resembles a radar antenna, but is actually a parabolic microphone that plugs into the left side of the helmet, opposite to the earphone-dial. Finally, the dark-blue rifle has two side-by-side barrels and also works as an arm guard. This piece looks great and can connect to a sort of holster on the back (preventing, in this case, the dial-spinning feature) or split into two single rifles. The two bullets (which almost look like missiles) are also separate pieces and can detach from the weapon, but there is no spring-loaded mechanism in this case.

Overall, this action figure is badass! And not only because of the great deal of accessories, but also because it is an excellent replication of one of the the most formidable characters in the entire KR universe. Not even one small disappointment? Well, yes, the earphone-dial on the helmet. I wish a different solution for rolling the bionic eye could be found, so that the helmet would look as symmetric as is shown in the comics (update: there will be an identical, but fixed, earphone on the opposite side). By the way, now that we know that several variants are going to be released, I really hope Xonedar will get his own... in the comics he's seen merging with other characters or even transforming into a motorbike! Please, PoliganToys, give me those!