KR Review #43: Ultra Masq-Lor

It might be a very obscure figure from the KR line, but the variant of Masq-Lor I'm going to review can certainly make itself very distinct by means of lights and sounds.

Not only this 34^th action figure prototype from PoliganToys has been sent to me before any appearances in the comics (the only precedent is CoBoN's robot mode), but also, for the first time ever, its action feature requires a battery.

So, let’s take a closer look at Ultra Masq-Lor^TM!

Details

Name: Ultra Masq-Lor

Real name: Desion

Subtitle: undefeatable sabre-toothed warrior

Classification: human-primivod hybrid (but he looks completely human)

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: leading warrior.

Background

Masq-Lor's only appearance with his Ultra gear takes place in a KR comic issue that hasn't been printed yet (and has no title either) but I had the chance to preview... I'll try not to spoil it too much. In the middle of a new attack to Theriom City and after decimating most of Tir-Hing's army, a revived Deptilion succeeds in conquering the Key, paving the way to his dominion over Tahron. Finding themselves at the edge of a downfall, the Therioms desperately invoke the Deity, who is responsible for maintaining balance between conflicting forces, to seek mediation. Eventually, Masq-Lor and Deptilion meet in an arena between the multiversal walls. Though both are enhanced by the power of the Key transferred into the prodigious Trinergon^TM weapon, only one will be victorious.

Articulation

Standard.

Description

Head: this figure's head actually has some departures from the original design for Masq-Lor's helmeted head. It still shows the sabre-toothed visor activated, metal cat ears, fierce feline eyes and light brown skin around the mouth, but also displays a silver bar covering the "nose" at the centre of the visor and a much squarer lower jaw

Body: the arms and the torso show light brown skin with black-tawny ocelot stripes (no colour change feature), while the legs are covered with light-blue trousers that have some cyber details and a pocket on the left side

Wearables: a black harness with vac-metal silver details, two black gauntlets, two black boots, a black belt and a golden armoured loincloth. The two-piece snap-on harness looks quite bulky and features a brand new shiny silver Key-inspired symbol on the front; the gauntlets, the boots and the belt have a very different design compared to previous Masq-Lor's releases and bear various silver techno-embellishments (towards the fingers of the gauntlets, around the soles of the boots, and on the buckle and the sides of the belt), which give the figure a bit of a space feel. The right arm is protected by a two-piece clip-on armour, which is black and decorated with a few silver mechanical components. On the back of the harness, UM carries a technological backpack, which has a ton of small sculpted details, including a sort of meter. The right side of the pack has a holster to store a peculiar weapon, the trinergon, which looks a bit like a silver rifle with two translucent yellow blades at the end of two opposite sides of the barrel; the blades, like the harness symbol, resemble two of the four components of the Key. The weapon has a cord that runs to the backpack where it is permanently attached.

Ultra Masq-Lor's stylised harness.

Action feature

At some point in the comic issue that hasn't been printed yet, Masq-Lor and Deptilion start hurling glowing blades at one another inside a kind of arena. The aim of this "dodgeball" battle is to hit the opponent with a double-bladed energy disc, which is produced by the backpack and thrown using the trinergon, in order to reduce his energy supply. The two warriors fight either by flinging those blades directly at each other or by bouncing them off the walls or ceiling of the arena, and they can avoid attacks either by jumping out of the way or use their own trinergon as a shield to absorb the energy of the oncoming blade. All this is brought to life thanks to the very first electronic gadget seen in the KR line. The equipment requires an AA battery that must be put in the backpack, which afterwards fits onto the figure together with the harness. I think the arm covering had originally been intended for concealing the cable that carries the power to the weapon, but this solution was eventually discarded because too impractical; I honestly don't mind the cord being out and the arm pieces still look like shielding Masq-Lor from the energy of the trinergon when it's in his hand. By pressing on a trigger-button at the top of the backpack, several things happen. The translucent blades light up, first in a pulsating mode, then continuously, and an energising/throwing sound is activated. The blades stay illuminated for a few seconds, then the light goes off. That's it for now, but when a similar Deptilion figure is released, there will be more going on - by switching on the light&sound feature, an infrared beam is also sent from one backpack to a sensitive target on the other figure's backpack, like with a remote control (the IR transmitter and receiver are located over the figure's shoulders and there is also a guide spot that helps aim). If the IR signal connects with the targeted figure, a vibrating mechanism inside the backpack is triggered and makes the figure fall.

Weapons and accessories

The guys at PoliganToys probably thought that the bulky battery-operated gear wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea. That's why they included a small set of accessories to display this Masq-Lor variant in a more traditional way. The set includes an alternative armour, a shoulder guard, and his signature sword and claws. While the armour is quite simple and painted in black with vac-metal gold details, the shoulder guard has a more complex design to it. It seems mainly made of leather, but has a dark fur shoulder pad on the right side and a silver pauldron on the left side, and fastens at the neck by two big silver chains that hold a shiny golden Theriom symbol at the centre. It also has a large leather scabbard attached to the back, into which the sword's blade can be inserted.

Speaking of the sword, this is an all-gold repaint of the enhanced sword that came with Masq-Lor's regular release and, despite its monochromaticity, looks pretty cool to me. Finally, a pair of long brownish retractile claws can be attached to each gauntlet, similarly to Masq-Lor's regular version.

Additionally, we get a loose translucent yellow energy double-blade, which is supposed to be thrown by the trinergon thing. Not that useful in my opinion, but I don't disgust it.

Ultra Masq-Lor's stylised alternative armour and shoulder guard; the oval at the centre of the shoulder guard represents the Theriom symbol.

Overall, even if the electronic feature is not my bag. there is actually a lot to love here. The figure looks great in both versions, either with the trinergon gear or the more traditional outfit. The new face sculpt and the personality that comes with it work perfectly as a bridge between the two styles. This figure will definitely be the most fun to play with when I also get its Deptilion counterpart, because that will give the electronic feature the best chance to express its potential. So, stay tuned for more stuff later.