KR Review #46: Blomok

What’s exciting about the KR line is how well done some of its figures are. And Blomok^TM is no exception.

This 36^th action figure prototype from PoliganToys has got a unique look and is going to really stand out on my shelf.

Details

Name: Blomok

Subtitle: fire-breathing warrior

Classification: lepidosauromorph reptile

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Affiliation: Spektrosaur

Rank: brigadier.

Background

Blomok only appears briefly in the seventh KR comic issue The siege of Erlokat. A lizardy warrior from the extreme desert in the dry valleys of Harir, Blomok was among Bi-Harr's first recruits when the evil general formed his reptilian army. He fought alongside Bi-Harr for several centuries during the war against the Therioms, slaying many mammalian adversaries in hand to hand combat. Eventually, Blomok eagerly joined the Spektrosaurs, after Lor-Drek had expressed the intention to enlist him in an attempt to boost his forces against his former fellow soldiers. Using his fire-breathing power, Blomok has become a daunting enemy of all the other factions involved in the conflict for conquering the Key.

Articulation

Standard, plus one articulation point on the tail (a swivel about mid-length).

Description

Head: similar to a thorny dragon, characterised by light-bluish skin with a few horned reddish scales at the top, including two particularly large spines above the orange eyes. The mouth is open and shows some nicely sculpted details, such as the tongue and numerous sharp teeth on the inner sides of the jawbones. Something really cool about this figure is that the head features a false face on the back; this is realised with a full (except for two spiny "eyes") copper covering that gives the illusion of a dragonish/devilish face. I don't know whether the purpose of this double sided head is to present the false face to potential attackers from behind or to flip it around and make it appear as if Blomok has worn a mask for battle, but I like it!

Body: light-bluish scaly skin, claw hands and feet. His arms, legs and tail are entirely covered with an intimidating array of sharp, conical reddish spikes

Wearables: a silver armour with orange details, two silver gauntlets, two silver boots, a silver belt and a scale armour (i.e., consisting of several overlapping copper plates laced together) loincloth. One spike on each shoulder and thigh is equipped with a copper covering that is tied to the limb and bears a few battle marks and scratches; the metal covering on the right leg is also accompanied by a sort of holster for his weapon. Additionally, beneath both gauntlets and boots he sports a layer of chain mail, while the loincloth portion on the back extends downwards to cover almost half of the tail, but without inhibiting its one-joint articulation (most of the tail is permanently attached to the pelvis piece).

Blomok's stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comics, Blomok is capable of breathing a large stream of fire at his opponents. So, the figure comes with not one, but three different translucent orange plug-in flaming effects for his mouth. Two of them are repaints of other attachments we've already seen with previous figures, namely Nibeon and Traark. The former resembles a plume of fire, while I'm not really sure what the latter is supposed to be, because it was originally made of "flying" teeth... perhaps sparks? The third effect, the nicest looking in my opinion, is completely new and takes the form of three rather large fireballs.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the flaming effects, Blomok includes one accessory, which is his copper pickaxe. This has a quite long handle and a curved bar attached perpendicularly at the top; the "head" has a sharp point at one end and a large chisel edge at the other, making the whole thing looking like a deadly combination of a kama and an adze.

Comic

Together with the action figure we get the seventh comic issue The siege of Erlokat. The Spektrosaurs attack Erlokat^TM, the stronghold of the Independent Warriors. In spite of its inhabitants' resistance, the reptilian forces take control of the fort. With this siege, Lor-Drek wants to get the attention of his estranged adopted daughter, whose desertion caused extreme suffering to him. However, Fai-Rha is not present in the citadel. An independent warrior named Ramalik manages to escape and to reach Theriom City, where he informs Tir-Hing about the Spektrosaurs attacking Erlokat and Lor-Drek holding its people as his prisoners. Masq-Lor and other Theriom soldiers form a rescue squad to make sure that Fai-Rha is safe and to free the fort. There, Lor-Drek and many Spektrosaur troopers await them. In addition, the evil leader deploys several of his best recruits into the surrounding environment. The Therioms succeed in entering the fortification, but Lor-Drek's army proves to be too strong even for them, who must regrettably abort the mission. During their retreat, Masq-Lor loses his helmet, but Fai-Rha, on her way back to Erlokat, finds it. Finally, the two siblings reunite and try to regain control of the citadel. While Fai-Rha saves the hostages, Lor-Drek attempts to capture her, but Masq-Lor overcomes him in the very last moment, forcing him to fly away.

Overall, I love Blomok! Here we have a figure with a great sculpt and some sharp paint applications that absolutely puts it in a class all of its own. I would like a little more articulation at the tail and some more original accessories, but I still like the level the guys at PoliganToys stopped at.

I'm very happy about the comic too, it definitely ends up as a great addition for my KR collection. At last Lor-Drek gets the attention that he deserves. He's not just Bi-Harr's one-time buddy, but a hugely cruel leader and a suffering adoptive parent.