With this year having to finish up the prototype line-up, I'd say that this 13th multi-pack from PoliganToys was all but inevitable.
Even though Magda-LynTM has never been under the spotlight in the comics, she is an integral part of the KR mythos. That’s one of the great things about a collector line – characters that may be considered too "dull" for storytelling criteria, can still fill out the collections on our shelves.
Also, the guys at PoliganToys have added another dimension to the KR line with the first ever aircraft, which was a most wanted item - the AviotakTM.
Magda-Lyn
Details
Name: Magda-Lyn
Family name: NorvyreTM
Family name: NorvyreTM
Subtitle: zealous adviser
Classification: human
Sex: female
Relationships: wife of Tir-Hing, mother of Desion (Masq-Lor), Herrion and Rhadiel (Fai-Rha)
Home: Tahron
Affiliation: Theriom
Rank: Senior Advisor.
Background
Magda-Lyn's initial appearance takes place in the first KR comic issue The hidden halberd. The only child in a humble family of farmers, Magda-Lyn enlisted in the Theriom army during her girlhood and was trained by Captain Tir-Hing to serve in times of war. Proving a heroic soldier in many battles, she eventually fell in love with Tir-Hing, became his wife and accepted to assist her husband as Senior Advisor soon after the republic of Tahron had been established. Admirably coping with the abduction of her children for many years, she was often assigned to diplomatic duties. Now, finally being reunited with her warrior sons and daughter, Magda-Lyn helps rule the free people of Tahron with her intelligence and good judgement.
Articulation
Standard, excluding hinged abdomen.
Description
Head: white skin, blue eyes, blonde hair drawn back into a chignon. She wears an elaborate ivory tiara and a pair of gold earrings
Body: covered from neck to toe. Her hands show a white skin and her fingernails are painted with red varnish
Wearables: a long pink dress with an O-neck and long sleeves, two golden bracelets decorated with ivory stones, two golden boots and a golden belt. The Y-shaped belt separates the fitted part above the waist from the slightly flouncier skirt below, allowing for the waist swivel. Despite the skirt is made of a soft plastic, the fact that it has no slit blocks her articulation from the waist down.
Action feature
In the comics, Magda-Lyn is not exactly a major character and, apart from knowledge and wisdom, doesn't show any particular skills or powers. Luckily, the figure balances this lack of action with a couple of interesting features. First up is the ability of her ivory accessories, i.e., the tiara and the two stones on the bracers, to glow in the dark. Next is the presence of a removable white cape, which is probably my favourite part of her outfit. The cape, which is also GITD, fastens at the neck using a gold choker and incorporates two golden shoulder pads. Like her belt, those spaulders and the attached necklace add a unique touch to a mostly plain costume design. Each shoulder pad is decorated with a golden fleur-de-lis design (⚜) that is disconnectable and can be replaced by an identical symbol attached to the end of a wavy silver wire. In this way, it seems like the dagger-shaped stylised flowers can be shot from the spaulders towards the enemies and, thanks to two extensible cables (made of rigid plastic in reality), can eventually been drawn back.
Weapons and accessories
Magda-Lyn only comes with one accessory, which is her light sceptre. This is a golden staff topped with an ivory ornament that, besides being GITD, bears a striking resemblance to the launching fleur-de-lis seen on her shoulder pads. From the comics we learn that this sceptre used to belong to Par-SyaTM, Tir-Hing's deceased mother and former queen of Tahron. It definitely looks a symbol of sovereignty, though more monarchical than republican, and I think it's actually a nice mother-in-law's gift.
Aviotak
Details
Name: Aviotak
Subtitle: whizzing flying scooter
Classification: aircraft
Home: Tahron
Affiliation: Theriom
Rank: transport.
Description
The Aviotak is a small open-air, high-speed flying machine that uses a combination of rocket-powered propulsion and anti-gravitational lift. It only carries one rider (who is secured by a 2-point safety belt that goes over the waist) and is used for reconnaissance purposes, as well as rapid transportation in combat zones. Its streamlined red fairing subtly recalls the torpedo-shaped body of a dolphin, with an elongated nose, flipper-like wings, a small vertical stabiliser resembling a dorsal fin and a fairly long tail ending in a fluke-like structure that includes two large turbojet engines. A high-tech silver revolving dashboard/handlebar with tons of sculpted controls fits in a figure's grip and tapers forward above the nose into a laser cannon, which also works as a scanning device that allows the rider to navigate in a sort of augmented reality mode. Its tail can swing slightly left and right, a characteristic that fictionally gives the vehicle a great manoeuvrability and that I'm glad has been recreated in the toy. Although the Aviotak is a flying machine, the toy version can roll across smooth surfaces on two small wheels situated underneath the rear part of the vehicle and another one embedded in the circular counter-gravity field generator in the front.
Action feature
The Aviotak is characterised by a double configuration. When in speed-flight mode, the counter-gravity field generator is located under the nose of the vehicle and the rider lies on his/her stomach. When in attack-hover mode, the aircraft acquires a more vertical layout (but the nose and the tail swing to keep a horizontal position, while a kind of high-tech drive shaft pivots on a transverse axis, allowing the front anti-gravity thingy to remain at the level of the tail) and the rider is positioned nearly straight up. All the swinging parts have joints that are strong enough to hold the Aviotak in position with no problem.
Additionally, each wing incorporates a large silver missile launcher flanked by a small gun; each launcher fires one missile thanks to a spring-loaded mechanism. Also, the lower part of the nose can open in a jaw-like fashion to reveal a hidden silver cannon.
Weapons and accessories
The Aviotak comes with a small set of accessories. First up is a clear flight stand, which has a diameter large enough to be a very sturdy base, so the aircraft will not be falling over. It attaches to a hole in the bottom of the Aviotak and can be rotated forward and backward with a ratchet feature, allowing for a lot of dynamic aerial posing for both the speed and attack modes.
Furthermore, we get two nicely sculpted plug-in blasting effects, which can be used either for the firearms (i.e, the nose cannon and the handlebar laser cannon) or the jet engines.
Overall, I love this 2-pack. Magda-Lyn is a great character, important to the KR mythos and a much needed figure. The GITD and shooting parts add a ton of fun and an unexpected cool factor to this figure. I love that PoliganToys gave me exactly what I expected in a Magda-Lyn figure and even something more that I didn't know I wanted.
The Aviotak isn't perhaps the most fun item produced so far, but I'm still very much into it. This baby is like a tricked-out Ducati made in Tahron, it just does have it all. I think I'm gonna need a couple more, so I can display some Theriom Troopers on them. I'm just surprised that it came with probably the only figure that can't ride it due to the long dress...
No comments:
Post a Comment