The KR|Origin line gets yet another prototype this month with an Origin inspired DenortosTM figure.
With Kai-Xi, Bi-Harr and Galamars already on my shelf, PoliganToys is doing a fantastic job getting these characters into my hands as they possibly can, and this fourth action figure prototype now joins the ranks of his Origin counterparts.
Details
Name: Denortos (Origin Edition)
Subtitle: alien menace
Classification: uncertain
Sex: male
Home: Cereutis
Era: 520 years before Masq-Lor's time (now renamed Foundation)
Affiliation: Reptonoid (temporarily)
Rank: mercenary.
Background
First appearance: KR|Origin #1 - An arduous venture
Brief bio: a dangerous criminal from the surface of the extra dimension of Cereutis, Denortos was sent to Earth to find Wen Kai xi and impede her destiny to become the Deity. He lost his left arm and parts of his face during his desperate attempt to follow Kai-Xi and Galamars on their journey to Tahron. Eventually, Denortos allied himself with Bi-Harr to seek his revenge, but the Therioms' combativeness proved to be a tough match for him and, at last, he was deported back to his dimension and imprisoned.
Articulation
Standard, with the addition of a hinged lower jaw.
Description
Head: elongated shape, dark-blue (almost black) skin, a strip of spade-shaped imbricate shiny silver scales running centrally from the middle of the forehead to the back of the head (developing into a spiny cranial crest), two short tentacle-like dark-blue antennas, two pairs of curved dark-blue spines pointing backwards where one would expect to find the ears, yellow eyes (each with a horizontal slit-shaped dark pupil resembling a series of four small holes, similarly to a Tokay gecko eye) topped with jagged brow ridges, two large nostrils and two rows of sharp, piranha-like whitish teeth lining the jaws. Unlike the regular figure, this version of Denortos' head has neither bionic components nor a loop in the cranial crest
Body: his dark-blue (almost black) skin is stretched over a series of bony plates with spine-like tubercles, which are arranged in rings throughout his body, giving a general segmented, armoured appearance. His limbs sport claw extremities and large strips of spade-shaped imbricate shiny silver scales running down the sides (a similar stripe also extends from the nape of the neck, divides along the shoulder blades and continues along the back to the loin). Finally, he has a short pointy tail emerging from his trunks and protected by a leaf-shaped, spiny-edged dark-blue tail shield. The surgical suture seen on the regular figure's abdomen is absent here
Wearables: a black armour with light-green details (the two colours alternate clockwise), two black bracelets, two black calf protectors, a black belt (displaying a small horizontal pocket on the back) and a striped light-green crotch piece. The armour is a removable, unblemished version of the regular figure's covering and shows some tech details, tubes and a silver Cereutian symbol (resembling a four-pointed throwing star with what looks like a trilobite embossed in the middle) on the front. Its two furthest-apart components are connected diagonally via a strap that also holds a pouch on the back. The arms display light-green bronze shoulder armours (the left one has an angular shape and is covered with studs, whereas the right one is curvier and has a number of spikes), while the legs carry two black removable cyber thigh/knee protectors that are criss-crossed with a network of green tubes.
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| Denortos' stylised armour; the circle at the centre of the chest piece represents a Cereutian symbol. |
Action feature
In the comics, apart from taking a human appearance to go unnoticed and having extremely accurate senses owing to his antennas, Denortos is shown to possess the ability to inflict ferocious bites on his enemies. The feature is wonderfully rendered thanks to the spring-loaded lower jaw, which can swing open and then suddenly snap shut like a bear trap. Unfortunately, in the Origin series there is no mention of his power to exhale a knockout gas from his "ears".
In addition, Denortos can transform into a canine-like beast. So, the figure comes with his beast form, which shares several features with the anthropoid configuration, including the dark-blue (almost black) skin, a general segmented, armoured appearance, clawed extremities and large strips of spade-shaped imbricate shiny silver scales running down the sides of the limbs. The head is also very similar, although it doesn't have a hinged lower jaw (why not?!). An interesting detail is the design of his neck and tail, which bear a number of three-sided segments that look like those found in a spinal column. The articulation is great too and includes two points on the neck/head area, three in each fore leg, four in each hind leg and two on the tail alone. Moreover, replacing both the head and the tail with alternative pieces allows us to obtain the beast form of regular Denortos. The alternative head has an electronic left eye and mechanical jaws (again, not hinged), whereas the tail (fictionally derived from the left arm) has a great steel robotic look. The end of the cybernetic pointy tail can be popped off and replaced by a four-pronged piece (actually a double edged blade with two separate blades in the centre); a split version of the same piece makes it look like the four-bladed spear head has been propelled through the air and, thanks to an extensible cable (a simple string in reality) attached to the tail, can eventually been drawn back. Definitely this beast form is a most welcome addition!
Weapons and accessories
Denortos comes with a great deal of add-ons. The first accessory is his light-green petrifaction-staff. This is beautifully sculpted and has two "stag beetle mandible"-shaped silver blades at the sides of the head, while at the other end of the pole is a hooked silver blade that resembles that of a sickle.
Additionally, there is his signature silver shield. This is an exact replica of the bulky, trapezoidal shield that came with the regular figure. Both surfaces bear intricate tech patterns and are made of hinged fold-out pieces (one on the back and three on the front) that make it possible to convert the shield into a hovering jet-board. When shrunk, the shield attaches securely either at the figure's left wrist or at the back armour via a peg; when spread out, the jet-board fastens snugly under his feet (with the figure standing on it). Unlike the regular version, the figure also includes a clear stand for the jet-board, which has a ball joint that allows for some nice posing.
Last but not least, the guys at PoliganToys tossed a few alternative pieces in the package, so that Denortos can match the styling of his fellows seen in The Cereutian menace comic book. The set includes a head, a rubbery neck piece that mimics a whitish furry collar, two shoulder attachments, a belt, a gun and a pair of wings. First of all, it's necessary to remove Denortos' head, armour, thigh guards and both arms. The exposed arm-sockets allow for detaching the two shoulder guards (which partly fit in the sockets) and assembling the two alternative silver shoulder pieces (which fit around the sockets and cover parts of the chest and the back) onto the body. After reconnecting the arms, fitting the neck piece on top of the body and attaching the alternative head (which is almost identical to the standard one, except for the presence of a whitish mohawk in place of the silver cranial crest, ears that are slightly swung forward and spread out, deep-set solid yellow eyes and a static lower jaw), it's enough to add a supplementary silver belt that is much larger than the standard non-removable one and is decorated with the Cereutian symbol at the centre. Also, we get a weapon that looks like regular Denortos' petrifaction-beam gun, although it's completely painted in silver and has a slightly simpler design. Finally, since a couple of his peers are winged, a pair of large bat-like dark-blue wings (reused from Reptile Masq-Lor) can plug into the back of the shoulder attachments and each can be posed thanks to a single swivel/hinge point of articulation. The wings can also be plugged into two sockets located on the back of the beast form; however, this design is pretty different from the comics, in which the wings are produced by folding open the armoured skin covering the abdomen and the flanks.
Overall, this version of Denortos is a great new entry to the Origin line and I'm definitely pleased with him. Being one of my favourite KR characters, Denortos has built-in support, but, objectively speaking, the figure itself really turned out great. The new look (which is actually an old look) integrates nicely with the character history and, like with Kai-Xi and Bi-Harr, definitely adds a new dimension on my shelf. Including enough interchangeable parts to build an entirely different figure, as well as a 3-in-1 beast form (Origin, regular and winged) with three different tail attachments made two wishes of mine come true. On the other hand, having the ability to detach his left arm, it's really a pity that a wounded head for displaying Denortos in the way he appears after his battle injury hasn't been included. I'd rather PoliganToys had given us that instead of a replica of his shield, even though I'm very happy about the flight stand. The cape used by Denortos to cover his wounds would have been a nice addition too. The style that is building with this line will definitely bring a refreshing change in my collection, especially once more figures start to hit.
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