KR|Origin Review #11: Elykta (Origin Edition)

Elykta^TM is closing out May in the KR|Origin line as the second monthly prototype. Yes, I'm pretty excited. I had been waiting for long to get an evil version of this character, who is a favourite of mine.

Ultimately, this ninth action figure prototype of the Origin lineup looks quite similar to the regular edition of Elykta, but she does have a number of things going for her. For example, she allows us to display an unhelmeted versions of the character, she has some newly moulded components, she includes a new set of accessories (kind of), and the shadow-demon that she comes with is made in an arguably better way than the one that came with Demo-Rha.

Details

Name: Elykta (Origin Edition)

Subtitle: reptilian sorceress

Classification: archosauromorph reptile

Sex: female

Home: Tahron

Era: 520 years before Masq-Lor's time (now renamed Foundation)

Affiliation: Reptonoid

Rank: captain; enchantress.

Background

First appearance: KR|Origin #2 - Battle for Tahron: Part I – The journey begins

Brief bio: originally an impulsive young member of a reptilian nomadic clan, Elykta was banished by her family to a monastery, where elder wizard-priests attempted to teach her responsibility. She fell under the tutelage of the powerful sorcerer Sphenorat^TM, from whom Elykta learnt to master many forms of witchcraft, including dark magic and clairvoyance, and acquired the shadow-cape. In addition to her magical skills, her comprehension of military strategy and tactics earned her a post on Bi-Harr's army, where she rose through the ranks quickly and became the first female Reptonoid to assume the position of captain. Soon after, Elykta began to question Bi-Harr's brutal methods of conquest and eventually rebelled against her leader.

Articulation

Standard, excluding hinged abdomen.

Description

Head: Elykta's face slightly resembles the visage of Dale Russel's Dinosauroid, with greenish skin and pink eyes, even though she looks fairly more pleasant; she wears a helmet which is shaped like a complete head of Parasaurolophus (or a similar "duck-billed" hadrosaurid) - it's difficult to figure out whether this helmet is a real head or is artificial, since some details, such as the eyes and part of the muzzle and of the crest, look like made of metal, while other details, especially the nape/cheek protector, look like made of real yellowish scaly skin. Apart from the different material of the metallic features (silver instead of copper), the helmet shows several dissimilarities from the headdress seen on regular Elykta, such as more noticeable metallic fangs, two orange amber gemstones on the cheek protectors connected by a curved linear copper inlaid piece on the nape protector, the inclusion of the three-spiked upper motif of the armour and, above all, the possibility to be removed. To achieve the latter, it is necessary to separate its back portion, which plugs into the crest, from the front one, which snugs around the face. Once stripped of the helmet, Elykta's head displays a bald look, two very subtle cranial crests, a darker wash above (and two almost unnoticeable curved linear dark marks below) the eyes and a V-shaped copper decoration (similar to a widow’s peak) with a blueish glowing gemstone worn on the centre of the forehead

Body: arms and legs show greenish scaly skin, as well as 3-claw hands and feet; unlike her regular counterpart, this version of Elykta is barefoot and has large sickle-shaped claws on the second toes

Wearables: an orange armour with scaly yellow details (the upper part features a decorative lace-up detail on the front and a series of golden discs laced together along the neckline), two orange copper bracelets (reused from Kai-Xi's enhanced form, and decorated with arabesque patterns and yellow sapphire gemstones), two plain orange copper armbands around the biceps, two orange copper calf protectors (with coiled snake-shaped knee guards), a belt made of several orange copper discs laced together (the central one of which is shaped like the Reptonoid symbol, i.e., a reptile eye, and displays a non-forked reptile tongue extending downward), a long triangular yellow fabric loincloth ornamented with copper rivets and a black cape with a jagged design.

Elykta's stylised armour; the greyed out pattern represents the part that in this version is attached to the helmet and doesn't belong to the armour. 

Action feature

In the comics Elykta can transform into a shadow-demon thanks to her shadow-cape, which would eventually be used by Demo-Rha in the regular series. This feature is brought to reality by equipping the figure with the shadow-demon and a clear stand to display it. The demon is very nicely sculpted and looks even cooler than the regular version included with Demo-Rha. Besides, it's finally large enough to appear proportionate to the figure.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the above-mentioned demon that represents Elykta's converted form, the figure comes with a wooden staff topped with a fork-like ramification, which, unlike the regular weapon, doesn't hold any stone. I wonder what the story behind that rock is.

Additionally, since Elykta is highly skillful in the practice of sorcery, the figure includes an alternative head that is an exact replica of the standard unhelmeted piece, except for the fact that the eyes are pupil-less and painted in a glowing purple colour, making her look as she's casting a spell.

Finally, we get a repaint of Zor-Kan's normal form with a small translucent yellow perch. In this version of Elykta's faithful bird of prey, the wings are completely blue (in different shades) and not red tipped, and the ruff is scarlet instead of light-orange.

Comic

Together with the action figure we get the second comic issue Battle for Tahron: Part I – The journey begins. After a long prologue that recounts Bi-Harr’s origins, the Theriom’s Royal Council of Thinkers is shown to discuss possible strategies to limit the reptilian leader’s dangerous mental abilities. These powers are recognised to be the reason behind the Reptonoids’ quickly growing dominance across Tahron. In the end, the Therioms decide to create two multiversal walls, beyond which Bi-Harr's powers must be trapped. In the meantime, the reptilian forces led by Bi-Harr capture King Khon-Uhr^TM while he’s on a diplomatic mission and subsequently the Council sends a group of valiant warriors to Rokang Tar, the Reptonoid home base, in order to rescue him. Bi-Harr and his minions are in the middle of interrogating the king when Denortos, looking for an alliance with the Reptonoids, breaks into the fortress and literally lands on them, giving Khon-Uhr a chance to escape and reunite with his men. The Theriom warriors explain to the king their plan to steal Bi-Harr’s mental faculties using newly built prodigious weapons and he chooses to join them, even if this means going back from where he just fled. On the way, they are ambushed by two lackeys of Bi-Harr’s. Using the power of their magic helmets, the Therioms easily overpower the reptilian enemies and continue their journey towards hope.

Overall, Elykta is a decent figure. If you made me choose amongst the Origin series figures, she would be at the low end, but the whole line is so far beyond my expectations that she’s nowhere close to being an unwelcome addition. Plus, PoliganToys outlined early on that the Origin Edition variants would be made from reused parts and that makes it inappropriate to have expected her to look much different from the regular figure.
About the comic, as an intermediate issue between the introduction and the conclusion, this one is quite good, although not too exciting.