KR|Origin Review #19: Chladox

I've been with PoliganToys' Key Raiders prototypes since the start, back to fall 2015, and I suspect I'll be with it till the end, whenever this comes. Some months are great, others a bit less, but the overall level of quality has been above average through these two wonderful years.

The 16^th action figure prototype of the KR|Origin series is Chladox^TM, a guy with a serious problem... he's got too many eyes! And when he gets a bit too irritated, more eyes pop out of his neck, leaving his opponents with no chance of hiding.

Details

Name: Chladox

Subtitle: all-seeing warrior

Classification: reptile of uncertain group

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

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

Affiliation: Reptonoid

Rank: officer candidate.

Background

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

Brief bio: a monstrous mutant creature with an eerie birth defect, Chladox sought a place in the Reptonoid army soon after its establishment. The mutation that gave him dozens of extra eyes made him one of the most reactive and thus dangerous soldiers serving Bi-Harr. Often partnered with the symbiotic warrior Rabidriss, to combine their sinister abilities for combat, this evil multi-eyed reptile proved himself a lethal fighter that pities others who only have a pair of eyes to view the battlefield with, serving his vile leader well on many missions against the heroic Therioms.

Articulation

Standard, with the addition of an extra neck piece and a tail, both ball jointed.

Description

Head: similar to a Dimetrodon, characterised by a tall, curved shape, blueish skin, yellow eyes with vertical slit-shaped dark pupils and large teeth of different sizes set along the partially open jaws. Additionally, an extension piece, which represents his forward-bent neck against which a thin scaly frill is folded down, connects the head to the body

Body: blueish scaly skin, claw hands. Besides a large sail formed by a row of elongated orange-yellow spines joined by blueish skin along his back, his main feature is the presence of a number of extra eyes on his limbs: two on the shoulders, two on the forearms near the elbows, two at the sides of the thighs and two on the shins near the knees. All these eyes are similar to the main ones and fictionally allow Chladox to see in any direction. Finally, he has a long, thin blueish bandy tail emerging from under the loincloth, which is painted in orange-yellow on the underside. Both the sail and the tail are reused from the male Reptonoid Trooper (though the tail is slightly retooled to bear a small comb of skin towards the end) and are separate pieces that snap into sockets on the back

Wearables: a silver armour with light-green details, two silver gauntlets, two silver boots, a silver belt (whose buckle is shaped like the Reptonoid symbol, i.e., a reptile eye) and a light-green fabric loincloth. Both the gauntlets and the boots display small flattened fins projecting from the sides, while the loincloth is another reused piece from the male Reptonoid Trooper.

Chladox's stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comics, Chladox's most distinct feature is the large ruff of skin that normally lies folded down against his neck; when in danger, he spreads out this frill similarly to a Chlamydosaurus, to frighten his enemies. Also, due to the inclusion of supplementary eyes, the frill further enhances his panoramic vision, allowing him to battle multiple opponents, simultaneously defending attacks from in front and behind. So, the figure comes with an alternative neck extension that displays the expanded frill, characterised by orange-yellow scales and additional blue-purple eyes (two pairs on the lower half of the front side and four pairs on the back) on the parts that are usually hidden in the folds.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the alternative neck piece, the figure comes with a light-green bronze chakram-shield, which in the comics Chladox hurls, spinning through the air, to his foes. The appearance of this throwing weapon somehow reminds me of the London Underground's roundel, with the ring part shaped like a large shuriken and the central bar resembling an evil S-styled reptile eye. The theme of this item is obviously a reference to both Chladox's all-seeing ability and the Reptonoid symbol.

Overall, this dude is one more winner in the Origin series and another of my favourites. I'm not sure why, but the Reptonoids in general appeal to me and I'll be displaying this one with the neck frill spread out. I'm just slightly disappointed about the extensive Reptonoid Trooper reuse, which could possibly cost this figure a couple of points. But even with those reused parts he's so damn cool looking that I can't resist going the full 100% satisfaction level.

KR|Origin Review #18: Sembryon

We have a robust KR lineup for this year and the latest entrant is Sembryon^TM, the legislator of the Theriom’s Royal Council of Thinkers.

This 15^th action figure prototype of the Origin series is the first to be reviewed for September... Rabidriss was supposed to be reviewed in August, but I was late. The figure comes with an awesome bio, which really helps in this case – it’s not like you can really learn much about this character from the comics.

Originally, Sembryon was meant to be the commander-in-chief of the Theriom Knights, sort of like the Tir-Hing of the Origin series. However, this didn’t pan out and Zhongat kinda took his place.

Details

Name: Sembryon

Subtitle: former ruler

Classification: human

Sex: male

Relationships: in the KR comic issue Hunt for the energy stone, it is mentioned that Sih-Len^TM, Mor-Rak's mother, is (or at least used to be) the princess of the feudal territory of O-Kin; since Sembryon is the former monarch of the same territory, it is likely that he's an ancestor of Mor-Rak's

Home: Tahron

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

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: legislator (formerly Lord Sembryon, ruler of the small Kingdom of O-Kin).

Background

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

Brief bio: among the many small realms that in the long run joined up with the Therioms and formed the Kingdom of Tahron, none was as honoured as O-Kin, a sovereign territory in a mountainous region of strategic importance dominated by golden eagles. As the ruler of this territory, Lord Sembryon took particular interest in the conflict between Therioms and Reptonoids, and supported the cause of King Khon-Uhr to stop the spreading influence of Bi-Harr and his army. Driven by diplomacy rather than combativeness, he struck a peace deal with Bi-Harr in which the Reptonoids would be provided with food and services when demanded, an act that later condemned his domain. The reptilian leader, warned by his counsellors Loghar and Sphenorat that Sembryon would likely betray him, threatened the people of O-Kin and demanded the ruler's abdication. Although Sembryon courageously guarded the realm's walls and defended his subjects, Bi-Harr succeeded in taking control of the territory. In the aftermath of the fall of O-Kin, Sembryon was stripped of his authority and was forced to leave the ruins of the land he had failed to protect, eventually becoming an important member of the Theriom’s Royal Council of Thinkers.

Articulation

Standard.

Description

Head: Scandinavian features, white skin, ruffled blond hair and beard, green eyes and daring expression. He wears a metallic dark-blue removable helmet characterised by a studded crest running from front to rear, a frontal golden decoration resembling a stylised pair of wings, a projecting bar covering the nose, two substantial cheek-pieces and a flange projecting from the lower parts of the skull and cheek-pieces to protect the back and sides of the neck; it also bears a pair of bison horns sticking out the sides, projecting forwards and pointing down. The folks at PoliganToys brought more detail to this helmet than I expected - there are little dents and scratches around the edges, while the horns, whose colour fades from black to white to light-brown, have a cracked and timeworn appearance

Body: entirely covered with a suit of silver chain mail, except for the hands which show white skin

Wearables: a black armour with dark-blue details (including a stylised bison skull towards the bottom), two metallic black bracelets with knuckle protectors, black&dark-blue spaulders, rerebraces and thigh guards, two segmented (i.e., made of overlapping metal plates) black boots (the right one displays a sheath with a small silver dagger, which is not removable), a black belt (whose elongated buckle stretches downwards) and dark-blue trunks. The bracelets, boot tops, belt buckle and the left part of the breast plate display variously sized golden emblems identical to the one on the helmet. Interestingly, the belt, trunks, thigh guards and an additional chest plate on the right part of the armour show some sculpted cyber details. This design, combining medieval and techno features, is very nice looking to me.

Sembryon's stylised armour; the triangle at the side of the chest piece represents the golden-wings symbol.

Action feature

In the comics, Sembryon is portrayed as both a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and a wise lawmaker. So, PoliganToys gives us the possibility to display the figure in two different configurations: a combat look and an institutional look. The former has been described above, while the latter is simply obtained by removing the helmet and adding a shoulder guard that has an attached cape. The shoulder guard is dark-blue with black details and attaches to the armour via two pegs; it is composed of two pauldrons joined to a high standing fabric collar (stabilised by two bison horns) on the back and to two golden clasps (connected with a black string) on the front. The orange cape has a dropped look in the back, and is bordered with dark-orange fur and edged with a zigzag line at the bottom.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the helmet and the shoulder guard plus cape, the figure comes with a very exciting accessory, which is a sceptre that can double as a ball-and-chain flail. The dark-blue sceptre, which obviously matches the institutional look better, fictionally transforms into a vicious morning star when the ball at the top detaches from the haft, revealing a chain and producing a number of spikes. In the toy, it is possible to disconnect the smooth metallic dark-blue sphere from the top of the staff and replace it with an alternative chained ball covered in steel spikes.

Overall, Sembryon is a strong addition to the Origin sect and to the KR universe as a whole. What I especially like of the figure are those armour pieces where meticulous sculpting has been given to even the most minute technical detail. That helps break the medieval overtones that characterise this series, which continues to offer important and interesting characters to the KR mythos. There is still a lot left in KR|Origin, as Sembryon clearly shows, so I want to see the line continue and move forward under the skilled hands of PoliganToys. Key Raiders has been present in my life long enough now that, I'm not ashamed to say it, reviewing these prototypes is a happy part of my lifestyle.

KR|Origin Review #17: Rabidriss

Wow. It’s been a month since I reviewed any KR|Origin prototypes! Thanks to a few work trips, this review is late... my job occasionally requires me to head to some fantastic places around the world, which I consider a huge piece of luck; but at the end of the day, travelling is time-consuming and tiring, which makes it a challenge to stay focused on my blog.

Rabidriss^TM occupies the hallowed spot of the 14^th action figure prototype to be reviewed in the Origin series. So, here he is, as part of August’s lineup (like I said, late). And just... who is he?

Details

Name: Rabidriss

Subtitle: symbiotic warrior

Classification: therapsid reptile

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

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

Affiliation: Reptonoid

Rank: major.

Background

First appearance: KR|Origin #2 - Battle for Tahron: Part I – The journey begins
Brief bio: a semi-aquatic reptilian creature from the eastern wetlands region, Rabidriss was cursed to live in symbiosis with a toxic plant, which was grown from a seed planted on his back at birth. Spending much of his time meandering in the swamps, he provided the plant with light, water and nutriment, and in return received protection and energy. Eventually, Rabidriss used his vegetal companion to serve Bi-Harr on his quest to vanquish the mammalian enemies. Whenever the Therioms tried to counterattack the Reptonoid's menace, he fought viciously by unfolding the bud on his back into a malodorous blossom, which, according to a legend, also had the power to subtract the colours from the surrounding vegetation. He then used his threatening cannon to shoot the deadly seeds produced by the plant, which could instantly transform into voracious crawling critters.

Articulation

Standard.

Description

Head: similar to a dicynodont (e.g., Placerias), characterised by a short U-shaped snout ending in a turtle-like dark horny beak, dark-grey fur with few orange blotches, evil light-blue eyes with beady red pupils and a pair of short, pointed ivory-coloured tusks sticking out from the upper jaw. Additionally, he wears a metallic dark-green removable helmet, which bears three purple keel-like crests and whose appearance recalls a Protoceratops neck frill

Body: thick dark-grey fur with orange blotches, claw hands and feet. I think this is the first case of a KR reptilian character whose skin is not protected by scales or osteoderms, but by a covering of fur, which gives him an interesting mammal-like reptile nature. He also has a short, thick tail emerging from under the loincloth

Wearables: a purple harness with dark-green details and lime vines coiled around its straps, two metallic purple bracelets with serrated leaf patterns, two lime scaly thigh pads, two purple leather boots with double-fringe tops (on the front, the shaft of each boot seems to be separate from the vamp, leaving the shin exposed partially), a purple leather belt with a three-bladed golden shuriken as a buckle and three dark-green leather tassets (the central one of which is shaped like a large leaf) with serrated leaf embossed patterns.

Rabidriss' stylised harness.

Action feature

In the comics, Rabidriss carries a tubular metallic dark-green backpack similar to a vase, which is actually a protection for a large plant that provides him with energy through photosynthesis, allowing him to survive for days without eating. This plant normally appears as a cabbage-like magenta bud, from which a massive flower pops out during combat. So, the figure comes with two interchangeable plug-in pieces that represent the two alternative forms of the plant: the closed bud and the open flower. The flower resembles that of Rafflesia arnoldii and has a few leafy green fronds surrounding its base, five fleshy maroon petals covered with whitish warts and poisonous spines, as well as a bowl-like central structure from which a number of short lime filaments emerge. Since the flower fictionally has a stink of rotting flesh that attracts nutrient-rich insects, the guys at PoliganToys added a scent to the plastic in order to make it smell unpleasantly.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the plant attachments, Rabidriss comes with a massive metallic dark-green revolver cannon, whose bell-shaped muzzle slightly recalls the five-petalled design of his toxic flower.

The lower end of Rabidriss' backpack is connected to the butt of the revolving cylinder (containing five chambers) of the cannon via a lime tube that looks like an ivy-leaved vine. Thanks to this arrangement, the cannon can fictionally shoot the lethal seeds contained within the flower towards the enemies. The figure includes three roughened dark-brown seeds in three different forms: dormant, partially sprouted and completely sprouted. The dormant form is the completely closed, egg-shaped seed that plugs into the muzzle of the cannon. The sprouted form is the horrifying dog-sized, crab-like parasite that attacks the enemies; the top and lower jaws (between which a dark-green, seemingly muscular membrane stretches) of the creature's head end in serrated edges with trickles of resin-like drool and have two pairs of devilish red eyes each, while the rest of its body consists of a wooden crustacean-like carapace, five root-like legs and two pairs of branch-like spiny, clawed arms. The semi-sprouted form is a mid-transformation version of the previous two and resembles a wooden saw-blade with two of the creature's four arms emerging from the sides.

Overall, I really dig Rabidriss, he looks great with the Reptonoids despite a couple of non-traditional features, such as the hairy appearance and the botanical theme. Everything, from sculpt to paint, is pretty top notch, except for the flower piece being too dense and heavy for the figure to stand easily. I could nitpick a few other details like the inarticulate tail and the loincloth being a little too long, but the truth is that this is a pretty good figure and a nice addition to the line.