In my final review for the KR|Origin series, I'm taking a look at a brand new type of unit to the line – a Weapons Pack!
I've never reviewed any KR item that can be classified as an accessory before, but after this one, I really hope the tradition continues.
And bear in mind that this is not just any weapons pack. This is mostly the Origin Edition of a pair of devices that we already saw in the regular series, the TrinergonTM weapons!
Within this set we also get repaints of the halberds that already came with several figures in the line (made different to mimic the final act of the Origin story) and even an assortment of new pieces.
That is my say for the introduction, short and sweet. Let’s run down the items in ascending order of preference, so I can end with what I consider to be the best piece in the set.
Elykta's light-cape
While the Origin Edition of Elykta came with the shadow-cape, in the regular series her figure was equipped with a luminous mantle that, once spread out, fictionally allowed her to turn into a flying light sphere. So far, Elykta's regular version has been the only figure provided with a real fabric accessory and I always wondered how it would be to replace that cloth piece with a rigid plastic component. Well, here we get the opportunity to display Elykta with a rigid spreading-out cape. And even if this piece is actually intended as a way to transform Origin Elykta into a new version of her future self, there's no reason we can't use it with the regular figure. The cape, which clips at the wrists and flips open, is made of a translucent glow-in-the-dark plastic and is ornamented on the two sides with a combination of silver/gold reflective stickers and orange/yellow fluorescent decals that form a complex line-design.
Loghar's hand effects
The pack includes a pair of alternate spell-casting hands for the Origin Edition of Loghar along with an update of the magic effect pieces. When plugged into the hands' palms, the effect pieces allow us to recreate Loghar's powers in a more credible way than with the original shield-like effects.
Reptonoid Troopers' skin-flaps
Originally, the Reptonoid Troopers came with two pairs of soft "wings" that connect to the back of the figures. When opened by raising the arms, these membranous structures create a sort of wingsuit that fictionally allows each trooper to glide long distances. If you are not a fan of soft, pliable plastic, then you'll be happy to find in this pack a rigid version of those skin flaps. Each of those pieces is formed of a curved element, which attaches to the belt on the back of the Trooper, and two flaps that seemingly extend between the arms and the sides of the body.
Trinergon devices
The first items in the top three are two faithful replicas of the trinergon gears that came with Ultra Masq-Lor and Ultra Deptilion, and that in the Origin comics are worn and handled by Galamars and Dark Flash. Each two-piece snap-on harness comes in black and features some vac-metalised details (silver in one case, copper in the other), including a shiny Key-inspired symbol on the front, while the back consists of a technological backpack, which has a ton of small sculpted embellishments. The right side of the pack has a holster to store the trinergon weapon, which looks a bit like a rifle (again, silver or copper) with two translucent blades (respectively yellow or blue) at the end of two opposite sides of the barrel. The blades, like the harness symbol, resemble two of the four components of the Key. The weapon has a cord that runs to the backpack where it is permanently attached.
There are a few differences between this variant and the original version of this accessory. First of all, there's no battery-operated feature, which I don't mind at all due to my allergy to batteries. Second, no clip-on armour for protecting the right arm of the wearer is included, which I mind a little bit. Finally, the pieces that in the original gear formed the IR transmitter and receiver, and were located over the figure's shoulders, here are detached, although they're still connected to the backpack via some sort of technological tendrils (which are flexible, but not bendy). Additionally, those "IR" pieces look like "blown-up", in such a way that they show the components of a mechanism similar to a lock. Here's where the action feature kicks in. In the comics, the trinergon weapons are activated by the halberds that compose the Key - each of the four halberds is inserted into one of those "locks" (two per backpack) and turned to energise the weapons. The inserting/turning feature works with the halberds that came with a number of figures belonging either to the Origin series or even to the regular series, and each halberd fits the wards of one particular lock.
After the trinergon weapons are activated, these are shown to shoot absorbing streams towards Bi-Harr's heads. The two streams come in the form of effects made of rigid, translucent (yellow and blue) plastic cast in a wave-like shape, and can be snapped onto the ends of the weapons' barrels.
Stylised Trinergon harnesses.
Powered halberds
In the comics, Bi-Harr's mental powers are drained by the absorbing streams from his heads into the trinergon weapons. Then, each power travels along the cord, reaches the backpack and finally splits and flows through the techno-tendrils towards the two halberds, where it's stored. I really like the sparkling look of the halberds after Bi-Harr's powers are trapped, it reminds me of a night sky filled with stars. So, the pack contains four beautiful halberd repaints, made of translucent black plastic with glitter mixed in. Like with the traditional halberds from both the regular and the Origin series, these four pieces can be combined to form the Key; this is done by joining the weapons two by two via small tabs between them and then fitting the two pairs of halberds together via two small slit-shaped recesses.
Key and pillar-lock
At the end of the Origin story, the heroes reach a building at the centre of the multiversal walls site, where King Khon-Uhr assembles the Key from the four powered halberds and thrusts it into a slot on the top of a short pillar. The Key turns in the slot and is slightly pulled inside the pillar, releasing the powers it contains. The powers travel across the ground, making the stones of which it is composed glow, and reach the two trinergon gears, which in the meantime have been plugged into two niches in the building's walls by means of their techno-locks. More radiant energy emanates from the trinergon blasters and flows through the walls (again making the stones glow) towards two ball-shaped structures on top of the building. A lightning-like flow of energy is created between the two spheres and intercepted by a rod in the middle. A machine in Theriom City (supposedly supplied with energy by crystals similar to those that power the antykytron) produces a ray in the direction of the rod, subsequently generating two beams toward the two multiversal walls; these beams open two inter-dimensional portals and send the mental powers to two alternate dimensions. Once the powers are transferred completely, all the machinery stops functioning and the gates of the two walls shut, closing the inter-dimensional portals. Afterwards, the Key is extracted from the pillar and the central building begins to sink. Wow, I wish all this could be made in toy form. But no, we "only" get a new assembled Key and a pillar.
The Key is one solid piece (i.e., it cannot be separated into the four halberds) and is done in a new hybrid deco, with the classic silver colour transitioning into the powered Key look, to mimic the transfer of the powers into the pillar. However, the powered part, which matches the four halberds included in this pack, is not translucent and filled with glitter, but painted black and sparkled with grey paint.
The pillar has an amazing design and is, in my opinion, the highlight of this pack. It's got plenty of realistic detailing and a superb paint wash on; its rock surface shows a variety of textures, from the slate tiles to the granite substrate, giving the piece depth and detail. The trademark Theriom emblem over the face has a wonderful wood grain and metal texture. Plus, you can slide the Key (any assembled Key) into the slot in the top part, where it turns and drops down a bit.
Overall, the Trinergon devices, the hybrid Key and the pillar-lock really make this set, but there are some nice retool options too. I love that PoliganToys listened to some of my complaints, and used some of the pieces to give the characters diversity and option to be displayed in alternative styles. Of course, the downside to getting big accessories in the pack is that those took up most of the budget for this set and several other smaller weapons had to be left out. It is a trade-off, and I think they made the right choices on what to include and what not to include, because, in the end, the Trinergon weapons are worth it. I really hope there will be other packs of this kind in the future. Oh, yes, the future... stay tuned, because we'll be back soon to present a completely new KR series!
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