KR|Enmity Review #25: Kerdhokk

Toy prototype details

Name: Kerdhokk^TM

Subtitle: destructive robot

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: large scale figure - Nº 1 in the line.

Character details

Name: Kerdhokk
Real name: Kerdhokk-upgraded Dark Legion Trooper

Classification: robot

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Dark Legion

Rank: Dark Legion Troopers' first lieutenant.

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #3 - Notes of vengeance

Brief bio: after Wordron had appointed Ignitrys as his lead Dark Legion engineer, the evil Cereutian android combined her technological powers with Modi-Rha's paranormal faculties, in order to create a beastly biotech virus -the Kerdhokk strain- through which science and magic could contaminate each other. Once unleashed, this plague infected the evil duke's cybernetic army of troopers, allowing the robots to exceed their programming and posses a cunning of their own as well as the ability to reassemble their component parts in countless different ways. When Gax-Uhr and Ir-Ash travelled to O-Kin hoping to save the abducted Princess Sih-Len, two Dark Legion Troopers attacked the heroes, but, in an attempt to protect his brother, Gax-Uhr managed to force the two machines into colliding violently with each other. Despite the two robots were badly damaged and their chassis ripped apart, they magically initiated their own upgrade by fusing together the separate pieces. Aiming at preventing the heroes from accomplishing their mission, the pile of debris transformed into a hulking robotic menace equipped with a fearsome bladed weapon ready to burst from its chest. Although the droid's increased techno-power made it more than a match for the two brothers, Gax-Uhr and Ir-Ash ultimately succeeded in overpowering it once for all.

Articulation

Standard, excluding hinged abdomen. The feet are swivel-hinged and able to slide forward or backward. Also, there are two additional pivoting shoulder pieces placed between the arms and the torso.

Description

Head: composed of a double bladed piece, which is similar to the weapon that came with the Dark Legion Troopers and is fictionally produced by connecting the two wide wheels (with nicely patterned black rubbery studded tyres) from the vehicle configuration side-by-side, imagining that the rims of the wheels retracted and the tyres got taller and narrower, allowing the tread patterns to separate and reveal series of silver blades. The difference here is that the double blade is set horizontally and the space between the two stacked wheels shows two ominous triangular eyes that emit a red glow

Body: the figure is 23 cm tall (around 9'') and shows a very bulky sculpt that incorporates various parts from the two original DL Troopers. The arms and legs are generated by the four three-wheeled rear tank treads mixed with elements of the Troopers' black metallic electro-hydraulic limbs, while the four two-wheeled front tank treads form the two pivoting shoulder pieces and the two rotating feet respectively. Besides the black metallic wheels and the bands of dark-green metal plates, all the continuous track parts show many techno-embellishments, such as tubes, wires, pistons and hinges. Each clawed steel hand is made up of two circular saws (split in such a way that they create four claws), while each foot is connected to the leg by a truncated silver cone derived from one drill bit

Wearables: a metallic black armour with bronze details, a metallic black belt and a bronze crotch piece (everything shows lots of cyber details). The chest plate has a hole that reveals a second double blade, this time set vertically, stored inside the torso, while the back carries a wide wing-like, spiky structure composed of several exhaust pipes and two removable scythe-like silver blades.

Kerdhokk's stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comics, Kerdhokk is equipped with two large mechanical feet derived from a pair of two-wheeled tank treads. Depending on the position of its hinged "ankle", each foot can rotate in two ways: either round a horizontal axis (i.e., flip-flopping end-over-end) to crush enemies, or round a vertical axis (i.e., sideways, clockwise or counterclockwise) to kick obstacles.

Additionally, the destructive robot has a chest plate that pops open to let a vicious double blade "fly" out (fictionally, this spinning saw-blade that launches from Kerdhokk's upper body is also a sort of bouncing bomb). The inside of the chest panel contains a small ledge for the blade, which lets it rest out in the open.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the chest double blade, Kerdhokk comes with some very interesting accessories. First up is a mace-like weapon consisting of a bronze shaft with an attached spiked ball (which is adorned with a number of small spikes similar to drilling bits) on one end, and a silver head (which is made up of the remaining four circular saws, vertically aligned side-by-side, and of the two drill bit conical tips extending outward from the sides) on the other end. 

Additionally, the two DL Troopers' black plasma-rifles (each with a detachable silver hose that runs to the wing-like structure on the back) can be plugged into two spots on the shoulder pieces, forming a pair of swinging/pivoting cannons. Interestingly, instead of the translucent plasma burst effects that came with the original Troopers, the figure includes two large-calibre projectiles that can plug into the muzzles of the rifles. Also, there are two plug-in plumes of greyish smoke seemingly spreading from the largest exhaust pipes.

Excitingly, many parts of these accessories can be switched around - for example, the mace silver head can also work as an alternate head for the figure, either plasma rifle can connect to the top of the standard head, the placings of the grenades and of the plumes of smoke can be exchanged, and either the rifles or the scythe blades can be attached to the sides of the chest double blade, transforming it into an even more menacing weapon. The possibilities are almost countless.
Update: the full-vehicle configuration of a Dark Legion Trooper with a tilting drill bit will also be included with the figure!

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦ I have mixed feelings about this robot. On the one hand, it’s a kind of pointless, large scale variant of a Dark Legion Trooper, but on the other, PoliganToys went the extra mile in making it a unique character

Articulation: ♥♥♥ The figure can take a lot of poses, although its arms are hindered somewhat by the additional shoulder pieces. And, sure, because of the chest cavity we lose the ab crunch articulation, which sometimes can make achieving a decent pose a bit frustrating. However, I like the fact that its hinged ankles are pretty tight

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ Despite Kerdhokk is essentially a rearrangement of Dark Legion Troopers' pieces, this figure certainly has one of the more original sculpts in the series. Its paint is almost identical to the original Troopers, but it has bronze trim instead of dark-green on some parts of its components

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠ The great thing about getting multiple accessories is the freedom of choice - one feels free to use some and to discard some others according to their personal taste

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ I was pleasantly surprised to see the chest panel open smoothly and fit seamlessly when closed

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ Kerdhokk is actually quite great and definitely has a place on the shelf of my prototype collection.

KR|Enmity Review #24: Koptros (Enmity Edition)

Toy prototype details

Name: Koptros^TM (Enmity Edition)

Subtitle: air force-division marshal

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: action figure (dual figure) - Nº 22 in the line.

Character details

Name: Koptros

Classification: human

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: marshal of the Theriom Air Force; military communications and espionage expert.

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #1 - Flares of enmity

Brief bio: a native from the mountains of southern Tahron, Koptros was a descendant of the legendary Cereutian knight Galamars^TM, who masterminded the construction of the multiversal walls. Seeking to prove that he was worthy of his valiant ancestor's legacy, he enlisted in the Theriom army, where another recruit named Xonedar noticed his talent for several branches of engineering, especially aeronautical, and convinced him to pursue a career in the air force. When Koptros reached the highest military level, he answered the call of King Li-Khon to design the Gyrocarrier^TM, an exceptionally advanced aircraft, and to train a new generation of daring pilots, among which he recognised Noctylius^TM' excellent piloting skills. Although Xonedar did not share his romantic interest, Koptros was always a loyal friend and comrade-in-arms to him, and together they developed a number of innovative technologies. After Demo-Rha's betrayal, Koptros helped Xonedar search for his former partner across Tahron, hoping only to reunite the family she had wrecked. Eventually, he left the Therioms after a battle injury and found peace in a remote astronomical observatory on the Gumazir^TM plateau, while remaining available to assist his one-time fellows in case of need.

Articulation

Both figures have the standard articulation.

In the comics, Koptros is equipped with a hyper-technological backpack that can produce a powered exoskeleton, giving him superhuman strength and other abilities. Despite the two figures represent the same character, they render the two alternative forms and appear very different. Although it's not clear whether these figures will be released individually or in a 2-pack, I'm going to describe them separately.

Normal form

Description

Head: Native American features, dark brown skin with a reddish tinge, black hair, brown eyes. Similarly to Xonedar, he wears a dark-red headgear similar to a combination of a side cap and a peaked cap, with a brim folded up on both sides and projecting like a visor at the front, as well as silver details such as piping, a patterned band, a Theriom Air Force emblem (a modified version of the Theriom symbol, i.e., a seven-pointed star whose two elongated side points resemble the wings of a bat) worn on the front and a rank insignia worn on the left side

Body: covered from neck to toe

Wearables: a dark-red military uniform consisting of a high-collared, thigh-length double-breasted blouse (non-removable) and a pair of trousers (with silver knee pads and a double-strapped sheath on the right thigh), a silvery ascot tie, two silver bracelets, two silver boots and a silver belt ornamented with two studs near the buckle. The blouse has various silver details, such as a trim and several buttons down the middle, two ornamental shoulder pieces and two rank insignia on the sleeves. A number of silver Theriom Air Force emblems are displayed on the left breast, on the knee pads, on the bracelets and on the belt buckle. Additionally the bracelets and the boots sport narrow cyber bands (one around each wrist and two around each boot top) that probably work as links between the uniform and the exoskeleton.

Action feature

Koptros' normal form comes with a silver backpack attached to a harness that can be worn over his uniform. The backpack, which can fictionally produce the powered exoskeleton suit and other apparatuses (mostly radio-related gear, such as an automatic frequency hopper, a cryptography unit and jamming/anti-jamming equipment), is basically identical to Xonedar's one, while the harness, which features a number of tubes along the straps and an electronic panel that appears to control the backpack, is a slightly more detailed version of Foundation Koptros' outfit (except for the tubing, which looks much simpler).

Koptros' stylised harness.

Weapons and accessories

In addition to the harness+backpack, the figure includes a returning boomerang with a red elbow and a pair of silver arms (or wings), which can be stowed in the sheath strapped to his leg.

Enhanced form

Description

Head: protected by a full face red helmet with silver details (including a longitudinal stripe on the top and a pair of breathing hoses that seemingly connect the respirator to the back of the armour) and an orange glass visor. Like with Xonedar, this helmet has a nice metallic shine and definitely makes for a cool design

Body: despite the dark-red uniform is still visible, much of his body is characterised by the presence of a silver powered exoskeleton that allows for limb movement with increased strength and endurance. The exoskeleton, whose components run from the shoulders down to the hands and from the waist down to the feet, fastens to Koptros' body at various spots, including his upper arms, wrists, thighs and calves

Wearables: a silver armour with red details, two silver gauntlets, two silver boots with knee guards and small jet engines on the calves, a silver belt (displaying tech-looking details and two gun holsters on the sides) and a red crotch piece. The armour is embellished with straps, air vents, circuitry, wires, tubing and a supposedly active version of the electronic panel on the chest. The gauntlets and the boots have a nice cyber/armoured look and sport bat wing-shaped fins at the sides of the wrist guards and shin guards respectively, while the back of the crotch piece and the side of the right thigh feature additional tubular segments that look like an extension of the armour's air tubing.

Koptros' stylised helmet.

Koptros' stylised armour.

Action feature

Like with his normal form, Koptros carries a silver removable backpack, which in this version features a pair of turbojet engines and several bat wing-shaped appendages. Fictionally, this device can produce a number of tools, one of which is included as an accessory and can be mounted to the figure. This tool, specifically an aerial reconnaissance equipment that allows Koptros to fly, is composed of silver&red transverse rotors and control assembly attachments that plug into four sockets (two on the top and two on the sides of the backpack respectively), as well as a clear plastic dome that covers his head. The rotors have a ducted fan design and small jet engines in a tip jet configuration, while the control assembly is equipped with two joysticks, which Koptros can grab in his hands, and two missile launchers with separate missiles.

Weapons and accessories

Aside from the backpack-helicopter gear, Koptros' enhanced form comes with an energy angular katar that fictionally derives from the normal form's boomerang. This weapon, which has a H-shaped horizontal hand grip and is designed to function mainly as a sort of shock prod, is really nicely constructed, with semi-translucent orange segments between the seemingly moving-apart outer and inner halves of each silver arm, as well as along the convex edge.

Moreover, the figure includes an additional detachable structure that is designed to fold up from behind the backpack over the clear helmet and to hook to a peg on the front of the latter; this frame has a clip on the front, to store the above-mentioned angular katar, but can also hold an alternative split version of the weapon characterised by a cable (a string in reality) to the end of which a V-shaped semi-translucent orange piece is attached. I don’t know whether that energy piece is supposed to work as a projectile for knocking over Dark Legion folks or as a sort of anchor that can be used defensively if needed, but in the comics a similar implement is utilised as a grappling hook to rescue Xonedar from an unfair fight. The right side of the backpack also bears a hook to store the energy cable and grapnel.

Finally, the figure includes an alternative helmeted head with a flipped up face plate. Koptros uncovered face resembles the normal form's face faithfully and has some additional details, specifically a silver headset dual-microphone running down the cheeks.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦♦ Xonedar finally gets his bestest pal, so he won’t be so lonely anymore (Demo-Rha is gonna leave him...)

Articulation: ♥♥♥♥ Unlike with Xonny, I have zero problems with him, his articulation is flawless

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ Species balance is finding its way into the Theriom faction; Koptros and Xonedar, with Magda-Lyn and Demo-Rha, are all that the human portion of the heroes can offer to this point

Accessories: ♠♠♠ I wish an unhatted head were included with the normal form

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ I'm sure you'd join me in enjoying a solid figure of a really cool character

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ It is a relief to have the arguably two coolest Theriom characters on the shelf. While we are heading for the end of the series, I hope we will still see guys like Lord Tafmohr^TM and maybe even Kot to further help that along.

KR|Enmity Review #23: Ter-Ah-Sur

Toy prototype details

Name: Ter-Ah-Sur^TM

Subtitle: caustic warrior

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: action figure - Nº 21 in the line.

Character details

Name: Ter-Ah-Sur

Real name: Kot

Classification: the reanimated corpse of a human

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Dark Legion

Rank: commander (formerly lieutenant commander of O-Kin's Golden Eagle armed force).

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #3 - Notes of vengeance

Brief bio: a former Golden Eagle soldier, Kot was supposedly killed during the last Reptonoid invasion of the feudal territory of O-Kin, caught in a giant landslide when the young Princess Sih-Len played her enchanted flute to eliminate the reptilian enemy. Before his corpse could disintegrate, the underground chemical conditions hideously disfigured him and changed his body into a shell made of a stony material filled with a corrosive ooze. His miraculously reanimated remains were discovered years later by Duke Wordron, when Kot emerged from a pit as an insane and unpredictable living dead. Although he vaguely remembered his honourable life before the accident, he more clearly recalled his suffering and, driven mad by his condition, sought to share that pain with whom had caused it. Impressed, Wordron wanted him to serve on his Dark Legion, and created a device that would allow Kot to survive and harness the deadly substance he had become. Renamed Ter-Ah-Sur by his master, he fought against the Therioms during a great battle caused by a failed attempt to breach the multiversal walls, once again dying on the battlefield.

Articulation

Standard.

Description

Head: similar to a statue made of a cracked brownish-red stony material, carved with deep-set devilish eyes and a wide mouth from which two large sharp teeth protrude upward. He wears a silver helmet with nice tarnished details, which looks like a reversed cup embellished with a white jade stone on the front and two large side-headpieces shaped like eagle wings; the helmet can be removed, revealing a blueish-green corrosive fluid oozing from his seemingly empty cranium

Body: made of a cracked brownish-red stony material. While he appears to wear laminar trousers on his legs, his arms only seem to be equipped with lamellar shoulder pads

Wearables: a dual-layer off-white (i.e., a white colour with a grey tinge that resembles tarnished silver) protective covering, two off-white bracelets, two off-white boots (with studded tops and riveted sandal-like soles), a studded off-white belt accompanied by two silver tassets, and a Roman-style skirt made of white-studded silver lappets. The torso covering seems to be composed of what, before being petrified, were a fabric vest (presumably with furry armholes) and a lamellar cuirass consisting of several overlapping leather plates laced together. Additionally, the chest armour displays a silver Golden Eagle army emblem (i.e., an eagle with two crossed axes) at the centre; similar symbols are also shown on the bracelets, the belt buckle and the tassets.

Ter-Ah-Sur's stylised armour; the design at the centre of the chest piece represents the Golden Eagle armed force symbol.

Action feature

In the comics, Ter-Ah-Sur is equipped with a chest/back armour created by Wordron and Ignitrys, which functions as a sort of containment suit as well as an ammunition loading machine. So, the figure comes with an additional piece of armour that sits on the figure's shoulders, and incorporates a studded steel chest plate (with pointy shoulder guards) and a back-mounted tech-mech apparatus. A seemingly flexible tube connects a round spout on the chest plate to the device on the back, which in turn produces an ammunition belt that retains and feed special cartridges into Ter-Ah-Sur's firearm. We can imagine that the corrosive ooze pumped from the inside of his body flows along the hose (which is partly black and partly translucent blue-green) and reaches the top-left corner of the back-mounted equipment, while the bottom-right corner of the latter is connected to the drum magazine of the rifle (more on this later) through the ammo belt. Thanks to this arrangement, he can fictionally create a stream of vials containing the lethal blueish-green acidic ooze and then use his gun to fire them towards the enemies.

Weapons and accessories

Aside from the shoulder armour with the attached ammunition loading equipment, Ter-Ah-Sur comes with the above-mentioned deadly firearm. This is a gunmetal (i.e., a dull bluish-grey colour) arquebus with two over-and-under barrels designed to shoot the vials of acid; it has a white drum magazine, into which the vials are fed via the ammo belt, an apparently complex firing mechanism and an axe-like shiny silver blade, which is fixed to the bell-shaped muzzle of the lower barrel in a bayonet fashion and is said to be the remainder of Kot's old weapon for use in hand-to-hand fighting.

Additionally, the figure includes an alternative head that bears a more human-looking countenance compared to the standard one, although it also appears to be made of the same cracked brownish-red stony material. This head shows, I believe, Asian traits and is carved with facial hair styled into a moustache and a beard. It also features the oozing fluid at the top and is compatible with the standard helmet.

Finally, there is a tattered brownish-red stony cape that can be worn by Ter-Ah-Sur once the chest/back armour is removed.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦♦ I was super happy to see Ter-Ah-Sur get included in the KR|Enmity line and I’m extremely pleased with how he turned out

Articulation: ♥♥♥♥ I’m quite surprised that those leg joints can hold the bulk of the figure when he wears that crazy equipment on his shoulders. Hopefully that will still be the case over time

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ He’s a unique character and, in a line full of crazy designs, he still manages to stand out in the crowd

Accessories: ♠♠♠ The alternate head is a kind of mystery to me, I don't really know what to make of it. It's a "nice to have" extra piece though

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ I love how the acid-shooting gimmick has been recreated from his appearance in the comics. It’s a pretty cool play feature that allows you to come up with some neat poses

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ So far this line has scored a series of fine goals. During the next few weeks we’ll see if it can keep that record rolling, as I review the last two (or maybe three...) prototypes in the assortment.

KR|Enmity Review #22: Sih-Len

Toy prototype details

Name: Sih-Len^TM

Subtitle: enchanting princess

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: action figure - Nº 20 in the line.

Character details

Name: Sih-Len

Classification: primivod mammal

Sex: female

Relationships: Gax-Uhr's love interest

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: observer and royal musician (formerly Princess Sih-Len, next in line to rule the small Kingdom of O-Kin).

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #1 - Flares of enmity

Brief bio: as a child, Sih-Len, daughter of Lord Tafmohr^TM, witnessed the last Reptonoid invasion of her home, the feudal territory of O-Kin. Wishing to prevent a new fall of his domain alongside further exploitation and destruction at the hands of Bi-Harr, the monarch ordered Sih-Len to play a magical flute that was a family heirloom. The young princess, gifted with the power of controlling natural forces by playing beautiful melodies, caused a giant landslide that annihilated the reptilian enemies and forced their vile leader to retreat. Although her power was meant to be used for protecting O-Kin's terrorised people, it also seemingly killed a brave Golden Eagle soldier. Years later, after Duke Wordron's seizure of power, Sih-Len left the ruined rocks of her home to ask the Therioms for help. When Wordron learnt of Sih-Len's powers from the revived buried soldier, he kidnapped her and commanded Modi-Rha to force her into opening the multiversal portals, but King Li-Khon and his heroic allies stopped the evil plot and defeated the Dark Legion once for all. Though free to return to her home, Sih-Len decided to join the Therioms for good and married the king's youngest son Gax-Uhr.

Articulation

Standard, excluding hinged abdomen. The figure also has a ball jointed tail.

Description

Head: predominantly feline (even if she's a primivod, a fictional anthropomorphic marsupial), characterised by dainty features, short magenta fur and green eyes. An upper tooth faintly jutting out from the right corner of her lips adds an element of cuteness to her face. She wears a divided hennin-like headdress accompanied by a veil; the golden veil is pulled forward over the silver hennin and falls onto Sih-Len's shoulders, making her, in my view, resemble Maid Marian from the Disney animated version of Robin Hood

Body: the exposed portions of her body (i.e., parts of the upper arms and forearms, hands, lower legs, claw feet and a cat-like tail) show a short magenta fur

Wearables: a silver jumpsuit composed of a sleeveless off-the-shoulder bodice (with a wide patterned golden neckline) and pantaloons (gathered by two gold bands below the knees), two silver detached sleeves (each held in place by two gold bands around the upper arm and the forearm), two silver chain mail fingerless gauntlets (which only have a loop for the middle finger), two silver ankle bracelets, and a shiny silver sash accompanied by a belt made of several round gemstones laced together that also holds two long strips of golden fabric on the front and back. Around her neck, she wears a separate piece that includes a shiny silver scarf and a gold choker with a long pendant hanging down on the front.

Action feature

In the final comic issue of the Enmity series, Sih-Len is shown to jump from an elevated position above the multiversal walls site, using her veil as a wind sail, while the hennin underneath is revealed to be a combat helmet. So, the figure comes with an alternative head that features a silver helmet with gold details, close to the sides of which two golden straps (i.e., risers, seemingly joining her dress to four shroud lines) are pulled in order to release and expand the veil, making it act as a canopy. The "parachute" piece, which is made of a pliable plastic, can be detached from two sockets on the sides of the helmet and replaced with two short "fins" that are supposed to be remainders of the risers. The helmet has a large curved projection that protects the nape of the neck, two pointed prongs (slightly resembling a pair of cat ears) on the top and two flaps hinged at the side edges; once the flaps are shut, the headgear covers the entire face (although there are slits for the eyes and the mouth), and looks like a mix of a Corinthian helmet and the helmet of Kinnikuman's Robin Mask.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from her alternative helmeted head and parachute pieces, Sih-Len comes with a gold transverse flute, which, in the comics, she skilfully plays and magically uses to cause masses of earth or rock to collapse.

Additionally, there is a techie staff weapon that fictionally derives from the flute. This enhanced version of her musical instrument consists of tubular gold sections that seemingly slid apart to reveal a silver grip in the centre as well as translucent purple laser-like segments near the ends, and is equipped with a five-clawed (each claw bearing a sharp steel blade) spinning component at either extremity.

Lastly, the figure includes a three-wheeled carriage, which serves as the fifth and final instalment of the Build-a-Figure plan that gives us a complete Baryanoid-Cart! Everything related to this topic has already been covered extensively in Ir-Ash's review, so I'm going to focus on the description of the carriage. This open vehicle is made of wood (with lots of nice worn out details) and trimmed with bronze, and is composed of a two-wheeled part at the back, which strongly recalls a chariot used in ancient racing and warfare, and a narrow one-wheeled part at the front. The bronze decorative additions include a large king cobra head on a spiderweb-looking background at the front of the waist-high guard (which extends with snake-like edgings along the sides), a studded tyre fitted around the rim of each wheel (as well as the wheel's spokes), and large spikes sticking out of the hubs of the rear wheels. The four baryanoids that draw the cart can be clipped side by side to the forepart (which also allows for a great slithering action when rolled) and hitched via their pliable reins to the chariot: the two front reins connect to the two rear bits, while the two rear reins are secured to the handlebar of the chariot. A removable bronze gun can be mounted in a spot along the front edge of the chariot and can turn; this is right from the comic design, but, awkwardly, it has a handle that is a new addition and can be gripped. Maybe Lor-Drek can grab it and run into battle if the cart has been rendered immobile. A rear platform with foot pegs can even be pulled out to pose a figure in such a way that it looks like getting on or off the vehicle. A wooden beam, with the end in the form of a carved lizard head covered with a laminar, spiked/horned bronze "helmet", can project from the front part and bend forward by means of a spring loaded mechanism, in order to breach the enemy's fortifications.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦ I think the future mother of Mor-Rak makes for a great addition to the line and also makes KR|Enmity the series with the highest percentage of female figure prototypes produced so far

Articulation: ♥♥♥ I'm pleased that the standard female articulation is not hindered by her peculiar outfit at all

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ The highlight of the figure for me is the combat head sculpt, simply wonderful. She also has a bit of a dry brush on her coat, to bring out the fur details, and some glossy accents to the two-tone metal pieces in the costume. She reuses Par-Sya's basic body, but has new furry limbs with clothing parts that show some great design choices

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠ The flute is fantastic in both forms and she really looks cool wielding the enhanced version

Playability: ♪♪♪ Sih-Len is one of those toys that either speaks to you or she doesn’t. Like her or hate her

Overall: ☺☺☺ This sweet pinkish/purplish primivod is pretty much the embodiment of how outlandish things in the KR world can get. The figure turned out nicely in my opinion and, most of all, came with an essential accessory for my Spektrosaur army.

KR|Enmity Review #21: Ignitrys

Toy prototype details

Name: Ignitrys^TM

Subtitle: extra-dimensional android

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: action figure - Nº 19 in the line.

Character details

Name: Ignitrys

Classification: robot

Sex: seemingly female

Home: Cereutis

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Dark Legion

Rank: mercenary.

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #2 - Terror from the clouds

Brief bio: a murderous mercenary from the extra dimension of Cereutis, Ignitrys was originally a member of a race of sentient energy fields created by the Multiversal Balancers. Eventually, an evil militia subjugated these entities and confined them in reactors that powered robotic bodies made of a glassy substance with diamond-like hardness. Ignitrys became one of the most ruthless fighters of this subversive army, often carrying out zealous executions during air strikes. Her resourcefulness led Denortos, following his imprisonment at the hands of Galamars and his subsequent jailbreak, to hire Ignitrys as his personal bodyguard. With the rising threat of Skull Face on Tahron, Denortos saw an opportunity to take revenge on the Therioms, and ordered her to serve as his emissary and join the Dark Legion. However, after Ignitrys had been destroyed during a great battle between King Li-Khon and Wordron caused by a failed attempt to breach the multiversal walls, Denortos was recaptured and his oath of making the Therioms bleed remained unfulfilled.

Articulation

Standard, excluding hinged abdomen. The figure also has a pair of wings, each with two articulation points: a swivel-hinge at its base and a peg at half of its length.

Description

Head: bulbous shape with indistinct human-feminine features, cast entirely in a semi-transparent glass-looking plastic. There is a seemingly glowing orange core inside this glassy enclosure, which kinda makes the head resemble a light bulb

Body: the exposed parts of her body (i.e., arms, thighs and part of the torso) are cast in the same semi-transparent glass-looking plastic as the head, and show a few sculpted circuitry details here and there, to suggest the robotic nature of the character. On the back, a pair of middle-sized, angel-like wings project through openings in the armour. These wings are nicely articulated and have a lot of crystalline details that make them look really cool; they are cast in a very clear plastic, so it's easy to see all the prismatic, quartzy "feathers"

Wearables: an off-white (I'm gonna call this colour pearl) armour with glossy black details, two pearl bracelets, two pearl calf protectors, a pearl belt and a short black skirt. There are intricate cyber designs adorning her outfit, including a pentagonal glowing orange reactor at the centre of the chest armour. Her left arm and right thigh sport black leather straps with a short clear quartz prism protruding outwards and a holster, respectively. The skirt is composed of two flame-shaped matte black pieces (which consist of several large irregular leather scales laced together) on the front and back, and two glossy black tassets on the sides. The bracelets and the shin guards (but they could even be gauntlets and boots... it's difficult to judge due to the milky white appearance of her hands and feet) show many tech-looking details, as well as kite-shaped wrist and knee guards equipped with elliptical glowing orange "energy repulsors". Similar repulsors are also displayed on her neck, on the upper back of the armour, on the shoulder guards, on the front and back sides of the belt and on the tassets, and fictionally provide Ignitrys with lift, thrust and flight control.

Ignitrys' stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comics, Ignitrys has several powers, including nigh-invulnerability (thanks to her diamond-like body), supersonic flight and the emission of energy from various parts of her body. One of her most distinctive abilities is represented by the production of holograms and powerful blasts from her face; in the figure, this feature is rendered by means of a second head, into the front of which two translucent effect pieces (a light-blue image-projection and an orange blast, respectively) can be plugged alternately.

Furthermore, when Ignitrys needs to enhance her strength and durability, for example during flight and combat, the glow of her inner source of energy becomes more intense and extends to other parts of her body. Similarly to other figures in the line, this colour change feature can be achieved using warm water or a hairdryer, which will result in Ignitrys' translucent body turning pinkish with a rainbow shine that can be seen under certain lighting. Occasionally, this energy emission becomes so extreme, that she can even create luminescent spikes of plasma from some of her repulsors. These plasma blades come in the form of eight flame/lightning-shaped translucent orange add-ons that can be plugged into the upper back of the armour, the shoulder guards, the wrist guards and the knee guards after removing the repulsor pieces.

Weapons and accessories

Apart form the alternative head with effects and the plasma spikes, Ignitrys comes with a black Gatling-type plasma pistol. This gun has a rotary barrel cluster (which really revolves around a central axis!) and can be holstered into the leg holder.

Additionally, since Ignitrys is also depicted as an ordnance handling expert, the figure includes a small silvery explosive device that in Terror from the clouds is hidden inside the robotic body of Dymatrox as a part of the Dark Legion's plan to attack Theriom City.

Comic

Together with the action figure we get the third and final comic issue Notes of vengeance. Aiming to unearth ancient Reptonoid armaments, Wordron sets up a new archaeological excavation and accidentally exhumes the mysteriously reanimated corpse of a former Golden Eagle soldier. The creature, named Kot, recounts that he was killed during a recent Reptonoid invasion, when a young Princess Sih-Len, daughter of Lord Tafmohr^TM, managed to prevent a new fall of O-Kin by playing her magical flute and causing a giant landslide that annihilated the reptilian army, but also buried Kot. Seeing an opportunity to access the multiversal portals and gaining Bi-Harr's powers, Wordron sends Kot (now renamed Ter-Ah-Sur) and Fasyan on the mission to kidnap Sih-Len, who is visiting the island city-state of Semhadar together with Xonedar and Elykta on diplomatic business. When the group is on the way to reboard their amphibian vehicle for the journey back to Tahron's coast, the ambush takes place. The two evil warriors overpower their opponents and Fasyan throws Xonedar's motionless body into the sea, while Ter-Ah-Sur abducts Sih-Len and takes her to O-Kin. Elykta, who succeeded in escaping the surprise attack, calls for help at Theriom City. Gax-Uhr and Ir-Ash travel to O-Kin hoping to save the princess, but a massive robot under Ignitrys' control captures Ir-Ash. While Gax-Uhr is forced to follow the robot underground to rescue his brother, Modi-Rha takes control of Sih-Len's mind and, together with Wordron and his underlings, journeys to the multiversal walls site. In the meantime, Xonedar regains consciousness, but he finds himself underwater and attacked by a giant undersea creature. With Koptros' help, Xonedar makes it back safely to dry land and rejoins Demo-Rha, who tells him she's pregnant. The marine creature reappears on the surface of the sea and Koptros earns its (as well as the Semhadrian people's) trust by disentangling it from a steel fishing net. The three of them set out for the multiversal walls site, where the Theriom army led by King Li-Khon is also heading for. There, Sih-Len plays her magical flute for Wordron, who wishes to crush his opposition once and for all. Li-Khon and the heroes, joined by the Semhadrian people, arrive to battle their enemies, who are close to opening the portals. A huge battle begins and, as always, the outcome is decided by the heroes' cleverness as opposed to the brute force of the villains. Seeing his upcoming defeat, Wordron agrees on letting his brother use Elykta's stolen teleporting apparatus to hide the prodigious helmet, but this ultimately kills Fasyan. The evil menace of Wordron is finally over and the Therioms can now focus on protecting Tahron's people against future threats.

Overall, the only thing I can really complain about this story is that, according to my logic, Sih-Len's playing would have made the multiversal walls crumble away, instead of opening the portals. Kerdhokk^TM the robot didn’t seem enormously necessary either, and I have yet to figure out why the holopodian creatures are making repeated appearances, but an action figure of them has never been made. Nevertheless, in short, this issue is well worth a read.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦♦ PoliganToys gets credit for considering Ignitrys to be a very important character that needed a figure in the KR|Enmity line. I think she's the perfect partner for Wordron

Articulation: ♥♥ In my opinion, a leotard-like crotch piece instead of the skirt would have been a better choice in terms of poseability

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ Everything that was considered in her design is spot-on and perfectly sculpted and fabricated

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠ All her accessories are absolutely gorgeous

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ I think a lot of potential fans would find a great appreciation for this figure

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ Ignitrys is an excellent figure and, for the most part, one of the more detailed and original toys released in this line. She’s a fantastic concept that’s executed perfectly and is worthy of a look based solely on her aesthetics. So, hats off to PoliganToys for this one.

KR|Enmity Review #20: Xonedar (Enmity Edition)

Toy prototype details

Name: Xonedar^TM (Enmity Edition)

Subtitle: navy-division admiral

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: action figure (dual figure) - Nº 18 in the line.

Character details

Name: Xonedar

Classification: human

Sex: male

Relationships: Demo-Rha's partner

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: admiral of the Theriom Fleet; student of mechanical & materials engineering and surgery.

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #1 - Flares of enmity

Brief bio: an indisputably good man with a kind heart and the son of a former Theriom captain, Xonedar was eager to follow his mother's footsteps and was recruited by the Theriom maritime force at a young age. He started serving as a seaman while transporting cargo between Tahron and the island city-state of Semhadar, and worked his way up the ranks until he was appointed admiral. Apart from pursuing a remarkable military career, Xonedar also had interests in engineering and medical science, and, together with his colleague and close friend Koptros^TM, developed some innovative technologies, such as compressing armaments of weapons and equipment into small backpacks, equipping war vehicles with artificial intelligence and enhancing biological cells with robotic parts. Eventually, Xonedar was ordered by King Li-Khon to build a submersible ship that would be used as a means of escape and ocean exploration for locating a new safe territory in case of a sudden and illegal seizure of power by the reptilian forces.

Articulation

Both figures have the standard articulation.

In the comics, Xonedar is equipped with a hyper-technological backpack that can produce a powered exoskeleton, giving him superhuman strength and other abilities. Despite the two figures represent the same character, they render the two alternative forms and appear very different. Although it's not clear whether these figures will be released individually or in a 2-pack, I'm going to describe them separately.

Normal form

Description

Head: black skin, black hair, dark brown eyes. He sports a "rap industry standard" beard and a dark-blue headgear similar to a combination of a side cap and a peaked cap, with a brim folded up on both sides and projecting like a visor at the front, as well as silver details such as piping, a patterned band, a Theriom Fleet emblem (a modified version of the Theriom symbol, i.e., a seven-pointed star whose two elongated side points resemble the pectoral fins of a cetacean) worn on the front and a rank insignia worn on the left side

Body: covered from neck to toe. He wears a silver ring on his left hand ring finger... I don't know if this is supposed to be an engagement ring, but it is a wonderful touch that the guys at PoliganToys remembered to include it. It is that kind of detail that really spoils me as a KR fan

Wearables: a dark-blue military uniform consisting of a high-collared, thigh-length double-breasted blouse (non-removable) and a pair of trousers (with silver knee pads and a double-strapped sheath on the right thigh), a silvery ascot tie, two silver bracelets, two silver boots and a silver belt ornamented with two studs near the buckle. The blouse has various silver details, such as a trim and several buttons down the middle, two ornamental shoulder pieces and two rank insignia on the sleeves. A number of silver Theriom Fleet emblems are displayed on the left breast, on the knee pads, on the bracelets and on the belt buckle. Additionally the bracelets and the boots sport narrow cyber bands (one around each wrist and two around each boot top) that probably work as links between the uniform and the exoskeleton.

Action feature

Xonedar's normal form comes with a silver backpack attached to a harness that can be worn over his uniform. The backpack, which can fictionally produce the powered exoskeleton suit and other apparatuses, is probably a prototype of Sei-Lha's one in the Foundation series, while the harness features a number of nice sculpted details such as rivets, wires, circuitry, tubes and a sort of fan-looking chest reactor that appears to power the backpack.

Xonedar's stylised harness; the circle at the centre of the chest piece represents the inactive power reactor.

Weapons and accessories

In addition to the harness+backpack, the figure includes a small dagger with a dark-blue hilt and a silver blade, which can be stowed in the sheath strapped to his leg.

Enhanced form

Description

Head: protected by a full face dark-blue helmet with silver details (including a fin on the top and a pair of breathing hoses that connect the respirator to the "ears") and a light-blue glass visor. This helmet has a nice metallic shine and definitely makes for a cool design

Body: despite the dark-blue uniform is still visible, much of his body is characterised by the presence of a silver powered exoskeleton that allows for limb movement with increased strength and endurance. The exoskeleton, whose components run from the shoulders down to the hands and from the waist down to the feet, fastens to Xonedar's body at various spots, including his upper arms, wrists, thighs and calves

Wearables: a silver armour with dark-blue details (the two colours alternate clockwise), two silver gauntlets, two silver boots with knee guards, a silver belt (displaying several holster-looking holders all the way around) and a dark-blue crotch piece. The armour shows some similarities with Foundation Xonedar's one and is embellished with air vents, tubing and a seemingly rotating/glowing version of the chest reactor. The gauntlets and the boots have a nice cyber/armoured look and sport fins at the sides of the wrist guards and shin guards respectively, while the knee guards and the crotch piece feature smaller versions of the chest reactor.

Xonedar's stylised helmet.

Xonedar's stylised armour; the circle at the centre of the chest plate represents the active power reactor.

Action feature

Like with his normal form, Xonedar carries a silver removable backpack, which in this version features a pair of air tanks and several cetacean fin-shaped appendages. Fictionally, this device can produce a number of tools, one of which is included as an accessory and can be mounted to the figure. This tool, specifically an underwater attack gear that allows Xonedar to swim across the sea, is composed of a silver&dark-blue underwater scooter that plugs onto the chest armour, a clear plastic dome that covers his head and a pair of flipper-shaped dark-blue attachments that connect to the feet. The scooter is equipped with two side torpedo launchers (with separate missiles) that Xonedar can grab in his hands, while some additional air tubing folds up from behind the backpack over the clear helmet and hooks to a peg on the front of the latter.

Weapons and accessories

Aside from the underwater battle gear, Xonedar's enhanced form comes with an energy katar-rapier that fictionally derives from the normal form's dagger. This weapon, which has a H-shaped horizontal hand grip and can be stored in a loop on the side of the belt, is really nicely constructed, with a semi-translucent light-blue blade between the seemingly moving-apart upper and lower halves of the original silver blade.

Additionally, the figure includes an alternative helmeted head with a flipped up face plate. Xonedar's uncovered face resembles the normal form's face faithfully and has some additional details, specifically a silver headset microphone that runs down the right cheek.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦♦ This is what I'm talking about! I'm such a fan of the younger versions of the characters introduced in the Foundation series. I hope I'll be able to see more of them in this line

Articulation: ♥♥♥ I would like him even more if the enhanced form could move better and had a few more display options, because the bulky armour, which can be explained as a pressure suit, hinders the articulation a bit. Anyway, I’ll deal

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ I am very happy with the sculpt of both figures and I do so love their colour scheme

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠ Kudos to the folks at PoliganToys, who have found a great way to make the backpack/suit thing look like a prototype of Sei-Lha's future equipment

Playability: ♪♪♪ Xonedar is a fun dual figure and some of his flaws (such as the above-mentioned limited articulation) get a pass from me because he was so badly wanted

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ I’m very pleased with how Enmity Xonedar turned out. He gives me a much needed member of the Theriom forces and I’d definitely like to see another similarly themed character before the end of the line (*cough* Koptros with removable backpack and alternate head *cough*).

KR|Enmity Review #19: Veq-Sor

Toy prototype details

Name: Veq-Sor^TM

Subtitle: enemy-snatching warrior

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: action figure - Nº 17 in the line.

Character details

Name: Veq-Sor

Real name: Al-Veq

Classification: mutant human

Sex: male

Relationships: cousin of Tor-Qen

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Dark Legion

Rank: sergeant.

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #1 - Flares of enmity

Brief bio: an outlier who showed the mutating effects of the chemical weapons deployed during the Reptonoid domination of O-Kin, Al-Veq served as a labourer for several years, while he also became a freelance thief willing to steal anything for the right price. Eventually gaining the moniker Veq-Sor, he enhanced himself by providing his arms with stolen robotic tools and preserving his deformed head in a cyborg helmet. When Wordron, following his self-proclamation as ruler, formed his own army, Veq-Sor joined his cousin Tor-Qen in bolstering the Dark Legion's lethality against the Therioms. Using his electromechanical scissor blades and pincer jaws, he relished striding into battle and fighting to defeat his enemies at any cost.

Articulation

Standard, except that the wrists are ball jointed and there are several hinged parts, i.e., a mouth guard, two hand-pincer jaws and two hand-shear blades.

Description

Head: he wears a tall metallic purple helmet with a full mask, cheek and nape protectors, and a forward-bent peak, which slightly recalls the Phrygian style. The helmet seems to be made of two pieces of sheet metal that are somehow connected in the middle (leaving a visible gap), while two serrated leaf-like upward steel riveted plates reinforce the crown on the sides. A vertical translucent blue visor (ending with a silver nose guard) covers a single eye-slit at the centre of the face mask, while a serrated leaf-like copper mouth guard can be moved up and down, to provide different looks by either hiding or showing the mouth, which is surrounded by grey, mildly bearded skin. He also has a "light-pipe" feature in the back of his crowned helmet, which makes his visor glow eerily

Body: his torso and the few exposed parts of his limbs show a grey, mildly hairy skin and several copper wires running from the various armour components into his flesh

Wearables: a copper armour with purple details, two copper shoulder guards (each with a spike sticking out of the side), two copper bracelets (with elbow guards), two copper boots (kinda claw-shaped and with knee/thigh guards) and purple shorts. All the metal coverings show lots of cyber details; in particular, the armour, together with the "toothed" shorts, slightly resembles a robotic skull, while each shoulder guard is connected to the corresponding elbow/wrist guard by a sort of silver exoskeletal device comprising cables and pistons.

Veq-Sor's stylised armour.

Action feature

By default, instead of hands Veq-Sor sports two giant steel weapons: a pair of pincers on the right and a pair of shears on the left (of course the positions can be exchanged to one's liking). Both weapons have a lot of sculpted copper tech-mech details, such as wires and gears, and are articulated with a hinge joint on each jaw/blade.

Additionally, Veq-Sor has the ability to store up immense amounts of energy in his pincers, then burst out in an electrocuting action, knocking down his trapped foes. So, the figure comes with two translucent blue lightning effects that can be attached to the gripping parts.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the lightning effects, Veq-Sor comes with a few more accessories. First up is the disc launcher that in the comics he uses to fling bladed discs towards the enemy. This weapon is meant to replace the pair of pincers, from which it fictionally originates, and is accompanied by two metallic purple discs with sharp silver edges. The cool thing is that the launcher really fires the discs! This is achieved by simply sliding one disc inside the mount and squeezing the levers on the back. Also, there is a purple wrist clip to transform a disc into a shield.

Additionally, Veq-Sor includes a pair of swappable copper cybernetic hands and a sort of metallic purple roll cage that connects to the front and the back of his armour, presumably to further protect his head from being injured during battle. Update: a pair of swappable lifting fork-hands will also be included.

Finally, the figure comes with a large copper removable belt that is decorated with silver rivets, a Dark Legion symbol (i.e., a diamond-shaped black gemstone, which, when looking deeply into it, shows a subtle discolouration resembling a demonic face) at the centre, two round purple, silver-edged plates hanging from the front (another one is on the back) and resembling the launchable discs, and two loops on the sides, which can hold two extra interchangeable pieces, i.e., shears, pincers or disc launcher, when not used.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦ Veq-Sor is a fun and cool-looking character and, in my opinion, a fine addition to the KR|Enmity series

Articulation: ♥♥♥♥ Since his weapons are articulated with a hinge joint on each moving part, you can definitely get some very wide and menacing poses from them

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ I really love certain parts of him. His cyborg helmet is great and the robotic armour parts work surprisingly well

Accessories: ♠♠ Like with Tor-Qen, where they failed, I think, was in not adding the construction hand-tools (lifting forks in Veq-Sor's case), to let people change the character to his pre-Dark Legion form

Playability: ♪♪♪ Opening and playing with him has made me like him as a toy more than I did when all I had to go on were a couple of panels in a comic

Overall: ☺☺☺ I think Veq-Sor will be one of those figures that make somebody sceptical at first, but after a while he’ll start to become a toy that fans of the line enjoy.

KR|Enmity Review #18: Par-Sya

Toy prototype details

Name: Par-Sya^TM

Subtitle: visionary queen

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: action figure - Nº 16 in the line.

Character details

Name: Queen Par-Sya

Family name: Ubbakh^TM

Classification: primivod mammal

Sex: female

Relationships: wife of Li-Khon, mother of Ir-Ash, Tir-Hing and Gax-Uhr

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: queen of Tahron; counsellor of State.

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #1 - Flares of enmity

Brief bio: although her aristocratic family aimed at breaking ties with the Therioms, rather than risking giving up their noble titles, Par-Sya wished to become a skilled diplomat in an effort to end the conflict between the mammalian and the reptilian peoples. Despite having little interest in warfare, she joined the royal army to be trained in hand-to-hand combat and soon managed to show that her political skills were nearly as impressive as her fighting abilities. Par-Sya quickly found herself at the centre of Tahron's politics, helping her new mentor Prince Li-Khon to further peace with the Reptonoids. Over time, her council became vital to the Therioms, as she could often foresee the outcomes of controversies and disputes during diplomatic negotiations. After some time, she fell in love with the dashing soon-to-be King Li-Khon and eventually became queen of Tahron, but died prematurely due to the exposure to ionising radiation during a fight with Ignitrys^TM.

Articulation

Standard, excluding hinged abdomen.

Description

Head: predominantly feline (even if she's a primivod, a fictional anthropomorphic marsupial), characterised by dainty features, short brown to white fur and dark eyes. She wears a gold crown that consists of a ring carrying eight half hoops (or half arches) and surmounted by a glow-in-the-dark globe of ivory with an amethyst fleur-de-lis (⚜, the emblem of her family) on top of it; each half hoop is adorned with a few progressively smaller diamond-shaped straight up amethysts. Two hemispheres made of engraved gold fill the left and right sides of the crown, leaving an opening in the middle through which the front and back half hoops pass. The crown is lined with a dark-red velvet cap covered with pearls

Body: covered from neck to toe; her hands show a short white fur

Wearables: a long golden dress with a V-neck and long sleeves, two metallic purple bracelets (decorated with dark-red arabesque patterns and gold studs) and a Y-shaped belt made of purple fabric, black leather and gold ornaments. The puffy neckline is deep enough to expose a gold necklace, while its sides meet at a big brooch that looks like an elaborate ivory version of the Theriom emblem (i.e., a seven-pointed star with the two side points elongated). The loose sleeves are tucked into the bracelets, while the shoulders are covered with two clip-on purple puffs (decorated with dark-red fleur-de-lis designs) that hold a golden cape (which gradually splits into a pair of tails). The belt separates the fitted part above the waist from the slightly flouncier skirt below, which, despite being made of a soft plastic, blocks her articulation from the waist down due to the absence of slits.

Action feature

In the comics, Par-Sya has the ability to perceive events in the future and to express the predicted consequences of those events through different colours of an enchanted stone hidden in her brooch. The chest ornament fictionally has two spring-pivoting "wings" that swing open to reveal the gemstone; in reality, we get two swappable snap-on GITD versions of the brooch: closed and open. Similarly to a mood ring, the little stone mounted on the open version of the jewel changes colours, from blue to orange, based upon the temperature.

Additionally, Par-Sya, like her husband, is portrayed in the comics as both a wise counsellor and a skillful warrioress. Exactly like with Li-Khon, PoliganToys gives us the possibility to display the figure in two different configurations: an institutional look and a combat look. The former has been described above, while the latter is obtained by detaching the head, removing the puffs-plus-cape piece and taking off the dress, which is a whole solid removable part that slips off the figure after unplugging a number of little fasteners on the back. Her body looks kind of funny underneath, but that's because the female waist and hip articulation that is normally hidden, is now exposed. Afterwards, the alternative outfit, which consists of a gold chain mail vest and includes a badass metallic purple belt, a longish golden skirt and an additional black leather sword belt, wraps around her body and connects on the back the same way as the dress piece. The open front skirt allows her brown-to-white furred legs and metallic purple boots (with diamond-shaped knee guards) to be visible, and, unlike the dress, doesn't block her articulation from the waist down. Then, an additional metallic purple chest armour can sit on her shoulders; this piece has holes for connecting either version of the brooch on the front and two gold pauldrons on the sides. Finally, the head must be reattached - the crown is a clip-on piece that can be easily removed, leaving a little gold tiara portion that is part of the head sculpt and onto which a gold helmet/mask can clip snugly. This piece, which completely surrounds (but doesn't cover) her face and tapers under the chin to protect her neck, looks beautiful and really helps bring one of the best comic book designs out.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from her interchangeable brooches and alternative battle outfit, Par-Sya comes with three accessories, one of which is her light sceptre. This is a golden staff topped with an ivory ornament that, besides glowing in the dark, bears a resemblance to the fleur-de-lis seen on her crown and shoulder puffs. It is worth mentioning that this is also the sceptre eventually held by Foundation Magda-Lyn as an inherited symbol of sovereignty and, in fact, it's the exact same piece, except that most of the gold portion is vac-metallised.

Additionally, there is a sword that has an ivory hilt with a fleur-de-lis design and a golden blade. This sword can be clipped onto the belt of the battle outfit and is a vac-metallised version of the sword that came with Enmity Magda-Lyn.

Finally, the figure includes a Baryanoid, which serves as the fourth instalment of the Build-a-Figure plan that will lead to the completion of the Baryanoid-Cart. Everything related to this topic has already been covered extensively in Ir-Ash's review.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦ While Par-Sya is not one of my favourite figures ever in the line, it is an essential and a welcome part of my collection. The Royal Family of Tahron is now complete

Articulation: ♥♥♥ Obviously her articulation is pretty limited in her queen gear. Beyond that, the neck range of motion is not great when she wears the battle helmet/mask (she can look up, but not down)

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ The sculpt of this figure is pretty great and the paint has some nice depth shading on both outfits

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠ With cool accessories for both modes, she is a fun figure both as a queen and as a warrior. Then, on top of that, we've got the last Baryanoid... I wonder what the next piece will be

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ As always in these cases, just the fact that you can create two different versions of a character is fun

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ Due to the ability to pose dynamically, I’m going to have to say that the combat version is the better of the two figures, even though Queen Par-Sya is definitely a necessity.

KR|Enmity Review #17: Dymatrox

Toy prototype details

Name: Dymatrox^TM

Subtitle: armed robot

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: action figure - Nº 15 in the line.

Character details

Name: Dymatrox

Classification: robot

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Dark Legion

Rank: service droid.

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #2 - Terror from the clouds

Brief bio: originally built by Wordron as an improved version of a standard Dark Legion Trooper, Dymatrox was later upgraded by Ignitrys^TM using Xonedar's stolen backpack, in order to increase its lethality. Thanks to those enhancements, this deadly robotic soldier wasn't as agile as its forerunners, but carried an extraordinary variety of weapons, including cannons, rotating blades, laser rifles and even a built-in system for self destruction, which made it well suited to join the Dark Legion in their fight for supremacy. During his campaign of terror against King Li-Khon, Wordron utilised Dymatrox on the front line as an attack droid, which effortlessly carried out any orders and used its destructive capacity to confront the Therioms in battle.

Articulation

Standard, with four additional fully articulated arms and a hinged lower jaw; all arms have ball jointed wrists.

Description

Head: silver reptile skull (slightly flattened from side to side, and showing a few mechanical and electrical components), the eyes emit a yellow glow. The head structure resembles a Stygimoloch's pear-shaped, domed skull and its look is definitely evil. Short conical hornlets cover the nose area, while the back corners of the skull bear a pair of large, backward-pointing spikes, which are surrounded by three smaller spikes. Interestingly, the lower jaw is movable and shows some more technological parts sculpted on the inside of the mouth. The origin of this head is kinda mysterious - in the comics, Wordron claims that he found it during one of his archaeological excavations, which is very interesting because it would mean that the concept of a robotic skull-headed soldier is a very ancient idea of the Reptonoids'

Body: three pairs of arms (the additional arms project from the torso at the shoulders and the flanks) and one pair of legs; these silver, fully articulated limbs are mostly a reuse of the Destructomorph Trooper's electro-hydraulic limbs and display lots of machinery/circuitry patterns, including tubes, wires, pistons and hinges

Wearables: a bulky metallic light-blue armour with black details, six metallic light-blue cuffs, a metallic light-blue belt and a black crotch piece. Every component shows lots of cyber details; in particular, the armour has circuits and cables all over, two large rectangular air vents near the central arms, as well as a high, keel-shaped neck that conceals the lower part of the head. The lower legs are huge and, like the armour, each bears light-blue air vents at the sides, while the soles display turbines and other seemingly moving parts.

Dymatrox's stylised armour.

Action feature

Dymatrox is not just a normal reptilian robot like many we've seen in the past - he's equipped with an awesome arsenal of melee weapons and fire power, to annihilate the opposing side. First up, the "shin guards" fold down, to direct two black missile launchers towards its enemies; each piece of artillery is spring-loaded and shoots a two-headed light-blue missile. Also, its arms feature multiple weapons, which, by default, are: two black Gatling-type guns (each has a barrel cluster rotating around a central cannon) for the lower arms, a circular silver saw and a 4-blade buzz saw (the former spins around a rotation axis that is perpendicular to Dymatrox's arm, the latter spins coaxially with the arm) for the central arms, and two 4-jaw silver claws for the upper arms. All these weapons are interchangeable arm attachments that can be swapped around.

Dymatrox also displays a black dual laser rifle attached to its back. This weapon fictionally slides up and swings over the robot's head, encasing completely the latter (a V-shaped yellow visor allows for sight) and pointing the double Y-shaped light-blue barrel at the opponents. Such feature can be reproduced simply by detaching the weapon from the back (which reveals a hole disguised as a battle damage) and placing it, rather loosely I have to say, on top of the armour's collar once the head is removed. I know that the original design involved two separate rifles that would flip over the shoulders, but the lack of room between the head and the upper arms made that option unfeasible.

Finally, the chest plate of the armour (together with the collar) is removable, revealing crazy details in the figure's inner body: a buzz saw launcher that in the comics is capable of hurling bladed discs (one of such discs is included as an add-on), a pair of spiked rollers (they can really rotate synchronously by means of gears!) through which the enemy is driven by two plug-in steel wires ending with barbed shock anchors that are fictionally fired to pierce armour and cause temporary paralysis, and a rectangular lenticular sticker that resembles a bomb control panel.

Weapons and accessories

The folks at PoliganToys probably thought that Dymatrox wasn't armed enough, so they decided to include some additional vicious tools. In the comics, Dymatrox's claws are extendable and can rapidly stretch out from the two upper arms towards its opponents; so, we get two silver cyber extensions for the claws, although they can actually be used for any of its "extremities".

Additionally, since the claws also have the ability to transform into cutting tools, there is a set of two silver drill bits that can replace the gripping devices.

Finally, the figure comes with two blast attachments that plug into the lower arms cannons: a translucent blue plasma-cannon effect and a translucent red flamethrower effect.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦♦ This is a great inclusion for the line - Dymatrox is a big part of Wordron's forces, even if it only appears in one episode

Articulation: ♥♥♥ The movement is as much as I need from a 6-armed robot. The only thing I could suggest, in order to improve posing, would be using slightly longer arms. It would require new tooling, but would lend a menacing enemy-crunching pose to the display options

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣ The sculpt is awesome of course and paint is also very nice. The base “metal” of the body is cast in a solid grey plastic, but has a very shiny reflective silver paint to highlight the technological details
Accessories: ♠♠♠♠♠ Everything is excellent here, with so many options available. I like displaying the upper arms with one "hand" in claw mode and the other in spinning drill mode

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ I can tell you that this figure works perfectly and I love it more than I even thought I would

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ The idea that Dymatrox is a further advanced design of Wordron's robots, with elements of the future Reptonoid Troopers such as the reptile head, adds a great new dimension to the Dark Legion shelf. Besides, the sculpt and execution are top notch. That said, I'd want to buy more than one, to build an army of these robots.