KR|Dimness Review #10: Tolaaf

Toy prototype details

Name: Tolaaf^TM

Subtitle: volcanic monster

Line: KR|Dimness

Item type: action figure - Nº 7 in the line.

Character details

Name: Tolaaf

Classification: lavatic creature

Sex: seemingly male

Home: Tahron

Era: 5 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Dark Legion (indirectly)

Rank: commandant of the Lava Sentinels who guard Mount Atubion.

Background

First appearance: KR|Dimness #1 - Into dimness: Part I – Awakening

Brief bio: wordless and stumping creatures of living hot molten rock, the Lava Sentinels were the monstrous protectors of Mount Atubion. Originally given life by the Multiversal Balancers, to guard the volcano and the magical spark that powered it, the Lava Sentinels eventually rebelled and only obeyed their commandant Tolaaf. When Wordron used his army of demonic parasites to bring Clavisaur back to life and retrieve the prodigious helmet that was once in his possession, he placed his trust in the Lava Sentinels, to prevent the Forseha tribe from harvesting a powerful remedy that originated from the volcano's soil. Tolaaf's ability to explode into burning rock fragments and rebuild himself made him a deadly enemy of all those who opposed his fiery horde, but thanks to their fearlessness and team spirit the Forseha people fought him courageously and drove the evil Lava Sentinels back to their lair.

Articulation

Standard, except that the forearms and calves are ball jointed.

Description

Head: made of a cracked dark-grey rocky material, carved with prominent brow ridges, deep-set devilish eyes, an open mouth (which exposes a number of sharp, crooked light-greyish teeth), and a structure on the chin and lower cheeks that looks like a beard. The cracks, as well as the eyes and mouth cavities, glow a bright orange colour as a result of the lava that moves beneath the hardened surface of his body. He also wears a sort of stony helmet covered in angular, spiky rock fragments (which reminds me a bit of Amaso from Steel Jeeg); the helmet can be removed, revealing a bright orange outpouring of lava oozing from his seemingly empty cranium

Body: made of a dark-grey rocky material criss-crossed by cracks that glow a bright orange colour. Although several body pieces are reused from the ragged Ter-Ah-Sur build, the sculptors at PoliganToys were able to manipulate that original buck to make this figure look like a big rocky beast. In fact, the torso/neck portion, the lower arms and legs as well as the hips/crotch part are all new massive, wonderfully sculpted overlay rock pieces that are attached to the figure. These pieces, which are all removable, add a great amount of size to the figure (he indeed looks like one of the largest in the series yet) and show a lot of craggy volcanic details such as cracks, crevices, blisters and glowing lava outflowings. I especially like the lower legs that resemble columnar basalt structures. The stony piece comprising his shoulders, chest and back has a nice crater-like collar portion that comes up around the back of the head, while the limb parts display spiky elbow and knee areas, as well as large hands equipped with spiked knuckles and huge feet sporting stony claws

Wearables: the torso/neck overlay includes a harness that is made of a ropey golden-yellow material and displays a volcano-shaped symbol at the centre of the chest piece. The forearms and the shins show pairs of large open lune-shaped golden-yellow bangles; similar ornamental lunes are also visible near the flanks on the stony torso piece. The waist/hips area is studded with golden-yellow nuggets, the central one of which is much larger and chiseled with some kind of demonic face design. Additionally, the guys at PoliganToys took artistic license with the chest emblem, the "clothing" on the crotch piece as well as most of the helmet, and changed those from light-grey to a more sky-blueish, larimar colour to add contrast. Despite I would have been fine if those details had been kept comic-book accurate, I do like the change.

Tolaaf's stylised harness; the triangular design at the centre of the chest piece represents a volcano-shaped symbol.

Action feature

In the comics, in order to knock down any enemies that stand in his way, Tolaaf has the ability to generate powerful volcanic eruptions from the inside of his body, ejecting his head and emitting a blast of toxic gasses and lethal burning material from his beheaded neck. The head is connected to a long incandescent chain, so he can use it as the striking end of a ball-and-chain flail before it blows like a volcanic bomb. The figure includes two stiff red-hot faux chains for two different display options: one that has a coiled end to be positioned around his left forearm and a thin ring-shaped end inserted between his head and neck (the beard and collar help conceal this piece), and a version of it in action, which has one end to be placed in both hands and the other end plugged into the ball joint socket of the head. An additional eruption effect, seemingly made of smoke, ash and lapilli, can be attached to the neck in place of the head when the latter is detached.

Moreover, when his head explodes, a new one is produced by his crater-like neck. So, a volcanic dome-shaped, mid-formation head with a blistered texture and a general glowing lava appearance is also included.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the two chains, eruption effect and alternate head, Tolaaf comes with a spectacular flaming whip, which has a nice wavy shape and a metallic dark-blue handle. Judging by the similarity between this handle and the two chains' handgrips, I believe the whip is actually a third, much hotter version of the incandescent chain.

In addition, the guys at PoliganToys tossed a few alternative pieces in the package, so that Tolaaf can match his evil lavatic minion's styling. The set includes a head, a spiked collar, two pairs of lower arm/leg pieces and several weapons. First of all, it's necessary to remove the head, the torso/neck and the large limb rocky pieces, since Tolaaf's warriors have a slenderer look. When stripped of the torso covering, the cracked dark-grey rocky trunk shows a small triangular bright orange gemstone embedded in the centre of the chest. The alternate head sports a mane of long golden Pele's hair emerging from the crater-like cranium, a wrinkled texture, empty eye sockets that emit a faint orange glow, and a gaping mouth that allows for plugging in the eruption (more like spitting in this case) effect. Similarly to the collar, the plug-in gauntlets (one of which is hand-less) and clawed boots are made of the same ropey golden-yellow material seen on Tolaaf's harness, and display spikes all around the cuffs and the tops respectively. Finally, there is a boulderstone covered in spiky rock fragments, which is meant to be connected by the swinging-looking faux chain to the hand-less left arm, as well as a double-tang (i.e., with each blade held in the handle by two projections, leaving a cutout at the base of the blade) axe, a sword and a shield for the right hand. All the above-mentioned weapons are made of a dark-grey rocky material criss-crossed by cracks that glow a bright orange colour, and show some sky-blueish details, i.e., the spikes, the handle, the hilt and a ring design, respectively.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦♦ As a chunk of living lava, this is a character who totally belongs to the barbarian filled era of the KR|Dimness series. I just love how epic and brutal he looks!

Articulation: ♥♥♥ Tolaaf has the same great, sturdy articulation that most other KR figures have and, except a little around the shoulders, the various overlays don’t impede movement too much

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ The overlays used to augment the standard body sculpt manage to make him look big and broad, rather than fat, thankfully. The subtle variety in the shades of dark-grey on his body helps bring out a lot of detail and makes him look like actual stone

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠ Most of the accessories are cast and painted to mimic Tolaaf's texture and colour scheme, and feature some great sculpting. The flaming whip looks really, really vicious and definitely makes him appear like a torment for the Forseha people

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ There is a lot of love about this figure, as it is something quite different from what has come before in this line (perhaps with the exception of Clavisaur)

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ Tolaaf is definitely a highlight of 2019 so far and has jumped up on my list as my favourite KR|Dimness prototype. While we've got more than half of the year still to go, I can't help but feel like he will be a tough guy to beat.

KR Review #79: Ceratank

As one of the first Key Raiders vehicles shown in the comics, the Ceratank^TM was pretty high on my wish list for inclusion in the KR|Foundation series.

When PoliganToys announced that I would get a fully-sculpted, figure-scaled prototype of this vehicle, my reaction was ecstatic. With the expansion of the line following the inclusion of the Rotakord in the previous quarter, it actually seemed possible that I might get it, despite PoliganToys regularly claiming I would not.

Finally, rolling over the terrain in search of the enemy, moving closer to its prey with its jaws opening and closing to devour all in its path, this vehicle, hungry and on the hunt, is finally in my hands!

Details

Name: Ceratank

Subtitle: rumbling vehicle of destruction

Classification: land vehicle

Home: Tahron

Affiliation: Rexodon

Rank: transport.

Description

The Ceratank is a powerful, fearsome-looking command tank with a bony armour on the hull front, which strongly resembles a Centrosaurus skull. The blocky, angular hull is painted in a metallic dark-blue colour, while the large beaked ivory-white ceratopsian head bears an elaborate backwards curved horn over the snout, a pair of large hornlets that hook forwards over the jagged frill and a pair of small upwards directed horns over the eyes.

The front of the hull is flanked by wheeled outriggers, while the rear section is mounted on tank treads, each with a series of black metallic wheels and a seemingly articulated band of cleated black metal plates passing around. The vehicle can be rolled forward or backward thanks to the addition of a wheel hidden under each tread. The continuous tracks and front wheels are partly concealed and protected by a pair of metallic dark-blue armoured side-skirts, which are embellished with a number of curved ivory-white bony structures resembling ribs, and a pair of front mud-guards, each shaped and coloured like a five-clawed bony foot.

The driver's highly detailed cockpit is placed behind the armour-head and is covered by a domed canopy. This hood, which is cast in clear plastic and reinforced with metallic dark-blue beams, is hinged at the front and can only open by folding up and forward after detaching the bony head (in the comics, it is the head that is hinged and can be lowered to reveal a set of steps for boarding or disembarking the vehicle), so you can sit a figure in the driver's seat; my complaint, apart from the fact that the cockpit can only hold one figure (while in the comics it's a two-seater with a large heads up display), is that the top of the bony frill is right in front of the pilot’s face, which I find kind of weird. Thankfully, the clear canopy can be swapped out for a metallic dark-blue armoured version, to better match its comic book battle-mode depiction.

Finally, the back part has large air intakes and exhaust pipes (or perhaps rocket boosters) on top of the engine compartment, and carries a long, curved ivory-white bony tail composed of eight large vertebrae and equipped with two points of articulation, i.e. a hinge and a swivel, near its base. Theoretically, by popping the tail off at the swivel joint, a Ceratank could be connected to a second identical vehicle stripped of its head and, by repeating this process several times, it would be possible to build a caterpillar-esque monster tank made of a large number of units.

It's interesting to note that the skull (around the eye sockets), front paws and tail end display various metallic dark-blue techno-embellishments, such as panels, tubes, wires and pistons, while the eyes themselves are in fact fiery red headlights.

Action feature

The Ceratank's engine cover on the rear section can be opened thanks to three folding-up hatches (two on the sides and one on the back, with the latter becoming a headrest), revealing a single-seat rear cockpit ornamented with highly detailed wall panelling and armed with a removable swinging/swivelling two-handled double-gun on the front. Although this toy is large enough to accommodate two figures comfortably, one on the front and one on the back, it isn't an exact replica of what I've seen in the comics - it's still a ton smaller than its fictional counterpart, which can transport many people into battle.

Additionally, the tail, which bears a missile-launcher on its end, can swivel and fold up for shooting forward. In this position, the cannon plugs into a spot right behind the front cockpit, while the tail, owing to its curved shape, becomes a handle that can be used to carry the Ceratank around.

Furthermore, an additional bony neck piece (with length, shape and colour similar to those of the tail) can be inserted between the hull and the head. This piece's function is to recreate the neck-extending attack feature seen in the comics and, thanks to a ratcheted joint in the middle, allows the head to be directed upwards. In this configuration, the monstrous vehicle's jaws can swing open agape, showing a number of menacing serrated teeth, and snap shut to hold one unlucky figure. Alternatively, the mouth can be used as a handy place to store the driver's weapons.

Weapons and accessories

Aside from a missile that can be fired from the tail-launcher thanks to a spring-loaded mechanism, the Ceratank has two large guns mounted to the top of the wheeled outriggers, which are exposed by lifting the two paws on the front (each paw is articulated with a hinge at its base). Each gun is painted in a silver colour, has a reptile's head design on the tip and can move up and down for better aim.

Moreover, the outriggers are actually "launchable" pods that detach from the sides of the hull. These pods look like small metallic black and dark-blue driverless bikes, each with a larger tire in the back than in the front and surmounted by the pivoting gun.

All things considered, the Ceratank is long overdue to be made into a prototype and is a welcome addition to my collection. Its size, meticulous detail, and the fact that you can comfortably fit two figures on this thing with no problem, make it essential for any KR enthusiast who has the space for it. This masterpiece of a vehicle is without a doubt an extremely impressive toy!

KR|Dimness Review #9: Forseha Defenders

Toy prototype details

Name: Forseha Defenders^TM

Subtitle: combative tribespeople

Line: KR|Dimness

Item type: multi-pack (3-pack) - Nº 3 in the line.

Character details

Name: Forseha Defender

Classification: mammal (various species)

Sex: male or female

Home: Tahron

Era: 5 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Forseha

Rank: tribal warrior.

Background

First appearance: KR|Dimness #1 - Into dimness: Part I – Awakening

Brief bio: for many centuries, the reclusive Forseha people rejected the technology that had quickly spread across Tahron, and continued to live in a primitive terramare settlement near the Ucamur^TM region. In their veins, most of the tribe members held the blood of the great ancient champion Myneran^TM, who, alongside other valiant paladins, had been entrusted with keeping the legendary Key safe from the ruthless reptilian armies. Because of this valuable lineage, the Forseha tribe was targeted by the evil Wordron, who wished to access the bloodline’s link to the powers of their ancestor for reviving the mysterious golem Clavisaur. Blessed with strength, deep knowledge of the forest environment and the ability to use the resources of nature to their advantage, these warriors were tough adversaries for Wordron. After courageously defending their clan from an army of demonic parasites, many of the tribesmen suffered mystical wounds that put them into an unconscious state. Eventually, the few unaffected heroes freed their companions from the curse and together joined forces to defeat the Dark Legion.

Articulation

Standard, excluding hinged abdomen for the female figure and calf swivel for both human figures (due to the fact that they wear neither boots nor shin guards).

Description

The set includes three figures: a human male, a human female and a non-human male.

Heads: the two human figures' heads have Indigenous Brazilian features, both showing brown skin, fairly long brown hair and hazel eyes; I really like their facial expressions, which instantly communicate brawn. The non-human figure has a similar appearance to a hippopotamus, identifiable by the large mauve taupe head with a long muzzle, eyes, ears and nostrils placed high on the roof of his skull and broad horny lips

Bodies: the two human figures show brown skin, while the non-human figure exhibits a hairless mauve taupe body. The male's body displays a few L-shaped black war-paint markings here and there, while his chest and back are mildly hairy. All the three characters are barefoot; in particular, the hippo-like figure has four-toed webbed feet

Wearables: the human male figure wears a short light-brown raffia fibre tunic with L-shaped white decorative patterns, a dark-brown leather strip tied around the right forearm, a dark-brown knotted rope belt and a long torn off-white skin loincloth. The female figure wears a one-shoulder leotard with a cut-out on the right flank, a dark-brown leather armband on the left arm, a pair of narrow tubular bronze bracelets on the right arm, two narrow tubular bronze anklets ornamented with layers of light-brown plant fibres (or perhaps fur...), a belt made of several bronze discs laced together and a short pale-straw grass skirt. The leotard seems to be made of two pieces that are stitched together: the top piece (perhaps originally part of a bikini-like outfit) is made from pale cream-coloured fur that is brownly marked with blotches and stripes, while the bottom one is made from light-brown raffia fibre. The non-human figure wears a thigh-length shaggy tunic (made from the same blotchy/striped fur described above), two dark-brown leather gloves and two dark-brown leather calf protectors with tattered light-brown turndown tops. The tunic is secured around the waist by a dark-brown leather belt equipped with a little skull buckle and a small scabbard for a dagger on the side. All the three garments are embellished with necklaces that are variously adorned with claws, stones and shells, and I like that the two males can exchange their tunics to add more variety to the set (they both also look cool shirtless).

Weapons and accessories

Although the Forseha Defenders are extremely skilled warriors, their figures have no action feature, but they do come with a nice set of weapons that are very fitting (and savage) for the three characters. The human male wields a spear that definitely has a primitive look to it, with a pointed dark-grey chert head tied with brown rope to a long shaft. The shaft itself is composed of two parts, which are also held together by rope: an upper whitish bony segment and a longer lower wooden part. This piece is also very detailed, with the knapped, almond-shaped head having scratches and nicks in it.
The female character brandishes a very cool tomahawk, which has a nice sharp sculpt and features a whitish bony handle fitted with a head of bladed dark-grey stone. I love how it looks weathered - you can see the dents and chips in the blade, as it looks like its owner has had many uses for it.

The non-human figure has a double bearded axe and a dagger. The axe shows two polished dark-grey stone blades mounted asymmetrically (i.e., one of the two blades is upside down) to a wooden handle. Again, this piece shows excellent attention to detail by the folks at PoliganToys, with good woodgrain and dinted stone features. The dagger also has that primitive look seen in the other weapons, with rope holding two bones crossed to form a hilt and the polished dark-grey stone blade all together.

Additionally, the three figures come with three alternate heads that show slightly different details compared to their standard ones: the human male sports darker brown hair and beard as well as a band of light-brown raffia fibre tied around the head, the human female has shorter, darker brown hair and a bony band worn on the front, while the non-human chap shows the mouth wide open, revealing large yellowish canine and incisor tusks.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦ In my opinion the Defenders are a vital part of the KR mythos, just like the Theriom Troopers/Knights/Soldiers. I hope they'll be mass-available, because they would make an excellent customisation base

Articulation: ♥♥♥♥ The standard KR articulation is only hindered slightly at the neck by the longish hair of the human figures

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ Sculpt of course is killer; there are a surprising number of new parts on the two human characters, since they're barefoot and not wearing much around their forearms and lower legs. Paint is crisp and clean

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠♠ All the weapons are cast in a solid and sturdy plastic and feature fine sculpts and excellent paintwork. They all have a nice dark paint wash to give an appropriate level of crudeness to the pieces. The additional heads are an impressive extra

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ I had a great time posing these savage warriors fighting any beasts and monsters from my collection

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ The Forseha Defenders multi-pack is an amazing set and all the figures are very well detailed. The alternate heads are excellent and are going to replace the standard heads on my figures from here on out.