Toy prototype details
Name: Hax
Subtitle: armour-plated warrior
Line: KR|Dimness
Item type: action figure - Nº 8 in the line.
Character details
Name: Hax
Real name: HaxenarTM
Classification: pholidotan mammal (but he looks mostly human)
Sex: male
Home: Tahron
Era: 5 years before Foundation
Affiliation: Forseha
Rank: right-hand man.
Background
First appearance: KR|Dimness #2 - Masq-Lor's quest
Brief bio: a bold warrior who lived in the Forseha terramare settlement near the UcamurTM region, Haxenar was respected for his fearlessness and agile method of fighting despite his enormous size. Taking the nickname Hax, he was held in high esteem by many fellow tribesmen, including DekerusTM and DhermotTM, with whom he became close friends. Experienced in the use of plates of bone for defence against attack and in the excavation of defensive moats, Hax stood as Dakun's personal protector and later as a guardian to the youngest members of his tribe. While covering that role, he was offered a place as a combat teacher for Masq-Lor, as the kid wished to become a valiant warrior in the model of Dakun, and he proudly accepted.
Articulation
Standard, except that the wrists are ball jointed.
Description
Head: Nordic features, cream white skin, thick auburn hair and facial hair (including long, bushy moustache and beard ornamented with metal rings), and brown eyes. His mouth is slightly open, exposing the teeth in the lower jaw and suggesting that he is ready to fight. He sports a golden-yellow headband equipped with projecting bars covering the nose and ears, and embellished with engraved runes, small green gemstones and pieces of bones; the headband also bears an off-white bony plate covered in overlapping scale-like horny scutes, which protects the back of the head
Body: he exhibits a brand new bulky hairless sculpt, whose exposed body parts show cream white skin. His limbs wear metallic dark-green shoulder, elbow and knee guards that are ornamented with large golden-yellow eyelets (where additional pieces plug into, as will be explained later) and lined with brown fur
Wearables: a metallic dark-green armour with golden-yellow details, two metallic dark-green wrist guards with knuckle protectors, two metallic dark-green boots with metatarsal protectors, a studded metallic dark-green belt (with a hemispherical buckle that looks like a rolled up pangolin) and brown furry shorts accompanied by four golden-yellow pieces of plate armour for protecting the upper thighs, groin and backside (the piece on the front looks like an extension of the armour's central strip, while the one on the back kind of resembles a tail). Each knuckle and metatarsal protector is equipped with a number of golden-yellow spike-studs (four and five, respectively), while all the golden-yellow parts on the armour and loincloth have a texture similar to that of an armadillo's outer shell.
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| Hax's stylised armour. |
Action feature
In the comics, when Hax is called to defend his fellows and be ready for combat, he folds over and turns into a bony globular form, to roll into battle and drive back attackers. Similarly to Kinod, the figure did not retain this bending down feature, but, instead, its back, arms and legs are protected by off-white bony plates, which can pop/clip out and connect to an included extra piece. The rolled up form is then completed simply by placing the detached figure's head (together with the crest on its back) on top, to seal the remaining hole. The "transformation" is pretty easy to perform and looks quite impressive when fully done.
Additionally, Hax is shown to possess a number of large metallic retractable claws in his extremities. So, the figure comes with alternate clenched hands (including the knuckle protectors) and metatarsal protector pieces that carry the golden-yellow studs extended into Wolverine-style claws.
Finally, the package also contains an alternate headband-less head, which, besides a pair of squinted eyes, displays some non-human details such as pointed ears, a round black nose similar to a dog's, and a long anteater-like tongue projecting from his mouth. This head is a reference to an amusing scene in the comics, where during a campfire meal Hax steals some food from his mates using his extended sticky tongue.
Weapons and accessories
Apart from the various shell armour add-ons, alternate hands, foot pieces and head, Hax comes with a war club constructed out of greenish wood, which bears large golden-yellow studs on the thick, heavy end. Its shaft is multi-faceted (i.e., it has flat surfaces arrayed around the central axis) and tapers towards a slender handle with a pommel.
Comic
Together with the action figure we get the second comic issue Masq-Lor's quest. After seeing Pike and his family working closely-knit to repair their village following the recent Dark Legion's attack, Masq-Lor has a conversation with Dakun and Solamya. He tells them that he wishes he had a family like Pike's and expresses concerns about growing up without knowing his origins. Dakun answers that his origins are unknown to them too and that the whole tribe is his family, as they are proud of adopting him. Frustrated, Masq-Lor tells Pike and XehreaTM that he will ask ViluptraTM, the goddess of the forests, where he comes from. Soon after Masq-Lor has left, Solamya notices his absence and Pike accidentally leaks the truth to her, prompting the tribe members to set out to search him. At his citadel, Wordron learns about Masq-Lor's journey into the jungle from some Plant-Men who were spying on him. The evil lord plans to use the kid to seek vengeance on the Forseha tribe for his latest defeat. When Masq-Lor finally finds Viluptra, the goddess confesses that she cannot help him discover his origins and only The Deity, Kai-Xi, could be revealing. Before the goddess can summon The Deity, Barkos and his minions attack the pair and capture Masq-Lor. Wordron chains Masq-Lor at his burg and explains that he intends to use him as a bait, while the golem Clavisaur suggests to use the kid as a sacrifice to himself. After Viluptra has alerted the Forseha tribesmen of the situation, the brave warriors smash through the wall of Wordron's citadel and, while engaging in combat with the Dark Legion soldiers, free Masq-Lor. Immediately, Clavisaur turns against Wordron, who in turn destroys the golem and reveals his demonic nature. Meanwhile, Kai-Xi appears to Masq-Lor and begins to tell a story of how he was abducted as a child and how one day he will become a hero admired for his courage, outstanding achievements and noble qualities. The Deity encourages Masq-Lor to wear the prodigious helmet absent-mindedly abandoned by Barkos, triggering the transformation into his future self. In possession of his full energy, Masq-Lor easily fends Wordron off, then causes a platform on the outside of the building, on which the demon stands, to collapse, temporally burying him in the rubble. After the fight, Kai-Xi returns to Masq-Lor and announces that his memory of the revelation will be erased once he removes the helmet and says that one day he will learn the truth by himself.
Overall, this is a very intense story, full of tension! One of the most interesting points in this issue is the rivalry between Wordron and Clavisaur. The two need each other's power, and both their plans for exploiting Masq-Lor are really evil.
Final thoughts
Character value: ♦♦♦ Hax certainly doesn’t seem to have the potential hype of prior KR|Dimness figures. However, he's still a solid entry and a welcome item to take off the checklist
Articulation: ♥♥♥ Obviously, the articulation is hindered a bit when all of the exterior armour shell parts are attached
Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ Besides offering a 100% new sculpt on this guy, I'm not sure PoliganToys could have done any better in his execution. The bony plates themselves have some great detailed deco
Accessories: ♠♠♠ I think that, personally, I may just not be a big fan of the extra head. I don't dislike it in any ways, but I certainly don't count it among the accessories that I was chomping at the bit to see with this figure
Playability: ♪♪♪♪ We really get quite a few display options, as we can display this dude in his ball form, in his human form with the shell armour or in human form without the shell armour
Overall: ☺☺☺ I can't deny that Hax is a solid figure, the detail and sculpt on him are simply incredible. I'm going to say that this guy would be highly recommended. The detail alone make him worth it.
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