As the race to the end of 2019 begins, I can announce that by this time next year I will be blogging about the last prototypes to be produced in the (supposed) final Key Raiders series, and a personal, seemingly unattainable milestone will be met. The realisation of that will be pretty powerful and will consolidate this creative undertaking as one of the longest in my life in terms of mission and dedication.
That being said, there is nothing like getting and reviewing a badass vehicle, along with a variant to the Dimness Edition of Modi-Rha bundled with it in a multi-pack, to look forward to that goal.
The Flail-FlingerTM is the very first vehicle prototype produced for a KR series other than Foundation. This all-new long-demanded (by me) transport rolls into combat on real wheels, and features a big ass spinning flail as well as a self-powered single-seater module that takes off, sending the Dark Legion into battle.
Details
Name: Flail-Flinger
Subtitle: mobile demolisher with speed carrier
Classification: land vehicle
Home: Tahron
Affiliation: Dark Legion
Rank: transport.
Description
The Flail-Flinger is the combination of two smaller combat vehicles, and is painted in metallic blue with raised golden panels and black wheels that can roll on smooth surfaces. Both units bear multiple coloured tech details such as air intakes, handle bars and dashboards with sculpted knobs, screens and buttons.
The three-wheeled speed carrier on the left side accepts most KR female figures in the driver seat (which has an optional seat belt) and features a fearsome golden eagle head design on the nose cone over the front wheel, two detachable handgrips equipped with dual projecting devices (i.e., each handgrip has a gun and a scanner that fit at the top and bottom of the hand respectively) and three turbojet engines on the tailfinned back.
The mobile demolisher sports six rolling wheels (four small on the front and middle, and two large on the back) equipped with vicious hubcap spikes, and can fit a figure on the rear cockpit, which comes complete with a footboard, a pair of handle grips and a HUD face shield. This tank-like unit is embellished with impact-resistant panels and exhaust pipes on the sides, a dragon-themed motif with eye-cannons on the hull front and a monster face (which is very reminiscent of Wordron's face in his enhanced form) embossed on the rear hatch (which cannot be open, unfortunately).
Action feature
The left half of the Flail-Flinger is a detachable (via a magnetic system) speed carrier with a futuristic design and three real rolling wheels: two on the back and one on the front. The vehicle is characterised by a double configuration: when in speed-drive mode, the driver sits with the back upright and the handlebars are set vertically; when in attack-hover mode, the driver lies on the stomach and is enveloped in the vehicle's framework (the nose cone swings open and shut to enfold the upper body, and the rear pod unfolds and encases the lower body), while the handlebars swivel forward to acquire a horizontal position (the scanners allow the driver to navigate in a kind of augmented reality mode), and the rear fenders and wheels swing down and spread out to transform into a pair of wing-shaped hover pads.
The tank-like main body of the Flail-Flinger is a mobile demolisher, which is equipped with a revolving turret for a gigantic extensible ball-and-chain flail that spins when the vehicle is rolled forward or backward (you have to pull the turret up first, to engage the mechanism). The rotating armoured tower is connected by a sort of roller chain to a roughly spherical striking end, which has great details and consists of a dark-grey boulder surrounded by silver chains and studded with a myriad of silver spikes. The extensibility feature is recreated with two different gunmetal rigid roller chain pieces that make it possible to adjust the length of the flail for long or short alternatives; the mace piece can also be directly attached to the turret for the fully retracted display option.
Weapons and accessories
The speed carrier features five blasters on the front (two pairs on the sides, in the lower parts of the nose cone, and a larger central cannon on the top), while two pairs of small missile launchers are revealed when the rear fenders swing down.
Also included is an all-new version of Modi-Rha that features a Dark Spirit-inspired look. This is basically a repaint of Dimness Modi-Rha, which resembles the shadowy black silhouette projected from her body as seen in the comics of the Dimness series. The figure is cast in a black plastic and shows bright violet lines on its surface, like if it had fractured without coming apart. Modi-Rha comes with no weapon, but she looks cool with the speed carrier's detached weaponised handles in her hands.
Overall, the Flail-Flinger is a marvel. It's not quite as big as the Ceratank (incidentally, my other favourite vehicle in the KR line), but it's still quite large. The painting/tampo work here is mostly good, and, along with the nice metallic blue and gold highlights, there's a dark wash over the vehicle to help bring out the sculpted detail. The wheels roll well, and the spinning gimmick, while a little on the slow side, works alright. The included Modi-Rha variant is pretty cool all on its own. Simply put, this set is an extremely impressive offering.
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