KR|Horizon Review #6: Mohrdax

Toy prototype details

Name: Mohrdax^TM

Subtitle: choleric monk

Line: KR|Horizon

Item type: action figure - Nº 5 in the line.

Character details

Name: Mohrdax

Classification: archosauromorph reptile

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Era: 15 years after Foundation

Affiliation: Destructomorph (formerly belonging to the Reptonoid faction)

Rank: priestmonk (formerly abbot of the Drojyo'Bhakma^TM Monastery near the Ucamur^TM region).

Background

First appearance: KR|Horizon #1 - The Destructomorph legacy

Brief bio: formerly a member of the baleful Reptonoid army, Mohrdax was a powerful and bad-tempered wizard, who betrayed his fellow reptilian warriors when, using the combined magic of the energy stone and the orb of omens, he attempted to steal Bi-Harr's mental powers for himself. While his plan failed, some of the magic of the two artefacts was infused into the twin swords that he used for his fightback before being banished to a remote location near the Ucamur region. During his exile, Mohrdax became the chief of an abbey of monks, into the shelter of which social outcasts from various parts of Tahron were welcomed. Eventually, he formed an alliance with the Dark Legion led by the evil grand marshal Wordron, who, in an effort to consolidate power for his revenge against the Therioms, aimed at using his technical knowledge to transform the monastery's cloisterers into an army of cold-blooded fighters. By using the magic of his twin swords, Mohrdax discovered a method of slowing down his heart rate to as low as being barely perceivable, and the two villains used this stratagem to trick Masq-Lor, a wonder teenage member of the Forseha tribe, into believing he killed an innocent man. Their wicked schemes were at last undone after the young tribesman, although still believing his own guilt, had confronted the ancient demon that possessed Wordron in single combat. Years later, the mysterious priestmonk Mohrdax, at that point spoken of only in legends and myth, was tasked to secretly raise the daughter of Deptilion and Demo-Rha, Nemhetra, in order to make her into the unrivalled enemy of the Therioms. Upon meeting an adult Masq-Lor, he blackmailed him into becoming his secret accomplice, to outsmart Nemhetra and seize control of the Destructomorph militia. Ultimately, while Masq-Lor became aware of his innocence, Nemhetra discovered Mohrdax’s plot and the priestmonk was slain by the very halberd that he yearned to hold as a symbol of his leadership.

Articulation

Standard down to the waist; due to his robe piece, there is no leg articulation.

Description

Head: he wears a metallic purple barbute characterised by a Y-shaped opening for the eyes and mouth, and two toothy forward extensions of the cheek pieces towards the mid-line, forming as a result a divided mouth guard. The edge of the Y-shaped opening is reinforced by a riveted-on silver rim extending to the lower edge of the helmet, and incorporates a distinct, seemingly hinged projection to guard the nose. The skull of the helmet has a tall mitre-like shape, tapering to a point at front and back with a cleft between, and features an additional arch-shaped, black-rimmed opening (which allows us to see an apparently empty space in the inside) flanked by spiked silver rivets on the front as well as a cool little Reptonoid emblem (i.e., a reptile red eye) on the forehead; additionally, the cleft is surmounted by a sharp, concave black&silver side-to-side crest, whose pointy ends project downwards. Finally, he wears a tattered purple scarf (with the long ends tied together and tossed over his back) to cover up his mouth, while his evil-looking yellow eyes almost appear to be glowing from the deep black of his face through the lower opening. The overall structure of his head gives the impression of it being in an odd position, as if sunken into his shoulders

Body: cloaked from neck to toe with a long torn purple robe. His arms are covered by wide tattered sleeves, while his hands show a sickly clawed, skeletal appearance, purplish skin and sharp black nails

Wearables: the robe does a great job of blending in with the sleeves, which are short enough to expose the forearms wrapped in black bandage straps. A wide black leather belt (which carries various pouches and bags, and even a studded sheath for a curved tantō) is used to fit the garment around the waist and to separate the uwagi-like jacket above from the hakama-like skirt below, allowing for the waist swivel. Over his robe, he wears a separate lamellar black cuirass, which consists of many overlapping leather plates laced together and sports two dual-layered shoulder pads (the lower layers are made of silver chain mail, while the upper layers are made of black leather lames) as well as an elaborate emblem that acts as a double sword chest scabbard; this symbol is a fully sculpted representation of a metallic purple dragon entwining two crossed silver sheaths. The removable cuirass piece also includes a stole consisting of a Y-shaped band of purple cloth with black ornamental trim, whose ends slightly broaden out. The center of the stole is seemingly worn around the back of the neck and the three fringed ends (which are decorated with silver shuriken designs) hang down loose - two parallel to each other in front and one behind.

Action feature

Mohrdax comes with a key piece that simulates the ability for his neck to quickly extend and his head to spring out at the enemy when he becomes angered. This alternative top piece is identical to the standard head, except that it carries an elongated neck emerging from the arch-shaped upper opening of the helmet (it is also visible through the Y-shaped lower opening) and reveals his reptilian screaming face. Both his long, rubbery (but not very bendy) neck and ball jointed head are characterised by wrinkled purplish skin with greenish stripes; while the former sports two parallel rows of tall bony neural spines, several orange gular folds and a number of blueish-grey torcs down its length, the latter resembles a sauropod head and shows a pair of evil solid yellow eyes as well as visible cavities in the inner teeth.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the alternate head with extended neck, Mohrdax comes with lots of awesome extra pieces. First up are the twin sai-like swords (each with its own metallic purple hilt, handle wrapped with black cord, and silver off-centre blade) that are magically linked to him and as such, only he can use them. One hilt is a horned reptile eye design and the other is a winged reptile skull motif, with both featuring a gemstone, light-blue and yellow respectively, embedded in the centre. The two sharp, prong-shaped metal blades are designed to fit in the two chest scabbards, with the handles pointing downwards. Since in the comics these swords can be combined into one broader sword with the two silver blades placed side by side, their toy counterparts are devised to attach and lock together nice and tight. Also in the comics, it is shown that a powered-up mode can be accessed, wherein both gemstones become ruby-red, the prong-like side guards of the hilt rotate downwards, and the two blades split in the middle and open to reveal another dagger blade-like glowing beam of energy inside. This beam of energy is subsequently ignited, projecting a full-sized sword blade of fire that can deflect other energy attacks, cut through nearly anything, and disrupt magical spells. So, the package includes a non-separable activated sword (with a central glow-in-the-dark beam of energy) and a flame attachment (a translucent yellow and orange piece of plastic that fits between the two silver blades and over the central beam), which, together with the two above-mentioned swords, are meant to depict the multiple forms of the same weapon: from its dormant state to awakened to full powered state.

Additionally, the figure comes with a clear stand that plugs securely into his base via a swivel joint, and holds him up well enough to mimic his floating poses during combat. However, this is probably my biggest disappointment with Mohrdax, since a ball jointed stand would definitely have given him a greater range and expression. It should also have had a wider base, because it can be a little unstable when you load him up with his extended neck and flaming sword. Still, it’s OK for what it needs to be.

Finally, the package includes a set of accessories to recreate Mohrdax's appearance as shown in the comics of the KR|Dimness series. The set is composed of a hooded head, a cloak and a sort of muff. The extra portrait has a much simpler look compared to the two Horizon heads, with a tattered purple cowl that covers most of his head and tapers to a point on the back. His indistinct, shadowy face is completely black, but those evil yellow eyes still glare out. The cowl also has an additional piece in the front, as there is a laminar, studded silver brow guard covering his forehead. The ripped black cloak is meant to replace the cuirass and incorporates a torn black stole (with purple ornamental trim) worn around the neck, with two ends of equal length hanging down in front and with the two adjacent sides roughly sewn together using purple stitches up the centre. The muff-like thingy is actually a black-trimmed extension for the sleeves, to recreate the iconic pose with his hands folded.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦ One of the major players in Masq-Lor's struggle for inner peace is revealed to be a reptilian wizard. In a way, his existence diminishes the role of many other bad guys in the KR continuity (and I don’t love that), but I can’t really blame this figure for that, since the idea has probably been around for long

Articulation: ♥♥ It’s about what I would expect for this kind of skirted character. The only thing I feel like it’s missing is the ball-jointed connector to the flight stand, which would have made him a bit more stable

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣♣ I really do love the character design here. Paint is also pretty nice on this figure, with some washes for the metallic sections and mostly sharp detail lines with little slop

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠ With the neck extended or a standard look, Mohrdax looks menacing and absolutely fantastic with his swords in-hand. I cannot imagine that these could have been done any better, and they will surely be loved by most KR collectors. I love them

Playability: ♪♪♪ Excluding the limited personality of the poses we can get with the figure on the stand, I think Mohrdax is a great toy, and I’m glad to add him to my shelves

Overall: ☺☺☺ I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. I’m judging this figure mostly based on the sculpt, and I actually like this sculpt quite a lot. I also like to see new characters and designs, so even a new take on the reptilian villain concept is cool in my book, and the execution here is very nice.

KR|Horizon Review #5: Theriom Exo-Guardians

Toy prototype details

Name: Theriom Exo-Guardians^TM

Subtitle: heroic sentries

Line: KR|Horizon

Item type: multi-pack (2-pack) - Nº 1 in the line.

Character details

Name: Theriom Exo-Guardian*

Classification: mammal (various species)

Sex: male or female

Home: Tahron

Era: 15 years after Foundation

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: heavy infantryman.
*Original ideas for the name of these characters included Robo-Guards and Exo-Guards, but these have been dropped to avoid trademark infringement.

Background

First appearance: KR|Horizon #1 - The Destructomorph legacy

Brief bio: after all the opposing armies had permanently been defeated by the Therioms, a small group of remaining Theriom Troopers stepped in as the official body guards to the newly elected Senior Minister Desion. Eventually, because of the shock induced by the unexpected re-emergence of the Destructomorph faction, Masq-Lor found himself in great need of new soldiery. Hailing even from the far reaches of Tahron, a large number of new recruits enlisted in the Theriom Armed Forces, ready to become expert marksmen and to perfect the art of capturing enemies. With skills such as superior sight and hearing, exceptional hand-to-hand combat and extensive knowledge of almost every capture weapon, these privates had a lot more to offer than just being strong, stealthy troopers and soon proved their worth to their commander-in-chief. With the help of these capable service men and women, who knew how to get the drop on their foes and seize them, and had the ability to transform from normal soldiers into magnificent arsenals of military equipment, the Therioms grew stronger and stronger in their battle against evil. Although Masq-Lor promised to aid them back to their families as soon as the Destructomorph forces would weaken enough, the brave Exo-Guardians continued to lead the heroic infantry all the way to the final battle with Nemhetra.

Articulation

Standard, excluding hinged abdomen for the female figure.

Description

The set includes two figures: a male and a female.

Heads: both figures' standard heads have human features, showing dark brown skin and dark eyes (with Aboriginal Australian traits for the male figure, who also sports a black beard, and Pacific Islander features for the female figure), and wear silver helmets with gold details, whose size and shape are adapted to the type of head. Each helmet has a mixed samurai/sci-fi vibe, and is equipped with a pair of air inlets on the top

Bodies: the figures' sculpts use the same proportions seen in other KR human male and female figures. In addition, both wear military uniforms that are grey on the front and blue on the back, and are composed of tank tops (which leave their dark brown-skinned arms exposed) and pairs of trousers. Much of their bodies is characterised by the presence of silver powered exoskeletons that allow for limb movement with increased strength and endurance. Each exoskeleton, which includes a chest harness and limb components that run from the shoulders down to the hands and from the waist down to the feet, is embellished with a number of cables, and fastens to their body at various spots, including their upper arms, forearms, thighs and calves; the chest harness bears a fan-shaped, seemingly rotating piece on the front and a bright circle on the back, which are fictionally reactor components engineered to power the exoskeleton

Wearables: both characters wear gold shoulder armours with silver details, laminar golden gauntlets, laminar golden boots with knee guards, golden belts with pincer-shaped buckles pointing downwards, and silver groin protectors, all showing some cyber-details here and there.

Theriom Exo-Guardians' stylised helmet.

Action feature

Each removable shoulder armour fits onto a figure and includes a pivoting dual-gun backpack. While the front of the armour shows some asymmetric circuitry ornaments and sculpted tubing, the back is equipped with two silver shoulder guns mounted on two adjustable armatures (so that they can be set in either a vertical rest position or a horizontal attack position) and a storage slot to hold a weapon.

In addition, their wrist and shin guards can fictionally produce high-tech manacles to restrain their foes; so, each figure comes with four golden clip-on pieces with attached silver handcuffs and leg irons.

Moreover, in the comics the brave Guardians are equipped with powered suits designed to enhance the capabilities of their exoskeletons, which allow them to stalk evil goons on the battlefield, engage in close range battle with rivals and even carry out low altitude reconnaissance patrols to defend the Theriom's territory. The package includes one of such power armours, which fits over either figure and is composed of a torso protective canopy (including a clear face shield with sculpted embellishments such as breathing hoses departing from an air tank on the chest, and crosshair sighting), two mechanical arms (choke-full with tech-mech details like circuits, pistons, cogs, chains and ammo tubes that run from the lower back) and two mechanical stilts (which are outfitted with dampers and mounted on two foot-shaped bases). This Exosquad-like powered body armour is painted in gold, silver, flat grey and blue, displays some bullet holes here and there, and almost has as much articulation as the standard KR figure, even though most of the points of articulation have a rather limited range of movement. To place a figure in the pilot position inside the hardsuit, it's necessary to open all the hinged pieces (i.e., the protective canopy on the front, the two upper leg panels and the two lower leg panels), secure the figure's feet into the stirrups, snap the waist into the clip, attach the hands to the joysticks on the mechanical arms, close all the hinged leg panels and lower the canopy. The exoframe features multiple weapons that are mounted to the arms, chest and legs, as well as a flip over blaster/jet-pack. Two hand-clamps are attached to the mechanical arms; each clamp can extend and fictionally grab an opponent, hoist them overhead and twirl them around by means of four green gripping jaws arranged in an oblong X shape (the clamp can really turn with a twist of a knob at the elbow). These "heat-seeking" clamps can also pop out to mimic their ability to be propelled. Additionally, two flip-out laser cannons can be drawn from underneath the forearms. Pressing down on a button at the front of the chest plate triggers an X-shaped blue semi-rigid net piece; alternatively, instead of the net piece, one of the two clamps can connect to the chest armour and be launched. The stilts have a pair of sponsons standing out from the sides, which are armed with telescoping poles that carry guns on the top, as well as two cannons that flip-out from hidden holsters (in the comics, these are non-lethal weapons that range from smoke/stun grenade launchers to water cannons to area denial devices). Finally, the blaster/jet-pack flips over the head and shoulders by sliding it up and then swinging it down, and is equipped with a pivoting scanner, a turning radar dish and a pair of folding wings. To wrap the enemies, a trigger-activated spring action launches the two-headed bola weapon from the twin turbo jet ports of the jet-pack - it's necessary to hook the bola string around the front target sight, load the two red balls in the turbo jet ports, pull out and lock a plunger on the back, and fire by tilting a lever to the side.

Theriom Exo-Guardians' stylised shoulder armour. Size and shape vary according to the body structure of the characters.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the removable shoulder armours, clip-on parts and exosuit, the Guardians are also equipped with one triple-barrelled (in an over/middle/under configuration) black rifle that can be stowed on the back of either armour, and one shield, whose bubbly-textured silver background forms the surround for a seven-pointed gold star with the two bottom points elongated. The cover of the oblong-hexagonal shield slides apart to some degree in order to reveal a glow-in-the-dark surface, which mimics its ability to produce a blinding flash of light for temporarily disorienting an enemy's senses.

Additionally, we get a golden removable belt, which can fit either figure and bears brown ammunition all around. The buckle of the belt is shaped like a seven-pointed star, to match the motif that adorns the shield.

Finally, the figures come with two alternative full-masked helmeted heads: the male Guardian's one resembles a hybrid between a motorcycle helmet (for the mouth guard) and a football helmet (for the face guard), while the female Guardian's one has a T-shaped opening for the eyes and mouth (the latter is concealed by an extra mouth mask/microphone underneath) and a pair of translucent yellow goggles perched on the forehead. In either case, the eyes don't seem to match the standard heads and are probably associated with non-human characters.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦♦ These characters easily stand out both on the shelf and in the series. And they do it for all the good reasons, like the giant powered suits they wear in battle, which is the quintessence of their speciality - taking a grip of the enemy!

Articulation: ♥♥ I have to be honest… for such an amazing power armour, I really expected the articulation to be a little higher, or even more on par with the KR's standard. A bit disappointing in an otherwise solid set

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣♣ Although these characters do have an updated look, they resemble the Theriom Troopers figures I originally reviewed back in 2015 more closely than the Knights and Soldiers of the series created after Foundation. An all-around good sculpt for a good set of figures. The exosuit on the front and back is magnificently detailed and painted without any visible errors

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠ Aside from the amazing exoframe, the accessories in general are just kind of there. Nothing enormously exciting, but proper and appropriate for the figures

Playability: ♪♪♪ Like with one of the original Troopers, what I can’t figure out is why there is no spring action in the big hand-clamps. When I found out the clamps are manually extended, a little piece of me felt very disappointed. Well, it’s great for taking pictures and posing, but boring otherwise

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ This is a multi-pack that I like and appreciate not only because of its superb army building potential, but also because it’s just a great modern take on the Theriom comrades-in-arms with an awesome large scale accessory. Yes, the figures aren’t as complicated or over-the-top as other characters in the KR world, but PoliganToys did a terrific job on them.