KR|Emergence Review #4: Rexodon Troopers (Emergence Edition)

Toy prototype details
Name: Rexodon Troopers^TM (Emergence Edition), aka Uncompleted Troopers
Subtitle: tailed soldier and robotic prototype
Line: KR|Emergence
Item type: multi-pack (2-pack) - Nº 1 in the line.

Character details
Name: Rexodon Trooper
Classification: archosauromorph reptile or robot
Sex (only reptile type): male or female
Home: Tahron
Era: 3 years before Foundation
Affiliation: Rexodon
Rank: foot soldier or drone.

Background
First appearance: KR|Emergence #3 - The war of all against all: Part II – Rise
Brief bio: after suffering countless losses due to the separation of the Reptonoid army into two factions, the evil Bi-Harr realised he could not attain victory through the service of the few soldiers left in his troops. Seeking new sources of power to win his war of conquest, he commanded Khronodon to enlist new menacing warriors for his army. Combining military training and hi-tech, the insane but brilliant scientist coordinated the birth of a new militia of heavily enhanced fighters. With massive tails and claws able to easily rupture nearly all metals, these monstrous creatures soon became Bi-Harr's favourite enforcers and most lethal minions. However, as evil and large as they may have seemed, they were no more than beasts capable of fighting, but not of rational thought. Turning back to the technology they had tested almost two decades earlier, Bi-Harr asked Loghar to create new robotic troopers, who would fight alongside his foot soldiers. In his factories in Rokang Tar, the wicked sorcerer and engineer mass produced numberless robot enforcers, each with a framework similar to the skeleton of a reptile warrior. Being linked to a central computer, so that they were under the total command of their vile general, these robotic legions included advanced strategic abilities, which would allow them to adapt to their enemies' tactics. Impressed, Bi-Harr surrounded himself with a horde of these advanced troopers, who served as his guardsmen complementing the reptilian sentinels. However, while still waiting for being fully assembled, they lacked the ability to self-repair battle damage, which eventually made them unfit for combat. Later, Loghar upgraded the robotic soldiers, so that they were dressed in organic armours derived from the bodies of the reptile creatures. Thanks to the combined reptilian-robotic strength, the Rexodon Troopers gained the ability to overpower most enemies and became more than a match for the heroic Therioms.

Articulation
Standard, except that one of the two figures has a tail, which is a separate piece that clips onto the back. The tail features two articulation points (two swivels at about one-third and two-thirds of its length), which allow for plenty of poses.

Description

In the comics, the Rexodon Troopers appear both as reptilian warriors and as robotic drones. Since the two figures belong to these two distinct categories and look very different, I'm going to describe them separately.

Reptile type
Head: similar to an Ankylosaurus, characterised by a wide and low shape, orange skin and light-blue eyes. The front parts of the open jaws are covered in a bony beak, while several leaf-shaped teeth are visible further behind it. Two horns project backwards from the back of the head, and two additional horns below those point backwards and down. The neck is bent forward and is covered with three bony half rings (the lowest one of which extends over the shoulders). He also wears an off-white (i.e., a white colour with a grey tinge that looks like tarnished silver) removable piece of crested plate armour for defending his head (mostly his face, since it extends from the upper horns to the muzzle, ending in a pair of fangs, while the eyes receive no protection)
Body: orange scaly skin (except for the abdomen, which is yellow-green); the massive tail ends in a large bony club
Wearables: a glossy black non-removable chest armour with off-white details and the Rexodon symbol (i.e., a red reptile skull) at the centre, two large clawed black gauntlets, two large clawed black boots, a black belt with a skull-shaped buckle, and an off-white fabric loincloth. With the exception of the loincloth, all these elements plus a number of additional glossy black plates that protect his body (i.e., an armband on the right arm, a skull-shaped pauldron covering the left shoulder, two thigh guards embossed with the Rexodon emblem, and a back/tail laminar armour) show some machinery/circuitry patterns as well as numerous off-white metal spikes and claws.

Rexodon Trooper's (reptile type) stylised chest armour; the circle at the centre of the breastplate represents the Rexodon symbol.

Robot type
Head: like with the original Rexodon Trooper, the slate-grey (instead of black) metallic head resembles an Ankylosaurus' skull. However, this version is characterised by an unfinished look, in which the beak-shaped mouth plate, the lightbulb-like glowing red eyes, and the horned brow plate really stand out from a mass of underlying wires
Body: electro-hydraulic, endoskeleton-like slate-grey metallic limbs, showing lots of machinery/circuitry patterns, tubes, wires, pistons and hinges. Some of these features are also present on the exposed torso (this figure didn't receive an outer casing), which is a tech-mech piece very similar to those used for previous robotic Troopers figures, but left unfinished with exposed circuits and wires showing everywhere. The incomplete chest screen/display piece as well as the rudimentary knee and elbow hinges, and articulated fingers are all accounted for
Wearables: two black cuffs, two black shin protectors, a black belt and an off-white crotch piece; the last two elements show lots of cyber details. It's tough to explain, but I really just like the level of detail here.

Weapons and accessories
The Rexodon Troopers have no action feature, but come with a few cool accessories. First up is a staff/spear made from a long bone topped with an Ankylosaurus' skull (although it has a narrower, longer shape, and the four horns are much longer and curved). This weapon is intended for the reptile soldier and is entirely painted in a nice ivory colour, with the addition of a long silver spike sticking out of the top of the skull.

Next up is the robot's laser rifle, which is all in an off-white colour with a grey tinge that looks like tarnished silver, has a radar dish-like muzzle at the end of the barrel, and can either be handheld or plugged into the chest "display" piece for hands-free blasting.

Finally, the Troopers come with a great little bonus: a set of two battle-damaged head sculpts for the Foundation Rexodon Troopers (but you could use them for the Destructomorph Troopers too, despite there's no helmet). I have been calling for this for a looooong time, and not adding a ruptured head to the battle-damaged armour that accompanied the original figures seemed like a missed opportunity. But PoliganToys made good on my demands - I have no nitpick whatsoever about these heads and I think the sculptors absolutely nailed them. It is cool to see those black robotic heads with dents, silvery scratches and holes (including a pretty large one on the right side with a wire peeking through), a cracked right goggle, and a severely damaged left side that exposes wiring and tech components (including the "eye lightbulb"). The moment I opened the box, these heads went right on a Rexodon and a Destructomorph Troopers' bodies, where they will stay for good. This is a nice little addition that I'm happy to get after all this time.

Final thoughts
Overall: yeah! We just got an updated (actually, outdated...) version of the Rexodon Troopers! I could sit here and make a list of every small detail that excites me about these figures, but the ultimate truth is that this is really an amazing two-pack. These guys are super cool, and come with completely unique sculpts and a killer set of great accessories. The Rexodon faction is a pretty extensive and varied army and it looks like the KR|Emergence line is doing a very good job representing their members

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|Emergence Review #3: Aktahnor (Emergence Edition)

Toy prototype details
Name: Aktahnor^TM (Emergence Edition), aka Sub-Aquatic Aktahnor
Subtitle: aquatic warrior
Line: KR|Emergence
Item type: action figure - Nº 3 in the line.

Character details
Name: Aktahnor
Classification: osteichthyan
Sex: hermaphrodite (but he appears as male)
Home: Semhadar^TM
Era: 3 years before Foundation
Affiliation: Unnamed Clan
Rank: commander.

Background
First appearance: KR|Emergence #1 - The cradle of evil
Brief bio: a one-time midshipman of the Semhadrian navy, Aktahnor is best known, like all the inhabitants of the island city-state of Semhadar, for having the ability to breathe both deep underwater and on the surface world. He was expelled by his own people from the island after his disastrous attempt to lead a battle against a rival marine tribe, which almost culminated in the destruction of the Semhadrian fleet. He then chose to answer the evil call to arms of Lor-Drek, after the Reptonoid army had divided into two factions. Thanks to his allegiance with the Unnamed Clan, Aktahnor quickly rose up through the ranks and became a commander, a position that he would unlikely reach while serving in the armies of Semhadar. After undergoing metamorphosis, which led him to dwell in shallow fresh waters and on land more often than he liked, Aktahnor remained loyal to the Spektrosaur faction, in the hope that Lor-Drek would one day grant him an even more advanced leadership role.

Articulation
Standard, with the addition of a ball jointed bendy tail.

Description
Head: similar to an anglerfish, characterised by wrinkled, bumpy blue-green skin (slightly greener than his Foundation version), three fleshy, lobed sagittal crests, a pair of bulbous pink eyes (with large round dark pupils) surrounded by yellow-orange bony rings, and a large crescent-shaped mouth full of sharp whitish teeth (with two significantly larger fangs on the upper jaw). He also sports two pairs of short yellow-orange spines on the sides of his face as well as a luminescent organ at the tip of a longer yellow-orange spine on the snout, resembling a fishing rod
Body: his blue-green skin (slightly greener and glossier than his Foundation version) has a scaly texture from a covering of small horny plates with smooth curved margins, which overlap one another. He also displays webbed hands and feet with ivory-white claws (the feet are pretty long, similar to flippers, with the sharp claws protruding from the boots), a fleshy, lobe-like dorsal fin projecting from a slit in the armour and a long, thin whip-like tail fringed with finlets, which is a separate piece emerging from a hole in his trunks and bearing a short tail guard at its base, a knobbed golden cuff halfway down its length as well as an ivory-white venomous sting at the end of a large, keeled symmetric caudal fin. Like with his Foundation version, two interesting details about Aktahnor's body are found under the removable armour. First, the torso is the standard scaly one seen on many reptilian figures, but features two shinier lines running down each side, from the armpits to the waist; this is probably a reference to the lateral line sensory organ usually present in aquatic vertebrates, which enables Aktahnor to sense minute vibrations and electric fields produced by nearby enemies shrouded in darkness. Second, he carries an extra neck piece that fits right on top of the body (it is glued on, but it might be possible to pry it off if one had will to do so) and shows a bony operculum on each side, behind which I guess the gills are hidden
Wearables: a golden-yellow armour with light-green details, double bracers and boots (each composed of a yellow-orange cross-strap leather covering and an overlapping golden-yellow wrist/shin guard), a golden-yellow belt, and light-green trunks. With the exception of the belt (which is characterised by a fishbone structure, a number of dangly tassels ending in seashells, as well as a buckle resembling an upside down trident and holding a greenish fish skeleton worn over the front as a protective garment), all these items consist of fairly large overlapping plates of metal with toothed curved margins, and are covered with a nice, tarnish-like dark wash. Additionally, the armour, the wrist guards and the shin guards show several yellow-orange bony spines that protrude from their surfaces here and there, and are equipped with large lobe fin-shaped ornaments, which cover the shoulders and project from the forearms and the calves, respectively. Moreover, the armour displays a triangular light-blue aquamarine gemstone at the centre, while each wrist guard has some tentacle-like protrusions climbing up the arms, and each shin guard bears a bowtie-like, double lobe fin-shaped knee guard with a round light-blue aquamarine gemstone at its centre.

Aktahnor's stylised armour.

Action feature
In the comics, Aktahnor possesses a fully sub-aquatic physiology suited for extreme undersea pressures, as well as specially developed vision which gives him the ability to see clearly in the murky depths of the ocean. Furthermore, he has psychic abilities that allow him to communicate with other marine creatures, and to manipulate and control water. The bioluminescent organ arising from his snout (which in the toy glows in the dark) serves the obvious purpose of luring enemies in dark, deep-water environments.

Weapons and accessories

Aktahnor comes with a strange looking multi-spiked speargun-thingy. This accessory is very different from his original weapon, having five tech-looking greenish oxidised bronze barrels (I like the metallic paint apps) and five saw-like harpoons derived from sawfish rostra. Each harpoon is a narrow, flattened yellow-orange bony projection, lined with a row of sharp whitish teeth on either side of it; the largest, longest and most central of these harpoons is ornamented with a blue-green stripe down the middle and is a separate piece that can detach from the gun, although it is tethered to it with a string. You can stow the gun awkwardly on the figure's back, or have him hold it in his hand. It took me a while to figure this out, but this is a rather unusual weapon that seems to work for both ranged and melee combat. It has two handles and can be held in a few different ways: have him clasp the smaller grip on the inside, and the weapon will function as a harpoon launcher, fitting over his forearm similarly to a glove (and considering that it has five spears in a vague finger formation, it does look pretty badass); otherwise, holding the handle attached to the gun's butt will make it more suitable for melee fighting... I would hate to get hit by something like that!

Additionally, the package includes a completely new head sculpt for Xonedar. It's very similar to his Foundation version's portrait, but the helmet is sleeker with a more streamlined design as well as more wires and panels on it (he's also got black hair sticking out of the back of his helmet). There's no action feature, but it's quite nicely painted and definitely helps Foundation Xonedar to feel closer to his Emergence look.

Comic
Together with the action figure we get the first comic issue The cradle of evil. The comic book is basically a collection of two stories told by Ir-Ash to Noctylius, both of whom were expelled from the Theriom army and have joined the Unnamed Clan. In the first story, Ir-Ash tells about a night of many years earlier, when King Li-Khon holds an annual celebration at Theriom City, while the residence is only guarded by few soldiers. That night, Ir-Ash, with Demo-Rha's help, uses the opportunity to seek his revenge, and sneaks into the residence to abduct Tir-Hing's and Magda-Lyn's children. Later, he goes to Rokang Tar to ally with Bi-Harr, and offers young Desion as a tribute. The Rexodon general declines though, and orders his minion Loghar to kill him. Although severely injured, Ir-Ash manages to escape with a swift jump into a drainage channel. Meanwhile, Demo-Rha offers Rhadiel to Lor-Drek, who declares his intention to consider the proposal. The second story focuses on Bi-Harr, who, after the events of the first story, decides to conquer Theriom City by blocking the nearby river. The valley in which the Theriom residence stands is soon flooded with water, giving the evil army a chance for a direct attack. The Theriom defenders struggle bravely, but in those conditions it looks hopeless. Thanks to a tip-off from a mysterious spectre, Lor-Drek arrives with his soldiers to thwart his former ally, but Traark summons hundreds of water creatures, which distract the Unnamed Clan enough to let Loghar sneak close and imprison the enemies in an energy field. Lor-Drek succeeds in getting rid of the attacking Rexodons with an energy draining weapon, but eventually Bi-Harr gains the upper hand in their head-to-head fight. Suddenly, unbeknown to the Therioms, Ir-Ash and Demo-Rha appear out of nowhere and assault Bi-Harr and Loghar from behind. The enchantress knocks the double-halberd out of Bi-Harrs's hand, but just as she's about to deliver the killing blow, her magic fades away and the halberd drops on the ground, separating into its two components. With one part recovered by Bi-Harr and the other seized by Lor-Drek, now both leaders are at a stand-off and none can defeat the other. Meanwhile, the good guys use an explosion to blast open the usual flow of the river again. With the water slowly ebbing away, the Therioms gain the upper hand once more and the two villains with their respective armies have to make a run for it.

Overall... wow! This comic has it all: grudge, rivalry between the two leading villains (a lot of this!) and a cool and lengthy final fight between all the factions involved. And they're all at the same level - none of them could defeat their foes without someone else's help! Definitely one of the better KR comics, with plenty of action, and a good plan from Bi-Harr's side as well. The art is also great, there are a few wide shots of the fighting scenes that are especially noteworthy.

Final thoughts
Overall: of the three KR|Emergence figure prototypes I received thus far, I'm pretty sure that Aktahnor is my favourite. Don't get me wrong, Lor-Drek and Bi-Harr are excellent, but one is a dude wearing a full-body suit of armour, while the other has the same sculpt as his previous version(s), with just a different outfit. This is the first true neo-Foundation prototype in the series, meaning that it is an already established character that looks very different in the Emergence comics from his original Foundation appearance, and PoliganToys captured him very nicely. He has a perfect head sculpt (again, very different from his original seahorse-like portrait), two very cool accessories, and just feels like a very solid, very well made toy. This series will have many other really cool figures, though, so we'll have to see if Aktahnor stays in his position as the premiere figure in the line once I get around to testing out the next prototypes

Rating: ☺☺☺☺ / 5