KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #2: Silef

Toy prototype details

Name: Silef^TM

Subtitle: revengeful reptilian alchemist

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 2 in the line.

Character details

Name: Silef

Classification: reptile of uncertain group

Sex: male

Home: Idakarr (Tahron's former name)

Era: 570 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Interspecific Commission

Rank: envoy.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #1 - The secret origin of chaos

Character summary: a reptilian alchemist who started as a commendable envoy of the Interspecific Commission, but later became an ambitious and revengeful conqueror after being removed from the Commission and transported to Cereutis.

Articulation

Standard (new scheme), plus a hinged lower jaw, a pair of ball hinged wings and a tail that features two swivels at about one-third and two-thirds of its length.

Description
Head: identical to Foundation Lor-Drek's dragon/Spinosaurus head, characterised by a long and narrow snout, burgundy (i.e., a dark shade of red) skin, a large dirty-yellow (I can only describe this colour by noting that it is defined by the hex triplet #cdc50a) cranial crest, long pointy ears (each ending in a rather long, curved horn, whose colour fades from grey-brown to off-white), evil large amber eyes with vertical black pupils, large sharp whitish teeth along the edges of the jaws and a faintly forked tongue sculpted on the inside of the mouth
Body: burgundy scaly skin, clawed hands and feet. His limbs are mostly reused from Origin Lor-Drek and display large dirty-yellow ridges that run down the sides. On the back, a dirty-yellow neural spine sail and a pair of large bat-like wings (although their shape is vaguely reminiscent of butterfly wings) project through openings in the armour's back piece. Also, a long, thick tail (reused from Foundation Lor-Drek) emerges from the bottom edge of the armour and extends downwards, ending with a zigzagged point whose colour fades from grey-brown to off-white. The wings and the tail are painted in burgundy on the underside and dirty-yellow on the upper side

Wearables: a harness (whose diagonal strap on the front is made of a dark-green fabric, while the metallic parts are greenish with golden details), a studded dark-green belt and a scale armour (i.e., consisting of several overlapping gold plates laced together) loincloth. The harness bears a golden plate displaying the Interspecific Commission emblem, i.e., a misshapen concave-sided dark-green lozenge, embossed on it.

Silef's stylised harness with lower strap unfastened.

Action feature

In the KR|Echoes of Future comics, Silef has limited psychic abilities, occasionally enabling him to contact others through telepathy and mentally control individuals, as well as a deep alchemical knowledge, which gives him the ability to transmute some substances into others (mostly with the aim of replicating the SpawnCrystals) and, eventually, the power to transform the molecular structure of some parts of his body. However, flight is his most obvious ability. This figure's impressive wings work in a similar way to Lor-Drek's ones - they plug into the back armour (they can easily be removed) and each has a really great range of movement despite the presence of only one swivel/hinge point of articulation.

Additionally, the comic book gave this character two different appearances, so PoliganToys has offered the possibility to change Silef from his basic look to an enhanced form. To deliver the latter, the figure includes a wealth of extra pieces. First up is an alternate portrait, whose crowned, 5-horned golden helmet is by far the most impressive part of this enhanced look. There really is so much going on here, including an elaborate half mask, a dark-green gemstone on the forehead and those crazy cool wing-shaped ornaments in the back, which resemble his own wings. The horns (both the real ones protruding from the back of the helmet and those that belong to the helmet itself) are excellently moulded with no bending or warping in sight. The headsculpt beneath the helmet is amazing as well, and pulls much of the detail from Silef's dragonish visage in the regular head, but with solid amber eyes and steel-coated teeth, to accurately reflect the source material for this look (no hinged jaw here, though). There are also other alternative body parts in the package, which include the hands and feet with large steel-coated claws, and the tail end with a zigzagged steel-coated point. To complete the look, his alternate outfit comes in the form of several separate items, namely a metallic dark-green harness with golden details, two bracelets (which have spiked bronze cuffs and metallic dark-green studded forearm guards), and two brown furry calf protectors with turndown tops (which show a paler shade of brown on the inside and are equipped with studded metallic dark-green shin guards). The harness is equipped with a dragon skull-shaped chest armour (which includes a replica of the symbol displayed on his regular outfit as well as what looks like a brown fur tail hanging down in front), while the lower strap bears a bronze buckle that is ornamented with a complex heraldic design (a dragon skull with two pointed bones crossed below it on a web-like background) and holds a short strip of silver chain mail hanging down in front. The rear part of the harness has slots for attaching the sail, wings and tail from the regular gear. The two side straps extend and cascade down as ankle-long, dangling tassels, seemingly tucked beneath the lower strap. These tassels are adorned with intricate designs resembling metal reliefs sewn onto them, and add an intriguing element to the costume. The patterns resemble hieroglyphics, evocative of a story, and suggest that they may be remnants of items Silef gathered during his time in Cereutis, possibly imbued with mystical powers or sinister essences.

Silef's stylised helmet with half mask.

Silef's stylised alternative harness.

Weapons and accessories

Silef comes with a double sided poleaxe that has a pretty nifty design. It consists of a long dark-green wooden shaft fitted with a golden spear tip, two golden blades mounted on both sides, plus a pointed, zigzagged golden counterweight fixed to the other end of the shaft. The spearhead loosely resembles Silef's head, while the two side blades are shaped like his wings and have a slightly worn finish.

Final thoughts

Overall: Silef is an impressive piece of toy craftsmanship. The inclusion of both versions of the character's appearance in one package is a welcome feature that, for now, sets this figure apart in the Echoes of Future roster. The excellent sculpting work is evident in the attention to detail and the quality of the alternative parts. In sum, this figure is a must-have for any fan or collector of the KR toys, particularly given its connection to Wordron

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5