PoliganToys sent me their prototype of the fourth expansion kit for the epic Tahron playset/game. This kit is inspired by the KR|Horizon line, which was presented back in 2020. DekropolisTM Tower finally gets an upgrade and, at the same time, the Dekropolis Skyship makes its debut in toy form for a new great playing experience!
Description
The KR|Horizon Expansion Kit includes:
• 24 booster tokens for the game
• An additional Dekropolis Skyship vehicle with many features and accessories, including the possibility to transform some of its parts into additional sections for Dekropolis Tower
• A bag with 75 translucent blue chips that are shaped like Antikythron crystals (or rather SpawnCrystals shards, as they are now referred to).
Except for giving an exhaustive description of the Dekropolis vehicle/playset, I'm not going to detail these components and the game rules with the expansion pieces. You can find all this information in my post about the Origin Expansion Kit. I only need to remark that besides the usual properties, i.e., class, faction, strength, agility, and in some cases a special ability or limitation, each expansion piece is also characterised by a particular era (in this case Horizon) and a number of accumulable credits. The credit-chips included in this expansion kit are translucent blue, and spending 40 of them allows a player to capture any rival’s piece that has previously conquered the paying player’s wall, and move it onto the rival’s wall. In limited cases (i.e., primary era variants), expansion pieces present no credit, but are characterised by additional strength values and/or different agility patterns compared to their primary counterparts.
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| List of Horizon expansion pieces and their properties. |
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| List of possible primary pieces variants in the Horizon Expansion Kit (only one piece is included in the kit). |
Although this set comes in the form of a fortress that flies through the sky, the original concept is for four new towers to complement the main building that came with the Tahron playset. To make things clear, let's check out the process through which the five-tower decommissioned shipyard transforms into a skyship in the comics. The central tower is interconnected with the four surrounding smaller towers through metal grated bridges, forming a cruciform structure that kind of reminds me of Voltron's Castle of Lions. When the transformation begins, the four outer towers compress vertically, their levels merging to form four roughly disc-shaped power-source structures. The elevator shaft of each tower, initially positioned beneath the power-source, moves to the external side through a double hinge mechanism to assume the form of an engine nacelle, which generates either vertical lift force for take-off and landing or, by eventually swivelling horizontally, thrust for forward flight. The entire construction lifts off and, subsequently, the central tower's middle section divides radially into four sectors, revealing two pairs of additional nacelles at the sides and allowing the remaining portion of the tower to pivot into a horizontal position. As the central tower turns and the middle section recompacts, the four power-sources plus bridges also rotate from their front-and-rear layout to an over-and-under, X-Wing-like configuration, while maintaining their individual horizontal orientation. This synchronised movement transforms the static structure into a powered skyship, ready to take flight. The primary propulsion system uses a confined magma chamber located at the rear of the skyship, whose activation is indicated by an array of glowing portholes on the tail section, followed by an explosive thrust that propels the vessel forward. I wonder whether the worm-like creature originally inhabiting the magma reservoir beneath Dekropolis could withstand the ignition process! Manoeuvrability is ensured by the eight engine nacelles strategically located at the wing bases and tips. During normal flight, these thrusters are positioned horizontally and the four movable wings are spread open in a distinctive X-shaped configuration, with stabilising energy arcs connecting the pairs of power-sources on either side, maximising stability and lift. However, when engaged in combat, the wings can be locked into a closed attack position, transforming the skyship into a formidable strike aircraft. With a 90° rotation, the eight thrusters acquire a vertical orientation, granting the skyship VTOL capabilities as well as the ability to hover in mid-air. When taking off, landing or remaining in one place in the air or on the ground, the four power-sources and wings/bridges once again align in a front-and-rear configuration. Now, let's take a closer look at the toy.
Skyship - exterior: stretching from stem to stern, the massive (did I mention that it's big?!) metallic light-blue and pearlescent white skyship features a vessel-like hull that bears a front-facing, emerald-hued viewport reminiscent of a watchful eye, surmounted by a fairly long prow similar to a bird's neck (this detail reminds me of the Serenity spacecraft from Firefly). Four pairs of small wing-like retractable structures, resembling oars, adorn the ship's sides, while a saucer-shaped midsection houses the crew's quarters and control centre. A commanding bridge rises from behind the midsection, providing an elevated vantage point for the crew to direct their operations. Completing the skyship's imposing form are a powerful propulsion system at its rear (covered with a number of glow-in-the-dark portholes), and four main wings plus power-sources, each mounted on an additional engine nacelle attached to the midsection. The whole exterior of the ship is covered in sculpted tech-mech details, giving it a sleek and futuristic look: the upper side is adorned with multiple light defence turrets and sensing systems, while the underside boasts an array of small propulsors and GITD thrusters. The skyship's overall design is a cool mix of elements that obviously draw inspiration from iconic sci-fi vessels, like the above-mentioned X-Wing Starfighter and Serenity, plus some other neat ones such as The Gunstar from The Last Starfighter and The Odyssey from Ulysses 31.
Skyship - interior: after removing the five exterior panels on the top of the skyship to reveal the aircraft’s awesome interior, one is immediately struck by the seamless integration of the building's original features into the now airborne vessel. The front section of the ship showcases a cockpit with a seat (which is actually sculpted like two adjacent seats but can only accommodate one figure, whose face aligns with the narrow windshield at the front of the prow) positioned in front of a raised platform, on which a figure can stand to direct operations from behind the pilot. An elliptical floor observation window provides an unobstructed view of the ground and is topped by a 360° rotating, translucent holographic map of Tahron. A roundish double sliding door, once possibly a passage between floors, now serves as a transition point between the main front room and the command centre nestled within the mid-section, which is adorned with intricate sculpted details, including a network of pipes and cables as well as up/down pivoting control panels on consoles along the sides (these enable the deployment of hidden cannons on the ship’s remaining top exterior on the sides). This area also gives access to two smaller armouries flanking the cockpit, which are equipped with folding doors and store an arsenal of included weapons and accessories such as three golden-yellow swords that double as guns (reused from the Enmity Expansion Kit for Tahron) and three red parachute backpacks. Two side doors that once seemingly provided access to the exterior have been converted into floor panels that can be lifted for "maintenance" of the mechanical systems below, fictionally offering convenient entry points to the lower levels of the ship. Moving further into the ship, we encounter a jail cell located towards the rear of the vessel. It has functional shackles on the wall and a sliding prison door with clear yellow-green horizontal bars (probably made of energy) to keep captives secure, while its floor, once the main overhead gate, can serve as a posterior ramp that lowers to deploy an army of Destructomorph Goblins. Finally, the swinging walls that once defined the main building's defence system have been repurposed as storage compartment hatches on either side of the rear ramp, for stowing both explosives (with a sliding mechanisms to drop a set of two-plus-two included bombs on unsuspecting Therioms below) and the two assault vehicles that came with Dekropolis Tower.
Additional towers: the gimmick for this vehicle/playset is that all the bits of the wings, power-sources and thrusters come apart and then can be reassembled in the form of four towers, which can be joined to Dekropolis Tower from the Tahron playset by means of the four metal wing/bridge pieces. It has to be said that this configuration doesn't look fantastic and there's not really a lot to it in terms of playing use.
Each tower consists of four levels: a cruciform base, a mezzanine floor, a first floor equipped with lifting side panels, and a top turret. In its raised position, one side panel serves as a support for one of the bridges, which is loosely connected to the main tower at its opposite end; a finger-operated mechanism can cause the panel to close abruptly, leading to the collapse of the bridge. Without the turret, the tower's top surface can serve as a landing pad for some vehicles (it is indeed a slot for a flight stand on which, for example, a Rotakord can perch). Furthermore, each tower features several plug-in accessories, including a two-bladed, wind mill-like rotor, which also functions as a sort of radar antenna, as well as ventilation apparatuses attached to the front and back of the two upper floors, and a pivoting three-gun cannon that attaches to the top of the first floor. A semi-functional elevator (or rather a small goods lift) slides within the central shaft and is driven by a string and held by a hook. The mezzanine and first floors are additionally connected by two vertical stabilizing panels that also serve as tech-looking ladders. According to the comics, in the past these four towers featured multiple facilities for the shipyard staff, including sleeping quarters, a holodeck interface for advanced simulations, a medical wing, a canteen with a fully stocked kitchen, and a recreation deck equipped with training and leisure amenities. So, on the inner borders of the four mezzanine floors, we find different stickers that remind us of the original facilities that once occupied these spaces.
Transformation of the towers into the skyship wings: when disassembled, the central shaft of each tower transforms into two side jet engines housed in nacelles that are equipped with front-facing turbines derived from the ventilation apparatuses. The three main levels (the base, the mezzanine, which is equipped with wheels on the bottom, and the first floor) combine to form the casing of the power-source, which features rear and side storage compartments. The cargo bay on the back is accessible through a rear hatch and can be used to store the elevator cabin. The lifting side panels provide access to additional storage areas for the stabilising panels/ladders. The top turret attaches to the front of the power-source, forming a tapered nose with an opening panel that reveals a hidden missile launcher (alongside an included separate missile). The front rotating radar antenna attaches to the top, becoming an overhead rotor. The three-gun cannon can be reconfigured into three separate components: a main gun that can be attached to a slot on the front top of the power-source's casing, and two smaller side guns that can be mounted under the nose's two winglets. Finally, one thruster attaches directly to the power-source externally, while the other fastens to the side of the main ship and then connects to the corresponding power-source via a metal bridge/wing piece; the thrusters can be attached either horizontally (with over-and-under wings) for flight mode or vertically (with front-and-rear wings) for VTOL/hovering mode. The flight mode setup is finalised with two translucent yellow-green energy arcs joining the pairs of power-sources on either side as well as with a wheeled (seemingly tracked) landing gear piece plugged into the undercarriage of the ship's main body, to enable it to move smoothly over a flat surface. The VTOL mode is completed with five explosive thruster stands, four plugged in the outer nacelles and one in the ship's underside, to display the skyship as it begins to take flight or land (they can also be used as jet effects in the outer thrusters and in the main propulsion system with the ship in flight mode).
The KR|Horizon Expansion Kit is fully compatible with the previous Tahron board game sets, including the KR|Origin, KR|Enmity and KR|Dimness Expansion Kits. Overall, this awesome set combines the coolness of a vehicle with the fun of a playset. The imposing skyship is the star attraction, and while it has a few minor imperfections, its impressive scale makes it a standout display piece. The transformation feature adds an extra layer of playability, but the towers could benefit from some improvements in their playing use. Still, this is a great set that's worth getting for the ship alone.
Fun fact: in the KR|Echoes of Future series, Silef's waterfront laboratory (which strongly resembles the Black Diamond library building in Copenhagen) is located at the very spot where Dekropolis will be built by the Therioms roughly 560 years later.
Happy holidays!!!
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