KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #11: Ramedras

Toy prototype details

Name: Ramedras^TM

Subtitle: unwavering leader after Sumyak

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 9 in the line.

Character details

Name: Ramedras

Classification: extradimensional elemental being

Sex: male

Relationships: brother of Thelioke, ancestor of Galamars

Home: Cereutis

Era: 570 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Multiversal Balancers

Rank: grand officer.

Background

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

Character summary: the creator of the Matter Prism and the resilient new leader of the Multiversal Knights after Sumyak’s demission. During his harrowing captivity at the hands of the Bogthropods, Ramedras’s fate hung in the balance until a daring group of heroes led by Masq-Lor orchestrated a high-stakes rescue. Freed from his confinement, Ramedras became a vital ally, revealing the grim truth about the Cereutian war's escalation caused by Gladorr and guiding the heroes toward a covert mission to confront Krenodos.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme).

Description

Head: like with Galamars, the most striking feature of this figure is the texture of his skin, which seems to consist of numerous little steel-grey blocks that are carved to represent diamonds. He wears a metallic light-blue helmet equipped with nape- and cheek-pieces as well as an interesting crown of pointed, translucent white quartz-like gems, which gradually increase in length as they converge toward the centre. This helmet evokes the style of those worn by the Multiversal Squires, but it incorporates some distinctive elements such as a half mask with orange glowing eye slits (or possibly goggles), an oval light-blue shining gemstone at the base of the quartzy crown, and two headphone-like pearlescent white side devices that project upwards in the form of angular aerodynamic fins. The helmet is removable, revealing, aside from some engraved lines on the forehead, a striking resemblance between this character and Galamars, which is particularly evident in the presence of a pair of white glowing eyes and a hairless look (although his protruding chin gives the impression of a beard-like structure)

Body: most of the figure's body shows the same diamond-patterned dull metallic skin seen on his head. The only exceptions are his bare, clawed hands and feet, along with his neck and shoulders beneath the armour, which display a kind of techno-organic appearance (i.e., a tangle of metallic muscle fibres, blood vessels and nerves) and impart a peculiar blend of human and unhuman characteristics. Additionally, his left arm wears a light-blue armband equipped with a short spike, while his legs are equipped with metallic light-blue armoured thigh guards with knife sheaths attached on the sides

Wearables: a pearl-white harness with metallic light-blue details, two white bracelets, two white shin guards, a white studded belt and a short tech-looking light-blue loincloth. The harness is characterised by a high neck and a pair of steel-grey rings encircling the armholes, which display indecipherable engravings; the back bears a structure that looks like an aerodynamic motorcyclists backpack, whereas the front presents a six-pointed star-shaped translucent red-orange gemstone (which is reminiscent of the Multiversal Balancers emblem carried by Sumyak) as well as a disc-shaped lenticular sticker that changes colour and pattern as it is viewed from different angles (it is fictionally a kind of visualiser that produces intricate Spirograph-like roulette curves). Each bracer and shin guard shows an armoured, tech-inspired aesthetic, and features a steel-grey ring encircling the cuff/top and displaying the same engravings found on the armholes. The belt sports a V-shaped buckle that looks like some sort of electronic device.

Ramedras's stylised harness; the circle at the centre of the chest piece represents the lenticular disc.

Action feature

In the comics, Ramedras's body is covered by an organic-liquid metal alloy, which grants him several abilities. These include possessing superior strength and high resistance to physical injury as well as the ability to transmute metals by touch, changing one metal into any other. The same liquid metal also constitutes his blood.

Additionally, his skin can become incandescent, allowing him to generate extreme heat, project radiation, and possess powers such as thermokinesis (i.e., the ability to manipulate the temperature in the immediate vicinity) and pyrokinesis (i.e., the ability to generate fierce flames). To be endowed with these powers, he wears armour enhancements such as a chest plate that can shoot powerful light-like and fire-like blasts to blind, burn or even incinerate his foes. In the figure, the light- or fire-blasting chest plate is recreated by replacing the above-mentioned lenticular sticker with a white glow-in-the-dark disc or a fire blast effect, respectively. When Ramedras utilises these thermogenic powers, his skin changes colouration and, similarly to other figures in the various KR lines, this colour change feature can be achieved using warm water or a hairdryer, which will result in his body (and head) turning red-orange.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the various disc-shaped armour attachments, Ramedras comes with a metallic light-blue sceptre featuring a long, straight staff with a white leather strip wrapped around the grip. The top of the pole boasts an elaborate club/mace head, while the opposite end bears a single "stag beetle mandible"-shaped silver blade that resembles the head of a pick hammer. The mace head (which, at its base, carries a plate embossed with a six-pointed star-shaped metallic red-orange symbol) actually doubles as a torch that can be lit using a separate translucent orange flame piece. It's honestly a really neat accessory. The staff can split apart, becoming two separate weapons, perfect for close-quarters combat. Ramedras can store both halves of his staff on his back using two apt clips.

Additionally, we get two silver blades that can be either stowed in the leg sheaths or plugged into the inner sides of the wrist guards and ignited with two translucent orange flame-sleeves. That's a cool little design element that pleasantly surprised me.

Finally, the package includes an outfit item reminiscent of Ramedras's attire during the SpawnCrystals' creation briefly depicted in the KR|Emergence comics. This piece consists of two metallic light-blue armoured shoulder guards, which securely attach at the back via the above-mentioned clips, and a lengthy strip of red-orange cloth with one end draped diagonally from the left spaulder across the back, wrapping the waist to form a short, diagonal-cut skirt, while the other end extends diagonally in front of the torso and passes through the right spaulder. A blocky light-blue belt, adorned with a diamond-shaped white decorative element and a dangling star-shaped quartz jewel, secures the lower part around the waist, while the long end hanging from the back of the right shoulder functions as an asymmetric cape. The item has to be worn over the harness, but the disc needs to be detached first.

Final thoughts

Overall: Ramedras is a fantastic addition to the KR|EoF line, offering a variety of options for displaying him. Even the flame for his staff is a separate piece, allowing you to pose Ramedras with or without his torch lit, which is not something we've seen action figures come with very often. His sculpt is solid, his paint application is clean, and his design is faithful to Galamars's appearance while also incorporating some great new elements. I'm looking forward to seeing other Multiversal Balancers in the line soon

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5