Toy prototype details
Name: Tan-Ah-KrosTM
Subtitle: hard-shell warmonger
Line: KR|Echoes of Future
Item type: large scale figure (oversized action figure) - Nº 1 in the line.
Character details
Name: Tan-Ah-Kros
Classification: arthropod with barnacle-like traits
Sex: hermaphrodite (but he vaguely appears as male)
Home: Cereutis
Era: 570 years before Foundation
Affiliation: Bogthropod
Rank: colonel general.
Background
First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #1 - The secret origin of chaos
Character summary: a hulking warrior who surged through the portal ripped open by Silef between Cereutis and Idakarr. This feral colonel general served as the vanguard of the Bogthropod invasion alongside his fellow soldier Ah-Rak, spearheading the first wave of attacks fuelled by a hunger for destruction. Ruthless and cunning, his thirst for conquest and eagerness to carve a bloody path through his enemies ultimately led him to forge his own faction, the Mal-Ah-KrillsTM, paving the way for future domination.
Articulation
Standard (new scheme), with the addition of multiple interchangeable hinged chelae, two fully articulated forearms, two ball hinged appendages, and two fully articulated legs.
Description
Head and body: his massive head is encased in a dome-shaped carapace, which is whitish in hue with a greenish-yellow (which I'll simply call green from now on) wash and is composed of six large calcareous plates. His multiple limbs surround this imposing structure, giving him the appearance of a face with arms and legs (he's like a crustacean version of MODOK in that respect), and making him look pretty big and bulky compared to most of the other figures in this series. A metallic green crest, shaped like a spiny fin, runs across the top of the dome from left to right, while his reddish face sports a bumpy texture, showing off every bit of chitinous detail (I'll get into the specifics of the face later).
His multiple limbs are protected by a reddish chitinous exoskeleton, featuring a textured surface characterised by cracks, bumps and a number of pointed, spike-like projections here and there. Additionally, each of his two main arms and four legs bears a line of fin-shaped appendages (whose fringes and folds detailing suggests a respiratory or sensory function) that runs down the side. Each of his two primary double-handed arms (i.e., bifurcating below the elbow) ends with a slender, four-clawed hand on one forearm and a small, articulated chela on the other. Emerging from the two calcareous plates that form his back are two additional cirri (i.e., long, feathery or hairy tendril-like arms), each dividing into two branches towards their ends, while the edges of the plates themselves show several spikes, two of which are notably large. Each of his four digitigrade legs is bent at the knee to accommodate the foot portion with the heel section high up, and boasts three large claw-like brownish toes in front and one in back. The forelegs exhibit two extra pairs of short arthropod-like limbs extending from the sides of the thighs, each terminating in a small, non-articulated chela, while the hind legs carry two pairs of thin cirri in corresponding positions.
Wearables: a segmented metallic green crest (similar to the abdomen of a shrimp or lobster) running longitudinally between the two calcareous plates on his back, one armband (adorning the right arm) and four knee guards equipped with spiked metallic green laminar plates, four narrow studded green wristbands, two green laminar shin/instep guards (each featuring a bumpy texture and ornamented with metallic green rivets) on the forelegs, a large green armoured waist belt embellished with metallic green studs and featuring a Bogthropod emblem on the buckle (which consists of a translucent blueish gemstone that looks like a stylised trilobite crossed by three horizontal wavy lines), and a lamellar green leather skirt embellished with metallic green studs and complemented by a metallic green tail fan-like flap in the front (whose dented and chipped edge adds a distinctly barbaric touch).
Action feature
In the comics, Tan-Ah-Kros possesses the ability to molecularly alter his facial and hand features at will, allowing him to transform his appearance and to resemble a multitude of creatures akin to his own kind. The figure's head actually includes two separate inner cylinders that rotate horizontally, each featuring differently shaped eyes and mouths. By spinning these dials with your finger, you can create multiple monstrous face combinations, offering a ton of fun, great looking display options. The dial for the eyes (which all have a greenish hue) includes the following options:
- two relatively large compound eyes positioned laterally and flanking a smaller central eye spot, all three situated above another row of four structures resembling eye spots
- a pair of empty dark orbits that can be fitted with interchangeable bulging or pop-out eyes, featuring large round black pupils and short brownish horns atop them; this option includes both "standard eyes" and an alternative pair of stalked, bloodshot eyes, each as a separate plug-in piece (thanks to the horns, swapping between these eye types is quite easy)
- a single, menacing-looking pupilless eye with an eerie glow; this eye is shaped like an upside-down hyperbolic triangle (i.e., whose sides curve inward) and is set beneath a jagged brow ridge.
The mouth dial offers the following choices:
- a vertical mouth flanked by three pairs of whitish jaws, with the uppermost pair larger than the others, and a short, bifurcated chin adding to the features
- a wide mouth featuring four arthropod leg-shaped, sharp brownish teeth in the centre, flanked by two large and two small ivory tusks protruding upward; additionally, there are two long, seemingly articulated appendages that are equipped with serrated spines and can be plugged into a slot on each side
- a round, heavily toothed mouth (formed by multiple layers of whitish plates and razor-sharp tooth-like structures) accompanied by two hooked whitish bony side spikes and a single whitish bony chin spike; additionally, there's an optional large and long, seemingly articulated organ that plugs into the mouth and terminates in a box-shaped, yellowish specialised chela equipped with well-developed ivory teeth (which is slightly reminiscent of Mal-Ah-Kros's one-eyed monsters).
The nose, featuring a single round spiracle bordered by a thick fringe of black hairs and roofed by overlapping brownish scales, is positioned between the two spinning dials. This part doesn't move, but functions as a slot for attaching either one of two additional components: an arrangement of six tentacles surrounding a short syphon-like nose, or an elongated proboscis ending in six lengthy, whip-like appendages, some equipped with spines.
Moreover, in the comics, his calcareous armour, similarly to an acorn barnacle, features a retractable operculum made of four additional smaller plates. These plates close defensively, acting as a face shield against his foes while also concealing the sorcery that enables his face-switching ability. To mimic the appearance of the closed opercular plates, the figure comes with an ivory-coloured snap-on piece designed to hide the face.
Regarding the main arm extremities, there are four appendages of varying shapes and sizes that can be interchanged with the smaller hands or chelae, partially fitting over the forearms: a heavier, bulbous ghost crab-like crusher pincer, a longer, toothed fiddler crab-like cutter pincer, and two organs that look like goose barnacles, each equipped with a short, brownish leathery stalk, a series of whitish calcareous plates resembling a small elongated cone, and an extended cirrus dividing into two branches towards its end. The large chelae are reused from Mal-Ah-Kros, but the new black-and-red painted pattern on the claws evokes a scaly appearance; each one exhibits a gripping movement and includes a spring-loaded snap-back feature (in the comics, Tan-Ah-Kros can hold approaching opponents tightly with these frightful pincers and then spin like a hammer thrower to knock them down).
Weapons and accessories
Apart from all the face and hand extras described above, Tan-Ah-Kros also comes with a couple of truly awesome weapons. First up is a cool-looking, three-barrelled metallic green cannon, which the figure can grip tightly in any of his smaller hands/chelae. I love the retro sci-fi aesthetic of this gun with its rounded design, while the intricate rivet detailing adds a touch of authenticity. What truly sets this gun apart is its barrel, featuring three vertically aligned, forward pointing prongs, each equipped with its own bell-shaped muzzle. There are also three separate blast effects, which easily attach to the weapon's muzzles. In addition to its function as a gun, it can also transform into a sort of steampunk trident thanks to an included long green pole (terminating into a tail-fan-shaped ornament reminiscent of his loincloth on the other end) that attaches to the butt of the cannon. And that's not all! The figure's back is a detachable component (though underneath he maintains a whitish calcareous appearance), which includes a small handle on the inner side, allowing it to double as a shield; two of the gun's barrels are detachable and can be mounted to an included tech-mech silvery structure, which can then be plugged into his back when the shell is removed, effectively equipping the figure with two vicious "shoulder" cannons.
Tan-Ah-Kros's second weapon is truly unique. It's a plastic chain capable of binding together any two of his spare extremities, whether it's the large chelae or the goose barnacle "hands". Even if it may seem very impractical as nunchucks, it's incredibly cool and I absolutely love it!
Final thoughts
Overall: Tan-Ah-Kros is definitely a standout with his badass design. The metallised paint applications give him an extra edge, and the functional claws and rotating head parts all add up to one awesome toy. It's no contest – he's easily the top KR|EoF figure of 2024 so far. And the fact that he comes with an array of extras just seals the deal
Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5
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