KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #20: Dakaram

Toy prototype details

Name: Dakaram^TM

Subtitle: ground-shattering commander

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 15 in the line.

Character details

Name: Dakaram

Classification: catlipomor* mammal

Sex: male

Home: Idakarr (Tahron's former name)

Era: 570 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Kimarhan (a tribe of forest warriors who eventually form the Grand Resistance to oppose the rising reptilian authority)

Rank: commander of the Feline Combatants.

*Catlipomors^TM are fictional rare intelligent hybrid mammals, composed of the parts of several animals.

Background

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

Character summary: a centaur-like warrior born and bred in the wilds of the Northern Forest, who possessed extraordinary abilities such as a formidable strength that allowed him to wield a colossal ball-and-chain flail and a flexible neck that could stretch to incredible lengths. As a Kimarhan tribesman, Dakaram defended his arboreal community alongside the Feline Combatants and, eventually, his prowess marked him as a natural leader, earning him the mantle of commander.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme) in the human upper body, with an additional hinged, pivoting lower abdomen; in the quadrupedal lower body, besides a ball jointed tail, each leg features three swivel-hinge joints: at the shoulder/hip, at the knee/hock and at the fetlock.

Description

Head: similar to an Irish elk, characterised by light brown hair, massive palmate (i.e., flat and broad) antlers, long ears and a pair of brown eyes with horizontal oval dark pupils. His mouth is slightly open, exposing some angrily gritted teeth and suggesting that he is ready to attack. He also carries an extra furry dewlap piece (representing a growth of skin hanging from the neck), which fits right on top of the body and shows a dark "collar" on the throat

Body: centaur structure, light brown coat with a few dark blotches on the human upper body, the arms seem a bit longer than the average length. The quadrupedal lower body bears a large slate grey stripe running along the back, a blotchy, dark stripe on either side from shoulder to haunch as well as a dark hump on the withers (between the shoulder blades), and shows features that are typical of different ungulates, e.g., a deer (even-toed hooves), a giraffe (fairly blotched coat) and a horse (general shape)

Wearables: his armour is a patchwork of mismatched larger golden-yellow plates and smaller dark-green leather scales, held together by silver rivets; its worn surface is heavily detailed with dents and battle damages, and is intentionally asymmetrical, mimicking the appearance of numerous cracks that are worked into all of the armour bits (perhaps a reference to his ground-shattering power). His left forearm bears a narrow studded golden-yellow bracelet with a large wrist guard that has the same cracked, battle-worn appearance as the armour, while the right arm has a silver spaulder and two narrow studded golden-yellow bracelets on the wrist. Additionally, he wears a golden-yellow belt constructed from three concentric metal rings and embellished with a deer skull-shaped buckle, and a Roman-style dark-green loincloth/peytral made of leather lappets ornamented with silver studs. The forelegs carry two heavily armoured, golden-yellow knee/cannon bone protectors, while the hind legs show two golden-yellow guards on the gaskins (with the same crack detailing as the armour and secured by dark-green tubular straps) and two dark-green leather cannon bone protectors each featuring a turndown top and a silver-jewelled tongue.

Dakaram's stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comics, Dakaram can stretch his neck considerably, getting a more giraffe-like look. This neck elongation skill has two purposes: either to deliver powerful headbutts and break through obstacles or to raise his head and see further. So, the figure includes a number of accessories related to these action features. Bellius was the first figure of this type to allow for some lengthy neck extensions (up to 15 cm), but Dakaram is even more complex. He has five separate 4-cm blotched neck extensions that can be stacked to lengthen his neck, and each piece has a barbell joint on top, so there's lots of room for additional movement, making the extended neck very flexible and poseable. It is worth noting that the hinged lower abdomen allows Dakaram to pose like he is using his body as a battering ram. Then there is a unique artefact that is a curious blend of a war hammer and a spyglass, to help keep an eye on the enemies. This is crafted from a long, weathered greenish wooden staff with a grip wrapped in dark-green leather to offer a secure hold. The lower end of the shaft terminates in a golden spike, which is crowned with four splayed, outward-facing ball-tipped prongs. The top end presents a golden ring, from which four small antler-like protrusions extend. Atop these rests a cubic golden hammerhead, its top face marked by a domed, bumpy surface, while its two lateral faces are embellished with large diamond studs. The remaining two faces hold a pair of conical, seemingly telescopic optical tubes: one, bearing the objective lens, slightly expands outward, while the other, the eyepiece, tapers inward. This ingenious design allows Dakaram to both peer into the distance and deliver crushing blows (although I'd be very concerned about extensive damages to the optics). The overall sculpt is a bit chunky but nicely ornate and detailed, and one could imagine that some of the geometric, angular shapes on the sides of the optical tubes/striking faces are actually buttons, wires and panels that activate hidden functions.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the five neck extension pieces and the war hammer/spyglass, Dakaram comes with his trusty ball-and-chain flail, ready to unleash powerful strikes that can shake the very ground beneath his hooves. This long three-section weapon is composed of two greenish wooden grips wrapped in dark-green leather, a massive metal striking ball and two (real) connecting chains. The silver sphere's surface is uneven and pitted, as if roughly hammered into shape, while a series of raised reinforcing ribs traverse it from pole to pole. In the comics, Dakaram, with a simple twist of the weapon's grips, can make the ball's hemispheres separate slightly, causing three deadly axe blades to deploy from the gap. So, the toy sphere splits into two halves (one remains attached to the chain), revealing the intricate inner mechanism that triggers the blades' deployment. The painted details of the gears and levers inside are quite colourful, making this a very impressive accessory overall. This makes it possible to plug an included bladed piece into the central hub of one hemisphere, before reassembling the ball and locking the blades securely in place. The triple-edged golden axe piece, featuring two large jagged-edged blades flanking a smaller fan-shaped blade at the top, looks fantastic. In addition, the half-sphere with the chain can be swapped for an identical piece with a rigid, wavy plastic chain, allowing for a wider range of dynamic poses.

Finally, the figure includes an alternative portrait inspired by earlier character designs. This is a replica of the standard head, but with branched deer-like antlers instead of the palmate moose-like ones, which is meant to be used without the extra dewlap piece.

Comic

Together with the action figure we get the first comic issue The dark powers of dominion. Initially set 40 years after the events of the first episode, the story begins by following the conflict between the Therioms, led by King Tah-Ron, and the Reptonoids, commanded by Bi-Harr. Gladorr, while observing the hostilities, dons a mystical stone mask imbued with Silef’s demonic powers, transforming into a monstrous figure to infiltrate the Reptonoid army. In a fierce forest battle, Gladorr kills King Tah-Ron, securing Bi-Harr’s favour as a strategist, but failing to alter the course of history. Over five centuries later, the deity Kai-Xi warns the Therioms of potential catastrophic changes in their timeline. Using the Antikythron, they travel back 521 years to stop a mysteriously revived Deptilion and his ally, Gladorr. Despite their efforts, the Therioms are defeated, forcing them to regroup in the present, now ravaged by war. They return to the past once more, this time determined to prevent their enemies' strategies and ensure the restoration of the timeline. A climactic battle occurs at the Quartz Tower, where Masq-Lor, empowered by Lor-Drek's amulet and aided by a mysterious knight, defeats Deptilion (who is actually Geel-Ber) and forces Gladorr to retreat. With the mysterious knight joining the Theriom's cause, Masq-Lor and his allies of the past succeed in battling Gladorr, culminating in his apparent death. Eventually, aiming to return to their own time, Masq-Lor and Geel-Ber find themselves stranded 50 years earlier than their intended destination, where they discover Gladorr alive and seeking a new vessel for Silef’s spirit, aligning with a young mercenary named Nemhisto. A final confrontation ensues, during which Gladorr transforms into a new form and Nemhisto gains part of Silef’s mystical remnants, leading to Geel-Ber's death. Nemhisto escapes and Gladorr activates a new time portal before vanishing. Masq-Lor, now trapped in time, is unexpectedly joined by his siblings to face a new dangerous mission.

Final thoughts

Overall: I’m really impressed with Dakaram, he’s another fantastic addition to the line. I’ve been waiting for a new catlipomor figure to join the KR series for quite a few years and now that he’s here, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Dakaram is a fun figure with excellent sculpting, vibrant paintwork and some great accessories

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5