KR|Origin Review #7: Lor-Drek (Origin Edition)

After a quite long absence from the Origin lineup, Lor-Drek^TM is finally here!

This time, in the form of the sixth action figure prototype of the KR|Origin series, the hideous dragon warrior is showing a surprising new winged nature.

Details

Name: Lor-Drek (Origin Edition)

Subtitle: dreadful deputy

Classification: reptile of uncertain group

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Era: 520 years before Masq-Lor's time (now renamed Foundation)

Affiliation: Reptonoid

Rank: vice-marshal.

Background

First appearance: KR|Origin #2 - Battle for Tahron: Part I – The journey begins

Brief bio: the last member of a race of magical dragon-like reptiles possessed by an ambivalent nature, Lor-Drek was enticed through manipulation to follow Bi-Harr's endeavours to rule Tahron, eventually becoming a prominent officer of the Reptonoid army. Together, they fought in many epic battles during the war against the mammalian enemies and killed several Theriom leaders, including King Tah-Ron^TM and his son Khon-Uhr^TM. Unwilling to share power with Bi-Harr, Lor-Drek gradually developed the desire to become a marshal himself, ultimately swearing to lead his own faction and dominate Tahron.

Articulation

Standard, plus a hinged lower jaw, a ball jointed extra neck piece, a pair of ball hinged wings and a tail that features a swivel at its base.

Description

Head: similar to regular Lor-Drek's dragon/Spinosaurus head, characterised by evil large dark eyes (with vertical glow-in-the-dark yellow pupils) that are surrounded by ochre (i.e., light brownish-yellow) feathers, a long and narrow scaly snout, a large dark-green feather mohawk, long pointy ears (each covered in hair-like ochre feathers and ending in a rather long, curved whitish horn), large sharp teeth along the edges of the jaws and a faintly forked tongue sculpted on the inside of the mouth. A long bendy neck extension (which bears ochre scales on the underside and dark-green feathers on the upper side) connects the head to the body

Body: ochre scaly skin, claw hands and feet; unlike his regular counterpart, his limbs display large dark-green ridges that run down the sides. On the back, a dark-green neural spine sail and a pair of large bat-like wings (without tears and holes) project through openings in the armour. Also, a long, thick bandy tail emerges from the bottom edge of the armour and extends downwards; this tail ends with a large tuft of ochre feathers at the tip. Both the wings and the tail bear ochre scales on the underside and dark-green quills on the upper side

Wearables: a silver armour with brown details (the chest plate displays the Reptonoid symbol, i.e., a reptile red eye, at its centre), two silver gauntlets, a brown leather armband around the right biceps (where the ridge presents a trough), a pair of silver thong sandals with shin guards, a silver belt and a brown scaly loincloth. Both the gauntlets and the belt buckle (which holds a long strip of dark-green fabric) are shaped to resemble Lor-Drek's head slightly.

Lor-Drek's stylised armour; the circle at the centre of the chest piece represents the Reptonoid symbol.

Action feature

This figure's appearance is a mash-up of two alternative forms that Lor-Drek is able to acquire in the comics of the Origin series. To obtain the anthropomorphic form, which is the most frequent, it's necessary to detach the head (together with the neck extension) and the tail, and replace them with the head and tail from the regular figure.

The second form is a diabolical feathered serpent, into which Lor-Drek occasionally transforms in order to combine the ability to reach the sky and to creep on the ground against his foes. This configuration can be obtained by connecting the previously detached neck&head and tail components to an additional elongated legless central body piece, which is rubbery but not as bendable as the other two. This piece also looks ochre and scaly on the underside, and dark-green and feathery on the upper side. Moreover, it carries two sockets on the back, into which the figure's feathered wings can be plugged. It's a pity that the two forms cannot be displayed in their completeness side by side (unless we add the torn wings from the regular figure, which are inconsistent with the Origin era), but after all, since they are two alternative appearances of the same character, it kind of makes sense.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from his snaky feathered alternative body, Lor-Drek comes with a great weapon - a three-bladed spinning sabre. This sword has a wooden hilt (shaped like a short side-viewed snake with the mouth wide open) and a broad silver machete blade, to the middle of which a Y-shaped rotating system of three additional curved silver blades is mounted. There is even what looks like a tiny silvery electrical cable that connects the machete blade to the hilt.

Overall, while certainly I wasn't clamouring for the feathered wings (I’m not much of a quill guy, I prefer scales), this is a really well sculpted figure that does a great job of bringing a new version of a significant character onto my KR shelf. I also like the fact that the feathered head can be used on the figure without the neck, allowing for even more display options.

KR|Origin Review #6: Theriom Knights

I always like to add some cool variety to my legion of KR troops and knights have been big wants of mine for a long time. So, I'm glad to welcome the Theriom Knights^TM!

There are several similarities between this first multi-pack prototype of the KR|Origin series (although most of the previous prototypes were technically multi-packs) and the regular Theriom Troopers. So, if you have missed their review, I'd suggest to take a look.

Details

Name: Theriom Knights

Subtitle: heroic sentries

Classification: various mammals

Sex: male and female

Home: Tahron

Era: 520 years before Masq-Lor's time (now renamed Foundation)

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: horsemen.

Background

First appearance: KR|Origin #1 - An arduous venture

Brief bio: across the kingdom of Tahron, the mightiest warriors were enlisted by King Khon-Uhr^TM to fight for the causes of the Therioms as masters of capture weapons and cavalry tactics. Together with their steeds, the Theriom Knights wore powered suits of armour, which enhanced their strength and let them skilfully handle their powerful armaments. Trained in ancient battle techniques, these life-long military men and women had a strong sense of honour and fought courageously for justice and freedom against the Reptonoids.

Articulation

Standard, excluding hinged abdomen for the female figure.

Description

Heads: both figures' standard heads have human features, showing cream white skin and dark eyes, and wear silver helmets with gold details, whose size and shape are adapted to the type of head. Each helmet has a mixed medieval/sci-fi vibe, and is equipped with a plume at the top (comb-shaped and dark-green for the male character, similar to a ponytail and dark-blue for the female) and what looks like a laser sighting device at the right side (I wish this were pivoting)

Bodies: the figures' sculpts use the same proportions seen in other KR human male and female figures; in addition, both wear a whole-body protective clothing of brown leather, which is also visible in the form of gloves and boots on the hands and feet

Wearables: both characters wear gold armours with silver details, golden wrist guards with knuckle protectors, golden knee/shin guards and silver groin protectors. Each armour has a nicely shaped piece of plate protecting the throat, which also seems to be a microphone, and carries a translucent red cape that allows us too see a bright circle at the centre of the back (fictionally a reactor engineered to power the suit of armour). The wrist guards and shin guards are clip-on removable pieces that, apart from displaying a silver Theriom emblem each, show some electro-mechanical details, which give the knights an interesting retro-tech character. Additionally, the heroic sentries are equipped with laminar grey arm and thigh armours, each decorated with a diagonal blue stripe, that are also removable.

Theriom Knight's stylised armour with a generic breastplate. Size and shape vary according to the body structure of the characters.

Action feature

Like with the regular Theriom Troopers, the main feature of the Theriom Knights is their expertise in the use of capture weapons. That's why I'm going to describe their weapons in this section. Unlike the grabber, bolas launcher and net gun that were associated with specific Troopers, the weapons packaged with the Knights are interchangeable, meaning that they may be used by either character. First up is a set of twin silver pistols, one of which can shoot a blue laser net, while the other can hurl a pair of red laser bolas. The design of the pistols is really cool, rendering an antique look that matches the medieval theme very well. They come with two translucent plug-in shooting effects, which are shaped like the above-mentioned energy net and bolas. We also get a golden removable belt, which can fit either figure and bears two brown leather holsters at the sides for stowing the pistols. The buckle of the belt is a seven-pointed star with the two bottom points elongated, which is a nice variation of the Theriom symbol.

The second (or, rather, third) weapon is a silver lance, which is a perfect addition. A lance is a very characteristic weapon for a knight and I love that it is large enough to be convincing. Also, its pointed head can be disconnected and replaced with a silver tool that is slightly reminiscent of Grabtrak's grabber. This is fictionally produced by the lance head itself and, despite lacking any articulation, can clamp an opponent by means of a laser beam that runs from one jaw to the other. The laser effect is recreated with a curved, stick-shaped translucent green piece that snaps securely between the ends of the two jaws.

Weapons and accessories

Apart form their capture weapons, the Theriom Knights come with a plethora of accessories. Each helmet is equipped with a set of clip-on pieces, namely two interchangeable silver visors and a golden mouth guard. While the mouth shields for the two figures are very similar, the visors are pretty unique in their respective designs: the male Knight's ones have either two eye-holes or pairs of horizontal slits, whereas the female Knight's ones are either solid silver (almost like a mirror) or with an array of vertical slits.

The helmets are also removable and allow the heads to be replaced with two alternative types for each figure: Asian/olive brown-skinned and ape-looking/dark brown-furred for the male, African/black-skinned and feline-looking/light brown-furred for the female. The top of each head looks kind of odd, due to the shape that has been given to accommodate the helmet. However, to display the Knights unhelmeted, each figure comes with an extra piece that incorporates black hair and a steel cap that is fictionally worn underneath the helmet. These pieces work best with the human heads, but they can be used with the animal ones too, they will just look funny.

The armours also have swappable parts and work in a similar fashion to Combat Masq-Lor's covering. Each front armour is actually a shell that can accommodate two interchangeable breastplates: one plain (undamaged for the female and with some subtle battle marks for the male) and one decorated with the Theriom emblem in relief at its centre (in silver for the male and made of a translucent red gemstone for the female). The plates, which probably indicate different ranks, snap in tightly from the inside of the armour, which must be removed in order to change them.

The last "accessory" is a pretty great way to finish out - a half steed/half war machine that can carry a Theriom Knight! Despite this mount looks very similar to a horse, it's actually a tarmotherid, a fictional ungulate like Merados. Indeed, this steed shares several components with Merados, but also appears enhanced by a powered exoskeleton composed of a technological barding (i.e., chanfron, criniere, peytral, saddle, flanchards, croupiere, tail guard and hoof protectors) and a set of robotic devices that allow for limb movement with increased strength and endurance. The sculpt is fantastic, showing some great curves and lines, and the techno embellishments, such as circuits, pistons and cogs, look really nice and sharp. The detail I especially like is the saddle, which bears a pair of badass stirrups, and a handlebar that replaces the reins and has a sculpted&painted dash board. The articulation is pretty cool too: it has ball joints between all five neck pieces that compose the criniere (giving the head and neck a great range of movement), a ball joint at the tail, and hinges at the shoulders/hips (it can hold a rearing-up pose without assistance), at the knees/hocks and at the fetlocks. The paint is also very nicely executed, showing a mostly reddish-brown coat (except for the cannons and the tail that are white) where visible, and lots of gold, which shines well when hit by the light, with silver details. The cyber chanfron (with glowing eye-holes) can be removed to reveal the reddish-brown head with a silver stripe down the middle of the face. The peytral is equipped with a circular bright reactor combined with a purple&gold Theriom escutcheon on the chest area and a pair of twin forward-facing silver pivoting laser guns at the sides, while the croupiere has a rear-mounted silver rotating laser turret.

Theriom Knight's stylised helmet with a generic visor. The grey triangle at the top indicates the presence of a plume.

Overall, I personally dig the idea of tech-knights from Tahron's past, so I’m really pleased with this multi-pack. At any rate, both the figures are done well and I think their accessories are a hit. I really hope we can get an additional mount at some point in the future, so that both of them can ride to victory.

KR|Origin Review #5: Tah-Ron

The KR|Origin series continues to deliver this month with two variants of a much-needed "furry" character - Tah-Ron^TM!

This fifth dual-action figure prototype of the Origin lineup represents a lot of important things when it comes to the KR mythos. According to his details and bio, Tah-Ron is the ancestor of Tir-Hing and Masq-Lor, the first king of Tahron (before this land is named after him) and the neutral deity preceding Kai-Xi.

Details

Name: Tah-Ron

Subtitle: sage arbiter

Classification: spirit (formerly primivod mammal)

Sex: male

Relationships: ancestor of the Amhalgaard family

Home: the land eventually named Tahron

Era: 520 years before Masq-Lor's time (now renamed Foundation)

Affiliation: neutral (formerly belonging to the Theriom faction)

Rank: divinity (formerly first king of the Therioms and, by extension, of the land they strive to protect).

Background

First appearance: KR|Origin #1 - An arduous venture

Brief bio: after being forced out of his home in the Northern Forest by the Reptonoids, the Kimarhan tribesman named Tah-Ron joined up with the Therioms, a newly formed mammalian defensive alliance, and thanks to his charisma was soon proclaimed as their king. King Tah-Ron fought the reptilian forces led by Bi-Harr for many years during his reign and, while still relatively young, was ultimately killed in front of his son's eyes during a bloody battle. After his death, Tah-Ron raised to an ageless divine form and, through this act, he was able to watch over his descendants and advising his heirs. Eventually, his motherland and theatre of the war between Therioms and Reptonoids became known as Tahron in his honour.

Articulation

Standard.

In the comics, Tah-Ron is mostly featured in his divine form, while his royal look is only shown in a flashback. Despite the two figures represent the same character, they render the two alternative forms and appear relatively different. Since these figures will be released individually, I'm going to describe them separately.

King Tah-Ron

Description

Head: predominantly ursine (similar to a short-faced bear, even if he's a primivod, a fictional anthropomorphic marsupial), characterised by a thick whitish fur (with two braids at the sides of the head and two in his "beard") that surrounds a light brown-skinned face. The bare face includes a pair of subtly pointy ears, fierce blue eyes with jagged eyebrows, a large dark nose and a slightly open mouth that exposes a number of sharp whitish teeth. He wears a silver crown decorated with eight curved ivory-coloured horns all the way around

Body: thick whitish fur, claw hands and feet

Wearables: a chest harness composed of a metallic light-blue breast plate with silver details and four silver&leather straps, two metallic light-blue bracelets (the right one is narrow and spiked, while the left one is a large studded wrist guard and has four small metal claws projecting forward), two removable armbands around the biceps (each with a curved ivory-coloured spike sticking out of a metallic light-blue plate), two metallic light-blue knee/calf protectors (each with a curved ivory-coloured spike sticking out of the knee guard), a studded metallic light-blue belt with a diamond-shaped buckle (retooled from Steel-Monster Loghar) and a scale armour loincloth consisting of several overlapping silver plates laced together (reused from Bi-Harr). Additionally, he wears a light-blue cape, characterised by tattered edges and a substantial furry collar that is fixed to the breast plate via a peg. The large collar is flocked with a black-striped white (synthetic) fur and bulges on the back similarly to a mane, giving the figure a hunched over look; it also has two curved ivory-coloured spikes that project forward from near the shoulders and are pierced in order to hold two big silver chains, from which a shiny silver Theriom symbol (i.e., a seven-pointed star with the two side points elongated) hangs at the centre.

Tah-Ron's stylised harness; the circle at the centre of the chest piece represents a socket, to which the furry collar connects.

Action feature

Apart from his fangs and claws that make him a powerful adversary for the Reptonoid, King Tah-Ron has no action feature, although in the comics it is mentioned that he has the ability to control animals.

Weapons and accessories

King Tah-Ron comes with a silver double-purpose staff. One end of the pole is four-pronged and holds a translucent light-blue hemisphere, while the other end bears a pointed tip. So, depending on its orientation, the staff works either as a royal sceptre or a spear.

In addition, the figure includes an alternative head that allows us to transform Tah-Ron into Li-Khon^TM, Tir-Hing's father, as he was shown in the regular series. This head is predominantly ursine (similar to a short-faced bear, even though he's a primivod too) and is characterised by a thick whitish fur that, unlike with Tah-Ron, covers most of the face, including the subtly pointy ears. It also displays a dark-brown bony cranial crest, a pair of blue eyes with purplish under-eye bags, a large dark nose, and a slightly open mouth that has a purplish upper lip and exposes a number of sharp yellowish teeth. Compared to Tah-Ron's one, Li-Khon's head definitely shows an older look and a less combative attitude. To complete the conversion, it's necessary to remove Tah-Ron's head, cape (by disconnecting the front of the collar from the breast plate) and armbands. After replacing the head, it's enough to attach an additional golden Theriom emblem to the breast plate. To be honest, I don't think the overall look of the figure resembles Li-Khon's appearance faithfully, but it's always good to have two figures in one, so I'm ok with it.

Spirit of Tah-Ron (aka The Deity)

I’m not going to get into the specifics of this figure, since it's just the King version with a few differences that I'm going to list below:

- The whole figure has been cast in a cool glow-in-the-dark green and given a nice dark-green wash (most heavily on his eyes, teeth, claws, clawed wrist guard and Theriom emblem) to simulate weathering

- His cape, harness and armbands are not removable

- The furry collar is unflocked

- The only accessory is his sceptre, which is also cast in GITD green

- A number of pretty rare and pricey deluxe variations of this figure will come in a fancy packaging that will transform into a cardboard playset (likely resembling the multiversal walls site, complete with opening portals) and will feature light&sound effects.

Overall, Tah-Ron is a really good figure that captures the Origin vibe fairly well. Both the King and the Spirit versions make for essential additions to the line, and I am particularly fond of the former - he looks very cool in full colour. In any case, this is going to be one of my favourite prototypes so far this year. Honestly, whether it’s getting a whole GITD figure or just coming with an awesome Li-Khon's head as an accessory, this guy is worth it.

KR|Origin Review #4: Denortos (Origin Edition)

The KR|Origin line gets yet another prototype this month with an Origin inspired Denortos^TM figure.

With Kai-Xi, Bi-Harr and Galamars already on my shelf, PoliganToys is doing a fantastic job getting these characters into my hands as they possibly can, and this fourth action figure prototype now joins the ranks of his Origin counterparts.

Details

Name: Denortos (Origin Edition)

Subtitle: alien menace

Classification: uncertain

Sex: male

Home: Cereutis

Era: 520 years before Masq-Lor's time (now renamed Foundation)

Affiliation: Reptonoid (temporarily)

Rank: mercenary.

Background

First appearance: KR|Origin #1 - An arduous venture

Brief bio: a dangerous criminal from the surface of the extra dimension of Cereutis, Denortos was sent to Earth to find Wen Kai xi and impede her destiny to become the Deity. He lost his left arm and parts of his face during his desperate attempt to follow Kai-Xi and Galamars on their journey to Tahron. Eventually, Denortos allied himself with Bi-Harr to seek his revenge, but the Therioms' combativeness proved to be a tough match for him and, at last, he was deported back to his dimension and imprisoned.

Articulation

Standard, with the addition of a hinged lower jaw.

Description

Head: elongated shape, dark-blue (almost black) skin, a strip of spade-shaped imbricate shiny silver scales running centrally from the middle of the forehead to the back of the head (developing into a spiny cranial crest), two short tentacle-like dark-blue antennas, two pairs of curved dark-blue spines pointing backwards where one would expect to find the ears, yellow eyes (each with a horizontal slit-shaped dark pupil resembling a series of four small holes, similarly to a Tokay gecko eye) topped with jagged brow ridges, two large nostrils and two rows of sharp, piranha-like whitish teeth lining the jaws. Unlike the regular figure, this version of Denortos' head has neither bionic components nor a loop in the cranial crest

Body: his dark-blue (almost black) skin is stretched over a series of bony plates with spine-like tubercles, which are arranged in rings throughout his body, giving a general segmented, armoured appearance. His limbs sport claw extremities and large strips of spade-shaped imbricate shiny silver scales running down the sides (a similar stripe also extends from the nape of the neck, divides along the shoulder blades and continues along the back to the loin). Finally, he has a short pointy tail emerging from his trunks and protected by a leaf-shaped, spiny-edged dark-blue tail shield. The surgical suture seen on the regular figure's abdomen is absent here

Wearables: a black armour with light-green details (the two colours alternate clockwise), two black bracelets, two black calf protectors, a black belt (displaying a small horizontal pocket on the back) and a striped light-green crotch piece. The armour is a removable, unblemished version of the regular figure's covering and shows some tech details, tubes and a silver Cereutian symbol (resembling a four-pointed throwing star with what looks like a trilobite embossed in the middle) on the front. Its two furthest-apart components are connected diagonally via a strap that also holds a pouch on the back. The arms display light-green bronze shoulder armours (the left one has an angular shape and is covered with studs, whereas the right one is curvier and has a number of spikes), while the legs carry two black removable cyber thigh/knee protectors that are criss-crossed with a network of green tubes.

Denortos' stylised armour; the circle at the centre of the chest piece represents a Cereutian symbol.

Action feature

In the comics, apart from taking a human appearance to go unnoticed and having extremely accurate senses owing to his antennas, Denortos is shown to possess the ability to inflict ferocious bites on his enemies. The feature is wonderfully rendered thanks to the spring-loaded lower jaw, which can swing open and then suddenly snap shut like a bear trap. Unfortunately, in the Origin series there is no mention of his power to exhale a knockout gas from his "ears".

In addition, Denortos can transform into a canine-like beast. So, the figure comes with his beast form, which shares several features with the anthropoid configuration, including the dark-blue (almost black) skin, a general segmented, armoured appearance, clawed extremities and large strips of spade-shaped imbricate shiny silver scales running down the sides of the limbs. The head is also very similar, although it doesn't have a hinged lower jaw (why not?!). An interesting detail is the design of his neck and tail, which bear a number of three-sided segments that look like those found in a spinal column. The articulation is great too and includes two points on the neck/head area, three in each fore leg, four in each hind leg and two on the tail alone. Moreover, replacing both the head and the tail with alternative pieces allows us to obtain the beast form of regular Denortos. The alternative head has an electronic left eye and mechanical jaws (again, not hinged), whereas the tail (fictionally derived from the left arm) has a great steel robotic look. The end of the cybernetic pointy tail can be popped off and replaced by a four-pronged piece (actually a double edged blade with two separate blades in the centre); a split version of the same piece makes it look like the four-bladed spear head has been propelled through the air and, thanks to an extensible cable (a simple string in reality) attached to the tail, can eventually been drawn back. Definitely this beast form is a most welcome addition!

Weapons and accessories

Denortos comes with a great deal of add-ons. The first accessory is his light-green petrifaction-staff. This is beautifully sculpted and has two "stag beetle mandible"-shaped silver blades at the sides of the head, while at the other end of the pole is a hooked silver blade that resembles that of a sickle.

Additionally, there is his signature silver shield. This is an exact replica of the bulky, trapezoidal shield that came with the regular figure. Both surfaces bear intricate tech patterns and are made of hinged fold-out pieces (one on the back and three on the front) that make it possible to convert the shield into a hovering jet-board. When shrunk, the shield attaches securely either at the figure's left wrist or at the back armour via a peg; when spread out, the jet-board fastens snugly under his feet (with the figure standing on it). Unlike the regular version, the figure also includes a clear stand for the jet-board, which has a ball joint that allows for some nice posing.

Last but not least, the guys at PoliganToys tossed a few alternative pieces in the package, so that Denortos can match the styling of his fellows seen in The Cereutian menace comic book. The set includes a head, a rubbery neck piece that mimics a whitish furry collar, two shoulder attachments, a belt, a gun and a pair of wings. First of all, it's necessary to remove Denortos' head, armour, thigh guards and both arms. The exposed arm-sockets allow for detaching the two shoulder guards (which partly fit in the sockets) and assembling the two alternative silver shoulder pieces (which fit around the sockets and cover parts of the chest and the back) onto the body. After reconnecting the arms, fitting the neck piece on top of the body and attaching the alternative head (which is almost identical to the standard one, except for the presence of a whitish mohawk in place of the silver cranial crest, ears that are slightly swung forward and spread out, deep-set solid yellow eyes and a static lower jaw), it's enough to add a supplementary silver belt that is much larger than the standard non-removable one and is decorated with the Cereutian symbol at the centre. Also, we get a weapon that looks like regular Denortos' petrifaction-beam gun, although it's completely painted in silver and has a slightly simpler design. Finally, since a couple of his peers are winged, a pair of large bat-like dark-blue wings (reused from Reptile Masq-Lor) can plug into the back of the shoulder attachments and each can be posed thanks to a single swivel/hinge point of articulation. The wings can also be plugged into two sockets located on the back of the beast form; however, this design is pretty different from the comics, in which the wings are produced by folding open the armoured skin covering the abdomen and the flanks.

Overall, this version of Denortos is a great new entry to the Origin line and I'm definitely pleased with him. Being one of my favourite KR characters, Denortos has built-in support, but, objectively speaking, the figure itself really turned out great. The new look (which is actually an old look) integrates nicely with the character history and, like with Kai-Xi and Bi-Harr, definitely adds a new dimension on my shelf. Including enough interchangeable parts to build an entirely different figure, as well as a 3-in-1 beast form (Origin, regular and winged) with three different tail attachments made two wishes of mine come true. On the other hand, having the ability to detach his left arm, it's really a pity that a wounded head for displaying Denortos in the way he appears after his battle injury hasn't been included. I'd rather PoliganToys had given us that instead of a replica of his shield, even though I'm very happy about the flight stand. The cape used by Denortos to cover his wounds would have been a nice addition too. The style that is building with this line will definitely bring a refreshing change in my collection, especially once more figures start to hit.

KR|Origin Review #3: Galamars

That's almost one year and a half! One year and a half of monthly action figure prototypes (actually, more than monthly) and for the very first time we're getting a character that has never appeared in the regular series. So exciting!

Galamars^TM is the third action figure prototype of the KR|Origin lineup and a prominent character in the comic book series, appearing in all three episodes.

Details

Name: Galamars

Subtitle: alien locksmith

Classification: uncertain

Sex: male

Relationships: in the KR comic double-issue The Cereutian menace, it is mentioned that Koptros is the descendant of an ancient engineer, who masterminded the construction of the multiversal walls; several elements suggest that this ancestor may be Galamars (that being the case, Koptros would actually have alien roots)

Home: Cereutis

Era: 520 years before Masq-Lor's time (now renamed Foundation)

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: craftsman.

Background

First appearance: KR|Origin #1 - An arduous venture

Brief bio: a brave knight from beneath the surface of Cereutis, Galamars was tasked by the Multiversal Balancers to protect Wen Kai xi, destined to become the Deity, and persuade her to journey to Tahron. Finding Denortos threatening the young scientist's life, Galamars carried out his masters' assignment by fighting his Cereutian enemy tenaciously. He turned the tide of the events when he used the power of the Antikythron to travel back in time, convincing Kai xi to follow him. In due course, they both joined up with the Therioms, to continue the noble fight against the reptilian forces. Utilising Cereutian technology, Galamars was instrumental in creating the multiversal walls, beyond which Bi-Harr's mental powers were eventually trapped. In particular, using a mysterious alloy (partly derived from his mercury-like blood), he forged the legendary key to unlock the two portals, which was divided into four parts for safekeeping, as well as the four prodigious helmets conceived for the chosen protectors of the Key.

Articulation

Standard, except that the left wrist is ball jointed.

Description

Head: the most striking feature is the texture of his skin, which seems to consist of numerous little steel-grey blocks that are carved to represent diamonds; this kind of surface appearance personally reminds me of the facade of a Renaissance palace located in the Italian city of Ferrara, called Palazzo dei Diamanti. Besides having this peculiar skin, Galamars' head appears to be hairless, although his protruding chin makes me think of a beard-like structure. He is also characterised by the presence of a pair of white glowing eyes and a purple diadem that extends from the forehead (with an oval red shining gemstone in its centre) towards the ears (which are not really visible). I would say that his look is vaguely reminiscent of Vision

Body: most of Galamars' body shows the same diamond-patterned dull metallic skin seen on his head. The only exceptions are his neck and shoulders, which display a kind of techno-organic appearance (i.e., a tangle of metallic muscle fibres, blood vessels and nerves) once the armour is removed

Wearables: a pearl-white harness with purple details, two white gloves, two white boots, a white studded belt and a long tech-looking purple loincloth. The harness is characterised by a high neck and a pair of shoulder pads topped with two curved steel-grey plates displaying indecipherable engravings; the back bears a structure that looks like an aerodynamic motorcyclists backpack, which is concealed by a purple removable cape, whereas the front presents an oval red shining gemstone, which is similar to the one on the forehead, and a bright white glow-in-the-dark disc. Each glove-cuff and boot-top has a V-shaped notch that accommodates a diamond-shaped purple decorative element, while the belt sports a V-shaped buckle that looks like some sort of electronic device.

Galamars' stylised harness; the circle at the centre of the chest piece represents the GITD disc.

Action feature

In the comics, Galamars has several powers, including the abilities to relieve psychological traumas and to transmit the knowledge of any languages; that's how Kai-Xi handles the pressure of travelling to the past, hanging out with an unknown civilisation and taking her rightful place helping to maintaining neutrality. But most of all, Galamars can use different kinds of energy manipulation to battle his enemies. He's able to absorb, convert, emit and deflect both mechanical and electromagnetic energy, either for defence (for example to create an invisible shield around his body or an optical effect that gives him a different appearance) or attack (for example to produce shock waves, heat flows, flashes of light and radio interference). To possess this power, he wears armour enhancements originally created by the ancient forefathers of the Multiversal Balancers. Specifically, his chest plate can project powerful energy blasts to stun or even disintegrate those who confront him. In the figure, the energy-blasting chest plate is recreated using the above-mentioned GITD disc, which can also be replaced by an alternative disc that presents a mirror-like reflective surface.

Additionally, when Galamars utilises his energy-controlling powers, his "skin" changes colouration. Similarly to other figures in the line, this colour change feature can be achieved using warm water or a hairdryer, which will result in Galamars' body (and head) turning brass-yellow.

Finally, to further mimic Galamars' abilities to manipulate energy against his foes, the figure comes with two interchangeable left hands and related accessories: an open hand that generates a spherical shock wave (in reality a clear orb that fits perfectly in the hand) and a clenched hand with a large light-energy construct shaped like a cannon (actually a translucent yellow, spring-loaded missile launcher that clips on the wrist but looks like materialising from his fist).

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the two interchangeable hands, energy ball and light cannon, Galamars comes with a few accessories, including a sceptre and a shield. The purple staff's head is composed of a GITD disc (slightly smaller than the armour's one) and a series of silver spinning blades around the circumference, while at the other end of the pole there is a larger flat silver blade with up-stretched sides that somehow reminds me of a shovel. The back of the head displays a spiral galaxy motif and an oval red shining gemstone in the centre. Like with the armour, the GITD piece can be replaced by an alternative disc with a mirror-like surface. The upper blades spin for real and are reminiscent of the "stag beetle mandible"-shaped blades seen on Denortos' petrifaction-beam gun; fictionally, Galamars' sceptre has an analogous power, although it turns enemies to a material similar to pyrite rather than mere stone... probably, weapons are all very much alike on Cereutis.

The shield is an entirely new piece (i.e., never shown in the comics) that fits in with the sceptre theme, meaning that it is surrounded by the same kind of silver blades (not turning, though) and holds the two unused discs (either GITD or reflective) on its egg-shaped purple plate. It's a nice touch and I like to imagine that this shield can also be used to light the way.

Additionally, we get a small accessory to complement Galamars' look, presumably for highly formal occasions, even though this requires the cape to be taken off. The enhancement comes in the form of a purple shoulder-sash that extends in a long strip of cloth worn over Galamars' left arm.

Last but not least, we get a huge and very welcome accessory, which is Galamars' inter-dimensional shuttle-pod. This is basically a single-seat shuttle-craft, characterised by a transparent canopy on the front (which is hinged at the top, so it can open by folding forward and up, allowing Galamars to sit in the throne-like cockpit), twin GITD headlights at the base, two pivoting fins at the sides and a hatch on the back (which gives access to a compartment where Galamars' weapons can be stored neatly).

Overall, I’m probably a little biased because this is the first completely original character (i.e., not based on previous KR characters) in the Origin series, but I really like Galamars. He's a good solid figure that adds to the main cast and his own unique personality helps him stand out in the lineup. His character design didn't allow for an easy transition to plastic at all, but the folks at PoliganToys nailed it as always. My only nitpick is that, since I'm not a fan of the colour change feature, I'd rather they had given us a repainted version of the figure in addition to the regular one. Now I have to figure out how to make room on my shelf for the shuttle-pod...

Key Raiders: 2017 Wish List – Part II

I know many of you have been waiting for Part II of my 2017 Wish List article. Well, I'm excited to reveal this next wave about creatures and vehicles. I hope you enjoy these ideas!

10 - Kilorapt^TM GOT IT!

Type: creature

Affiliation: Rexodon

First appearance: issue #3 - "Clash of the leaders"

Facts: Bi-Harr's trusted companion has a great design that would help further expand the KR creatures lineup. The Rexodon leader is ready to ride this savage armoured maniraptoran into battle!

09 - Baryanoid-Cart^TM GOT IT!

Type: creature/land vehicle

Affiliation: Spektrosaur

First appearance: issue #7 - "The siege of Erlokat"

Facts: in the spectacular KR seventh comic issue, Lor-Drek attacks the Independent Warriors' stronghold with this all-terrain reptile-drawn chariot, which would undoubtedly be a great addition to the line.

08 - Pyrosaur^TM GOT IT!

Type: land vehicle

Affiliation: Spektrosaur

First appearance: issue #7 - "The siege of Erlokat"

Facts: another reptilian vehicle from the seventh KR comic issue, the Pyrosaur is reminiscent of a mechanical tyrannosaurus, can be manoeuvred in several positions and has a mechanical arm ending with a badass flamethrower.

07 - LoGoN^TM vehicle form (with driver) GOT IT!

Type: land vehicle and action figure

Affiliation: Destructomorph

First appearance: issue #13 - "The ultimate curse"

Facts: Xonedar in his motorbike form? Sure, we need him too (and he’s here with his own position in the list), but CoBoN's evil counterpart is one of the more interesting machines shown during the several episodes of the KR saga. We already got LoGoN's robot configuration, but if its vehicle form isn’t produced, there will be an empty space on the shelf. This prototype would merely be a black repaint of CoBoN's vehicle mode, which exists as of last year, and would also include a full-body version of its white-suited driver, who is my personal favourite Demo-Rha's variant.

06 - Ceratank^TM GOT IT!

Type: land vehicle

Affiliation: Rexodon

First appearance: issue #4 - "A fateful secret"

Facts: the incredible tank-like transport that carries the Rexodons into battle cannot be missing. Heavily armoured and armed, it's even got a powerful missile-launcher mounted on its swinging tail.

05 - Queen Holopodian^TM GOT IT!

Type: creature

Affiliation: Theriom

First appearance: issue #11 - "Herrion's ordeal"

Facts: the queen-holopodian, Kinod's biological mother, would make for a visually stunning addition to the line. I know this would be a pet project for the designers at PoliganToys, which they would certainly deliver beyond expectations.

04 - Pterajet^TM GOT IT!

Type: aircraft

Affiliation: Rexodon

First appearance: issue #6 - "Reptiles reunited"

Facts: when Bi-Harr feels the need to fly high, he takes off with the Pterajet. How awesome would it be to see this imposing aerial transport vehicle landing in the KR lineup?! It'd be even better if it came with its own dedicated landing base.

03 - Xonedar^TM motorbike form GOT IT!

Type: vehicle/action figure

Affiliation: Theriom

First appearance: issue #6 - "Reptiles reunited"

Facts: OK, where is Xonedar's motorbike form?! We're still waiting… we’ve had several configurations of this character for some time, including the Xonatron and CoBoN robot mode's head. But we have yet to see that bike form, which made a memorable appearance in the sixth KR comics issue, enough to justify its being produced in the line. It has a cool look and it'd be great if the wheels could be detached and plugged into regular Xonedar's limbs.

02 - Exabeast^TM GOT IT!

Type: creature

Affiliation: independent

First appearance: issue #9 - "The Cereutian menace: Part II – Salvation"

Facts: there are many concept characters that did not make it to prototype form during the various comic issues of the Key Raiders series. Among the most fascinating might be the Exabeast, the giant monster formed by Denortos and his fellows during the epic final battle of the Cereutian invasion. I think I would really enjoy owning this large scale figure. I'm sure the folks at PoliganToys would do a wonderful job of creating a design that maximises play-factor while remaining true to the aesthetic of the line as a whole.

01 - Rotakord^TM GOT IT!

Type: aircraft

Affiliation: Destructomorph

First appearance: issue #2 - "Hunt for the energy stone"

Facts: Deptilion takes to the skies with this menacing vehicle that is characterised by a front gaping mouth with spinning blades around the inner circumference. Typically used as an air vehicle, the Rotakord also functions as a tunnel boring machine and is equipped with a variety of weapons, though the spinning blades are its most devastating feature. How cool would it be to have it in toy form?

As a final (unlikely) wish... how about a playset? Perhaps an all-inclusive one that incorporates elements of Theriom City, Dekropolis, Rokang Tar and Artelon, and with the two multiversal walls right at the centre of it? I know, I'm dreaming, but I still hope PoliganToys will see this and think about producing it; I believe that if it were affordable, it would sell very well. GOT IT!

KR|Origin Review #2: Bi-Harr (Origin Edition)

Checking the second action figure prototype off the KR|Origin series today, with the Origin Edition of Bi-Harr^TM!

I really love this guy, and the figure does deliver some great sculpting and an awesome look. Having a long snaky body that can do more than stand up straight is always a good thing. So, let’s take a look at this new version of Bi-Harr.

Details

Name: Bi-Harr (Origin Edition)

Real name: Anfis

Subtitle: double-headed supreme ruler

Classification: archosauromorph reptile

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Era: 520 years before Masq-Lor's time (now renamed Foundation)

Affiliation: Reptonoid^TM

Rank: field marshal.

Background

First appearance: KR|Origin #2 - Battle for Tahron: Part I – The journey begins

Brief bio: born as an abomination, over the years the dual-headed creature Anfis became a blessing for the reptilian species. Thanks to his two minds working together, Anfis was cleverer than any other living thing. Taking the name Bi-Harr, he raised an army and challenged the free mammalian people for rule over Tahron. Being gifted with twice the brain power of his rivals, his tactical advantage was doubled. Although he defeated several leaders of the Therioms, these heroes finally succeeded in trapping his mental faculties beyond the multiversal walls.

Articulation

Standard down to the waist of each upper body; the lower body is composed of 35 ball jointed pieces.

Description

Bi-Harr is a sort of four-armed amphisbaena (i.e., a snake-like creature with a head at each end), who has an elongated tubular lower body running from one torso to the other. Normally, he uses two of his arms as legs, in order to acquire a bipedal posture, and hides his convoluted body structure under his armour. But now we finally get him in his unfolded form, which is briefly shown in a flashback scene in the comics and is executed extremely well here. I'm going to describe each of the two upper bodies (referring to their position in the regular figure) and the lower body separately.

Left upper body

Head: similar to a Pachycephalosaurus, characterised by wrinkled dark-blueish skin, a large bony dome atop its skull, a pair of large amber eyes with vertical black pupils, a muzzle ending in a pointed reddish beak, and a fairly long, thick neck. The dome's rear side is edged with yellowish bony bulges, which extend towards each eye forming a sort of bumpy eyebrow, while a number of short yellowish bony spikes project upwards from the snout (the most central of these spikes is covered in skin). The only difference between this version and the regular one is that the mouth is wide open, instead of closed, and shows small sharp yellowish teeth along the edges of the jaws

Body: the arms and the torso show a wrinkled dark-blueish skin; the arms bear several yellowish bony bumps and claw hands

Wearables: a copper chest armour with silver details (which is embossed with round motifs), two yellowish leather fingerless-gloves, a silver belt (which somehow reminds me of a chastity belt...) complemented with round studs, visible chain mail lining and three tassets, and a tawny furry loincloth.

Bi-Harr's stylised "left" upper body armour.

Right upper body

Head: vaguely similar to an Apatosaurus (or a similar sauropod), characterised by scaly reddish skin, a large brown cranial crest, two short ossicones covered in skin, a pair of large light-blue eyes with vertical red pupils and a thick neck (slightly longer than its counterpart's). The sole difference between this version and the regular one is the almost completely closed mouth, which only offers a glimpse of the several sharp white teeth that line the jaws

Body: the arms and the torso show a scaly reddish skin; the arms have large brown ridges, which run down the sides, and claw hands

Wearables: a brass chest harness with silver details (which is embossed with diamond motifs), two brass armbands around the biceps (where the ridges present troughs), a brass bracelet around the right wrist, a brass gauntlet on the left hand, a diamond-studded brass belt and a scale armour (consisting of several overlapping copper plates laced together) loincloth. The bracelet, armband and gauntlet are all decorated with arabesque patterns, while the belt has a skull-shaped goldish buckle, whose elongated lower jaw covers the middle of the loincloth partially.

Bi-Harr's stylised "right" upper body armour.

Lower body

The pieces that compose the figure's tubular lower body are sculpted very nicely and reflect the skin texture and colour of the respective torsos. A cool detail is the midway overlap of the two body types, where the wrinkled blueish skin and the scaly reddish one melt into each other. Most of the underside of the lower body is flattened, so the figure will not be falling over.

Action feature

Bi-Harr's great power lies in his mental abilities, which are described in the comics as knowledge absorption and thought manipulation, one for each of his brains. Such faculties allow Bi-Harr to possess a genius-level intellect, as well as to be a master strategist, tactician, manipulator and deceiver. However, since these skills cannot be rendered easily in an action figure, the designers at PoliganToys thought about something else. Although this is never shown in the comics, Bi-Harr can use his long tubular body to tie up his foes and asphyxiate them. His spectacular snaky lower body is long enough (35 cm, around 14”) to keep the two torsos positioned straight up (thanks to a ratchet feature of the ball joints) and coil round a standard figure at the same time.

Weapons and accessories

Bi-Harr comes with a number of accessories, which include two short swords, one for each of his torsos. Each sword has a wavy copper hilt that resembles a snake, whose mouth holds a silver blade. Like a snake's tongue, the end of the sword is separated into a split blade (there is an additional cutout at the base of the blade), while two horn-shaped goldish elements emerge from the sides of the hilt, probably representing two fangs.

The other accessories are meant to be used with regular Bi-Harr, in order to make him more similar to the way he appears in most of the Origin series. This set comprises an armour, a belt buckle, a weapon and a pair of battle gloves. The silver armour bears two collars and two shoulder protectors on the top, and an asymmetric skull-symbol on the front. The collars are embossed with two different designs: a round pattern on the left and a diamond-shaped pattern on the right. These patterns are also replicated on the two shoulder protectors, which, like the collars, are made of two different metals: copper on the left side and brass on the right side. The asymmetric skull-symbol is located right under the gap between the two collars, but its lower jaw stretches down to the bottom edge of the armour; each half of the skull resembles the correspondent head and is made of a metallic material, again copper on the left side and brass on the right side. Despite the similarities with the regular version, this new protective covering presents several peculiar features, such as a series of four spikes along the back of the shoulder armour (which match the motifs and the materials of the collars and the shoulder pads), a few decorative patterns and chain mail details on the front, and a much more elaborated skull-symbol (with jagged edges and spikes sticking out of the sides). Additionally, I've just discovered that regular Bi-Harr's belt buckle can be detached and replaced by a new plug-in piece that represents the Reptonoid symbol, i.e., a reptile red eye.

The weapon is a two-pronged copper fork, whose prongs have different shapes (one has angular edges, while the other is curvier) and are articulated at the top of the long shaft, so as to allow them to be opened and closed.

Finally, we get a pair of golden techno-gauntlets, which can be worn over the regular hands (they don't replace the hands) and are characterised by a closed fist pose. These advanced gauntlets, which are definitely (and intentionally) disproportionate, work both as armoured gloves and sleeve coverings. Each gauntlet sports a layer of silver chain mail (which is visible on the underside, as well as on each finger and the thumb) beneath the golden armour and a silver blade (pointing forward) mounted on the outer side. In the comics, the gauntlets are built by Loghar and represent a sort of prototype of the various electro-mechanical components that will form the Rexodon Troopers centuries later. They communicate directly with Bi-Harr's nervous system and are capable, for instance, to magnetically attract (they actually incorporate real magnets, to which you can attach small metal objects) and easily crush large metal objects.

Bi-Harr's stylised new armour; the shape at the centre of the chest piece represents the asymmetric skull-symbol with the elongated lower jaw.

Overall, this new form of Bi-Harr is a pretty nice variant of the regular figure. He really looks great, with a unique body design, excellent sculpting and some fine paint work. The accessories to upgrade the regular figure, including the two new figure's heads, are kind of awesome too. The only addition that I would have really liked to be included is the wooden dummy (with three moving arms) shown as Anfis' training device in the comics.