KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #4: Gladorr

Toy prototype details

Name: Gladorr^TM

Subtitle: scheming reptilian time-traveller

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 4 in the line.

Character details

Name: Gladorr

Classification: reptile of uncertain group

Sex: male

Home: North America

Era: Earth's 21^st century (later transported to ancient Idakarr - 570 years before Foundation)

Affiliation: CorpSTar

Rank: mercenary.

Background

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

Character summary: a grotesque 21^st-century reptilian inmate with psychic powers, native to the Great Lakes region of North America. After a supermajor energy company had stripped his homeland of its resources to fuel the world's largest hydroelectric dam, Gladorr joined a revolutionary movement against the construction of the facility. As a creature dependent on the native waters of the lakes, he could only survive in dry environments with the help of a containment/powered suit designed by the movement's leader. Eventually, Gladorr became one of the leader's most trusted warriors in their fight against the energy company. However, when the company's CEO began to manipulate the leader, he was forced out of the movement's inner circle. Feeling disillusioned, Gladorr turned to a life of crime to survive and spent a considerable time in prison. Facing a death sentence, he was given the chance to regain his freedom by working for the tech giant CorpSTar. Despite their questionable intentions, the company's promise to clear his name swayed Gladorr to join their cause and help them alter history. Sent to the past, he initially clashed with Silef, but later formed a tentative alliance with him, using his telepathic abilities to manipulate him towards his own goals. Despite Silef's demise, Gladorr continued to operate, using the former envoy's legacy to further CorpSTar's plans.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme).

Description

Head: his head has a peculiar appearance, similar to a fungal growth - it has a domed cap on a thick stalk, with a pair of ears shaped like bat wings extending from the cap and a large single eye in between the cap and the stalk. The skin covering this structure is scaly, bumpy and greenish, while the eyeball is painted in a glossy amber colour with a slit-shaped dark vertical pupil. He wears a glass-dome helmet fictionally filled with liquid, possibly to facilitate breathing

Body: scaly, bumpy/warty greenish skin, webbed clawed hands and feet. His slender limbs are supported by blocky midnight-blue components of a powered exoskeleton, which are adorned with white cables connecting the upper and lower parts of the limbs and transparent piston chambers seemingly containing a reddish liquid. These actuators run from the shoulders down to the forearms and from the thighs down to the calves. He carries an extra neck piece that fits right on top of the body (it is glued on, but it might be possible to pry it off if one had will to do so) and looks like a tangle of scaly tentacles, possibly merging into the head's stalk

Wearables: an off-white (i.e., a white colour with a slight greyish tinge resembling tarnished silver) armour with midnight-blue details, two off-white bracers (each made up of three metal bands), two off-white shin/knee/instep guards featuring fins at the sides, an off-white belt and midnight-blue trunks. All these elements combine to create a cohesive, cyber/armoured look. The armour, which is really detailed and has some great paint applications, appears to function as a type of containment/powered suit, with the actuators fastening to various points on Gladorr's body, such as the shoulder, wrist, thigh and shin guards. On the back, the armour bears a backpack adorned with tubes (two of which seemingly connect to the armour near the flanks, while two others look like exhaust pipes), four white wires running to the actuators (they can be unplugged from the shoulders and thighs), and an offset tank, indicating that there is quite a lot of technology behind this creature's health maintenance. One thing I really like are the various thermionic valves here and there on the backpack, which are different sizes and filled with different little electrodes - they look great and really add a further dose of detail and coolness to the figure.

Gladorr's stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comics, Gladorr possesses limited psychic powers typical of his species, which include the ability to move objects with his mind as well as the ability to read the thoughts of others and communicate with them mentally (a skill that grants him the potential to communicate across timelines and dimensions), or even influence their thoughts and emotions to some extent. He can also temporarily weaken his enemies during combat by targeting their nervous system, causing dizziness, disorientation, or even paralysis for a short time. Additionally, his powered suit grants him superhuman strength, enabling him to lift heavy objects and hold his own against even the most powerful foes. The suit also provides Gladorr with enhanced durability, protecting him from physical harm.

However, his head is permanently encased in a glass dome full of the lakes' waters on which he depends to survive. The figure has a unique feature that allows you to fill its dome with water. The dome, which is securely attached to the armour with a screw cap mechanism to prevent any leakage, covers the head of the figure, which is connected to the armour by a ball joint. You can even add a few drops of an included colourant to the water, to achieve a comic-accurate pinkish hue. Of course, when the dome is fixed in place, it makes it impossible for the figure's head to move in any direction. Fortunately, the dome can always be easily unscrewed without affecting the figure's ability to hold water. It's worth noting that while the water feature adds to the figure's fun factor, it has the potential to damage the head's paint or leave limescale marks.

Weapons and accessories

Gladorr comes with an impressive cannon that fits snugly into his hands. This heavy, massive metallic midnight-blue firearm (with some white accents) features a fairly long rectangular barrel (which is taller than it is wide) ending in a squircular muzzle (complete with two fin-shaped axe blades on either side), which in the comics has the ability to shoot deadly blasts of plasma. The bulky, hi-tech main body of the weapon is equipped with a rear grip extending from the butt, an L-shaped fore grip (i.e., with a handle sticking off the side for two-handed firing), and a longitudinal drum magazine embedded in the rear part. Additionally, the cannon includes an attached tank, similar to the one on the backpack, that is connected to the barrel via a white tube. The barrel and the butt of the weapon are connected by a black pliable baldric that doubles as an ammo belt, retaining and feeding special yellow cartridges into the drum magazine (the plasma blasts are apparently created through the interaction between the content of the cartridges and the gas supplied by the tank). It is definitely an oddly shaped weapon, but it does add a cool extra element to Gladorr's hi-tech equipment. The ability to hold it in both hands also adds to its practicality, making it easier for the figure to carry it... it's clear that functionality was a top priority in its design, and that's something I can definitely dig.

The figure also includes an alternative portrait that shows a slightly different, angrier "expression" (in the comics, Gladorr speaks by moving his eye in a manner similar to that of a mouth).

Final thoughts

Overall: this figure is an impressive addition to the KR|Echoes of Future line, featuring a unique and detailed design that captures the essence of the character in the comics. Gladorr is a well-crafted figure that fans of the KR universe will appreciate for sure. However, the potential risks of damaging the figure when filling the dome with water may dissuade some collectors to use this feature altogether

Rating: ☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #3: Catos

Toy prototype details

Name: Catos^TM

Subtitle: brave resistance leader

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 3 in the line.

Character details

Name: Catos

Classification: human

Sex: male

Relationships: father of Tah-Ron and ancestor of the Amhalgaard family

Home: Idakarr (Tahron's former name)

Era: 570 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Interspecific Commission

Rank: envoy.

Background

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

Character summary: a respected member of the Interspecific Commission and a skilled archer, swimmer and inventor. After becoming the brave leader of the Grand Resistance, he fell in love with Lemu-Rha^TM and had a son named Tah-Ron, whom he entrusted to the Kimarhan^TM tribe for his safety during the war against Silef.

Articulation

Standard (new scheme), except that the right hand is especially engineered with a hinge to hold an arrow.

Description

Head: light brown skin, green eyes, and a black stubble in which the moustache is disconnected from the lower beard line. He wears a pair of golden earrings and a turban-like white headdress secured with a colour-changing gem in front (this is normally golden-yellow, but if you dip a finger in warm water and then touch it, the gem will become purple). The daring expression on his face emphasizes his resemblance to Masq-Lor

Body: light brown skin, partially exposed torso and arms. He wears a taupe necklace with a gold medallion resembling the Interspecific Commission emblem, i.e., a misshapen concave-sided rhombus. His arms are partially covered by wide white sleeves (each has a slit that goes from the cuff all the way up to the elbow, exposing the forearms completely), while his legs are covered by wide white trousers tucked into the boots (each leg is adorned with an intricate golden side band reminiscent of traditional oriental motifs)

Wearables: a pearlescent white vest (whose edges are adorned with oriental-inspired, flowing line golden patterns) worn with the front open, two wrist guards consisting of multiple brown leather straps that are stitched together and secured by golden buckles, two dark-grey boots (each featuring a turndown top, a golden-jewelled tongue, brown laces and intricate brown stitches at the welt), and a zebra-like (i.e., with taupe-and-gold stripes) sash round the waist. It looks like the material used to make the vest is distinct from the material used for the sleeves, suggesting that the vest is worn over an unbuttoned shirt. The figure also wears a removable brown leather harness composed of two shoulder straps that converge on the right side of a waist strap; the back includes a rucksack, a quiver with sculpted arrows, two straps that secure a sculpted rope, and a clip for stowing a separate bow, while the front features a sheath holding a sculpted horn-handled knife on the larger shoulder strap, as well as two pouches for storing small tools on the sides of the waist strap.

Action feature

In the comics, Catos is accompanied by a snake-like golden underwater robotic beast of his own creation (unofficially named Kimaerha), which has a slender, elongated body, a bulbous snout with white glowing eyes, a long whip-like tail, and a set of fin-like structures: two dorsal fins spaced widely apart (a large triangular first dorsal fin with an erect spine on the front edge, and a low rectangular second dorsal fin), two pectoral fins (large enough to generate lift), two smaller pelvic fins, and a caudal fin divided into two lobes, the top one being larger, tapered and inclined upwards. When Catos is in danger, the creature activates (an act usually accompanied by purple light emitted by the jewel on Catos's headdress, hence the colour-changing feature), emerging from the water and dismantling the forepart of its body, to generate a high-tech suit of powered armour around Catos's body: the snout becomes a full face, seemingly flip-up helmet, the neck splits into two spaulders, the chest becomes a cuirass, the pectoral fins break down into rerebraces and gauntlets, and the first dorsal fin produces a longbow, while the rest of the creature incorporates Catos's lower body from the waist down. When in use, the suit grants Catos several abilities, and can reconfigure itself to produce a wide array of weapons; the most common functions consist in super-fast swimming by generating waves that travel the length of the tail fin, increased strength and endurance, energy shield generation, blasts/beams creation via the gauntlets, enhanced senses via the helmet, and production of a set of trident-shaped powered arrows (which can be shot with the longbow) via the spaulders. On dry land, the lower part of the suit can free Catos's legs while equipping them with thigh guards and shin guards. So, the figure comes with a plethora of extra pieces for changing Catos from his basic look to his enhanced form. Firstly, there are two alternative heads with the golden helmet closed and open. When closed, the helmet bears a fin-like crest from front to back, a chin bar and a face shield for absorbing impacts, and resembles a humanoid face (with purple glowing eyes) framed by what looks like the robotic creature's mouth. Its chin bar and face shield can be fictionally pivoted upwards to reveal most of Catos's face, as in an open-faced helmet. His battle outfit comes in the form of a cuirass (replacing the removable vest and harness) and two alternative armoured arms. The golden cuirass with pearlescent white details is not a completely new item, as it is mostly reused from Combat Masq-Lor. It's a two-piece armour that features the Kimarhan/Grand Resistance symbol (i.e., a laterally stretched, 14-rayed golden-yellow Vergina Sun symbol, from which the Theriom emblem derives) and functions like the above-mentioned Masq-Lor figure, where the armoured chest panels swap out. Catos has three newly made panels, the second of which depicts purple cracks forming across the symbol (indicating energy shield/blast projection), while the third one features some damage across the emblem. The arms, on the other hand, are reused from the enhanced form of Myneran and display various golden-and-white pieces of armour such as spaulders, rerebraces and gauntlets. Finally, there are two alternate lower sections that replace the regular legs and attach to the upper body by a peg at the waist: one with the robotic tail fin and one with armoured legs. The tail fin has amazing tech-mech details, golden paint deco, and articulation in three parts (hinged crotch, swivel-hinged "knees" and swivel-hinged tail fin). The second type of armoured lower body is human-like and is reused from Myneran too. It features two criss-crossed studded belts as well as pairs of tassets, thigh guards and boots with knee/shin guards, all with the same golden-and-white colour scheme and intricate decorative details as the upper limbs. The small gem-ornamented Theriom emblems on the wrist and knee guards have been retooled into Kimarhan symbols, while the little gaps here and there reveal pearlescent white chain mail details beneath the armour.

Catos's stylised alternative cuirass; the oval at the centre of the breastplate represents the Kimarhan symbol.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the wealth of interchangeable parts, Catos comes with two longbows. The first one is for his basic form and consists of a large, nicely shaped brown wooden cable-backed bow with off-white leather strips wrapped around the grip and the ends of the limbs, and a taupe bow string. This bow is reinforced with a brown tensioned cable along the face of it, and is complemented by a long brown wooden arrow with off-white fletching and a pointed dark-grey head. The second longbow is for Catos's enhanced form and consists of a beautifully sculpted golden bow (with a white "energy" string) fictionally derived from the spined dorsal fin of the robotic creature, and is accompanied by a golden arrow whose head has protrusions on the sides, giving it the look of an H-shaped trident (the arrowhead is flanked by two barbed prongs extending side by side with both the central pointed tip and part of the shaft).

Furthermore, we get a translucent purple blast effect for Catos's enhanced form, which is attached to an alternative open hand that replaces the default bow-drawing hand.

The final accessory is the robotic creature's foremost body! Made from the same golden-painted plastic and equipped with white glow-in-the-dark eyes, this piece attaches to the tail fin, to assemble the full Kimaerha figure. Also, included with the figure is the water-looking, articulated posing stand that was used for Xehrea. It has a sort of clamp for the robotic tail, which allows either the creature or Catos to be displayed in a few different swimming poses.

Final thoughts

Overall: Catos is simply epic! He's a really cool looking figure that is tons of fun. Lots of accessories, a great action feature, and plenty of play value. However, there are two areas where the toy could be improved, both of which were featured in the comics. I would have loved to see an additional head with Catos's thick black hair exposed, or perhaps a removable turban on the regular head. Also, it would be great if the trident-arrow could attach in some way to either shoulder pads. Despite these minor shortcomings, I'm really excited to see what this line has in store for us in the future

Rating: ☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #2: Silef

Toy prototype details

Name: Silef^TM

Subtitle: revengeful reptilian alchemist

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 2 in the line.

Character details

Name: Silef

Classification: reptile of uncertain group

Sex: male

Home: Idakarr (Tahron's former name)

Era: 570 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Interspecific Commission

Rank: envoy.

Background

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

Character summary: a reptilian alchemist who started as a commendable envoy of the Interspecific Commission, but later became an ambitious and revengeful conqueror after being removed from the Commission and transported to Cereutis.

Articulation

Standard (new scheme), plus a hinged lower jaw, a pair of ball hinged wings and a tail that features two swivels at about one-third and two-thirds of its length.

Description
Head: identical to Foundation Lor-Drek's dragon/Spinosaurus head, characterised by a long and narrow snout, burgundy (i.e., a dark shade of red) skin, a large dirty-yellow (I can only describe this colour by noting that it is defined by the hex triplet #cdc50a) cranial crest, long pointy ears (each ending in a rather long, curved horn, whose colour fades from grey-brown to off-white), evil large amber eyes with vertical black pupils, large sharp whitish teeth along the edges of the jaws and a faintly forked tongue sculpted on the inside of the mouth
Body: burgundy scaly skin, clawed hands and feet. His limbs are mostly reused from Origin Lor-Drek and display large dirty-yellow ridges that run down the sides. On the back, a dirty-yellow neural spine sail and a pair of large bat-like wings (although their shape is vaguely reminiscent of butterfly wings) project through openings in the armour's back piece. Also, a long, thick tail (reused from Foundation Lor-Drek) emerges from the bottom edge of the armour and extends downwards, ending with a zigzagged point whose colour fades from grey-brown to off-white. The wings and the tail are painted in burgundy on the underside and dirty-yellow on the upper side

Wearables: a harness (whose diagonal strap on the front is made of a dark-green fabric, while the metallic parts are greenish with golden details), a studded dark-green belt and a scale armour (i.e., consisting of several overlapping gold plates laced together) loincloth. The harness bears a golden plate displaying the Interspecific Commission emblem, i.e., a misshapen concave-sided dark-green lozenge, embossed on it.

Silef's stylised harness with lower strap unfastened.

Action feature

In the KR|Echoes of Future comics, Silef has limited psychic abilities, occasionally enabling him to contact others through telepathy and mentally control individuals, as well as a deep alchemical knowledge, which gives him the ability to transmute some substances into others (mostly with the aim of replicating the SpawnCrystals) and, eventually, the power to transform the molecular structure of some parts of his body. However, flight is his most obvious ability. This figure's impressive wings work in a similar way to Lor-Drek's ones - they plug into the back armour (they can easily be removed) and each has a really great range of movement despite the presence of only one swivel/hinge point of articulation.

Additionally, the comic book gave this character two different appearances, so PoliganToys has offered the possibility to change Silef from his basic look to an enhanced form. To deliver the latter, the figure includes a wealth of extra pieces. First up is an alternate portrait, whose crowned, 5-horned golden helmet is by far the most impressive part of this enhanced look. There really is so much going on here, including an elaborate half mask, a dark-green gemstone on the forehead and those crazy cool wing-shaped ornaments in the back, which resemble his own wings. The horns (both the real ones protruding from the back of the helmet and those that belong to the helmet itself) are excellently moulded with no bending or warping in sight. The headsculpt beneath the helmet is amazing as well, and pulls much of the detail from Silef's dragonish visage in the regular head, but with solid amber eyes and steel-coated teeth, to accurately reflect the source material for this look (no hinged jaw here, though). There are also other alternative body parts in the package, which include the hands and feet with large steel-coated claws, and the tail end with a zigzagged steel-coated point. To complete the look, his alternate outfit comes in the form of several separate items, namely a metallic dark-green harness with golden details, two bracelets (which have spiked bronze cuffs and metallic dark-green studded forearm guards), and two brown furry calf protectors with turndown tops (which show a paler shade of brown on the inside and are equipped with studded metallic dark-green shin guards). The harness is equipped with a dragon skull-shaped chest armour (which includes a replica of the symbol displayed on his regular outfit as well as what looks like a brown fur tail hanging down in front), while the lower strap bears a bronze buckle that is ornamented with a complex heraldic design (a dragon skull with two pointed bones crossed behind it on a web-like background) and holds a short strip of silver chain mail hanging down in front. The rear part of the harness has slots for attaching the sail, wings and tail from the regular gear. The two side straps extend and cascade down as ankle-long, dangling tassels, seemingly tucked beneath the lower strap. These tassels are adorned with intricate designs resembling metal reliefs sewn onto them, and add an intriguing element to the costume. The patterns resemble hieroglyphics, evocative of a story, and suggest that they may be remnants of items Silef gathered during his time in Cereutis, possibly imbued with mystical powers or sinister essences.

Silef's stylised helmet with half mask.

Silef's stylised alternative harness.

Weapons and accessories

Silef comes with a double sided poleaxe that has a pretty nifty design. It consists of a long dark-green wooden shaft fitted with a golden spear tip, two golden blades mounted on both sides, plus a pointed, zigzagged golden counterweight fixed to the other end of the shaft. The spearhead loosely resembles Silef's head, while the two side blades are shaped like his wings and have a slightly worn finish.

Final thoughts

Overall: Silef is an impressive piece of toy craftsmanship. The inclusion of both versions of the character's appearance in one package is a welcome feature that, for now, sets this figure apart in the Echoes of Future roster. The excellent sculpting work is evident in the attention to detail and the quality of the alternative parts. In sum, this figure is a must-have for any fan or collector of the KR toys, particularly given its connection to Wordron

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #1: Sumyak

Welcome back, friends! As we approach the end of the first month of the new year, let me extend a belated but heartfelt happy 2023 to all of you!!

I'm excited to kick off this year's posts with a revolutionary new line in the world of Key Raiders - the Key Raiders: Echoes of Future series (stylised as KR|Echoes of Future). This rebootquel series is unlike anything we've seen before, as it takes us on a journey through multiple timelines and realities, exploring both the backstory and the aftermath of the events from the previous storylines.

The upcoming reviews will showcase the latest prototypes developed for this series, so stay tuned for exclusive updates!

Premise

The KR|Echoes of Future storyline picks up at the point where the final KR|Emergence comic book issue The war of all against all: Part II – Rise ended. It briefly follows Khronodon^TM's journey after he vanished by using his ability to jump through time during a fight with his rival and former fellow sorcerer Ophidok^TM. Using the great power of the Antikythron^TM-like mechanism that he had created, Khronodon was determined to change the course of history by becoming a powerful warlord and conqueror. To accomplish his mission, Khronodon acquired the powers locked beyond the multiversal walls, and travelled to the past and future of Tahron, making strategic moves to secure his position as the ultimate ruler. However, as Khronodon used all his resources and technology to rule as many timelines as possible, he began to confront multiple versions of himself, each with their own agendas.

As Khronodon's quest for power became increasingly desperate, he realised that the only way to achieve his goal was to eliminate all of his alternate versions [the SpawnCrystals discovered by Al-Mih-Tek belonged to one of those variants]. In a final showdown, Khronodon destroyed all of his other selves, but in the process, he damaged his apparatus and ended up stranded in a frozen, inhospitable world, unable to return to his original time. He survived alone for decades before dying of exposure during a brutal cold wave, ultimately failing to change the course of history.

Centuries later, in a timeline where peace and equality between mammalians and reptilians dominated history, and technology developed uninterrupted, scientists discovered Khronodon's well-preserved, mummified body in a warm Antarctica. Thanks to his suit of armour, which contained part of a mysterious device and plans for its operation, the scientists concluded that the prehistoric creature had been an ancient reptilian time traveller, and successfully reverse-engineered the apparatus [their version looks like a combination of the Stargate and Contact portal devices]. Using this technology, a team of rogue reptilian army officers sent a soldier named Gladorr^TM on a new history-changing mission, with the goal of achieving what Khronodon failed to do, even if he would have to face the same challenges. The officials questioned the possibility of creating a reptilian-dominated timeline that had never existed and weighed the potential benefits and risks, including the possibility of wiping out their own existence. Despite this, they proceeded with the mission as the officers were willing to recklessly accept the consequences.

Toy prototype details

Name: Sumyak^TM

Subtitle: visionary leader of the Multiversal Knights

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 1 in the line.

Character details

Name: Sumyak

Classification: extradimensional elemental being
Sex: masculine

Home: Cereutis

Era: 570 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Multiversal Balancers

Rank: grand commander.

Background

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

Character summary: the Cereutian leader of the Multiversal Knights who, after an ecological collapse on Earth, created the Energy Rod to restore the planet's biological evolution, but ultimately failed to stop Silef, an ex-member of the Interspecific Commission, from starting a war with his former compeers.

Articulation

Standard (new scheme).

Description

Head: generally human looking, made of a dull dark-grey rocky material carved with various elaborate glyphs, two very small horns on his bald scalp, a pair of subtly pointed ears, and a pair of solid blue eyes

Body: his almost entirely naked body is a brand new sculpt characterised by broader torso, waste and hips pieces compared to the standard KR figure (looks like he developed a slightly prominent beer belly... he'd better cut back and slim down!) His thick, dull dark-grey rocky hide is carved with various elaborate cuneiform-like patterns, each having a specific story

Wearables: a shoulder/chest armour (with the Multiversal Balancers emblem, i.e., a hexagonal tiling consisting of six hexagons arranged vertex-to-vertex to circumscribe a six-pointed star, engraved on the front), two bracelets, a belt, and a loincloth. All these items are dark-grey with a chalky texture, except for the loincloth, which looks like a craggy covering of irregular rocky plates with a slight sheen.

Sumyak's stylised shoulder/chest armour.

Action feature

In the comics, Sumyak is a golem possessing a body made of a durable earth-like material similar to hardened (yet flexible) mud, which grants him protection against nearly all forms of physical harm and gives him a rock-like appearance. His mineral state also grants him manipulation of earth and rock, an extremely prolonged lifespan as well as the ability to transform his body at will. In combat, this ability enables him to absorb most blows with little to no ill effect other than quickly reforming himself, and to mould his arms and hands into impact weapons for battling his enemies. So, the figure comes with two wonderfully sculpted overlay pieces with a muddy, dripping look, which attach to the wrist joints to transform his lower arms into a massive fist and a spiked club.

Additionally, Sumyak can suddenly turn himself into a landslide, which allows him to move great distances and to crush his enemies. To mimic this ability, the figure includes an alternative torso that connects to the regular head, arms and lower body. This part looks very similar to the standard upper body, but has a muddier, dripping appearance and has neither any articulation nor separate armour - everything is sculpted in (almost) one piece. The cool thing is that if you push down on a lever in back, the front part comprising the chest and abdomen will pop open and a number of pebbles will fly out. This thing is no joke, it shoots the stones fast and far! To reload, it's necessary to replace the ten cobbles in his chest cavity and close the chest flap.

Weapons and accessories
Apart from the alternate lower arms and torso pieces, Sumyak comes with a halberd-like weapon in the form of a combined adze, spear and kama. This weapon was also included in the Enmity Expansion Kit for Tahron, but here it is coated with a thick, chalky dark-grey paint that makes it look like it's made of stone. I think the comic book version had an axe blade instead of an adze, but I don't mind this difference.

Update: the figure will also feature a new, one-piece rendition of the energy stone, an accessory that was not included with the stand accompanying Khronodon.

Final thoughts

Overall: when I set out to open this figure and write this review, I had high expectations for its quality and design. I am happy to say that I am not disappointed with Sumyak. The figure itself looks formidable (imagine a combination of the fierce, scarred look of Drax the Destroyer and the imposing, rugged appearance of The Thing or Korg) and displays beautifully with the extended arm pieces on. While the overall design of the alternate torso with permanently attached armour may not be the strongest aspect of the figure, the gimmick of generating a landslide more than makes up for it. I am also glad that an articulated torso is included, providing even more display options for the figure. I believe he will look even better when I have his fellow Cereutian heroes to display with him, but for the moment I am extremely satisfied with having Sumyak as the sole Multiversal Balancer in my collection

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|Dimness Review #27: Dimness Expansion Kit for Tahron

PoliganToys sent me their prototype of the third expansion kit for the epic Tahron playset/game. This kit is inspired by the KR|Dimness line, which was presented back in 2019. The Ucamur^TM Citadel makes its debut in playset form for a new great playing experience!

Description
The KR|Dimness Expansion Kit includes:
• 24 booster tokens for the game
• An additional Ucamur Citadel playset with many features and accessories
• A bag with 75 translucent green 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 Ucamur Citadel 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 Dimness) and a number of accumulable credits. The credit-chips included in this expansion kit are translucent green, and spending 30 of them allows a player to know the identity of any unexposed Second Line token, with or without showing it to their opponent. 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.

List of Dimness expansion pieces and their properties.

List of possible primary pieces variants in the Dimness Expansion Kit (only one piece is included in the kit).

Ucamur Citadel

This playset represents an historicist-like fortress built on top of an enchanted tree above a swampy area, and displays a dark green-and-brown paint that fits right in with the KR|Dimness aesthetic.

Fictionally, the bog is surrounded by high, rugged hills that delimit the Ucamur region. The sentient tree was created by the Multiversal Balancers, for transferring vital faculties to other living beings at risk of extinction. When the tree's mission was completed successfully, its crown died out, while its trunk and roots entered a quiescent state. Millions of years later, the tree top was used as the foundation of the citadel commissioned by a mysterious warlord as a retreat, who paid for its construction out of his personal fortune and used it as a private residence until he died. Shortly after his death, the Therioms appropriated the abandoned fortress and used it as a site of exile for war criminals.

The set is composed of four main sections: a base, a tree, a fortress and a ramp.

Section 1 (base): the piece on which the playset rests looks like a thick layer of swirly, brownish muddy soil. The sculpt of this piece is incredible and the paintwork definitely matches the quality of the sculpt. The front part (extending beyond the grooves in which the next component is placed) is a terrifying pit filled with resin, from which horrific plant creatures emerge. It can be filled up with water or with the honey-orange oozy material that came with the Mother-Plant, and features two separate, detachable 3D figures with knotty greenish-brown wooden bodies: a vine monster and a man-eating plant creature. The vine monster has three tendrils with devilish red eyes on them snaking their way out of the resin swamp; it is an incredibly well done solid piece that is made of harder plastic on the bottom and from a bendy wire rubber on the top. The main body is not bendable or anything, but it does look like it's moving thanks to how it is sculpted; the ends of the three tendrils are not super-bendable, but they do give you the chance to get the creature positioned how you like to fit your display. The man-eating plant creature resembles the upper body of a Plant-Man slightly and has some basic articulation: a ball jointed Venus flytrap head with a hinged jaw and two swivel-hinged vine-like arms with clawed hands. The bases of these two monsters can plug into the surface of the pit to keep them in place, but you can replace them with the upper bodies of two real Plant-Men surfacing or two Forseha warriors sinking, if you will. Sculpted in the pit is also a little parasite poking his head out of a small semi-submerged cave and crawling ashore to perch himself on the rocks; this piece has no articulation whatsoever, but it's a fearsome little guy too. The rear part of the base has a hidden quicksand-trap feature placed in the middle - it's a sort of spring-loaded bear trap (slightly resembling the jaws of a monster and activated by a small lever) that can grab onto a figure’s feet. It's one of the coolest parts of the entire set!

Section 2 (tree trunk) - exterior: this semicircular, dark-green (with a brown wash) piece snaps into place on the base (although it cannot just rest, because it wouldn’t support the weight of the remaining part of the playset, but there are little “teeth” that help the two pieces lock together) and represents the tree trunk used as the load-bearing foundation of the citadel. It has large roots sticking out from the sides, but the most impressive part is without a doubt the sentient tree's demon-like face growing out of the front side of the trunk. The sculpt is wonderful with amazing detail - I love the thick bark texture with fissures and deep cracks worked in the features of its face. The eyes are excellent too (although a splash of deep red colour on them would have looked awesome), while the upper jaw has two ball jointed fangs that can be positioned in various ways. The lower jaw (complete with a sort of beard) is hinged and can be operated using a small lever located on the proper right side (hidden in the roots), while a pair of branch-like arms near the mouth can move together (with a twisting-and-retracting movement, to capture approaching figures) by means of another small lever on the proper left side. When the mouth is closed, the lower jaw is located high in a tree hollow and makes it possible to access the interior of the trunk. Hidden in the rough, uneven bark protecting the surface of the trunk on the proper right side, is another natural tree hole that acts as a secondary entrance leading to the inside.

Section 2 - interior: the inner side of the tree trunk shows roots sculpted everywhere near ground level. The main hollow/entrance looks like a wooden archway, something you would expect to see in an ancient temple dedicated to some malevolent divinity. There is a prison cell to hold someone captive on the left side of the trunk; this has chains, bones and rats sculpted on the inside, a locking door (which can be unlatched with the flick of a spider-shaped release switch) with irregular bars made of wood, and a small bar window on one side. It is very nicely scaled for most KR figures and there is plenty of room for Wordron to keep a Forseha warrior locked up. The tree hole in the right side of the trunk, which works as an auxiliary entrance, is surrounded by a sculpted monstrous face and is equipped with soft plastic vines hanging from the top. A dummy version of the Plant-Beast (a smaller-sized imitation of the front part of the creature equipped with a hinged jaw and held by a stick) can be manipulated through this hole, making it crawl to the inside of the tree and attack a figure trapped in the quicksand.

Section 3 (citadel) - exterior: the roughly semicircular fortress, which is modelled after Neuschwanstein Castle, is supported by the tree trunk (again, there are teeth that have to lock into place) and is easily the coolest part of this playset, as it's the largest and the most impressive. There aren't many play features on the outside, but the excellent sculpt, capturing a fine line between appearing carved by hands and looking craggy, makes for one of the coolest KR backdrops you could ask for. The stony façade is painted in grey with a dark, brown wash, and shows cracks to make it look weathered, some vines climbing the walls, claw-like pinnacles made from spiked rocks, and numerous creepy little carved gargoyles and demon faces coming out of the living stone. There are also many other interesting sculpted details such as a number of windows with wooden ledges and balconies, little staircases, wooden side doors and bar windows. The hinged exterior wooden door that closes the gateway to the inside at the front of the fortress is marvellous! It is made out of two layers of wood planks: the grain of the wood runs vertically on the front layer and horizontally on the back, like a simple form of plywood. The two layers are seemingly held together by iron studs, and the whole structure is strengthened and stiffened with iron bands. The studs themselves are pointed on the front, so that attackers would damage their weapons while trying to break through. The paintwork almost makes this door look like it's actually made of wood and metal, which is pretty cool, and I love how menacing and ominous the toothed bat/vampire crest on the front looks. There is also a secondary wooden doorway with metal ornamentations on one side, but it's got some broken slats and looks a bit rusty too. The building includes four watchtowers, two of which can be equipped with optional half dome-shaped tiled roofs. One of the towers rests atop one side of the fortress and is removable (I'll get to that in a minute).

Section 3 - interior: on the inside, there are more demon faces and gargoyles sculpted on the walls. The lower level features a wooden floor with a trapdoor (a metal grating activated by a melting skull-shaped button, through which a figure drops into the prison cell underneath) on the left side, a vita-ray-esque chamber used by Wordron to transform the sickly cloisterers of the Drojyo'Bhakma^TM Monastery into muscle bound soldiers (it is actually just the front panel, but it's a pretty fun example of the steampunk technology present in this fortress, and seeing all of the wires, the clear window and the tech-monster face embedded in the upper part gets your imagination going) on the right side, two wooden load-bearing posts (to support the upper floor) more towards the middle, and an arched double stairway (with two symmetrical curved flights shaped like giant spines, both rising to a throne on the next floor) in the centre. Turning the monstrous face-shaped knob of the chamber activates a play feature in which the image of a figure placed behind the device comes to life and disappears thanks to a magnifying effect of the front window. While it is possible to pose figures on the steps of the staircase, it's going to take some real concentration and expert balance, but I can understand that the sculptors probably wanted to retain a more organic feel. However, on the right flight, there is a small group of steps that can collapse (i.e., swing down) by hitting a higher step-shaped button, causing a figure to fall. The upper level features a stone floor, a wooden door on the left side (the above-mentioned secondary doorway, which lets out on a ledge and then shuts again using a gargoyle-shaped candle stand on a nearby stony table as a lever), a little door that opens to reveal a secret storage compartment for weapons or artefacts (there are lots of mysterious symbols on this and it kind of reminds me of the evil counterpart of the case that holds the three enchanted helmets inside of Theriom City) on the right side, and two columns designed to look like some sort of ceremonial pillars (which can rotate to reveal hidden spiral staircases leading to two of the four tower-tops) towards the middle. The idea was that one of the two columns/towers would be a removable microphone communicating with a Bluetooth speaker - the concept's main gimmick was the talking tree-monster, where you would speak into the tower microphone and move the mouth from the lever on the side. Instead, the tower was made as a simple removable pillar, to leave a pedestal onto which you can place the Mother-Plant. The missing gimmick doesn't bother me though. The throne in the centre, to which the two stairways rise, is made of cemented skulls and some other spiky bones projecting from the sides, and shows a kind of bat motif. It's an excellent rendition of the throne used by Wordron in the comics; the paintwork is really cool, giving it a mixture of light and dark hues of grey, and the sculpted detail is amazing. To help you get up and down between floors, apart from the main stairways the set comes with two separate wooden grappling ladders that can hang anywhere (there are some slots and notches here and there, to help them be more stable). Each of the four towers has a cool little platform that gives Wordron and his henchmen a place to stand, watch and guard the entrances to their lair. The platforms can support a variety of included accessories, namely a Dark Legion soft goods flag, a perch on which two crows roost, a ballista equipped with a separate bolt, and a 2-part flat piece cast in a translucent orange plastic and looking like Wordron's giant ghostly manifestation after being killed (it has a stand and features an "opening mouth" effect thanks to one of its parts being able to slide up).

Section 4 (ramp): to make their way toward the fortress' main entrance, the Forseha warriors will have to cross the swampy ground by traversing a menacing, rickety old ramp climbing up. This piece has some excellent detail on the stone slabs that make it up, with some great paint applications showing the age of the structure. The ramp looks cool and is littered with vines, while strewn weapons and bones, a cluster of skulls and a gravestone are sculpted into the U-shaped rock piece on the bottom, which fits around the resin pit of the base. However, well, it's a bit small. The comic book version has a curved path that leads from the ground level to the front of the building where the main door is located. The toy version makes it shorter and almost straight, with a steep stair-like lower level, adding in some extra height, but making it less of a ramp and more of a decorative feature. Visually it looks more rugged and untamed, but the downside is that it only fits one archway instead of two. It doesn't look too bad though, and the KR figures don't seem to have a hard time walking up the path, but it seems like the ramp needed to be a couple inches longer to accommodate a second archway or at least to make it have two figures fighting comfortably on it. The archway is made of a large flat capstone laid on two upright haunted sculptures. Each statue resembles a gargoyle (very similar to Demo-Rha's three-faced demon-ghost and wearing a triple diadem with a mitre-like crown supporting the stone) mounted on a plinth and entwined with thorny vines (there are even a couple of crows standing on it). The torsos of the two gargoyles, which fictionally have the ability to animate due to the living vines twined round them, can be rotated synchronously by turning a cobblestone-shaped knob on top of the capstone, and made to grab and hold a figure passing between them with the vines' hand-shaped tendrils (this feature was originally intended to be activated by two levers under the base, making the capstone fall, but was changed eventually). At the end of the ramp there’s a platform, which looks like a sealed abandoned well (there's some nice paint detail on the floor), placed in front of the main entrance and flanked by two curved woody stems of dead shrubs with spiny branches. When these are tilted towards each other above the platform, a figure standing on it drops through a double trap door into a rubbery net seemingly made of vines. The net hangs from snake-shaped bronze posts and is suspended over the resin pit, facing the tree-monster. The two tilted stems form a wooden archway with a tree hole where they meet and connect, through which you can pour some resin ooze on the prisoner in the net. A very cool feature is that the positions of the net and the prison cell are interchangeable, meaning that each can slide out from its own location and be placed below the other trap-door. Alternatively, the platform can be filled with ooze and its trap-door mechanism can be overridden through a switch underneath, making it possible for a Plant-Man to rise from under the platform, break the seal and emerge from a puddle of resin. I like this feature a lot, as it creates a setting for an evil creature to scare the bejesus out of unwelcome visitors.

The KR|Dimness Expansion Kit is fully compatible with the previous Tahron board game sets, including the KR|Origin and KR|Enmity Expansion Kits. Overall, if nothing else can be said about the playset, let it be said that it is massive, overwhelming, and visually stunning. The plastic quality is excellent, and the set feels very, very sturdy. The paintwork is just so well done, too. There are really lots of nicely captured details here, from the painted vines growing out from between the crevices, to the dark shading on the various surfaces. It is excellent looking!

Happy holidays!!!

KR Review #100: CoBoN Mark II

Despite everything RaiderCosm has brought to the Key Raiders line this year, I will personally remember 2022 as the year that I wrote my 100^th KR|Foundation review. While PoliganToys is still actively producing KR prototypes and they may revisit the style of Foundation characters in the coming months, this review is truly a milestone in my long running blogging streak stretching back to the first prototype of Masq-Lor in 2015. Since then, PoliganToys has produced prototypes of well over 200 regular figures, multiple oversized figures, creatures and vehicles, and even three massive playsets (with a further one in the pipeline), a feat that's quite impressive in this modern age, especially when you realise that 99% of the product never appeared on a retail shelf and only a handful of pieces were sold at conventions.

Now, it's time for my review. This final Foundation item, CoBoN Mark II, is an interesting piece and a reasonable choice, since this vehicle appears towards the end of the Foundation saga finale. While there are certainly still toys I want for the line should it ever continue (or at least be revisited via the upcoming new wave), this new version of CoBoN does feel like the cherry on top of what has been a delicious cake. So, let's take a look at it.

Toy prototype details

Name: CoBoN Mark II

Subtitle: hyper-technological war machine

Line: KR|Foundation

Item type: vehicle - Nº 7 in the line (technically Nº 12, since several vehicles were included in multi-packs).

Character details

Name: CoBoN Mark II

Classification: fighting vehicle

Home: Tahron

Era: Foundation

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: transport.

Background

First appearance: KR|Foundation #13 - The ultimate curse

Related character(s): CoBoN, CoBoN 2.0.

Concept

Let me immediately make this clear: the name is absolutely misleading! This prototype only represents a part of the amazing machine that is CoBoN Mark II. That being said, it is worth spending a few words about its overall look in the comics, because I really wouldn't mind to see the rest in toy form at some point.

Like the previous model, this version of CoBoN is an all-terrain fighting vehicle that is characterised by a revolutionary design, powered by a classified energy source and controlled by an advanced AI. However, this model is composed of a number of modules and, when needed, it can separate into four individual vehicles, each of which is thrusted by formidable jet engines and possesses the ability to transform into a specific attack vehicle. In all this, I can see a lot of inspiration from some Japanese toys and TV programs from the late 70s / early 80s, namely Machine Hayabusa, Cho Supercar Gattiger, Dinosaur War Izenborg, and Diaclone Change Attackers or Attacars.

CoBoN Mark II is initially painted in silver like its predecessor, but it's subsequently airbrushed with black radar-absorbent paint for stealth purposes. It is also equipped with various vertical and/or horizontal air-deflecting, stabilising surfaces on the front, side and rear parts.

The individual modules have partially transparent canopies or pairs of scissor doors that are hinged either at the back or at the front; in this way they can open by folding up and backward or forward, in order to allow access into the respective cockpits/cabins. Each cockpit is outfitted with one or two seats (all provided with 4-point safety belts), and a high-tech dashboard/handlebar that shows tons of controls and resembles the instrument panel of an aircraft rather than a road vehicle; the instrumentation includes a voice display, which shows coloured lights that diverge horizontally when CoBoN's AI module speaks.

In its fully assembled form, CoBoN is capable of a hyper-speed transformation, which provides an extra-boost in velocity beyond the vehicle's original top speed. This consists of the production of structures on the vehicle's body intended to enhance acceleration and improve road-holding when travelling at those extremely high speeds.

Side modules

Apart from two badass Lambo-like doors, each side vehicle is equipped with two sets of tank treads (covered by fender skirts in the upper portions) and a pair of powerful glass-covered headlamps at the front, as well as two ordinary-sized wheels with all-terrain tires and a single huge booster rocket at the back (this is connected to the rear module in the fully assembled mode).

During hyper-speed transformation, each vehicle's front bumper (on its external side) deploys an additional side wing for aerodynamic stability, while the fender skirt expands to bring an array of small auxiliary thrusters into action.

After separating from the rest of the machine, each side module transforms into a tunnelling vehicle. The front caterpillar tracks swing back sideways against the rear wheels during a brief wheelie action, while the front part of the bodywork swings up and back to reveal a large conical steel drill bit (with a blade-like tapered screw thread) at the front as well as a pair of missile launchers on the top (which was previously part of the undercarriage).

Rear module

The rear vehicle is equipped with a pair of humungous off-the-road flotation tires, a display of weapons (including pairs of Gatling guns and clusters of missile launchers) at the front, and two large rectangular air intakes/outlets on the top-sides; each air intake/outlet is fitted with a V-/Pelikan tail, in which the external control surface has a gun on the tip that emits a laser-rope capable of wrapping around objects. The back features a bunch of horizontal tail lights, a boarding ladder to aid entry into the two-seater cockpit (which is covered by a canopy hinged at the front top) and four exhausts (two of which are particularly large) embedded in the rear bumper.

During hyper-speed transformation, the fenders expand to reveal supplementary air inlets for increased cooling, while the top part (including the canopy) rises substantially forming an aircraft-shaped structure (characterised by a pair of wings that connect the cockpit to the two rectangular air intakes/outlets, a T-/cruciform tail with large horizontal stabilisers, and a pair of small rocket boosters on the nose) and revealing a powerful, enormous 5-piece (one large, two medium-sized, and two small) jet engine underneath. The emergency braking system works by activating the two front boosters, tilting forward the two horizontal stabilisers to create air friction, and deploying a large braking parachute.

After separating from the central module, the rear module transforms into a submersible watercraft. The sides swing down revealing a pair of large impellers in the inner surfaces of the wheels (which make the vehicle hover on dry land), the front panel swings down allowing a secondary cockpit (equipped with canopy, twin headlamps on the nose and hinged torpedo launchers on the sides) to slide forward, while the roof and the rear panel fold like a "map", exposing the huge propeller (which is the upside-down jet engine) to view.

Central module

The central vehicle is equipped with four nicely sculpted all-terrain tires. The front part shows a louvered vent on the top as well as the signature nose-mounted scanner bar with red and yellow patterns, i.e., two lines that sweep horizontally and a central pulsing "eye" that allows CoBoN to "see". The cockpit is furnished with three round windows on each side below the canopy hinged at the back, while the side skirts project outwards to connect to the fender skirts of the side modules (in the fully combined configuration, the central vehicle is not attached to the rear vehicle; this connection is only established once the two side modules detach). The back part is wide and includes the hood (which can slide backward to reveal the amazing turbine engine) topped by two large exhausts and flanked by two massive air intakes/outlets.

During hyper-speed transformation, the louvered vent moves up becoming a shaker scoop, while the front bumper slides forward and partially rises to form a spoiler and to produce extra downforce.

After separating from the rear module, the central module transforms into a combat aerial vehicle. The wheels retract for hover conversion, the front bumper rotates to reveal a nose cone vaguely resembling a bird's head, the sides swing down to deploy a pair of variable-sweep wings with circular saw blades at their tips, and the bodywork (including the canopy/roof, replaced by a secondary transparent canopy that slides forward to cover the cockpit) swings up and back and converts to a H-/twin tail equipped with a pair of rotating laser guns on the sides, and a powerful jet engine fitted with four additional control surfaces arranged in an X-shape.

Description

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, although the prototype is named CoBoN Mark II like the entirety of the machine, the transformed form of the central module is the only part that comes in toy form. The cool bird-themed silver nose at the front includes the distinctive scanner bar, represented well by a black lenticular sticker, while at the tip of each swivelling wing is a spinning saw blade. There's also a piece at the back that features two pivoting (around a transverse axis) cannons. The hinged canopy (with some sculpted circuitry patterns on the clear portion) opens up and there is room inside the cockpit for one regular figure as well as the sphere-shaped AI module that came with CoBoN 2.0. No real unique features inside, but there are some handles for a figure to hold onto in order to safely control the vehicle.

Accessories

Apart from an articulated flight stand, CoBoN Mark II comes with two cybernetic processor units (basically two small tech-looking, card-shaped devices) that can be slid into apt sockets placed in CoBoN (Mark I, since Mark II's AI module is separate) and LoGoN vehicle forms' dashboards. I had never even noticed the presence of those slots in the two vehicles and I'm very happy we get these pieces of Theriom-tech that we fleetingly saw in a couple of comic book issues, namely The ultimate curse and Terror from the clouds.

Also included is an new version of Masq-Lor that features a wax sculpture-inspired look. This is basically a repaint of Apprentice Minister Masq-Lor with his Horizon Edition unhelmeted head and cuirass, which resembles the hero's waxy depiction made by Psadimyr as seen in the comics of the Horizon series. The figure is cast in an off-white/light yellow plastic and shows a shiny surface. Masq-Lor's wax sculpture comes with no weapon, but is (paradoxically) fully articulated and actually looks cool controlling CoBoN in the vehicle's flight deck.

Final thoughts

Overall: the transformed central module of CoBoN Mark II gets a solid thumbs-up from me. I like the design, I like the quality, but there's not much more to it than what I described. The spinning blades are fun, but another more imaginative feature or two would have been welcome. It is a rather decent sized vehicle, though, and I'm still trying to decide how to display it, since I'm not planning to make it a centrepiece item, but it does need an adequate amount of space. Of course, including a (sort of) variant of Masq-Lor, the figure that started it all, was a clever decision that really brought a smile to my face

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5

KR|Horizon Review #29: Muvaran (Extra Armoured Forms)

Toy prototype details

Name: Muvaran^TM (Extra Armoured Forms)

Subtitle: warring sorcerer

Line: KR|Horizon

Item type: large scale figure (dual figure) - Nº 2 in the line.

Character details

Name: Muvaran

Classification: the reanimated corpse of a human

Sex: male

Home: unknown

Era: 15 years after Foundation

Affiliation: Destructomorph

Rank: sorcerer priest.

Background

First appearance: KR|Horizon #2 - In the eye of the storm

Related character(s): Muvaran.

Articulation
Both figures have the standard articulation.

Description

In the comics, the mummy form of Muvaran controls a human-sized armour made of metal (these were the two figures I reviewed back in 2020). Moreover, each time he needs more power, Muvaran jumps into an additional larger coffin-like armour made of painted wood; for maximum-strength amplification, he can further enclose himself in an even larger sarcophagus-like armour made of carved granite. These are the two items included in this new set, and both have a similar appearance to the metal-armoured form. Although it's not possible to place one armour inside the other, the two figures are in scale with each other and with the older figures: the wooden version is 23 cm tall (around 9''), while the stone version is 30 cm tall (around 12'').

Heads: each head sports a helmet painted/carved with intricate details, which is seemingly composed of a sculpted headcloth (covering the ears and the nape of the neck) and a ceremonial headgear: an atef feathered crown in the wooden armour, and a hemhem crown in the stone armour. The atef combines a tall bulbous hedjet with curly blue-painted ostrich feathers on each side of the crown (the feathers are identified as ostrich from their curve at the upper ends and a slight flare toward the base). The hemhem is an elaborate triple atef set on top of a pair of long spiral ram's horns and ornamented with various feathers, a cobra on either side of the crown and three bronze sun discs on the top. The face slightly resembles the mask of Tutankhamun, with chiselled details such as a pair of evil wadjet-like white glowing eyes and a spiky false beard. In the wooden version, the mouth area is covered by layers of plastered scraps of linen decorated with geometric shapes and runes, while the stone version appears to have a sculpted mouth guard

Bodies: the limbs (specifically the upper arms, hands, thighs and knees) are covered in hieroglyph-like ornamental inscriptions with mysterious or magic significance. In the wooden version, such inscriptions are painted on plastered scraps of linen, while in the stone version they are engraved on the surface. Each figure wears four bands (made of silver in the wooden version, bronze in the stone one) around the upper arms and the thighs

Wearables: each figure displays a wesekh-like broad pectoral, two large spiked, reinforced spaulders, a sort of apron, two bracers with spikes sticking out of the sides, two sandal-boots with fan-shaped tops, a belt with a triangular buckle, and a short shendyt painted/carved with four-pointed stars all the way around (and seemingly fringed edges in the stone version). Many details, namely the torso underneath the pectoral/apron, the bracers and the sandal-boots, show sculpted ornaments imitating criss-crossed straps, while the few inlays in the pectoral/apron, the spikes on the spaulders and bracers, and the belt buckle are made of silver in the wooden version and bronze in the stone one.

Weapons and accessories

Muvaran's armoured forms have no action feature and don't come with any proper weapons, but the set includes an awesome accessory - the mummy's "unwrapped" bituminous inner body that in the comics is capable of shapeshifting powers, including the ability to form spikes or expand his size. This item has no articulation whatsoever and comes in the form of a demonic dark-taupe bust emerging from a puddle of tar mixed with some loose ecru bandages. This piece is smaller than the standard KR figure, but has a pair of outstretched arms ending with ghoulish, large clawed hands.

Final thoughts

Overall: of all the KR|Horizon figures that were missing from the original wave (we still need quite a few mecha characters...), I was looking forward to Muvaran's extra armoured forms the most, and now that they're in hand, I can happily say they do not disappoint. I could make a few minor nitpicks about the paint, but otherwise these figures are excellent. In either case, the sculpt is great, the colours are beautiful, and the figure is loads of fun to pose and play with

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5