McFarlane's Dragons (Series 5) - Action Figure Reviews

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Series

McFarlane's Dragons, 5

Craftsmanship

8.0 / 10

- All the figures would benefit from more useful articulation

- Tons of great detail

- Easy to setup

- Consistent with the rest of the McFarlane's Dragons figures

Playability

2.5 / 10

- Thw Water Clan Dragon can't even be used as a bath toy!

- Display pieces

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McFarlane's Dragons Series 5

Berserker Dragon Clan 5 (left); Eternal Dragon Clan 5 (right)

It’s been several months since the fifth series of McFarlane’s Dragons landed on my desk with a whiff of cardboard and the crackle of packing foam. I opened the box, looked at all the figures and couldn’t help but wonder a few things.

When is McFarlane going to move on or completely re-imagine the Dragons franchise? With Series 6 (available now) and Series 7 (available October 2007) I’ve finally come to realize that the figures aren’t that different. In fact, I recognize some of Series 7 – they’re mildly disguised repaints! Up until now, I’ve wilfully blinded myself to the fact each series is only slightly different than the one before because the detail and paint applications have made for some awesome showcase pieces. There is a decided lack of creativity. Even then the line still manages to make me take note of the intricate sculpting and coloring.

Berserker Dragon Clan 5

A bendy tail doesn’t make for a largely immobile figure, which is wholly acceptable given that the dragon is supposed to be tied down. Putting the figure together is

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a snap and that’s about all that you get to do in terms of playability. Berserker is a

fine display piece though thanks to the awesome paint job. I really like the bold and mostly solid coloring. If McFarlane has become known for one thing besides over-the-top gore, it’s a limited palette of grays and browns so it’s always sweet to see some contrast.

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Eternal Dragon Clan 5

Like the Berserker, Eternal features real chain highlights – this time for the rider’s reins – but the standout here is the unusual paintjob. Almost purple, it really draws attention to itself, especially in the way it complements and contrasts with the trees that make up part of the base. I also really like the way the trees give the figure a grander sense of scale as it “flies” through the air. Again, not much in the way of articulation, really it’s just barely enough to keep the figure looking a little fresh.

Komodo Dragon Clan 5

Komodo comes with a scantily clad damsel in distress and a hapless “knight in shining armor.” The sculpt is reminiscent of a body builder and detail is in line with the rest of the Dragon figures, but what I like best are the goat-like horns. It might be a small thing to notice though since the wing span – both vertically and horizontally – is so massive for a non-boxed figure. Most of the time I’m amazed that McFarlane can fit such big figures into small packages and this is a perfect example. (This time the boxed Dragon, which is not reviewed here, is a dragon from the shoulders up.)

Komodo Dragon Clan 5 (left); Sorcerers Dragon Clan 5 (middle); Water Dragon Clan 5 (right)

Sorcerer’s Dragon Clan 5

This particular dragon reminds me a lot of the first action figure from McFarlane Toys that sold me on keeping action figure reviews in rotation at the Armchair Empire. That figure is the Horrid, originally released back in 1998. Sorcerer doesn’t have any wings but the other similarities are there, particularly the great paintjob, and the more I turn it over in my mind, Series 5 seems to have been smacked with a bit of Yellow Submarine. The sculpt is impressive, which is good because there’s nothing that can be done to keep the figure looking fresh. The only real note of caution for this figure is that the crystal ball it holds can be removed and promptly lost. It can be replaced by a marble, adhered with a touch of expoxy.

Water Dragon Clan 5

Seemingly ripped right out of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty with a nod to SOTA’s Dagon (Nightmares of Lovecraft) the Water Dragon is a serpentine being that separates itself from the other Water Dragon figures in that it’s all that great for bathtub play. The Series 3 edition was an excellent bath toy but this one, not so much; however, plunking him into the bottom of a fish tank for display purposes in an option though.

As was plainly laid out at the beginning of the review, I think McFarlane has played out the Dragon line – too much, too fast. That said, I still remain impressed with these reworkings. They’re all full of detail and sport great color, but also possess very little useful articulation and playability.

- Omni

(July 30, 2007)


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