Bladehunters seems to represent an extension of McFarlane's own "Dragons" series as witnessed by the fact that 3 out of the 5 figures in this first series are dragons, which also includes the massive King Dracco (not reviewed here). As a result the series doesn't feel new - McFarlane Toys seems to be playing it safe and making it a cross between Medieval Spawn figures and the aforementioned Dragon's series. From what we've seen of the second Bladehunters series, there is a hint of branching out, at least a little bit with the likes of the Griffin. This reviewer wants to see some more whimsy though. After all, it's fantasy! Let's see some scantily clad mermaids or fairies or valkeryie warriors or busty barmaids.

Forgive the digression, but I think it needed to be said.

kicking, etc. - it can be said they're actually durable. However, the figures are packaged as being for those 14-years and older, so I'm not sure how much play they will actually undergo.

information on the background rather than using it as a flyer for other McFarlane merchandise. That doesn't mean I always love what's written there and that's the case here.

Tyr (Dragon Rider)

The name is a version of satyr, a half goat, half man creature of Greek mythology, but that's actually not the first thing that springs to mind. The first thing that springs to mind is that I should spend some time looking at new tires for my van. Tready details aside, I actually kind of like Tyr even though he possess a detail which I really hate - that's the sculpted neck which inclines his head at such an angle that you can see his face unless the figure is displayed above eye level. The seam articulation at the neck doesn't help matters either.

The details and paint application are good, overall, but Tyr would have benefited from a greater variety of articulation, including ball-jointed shoulder joints.

Tyr comes with three accessories: a skull which acts as a mask/helmet, a bladed sword (or something), and a small axe. Accessories can always be lost - it comes with the territory - but all of these ones fit snuggly where they're supposed to, even the mask/helmet. Tyr also comes packed with a small sculpted base, which is a good thing because he's impossible to keep standing without it.

Ogre (Guard Class)

This figure is a little disturbing. It's not the multiple mouths and eyes hidden under the burlap sack. It's not his grotesque stature. It's his loin cloth. Typically, McFarlane Toys has shied away from any hint of sexuality - graphic violence and gore is a-okay - but Ogre has a relatively large "package". If you can get over that, this is an ugly figure that wouldn't be out of place in the Medieval Spawn series.

Ogre's burlap facemask can be removed and replaced, but not with ease. It's nice to have the option. The mace that comes packed with Ogre features a relatively long chain between the mace and the handle, which means in the default position, the mace rests on the ground. Because the figure only has seam joints at the shoulders, putting Ogre in a position which might indicate he's about to swing the mace is not possible.

This figure stands very easily thanks to its low center of gravity and big feet.

Basilisk (Lake Demon) and Eternal Dragon (Windgard)

These two get lumped together for the simple reason that they're both dragons, different dragons to be sure, but dragons nonetheless.

As usual, one of them manages to remind me of The Horrid, which was released wa-a-a-y back in 2000. That would be Eternal. The color is wrong but the overall style of the figure is very similar to The Horrid, jagged wings and all. The sculpt doesn't allow for much in the way of actual play - both dragons tend to be more display pieces than anything else. It's just a good thing that the color scheme and application is so good.

Both Basilisk and Eternal come with display bases Basilisk really needs it since it's sculpt to mimic a vertical snake, but Eternal can be taken off the base and still have a chance of standing properly.

So, while I'm not overwhelmed by the first outing of McFarlane's Fantasy, since it's not tied to a specific licensed source there's definitely more potential here than with other properties. Let's hope McFarlane follows through.

- Omni