Series: Warcraft III

Craftsmanship: 9.0 out of 10

- Looks great and stands easily

- Integrated articulation allows for some good poseability

- Fits right in with the other WC3 figures

- Good detail

Playability: 9.0 out of 10

- Ponytail can be pulled out

- Great compatibility with other WC3 figures

- Big armored ogres have a certain cool factor

- Warhammer not easily lost

- Durable

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Thrall (Warcraft III)

by Blizzard Entertainment

Thrall acts as a perfect opponent to Muradin Bronzebeard. I find myself playing “Dueling Warhammers” into the wee hours of the morning, much to the chagrin of my wife and derision of the neighbors. Did I mention I play it in the backyard?

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Accompanied by a looped tape of the 1812 Overture (cannonades and all)? I wouldn’t suggest it unless you can buy off your neighbors and you don’t mind sleeping on the couch.

Thrall truly is a playable action figure. Besides being in proportion to the other Warcraft III figures (Bronzebeard and Furion Stormrage), his height matches the

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industry wide standard of 6” and he comes with solid articulation, making him durable and compatible with non-WC3 figures such as Onimusha 2 (McFarlane Toys) and classic He-Man figures. Under rough play Thrall picked up some scratches and some paint discoloration, but that can be expected of almost any action figure. All his limbs stay attached and even his massive hammer is hard to extract from his hand once installed. This means his hammer is very hard to lose. However there is one knock against Thrall – his ponytail is fairly easy to pop out (or otherwise snap off) and lose. If you’re looking for good play value Thrall should meet your standards.

Presentation isn’t put on the backburner either. The attention to detail is very good, especially the hammered armor plating, which indicates some Orcish blacksmith worked long and hard to outfit Thrall. (This is in contrast to Muradin Bronzebeard who obviously had his armor cast.) Facial detail is also good, and while he doesn’t look exactly like his videogame counterpart there’s no doubting it’s him. The rest of Thrall is also sculpted well – he looks suitably muscled and mean. The paintjob is very good. Even with all the small gold details contrasted on black, I couldn’t find any oversplash. Thrall’s green skin has a sheen to it compared to the dull black of his armor – obviously the armor is hot enough to make him sweat.

Poseability is somewhat limited though. He has eight points of articulation, which allows for enough mobility to make him look fresh, but his left arm is restricted by the armor plating above that shoulder. (The same can be said of his neck.) All the articulation points are extremely well hidden by the armor – he has no visible lines. His legs are only articulated at the hips, but this makes him very stable, which is a good thing because he doesn’t have any foot peg holes. When not playing with Thrall, he makes for a good display piece.

Really, if you count yourself among the legion of true Warcraft fans, you would do well to finish of your collection with Thrall. Even for the casual buyer, he’s worth the money and makes a good accessory to the game – he manages to walk the tightrope of playability/craftsmanship over shark-infested waters without so much as blinking.

- Omni
(July 26, 2002)