Tichondrius the Darkner, Dread Lord (WarCraft III) - Action Figure Reviews

Series: WarCraft, 1

Craftsmanship: 8.9 / 10

- Great big figure with good detail and paint

- Not easy to stand

- Good articulation allows for poseability

- Lots of similarities with McFarlane’s Lord of the Darkness figure

Playability: 8.0 / 10

- Although he has wings he should not be thrown!

- Great action with the other WarCraft figures

- Detachable wings are so huge they’re hard to lose

- Pointy bits aren’t that pointy

- Action Figure: Thrall (WarCraft III)

- Action Figure: Muradin Bronzebeard (WarCraft III)

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Tichondrius the Darkner, Dread Lord (WarCraft III)by Toycom

Last year Blizzard brought us three WarCraft III figures – overall sterling figures with some great detail but more statue than action figure. This second set – labelled “Series 1”, the first set from Toycom – now hits the shelves a full year later and not only do they manage to be playable but also look great. And first up is Tichondrius the Darkner, Dread Lord – I’ll call him Tichondrius for the sake of simplicity.

Tichondrius is the biggest of the three figures – actually his wings alone are bigger than the other two figures put together. This is one big figure! Of course, it makes

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him somewhat difficult to keep standing. His cloven hooves offer little in the way of stabilizing surface area, particularly when his heavy PVC wings are attached. However, his left wing has a built-in prop. The lowest point on the wing curves in such a way as to provide a third point of contact and some much-needed stability. The wings are easy to pop in and out of his back so he can be

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displayed without his wings, which makes him far easier to stand.

The sculpt and color is good, but the articulation is light-years beyond what was available with the original series. Tichondrius features 14 points of articulation. It’s a good mix of ball, seam and hinged joints and allows for some good action poses. Surprisingly the shoulder armor doesn’t restrict the movement of the arms too much. I question the usefulness of the articulation in the legs though.

If you picked up McFarlane’s Lord of Darkness figure (Movie Maniacs 4) you can’t help but notice the similarities. But this figure is based on the game character so I’ll cut Toycom some slack in this regard. Tichondrius sports some great armor – it has that same hammered look that marked Thrall’s armor. The rest of Tichondrius has some great texture. I really like the burnished gold highlights and the red hues on his skin and wings. As a display piece, he’s a good one.

Playability is mixed. If you have the rest of the WarCarft figures there’s more play options reliving those classic WarCraft moments. He has enough articulation to make him playable with an assortment of other figures, big and small. However, under no circumstances should Tichondrius be thrown. He has wings, which defaults him to the category of flying toys but he’s so heavy you’re likely to inflict damage to yourself, other people or small animals. Not only do you have to deal with the initial impact, but the wings fly out like so much shrapnel (although with far less damage than, say, a land mine). Just don’t throw him! But on the subject of his wings, they’re hard to lose. Their size almost eliminates any chance you’ll lose them.

Any sharp bits aren’t all that sharp to begin with. His fingernails are blunt, as are the horns on his head. His armor has rounded corners. So in terms of safety Tichondrius is a good figure, aside from the potential for bruising from flying.

WarCraft fans, this ones no-brainer. You’ve been waiting for more good WarCraft collectibles and here’s the answer to your prayers. That being said, even non-fans of the game will find something to like about Tichondrius.

- Omni