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 – labeled “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 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
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
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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.