If
there’s one thing that gets my attention, its action figures based on
video and PC games.They
manage to combine two of my passions while entrenching my image as a
gaming geek.Warlord Kabur
is a good example of the two mediums squashed together – regardless of
the fact that I never really got into Ultima Online.Warlord Kabur comes direct from the imagination of Todd McFarlane
and complements the latest addition to the Ultima Online universe, Lord
Blackthorn’s Revenge.
Even
without the license, Kabur is a pretty good action figure.Actually, he could quite easily fit in with the troop from
Samurai Spawn (Spawn 19).The high detail and paint job are on par with what collectors
expect from McFarlane.There
are many small details and just about everything has been textured in
some way or etched with an intricate design.The coloring, while applied well, is the same drab dark colors
that typified Spawn 19.(The
exception of course being the gold highlights on the helmet and the
backplate.)It means he has
to be displayed in high light conditions so the details can be
appreciated.And for the
best display effect, he has to be at or above eye level.The sculpt means he’s always looking slightly down and to
the left, so if your eyes aren’t level with him, all you see is the
top of his
head.Whatever display situation you choose, it’s extremely easy to
keep him standing – his feet are huge, nearly disproportionate to the
rest of him and his lower half is immobile.
All
the articulation is located in his upper half: ball-jointed right
shoulder, seam left shoulder, seams at the elbows, wrists, waist, and
neck.The articulation is
good enough to achieve different poses, however, because of the sculpt
the poses are never radically different.It’s a good display piece, don’t get me wrong, the action
stance is great but it had more potential. (It actually looks like there
was going to be hinged knees.)
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Playability
is a little mixed since I nearly poked a hole in my thumb trying to get
Kabur out of the package.There are sharp bits to watch out for: the two short
spikes on each foot and the horns that protrude from under the helmet.His helmet doesn’t come off, which works out as a win-lose
situation: you can’t lose the helmet but being able to remove it would
have been a good
option.His staff is a good
accessory and is big enough not to be sucked up accidentally by the
vacuum.The staff is very
easy to warp, which is something to watch out for if you like playing
with your toys.The most
obvious piece that can be broken off is the helmet ornament – and it
breaks off pretty easily.Overall
though, Kabur is moderately durable owed in large part to his lack of
lower body articulation.
Warlord
Kabur is sure to click with fans of Ultima Online and McFarlane Toys
collectors.While it’s
definitely a solid display piece, Kabur probably won’t be remembered
for its playability.