Last week The Four Horsemen put a bunch of Mythic Legions stuff up on their site for pre-order, virtually everything sold out very quickly, and I got shut out because I was working, goddammit! Here I was slaving away to earn Troll monies and I missed it. Yeah, and that’s the shame of it. All I was really after was the Forest Troll, but then it was a hundred bucks I shouldn’t have been spending anyway, so I’m not too upset. And besides, it gave me an excuse to finally open up the Troll I do have and ease the pain of defeat.

Holy crap, this is a big box! Let’s not forget that the Mythic Legions line is scaled to about 6-inches, so they really had to spend a lot of plastic to create this behemoth. And that really speaks to the success of this line. It’s rare that Kickstarted action figure projects produce the insane volume of releases that Mythic Legions did, but then to deliver a couple of huge figures like these on top of that. And then have them keep selling out! It’s crazy! Anyway, T4H produced Trolls in two different flavors: Stone and Forest. I had originally planned on buying the Forest Troll, but a little later the weapons were revealed and the Stone Troll’s weapon nudged me over to his side. Ideally, I would have loved to pick up both, but I’ve already recounted how that went.

The Stone Troll comes in a beautiful, heavy cardboard window box with a painting on the back that matches what we saw on the individual figure card backs. The side panels, however, have some lovely original artwork, depicting both Trolls and… Holy shit, is that a Cyclops??? I WANT THE CYCLOPS!!! The fact that both Trolls are depicted leads me to believe that T4H used this same box for both of them, but unless I’m willing to pony up a lot more than $100 for the Forest Troll on the scalper market, I guess I’ll never know. Everything here is collector friendly, so long as you’re patient when removing all of those twisty-tie wires. This poor guy has been all sealed up on my shelf for a long time now, so let’s get him out and have a look!

Say hello to big and ugly, and I mean that as the most sincerest form of flattery, because this guy is fantastic! The combination of sculpt and paintwork on display here shows that T4H can go really damn big and still not lose any of that attention to detail. The variations in flesh tones from the Troll’s rocky hide to the more leathery parts of his belly, inner arms, and hands is like nothing I could ever hope to see on a off-the-shelf toy in this day and age. But hey, that’s the wonderful thing about Kickstarted toys. While the big companies are slashing paint applications left and right to save a couple of nickles, companies like T4H can spare no expense, so long as the supporters are there and willing to lay their money down. On that note, I’ll come back to around to discuss cost and value at the end. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

I really dig the stony patches that cover his back. The Stone Troll appears to derive his name both literally and figuratively. I naturally assumed he was just a mountain or cave Troll, but he also appears to have adopted the characteristics of his surroundings as well. Maybe that’s thousands of years of Stone Troll evolution that allows him to blend in with his surroundings and ambush hapless adventurers. Whatever the case, it’s a lovely, craggy texture with individual stone scales speckled about and painted in a lighter gray to make them stand out. Other details on this brute include the heavy cuffs he wears on his wrists, and even the soles of his ugly Troll feet are fully sculpted and textured!

The Stone Troll protects his modesty and covers up his own manly stones with with this belted loin cloth. The belt has a hammered metal appearance, which matches that of his wrist cuffs. It’s sculpted as part of the torso and I really dig the way his paunch hangs over the top of the large medallion. I wouldn’t say he’s a fat Troll, but he doesn’t look like he’s missing any meals either. The actual loin cloth presents a bit of mixed media to the figure with the top layer looking like worn animal hide and the bottom layer appearing as frayed cloth.

And that brings us to this lovable mug, which really presents as the most triumphant feature of this Troll. It strikes me as very Lord-of-the-Rings-ish, and I’m talking about the Peter Jackson movie aesthetic. The super glossy red paint used for the eyes looks magical and the paintwork and sculpted detail on his teeth and tusks is mind-blowing. He has a little bit of mud splatter on his face and body, and I just adore his little pointed ears. Hot damn, T4H really poured the love into this guy.

The articulation here is pretty basic, but probably not off base for a giant troll, because these are giant lumbering brutes. You get rotating hinges in the shoulders and elbows, rotating hips, and swivel cuts at the ankles, wrists, and neck. The shoulders feature some pretty strong ratcheting joints, which we’ll see is a good thing considering the size of his weapon. His hips are sometimes a little weak for the task of supporting his bulk, but most of the time they seem to hold fine. While the points are all there, there isn’t a huge range of motion in any of them. I wouldn’t call that a complaint, because I wasn’t expecting all that much and there’s still plenty of pose-ability here to have fun with.

Most of the range of motion is in the shoulders, and just look at this guy’s reach! He has a fairly good balance too. Those arms are pretty heavy and yet he’s still holding his own with them both way out in front of him. I wish there were some hinges in those ankles, but maybe next time!

The Stone Troll’s weapon is a giant club made out of a boulder fastened to a tree and like the Troll itself, the attention to detail that T4H invested into this piece is pretty crazy. The tree itself has a realistic wood texture and it’s wrapped with a pair of sculpted bands made to look like hammered metal with bolts running all around the circumference. The stone itself has some runes carved into it and it’s secured to the tree with more of those sculpted “metal” bands. The weapon fits in either of the Trolls hands and it’s actually cast in two pieces of plastic and can split apart in the middle. And as I said earlier, it was ultimately this weapon that won me over when faced with the Sophie’s Choice of which Troll to buy. I’m still very pleased with my decision.

As beautiful a showpiece as this Troll is, the real fun begins when you let him loose amidst the Mythic Legions figures. He’s beautifully scaled to tower over them, lift them up, and rip them apart.

The Stone Troll retailed for $100, which would be steep if this were a regular retail release, but then that’s hard to judge. If Generic Big Toy Company were to put this on the shelf at your local Target, it would probably be half that, but then there’s no way it would have the same level of sculpted detail and quality of paint. As a result, it’s really hard to do price comparisons here, and that is, after all, the whole point of Kickstarters and Pre-Orders. It’s a hefty price tag, no doubt, but I’m not going to sit here and declare that I’ve even a shred of buyer’s remorse over this purchase. The stupid smile I’ve had on my face while playing with this guy is justification enough. And with the continued success of Mythic Legions burning bright, I sincerely believe we’ll be seeing more large beasties in the line’s future.

Mythic Legions news dropped late last week from the T4H, announcing that the new Kickstarter for Advent of Decay (previously known as Wave 2.0) would be going live at the end of the month. They also let it be known that the last of the pre-ordered figures, including the Trolls, have arrived at their warehouse and would be shipping out in a couple of weeks. Seems like a good time to look at the last figure I have waiting to be opened. And it seemed appropriate to do one last Mythic Legions Wednesday before I re-work my posting schedule for the year (yet again!), bringing myself to four weekday updates, and taking Wednesdays off.

Jorund Runeshaper is one of the figures I passed on while trying to budget out my initial Kickstarter Add Ons. He was also one of the ones that was hard for me to let go, because I wanted a lot of dwarves. Well, late last year, T4H put up some of their remaining stock up for pre-order, I had a second crack at this guy, and naturally I took it! I’ve got nothing new to say about the packaging, so let’s get him out!

This is my fourth Dwarf, but if this is your first look at one of these, you should know that they share the upper body and arms with the armored humans of the line, and only the legs are shorter and dwarf-specific. Jorund’s bio indicates that he’s a rather atypical Dwarf in that he’s a master of the mystic arts and I’d like to think that’s reflected in his spectacular, and obviously enchanted, armor. Indeed, with the metallic blue, gold, green, and purple deco, this is one of the most visually striking suits of armor in the entire line, and that’s saying a lot! The quality of paint that T4H uses on these figures continue to amaze me as does the precision of application. Every tiny sculpted rivet on this suit is painted and the emerald green and gold look superb against the blue. It’s absolutely gorgeous!

As always, the shoulder pieces are optional, although in this case they’re required if you want him wearing his cloth cape. Personally, I prefer him with the cape and shoulders, but when I get to articulation, I’ll talk about some of the drawbacks of using them. The cape is made of very soft material and I’d stress caution when taking it on and off, because the fabric is thin at the tops of the holes and it looks like it wouldn’t take much to tear it.

I was expecting this portrait to be a straight repaint of Thord Ironjaw, but I was pleasantly surprised. The face looks the same, but the sculpt of the beard and mustache and bushy eyebrows are all new. The head gear is also new, with a smooth, rounded helmet and a crest above his forehead. The wings are repaints of the ones we originally saw worn by Sir Gideon Heavensbrand and they look quite nice here.

And then there’s the neck. Like all the Mythic Legion figures, Jorund’s head is on a ball joint, which is usually fine, but the shoulders and the head sculpt here are all at odds with each other. If you want the shoulders on, you’re going to sacrifice almost all neck articulation. Trying to move the head results in it popping off or the wings popping out. Take the shoulders (and cape) off, and the problem is solved. There’s one other way to solve the problem…

Jorund comes with an alternate helmeted head. This is the same sculpt we’ve seen a few times in the past, now painted to match the armor. It looks great on the figure, but I think it robs him of a lot of his character. Besides, when he puts that helmet on, where the hell does all that beard go? Hey, I love options and I’m always happy to see T4H throwing bonuses like this in the package. I honestly didn’t even expect it to be in there. But I honestly doubt I’ll get much use out of it. I just love the regular portrait on this figure way too much.

In addition to the extra helmet, shoulders, cape, and ubiquitous brown belt, Jorund comes with some weapons that we’ve seen before. First off you get the single handed sword with matching dagger. These feature disc pommels and are among my favorite weapons sculpts in the line. They’re just great, serviceable, no-nonsense weapons, and they each have purple painted grips to match his helmet deco.

You also get the spear we’ve seen many times before, painted all in silver. The spears seem a little much for these little guys, so I think that one is going to go to one of my other figures and I’ll let Jorund get by with his matching blades.

And so we have another amazing figure from Mythic Legions. I can’t put into words how glad I am to have had a second crack at this guy for my collection. He’s a gorgeous figure and that enchanting deco on his armor will serve to brighten up my little band of Dwarves while they’re out adventuring together. And it can’t hurt for them to have someone skilled in the arcane arts along for the ride. Hopefully in a few weeks I’ll have a some new Mythic Legions figures to check out, including a big ass Troll. You can probably also expect to hear me plugging the T4H’s new Kickstarter quite a bit towards the end of the month.

Well, looky here, I’ve managed to sneak one last Mythic Legions Feature in before the end of the year! Today’s figure comes from the small selection of Wave 1.0 figures that T4H put up for pre-order back in November. Finally, I was able to get myself a Skeleton Legion Builder. Not picking him up on the first go around was a major regret and I was lucky to get a second crack at him without having to go to Ebay where these figures are selling for a king’s ransom.

We’ve seen this packaging plenty of times, but it’s been a little while, so here’s another look at it. I can’t stress enough how difficult it was to choose just seventeen figures for my original Backer Reward. I stretched my budget to the max to get as many as I got and I regretted every one I had to leave behind. With that having been said, it’s somewhat ironic that this much coveted Legion Builder is really just a more basic repaint of Tibius. And since I already reviewed that figure earlier this year, I can be a bit brief when checking this guy out.

Here he is, and he’s a great example of how even the “budget” figures in this line still look amazing. The Legion Builders are designed to be troop builders or custom fodder and the fact that they have less detailed paint allowed them to be priced significantly less than the regular figures. And it’s exactly that less-premium paint job that I love about this guy. He’s wearing old, grungy armor, making him look like a fallen warrior that’s been rotting in a tomb, or perhaps the bottom of a bog, for centuries before once again rising to the call of battle.

Even without that extra paint, the detail in the armor here still impresses. This guy does come with the shoulder armor and I’ve included one snap of him wearing them, but I do believe I’m going to display this guy most of the time without them. I really dig those segmented armor plates over his biceps and I’d rather not cover him up. I also like that he looks a little frailer and more skeletal without them. Besides, I prefer saving the “good” armor for the named characters and let the rank-and-files go into the fray with lighter armor.

Like the armor, we’ve seen this skull before and it never ceases to amaze me. In this case, it isn’t just the sculpt, but the fantastic paint wash that makes it look like it’s been in the ground. This is one of the most authentically aged skulls I’ve ever seen on an action figure and it’s not lost on me that it all comes down to the paint… on a figure with what is supposed to be a “budget” paint job.

In addition to the shoulder armor, Skeleton Legion Builder comes with a satisfying collection of weapons, which by now should all be very familiar. For starters, he has the long sword with the fantasy-type crossguard and skull-crusher pommel and a dagger painted to match. Both have black grips and bright silver paint for the metal bits. Yes, I would have enjoyed getting some weathering on these, but it’s hard to deny that those gleaming blades are pretty.

Finally, you get the standard Mythic Legions battle axe, painted black and silver to match the other weapons. And, as always, you can switch it between a single bladed weapon, or a double.

I can’t deny that Tibius is the more impressive figure, what with the paint detail on his armor, ragged cape, and excellent weathering. But I didn’t feel like my Skeleton forces were complete without at least one grunt and this guy fits the bill. This is exactly the kind of fella I used to doodle on my Trapper Keeper while daydreaming in class. He’s such an iconic design and he would look right at home, whether battling my other Mythic Legions figures or shambling through the halls of an AD&D Dungeon. I still haven’t decided whether I’m going to get the time to do my usual End of the Year lists, but just in case I don’t, it’s safe to say that Mythic Legions was the highest point for my action figure collection in 2016.

OK, here’s what’s really going to be the last Mythic Legions Wednesday for a while. No, for reals. I don’t expect my Troll or any of the Wave 1.75 figures to ship until next year, so this will really be it. What’s that? Some figures I might have missed are going up for order this Friday? Well, damn… maybe I’ll get lucky. In the meantime, let’s check out Pixxus!

Obligatory packaged shot! Although, I don’t know why I bother anymore. Even though this is a Wave 1.5 figure, these are all pretty much the same package with just a different bubble insert with the character’s bio blurb on the right hand panel. These packages look good, they’re collector friendly, but I’ve broken all mine down and put them into storage. Pixxus is one of the two figures in the Wave 1.5 collection that I couldn’t live without, even though my bank account was still smarting from my Wave 1 excesses. And so for now he and the Templar, Sir Godfrey are the only representations I have from this Wave.

And hooooly crap is this a gorgeous figure. Just because you’re a skeleton warrior doesn’t mean you have to wear dreary old armor. Pixxus is living proof, er… living dead proof of that, as he’s kitted out in what is easily one of the most striking armor decos of the entire line. In case you haven’t noticed, he re-uses a majority of the parts from Vitus, with only the arms and upper legs swapped out from flesh for bones. The armor is now painted with an outrageous metallic blue and all the trim is decked out in gold. The combo is a feast for the eyes, so much so, that I choose to believe this armor is somehow meant to be enchanted, because nothing that’s not magic should ever look this good.

Just check out that detail in the gauntlets and belt. Yeah, this belt continues to be one of my favorite pieces in this collection. It’s not just that it looks so good, but it’s so versatile. T4H have made it work as a tribal looking folksy Orc belt and here it looks like a regal piece of gladiatorial garb. Here we can also see that they used a slightly darker blue, almost purple, to fill in some of the patterns. And yes, even the tiniest rivets on the gauntlets and boots are individually painted gold. There’s also a sword loop on the right hip should you want to make use of it.

The helmet also looks incredible in these colors, as does the segmented armor that’s sculpted as part of the skeleton upper arms. Again, you get more of the wonderful gold trim, including all that painted scroll work on the cheek protectors. Damn, this guy looks so good!

While I don’t recall it being advertised as coming with the figure, Pixxus includes a skull head, so you can display him with the helmet off. It’s a highly detailed piece of work with some wonderful paint to back it up. All the little crags and fissures are there in the bone to make it look aged, and the jaw is even articulated. Fabulous!

It’s time to talk weapons and Pixxus comes with some stuff we’ve seen before and one brand new piece. First off, you get the two-handed sword, which we’ve seen many times before, this time with the hilt painted copper. You get the usual brown sword belt too, and since Pixxus doesn’t come with shoulder armor pieces, it makes for a great cross strap so he can carry the sword across his back.

Next up is a new piece to me and that’s his circular bronze shield. This is a welcome alternative to seeing the same shield over and over again and I think it fits the gladiator style of this armor better than the more conventional knightly shield. The border has a notched pattern running around the edge and you get some runes sculpted just inside of that. The inside uses the same pegged clip as the other shield. I wish we got this shield with Vitus too. He may have to borrow this one from Pixxus from time to time.

And lastly, you get the spear, this time with some actual paint variation. The tip is painted silver and the shaft is painted the same coppery color as the sword hilt.

Pixxus is yet another fine example of how well T4H designed the components that make up this line. A nip here and a tuck there, a fresh coat of paint and you really do get what feels like a brand new figure. There were a bunch of great looking figures in Wave 1.5 and I wish I could have picked up all of them, but I do try to maintain a modicum of fiscal responsibility now and then and so I had to go with the two that stood out the most to me. For Pixxus here it was partly that I wanted another Skeleton, but mostly because of that heavenly paint job. In a line of fantastic looking figures, he manages to be a stunner!

Yes, I know it’s Thursday. I know there should be transformable plastic robots on your screen right now. But, it’s been a crazy couple of days for me at work, I haven’t felt all that great, and so I had to take a day off of toy bloggery to recoup. Yes, that means Transformers Thursday is getting bumped, but to be honest, I don’t have any new Titans Return figures to look at today anyway. Hopefully next week. So here’s what I had planned to post yesterday… More Mythic Legions!

Last week I got the figures that I ordered from Wave 1.5, and I’m already pissed that I only bought two from this assortment. I had a lot of things going on, money was tight, but I keep asking myself, “Would eating Ramen for a week really have killed ya, you fat bastard?” Where was that measured council a couple of months ago when I needed it. Oh yeah, I also dropped $100 on one of the Deluxe Trolls in this Wave, so that’s where most of the monies went. He’s shipping later. Anyway, in the end I picked out the two that I couldn’t live without and today we’re going to look at Sir Godfrey, The Templar.

This may be Wave 1.5, but the presentation of the package has not changed at all. It’s the same cardback and same bubble insert. There’s a little bio about the character on the right hand panel of the insert and the whole shebang is totally collector friendly. In the Mythic Legions universe, the Templars are a sect of noble, but disgraced warriors aligned with Sir Gideon in the never ending battle against Gorgo’s evil. And while Mythic Legions may be a fantasy series, Sir Godfrey’s design is based on the real Templar warrior monks of history.

I always loved reading about these guys, and the myths and legends that have grown up around their Order and their distinctive white tabard with red cross looks amazing accompanied by the Mythic Legions armored buck. From the neck down, this figure is simply a repaint of Sir Gideon, but oh, what a repaint it is! The full plate armor is given a brushed steel look with some fabulous silver paint and the trim is all painted in gold. The armored sculpt is just as gorgeous as ever and the new paint combined with the white and crimson makes this quite possibly one of the most striking figures in this impressive line up. As always, the figure comes out of the package without his shoulders, and while any of these figures look fine displayed without them, I think this design works particularly well when left shoulder-less.

Nonetheless, they’re here if you want them by simply pegging them into the sockets in his back. They are perfectly matched with the rest of the armor and definitely give Sir Godfrey a more bulked up look. They also frame the tabard rather nicely. Add the brown sword belt, and this holy warrior is ready for action.

The helmet is the standard Great Helm type and is the same sculpt we saw included as Sir Gideon’s alternate head and the head on one of the Knight Legion Builders. The gold painted cross pieces are beautiful and all the rivets are painted gold as well. Godfrey also has a crimson plume rising from the top of his helmet.

Sir Godfrey comes with the same style of shield we’ve been seeing all along in this line, only it’s silver with the front painted with a crimson cross on a white field to match his tabard. The shield clips onto the figure’s wrist and can be rotated and orientated independently of the arm’s position.

And since no knight would be complete without his trusty sword, Godfrey comes with the smaller single-handed cruciform sword we’ve seen a few times before. This is the same sword that came with Gideon, painted with a gold hilt.

And what’s this? A brand new weapon! Yes, Godfrey also comes with this great looking flanged mace. The head is painted to match the armor and includes gold painted rivets. The shaft is sculpted with a wood grain pattern and painted brown. I’m really stoked to finally be getting a new weapon for my Mythic Legions arsenal and this one makes good sense here as the old myth goes that some sects of warrior monks were compelled to carry bludgeons so as not to shed blood.

If you’ve been reading my Mythic Legions reviews from the beginning, you’ve probably become tired of hearing me say “this is my new favorite figure in the line. No, really, I mean it this time!” Well, I think I really do mean it this time. For reals! Not only is Godfrey a gorgeous figure, but he touches on one of those wonderfully romantic and thrilling aspects of medieval history that I love to read about. He also tugs at my nostalgia strings by reminding me of how much fun I used to have with the vintage Marx Knights back when I was a kid. I wish I had the funds to order a second one of these at the time, but that’s OK, because T4H had me covered by offering a Templar Knight Legion Builder in the last wave, so I was sure to pre-order one of them as well. Next Wednesday, I’ll check out Prixxus!