Package Description
From his birth on a war-torn battlefield to his brutal usurpation of the throne of the Hyborian Age's most glorious kingdom, CONAN has made a legend of his name as the iron-willed ravager from Cimmeria. Through his daring conquests and extraordinary adventures, it is not often Conan meets a foe that can match his strength and wit for long! But, there is one - WRARRL the Devourer - that has proven time and again to be a threat not only to Conan, but to all he holds dear. For it is Wrarrl that possesses the horrifying ability to turn any living thing into a slug-like representation of its soul... and then devour it for power!
Appearance
CONAN
Conan takes after his Dark Horse Comics appearances, although I can’t comment on any arcs or specific details on the figure. However I think the accessories and details are very appropriate for the character. From the bear skin on his back to the elaborate belt, Conan has a level of detail uncommon for even Toybiz/Marvel Toys. It’s the level of detail that really defines the appearance of this figure, because there are no large unbroken fields of color. There is a paint wash on just about everything for texture, and excellent choices of colors. In particular I’m thinking of the green of the tunic, which adds a much needed splash of color on otherwise natural and neutral colors.
There is a large amount of detail on the entire figure, so I won’t go in depth. The highlights of the sculpt are the belt, sculpted bear paws, and boots. The paint detail is generally very clean with only the occasional small application error. The face sculpt has a nice stern expression, and uncommon features such as a square jaw, high cheekbones, and wide nose. His face fits my personal impression of the character well, and is very well executed.
The body is large and muscular even by superhero standards, but everything seems to be in proportion. The joints aren’t too obvious, either flowing smoothly with the sculpt or being hidden by features like the belt or boots. The sword sheath sometimes sits a little oddly on the body, but can be made to look like its sitting fairly naturally. Overall this is a great looking figures with no glaring problems in appearance. The skin tone can in some places look a little plastic, but for the most part the details and paint washes are the eye catchers on this figure.
WRARRL
Wrarrl simply looks amazing despite the dominance of dark colors on the figure. Like Conan, Wrarrl doesn’t have large bare patches of color. There are various straps, armor, and tatters on the figure for detail. The whole body has a paint wash except for on the balls for the shoulders, where the color of the plastic can be seen. Wrarrl is also very tall while not being over proportioned, adding to the menacing stance of the figure. The strap of the pouch doesn’t look very natural, but I love the way the sword sheath hugs the body, as if carrying a very heavy sword. The armor also has layers of interlocking parts, adding to the realistic and detailed style of the figure.
The head sculpt is also great and true to the source material. It may be a little small though to fit in the helmet. I also like the bright red of the eyes and mouth to make them shine through the dark colors of the rest of the figure. The helmet doesn’t sit on the head very well though. The eyes don’t line up well at all with the helmet, but for the most part the face can’t be seen behind the helmet anyway. The helmet looks good once its positioned though, and fits in stylistically with the rest of the figure even with the large horns on the sides.
There are few visible joints on this figure because of the armor, tunic, and cape. What joints are visible are well hidden by the dark colors. There are also brown spots for dirt in various places around the figure, which I thought was a very nice touch. Overall, Wrarrl has an excellent sculpt and paint application. What small problems there are seem to be swallowed up by the overall dark presence of the figure.
Articulation
Both figures have fairly standard ball and pin joints. Neither has any finger articulation, because of the need to hold weapons. Conan’s arms were very stiff out of the package, and stick out a little bit to the sides. The legs also have a little bit of a wide stance, though not as noticeable. Conan’s right hand has had no problems with weapons, but his left wrist was a little loose and had some problems. The hair also causes a lot of problems for the head, and Conan cannot look up. What hurts him the most is that his arms don’t cross his body very well, making it very difficult to hold weapons in two hands. Overall Conan has a smaller range of motion than I was expecting, and it could have been done better.
Wrarrl’s knees are a little loose, which causes some problems with balance. Without the helmet his head has a full range of motion, but with it his range of articulation is more limited. The armor also limits the range of motion in the ankles, causing further balance and posing problems. Wrarrl overall has a better range of motion than Conan.
Poseablility
These two figures go well together stylistically and in quality. I think it’s a little odd that Wrarrl is dirty and in tatters while Conan is clean, but the figures look great together. In a crowd, they stick out a little bit because they are bigger, but it’s not a bad thing because of all the detailing. Conan suffers from his articulation problems in dynamic poses. He can get some good show off poses but it’s difficult to pose him fighting, and it may be near impossible to get some iconic poses. Wrarrl on the other hand has been able to do just about any pose I wanted from him. The stiff cape can get in the way sometimes, and the tunic limits how far forward the legs can go, but for the most part they are not a problem. Overall, these two figures may look out of place amongst costumed superheroes, but they go great together. Conan and Wrarrl will probably require some separate shelf space because the time period and fighting style are different from most LCBH, ML, and DCSH figures out there.
Final Judgment: 8
These figures excel in the appearance department, having great sculpts, paint application, and being as true to the source material as I would expect. The articulation is also there, but not always the range of motion. Wrarrl I have few problems with, but Conan could use some improvements in posing. Despite their problems though, these really have become some of my favorite action figures, so the score is an “8” for the set as a whole.
SCALE
10. My favorite possession.
9. My favorite action figure.
8. One of my favorite action figures.
7. An exceptional action figure.
6. A good, but not exceptional action figure.
5. An adequate action figure.
4. Not worth the money I spent.
3. I'll give it to somebody's kid.
2. I'll give it to somebody's dog.
1. It's going to lose a fight with my car.