Thursday, January 29, 2015

Action Figure Review: Spawn of Cthulhu from Legends of Cthulhu by Warpo

     After reviewing both the Cultist and the Kickstarter exclusive High Priest, it's finally time to give the main man a once over. Well, it turns out that this isn't actually Cthulhu; it's a Spawn of Cthulhu. An over sized Cthulhu was a stretch goal for the Kickstarter campaign that never came to fruition then but that will hopefully be available at some point in the future. For now though, you've got one of Cthulhu's youngins to look after. Or just a very small Cthulhu, if you want. Anyways, let's just get on to the toy because he's pretty grand. More of this green monstrosity after the break...





The Facts:
Height: 4 inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel neck.

Accessories: Removable wings and Necronomicon.











The Positives:

* Everything about this figure feels very solid. He stands easily and feels like a durable toy built for hours of play. For being a small figure (four inches) he has some nice heft to him. The grabbing and grasping hand poses are nice for a figure that doesn't really need to hold anything.












*The sculpt is amazing! I love all of the lumpy, bumpy, veiny details covering this entire sculpt. While this guy looks and feels like a retro toy he feels more like something from Knickerbocker's Lord of the Rings line rather than a Kenner figure. He stands out in a big way from many other vintage styled toys.











*Warpo did a really nice job on the paint work. The mixture of green and yellow really makes this guy pop out from the other figures in the line. It's a nice look that's pairs with the sculpt to make this guy instantly recognizable as Cthulhu (or a Cthulhu minion). I'm also a sucker for the sunken, beady red eyes. Eerie!










*The removable wings are a nice touch. If you want to army build this gives you the option of winged and wingless Cthulhu minions. The wings easily plug into the back and stay put rather securely. They're made from a rubbery material that is quite fitting for wings.










*The Necronomicon, written by the Mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, is a powerful magic tome filled with information on summoning the Great Old Ones including Cthulhu himself! This is a cool sculpt. It's a fairly nice sized little grimoire that features a latch to keep the book from accidentally opening and some tentacles decorating the cover. This is definitely my favorite accessory in the line!





* I've mentioned the beautiful packaging all of my reviews for this line so far, but I haven't shown it yet, so here it is! It's rather lovely front and back.

The Negatives:

* I have none. This is an extraordinarily executed figure. Unless you just don't like this style of action figure I can't think of anything that I thought should have been better.


     Seeing as I have no complaints about this figure I'm quite content with giving him an Epic rating. He's quite fun and rather incredible. While I hope to own the oversized Cthulhu that Warpo has teased a few times since the Kickstarter campaign originally launched, this Cthulhu spawn is a great Cthulhu figure on it's own. It's just so fun and creepy that I don't see how anyone couldn't love it. You know, unless they grow anxious at the though of slowly losing their sanity...





I've reviewed two other figures from this line so far: The Cultist and the High Priest!


I'll be reviewing Conjured Cthulhu, Professor, and Deep One in the next few days, so keep checking back!











14 comments:

  1. Definitely the coolest figure of the lot! Love the packaging too - very 60's/70's paperback book style art.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, these cards are so nice. I really wish I would have gotten the poster that was an add on item for the campaign. I love fantasy art like this.

      Delete
  2. Awesome....
    and thank you for showing the packaging ...
    like the little Necronomicon too....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problem. I rarely cover packaging as it doesn't often interest me, but this one did.

      Delete
  3. Cthuhlu wouldn't have accepted anything but an epic rating. I'm hoping they keep this line going. It'll be interesting to see how they tackle some of the other characters and creatures from Lovecraft's stories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. I'd love to see some other creatures and heroes in the line.

      I imagine Warpo doesn't want to paint itself into a nice, but seeing this line also makes me interested in a Nightmares of Poe line. I think that could be kind of cool as a retro style line.

      Delete
  4. These kickstarter projects are more impressive each time I see one. The stuff you can do with 3D printing is amazing. I live for the day when I can print up my own custom figure in my study.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yeah, 3D printing is eventually going to change the toy industry. It will be very interesting to see how companies respond and adapt to this in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Quick question, how do you open them without damaging the card?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What I do is make a cut on the side of the blister close (but not quite) to the surface of the card. I'll usually just cut one side (sometimes one side and maybe part of a corner) and use space that to remove the figure. If you make it just the right size you can typically take the figure out and put it back in. This has worked pretty well for me on these, Funko ReAction figures, and Bif Bang Pow's Twilight Zone figures.

      Delete
  7. Heard today Warpo are going to release the huge 12" Cthulhu that didn't make it as a stretch goal in the Kickstarter as a seperate piece. If it's not too pricey (it probably will be though) I'd be inclined to try get one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I'm so excited! I've heard the estimated price of around $100 which is a bit high (that's what NECA chargers for their 1/4 scale figures) but still seems in-line with what the basic figures in this line cost. I know I'm in for one as he looks fantastic. I hope they offer preorders for him at some point.

      Delete
  8. Wahey! I got one of these guys today (2 1/2 years after your review). They were marked down at BBTS, so I chucked one in with the Funko 5th Element ReAction figures (and some other stuff) I ordered. He's a really cool little figure. A bit more rubbery than expected, and the neck joint on mine seems a little loose, but the sculpt and paint are awesome, and I love the inclusion of the book. Super little impulse buy and a he'll look great with my DST coin bank and Funko POP Cthulhus!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome! I'm surprised these guys are still hanging around. I figured they would have been long gone. I really think Warpo should have jumped in and developed a second set of these around when the first set was showing up. Probably would have kept interest going a bit more.

      Delete

What'chu talkin' 'bout?