Action Figure Review: Zenithon from Mythic Legions by Four Horsemen Studios

 

   I only own one or two of the non-Masters of the Universe inspired Mythic Legions figures but, fortunately, the MOTU tributes are so varied and inspired that it gives me a nice chance to see multiple different elements of the line. Today I'm checking out Zenithon, a heroic member of the nature loving band of warriors called  Xylon's Flock. Inspired by Stratos from Masters of the Universe, I picked up Zenithon last month straight from the Four Horsemen themselves. We went to HeroesCon 2023 in Charlotte, NC in June and discovered that Four Horseman Studios had a booth at the show. I had to opportunity to  meet a few members of the team and chat with them for awhile, look at some cool customs on display, and peruse a nice selection of Mythic Legions figures. I've never been a huge Stratos fan, though I do like his color scheme, so this is probably the most exciting of version of Stratos I've ever owned (the Masterverse: New Eternia Stratos is really good too, though). In Mythic Legions, Zenithon is one of the Oraphim of Mythoss, a mysterious and isolated people with the ability to fly. A messenger and warrior, Zenithon takes  to the skies to protect the land. Let's take a look at Zenithon after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Double swivel hinge ankles, swivel/hinge knees, swivel thighs, H-hinged hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel forearms, swivel/hinge wrists, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: Two 2-piece staffs, two chest straps, two pauldrons, two interchangeable heads, 2 helmet horns, 2 wings, wing attachment plug, and four swappable hands.

Non-Scalper Price: $37 dollars

The Packaging:

* I've definitely showed it before, but here's a look at the very cool packaging for Mythic Legions. Not only is is very impressive looking but it also is incredibly collector friendly. Other than a couple wire ties (which are easily removed without snipping), everything else is easily removed and replaced. The plastic bubble has tabs that hold the backer card in place, so it can be popped off and on. 

* Here is the back of the card with signatures from two members of Four Horseman Studios. On the left is the legendary Jim Preziosi's signature (one of the founders) and on the right is Jeremy Girard's signature, the current director of sales and marketing, an expert customizer, and the guy who currently writes the bios and such. 

The Positives:

* I absolutely love the look of Zenithon. This guy is beyond cool! First of all, he uses the red, blue, and gray color scheme of Stratos, which just really pops out and grabs your attention. With a strong emphasis on two primary colors, this is a bold look. The body is one we've seen on plenty of other figures, very muscular, but he's outfitted with lots of cool extras. Metallic blue pauldrons and boots, a blue scale armored  waistcoat with a skeletal belt buckle (Kronnaw had this belt, too), and some straps and pauldrons on his chest. Everything comes together really well and just looks like it was made to be. 

* Zenithon wears an armored, dwarf-style helmet that is very colorful, giving him the look of the vintage MOTU Stratos toy at a glance. Even the armored plates at the bottom of the helmet match up with Stratos' beard. The spikes on the side do come separate in the package, so you have to put them into the helmet, but they really complete the look. 

* Zenithon has an unmasked helmet, too, which is a repainted version of an orc headsculpt. He's got a mighty fine beard, though, and looks quite simian, which matches nicely with Stratos' look without his mask, particularly in the 200x series. Zenithon definitely looks less "human" than Stratos, though, but it works nicely with the figure.

* While the Mythic Legions figures share from a pool of base bodies and armored bits, the Four Horseman always deck them out with an impressive mix of gear. Zenithon has two removable bandolier straps and two removable pauldrons. You could take them off or tweak them if you wanted too (they do come loose in the package), but they look really good on the figure. Plus, there's some great paint applications on his belt and that highlight the details and some really nice shiny paint on his greaves and pauldrons.

* Here's a closer look at Zenithon's greaves and his simian-like feet. I love the way he looks. It's just really cool and seems rather regal. 

* This is the first Mythic Legions figure I've owned with wings so it's cool to have a pair in hand to see how nice they are. The sculpt is very impressive with lots of sculpted detail in each feather and a nice wash to add some painted detail and bring out the sculpt more fully. They look perfect folded down or spread out, which is definitely the hallmark of great action figure wings. 

* The wings have their own articulation: There is a swivel/ hinge joint at the base of each wing and a swivel joint at the midpoint of the wing. They're steady, stable, and they do keep him standing when positioned folded up. 

* While they feel different, and of a very nice quality, the articulation scheme on these guys reminds me a lot of Masters of the Universe Classics and the various Super7 Ultimates releases. They're quite sturdy and I've found them to have really good quality control. Some of the extra armor pieces might be a bit restrictive but the base figure can take most poses you would hope for and looks great at ease or in various battle stances. Zenithon's wings move great and the true balljointed head is wonderfully expressive. 

* Zenithon comes with two sets of hands: A pair with fingers opened, either gesturing as he's delivering a message or flying, and a pair of standard grips for wielding either of his two staffs. 

* Zenithon comes with two very stall staffs (they're taller than him!) and the first one is gold with green magic orbs. It kind of resembles the Staff of Avion, so that's a nice touch to include with the figure. Want a more peaceful Zenithon who is a messenger? This is the way to go!

* Zenithon's second weapon is a really cool trident. This thing is fierce! It's made from two separate pieces and is long, pointy, and allows Zenithon to go to war. The heads of the staffs and the shafts are interchangeable, so you could swap things around if you like.

The Negatives:

* The Mythic Legions line is very modular, so certain parts usually are made separately. While some of the dwarven helmets come with horns and such, Zenithon's helmet has two small spikes that fit into the sides. It looks cool but getting these in there was a pain and left the spikes blunted with a bit of paint damage. Not terrible but still a pain. I used a hair dryer to try to soften the hole and tried to push them in using a cloth but nothing worked without some good old brute force that ultimately caused some damage. 

   Zenithon is definitely a force to be reckoned with and one of the best Mythic Legions Masters of the Universe tribute figures to date. While he has two cool staffs, I would have liked another weapon like a dagger or something, but overall I'm quite pleased. He's a pretty impressive looking figure with some real quality in his build, paint, and sculpt. He's a Great and a 1/2 figure and a real standout on the Mythic Legions shelf. The next Four Horsemen MOTU tribute figures are coming in the Cosmic Legions line (Opor-A-Tiv83 and Sskur'ge) so it's nice to see the Four Horsemen's connection with MOTU continue on, even if it's only somewhat connected.



This is the first figure of Zenithon I've reviewed. For more reviews from Mythic Legions check out the following:

Bryophytus
Cowarros

Dorina Onoris
Kronnaw

Lord Draguul 
Malynna 
Okeaetos
Orc Legion Builder 3
Purrrplor