Action Figure Review: Sphexxian Block Commander from Cosmic Legions by Four Horsemen Studios

 

   It's time to get cosmic again! Today I'm checking out another Cosmic Legions figure from Four Horsemen Studios and today it is the Sphexxian Block Commander, the leaders of the Sphexxian Prison Guards of Hvalkatar. The Sphexxians are an insectoid species from the planet V'zapir and they're pretty imposing. They're not really taller than the other figures in the line but they look large due to their body shape and their wings. Need someone to try keeping the members of GraveRing in line? The Sphexxian Block Commander just might be your guy. Let's check him out after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 7 1/4ths inches

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

Accessories: Rifle, staff, 2 wrist blasters, 2 small pegs, 2 large pegs, 2 antennae, 2 mandibles, 2 front arms, 2 wings, and 10 swappable hands.

Non-Scalper Price: $60 dollars

Some Assembly Required!

* When you take the Sphexx out of the box, you'll have to attach his wings, smaller front arms, antennae, and mandibles. The antennae and mandibles just pop right in but I had to use a hairdryer to get the wings and smaller arms in. They stay in snug and secure, but they were a bit of work to attach. 

The Positives:

* The Sphexxian Block Commander is an impressive figure. He's built on a slightly taller body, kind of like Olek Thygar, but he seems a bit thicker. He's also got those large wings that bulk him up a bit. The Spexxians kind of remind me of the Yanme'e (Covenant Drones) from Halo or the Geonosians from Star Wars, though they actually look a bit more intimidating and seem as large or larger than your average "humanoid" species. His armor is a reddish orange with a brilliant metallic sheen that complements his brown exoskeleton and his green wings nicely. The detail is excellent on the sculpt, making for an impressive looking figure.

* Check out the headsculpt on his guy! The Sphexxian Block Commander is pretty intimidating and shows off his full head, something you don't see on the helmet wearing Prison Guards. The mandibles look pretty powerful and add to the impressive appearance of the Block Commander while his piercing blue eyes show that he means business. Don't cross this dude!

* Here's a side profile shot so you can see the side of the Sphexxian's head. Those antennae are very cool and look great bouncing around on the Sphexx's head. 

* Here's a closer look at the front of the Spehhixan Block Commander where you can see the small arms on his upper chest and the articulated arms coming out of his sides. They have two swivel/hinge joints on them (shoulder and elbow) and are a really weird and fun feature. Also, I'm digging that belt buckle. 

* The wings are articulated as well with a swivel/hinge joint at the base. 

* The wings are translucent and look fantastic with a nice texture on the different segments of the wings. The green structure and yellow and clear wing base just blends together oh so nicely. The wings are attached, but there is a visible forewing and hindwing.

* To further show off his buggyness, the Sphexxian has an abdomen piece hanging down and some nicely rendered ridges on his thorax. There's a Sphexxian Mine Worker coming out in a future series who has extra arms in place of his wings, so maybe we'll see more variants in the years to come. 

* The figure's boots are very cool and have some nice painted detail as well. 

* While the Sphexx has wings, he's still sporting boots with lots of really cool stuff, perhaps thrusters for travelling in zero-G and magnetic attachment points for walking around.

*  If you're familiar with Mythic Legions, you'll recognize that Cosmic Legions figures are built the same as that line so that the parts are interchangeable. They're quite sturdy and I've found most of them to have really good quality control. I have an issue with the Sphexxian Block Commander, but I'll cover that when I get to the negatives. There are places that might feel a bit restricted but the figure can take most poses you would hope for and he looks fantastic interacting with any of his weapons. The addition of the wings and tiny front arms also help to make posing this figure a more interesting experience. 

* The Sphexxian Block Commander comes with ten swappable hands. You get three different poses, open claws, standard gripping claws, and trigger gripping claws with two each of the standard and trigger grips. Why two sets of those? One set has the wrist hinge placed vertically and the other has the wrist hinge placed horizontally, allowing a bit more flexibility. They swap out easily, feel quite durable, and they all look really cool. I love the sculpt and color of this guy's claws!

* This rifle is called the Sphexxian blaster and it's a huge rifle that definitely looks like a Covenant weapon from Halo or something from Final Faction. It has an insect-like design to it and some interesting glowing red orbs on the sides. Is that perhaps the ammunition this weapon fires?

* The Sphexxian Block Commander also comes with an Electrostaff to help keep the Hvalkatar prisoners in line. it's a long staff with blades on the top, though I believe they're probably electrified, too. 

* Lastly, you get a pair of wrist blasters here. They fit into the portholes on his forearms so he's always packing a little extra heat when a riot occurs. So far we've seen holographic projection effects and wrist blasters, but I'm curious to see what else the Four Horsemen will come up with that can utilize these ports later in the line.

The Negatives:

* Maybe it's more of an issue because he's top heavy with his wings and larger back piece, but the left knee and ankle joints are a bit loose on my figure. Not horribly loose, as I can still pose him, but loose enough that I do have to check the pose a few times to make sure it will hold. I know there are ways to fix this, but I figured it was worth mentioning. 

   The Sphexxian Block Commander is a really cool figure but despite having some really neat accessories, he still feels a bit light on paint applications, accessories, and unique elements for a $60 dollar figure. Mix that in with the loose leg joints and the finicky work of attaching his wings and such and, while I still like him, he's not one of my favorites. He's still very cool, though, but after getting him in hand I kind of lost interest in grabbing the standard Sphexxian Prison Guard. He is a Good and a 1/2 figure, still, and I could see his insect-like design making him a favorite of many fans of the line. I just wish he had a bit more to him for the price. 


This is the first Sphexxian I've reviewed. For more Cosmic Legions reviews check out the following:
Highwarden Slogg
Olekk Thygar (Hvalkatar)
T.U.5.C.C. Science Officer
T.U.5.C.C. Sentry
Vorgga
Zeerian Spyre