Friday, September 8, 2023

Action Figure Review: Zeerian Spyre from Cosmic Legions by Four Horseman Studios

 

   I've still got a few Cosmic Legions figures left to review and while she's the sixth figure I'm reviewing from the Four Horsemen's new line, Zeerian Spyre was one of the two figures I preordered (along with Olek Thygar). Zeerian Spyre is a phenomenally nice looking figure with a really cool soft goods cloak and some excellent accessories. She's also a significant character in the Cosmic Legions mythos as she is the one who discovered the regenerative formula, Thryxium, which is at the heart of Hvalkatar's mining and production operations. Zeerian Spyre (better known as Zeeri) is a Zuvan bioengineer from the planet Theerius who eventually joined a mysterious organization known as The Mortal Thorn before being imprisoned in Hvalkatar, where she has jointed Olek Thygar and the other members of GraveRing. Let's check out all that this figure has to offer after the break...



The Facts:

Height: 6 3/8ths inches

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

Accessories: Rifle, 2 pistols, transmission, 2 heads, respirator, cloak, 2 small pegs, 2 large pegs, and 4 swappable hands.

Non-Scalper Price: $50 dollars






The Positives:

* In terms of body shape and style, Zeerian Spyre is probably the most "normal" of the Cosmic Legions figures so far. She's an average sized female in a fitted gray, purple, and bronze bodysuit with some additional clothing items like a large utility belt, bracers, and some serious boots breaking things up. Her thighs and arms are smooth, with only painted details, but the center part of her bodysuit features sculpted lines and such on her torso. The paintwork is all neat and clean and I really like the color and design. It's different than the spacesuit heavy designs we've seen so far. Zeeri definitely has more of a Star Wars look to her than many of the other figures in series one. She'd fit right in at the Mos Eisley Cantina or the Coruscant Outlander Club. 
* Zeeri is the first Zuvanoid we've seen in the line and I'm really liking her appearance. Her skin is kind of an aqua color, lighter at the bottom of her head and darkening as as it goes up. She has lots of dots on her face; on her chin, across her cheekbones, and on her forehead. Whether these are actual patterns on her skin or tattoos is anyone's guess at this point. Her eyes are a bright blue with no discernible pupil and her hair is a darker blue and quite stylish. She has pointy ears, too, kind of like an elf. 




* Zeeri comes with two portraits, the second being quite similar to the first but with her hair more pulled back, leaving just one strand hanging down off to the side. 


* The second portrait is really made to fit this cool breathing mask/ respirator which comes with the figure. You pop off Zeeri's head and place the mask over her face from the bottom. It's quite nicely designed with a lot of different paint applications and it looks really cool. I love how she looks wearing this and her poncho.


* Zeerian Spyre has plenty of storage space since her utility belt is fitted with multiple pouches of different sizes. There's a nice drybrush effect on the pouches and some very precise paint applications on the buckles and straps. She's got a bit of armor or some sort of flap hanging from the back, along with some attachment points for holstering weapons. 


* I really like the detail on her bracers. They look very rugged, almost with a leather-like appearance, yet they're clearly manufactured with lots of little screws and such. Of course, they also have the attachment port for plugging her transmission effect in. 




* Zeeri's boots are similar in style and color to her gauntlets. They're similar to what many other figures are wearing but they're quite a bit smaller, befitting Zeerian's size. 




* I'm still impressed with the cool stuff on the bottom of the boots. There's lots of detail on the soles, perhaps thrusters for travelling in zero-G and magnetic attachment points for walking around.




* What really completes Zeerian Spyre's look is her incredibly cool poncho. It's made from a really nice material and is dark grey on the outside with brown lining. The quality is excellent and it just looks fantastic. It doesn't actually have sleeves; instead, the two longer pieces in the front hang down, so sleeves are kind of artificially created, and there's a metal snap to keep the collar closed if you want. It's a very versatile piece.  





* The hood and all edges of the fabric are wired, so you can really pose this thing to be worn in some very nuanced poses. It's one of the things that might just make Zeeri my favorite from this series.











* Here's the back of the poncho. The logo is the symbol of The Mortal Thorn, a faction we don't know much about yet. They seem like they might be some sort of radical group as it is due to her actions while part of The Mortal Thorn that she's imprisoned in Hvalkatar. Of course, it's possible that Highwarden Slogg pulled some strings to have her taken captive since she discovered Thryxium, and it's regenerative properties help sooth his painful condition. 









* Zeeri comes with two sets of trigger grip hands. One set has a vertical hinge at the wrist while the other has a horizontal hinge, allowing you to have more options for posing her holding her various blasters. 


*  Zeeri comes with a sniper rifle that's pretty substantial. It's a nice looking piece that blends a gritty, lived-in sci-fi aesthetic with a real world aesthetic, particularly because her rifle has some fantastic paint applications. The stock actually looks like it's made of some sort of wood while the rifle itself has a dry brushing effect that makes it seem more weathered. 



* This rifle also has a functional sling. It's made from fabric and the clip actually works, allowing you to more easily pose this across Zeeri's torso. 










* Zeerian Spyre also comes with the dual pistols.  we've seen them before with a few other figures, so they're clearly a common brand across the galaxy. These pistols have a nice feel to them. They're sci-fi, but still possess a real world aesthetic that makes them clearly recognizable as guns. They do look like they could conceivably have multiple barrels for different functions, or perhaps just extra uses for the gun such as a sight, scanner, or flashlight. They have the same paint effect as her sniper rifle, so they blend with her gear well.




* I love the plug-in transmission effects that some of the figures come packed with, so I'm excited that Zeeri has one, too. Hers is a pinkish projection of some ringed planet. Perhaps a world that the members of GraveRing are planning to escape to?









* If you're familiar with Mythic Legions, you should 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. Zeerian Spyre is really fun to pose due to her costume not having many details that inhibit her movement and her cloak making for even cooler, more dynamic poses.


* The little holes on the figures and the weapons are universal and fit the holographic transmissions and can hold these clear pegs. Zeerian Spyre comes with the same four as most everyone else: Two short pegs and two long pegs.





* The pegs can be used to store her pistols on the back of her belt so they're close at hand (but hidden under her poncho).



* You can also use them to attach the guns together. Or pop the holographic transmission as if it's coming out of one of the guns. Or mount the pistols onto her wrists. The modularity is fun and kind of reminds me of G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 or Centurions, both lines with similar gimmicks. 







The Negatives:


* Be careful as while swapping one of Zeeri's hands the peg holding the hand onto the wrist plug snapped. It still will stay on, but it's definitely broken. Be careful and use some heat/hot water before swapping her hands out.

   Zeerian Spyre's style and design really appeal to me and she's my favorite figure in the line to date. It's that cool respirator, the extremely versatile and well made cloak, and the paintwork and sling on her sniper rifle that really send her over the top. Other than my issue with her hand, she's just phenomenal. She's an Epic figure and I love the her look and aesthetic. Whether you're collecting this entire line, blending her in with another 1/12th scale line, or just displaying her on her own, Zeerian Spyre really impresses. I picked up most of the first series and I've got four more of them sitting on my shelf waiting to be reviewed, but I'm not sure any of them are going to top Zeeri. 


This is the first figure of Zeerian Spyre 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

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