Action Figure Review: Arboryous from Legends of Dragonore by Formo Toys

 

   If you're a regular around here then you know that Moss Man is my favorite Masters of the Universe character. I'm nuts about the guy and I'm always down for a new Moss Man figure. I'm even down for guys who kind of remind me of Moss Man, and that's why I'm reviewing Arboryous from Formo Toys' Legends of Dragonore line today. This guy is an incredible looking figure that is very inspired by the Green Man mythology in a similar vein to Masters of the Universe's Moss Man. If you're not familiar with Legends of Dragonore, it's a 5.5" fantasy toyline based on the classic fantasy lines of the 1980s in that same scale. You know, things like  Remco's The Lost World of the Warlord, Arco's The Other World, Soma's Fantasy World, Olmec Toys' Sun-Man, and Galoob's Blackstar. Oh, and Mattel's Masters of the Universe. We can't forget those, can we? Anyways, Arboryous is part of the second series of releases and I just had to get him as I'm nuts about that design. Let's check out Arboryous, the Vernal Sage Healer of Botanika, after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 5 1/2 inches

Articulation: Shin swivel, swivel thighs, waist swivel, shoulder swivels, forearm swivels, and a swivel head. 

Accessories: Club, chest armor, belt, 2 shin guards, right leg of the Divine Armor, and minibook. 

Non-Scalper Price: $35 dollars

The Packaging:

* Most of the basic Legends of Dragonore figures come on standard blister cards that definitely have an old school feel to them (though some sets and larger figures come in gorgeous boxes). The line has a lot of talent that has been connected with Masters of the Universe in the past (Emiliano Santalucia, Peer Brauner, Joshua Van Pelt, and Mat O'Toole) so you're getting some premier art and design from folks who love MOTU. There is a ton of influence from MOTU (especially early concept work from Mark Taylor) and the work of Jack Kirby. There's a bio for Arboryous on the back that is also told in story form in the included minicomic/ mini-book. 

The Positives:

* This is an excellent design for a Green Man inspired action figure! Like most other 5 and a 1/2 inch action figures in this style, Legends of Dragonore utilizes a shared parts system with reused parts and base bodies. Underneath his armor, Arboryous has a pretty standard green body. It's that armor that really makes him stand out, though, as it's covered with leafy fronds across his chest and hanging down from his waist. The colors are gorgeous and the sculpted detail is incredibly crisp. These figures might be a bit pricier than your average figure in this scale and style but Formo Toys is a smaller company and the quality is excellent. 

* Arboryous' portrait is amazing. While Moss Man's design and aesthetic has often leaned far more towards a shaggy, beast-like creature similar to a sasquatch or bigfoot, Arboryous takes direct inspiration from images of the Green Man. The portrait is incredible with a green facial hair that seems plant-like, deep set red eyes, and a crown that looks to have leaves coming off of it. His ears are also leaf-like, making for a powerful, ancient looking being who absolutely evokes nature. The paintwork is neat and clean and the sculpt is beautifully crisp while still feeling quite organic. 

* Arboryous' gauntlets are quite cool. They're molded as part of his hands/ forearms but look like they're carved from wood. The little growths and knots jutting out also seem like they might be useful for offense as well as defense as getting a forearm from Arboryous while wearing these would seemingly be quite unpleasant. 

* If you remove the leafy belt you can see this line's standard furry trunks underneath, complete with a gold belt. While I don't like them as much as the unique belt that Arboryous comes with, it does give him an alternate look if you're looking for it. 

* The shin guards are really cool as well. They look like shaped pieces of wood lined with leaves inside. They both have slightly different designs and they're removable in case you want to swap up parts (this line is very modular). 

* The basic Legends of Dragonore figures share a standard articulation model where the various body parts are all removable at the joints. Everything is a swivel joint. If you're comparing these to, say, the articulation of vintage MOTU figures, you lose the elastic hip joints but gain swivel calves and swivel forearms. The modularity is a huge part of this line and the figure does have a really good feel to it. Arboryous is a heavy figure who doesn't feel flimsy or cheap in the least. He is incredibly solid!

* Besides his bits of armor, Arboryus comes with a club. It looks like a solid hunk of wood that hasn't really been shaped; it's just a natural hunk of a tree limb with the branches sawn off. It feels very natural and organic, like something he just found on the forest floor in Botanika. 

* The basic figures in Legends of Dragonore each come with a piece of a Divine Armor of Power, a build-a-figure that looks strongly influenced by Jack Kirby's The Eternals or Fourth World. The second Divine Armor of Power has colors that really make me think of Arnim Zola. Arboryus comes with the right leg and it is swappable with his right leg or that of any other standard figure. It's a great sculpt with some really unique colors and design. 

* Instead of a minicomic, Arboryous comes with an 8-page foldout that features a four page short story (similar to the vintage 1982 MOTU minicomics), cross sell art for Warriors of the Galaxy and this series of Legends of Dragonore, and a list of the modular parts for the figure. 

The Negatives:

* My only complaint with the figure is that I don't really like the decision to make the hips simple swivels. I wouldn't expect something prone to breakage like the rubber connectors of the vintage MOTU line but why not simple true balljoints? Those would still be easy to swap and would allow these figures to have more motion and to interact with vehicles and playsets from other compatible lines. If you're aping the style and aesthetic of a vintage line, I think you need to at least meet the same level of articulation that it had. 

   Arboryous is an incredible looking figure and definitely one I'm excited to display with my collection of Moss Man figures and other very similar characters (Bryophytus from Mythic Legions and Mossquatch from Mezco). His portrait is amazing and I love the design that strongly evokes the imagery of the Green Man. Honestly, Arboryous might be one of of my favorite Moss Man designs ever. He's a Great figure and my only complaints would be that the price seems a bit high and the swivel hips are rather limiting. Legends of Dragonore is a line I've been watching since before its release and I'm glad that they finally released a figure that fully captured my attention. I've got one more figure sitting around from this series that I'm waiting to review at some point, too. It's another very MOTU influenced figure based on a concept that Mattel has yet to do, so I'm looking forward to that review as well.

This is the first figure of Arboryous that I've reviewed.