Earlier this week I did an ‘early’ review of the fourth series of Dragon figures from Mcfarlane Toys over at MROTW.  Today the circle will be complete with my review of the deluxe figure from this set, the Komodo Clan dragon.

Mcfarlane first started the Dragons line in 2005, based on an internally developed mythology.  The dragons belong to six different clans (so far) – Fire, Water, Eternal, Berserker, sorcerer and Komodo.  These clans interact with each other and with humans to varying degrees and in varying ways, and a war between the clans is brewing that will eventually destroy them.

In each of the previous regular series, one clan member was pulled out to be the deluxe figure.  For series 4, it’s the Komodo Clan Dragon, covered in today’s review. After series 5 (due in January of 07), we’ll be seeing some new clans, including Fossil, Hunter, Warrior, Ice and Scavenger.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com – on with the review!

“Series 4 Deluxe Komodo Clan Dragon”

Komodo Clan dragons like to burrow underground, but like climbing trees as well.  They’re fast runners, and are definitely man-eaters.  They have plenty of attitude, but that tends to come with ugly and big.

 

 

Packaging – ***
While the regular release figures come in clamshells, the deluxe come in boxes.  The graphics are solid, with some explaination of the character and clan on the back.  It shows off the figure well, and holds up to shelf wear pretty good.  It’s not particularly collector friendly, but Mcfarlane packaging rarely is.

 

 

Sculpting – ***
The sculpt is technically excellent – lots of small detail work, with a scaley skin and leathery wings.  Plenty of interesting textures, and a nice use of different styles to differentiate between the log, the earth and the dragon.

It isn’t so much a technical issue as an artistic one that tends to interfere with my complete enjoyment of this guy.  In the 50’s, 60’s and even 70’s, when a low budget movie or television show needed a dinosaur, remember what they did? That’s right, they dressed up an iguana, often in the silliest of costumes.  I can say without a doubt that this is the first of any of the Dragons that reminds me of an dressed up iguana.  Maybe it’s the itty bitty version of Rachel Welch down on the base, maybe it’s the pose, maybe it’s the skin texture and wattle under his neck.  Whatever it is, it makes him a tad more silly for me.  Your mileage will vary, probably depending on how many bad 1950’s science fiction movies you’ve watched.

 

 

One of the things I do really like about this guy is the cool harness around his neck.  There are a number of real metal chains hanging off of it, although the one actually running down to his ‘masters’ hands isn’t.

The later series of dragons have gotten smaller in scale than the original series.  The scale has always been claimed at 6″, but the actual size of the dragons has decreased a bit.  For some, this is a deal breaker, especially if the price point rises.  For others, the size is still close enough to make for a consistenty and cool display.

Paint – ***1/2
No issues once again here.  There’s the smallest amount of slop on the skin of the human, and there’s some transitions on his skin that aren’t quite as smooth as what I saw in the regular series Dragons, but in general the job is well above average, even at this price point.

 

 

Articulation – **
This is one of those figures that appears to have more articulation than he does.

There’s a cut neck, which you can free up with a little work but is a tad restricted by the chain harness.  There’s also ball jointed wings, although they both had some issues.  The left wing was very loose, and had a tough time holding a pose, while the right wing was so tight it was almost impossible to get to move in and out from the body.

 

 

It may look like there are joints at the four legs and tail, but with the paws glued in place to the tree, they wouldn’t do you much good anyway.  And no, I couldn’t get the tail freed up, and believe it’s glued in place.

Accessories – **1/2
There isn’t any accessories as you’d traditionally think of them, since the dragon is attached to the tree.  Still, I’m counting his base in this category, and have to admit it’s pretty sharp.

 

 

The hot chick on controlling this bad boy is probably the first feature you notice, but it’s the detail work in the tree, branches and roots that really sets it apart.  The much larger size is appreciated as well, and is more in line with what you’re paying than the regular series figures.  Too bad the price goes up as well.

Also included with this deluxe set is a nifty booklet giving a much longer and deeper backstory on the dragons.  Similar to some of the stories included with other in house lines in the past, this was a very pleasant surprise.  You won’t spend hours reading it, but it’s good enough to add some interest and value to the overall line.

Fun Factor – **1/2
Okay, so these aren’t highly poseable action figures with a ton of accessories or a cool license to back them up.  But kids love dragons as much as adults, maybe moreso.  And dragons make for excellent bad guys to battle.  While these aren’t huge, they do work pretty well with 1/64th scale figures, and you can even get away with 3 3/4″ figures battling them.

 

 

Value – **
The deluxe has a more intricate and larger base than a regular figure.  Otherwise, it’s pretty much a regular figure.  Considering that they regulars used to cost a ten spot, paying $22 or so for this guy is a less than average value.  Fifteen to seventeen tops feels about right for this guy, but with the retailers drying up and lower production runs, the price increases aren’t surprising.  But can the line survive them?

Things to Watch Out For –
Not a hell of a lot.  Of course, you always want to check the paint, but that’s rarely an issue with Mcfarlane on this line.  Also, if you try freeing up some of those glued joints, take care.  The plastic is soft enough to twist til it breaks.

Overall – ***
While this guy is larger and more impressive than the rest of series 4, he falls in the later half of the group for me.  The iguana like appearance is only part of the reason, and the poor wing joints were perhaps my biggest issue.  Had they worked well, they would have been a great addition, but since neither functioned properly, it was a bit of a let down.

 

 

Still, for fans of the line, he’ll make a decent addition.  It’s great to see them giving us once deluxe in each of the five original clans before we get new clans in the sixth series, and I’m really looking forward to the first 12″ dragon they have planned for release in 2007.

Where to Buy –

– Clark Toys has the singles for $13, or the set of 5 for $60 – or a case of 12 at $115.

– Killer Toys has the set of 5 for $65, a case of 12 for $117, and the deluxe for $23.

– Entertainment Earth has the case at $140, or the deluxe at $28.

Related Links –
For the dragon fan:

– the Mcfarlane website has a nice section on these, with their own photos and info.

– earlier this week I covered the regular figures in wave 4.

– I’ve reviewed past waves including the deluxe figure from the first wave, and a guest review of the rest of wave 1.

– and if you’re a fan of dragons in general, there’s the cool Hungarian Horntail Dragon from Gentle Giant, Singe from the long ago Dragon’s Lair line, or even the cool Megablok Dragons.

 

Comments: 2 Comments

2 Responses to “Toy Box: Dragons Series 4 – Deluxe Komodo Dragon” Victoria Marcon Says: August 14th, 2008 at 9:36 pm I would like to know if there is any place in Argentina where i can buy it.thanks! Komek Says: September 18th, 2008 at 4:10 pm Great toys!:) Leave a Reply Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Δ