Magic is something Mythic Legions has been sorely lacking since the beginning, which makes the "Poxxus" set so exciting. Now, after two years of waiting, they have finally arrived (my order was delivered just shy of exactly 26 months from the date I pre-ordered). When this series was revealed, my eyes immediately gravitated to Kalizirr, a djinn! I tend to like the more colorful figures in Mythic Legions and while I was desperate for the wizards, a genie was something completely unexpected for the line! That, combined with his vivid blues, coppers, purples, and reds, all paired with the eastern design flourishes immediately made him my favorite reveal!
Born of an elemental fire that transcends our physical plane, the Djinn of Mythoss are an enigmatic people known for
their great power and unpredictable allegiances. Considered spirits by some and demons by others, they are mighty beings who draw their abilities from the elements. Typically bound to inanimate objects by wizards and spellcasters seeking to tame their unruly strength, Djinn are both all powerful and prisoners of their own existence. The malevolent Kalizirr is a rare Djinn who has been freed from his bondage. Bent on revenge on the magic wielder that imprisoned him, Kalizirr is faithful to the cause of Poxxus and his war on honorable magic.
The figure is a bit larger than usual, so he (originally, at least) retailed for $47 (versus $37 for standard figures) and comes in the same-sized box as the "ogre-scale" figures. The box art is, of course, updated for the Poxxus theme with the character bio on the side along with photos of the other larger-sized Poxxus figures. Inside is a tray that features the figure and accessories (most of which are held in place with little plastic T-strings, like tags on clothes). His massive ponytail is packaged in a bag behind him.
Kalizirr is bigger than typical Mythic Legions figures as he (and the Orc Shaman Tharnog) use the torso and arms from Aphareus, the centaur from Illythia, which was upscaled to better match
the horse body (something I didn't realize until they mentioned it about these figures), and adds in new a waist, legs and bare feet to match that new scale. The result is a figure that stands 7⅝" tall (not including the ponytail) and scales between the regular figures and Ogres... though a bit shorter than the "perfect middle" most of us expected. The Horsemen are definitely thinking and designing more long-term here as the new waist already has front and back pegholes and, particularly, the legs are sculpted bare: the shin armor is a separate piece that slides on, as opposed to the forearm armor (which is actually the toy's forearms, a carryover from Aphareus). Sculpturally, everything looks to my eyes to be simple upscales of the standard size pieces. So seemingly identical articulation as well.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about this figure is his paint deco. He has a pale minty turquoise base coat with light blue sprays for accents (practically "Haunted Mansion ghost" colors!). The quality of the sprays is really impressive. The more I look at them, the more they
are the standout feature of the figure. More than any other figure in my collection, both the nuance and sheer volume of these apps remind me that these toys are in fact hand-crafted pieces of art! I mean, these are not some tampo print, paint mask or other fully or semi-automated application. You can just see the factory painter sitting there with an airbrush following each recessed muscle line... it's damned impressive, and an excellent reminder of just why these figures cost so much more than stuff we find from larger companies. I often bemoan the price of 4H figures, but this one is absolutely worth the price!
The newly sculpted greaves fit perfectly and nicely match the paneled design of the forearm bracers. The belt is a fantastic piece with a large oval with fiery flourishes, including two low hooks for the
purple not-scarf, and hanging tassels. The whole frontispiece seems like it might be a separate piece allowing for future variation on figures. We also get a big necklace that sits freely on the shoulders; maybe a bit too freely. Two of its disks on the back perfectly line up with the standard Mythic Legions shoulder-holes; was the original plan was to have it plug in?
Under the belt is a red softgoods skirt
with loincloth and purple scarf/belt. Both seem to be the same fabric pattern the Figura Obscura Monkey King had, but the new colors and deco here really make them feel quite different - particularly the gold trim and printed pattern on the skirt! What's also cool is, since the figure is mostly modular and the skirt has a basic hole to fit around the waist peg, it could alternately be used as a shawl - something that could really open up a lot of fun customizing opportunities.
Kalizirr gets an incredibly detailed head with a lot of long points. It's made from a lot more pieces than expected! It looks like all four horns, both eyebrows and moustache/tusks are all separately tooled pieces! This creates an incredible sense of depth and fantastical realism for the character! The head is a neat design, but very clearly in same aesthetic as some Cosmic Legions heads - perhaps a bit too similar (with the symmetric dots and grooves/plates). The beard comes to an outward-facing point, maintaining a good range of poseability, and both ears have holes into which real metal rings are fastened - very cool!
This fella has a decent array of accessories. There's the 4¾" long ponytail that plugs into the back of his skull in a
quite tight fit. The hair becomes a bit cumbersome for posing given its length and rigidness (I suspect I'll keep it off my figure). We also get two alternate clawing hands (and I really wish I had the smoke-effect-with-orb from Tharnog to use with this figure). There are two tornado-ish spiraling magic smoke effects in translucent purple that can be used on the forearms (or, not-quite-as-intended, shins) to allude to genie powers. Then there is the incredible rad giant scimitar (over 6½" long) featuring a fiery scrollwork on the blade and a wild demonic guard. Best of all, the handle works with standard-sized figures' grips as well! Lastly, we get the iconic magic lamp of genie lore. The sculpt is beautiful, with the handle and lid being a separate part glued in, though it's sad and surprising to find the spout doesn't have a peg hole. That feels like a wasted opportunity; at least it could have allowed one of the included spirals to plug in to for "genie summoning" poses.
In fact, the only real complaint about this djinn is that it indeed falls a bit short of fully committing to the premise. We'd have liked to have some translucency to the figure, at least in the legs and/or feet, if not some swappable "smoke" lower half or something. But perhaps my imagination is bigger than my wallet in terms of feasibility there. And, of course, there is always the chance the 4H will revisit the concept in the future, which I certainly would be interested in because, ultimately, I madly adore this figure! As soon as I saw this figure I immediately wanted to pair it with Gryssha for the similar colors and vibe, and am thrilled that after more than two years of waiting that can finally happen! It's rare that a figure surpasses my expectations, or, frankly, reviewing one improves my opinion of it. Had I not fully disassembled the figure for taking photos here I don't think I would have ever really seen the proverbial trees for the forest, and noticed or really appreciated the detail and versatility of the softgoods or, especially, the absolutely gorgeous paintwork on the body. It is probably fair to say this figure has rejuvenated my love of Mythic Legions.
-- 05/05/24
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