We're had two villains, it's time for a good guy.
Strongheart is a fearless seeker of justice, risking his life to ensure that good triumphs over evil. He is thoughful, kind,
and seldom rash, yet never hesitant to punish those who spit in the face of law and order. Strongheart doesn't worship a god but devotes himself to an ideal: that the world can be spared from evil by those who have enough courage to stand against it. He prefers to fight with his trusty sword Steel, and aims to capture and imprison evildoers, slaying them only if they cannot be apprehended.
Spoilers for a game module from literally 40 years ago, but in Quest for the Heartstone, Strongheart and Warduke are pals on the same team. Upon encountering the titular Heartstone, it creates exact duplicates of everyone in the room, just with their alignment flipped - Lawful to Chaotic, Good to Evil, etc. - and compels them to fight. If the original wins, they stay the same; if the double wins, the character's alignment inverts permenently. So the implication is Strongheart won his fight, but Warduke lost and was replaced.
Like Warduke, Strongheart first appeared as a pre-generated character in The Shady Dragon Inn, and most recently showed up in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, a Fifth Edition where he was leading Valor's Call, a group of heroes fighting against the League of Malevolence. Gotta love those silly names! Also like Warduke, he showed up in a single episode of the cartoon (though not the same one). That's how we know under his ornate helmet, he has brown hair longer than 1980s He-Man's to go with his big mustache - 70s/80s style on this toy, rather than a handlebar.
While Warduke was a totally unique, creative design, Strongheart is just a standard knight. This Mythic Legions-lookin' mutha is
covered by a silver breastplate and pauldrons, an armored blue skirt, and chainmail on his arms and legs. His poleyns (knee guards) have fan-plates on the side, and he wears thick blue boots. Like the original toy, this one has wings on his helmet, but this time they're flat and stylized representations, rather than looking like metal feathers. His gauntlets have a layered look, which is quite cool, but ultimately this could be any knight from any property. A very nice knight, but still just a knight. Why do paladins always have to be so boring?
And that's not to say Thomas Gwyn didn't do a wonderful job sculpting the toy. Every little ring in the chainmail, the rampant lion
crest in the center of his chest, the way thin (molded) chains are demonstrate how his cape and even the extra plate covering his chest and shoulders are securely attached to the real man... if you've ever wanted a plain knight, then this is for you! I know we already mentioned Mythic Legions, but it really is the strongest point of comparison among modern toys. Given that line's modular style, you could probably build something that's very similar to this on your own. Even the feathers on top of the helmet. That's not a dig against the toy, it just shows that NECA's D&D line is in good company.
In Shady Dragon Inn, Strongheart's sword was called Purlblade and was "given to him by some dwarves"; in Wild Beyond the Witchlight, the sword is simply called Steel and is a +2 sentient weapon that can resurrect someone once per day. You can choose whatever you want for this toy, because he does include a sword that's just as standard as his armor. That was the only accessory the vintage toy had,
but NECA's has more, including a large dagger, and a scabbard to hold them both. Yes, both: the scabbard that holds the sword (and fits in a loop hanging from his belt, already giving this toy one up on every Lord of the Rings toy Diamond Select has made) also has a secondary sheath sculpted as though it's strapped to it so both blades can be carried at once. Fun! They've invented a shield for him, and have also given him a golden hammer. That's not something any of the books or stat sheets have ever mentioned, so where did they come up with it? It's what he used in that single cartoon episode! Well played, NECA! One flaw, however? The glue on the accessories could be stronger; both the small scabbard and one of the shield's straps have just come apart because the glue was too weak. An easy fix, but worth reporting.
The figure includes four pairs of hands, all open to varying degrees, and his articulation is what you expect from a NECA toy:
a balljointed head, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel gloves, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed waist and chest, balljointed hips, swivel thighs, double swivel/hinge knees, and swivel/hinge ankles. His luscious blue cape has a posing wire along the sides and bottom edge, but it's a very light wire and a very heavy cape, so don't expect anything too wild from it - we're not talking Casey Jones' opera cloak here or anything. The visor on his helmet is hinged so it can be dropped down in front of the face, which was certainly not a feature the original toy could have made work in 1983! The plastic there is rather thin, so be careful not to break it.
Warduke and Grimsword were very clearly characters - you put them in a collection, and people are going to know they're from something specific. But Strongheart is really more of an archetype, able to fit in well with any appropriately thematic line. If you don't already know him, nothing particularly says "D&D" about him, and maybe that's just fine.
-- 03/27/24
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