Since its inception, the Mythic Legions line has had a LOT going for it. Warriors, skeletons, orcs, goblins, trolls – all of them have had a prominent place in one of the hottest collector lines going at the moment. The one thing it did NOT have though, was females. Well, the new Advent of Decay series has taken care of that, and in wonderfully ferocious fashion.
Yes, the females take center stage this time around, and the Advent of Decay has added so many levels of diversity to an already CRAZY line, I can barely keep up as I pluck a new figure from the box each week to extend our featured coverage. That said, for all of the really awesome new ladies, there was ZERO chance that any of them were going to stack up or overtake my favorite spot from a barbarian woman name Jjuno the CRUSHER. That name, along with her tough as nails design, makes for a girl I would storm into battle with at any time or any place. Mainly so she could protect me.
Yes, I make no bones about the fact that the skeletons and goblins are my bread and butter with this line, but Attlus was one of my sleeper favorites of the first Legions go around, so Jjuno had a lot going for her before she even showed up on my doorstep. According to her bio, she and Attlus are on the outs in terms of alignment, but maaaan, it is going to be hard not to keep those two on the shelf when my new toy room is finished (Attlus is currently packed away, hence his absence). Jjuno is the perfect compliment to his design, but all things being equal, she is the much more interesting figure, and everything from her fiery mane, to her face tattoos, to her weaponry clearly indicates that you would be unwise to mess with her.
Being a fantasy line, and the fact the Horsemen have just a *tiny* bit of experience in that realm, Mythic Legions scales larger than a typical 1:12 line, and the builds, musculature, and body types all support that. Jjuno is not some wispy waif that is all too often the blueprint for females in any line, but while she is not a giant either, her proportions fit this line well for some one of an average, yet well-conditioned build, so there are still may shapes and sizes that can fit into this realm for when the 4H go back to well for the next iteration. For a barbarian woman, Jjuno’s build is solid, and it is clear she won’t have any issues cutting through the skeleton hordes.
As I mentioned, the character design that sits on that able frame is very striking, and Jjuno is definitely in upper echelon of Advent of Decay females who will stand out amongst the Legions. She fits the barbarian archetype, and her hair and tattoos make that clear, but her loincloth, metal bra, and armor also supports the theme well. The Horsemen have somehow been able to keep Jjuno very prototypical, but also very unique, so while she is a character very much unto herself, she could also fit in well with other barbarian fantasy lines. And then kick everyone’s butt. To me, her face sculpt and paint work on the head are the real highlights, and while the Horsemen kept us up to date of production progress, it is still very impressive to see all of this clean detail in-hand. This particular figure does have a few nicks and dints in the flesh paint in a couple of other areas, but overall, the production value and quality is very high.
Like all Legionnaires, Jjuno comes with a myriad of weapons and accessories, and also in due course, I like some more than others. She has the two wing and one shield back plug-ins, as well as the sword sheath band that come with most figures, but for her, I find that I likely won’t be using any of these. I DO like the should pauldrons, though, and while they might limit that articulation just a bit, they look great on her and fit her design well. Jjuno also comes with a rather plain sword and axe, both of which we have seen before, and a giant hammer worthy of being wielded by someone using the handle, “The Crusher.” It is large and ornate, and I am pretty positive, like, 99% of the people who own this figure will be using it. However, I think I am going to go with plainer sword and axe on the shelf. I know, it might be crazy, but I REALLY like the look of both of these, as nondescript as they may be, and Jjuno just looks great carrying two weapons into battle.
What a great figure! Sure, Jjuno and Brother Mandibulus are the only two Advent of Decay figures I have opened thus far (I said I was taking my time to savor such a large amount of toys that arrived all at once), but she is already one of my favorite Mythic Legions releases. I collect so many lines that I am not really able to be a full completist with Legions, but I am over the moon for the figures I do have, and Jjuno is right near the top. Sure, I have not gotten to my goblins yet, but along with her former tribesman Attlus, Jjuno is likely going to remain one of the few heroic characters that take a top spot in Legions collection, so watch out, forces of evil, she is coming to CRUSH you.
