The Weapneers of Monkaa is a brand new figure line from the boys at Spy Monkey Creations Inc. that go on sale today at noon Pacific time! Check out more pics of these cool new toys after the jump!
Packaging
The packaging on these figures is simple poly bag with the ultra cool Weaponeers Logo sticker. I have to say, I’m incredibly impressed by the graphic design on this and the set of character cards for this line. It’s great looking stuff that really harkens back to the logos from ’80s toys where all you knew was what was on the backs of packaging or file cards. The logos for each faction (heroic Gearo, villainous Vilhain) are great classic symbols that quickly identify the bearer as good or evil.
What you get
Each figure ($12) comes with multiple heads, a knife blade, and a scythe. All of the characters have two chest squares, but only the crystal figures come with both symbols. There is a story reason for this as the Crystal Gohlem can choose which side to fight for.
THE CRYSTAL GOHLEMElemental Warriors“Wills that defeat may also defend! Hands that build can also destroy!”The Gohlem are elemental protoforms of Monkaa. Every citizen, soldier,warrior, forgemage, seer, every Weaponeer begins its life path as a Gohlem.Once their journey begins and their will starts to form each individual hasa choice. Will they follow the path of The Gearo or The Vilhain.The Crystal Gohlem are carved from the ancient quartz mines of Monkaa. Crystal Gohlem usually find the path of the seer, although many have been drawn to learn from Palidar and bolster the ranks of the Gearo Forces.
In a very interesting and cool bit of design, some of the extra heads can serve as weapon hands for the characters. The Gohlem head sculpt does double duty as fists. Above, the Crystal Gohlem sports a head from the Evil Brutok as a spiked mace hand, and in the pic below, the Magma Gohlem wields a Palidar head as a blaster.
Basically all six figures are the same, just with different color schemes. The feet, the chests and abs are all sculpted with slightly different details on each side, so they can be turned around to further differentiate the figures from each other. The Gohlem figures have the middle ab section removed to give them an even more squat look than the main heroes and villains.
I love the sculpt on the Gholem head. To me, it kind of looks like he is grinning a bit, though that makes a bit more sense for the good guy Gohlem than the bad. Another awesome feature of the Gohlem figures is that the large amount of clear plastic smells just like the old Crystal Dragon from the Crystar line. Take a whiff of the Crystal Gohlem and it’s an immediate sense memory transport back to the ’80s. Well, for me anyway. Your mileage may vary.
THE MAGMA GOHLEMElemental Warriors“Wills that defeat may also defend! Hands that build can also destroy!”The Gohlem are elemental protoforms of Monkaa. Every citizen, soldier,warrior, forgemage, seer, every Weaponeer begins its life path as a Gohlem.Once their journey begins and their will starts to form each individual hasa choice. Will they follow the path of The Gearo or The Vilhain.The Magma Gohlem begin in the depths of the volcanic fire pits of Monkaa.As their life paths unfold most Magma Gohlem choose the path of forgesmithor warrior. Unfortunately many that walk the path of the warrior side withThe Vilhain.
Palidar
PALIDARFearless Commander of The Gearo Forces“I live for the thrill of battle, Victory is my reward!”Palidar is the best soldier ever forged by The Lord of Light. His bravery and skill in battle are legendary among The Gearo and feared by The Vilhain.Palidar spent most of his life in combat, he never saw himself as a teacher of kings. When his Lord was murdered by first born Umbreus, Palidar embraced the role. He has been instrumental in forging Empyreus into a good, strong, and just ruler.When battle is waged, it is being a warrior at the side of his new Lord that brings a smile to Palidar’s grim face.
BRUTOKRuthless General of The Vilhain Hordes“Want! Take! Have! Only laws Brutok live by!”Brutok is a physically powerful Monkaarian. With his lumbering size andbroken speech many take him for a simple being. That mistake is deadly. Heis the most cunning and brutal strategist to ever stride into battle.Brutok loyally served the Mistress of Shadow. True love for her is why hecontinues to follow Umbreus. Brutok hopes to gain the knowledge to set hisMistress free and prove his love. Until then, he is content to wage warupon The Gearo. He relishes his battles with Palidar, the only being hefeels is his equal on the battlefield.
Articulation
The figures have cut joints at every Glyos peg, but are angled cuts at the arms and hips so there is some simulation of bending arms. You can also move the forearms and lower legs attach points to different pegs on the arms to simulate an elbow or knee bend.
Empyreus
EMPYREUSHeroic Leader of The Gearo“We are the architects of the cosmos, we must forge that destiny wisely.”Empyreus Rex, Ruler of Monkaa and Leader of The Gearo. The second son of the Lord of Light and Mistress of Shadow. Forged to bring the balance of order against the maelstrom of chaos created by The Vilhain and his shadowbrother Umbreus.Empyreus was thrust into leadership without wanting or expecting it. What he lacks in wisdom and experience, he makes up for in strength, courage,and tenacity.His desire to protect all forms of life and his ability to forge powerful weapons make him a leader capable of driving back the shadows and bringing light to the cosmos.
Empyreus also has a very classic ’80s heroic robotic looking headsculpt, reminiscent of many an Autobot and one of my classic favorites toy lines from back then — Crystar.
He has a cool feature in that his helmet points are on Glyos joints and can be removed or replaced with other Glyos pegged parts.
Paint
Paint on these figures is pretty minimal as the figures are cast in the base color plastic for the most part. Whatever paint is there is all very sharp and clean. There are some really cool outlines on all the tech details on the non-Gholem characters that really brings out the coolness of those panel sculpts.
Umbreus
UMBREUSEvil Overlord of The Vilhain“The power of Monkaa is rightfully mine! Doom to all who stand in my way!”Umbreus, first born of Shadow and Light. Forged in an attempt to bringpeace and balance to the universe. That attempt failed tragically.Impatient to gain the crown of Monkaa, Umbreus murdered the Lord of Lightand cast a powerful spell upon the Mistress of Shadow. With the aid ofmighty Brutok and The Vilhain, he seized the throne.Terribly scarred in battle and driven from the capitol, he now wears afrightening helmet and has gone mad for power. He has vowed to conquer hisbrother Empyreus and take back what he believes to be rightfully his.
The vibe I get from this guy’s head sculpt is Megatron meets Skeletor and I love that. He has a classic villain feel for sure.
I have a feeling that the Glyos customizing community is going to go nuts building cool things with these figures, but I dig them so much just as they are. They are cool little figures and have a neat chunky feel to them. They are solid hunks of plastic.
My son was immediately entranced by these figures. You may have noticed the Crystal Gholem is the only figure that isn’t in the package in the packaging shot earlier in the article. Well, that’s because my son latched onto that figure immediately and proceeded to pester me about playing with it constantly until I finally broke down and gave it to him. I’m not a guy who just gives into his kids easily, but he was so desperate to get his hands on this figure that I couldn’t resist.
The figures, along with a head pack and six different close range weapon sets, go on sale 10/1/12 at 12 p.m., PDT, at SpyMonkeyCreations.com. We will be taking a look at the head pack and the close range weapon sets in another article, so check back for that! Thanks to the guys at Spy Monkey Creations Inc for providing these early samples for this feature. Below is some press release material from the Spy Monkey boys:
Spy Monkey Creations Inc. is proud to announce the debut of their new original property: The Weaponeers of Monkaa!
Enter the world of the Weaponeers of Monkaa!Witness the eternal battle
between the heroic Gearo and the evil Vilhain as it rages across space and time!Empyreus, Palidar and their Gearo defenders protect the cosmos
from Umbreus, Brutok and the ravening Vilhain hordes!Discover the secrets of the mysterious Gohlem; will they follow the path of good or evil?
Join the battle and decide the fate of The Weaponeers of Monkaa!The Weaponeers of Monkaa will introduce fans and collectors to a new world of
fun and adventure. Meet the heroic Gearo and the evil Vilhain. Join in their epic cross-dimensional battle. Decide what path, good or evil, the beings known as
Gohlem will walk. Play with and display them as they are or rebuild and customize each character your way. The possibilities are endless!Products that will be available include interchangeable action figures and
accessory packs utilizing the amazing Onell Design Glyos system. Each injection molded PVC action figure and accessory set will be fully customizable and
compatible will all Glyos System products including Onell, Callgrim, The Outer Space Men, and Banimon!The first series of Weaponeers of Monkaa will be comprised of the following;
4 key characters in the struggle of good versus evil:
• Empyreus – Heroic Leader of the Gearo
• Palidar – Fearless Commander of the Gearo Forces
• Umbreus – Evil Overlord of the Vilhain
• Brutok – Ruthless General of the Vilhain Hordes
Each character figure features painted accents, detail lines, and a removable
tampo printed faction symbol. Each figure is made up of 25-28 interchangeable parts including a sword and a
and a sickle weapon and interchangeable head/hand/weapon accessories.Gohlems also include alternate translucent Empyreus and Umbreus heads. Each
figure comes with a trading card featuring fully painted artwork, bios and details on each character.
$12.00 each.Also available is a Close Combat Armory Weapon Set in six different colorways.
Each set includes 14 interchangeable parts including 2 pistol builds, sword blade, sickle blade, 2 re-designed Dominar handles, and 4 bonus mini blades.
$5.00 each.
Additionally a special Weaponeers of Monkaa Extra Head Pack is available which includes 6 character heads in colorways available nowhere else!Eachpack includes 10 interchangeable parts. $5.00 each.
Finally, in celebration of the debut of the Weaponeers of Monkaa, we’ll be
lowering the price of all remaining stock of our Spy Monkey Armory to $15.00 each!
Online sales will begin on Monday, October 1st, at
www.SpyMonkeyCreations.com at 12 noon PDT.
Please visit www.WeaponeersofMonkaa.com for more information!
Please also visit our partner sites www.OnellDesign.com, www.Callgrim.com, www.FourHorsemen.biz and www.Banimon.com to find out more about the the
entire range of Glyos System products!
“We are the architects of the cosmos, we must forge that destiny wisely.” Empyreus – Heroic Leader of the Gearo
About Spy Monkey Creations Inc.
Spy Monkey Creations Inc. is based in Los Angles, CA. Spy Monkey Creations Inc. is your source for unique action figures & accessories. Our mission is to
create toys and accessories that combine today’s quality with what made toys fun in years past. At Spy Monkey Creations we strive to offer you innovative action
figures and accessories for both the collector and the kid in us all!
Please visit our website at www.spymonkeycreations.com
®Weaponeers of Monkaa, ®Spy Monkey Armory, ®Close Combat Armory and all associated characters are trademarks of Spy Monkey Creations Inc. ©2012 Spy Monkey Creations Inc. All
rights reserved.
