This is one of the best things the Four Horsemen have ever done.
If you have been coming to this site for a while, you probably know me, so it is not a surprise that my love for things like Masters of the Universe, DC, Marvel, and TMNT, all things the Horsemen have worked on in terms of making action figures, runs deep. Like a lot of you, I have hundreds of figures designed and sculpted by the 4H, the collections they represent make up a large portion of my overall collection display. Now, I have loved and supported the Horsemen’s homegrown Mythic Legions line since its inception, and there are so many great figures from the line, but Brontus here, he is on a completely different level for me, and he joins the pantheon of Mer-Man, Blue Beetle, and the Mirage TMNT figures as one of my all-time favorite Horsemen figures.
The success of Mythic Legions is not surprising in the least, but I am still amazed with how fast the line has taken off and how diverse it is in such a short amount of time. Remember, this is an original concept line, something that has gotten EXTREMELY rare in the action figure world, and an independent line to boot, so to see it achieve the level of success and reverence it has makes me very happy. Making action figures is not cheap or easy (trust me, we know), and the fact that we have everything from skeletons to barbarians to female elves (as soon as the second series ships) with creatures like ogres on the way, is very, very impressive. However, the most imposing of all of their figures are the giant trolls, and Brontus joins that select brotherhood with this new Coliseum collection. Oh, but in a first for the line, he is actually a heroic troll, so the good guys just got their big man!
What can say? The first time I saw this dude at SDCC, I was smitten, like totally in love. Sure, I really dig the previous trolls, too, but something about this guy has always spoken to me, so I pretty much put in my pre-order right then and there. Yes, he shares a lot of his pieces from the previous trolls, but the color scheme and cyclops influence make him such a standout, and as I said, everything was drawing me in. I was chatting with Cornboy, and we discussed Brontus and our shared favorite Marvel character (the Thing), and CB started talking about the color influence being taken from him, right down to the blue eyes. Well, DUH, no wonder I liked this figure so much! The awesome color tribute gives way to one of the coolest eyes I have ever seen on a toy. Brontus’s big blue eye is painted so immaculately, I cannot believe the factory was able to achieve the effect, it almost looks like it watercolor. I know, I might be making a big deal out of it, but it is really neat.
For the sculpting work, well, this is the Four Horsemen and you get what you would likely expect: amazing. Yes, there is reuse here, but that does not take away from the sculpt itself because it continues to be amazing. I really love all fo the crags and folds and wrinkles in the skin, and the armor plates along the arms and back. Heck, even the bottom of the feet are sculpted, so that is on those “oh damn!” details I love to see. The new head is, of course, a highlight, and the paint really helps to bring out all fo the personality in the likeness. The belt is sculpted, but the loincloth is a mixed media soft goods combination with faux fur and some fabric straps to imitate leather. I am normally not a soft goods guy, but the faux fur is a great effect here, and I am glad they went in this direction.
The articulation is actually pretty good for a rotocast figure, but I think it is a few points shy of being considered “super” articulated. Like I said, this is often the case for mostly hollow figures, but all of the important points are there: neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, and ankles. Sure, a few additional points here and there could be cool, remember that this is a REALLY large figure, so something like knee joints might be more of a reliability than a virtue for a figure like this. Either way, I think the scheme strikes the right balance of functionality while retaining durability and strength to support this massive frame.
Finally, Brontus has two accessories:his wicked club, and a real lead chain. The club can split three places, and the skull at the end looks like he took it straight from a stone troll, and the effect is perfect. The real chain is nice for the coliseum theme, so his clan can lead him into battle and set him loose. Both of these are great for the figure, but since the figure is so impressive, the weapons could get lost in the fray. However, this is certainly NOT the case with the club, ain’t nobody misses this thing.
The Mythic Legions line is really just getting started in my opinion, and Brontus is definitely my favorite figure of the line this far, and that is coming from a tried and true skeleton fan. The Horsemen really crushed this guy, and no matter what you collection looks like, Brontus will definitely stand out. Keep an eye on Store Horsemen, he might just be available again soon.
