The problem I have with pre-ordered figures is that when I get so many at once, I don’t really appreciate each individual figure as much as I do when I find figures one at a time at the local Target. To combat this feeling, I’ve been opening my Mythic Legions figures one character at a time, and today the Mythic Legions unboxing party continues with a look at the viscously vampiric Carpathias!
Bio
Carpathius: Evil Swordsman
Race: Vampire
Calculating and refined, Carpathius is a warrior with unmatched precision and effectiveness. As a high ranking member of Illithya’s court, he has been responsible for the annihilation of entire villages. Rather than going directly for the kill, Carpathius prefers to paralyze his victims with a poison tipped blade, leaving them helpless as he silently drains them of life.
We learn a bit about Carpathius’ character from this bio. I can see him as a cold and calculating fighter, using subterfuge and swift strikes to cut with his poison blade; it fits the design. I’m intrigued by the mention of another faction, the Court of Illithya. Illithya sounds like some type of Vampire Queen to me, and I would love to see that design come to life eventually.
Sculpt
Carpathius is one of the earlier head sculpts I saw from Mythic Legions at SDCC that I fell in love with. He’s at once an elegant and disgusting Nosferatu-like bat creature. His eyes are really prominent, and I can imagine him hypnotizing quite a few unsuspecting victims.
The armor is familiar by now, featuring the more classic knight armor with a prominent neck guard and the smaller shoulder pads. It’s definitely a more elegant look than, say, the Orc or Dwarve armor pieces. I also like how he has the skirt, but not the cloth shirt piece for some variety in the ranks of knights who wear similar armor.
Accessories
Carpathias comes with two removable shoulder pads, a weapon strap, a short sword, and a spear. The short sword is similar to Sir Gideon’s and is sharply sculpted. The only critique I have is that it’s a little difficult to get a two-handed pose, but as a short sword, that’s less of an issue anyway. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to see the Mythic Legions spear and it’s pretty impressive.
The head is not just a regular old spear head; it has a neat design to it and the extra curves and sharp edges give it a wicked look. The handle is a little thicker than the regular sword handles but doesn’t stretch out the grip hand like the axe sometimes can. The shoulder pads are removable and I think I like the slimmed-down look when they are off best for Carpathias.
Paint
The paint is pretty fantastic. Carpathius has some shading that brings out the detail in his face and highlights the bright white eyes against his pale flesh. The armor looks so cool painted in a gloss black. It gives the impression of a lacquered decorated finish that seems appropriate for a more refined warrior.
Articulation
The articulation is standard across the Mythic Legions figures for the most part, with the following articulation:
- Ball-and-socket head and torso
- Swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, wrists, and ankles
- Swivel gloves, thighs, and neck
- Hinged shoulder pads
The articulation is all effective and solid, and the heavy skirt and shoulder armor thankfully don’t get in the way of movement.
Overall
After what feels like several years of pining away for this figure (okay, it’s only been since SDCC 2014, but time feels longer in the wanting), I’m so happy to finally have this monster in hand. I find the Mythic Legions figures so far to be great hand candy as they are just so fun to pose and swap around weapons and gear, and Carpathias is no different. The quality of plastic and paint and joints are all top-notch. Carpathius pre-orders are all sold out at Storehorsemen.com, but there are some still available at a markup at Bigbadtoystore.com.
