I’m not even sure where to begin with this figure, other than to profess my love for it in pretty much every way humanly possible. Yet another figure with a link to Hades and the underworld, the Tartarus Guard represents the secret elite, supernatural soldiers who guard not just the Underworld, but Tartar, the lowest level of the underworld. It’s somewhat dubious as to whether or not they actually serve Hades or some other entity apart from him, but considering how much I love the Undead Warrior (and the purple skeletons, but more on that later) I’m finding it really appealing to try and work this figure into the more standardized Hades crew. Her pink trim is a lot more pink than purple, but I think I can make it work.
The Tartarus Guard features the familiar female figure build with a new head, and a striking new head at that. Her excellent braided pony tail is removable so the helmet will fit on, but the figure looks terrific with or without it. She’s wearing the familiar Amazon armor, but really, it’s the sinister paint scheme that completely sells it.
Black is her base color, a complete jet black, with only pink trim in the right places to illuminate her. Using the skeleton has a template, her bones appear to be painted over in a vibrant pink color, which stands out incredibly well among the black body backdrop.
The face paint is especially compelling, with the blacked out sections of where the skull teeth would be looking very sinister and evil. Bones decoed into her dark skin are obviously stylized, but an exceptionally cool design aesthetic, even with the armor over the top of them. She is one hell of an evil looking netherworld defender, and the pinnacle of design excellence. I’m not sure where Boss Fight got the idea of painting this figure up like this, but it’s a daring concept and executed remarkably well.
Accessories
The Tartarus Guard comes with an arsenal of weaponry, including three separate swords, a spear, a shield (with a fantastic rendition of Hades Bident), two battle axes and her helmet. She also has the Amazon breastplate, arm, and leg armor as well, so she is well equipped to defend her station.
The fact that the Hades Bident is decoed on her shield leads me to believe she does exist to fight alongside the Undead Warrior, which is awesome. I really love that figure, and I love this figure as well, and as the days go on I feel more and more compelled to find a way to involve Hades in my HACKS mythology.
The Tartarus Guard is phenomenal. Excellent design, terrific articulation, and an exciting new head sculpt all come together to give us a great new character in the HACKS line. Black skin with the pink embellishments works far better than I suspected it might, and I actually find myself wondering how I can get a few more pink skeletons or even maybe leverage some of the pink blanks to bolster my Tartar forces. Fantastic job on this one.
Tartarus Guard
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.7
Summary
From the depths of the underworld, the Tartarus Guard strikes fear into the hearts of all. A spectacular insidious paint scheme, terrific figure design and an arsenal of nasty weapons gives the Tartarus Guard a huge upper hand against all foes. The new head sculpt is terrific, and she wears the Amazon armor to perfection in a really appealing gold and purple paint scheme. With each passing day I’m becoming more interested in the Hades side of this whole conflict, and the Tartarus Guard fits right in that sweet spot.
Like the Celestial Battle two pack, the Ghosts of the Battlefield two pack veers off into the metaphysical a little bit, talking about the eternal battle between the Gorgons and Spartans being so intense that it actually spills over into the afterlife. It brings up the question of whether ghosts exist and if the battle between Gorgons and Man is in fact immortal.
It’s an interesting way to try a Glow in the Dark experiment, and ultimately that’s the draw to these figures, finding a way to bring some glow in the dark fun to the toys. Largely, the experiment is successful, making a Gorgon figure that is aesthetically pleasing even when it’s not glowing.
The figure is actually a human figure with the Gorgon head, the only one of those in the line so far that leverages Stheno’s secondaries to maintain a serpentine look. It’s a very cool aesthetic and between the faint milky white material of the figure itself and the really cool nearly clear blue highlights, the figure looks completely supernatural. I really like the idea of an upright walking Gorgon with a human body as well, it’s a cool idea.
One heads up, because of the glow in the dark methodology, the plastic here is a little softer than the plastic in other figures, and I’ve actually had some issues keeping the figure together. I don’t think that’s a wide spread problem, and typically I won’t be fooling around with the figure as much as I am during the review, so I don’t think that’s a deal breaker by any means. Just something I wanted to mention.
As for the glow in the dark functionality, it is very impressive. Obviously the longer you keep the figure under the light the more vibrant it will be once the lights are off, so I experimented somewhat using the lights in my review station, and the figure glowed pretty heavily after about an hour charge. I’ve heard if you leave the figures in sunlight for an extended period of time, the effect is even greater.
This excellent effect is made even cooler by the deep black of the open mouth and the eyes, which looks great normally, and just as cool when the lights are off.
Accessories
The Afterlife Gorgon comes with a sword, shield, and spear, and the sword is one of the cool curved swords that I really love, all coming together to form a really nice weapons compliment for the snake woman spirit.
The first snake Gorgon we’ve seen without the snake tail, this Afterlife Gorgon is a pretty cool glow in the dark rendition of a snake warrior that manages to add some really neat play features with a great, and different, figure build.
Your mileage may very a little bit with the actual material of the plastic, but out on display it’s a cool looking figure that will bring some real variety to your shelves.
Afterlife Gorgon
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
3.2
Summary
I enjoy the concept of this character and love that we have some kind of Gorgon “foot soldier” (if you will). The Glow in the Dark concept is very cool, though some issues with the plastic material and the accessories drop this particular figure a little below expected high standards. While the snakeskin skirt and armored top look great on Stheno, they don’t work quite so well here and restrict articulation a little too much. I love how potent the Glow in the Dark function is, but as a whole, the figure itself doesn’t blow me away.
Like the Gorgon, the Spartan is produced in a somewhat milky color to represent the glow in the dark look and feel of these supernatural characters. The build for the spectral Spartan is much like the others, only with a bald head.
The pale color of his skin is offset by a somewhat orange look to his armor and leg guards (as well as the helmet) which breaks up the base color quite nicely and adds a nice spark of interesting detail, even without actually glowing in the dark. In fact, I think as a whole, the Spartan is a lot more aesthetically pleasing than the Gorgon, the combination of light yellow and red complimenting each other much better than the other half of the two pack.
The plastic here feels quite a bit more solid, too, not quite as soft as the Gorgon, so I feel more comfortable posing and displaying this figure. There’s a certain feel to the translucent figures that is actually really fun. The joints feel like they move a lot more freely and they feel far more playable, and even though these figures aren’t translucent, I notice some similarities here, too.
I did run some scientific field tests on the glow in the dark functionality with these figures, and I was pretty pleased with the results. All told, the Spartan looks cool standing on the shelf in regular light, and he glows really nicely in the dark as well, once those lights go off. It’s a very cool effect.
Accessories
The Spartan comes pretty well loaded with nice gear, all in the same great semi-see through red color. A shield, two swords, and two battle axes make for a great arsenal, plus the normal helmet and armor all combines together to give us a really nicely equipped glow in the dark Spartan Warrior who is a lot of fun in the light and in the dark.
Yes, glow in the dark is a gimmick, but Boss Fight did their best to try and walk the line between gimmick and a great figure. With the Gorgon I felt like they tipped a little close to the “gimmick” side, but with the Spartan they seem to have struck a near perfect balance between the two. I like this figure a lot.
Afterlife Spartan
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
3.6
Summary
A very cool looking spectral version of the Spartan Warrior complete with astral looking milky skin complimented by a really cool pale orange armor compliment. The translucent red weapons also look great, and he comes with some really nice gear. I’m always a fan of the axe, and seeing the axe in a cool supernatural red is even better. He holds up more solidly than the Gorgon in this 2 pack and is a lot more fun to play with as well.
Throughout the HACKS line we are getting all sorts of different characters from the visceral and realistic to the metaphysical and elemental. Offered as a Kickstarter only exclusive, the Celestial Warriors 2-Pack shows Perseus and Medusa facing off against each other as seen in the constellations in the night sky.
This version of Perseus is the only representation of the character we see in the line, which feels a bit strange considering how crucial he is to the Medusa mythology. That being said, this particular version is certainly a really nice expression of the famous Greek Mythology character and ties it in nicely into a format we’re familiar with, for those of us who study the stars.
The figure build is fairly straight-forward, the basic Spartan figure with smooth armor and shin guards, only with what looks to be the Leonidas head sculpt, full beard and all. The semi transparent material for the figure makes it feel a little softer, but still retains impressive articulation. The colors are a fantastic shifting shade of grays and blacks, semi-translucent and looking a lot like the night sky. Scattered among the differing shades of color are tons of small luminescent stars, which stand out impressively among the somewhat gray figure backdrop, bringing the constellation itself to life. The constellation of Perseus is a famous and well known one, a collection of stars in the Northern sky, and the idea of bringing the very stars themselves to life as a powerful character in the HACKS mythology is incredibly cool.
Accessories
Perseus doesn’t come with much in the way of weaponry, just a sword, spear, armor, and helmet, but his shield is a definite highlight, showing the actual Perseus constellation in connected dots along the rounded surface of it. I must admit I love how the star pattern of the accessories mesh perfectly with the deco on the figure itself in a way that they all come together to form a cohesive pattern, and Perseus looks like an extension of the sky weather he’s standing there alone, or with his armor.
I had a little bit of a hard time wrapping my head around the Celestial figures as part of the Kickstarter, and honestly I still do a little. From a purely aesthetic perspective, they’re brilliant and look gorgeous, though I’m still not entirely certain where they fit in my little corner of the HACKS world.
Now it should be noted that the back of the package references Mirfak, Perseus’ brightest star and the location of an “intergalactic peacekeeping force” brought together 2500 years after the Gorgon War. There’s mention of an interstellar war and what seems to be some serious hints to how this whole Vitruvian HACKS story will develop in the years to come. Very, very fascinating, and a truly intriguing way to tie these deco’s into the main line, even if it still feels a little metaphysical.
Celestial Perseus
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
3.9
Summary
It’s nice to see Medusa’s mythical foil in the HACKS line, even if it’s in a somewhat ambiguous celestial state. Perseus is essentially a repainted Leonidas, but in the semi clear plastic with painted on stars it’s tough to tell. He’s got the great build we’re used to, and the paint and plastic work is absolutely fascinating. I’m not sure how much use this figure will get in my world, but it’s still pretty gorgeous to look at.
As I mentioned in the Celestial Perseus review, I’ve had a hard time rationalizing how these figures fit into the HACKS line, though I totally love how they wrote the existence of these constellations into some potential future intergalactic piece of the HACKS toyline universe.
While the Perseus constellation references the severed head of Medusa clutched in his hand, Boss Fight Studio elected to tie Medusa to the “Hydra” constellation, an interesting way to have this celestial combat remain on more equal footing.
Medusa is essentially the same figure as she was in her carded form, only with the standard Gorgon breastplate and gauntlets rather than her shoulder armor, top, and hip armor. I think it’s a cool choice and feels a bit more solid and cohesive than it might have if they’d tried to use those smaller pieces.
Like Perseus, the real highlight of this figure is the various layers of transparent grays that makes the figure almost look like she is built from outer space itself, a fascinating and gorgeous combination of colors and deco that is really pretty remarkable. Even with the somewhat softer plastic that comes with the transparency, the figure retains her solid build and a fully functional tail, and she looks pretty spectacular with the complex pattern of glowing stars spread throughout her paint deco.
Accessories
Medusa only comes with her sword and the shield, patterned with the Hydra constellation, colored in the same great way that the rest of the figure is as well as the breastplate armor and gauntlets that she’s equipped with.
Like Perseus, I’m not sure exactly where Medusa fits in the storyline, but I do love how the package description ties these constellations to some galactic battle that takes place after the Gorgon War. It obviously leads one to believe that there is much more to this HACKS world than Greek Mythology and that some of these characters may carry forward into future adventures. Pretty awesome stuff to consider, and I’m looking forward to seeing where things go from here.
Celestial Medusa
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.2
Summary
An intriguing concept and executed extremely well, this Celestial version of Medusa manages to retain all of the fun sculpt and articulation of the standard release, but build in this great astrophysical twist. Somehow Boss Fight Studio is tying these constellations into their ongoing mythology, which is great, though I’m still not sure precisely how this character will get used in the story line going forward.
Considering the showcase of the Vitruvian HACKS Kickstarter was Medusa in her vicious snake-like Gorgon form, I wasn’t quite sure where a pre-curse version of Medusa would fit in. Offered an exclusive to BossFightShop.com (as well as included with the All In Kickstarter) this pre-curse Medusa showed the young Gorgon as a green skinned woman before being transformed into her hideous snake form. Considering how awesome the snake Medusa looked, I wasn’t sure what to do with this version, but one thing is clear, I need to find some kind of way to work her into this universe.
Like her younger sister Eurayle, this pre-curse version of Medusa is an exceedingly solidly built figure. In fact, Pre-Curse Medusa essentially is a repainted version of young Eurayle, and if I’m not mistaken, even shares her head, only with the snake Medusa’s more fearsome hairpiece.
Articulation and sculpting is spectacular, using the female buck with the two piece uniform that Eurayle wore, looking really great and allowing for flawless range of motion. The way the joints feel when they move is terrific, and I find myself trying to find a way to introduce this more human version of the sinister Gorgon.
Medusa’s green skin is executed very well, a softer, somewhat warm shade of that green which makes the figure look vibrant and differentiates her nicely from Eurayle. I do find it curious that all three Gorgon sisters have different skin tones, and I’m not sure if those were design choices or dictated by the mythology itself. That’s something I may have to look into. I do like the idea that even before the curse Medusa had green skin, though even with that strange hue on her flesh, she certainly looks more human and more beautiful than her post-curse version. From snake head to toe, this version of Medusa is terrific, another excellent rendition of this figure, one of the best of the HACKS line.
Accessories
Medusa isn’t loaded down with accessories, but she comes with some neat ones. Like the post-curse version, she has the snake skeleton whip and dagger, as well as the very cool snake-themed gauntlets which help break up her skin a bit. Her clothes are darker color rather than the light colors of her sister, and the silver trim is bright and nice.
Pre-Curse Medusa is another pleasant surprise in a long line of them from the Vitruvian HACKS line, which is quickly reaching elite status with the number of exciting figures available in their debut offering with the massive 50 figure Kickstarter they’re in the midst of shipping out. Many figures are simply terrific, and PreCurse Medusa is definitely one of them.
Precurse Medusa
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.5
Summary
I love the Gorgons so much, the mere idea of finding a way to use Precurse Medusa seemed like a losing proposition… then I got her in hand. She is just as much fun as her younger sister Eurayle, plus has the fantastic green paint scheme with darker secondaries. She’s fantastic. I love the different head sculpt, though I do wish she maybe came with some more intriguing accessories. As it is, this is a heck of a figure.
