It felt like a very long wait before we got our first Vitruvian HACKS action figures, but now, over the course of the past month or two, things have been tricking out pretty regularly, and it’s a fantastic feeling every time I get a new HACKS figure in the mail. Even though the core figures themselves are largely the same, each new figure brings some great new things to the table, and the Undead Warrior is certainly no different.
The Undead Warrior is described as being a “servant of Hades”, who is of course, the God of the Dead from Greek Mythology, who is often depicted as having purple colors either throughout his robe, or emanating from some mystical energy around him. Looking at his story on the back of the package you see that he’s not necessarily good or evil, he merely exists to serve Hades whims. The very nature of the concept behind “Eternal Struggle” seems to at least partially indicate that he’s fighting against the Gorgons at this point, but this could change at any moment. The Undead Warrior is powered by strange energies that we do not understand, and as such is a potentially unstoppable and fearsome soldier. Let’s all hope he continues to fight the good fight.
The figure itself is essentially a translucent purple Athenian Warrior (a figure that is just now in the process of shipping to Kickstarter backers) with the chest armor and leather skirt tooling seen with that upcoming figure. They have some added sculpted detail in the shoulder straps and the chest itself, with some great looking layered sculpting on the skirt, too. I love the look, and it does help differentiate the figure a bit from the Spartans we’ve seen released to date.
Along with the updated chest armor, the shin guards are also from those two previously mentioned figures, having some more ornate decoration than the standard smooth metallic that we’ve seen from the Spartans thus far.
Obviously where this figure truly stands apart is his color scheme. The translucent purple is an amazing look, especially in the right light, and I find myself really captivated by just how brilliant the color scheme is, and how, even with the armor on, the figure remains barely opaque and almost spector-like, especially when displayed among his fully visible peers. I took the figure outside to take some quick pictures for Instagram and was completely blown away by just how photegenic the figure was, especially as the sunlight hit it. A truly spectacular combination of colors.
Accessories
Unlike the Ultimate Spartan, this Undead Warrior doesn’t come with a ton of gear, but it feels just right. He has two swords (one of which can slip into a loop on the back of his armor), a helmet, a really nicely decoed shield, and the same spear we’ve seen with a few figures already. Each weapon is produced in the same clear purple color as the base figure, and even all in one hue, the end result is pretty spectacular. He also comes with the two extra hands and a battle stand, just like everyone else.
The armor pieces and shield are a more translucent gray than purple, but they compliment the Hades color scheme well and look truly incredible on the Undead Warrior. They look pretty amazing on other translucent blanks as well. A fantastic combination of see through parts that combine to form a really unique and amazing looking figure.
At first I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Undead Warrior besides him just being a translucent figure. Once I read his story and got the figure in the right light, however, his true worth really showed through, and at this point he remains one of my favorite HACKS figures that I own to date. Currently available as a Travelling Convention exclusive, keep your eyes open for when Boss Fight Studio is attending a show. When they do, they will have these two packs for sale at the convention as well as on BossFightShop.com!
The next time they’re attending a show is May 14th in Concord, NH, so if you’re in the area, definitely stop by, or if you’re not local, keep watching BossFightShop.com so you can snag one of these for yourself once they’re available.
On May 14th be sure to join Boss Fight Studio (and me, too!) at the Capital City Toy and Collectors Show in Concord, NH. Details in the flyer below.
Undead Warrior (Eternal Struggle)
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.6
Summary
The servant of Hades and an awesome looking translucent purple warrior come together to form another great entry into the ever growing Vitruvian HACKS toyline. Great sculpting, immaculate articulation, and a collection of fun accessories are always present with all of these figures, and this is certainly no exception.
Any day when I can add to my slowly growing Gorgon ranks is a good day, even if the base figure is pretty much identical to a number of others that I already have.
In reality, that doesn’t bug me too much, after all, they are called the “Gorgon Horde” so even as more and more Gorgons are released, all they do is look cooler and cooler stacked up on my display shelf, an ever increasing onslaught of snake tailed warrior women ready to decimate the Spartan and Greek armies.
When you’re talking about figures that are basically repaints of already released figures, the real key to that figure’s success is how effective the new deco is, not to mention the story that develops the character. Using the Ringneck snake as a template, Boss Fight Studio developed this Ringneck Gorgon’s paint scheme around a deep blue and orange aesthetic, and it’s one that looks truly gorgeous here. The orange under belly is bright and vibrant, and the blue flesh is rich and extremely nicely hued. Toy colors are a lost art, and part of the reason why toys based on real world licenses are losing some of their pizazz is that the designers are restricted from thinking a bit more outside the box. Vitruvian HACKS, from start to finish, has been all about outside the box, and this figure is no exception.
Along with the defining deco, this figure is given a pretty great backstory, too, described on her box as being a quick-minded and ruthless tactician, not just an aggressive killer like some of the others.
She has the calm snake head of the Coral Gorgon, and as with all of her Gorgon sisters, the Ringneck blends effortlessly with her snake tail, allowing for countless terrific poses. The articulation as a whole is spectacular, with dramatic movement at every point, and nearly perfect balance.
Accessories
Like most of the rest of the Horde, she has the smooth chest armor and bracers as well as the snake skull helmet, stone sword, stone shield, and stone spear. Nothing really new or different from an accessory perspective to be found here. Of course she also comes with the battle stand and extra hands.
I love being able to add to my Gorgon army, and the different complimentary paint schemes are fantastic ways to not just build a massive snake woman fleet, but to offer a little variety while it happens. At first I thought the main draw of this two pack would be the Ringneck, but as time has gone on, my love for the Undead Warrior has outshone this figure, but I still really enjoy the color scheme and story behind this figure, too.
Currently available as a Travelling Convention exclusive, keep your eyes open for when Boss Fight Studio is attending a show. When they do, they will have these two packs for sale at the convention as well as on BossFightShop.com!
The next time they’re attending a show is May 14th in Concord, NH, so if you’re in the area, definitely stop by, or if you’re not local, keep watching BossFightShop.com so you can snag one of these for yourself once they’re available.
On May 14th be sure to join Boss Fight Studio (and me, too!) at the Capital City Toy and Collectors Show in Concord, NH. Details in the flyer below.
Ringneck Gorgon (Eternal Struggle)
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4
Summary
The cunning tactician and ruthless plotter of the Gorgon Horde, the Ringneck Gorgon is a fantastic new deco to supplement your growing Gorgon army. The same fantastic articulation you’ve come to expect with a striking new paint scheme, the Ringneck is a great new figure from the Vitruvian HACKS line.
Now as the second batch of Kickstarter shipments are being received, many folks are getting their grubby mitts on the skeletons for the first time, and many of those same folks are looking at all those clear pieces of plastic in the bag and saying “WTF?”
I don’t blame ya! There isn’t an immediate sign of what exactly to do with them, though Boss Fight has explained it in the past.
Essentially those little clear rubbery/plastic things are two different things. They’re clasps for Skeletons to use the battle stand, and they’re armor spacers. Basically, because Boss Fight sculpted the Skeleton so skinny (you know, as a skeleton should be) if you want to do cool things like put armor on, there needs to be something to fill that gap, especially with the armor from the male figures.
So, basically, you can set up the Skeleton like this:
If you enlarge that image you can see the two clasps that go around the Skeletons bony feet. Those clasps have holes in them that hook to the pegs of the stand.
The four spacers can clip or slide onto the Skeleton’s limbs to add some “bulk”.
Now, keep in mind, the female arm bracers seem to fit the Skeleton fine WITHOUT the spacers. If you want to use armor from the males, that’s where they come in handy:
In that picture above, I have spacers on the legs, which close the gap and keep the armor pressed tight so it doesn’t wiggle around. The result is a much more effective fit and the skeleton becomes a lot more customizable.
As of yet I haven’t found any arm bracers that necessitate the spacers on the arms, but I’m sure something is coming, and kudos to Boss Fight for staying ahead of it.
Boss Fight Studio has sent along a Kickstarter update today and it’s a pretty fantastic one!
They have confirmed that the second batch of Kickstarter figures have arrived and are shipping out now. Along with this, they also drop the news that they will be making a cool announcement shortly and also encourage folks to visit BossFightShop.com for information on upcoming series of the Vitruvian HACKS figures. This seems to indicate that they will NOT be using Kickstarter going forward, and will be offering all product direct to customers through their webstore.
Check out the full text of the update below, and let’s all get ready for some more Vitruvian HACKS!
Final KS Shipping announcement and future plans!
Hi Boss-Fighters,
As you read this, we’ve have received the final items from our factory and begun shipping the remainders of KS All-in packages to supporters along with the prints and freebie figures! We cannot thank you enough for your continued support and patience.
If there are any issues with the figures you receive (missing/incorrect parts, etc.) please contact us at info@bossfightstudio.com within 30 days of receiving the shipment for replacements. After that, we may not be able to offer any replacements. This 30 day period will be our standard for product issues going forward.
If you have not already done so, please pay a visit to Bossfightshop.com and check out our webstore for additional items. Going forward, Bossfightshop.com will be the home for new product launches and pre-orders. One more thing – stay tuned for a surprise announcement in the near future!
Any day that I get new Vitruvian HACKS figures in the mail is a good day! Last week I had a couple of those.
Reviews have been posted in my Vitruvian HACKS Series 1 Review section (available in the top menu under “Other Reviews”). These two figures are smoking! Check out the links below.
Don’t forget you can grab your own Amazon at Kokomo Toys (in the US) or All the Cool Stuff (internationally) and you can snag the Ultimate Spartan courtesy of the NJCC folks on eBay. Enjoy!
There are a few things I immediately take away from my early experiences with the Amazon (Elite Warrior) Vitruvian HACKS figure (available exclusively from Kokomo Toys and All the Cool Stuff).
First and foremost, this is the first human female figure that has been released in the HACKS line so far, and I cannot say enough fantastic things about its construction, articulation, and overall durability. The female buck is sculpted somewhat slimmer than the male buck, yet still maintains the excellent range of motion, and doesn’t feel significantly more fragile in any way. She moves and plays just as effectively as the male, and as my six year old grabbed her from the review station and started doing battle with Evil Lyn, my heart skipped a beat somewhat, but the end result was 15 minutes of fun play time for my kid, and no damage done to the Amazon.
The second thing I immediately took away was that Boss Fight Studio is using their tooling dollars very wisely and has already managed to supply themselves with a library of parts that can extend their own lives by complimenting many different kinds of figures.
Her upper torso and arms are the same as the Gorgons we’ve seen so far (though the Gorgons have a different lower torso to jive with their snake tails). She has the same bracers and similar chest armor as the snake ladies as well, and with an amazingly vibrant sort of brushed metal silver deco that really makes the figure pop.
Unlike the Spartans, the leather skirt is a separate piece from the torso armor, and it’s sculpted to look remarkably like real leather, with very fine texture bringing some great depth to the accessory. I also love the loop on the back which enables the Amazon to hold her sword effortlessly back there.
The Amazon’s paint scheme is terrific, with an excellent and realistic skin tone and these incredible paint tampo tattoos that are intricate and fantastic. They bring a ton of character to the figure and the paint masks used to produce them are spectacular. I love the look.
Like the Spartans, she has nearly flawless articulation, and with the Amazon they even added rocker ankles which only serves to enhance the realism of the way she can pose. I have had very mixed reactions with rocker ankles in other toylines as they can sometimes be fragile or cause the foot pegs to not fit in all the way. Neither of these appears to be an issue with the Amazon, as her ankles tilt perfectly, yet still maintain a nicely deep heel hole for the foot peg. I really like the sculpted sandals on her feet as well. I am exceedingly impressed with my first exposure to a human female figure within the Vitruvian HACKS line and fine myself antsy for their fantasy series. My aforementioned six year old daughter has a major affinity for fairies and has already asked me to give her one of the HACKS fairies for her birthday.
As much as I love the structural qualities of the Amazon, it’s the paint deco that really makes it shine, with the combination of skin tone, warpaint (tattoos?), bright silver armor and the dark leather skirt. She’s a very vibrant and exciting looking figure.
ACCESSORIES
The Amazon Elite Warrior is extremely well accessorized. She comes with two axes, two separate helmets, a shield, a sword, and a spear. The shield has a new deco which looks really great. Like the other female Gorgons, she can hold her shield much better than the male figures, and looks truly imposing once she’s all decked out with her gear.
Exclusive domestically to Kokomo Toys and internationally to All the Cool Stuff, this Amazon Elite Warrior has been selling quite briskly. If you want one for yourself (as well you should) you should pull the trigger quickly. She’s got great construction, terrific articulation, and a really exciting paint scheme which all combines to give us a really great figure and an excellent introduction to the female human form within Vitruvian HACKS.
Capable of going toe-to-toe with any enemy on Earth, the fearless Amazon Elite Warriors look like the bad ass soldiers they are. Great sculpting, impressive articulation (with some rocker ankles that are actually functional!) and intricate detailed paint work, this is a figure for the Gorgons to fear. Available in very limited quantities domestically from Kokomo Toys and internationally from All The Cool Stuff, she is the perfect compliment to your Spartan army. A great figure!
