Kickstarter: Pay today for toys in two years! Boss Fight Studios' Vitruvian HACKS, a line of modular Greek soldiers and Medusa monsters, has been in the works for... uh, a while. They missed a few release dates... but you know, that's all right. Toymaking is surprisingly complex, and delays happen, especially for indy studios. All told, it's the end product that matters. So, out of all the Spartan Warriors and gorgons, I picked Medusa - not Stheno or Euryale, or her soldiers, though I had thought I had backed more (whoops!). But hey, she's the original - and awesome - snake-haired lady, right?
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HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION: Unfairly cursed by the Goddess Athena, the once beautiful Medusa was turned into a hideous half-snake monster. Previously able to control her cursed stare, Medusa now turns all living things that look into her eyes to stone. There is only room in her heart for hate and revenge - against the gods that she once serbes, and the sisters who she secretly despises for their eternal beauty. She wants all the living to eventually feel her icy stare.
TEMPORAL LOG: It is said that, even after being decapitated by Perseus, Medusa's eyes still curse those who look upon them. It makes one wonder if simply separating her head from her body was enough to end her life? If not, what has become of her head and could she still be "alive" today?
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People have written millions of words about Medusa, so in my attempt to find somethign new... you know, she's one of the older creatures in Greek Mythology, and may have come from an older tradition. It's one reason why her various depictions vary so wildly (with wings! no wings! Former human! Always monster! Three sisters! No sisters!), which is the case with Gree Mythology in general, but very obvious when it comes to Medusa. I was all ready to write aout how her snake tail is a lash of the Titans reference (which it is), but then I noticed that sources can't agree on whether Medusa had scales, or bronze talons, or wings, or was ugly, or beautiful, or whatever. It's fine. Really.
PACKAGING: ****
Oh man, this packaging is nice - too nice for something not at retail! It looks great, protets the figure, has tons of info and pictures of others in the line. And the artwork is tops!
Packaging. Packaging never changes.
SCULPT: ****
There are other Medusae on the market, so how does this one stack up? As it turns out, very well - she's really detailed, stylized nicely, and just looks good all over. The HACKS figures are all roughly GI Joe-sized (maybe a little taller), and her sculptural work in that scale is honestly better than most mass-market figures of the same size.
It should be noted that one of the main selling points of this line is its customizable nature. And thus, all of Medusa's joints pop of without damage. Her armor and clothing are removable, as well, as are the Spartan soldiers in the line. If you bought several figures, you can do a lot of customization. Or even with one, if you don't like her half-shoulder armor, or her bustier, or her bracers, or whatnot. And yes, you can take off her head to re-enact one of the most annoying enemies in Castlevania, if you so desire.
PAINT: ****
Medusa has absolutly no paint issues. And from what I've seen of the other figures in the line, neither do they. This is an extremely competently-done professional figure, and she honestly puts lots of mass-market stuff to shame. The paint is surprisingly complex, as well, alternting between flat colors and complex designs in a surprisingly appropriate way.
ARTICULATION: ***
So much articulation. In an age when 4" figures are being reduced more and more, Medusa shows up with ball joints everywhere, and even fully-articulated tail!
Everything is a ball-joint, fits tightly, and can even be removed, which is a great alternative to breaking. It's odd to see a figure so realistically poseable who can still stand, but it's easy to keep Medusa propped up.
Now, the tail's segmented nature is the closest thing this figure has to a flaw, but there's no way around it if you want decent articulation for her tail.
ACCESSORIES: ****
Medusa comes with quite a few accessories - alternate hands (which are nearly identical to the ones on her), a stand, a whip, and a knife. The whip appears to be made of snake bone, and is flexible enough to flop aroundwithout tearing, but firm enough to keep its shape. It looks fantastic, and I guarantee youll have fun posing it. I don't think I've seen Medusa with a whip before, either.
Her dagger, also bone, is tiny. Also flexible, as well. As small as it is, it looks great in her hnds, and she can dual-wield fairly well, too. So... where did she get these bones? Medusa, do we have to talk?
Wait, no bow? Oh, right, that was just from the movie. Still, you can probably find one in that scale, easily, and Medusa's got great stuff as it is. In fact, every piece of clothing or armor on her person is a removable accessory! It's because of how modular and customizable these figures are, so you can swap her armor with any of the other snake ladies, or just leave her completely naked. But you wouldn't do that, right?
VALUE: ****
I forgot how much the pledge was. So hey, their price is just fine!
THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
Just be careful not to break anything, though this figure feels fairly sturdy.
WHERE TO BUY:
Check out Boss Fight Studios, where hopefully they will restock soon!
OVERALL: ****
Fantastic. I like Medusa. Medusa is one of my favorite monsters. And this figure is the best Medusa I could have asked for, easily.
To be honest, now I wish that I had backed for the other sisters, or a few soldiers. But it looks like they'll all be available again sometime, so it's wise to keep an eye out.
It's telling that, despite the delays, all was forgiven the moment Medusa arrived at my doorstep. Boss Fight Studios has an amazing thing going, and if they can keep this up, there's no reason why they can't make another toy juggernaut. Hopefully they have other genres and figure types ready, because the line's customizable nature just shows so much promise - maybe soedaywe'll get to turn Medusa into a cyborg pirate, for all we know. But even if not, we've got a great piece of Greek Mythology to pose around. Excellent work!
Edited by Ridureyu, 14 May 2016 - 12:12 AM.
) is pretty cool. I wanted to but decided against backing Boss Fight's line and I'm mostly okay with that decision, however I'll still fix that one of these days given how great they seemed to have turned out. Can't say no to a good snake lady!
