Here is an indisputable fact for you as you start your day: dinosaurs have never been not cool. Ever. Even when they started to look a little bird-ish, they still rule. So, you wanna know how you make them even cooler? Arm them to the teeth and make them the most outlandish neon colors possible.
Dinosaurs + Blasters + Neon Colors is something that just cannot be bested, and the new Saurozoic Warriors from Boss Fight Studio prove that in droves. This new original IP was debuted last year, and ever since then there has been a lot of online buzz around a line that looks to not only be the spiritual successor of dinosaur properties of yore, but also to the bright, shiny, and crazy action figure properties that overtook the early 1990s. Original properties are so few and far between in today’s action figure market, it is fun to see something like this come to a full realization, and damn it – these things are so much FUN.
Boss Fight Studio was kind enough to send along this set for an early look, but the good news is that these will be shipping very soon. I had a chance to sit down with Andrew Franks from BFS for a new edition of the FwooshCast (this interview will be posting soon), and he spoke extensively about the development process of these and the world they are attempting to create. It is a fun listen, and it takes things like the biographies on the back on the back of the boxes, and bakes them into a larger story that we will see play out in plastic as the line progresses.
For now, I wanted to highlight these initial characters: Range Brakhion, Marr Ossis, Triax Skiver, and the Ceratopsian Guard. These characters provide a diverse first line-up in both character, shape, and COLOR. Guys, as much as dinosaur fighters is cool on its own merits, the colors of this line are what really get me. I love the neons and the combinations that have been put together – and while these figures fit in well with things like MOTU Origins, etc., they REALLY find a home alongside the vintage Toxic Crusaders. I love seeing the bright and garish work so well and we definitely need more of that in our action figure lines.
Additionally, the articulation is on-part with what you have come to expect from BFS: there is a lot of it, but more than anything, it is thoughtful and well-constructed. These don’t have things like double elbows or knees, but they do have fluid joints with a good range of movement, the the scheme can facilitate just about any reasonable pose you are wanting to achieve. Plus: hinged jaws!
The accessories are fun, too – and there are futuristic blasters, street level weaponry, and melee implements alike. Personally, I gravitate more to the blasters and such with these guys, simply because of that early 90s pull I see in them, but there is no denying that Range doesn’t look awesome with that crazy axe of his. The cool part is that most of these guys have spots to keep a lot of their weapons when not in use, so just because your favorite character isn’t holding any given weapon, it doesn’t mean it cannot be part of your display.
Here are some thoughts on the individual characters. As I said above, you will hear a lot more about them in my chat with Andrew, so stay tuned for that, too.
CERATOPSIAN GUARD
The army builder of the first series, I can already tell I am going to need more than a few of these for the display. His green base is offset by the orange and coppers of his armored outfit, and his unique gas mask adds a lot of different display opportunities.
That said, it is also kind of hard to make him wear that mask because his portrait is so good. I think the expression and detail (there is a lot of nice airbrushing on this figure) are very striking and have a ton of personality. So, maybe an unmasked figure can be the officer of the group, and it will be good to surround him with a few Guards wearing masks, too. The Radiation Ranger vibes are certainly strong here, which is a great thing.
TRIAX SKIVER
Andrew revealed during our chat that Triax was the first concept created for this line, and I think that knowing that, it makes a lot of sense. There are some great foundational parts here to not only set the tone for the rest of the figures, but also taking influences from fun lines of the past.
I think he is the most straightforward of all the initial figures, but I mean that in a good way. His armor is sensible, and the purple, silver, and neon red offset the bright green well. I like the scar over the eye, and let’s face it, Triceratops just look awesome. I love that he comes with a pistol and a revolver, so giving him two unmatched guns to wield at the same time works so very nicely.
RANGE BRAKHION
In the interest of full disclosure: I had anointed Range my favorite of the group before these figures arrived. Now, he is certainly still up there, and his color combo is by far my favorite, but the strength of some of the other designs make this a much closer call than I anticipated.
As I said, the neon blues, reds, and hot pinks are so stunning, and I love them more than I can say. Those colors coupled with the long neck make Range the most striking of all of these, and I have a feeling he is likely going to be overall favorite for many for this first wave. This is most certainly a “desk” figure in that he is difficult to put on the shelf because you want to keep playing around with him, so he stays on the desk.
MARR OSSIS
Boy, do I love it when my favorite figure from an action figure wave turns out to be one I wasn’t expecting. Range has to be second favorite here because Marr has overtaken him, and boy oh boy, I love this figure so much.
There are so many design flourishes that speak to me with Marr: his street punk level look with his leather jacket (sleeveless, of course), blue spikes and sails, and his two-handed cannon are just things I look for in my dinosaur action figures. He has a low center of gravity and is chunky in the best way, so he is a bit like the Rocksteady of this group. Add his tail to the mix, and he is by far the guy in the group you do NOT want to mess with. Andrew previewed Staze Akiden from series two, and it is becoming clear that I now have a type for this line.
I love these. I am a predominantly 6-7 inch scale collector, but I think the size of these figures fits them perfectly. The world being created, the quality of the figures, and color palette is so much damned fun. These are they types of things that just appeal to action figure fans in general, so I hope these are a great success. As I mentioned, they are going to be hitting soon, so don’t forget to pre-order at BBTS. There is a bright future for the line, so make sure you get in on the ground floor.
*Thanks to BFS for sending these along for a preview.
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Source: Fwoosh
