When NECA obtained the rights to remake LJN’s classic ’80s Dungeons & Dragons figures, they initially did what they do best and made realistic, “Ultimate” versions of the characters, with costumes that looked like actual armor, robes, and such. For the second series, they’ve repainted them in the brighter, more primary colors that the actual ’80s toys had, and packaged them on retro-style blister cards. They come with slightly fewer accessories, but also cost less: $29.99 versus $34.99. And while the new-old color schemes don’t look as much like some of NECA’s grittier fantasy figures, they should play very well with Masterverse, ThunderCats Ultimates, and similar 7-inch fantasy toys with throwback elements and colors.
NECA sent us the first two for review, Warduke and Strongheart. Representing good and evil, they represent the classic fantasy archetypes of noble knight versus savage gladiator. Toy makers in the ’80s, on the whole, tried to make all their characters pop on the shelves with bright colors, so Warduke, like Cobra Commander, has a prominent blue helmet to hide his face. Strongheart’s cassic armor is silver, but with baby blue highlights that feel more decorative than dangerous (sorry, UNC Chapel Hill fans!). The first NECA Strongheart had a more tailored cape; the new one gets a light piece of fabric with sparkles in it. Flimsier, but more sun-catching.
Strongheart’s accessories are a dagger, sword, and sheath (the same one holds both; as seen above, the dagger slides in a side extension). He omits the shield, hammer, and alternate hands. Good riddance to those, really — it’s best just to have the hands that can hold the weapons, and they’re a softer, more kung fu grip style than usual, meaning it doesn’t cause physical pain to pry the fingers open and get the sword in there. The possible bad news is his feet are softer plastic too, so for long-term display you may want a waist-clip style of stand for him.
Warduke comes with most of the same gear and is by far the better deal — all he’s really missing are the extra hands. The sheaths for his weapons are permanently attached, but he has the sword, both daggers, and the flame effect for the sword, along with a real chain holding the larger dagger sheath in place. The shield is especially nice, with a metallic finish that could fool the eye from a distance.
The magical flame effect can also work on other swords, to a point.
Bright colors aside — it was the ’80s — the sculpts are the true highlight. With enough time and patience, a person could probably count every link in the chainmail.
Warduke’s helmet wings are stiff and feel brittle-ish, so take care with those. Strongheart’s seem a bit more flexible, but nonetheless something to be careful of. His plume is articulated and can be posed, and his visor opens, though the paint underneath misses the sculpt lines a bit for his eyebrows and mustache. Close the visor and there’s no issue.
NECA’s using their more common disc-and-pin elbow articulation here, and Warduke in particular showcases why that isn’t always aesthetically pleasing. It’s true that the double hinge elbow can be less than ideal on bare-armed, muscular warriors — Masterverse has issues with that. But the “lip” used to conceal the joint when viewed from behind gets awkward in anything besides a straight-arm pose. With Warduke you can at least keep it hidden behind the shield for most poses.
Knee articulation is similar, though not as much of a visual issue. Strongheart’s mid-torso ball joint is the most impressive, with quite a range of movement — probably a double-ball inside. Warduke has a chest harness that restricts his movement in the same area, but if for any reason you want him shirtless for customs and decide to cut the harness off, you can. It seems attached to his belt, though, so it won’t come off easily, nor likely go on again thereafter. Think carefully.
Strongheart’s sparkly cape absolutely does not hang like a scaled fabric one would, so just prepare to live with that. It is what it is.
There’s definitely an aspect of fun playability to these guys that’s missing from some of NECA’s other stuff. They may have seemingly fragile parts, and might not stand up to a five year-old, for example, but they feel made for hands-on adventures rather than basic shelf display. That said, the vintage-style cards with backstories on them look rather nice, and almost make one hesitate before ripping them open. Almost. (Hey, we need to review what’s inside, after all!)
Whatever the color, NECA needs to make more of these. The Ogre King, for one, needs a modern redo. And Warduke and Strongheart need their horses. Maybe even a dragon or Hook Horror.
He-Man will welcome the assist.
Check out more figure photos below.
