HH Model & Haoyu Toys Dragon Banner Bearer review

Introduction

HH and HY have continued their partnership in bringing out new or revived Roman-themed action figures. They started with legionaries, branched out into movie characters, gladiators, and returned to soldiers. One of these is the Dragon Banner Bearer, or, as the Romans would have called him, Draconarius. Mine arrived a few days ago from GianToy and I finally got around to taking a few photos the other day and writing up a quick review. I am no completist when it comes to these sets, especially as a function of space and costs, although I do often pick up parted out parts from the sets I do not buy as such. In this instance, I decided this was different enough and cool enough to get the set.



Packaging

The set comes in an attractive shoebox-type container (which ships in its own cardboard shipper), with a lid that pulls open. Everything is safe and collector friendly, except perhaps the two circular pieces of tape used to seal the package shut. Inside are a couple of black foam treys holding the figure and its accessories. It seems to me that one of the defining features of this line of products is that the box size is remarkably different between many (if not all) releases; this one is smaller than most others I have.



Sculpting

There is plenty of sculpted detail in this set, including the human face (see under Paint below), the ornate cavalry "sport" helmet, the greaves, the ornate military belt (cingulum) and hanging straps (baltea), the sword and dagger and their sheaths, the sandaled feet, the shield, and of course the standard's dragon head. The detail varies from reasonably sharp to very sharp, but is generally appropriate for the desired effect. As usual (except for when they go for seamless TBLeague bodies), HH and HY seem to have used a Coo Model body. The figure stands about 12 inches (30.5 cm) without the helmet on.



Paint

The paint application is not the most ambitious but nevertheless generally sharp and precise. As usual, this is least successful on the molded sandaled feet (the only way to get those right is to provide separate sandals, as done by Kaustic Plastik and ACI). The paint application is given a worn, slightly weathered look on the shield, and, together with the delicate sculpting, works very well on the head. The eyes are glossy and sharply executed. Real metal and plastic elements intended to represent metal work well enough side by side. The painted detail on the shield looks realistically hand-made and used over time.



The likeness reminds me of Michael Fassbender's appearance in Centurion.



Articulation

The figure seems to have a very full range of modern action figure articulation, except that the elbows are single-jointed. The body is reasonably stiff and balances well, even with the arms and armor (which include some metal parts). The choice of a type of fabric for (chain) mail helps ensure the articulation is restricted as little as possible.



Accessories

The figure comes with a number of accessories. First, there is the action figure stand, of the typical raised circular base design with a crotch-grabber on the pole. There are three alternative pairs of hands, for a total of four pairs (relaxed, fists, grip, grasp). For weapons, the figure has a sword with a sheath hanging from a baldric, and a dagger with a sheath hanging from the military belt (not visible in this photograph), which is itself arguably an accessory. There is the large curved oval shield, the helmet, the helmet's mask (a separate piece), and the dragon standard, which is made of three pieces: the pole, the dragon head, and the fabric tail attached to the head. The head has to be plugged onto the pole to use the standard. A wire is sewn into the fabric tail, to allow for some posing of the tail. Since the head is metal and apparently not hollow, the standard is not always easy to balance.



Outfit

The true soft goods are the pants, the yellow-spotted red tunic, and the red military scarf (tucked under the armor). The (chain) mail is also made of a sort of fabric, but is intended to portray metal mail armor. There are pleather vambraces and ornate metal greaves. The boots (caligae) are just part of the molded feet. As mentioned above, the outfit does not really restrict the articulation of the figure.



Source Accuracy

As already discovered by Skippy, the main source for this figure is an illustration by Adam Hook in Nic Fields' Roman Auxiliary Cavalryman AD 14-193 (below). The shape of the armor (reinterpreted as (chain) mail), the shield's painted pattern, the pants, boots, dragon standard, tunic, and scarf in the set appear to be accurate to illustration, which depicted more specifically a cavalryman participating in cavalry games (hippika gymnasia). For some reason, the shield's central round boss in the illustration has been replaced by a vertical spine in the set. The helmet does not correspond exactly to those represented in this illustration or elsewhere in the volume, but it is similar enough to some of them, including those in another illustration by Adam Hook, showing cavalrymen in training (also below). The ornate details of the cavalry helmet apart, HH & HY's reiteration has two inaccuracies: the face mask is overly large/long, reaching below the line of the cheekpieces, and it (or the helmet itself) lacks the ear-shaped protectors for the ears. The face mask being held in place with a band instead of attaching to the helmet also does not seem accurate. All in all, I would have preferred a more accurate (or recognizable) helmet, like the one made by Kaustic Plastik some years ago (see the comparison photo below).

As usual, HH & HY could not restrain themselves from adding more items to spruce up the figure. The sword (and perhaps the belt with a dagger) are a sensible enough addition, and can be seen in Adam Hook's training illustration, and in other reconstructions of Roman standard-bearers. As cavalry, however, there should probably have been no hanging strips attached to the belt. The vambraces are common modern fiction when it comes to this type of historical costume (apart from one arm of some archers); the greaves, likewise, at this point they would have been worn only by centurions (if at all) and perhaps as part of the fuller and more ornate panoply of high-ranking officials. One can easily take off the vambraces and the greaves to achieve a more realistic look. I did so for many of the photos, and left them off; on the other hand I did not try removing the hanging strips from the belt. I wish the metal dragon head were hollow and had an open throat: this would have been both accurate and helpful, making it lighter and easier to balance. But visually the dragon head and tail are about right, although the pole is too tall, a common feature with HH & HY's other Roman standards (compare the Aquilifer in the photos below).





Fun Factor

With a bunch of accessories, a small variety of display options, and good articulation, the figure promises to be fun to pose or play with. Moreover, given the other Roman military figures produced by HH & HY (and others), it would have plenty of potential company in a diorama or on a shelf. It also helps that there are no serious functional issues with it. His buddy below is the HH & HY Eagle Flag Bearer (i.e., Aquilifer).



Value

At $220 (USD), with free shipping, this is not a cheap set, but it is also quite far from the much heftier prices demanded for sets that are not considerably better in quality or in the quantity of items they deliver. And this set delivers a reasonable lot. Unlike a legionary, moreover, this is easily a figure of which one would probably not need a second one. This is of course, supposing you can find the set at this price. Even reputable outlets are selling them at a higher price point.




Things to watch out for

Nothing or little. I would be gentle with the belt and its hanging strips. The only thing that came apart for me was the attachment of the baldric to the sword's scabbard at one end, but it was easily rectified. There are certainly no tiny or exceedingly fragile elements in this set.



Overall

Is this the most exciting Roman (or non-Roman) action figure? Surely not. But it is very well made, functional, versatile, plays well with others, and it is also different from what we normally see among Roman-themed products (unless I've missed an earlier version -- HH & HY have been revisiting some other companies' figures). It seemed worthwhile to me, and I don't regret it.



Where to buy

I got mine at GianToy, for $220.

Big Bad Toy Store has it for $245.

Black Ops Toys has it for $350.

Cotswold Collectibles has it for $240.

Monkey Depot has it for $240.

Timewalker Toys has it for $240.



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I hope this has been useful. As always, what do you think?

#hhmodel #haoyutoys #rome #dragonbannerbearer #draconarius #military #historical #male

The Osprey illustration is showing scale armour (lorica squamata) not mail (lorica hamata). Roman mail was never made in that style.

Another thorough review, Ian. Thanks for taking the time. I’m disappointed in the paint job they did on the feet and hands — not so much on the head; they could have at least match the color of the body to the hands and feet. The head sculpt does look somewhat like MF, but I also see a bit of a young Robert Fuller.

shazzdan wrote:The Osprey illustration is showing scale armour (lorica squamata) not mail (lorica hamata). Roman mail was never made in that style.

You're absolutely right about the first Osprey illustration (which ought to be the more pertinent one here), but the second one has mail armor. Perhaps they fused the two again -- or just got confused.

Stryker2011 wrote:Another thorough review, Ian. Thanks for taking the time. I’m disappointed in the paint job they did on the feet and hands — not so much on the head; they could have at least match the color of the body to the hands and feet. The head sculpt does look somewhat like MF, but I also see a bit of a young Robert Fuller.

Good catch -- I had noticed at one point, but forgot to mention it. The hands and feet do seem to match the face, more or less, but not so much the underlying body they used. Now I see why the fictional vambraces and greaves might have helped! I looked up Robert Fuller (sorry, the name wasn't ringing a bell, but then again I'm not an expert on Westerns), and I see what you mean.

GubernatorFan wrote:You're absolutely right about the first Osprey illustration (which ought to be the more pertinent one here), but the second one has mail armor. Perhaps they fused the two again -- or just got confused.

The second one is a Gallic design. The Romans never used it and the Gauls switched to the Greek "tube and yoke" pattern (the one your Aquilifer, above, is wearing) when they fell under the Roman sphere of influence.

shazzdan wrote:The second one is a Gallic design. The Romans never used it and the Gauls switched to the Greek "tube and yoke" pattern (the one your Aquilifer, above, is wearing) when they fell under the Roman sphere of influence.

It is my impression that the Roman (chain) mail was usually in the Greek "tube and yoke" pattern too. At any rate, I was just tracing the artistic inspiration for this set to this particular Osprey title.

I really like combos of masks and helmets so it's a good start for this dude. I first thought the sculpt was Ben Mendelsohn, but your Fassbender interpretation makes much more sense. That mail material looks interesting, wondering if it comes in sheets.
The photos of the helmets are really great, looking like outdoor pics in organic environment, not museum shots.

That dragon standard reminds me of some funky Carnyx. Did anyone ever make a 1/6 Carnyx? Maybe designed as a working whistle haha.

A comprehensive and well presented review as per usual. Love seeing in-hand photos, thanks.

Ovy wrote:I really like combos of masks and helmets so it's a good start for this dude. I first thought the sculpt was Ben Mendelsohn, but your Fassbender interpretation makes much more sense. That mail material looks interesting, wondering if it comes in sheets.
The photos of the helmets are really great, looking like outdoor pics in organic environment, not museum shots.

That dragon standard reminds me of some funky Carnyx. Did anyone ever make a 1/6 Carnyx? Maybe designed as a working whistle haha.

It works pretty well, although I wish they had gotten closer to the real thing. This is not the first time they have used this wire-like thread to simulate (chain) mail, but I'm not sure what it is. If it comes in sheets, we can all have an easier time approximating such elements. If Shovelchop were paying attention, he could maybe tell us more about it. As for Carnyx, it does have a little bit of that look. Like the Carnyx, the dragon standard is non-Roman in origin, but not Celtic, rather Sarmatian or Dacian. And it is not a musical instrument, although apparently it did make some sound in the wind. I think Kaustic Plastik made three Celtic enemies of Rome figures, and I believe one of them came with a Carnyx. I will have to double-check. Maybe Skippy posted a look of his collection with them recently.

Annalise wrote:A comprehensive and well presented review as per usual. Love seeing in-hand photos, thanks.

Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked it.

Call me Old School, but this is still my favorite format for action figure reviews. It’s a very interesting figure. I wish the scope of my taste in figures and by extension, my collection, was as broad as yours and most other posters, but I always seem to gravitate to the pretty girls. Story of my life.

Xavion2004 wrote:Call me Old School, but this is still my favorite format for action figure reviews.  It’s a very interesting figure.  I wish the scope of my taste in figures and by extension, my collection, was as broad as yours and most other posters, but I always seem to gravitate to the pretty girls.  Story of my life.  

Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked it. Well, one does not have to choose only one area of interest. Although, I suppose someone with restraint can choose what to prioritize when it comes to purchases.