Part IPart II (additional images and information) in Post 14.
IntroductionThe new company Fire Phoenix announced several products simultaneously not too long ago, including four medieval-ish knights. The first two were "St John's Knights Hospitaller" (FP001) and "Teutonic Dragon Knights" (FP002) (
here), the second two were the subjects of this review, "Malta Knights Hospitaller" (FP002) and "Lion Knights Templars" (FP003) (
here). The figures looked a good, had interesting head sculpts, and while not terribly loaded with accessories, constituted relatively inexpensive options for what could be small-scale army building. I was eventually tempted to purchase a couple of the sets, and they arrived yesterday. To get one thing out of the way -- historical accuracy in these sets is limited. The ones I chose were based on having less in common with sets from other companies that I already owned. The lion (of Judah) was a Templar symbol, but it does not seem to have featured heavily on the uniforms of Templar Knights. The Maltese cross (which we see here) was a Hospitaller symbol, but it is generally agreed to have become common after the beginning of the 16th century, and so would be more commonly seen on later, plate-armored knights. That said, reconstructions of earlier Hospitallers do often use the Maltese cross even for earlier uniforms, so perhaps we cannot blame Fire Phoenix for following them. The rectangular heraldic-crest-bearing pieces strapped over the upper arms, however, appear to be pure fantasy. That is why I am referring to these figures as "medieval-ish." Nonetheless, they capture the essence of medieval knights fairly effectively and can certainly be customized into something more historically accurate. For simplicity, I will be referring to the two figures as the Maltese and Lion knights.
Packaging - 4/4 starsThe sets arrive in relatively large but not very deep boxes (with their own personalized cardboard shippers), featuring the product name, heraldic crest, and photograph on the sides. Inside is a single black foam trey (with its own thin foam cover), within which you can find the figure and its accessories. Apart from a couple of disk-shaped pieces of tape holding the box shut, everything is collector-friendly and safe. I have said it before, but I will say it again -- foam is just friendlier than plastic.
Sculpting - 4/4 starsIs the detail on the two head sculpts and accessories as sharp as it might have been in the hands of, say, Hot Toys? Probably not. But for a brand new company producing sets at markedly lower prices, the product has excellent quality. The detail is good and sharp. There are no obvious mistakes or leftover mold lines. The sculpts are realistic, and slightly animated -- the Lion Knight with a bit of a smirk and the Maltese Knight with a bit of a scowl. The detail on the accessories, both cast metal and plastic alike, is likewise very good. The figures are tall, standing about 30.5 cm (12 in) without the helmets on.
Paint - 4/4 starsAgain, there have been more subtle and detailed paint applications here and there in our hobby, but the application here was once again of excellent quality, clean and precise. The eyes are glossy, the hair exhibits some variation, you can even make out individual eyebrows, although they remain realistic. I suppose if one feels the need for it, one can weather the accessories more or dirty up the faces.
Articulation - 3.5/4 starsLooking at parted out sets on eBay, it looks like Fire Phoenix uses neck-less CooModel bodies (or something based on them), which are a very decent choice. I wish the head and neck were two separate pieces, but they work ok on the figures. The joints are strong enough to support dynamic poses with accessories like the weapons and shields in the hands. The legs have surprisingly uninhibited articulation, and the figures can sit easily, something rarely the case with armored figures. There is good ankle articulation, although the one-piece long-gloved hands on the Maltese Knight figure impede wrist articulation in that set. The Lion knight has, thankfully, separate armored gloves and vambraces. Despite the several layers of clothing and armor (4 layers on top), for the most part they do not impede the articulation. Something that does get in the way is the heaviness of the cast metal helmets, which make it a little difficult to find a safe, balanced pose for the figures.
Accessories - 3/4 starsI suppose this is one area in which the sets are relatively light. We do not put much emphasis on them, but action figure stands are a nice thing to have. If it meant being able to army build at a more reasonable price, I don't mind not having them, but in this particular instance, they would have been very helpful, as the cast metal helmets can easily throw the figure off balance.
Both sets include the one pair of gloved gripping hand that come on the figure, plus two pairs of regular ungloved hands, one of them gripping, the other fists. In practical terms this is ok, but it is far short of an ideal full complement of options. Each set comes with only two weapons: a long sword for both (of slightly different design), a horseman's pick for the Maltese Knight, and a ball-and-chain flail for the Lion Knight. Incidentally, there are arguments that ball-and-chain flails, so ingrained in popular culture perceptions of medieval warfare, are the invention of later imagination, and that surviving exemplars were made later. Now this is a lot better than just one weapon for each, but the complement of medieval weapons for knights would have suggested a spear and perhaps a standard, not to mention a short dagger. Each set also includes a shield, nicely done, featuring the heraldic device on a somewhat odd cloth cover permanently attached to the shield surface. The inside of the shield has three straps: one to hang the shield over the neck and shoulder, another to fit around the elbow, and a third to hold in the hand.
Some collectors have complained of overly soft hand sculpts, although in my experience that is not usually an issue. On the other hand, as here, the hands could be made of overly hard plastic, making the placement of the weapons in them a bit of a pain. The cast metal helmets are very nicely done, although this method places some limitation on the quality of detail, and results in putting the heaviest accessory at the top of the figure's center of gravity, something that, as already noted, is not very helpful. I just learned that, while it is advertised as a good thing, casting metal pieces is a cost saving measure (thanks, Ghost808). Always preferred plastic, for balance reasons. In terms of size, although they fit over fully realized head sculpts (with ears and hair), they do not look excessively large -- perhaps in part because the figures bulk up with the several layers of clothing/armor.
Outfit - 4/4 starsThe soft goods that come with Fire Phoenix's knights represent cloth, leather, and (chain) mail alike. Generally speaking, the these elements are excellent. Each knight comes with pants, a shirt or thin tunic (black for the Lion Knight, white for the Maltese Knight), a padded tunic (gambeson?, blue for the Lion Knight, milk white for the Maltese Knight), (chain) mail (hooded for the Lion Knight, with separate mail hood, coif, for the Maltese Knight), and a surcoat with the appropriate heraldic crest on it (blue for the Lion Knight, red for the Maltese Knight). The separate fabric (chain) mail coif of the Maltese Knight sometimes looks off, as it lacks the heaviness of real metal to drape over the shoulders. This is easily fixed if you tuck it under the surcoat, as would have been more typically worn. I left it out for the review, since that is how the figure is meant to be displayed by the designer.
Each figure has two belts, one of them to support the long sword and its sheath. This additional belt on the Maltese Knight figure has a hoop for the horseman's pick, while the corresponding belt on the Lion Knight figure has a pouch attached to it. You can suspend the ball-and-chain flail on the belt. The Lion Knight has shoes or short boots on. The Maltese Knight's feet are encased in his fabric (chain) mail chausses, which are given basic soles. This is good for ankle articulation, but makes for a shifty fit, which results in some additional problems trying to balance the figure on its feet. The rectangular heraldic-crest-bearing pieces strapped to the upper arms are, as noted, fantastical, and one wants to make the figures look a little more historically accurate, one can easily remove them.
Finally, both figures come with capes. The cape for the Lion Knight is plain black, and overly narrow and overly long. It might be some sort of fashion statement, but it is neither plausible nor practical. It does have thin wires along the bottom and the lower part of the sides. The cape for the Maltese Knight is also black but with the Maltese cross at both shoulders and a much better design. It has a metal chain closure, wired hood that would make Emperor Palpatine proud, much better cut that allows it to envelop the body if need be, and does not drag on the ground. It also has thin wires to help it assume dynamic wind-swept poses, along the bottom and the sides.
Fun Factor - 4/4 starsEspecially keeping in mind each of these sets is coming out alongside three others, I suppose there is even more potential fun to be had with them than if they were on their own, or separated by a long lag of time. The good articulation, good execution and quality, and the relatively low cost, are all likely to help making the most of this. The few shortcoming mentioned above are generally easily overcome, especially if one wants to do some basic modification or even just add a stand.
Value - 3.5/4 starsEach set retails for $180 or so (probably more on the secondary market), and these days that is quite a deal. To be sure, these do not include a cornucopia of accessories and even lack stands, but they are viable, good quality action figures that work well on their own, better in groups, and -- not least because of the somewhat more reasonable price -- could be employed to army build, at least on a small scale. Note that they are available either individually or as two combo 2-packs (Maltese and Lion, Teutonic and St John). The 2-packs include an additional, if rather fantastical, helmet; they do not cost less than buying individual sets.
Things to watch out forBalance -- especially due to the relatively heavy cast-metal helmets perched at the top of the figures' center of gravity. Or give them some stands. Otherwise, expect the occasional tumble and at least some startling noise. Perhaps heat up the hand sculpts a bit before trying to place the handles of the weapons in them. Otherwise, not a thing, at least in my experience.
Overall - 3.75 starsThis being a new company, I did not know quite what to expect. While some of the sets' limitations (as in number of accessories, etc) were obvious from the promotional materials, they looked good and I wanted to give them a try. Perhaps because I was cautious and did not expect very much, I was actually quite pleasantly surprised. They are a good product, especially given the relatively low price. If you like medieval knights and are not too hung up on historical accuracy, these are a viable option. They also have plenty of potential if you want to improve them. The only inaccuracy I spotted from the promotional images is that the belts on the Maltese Knight are as medium brown as those of the Lion Knight, as opposed to being darker or black.
Where to buyI got mine at GianToy for $180 (USD) -- here
You can find them also at:
Big Bad Toy Store (pre-order) -- here
Cotswold Collectibles (pre-order) -- here
Monkey Depot (pre-order, only combo 2-packs) -- here
Timewalker Toys (some are still in pre-order, others in stock) -- here
Or look around elsewhere on the web, including eBay.
I hope this was useful. As always, what do you think?
Part II (additional images and information) in Post 14.#medieval #knights #templar #hospitaller #firephoenix #fantasy #male #crusader 
