TBLeague Barbarian Soul Review (updated March 9) - Thu Feb 11, 2021 4:27 pm
Extra photos in Post 16 and Post 27.
Introduction: I knew it to be yet another fantasy figure by TBLeague (formerly Phicen), though perhaps not as egregiously sexploitative as some others, and thought I would be able to keep from buying the set. Perhaps I should have. But I didn't. Since this is an entirely fantasy character with little to compare to in terms of (known/recognizable) source evidence, I'm adopting a simpler format and will provide the score for the various categories at the end, following the brief comments and photos.
The figure comes in what appears to be the standard TBLeague packaging, in which the sides of the lid are attached by magnets, and you remove what is essentially a triptych. Some other companies (like DID) print images on the inside that you can use as backdrops for your figure. TBLeague continues to miss this opportunity. Otherwise, the packaging is perfect, with collector-friendly foam treys and nothing out of place. The product box ships inside a cardboard shipper with some information printed on it, and the logo for the product. If you are getting this from another retailer, it will probably be concealed in their shipping box.
Here is the figure as it comes out of the box -- I have only attached the head. So far, so good, everything is functional and it looks like it is supposed to, according to the promotional photos.
The sculpting is exquisite throughout the items that make up the set, from the head sculpt to the detail on the pieces of armor. It is a different matter whether one likes the head sculpt or the style of decoration and detail -- but the quality is top notch, as we have come to expect from TBLeague in this respect. The paint job is also excellent, with both precise fine details (like the eyebrows) and weathered treatment of the armor receiving the specific kinds of attention they deserved. Add to this the finely executed (perhaps too finely for a barbarian!) nordic-looking tattoo on the right (camera left) side of the chest. The head sculpt is a reasonably close match for the skin tone of the body (which is M35, I think), especially in hand, but there it does look a little warmer/darker.
Note the tattoo on the right side of the back of the head. It is also finely executed, if sometimes partly concealed by the hair. The earrings are metal hops which can be adjusted.
The accessories you would have to put on the figure yourself include the molded greaves, the modled vambraces, and the two different molded shoulder guards, as well as a system of three skulls hanging from different leather (or pleather) straps tied together. The vambraces and greaves match with each other, and all these pieces also feature one or more skull design. These are all nicely executed and appropriately weathered, but bother me to no end, in part because of how well they approach realism in all respects but one. The problem is size: except for the main skull on the shoulder guard that goes over the right shoulder, which is oversized, all the skull designs are undersized -- and so undersized that you would have difficulty pretending that even the skulls hanging from the straps belong to shrunken heads. I like my fantasy a little more plausible. The way to do this well, if they were going to be so skull-crazy in the first place, would have been to make any realistic skulls realistically-sized, and the rest a more abstract design, as if they had been carved as decorations out of bone by a barbarian culture. Then there is the single weapon accessory, the axe. It is a very impressive and finely executed piece, no doubt, but utterly preposterous in its design and size. Every aspect of it is implausible or impractical, to the point where it simply doesn't work very well with what is otherwise a relatively realistically proportioned and featured character; if it had been stylized, perhaps it might have been fine.
As far as other wearable accessories go, the helmet is a piece of art. The horns are made to look like bone or possibly wood, with reinforcing meal tips and bands, and a series of helmet plates lines its surface; to the bottom is attached a section of "chain" mail to protect the neck. The front of the helmet is reminiscent of a faux Corinthian style, with a noseguard dividing the opening for the eyes and a narrow slit dividing the lower face over the mouth. While its "chain" mail (like the "chain" mail skirt) is made of a sort of fabric material, the helmet is molded in relatively thin and somewhat flexible plastic, which makes it pretty easy -- and safe -- to slide onto and off of the head. Well done, if quite fantastical. The same cannot be said for the shoulder guards. Besides their questionable visual design (what with mis-sized skulls and oversized spikes), these suffer in terms of functional design. There are four of push buttons sown onto the leather (or pleather) harness worn by the figure, which are supposed to attach to corresponding pieces inside the shoulder guards. While it was difficult enough to attach the hooks and straps of the greaves and vambraces and to slide them over the faux fur sleeves, snapping the shoulder guards onto these push buttons was well-nigh impossible, even after plenty of time and effort. In the end I succeeded in connecting one of each pair of push buttons, which made it possible to take a few photos for the review (by this point I realized that I will never want to use them again after this). I should also point out that the molded pieces of armor have a light, powder blue underside, an unfortunate choice when parts of those are exposed, as you might be able to see in some of the photos.
When I put the cloak on the figure, the spikey shoulder guard unsnapped and I could not get it attached again. What to do with a detached shoulder guard? How about this?
Or this? Actually either of these looks more plausible than the way it was intended to be used.
But I suppose I will leave it to the side for now. At any rate, here is the figure with the cloak on. It is a tattered cloak with a fur-lined collar area. To put it on you have to remove the head. The cloak features a couple of wires concealed inside it, which can be used to get some positioning for wind or dramatic effect -- but nothing too over the top. The fur on the cloak matches the fur on the rest of the outfit, just like the faux leather of the harness and belt match that of the skirt.
There are a couple of optional extra accessories that come with the set. One is a little package containing three extra straps, I assume for the purpose of replacement if those on which the skulls are attached should break. The other is a molded disk that is supposed to snap onto the ring at the center of the harness over the chest. Once again the concept was fine but the resulting functionality leaves something (a lot) to be desired. While I briefly managed to attach one of the two clasps of the disk onto the harness ring, the other proved too difficult -- especially as I did not want to risk damaging the harness or the TPE flesh in the process. So I gave up and snapped one end of the disk to one of the hoops hanging from the belt/skirt.
I should also mention that the heft of the stainless-steel skeleton body and the relative weight of some of the accessories (though apart from a few hoops there is no additional metal here -- thankfully) help throw the figure off balance more easily than otherwise. Nevertheless, the articulation is largely unrestricted, including that of the shoes, and if the shoulder guards get in the way of the upper arms, I'm sure they will snap off quite easily. The shoulder guards, not arms.
This helps the figure assume relatively natural stances and keep relatively good balance. Or as much as can be expected wielding this sort of crazy weapon.
Remember when I was talking about dramatic wind? Well I just realized I had captured it on camera!
Again, despite the several layers of clothing, the articulation is generally unimpeded. For example, the "chain" mail skirt is slit at the back (concealed beneath a layer of leather and fur -- I assume both of them faux), which allows the upper legs to move sideways or forward/upward with relative ease.
So while our barbarian hero takes a break (unwittingly demonstrating that he can sit comfortably like a civilized person), let's consider the overall impression this set makes and the scores. If you have less expectation for realism (or rather plausibility) from your fantasy sets, you may be more forgiving. In fact I have so many issues with the visual design that I cannot blame you asking why didn't I just pick up a few parted out pieces and put together as much (or as little) of this as I wanted. Perhaps I thought it would sell out, or perhaps I thought I would like more of it. In fact, I have no major issue with what you see in the "right out of the box" photo, and that could work very well as a base for some kitbashing. The cloak and disk also have a lot of potential, and while the horned helmet is unabashedly fantasy, it is not egregiously implausible for a more ceremonial sort of piece. While beautifully executed, the shoulder guards are not only too fantastical (which is ultimately a matter of personal taste in cases like this) but functionally bewildering; much the same could be said of the greaves and vambraces, but at least those can be put on and will stay on. The axe is impossibly over-the-top for me, but what bothers me more is the absence of additional and alternative weapons -- a barbarian might be expected to be armed to the teeth. Perhaps an alternate, more realistic battle axe would have made sense. But certainly a dagger, some sort of sword, ideally a spear or javelin, maybe a bow and arrows, how about a shield (although I can just imagine what they'll do with that). I realize we cannot really expect to get all that in one set, but we ought to get some of it -- or at least something better than this axe. I suppose I will stop grinding it, except for the score. This will actually look a whole lot better than might be suggested by my complaints about aspects of this set above. One more positive to note is the value. Especially if you do not mind the flights of fancy and only have to worry about the functional problems, you will probably find that $164 (USD) for a higher-end set is actually not at all a bad price these days, when many companies have moved their product (which often has less to recommend it) well above $200.
Packaging - 4/4 stars
Sculpt - 4/4 stars
Paint - 4/4 stars
Articulation - 4/4 stars
Accessories - 1/4 stars (questionable functionality, limited and questionable weapons)
Outfit - 2/4 stars (questionable functionality)
Fun Factor - 3/4 stars (sometimes difficult to balance, limited and questionable weapons)
Value - 4/4 stars ($164 USD, plus shipping)
Overall - 3.25/4 stars
Where to buy? While you can search the net on your own, my usual go-to places in the states would be:
Big Bad Toy Store $170
Cotswold Collectibles $170
Monkey Depot $170
Timewalker Toys this is where I got mine, but it looks to be sold out at present
Extra photos in Post 16 and Post 27.
As always, what do you think?
#tbleague #phicen #fantasy #warrior #barbarian #soul #male
Introduction: I knew it to be yet another fantasy figure by TBLeague (formerly Phicen), though perhaps not as egregiously sexploitative as some others, and thought I would be able to keep from buying the set. Perhaps I should have. But I didn't. Since this is an entirely fantasy character with little to compare to in terms of (known/recognizable) source evidence, I'm adopting a simpler format and will provide the score for the various categories at the end, following the brief comments and photos.
The figure comes in what appears to be the standard TBLeague packaging, in which the sides of the lid are attached by magnets, and you remove what is essentially a triptych. Some other companies (like DID) print images on the inside that you can use as backdrops for your figure. TBLeague continues to miss this opportunity. Otherwise, the packaging is perfect, with collector-friendly foam treys and nothing out of place. The product box ships inside a cardboard shipper with some information printed on it, and the logo for the product. If you are getting this from another retailer, it will probably be concealed in their shipping box.
Here is the figure as it comes out of the box -- I have only attached the head. So far, so good, everything is functional and it looks like it is supposed to, according to the promotional photos.
The sculpting is exquisite throughout the items that make up the set, from the head sculpt to the detail on the pieces of armor. It is a different matter whether one likes the head sculpt or the style of decoration and detail -- but the quality is top notch, as we have come to expect from TBLeague in this respect. The paint job is also excellent, with both precise fine details (like the eyebrows) and weathered treatment of the armor receiving the specific kinds of attention they deserved. Add to this the finely executed (perhaps too finely for a barbarian!) nordic-looking tattoo on the right (camera left) side of the chest. The head sculpt is a reasonably close match for the skin tone of the body (which is M35, I think), especially in hand, but there it does look a little warmer/darker.
Note the tattoo on the right side of the back of the head. It is also finely executed, if sometimes partly concealed by the hair. The earrings are metal hops which can be adjusted.
The accessories you would have to put on the figure yourself include the molded greaves, the modled vambraces, and the two different molded shoulder guards, as well as a system of three skulls hanging from different leather (or pleather) straps tied together. The vambraces and greaves match with each other, and all these pieces also feature one or more skull design. These are all nicely executed and appropriately weathered, but bother me to no end, in part because of how well they approach realism in all respects but one. The problem is size: except for the main skull on the shoulder guard that goes over the right shoulder, which is oversized, all the skull designs are undersized -- and so undersized that you would have difficulty pretending that even the skulls hanging from the straps belong to shrunken heads. I like my fantasy a little more plausible. The way to do this well, if they were going to be so skull-crazy in the first place, would have been to make any realistic skulls realistically-sized, and the rest a more abstract design, as if they had been carved as decorations out of bone by a barbarian culture. Then there is the single weapon accessory, the axe. It is a very impressive and finely executed piece, no doubt, but utterly preposterous in its design and size. Every aspect of it is implausible or impractical, to the point where it simply doesn't work very well with what is otherwise a relatively realistically proportioned and featured character; if it had been stylized, perhaps it might have been fine.
As far as other wearable accessories go, the helmet is a piece of art. The horns are made to look like bone or possibly wood, with reinforcing meal tips and bands, and a series of helmet plates lines its surface; to the bottom is attached a section of "chain" mail to protect the neck. The front of the helmet is reminiscent of a faux Corinthian style, with a noseguard dividing the opening for the eyes and a narrow slit dividing the lower face over the mouth. While its "chain" mail (like the "chain" mail skirt) is made of a sort of fabric material, the helmet is molded in relatively thin and somewhat flexible plastic, which makes it pretty easy -- and safe -- to slide onto and off of the head. Well done, if quite fantastical. The same cannot be said for the shoulder guards. Besides their questionable visual design (what with mis-sized skulls and oversized spikes), these suffer in terms of functional design. There are four of push buttons sown onto the leather (or pleather) harness worn by the figure, which are supposed to attach to corresponding pieces inside the shoulder guards. While it was difficult enough to attach the hooks and straps of the greaves and vambraces and to slide them over the faux fur sleeves, snapping the shoulder guards onto these push buttons was well-nigh impossible, even after plenty of time and effort. In the end I succeeded in connecting one of each pair of push buttons, which made it possible to take a few photos for the review (by this point I realized that I will never want to use them again after this). I should also point out that the molded pieces of armor have a light, powder blue underside, an unfortunate choice when parts of those are exposed, as you might be able to see in some of the photos.
When I put the cloak on the figure, the spikey shoulder guard unsnapped and I could not get it attached again. What to do with a detached shoulder guard? How about this?
Or this? Actually either of these looks more plausible than the way it was intended to be used.
But I suppose I will leave it to the side for now. At any rate, here is the figure with the cloak on. It is a tattered cloak with a fur-lined collar area. To put it on you have to remove the head. The cloak features a couple of wires concealed inside it, which can be used to get some positioning for wind or dramatic effect -- but nothing too over the top. The fur on the cloak matches the fur on the rest of the outfit, just like the faux leather of the harness and belt match that of the skirt.
There are a couple of optional extra accessories that come with the set. One is a little package containing three extra straps, I assume for the purpose of replacement if those on which the skulls are attached should break. The other is a molded disk that is supposed to snap onto the ring at the center of the harness over the chest. Once again the concept was fine but the resulting functionality leaves something (a lot) to be desired. While I briefly managed to attach one of the two clasps of the disk onto the harness ring, the other proved too difficult -- especially as I did not want to risk damaging the harness or the TPE flesh in the process. So I gave up and snapped one end of the disk to one of the hoops hanging from the belt/skirt.
I should also mention that the heft of the stainless-steel skeleton body and the relative weight of some of the accessories (though apart from a few hoops there is no additional metal here -- thankfully) help throw the figure off balance more easily than otherwise. Nevertheless, the articulation is largely unrestricted, including that of the shoes, and if the shoulder guards get in the way of the upper arms, I'm sure they will snap off quite easily. The shoulder guards, not arms.
This helps the figure assume relatively natural stances and keep relatively good balance. Or as much as can be expected wielding this sort of crazy weapon.Remember when I was talking about dramatic wind? Well I just realized I had captured it on camera!
Again, despite the several layers of clothing, the articulation is generally unimpeded. For example, the "chain" mail skirt is slit at the back (concealed beneath a layer of leather and fur -- I assume both of them faux), which allows the upper legs to move sideways or forward/upward with relative ease.
So while our barbarian hero takes a break (unwittingly demonstrating that he can sit comfortably like a civilized person), let's consider the overall impression this set makes and the scores. If you have less expectation for realism (or rather plausibility) from your fantasy sets, you may be more forgiving. In fact I have so many issues with the visual design that I cannot blame you asking why didn't I just pick up a few parted out pieces and put together as much (or as little) of this as I wanted. Perhaps I thought it would sell out, or perhaps I thought I would like more of it. In fact, I have no major issue with what you see in the "right out of the box" photo, and that could work very well as a base for some kitbashing. The cloak and disk also have a lot of potential, and while the horned helmet is unabashedly fantasy, it is not egregiously implausible for a more ceremonial sort of piece. While beautifully executed, the shoulder guards are not only too fantastical (which is ultimately a matter of personal taste in cases like this) but functionally bewildering; much the same could be said of the greaves and vambraces, but at least those can be put on and will stay on. The axe is impossibly over-the-top for me, but what bothers me more is the absence of additional and alternative weapons -- a barbarian might be expected to be armed to the teeth. Perhaps an alternate, more realistic battle axe would have made sense. But certainly a dagger, some sort of sword, ideally a spear or javelin, maybe a bow and arrows, how about a shield (although I can just imagine what they'll do with that). I realize we cannot really expect to get all that in one set, but we ought to get some of it -- or at least something better than this axe. I suppose I will stop grinding it, except for the score. This will actually look a whole lot better than might be suggested by my complaints about aspects of this set above. One more positive to note is the value. Especially if you do not mind the flights of fancy and only have to worry about the functional problems, you will probably find that $164 (USD) for a higher-end set is actually not at all a bad price these days, when many companies have moved their product (which often has less to recommend it) well above $200.
Packaging - 4/4 stars
Sculpt - 4/4 stars
Paint - 4/4 stars
Articulation - 4/4 stars
Accessories - 1/4 stars (questionable functionality, limited and questionable weapons)
Outfit - 2/4 stars (questionable functionality)
Fun Factor - 3/4 stars (sometimes difficult to balance, limited and questionable weapons)
Value - 4/4 stars ($164 USD, plus shipping)
Overall - 3.25/4 stars
Where to buy? While you can search the net on your own, my usual go-to places in the states would be:
Big Bad Toy Store $170
Cotswold Collectibles $170
Monkey Depot $170
Timewalker Toys this is where I got mine, but it looks to be sold out at present
Extra photos in Post 16 and Post 27.
As always, what do you think?
#tbleague #phicen #fantasy #warrior #barbarian #soul #male
