Savage September: The Power of the Who-Man Spirit
Savage September started off with a bang here at the Pulp Arcana Studios corner of Fanboy Planet, with a review of a banger from Harvinger Studios Savage Crucible line: Nashorn the Disinherited. He was a great figure, with fantastic dark overlord vibes. Today’s offering keeps the same Sword and Sorcery aesthetic that Savage Crucible does so well, but goes in a very different direction. Where Nashorn really captured the darkness of the setting, Who-Man seems to embody a more heroic direction.
The choice of name for the character absolutely seems like a spot-on homage to the classic and greatest muscle-bound warrior of the toy aisle, He-Man. There are some strong similarities in the costume and character design. But Who-Man is not a simple He-Man clone or knock-off. You get the sense that the studio wanted to do a bit of a love letter to the toys they grew up with, while still creating a character absolutely at home in the brutal fantasy world they are creating. That type of loving nod to the past while still pushing forward is something that connects with me.
Who-Man is clearly a heroic figure, striding forward to take his place in the setting. Will he be another shining blade from Harvinger Studios, or will this one fall and falter onto the blood soaked sands of the Savage Crucible? Let’s take a look together as Pulp Arcana Studios reviews Who-Man!
A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief: Savage Crucible’s Who-Man
Artifact Identified:
Who-Man
Savage Crucible
Harvinger Studios
OUT OF THE CRATE:
The outer packaging for Who-Man is nearly identical to what we saw with Nashorn. This is not an exaggeration, as the art piece on the front of the box and the lore for the line on the back are both exactly the same. Who-Man’s name is clearly labeled on the side of the box though, providing a bit of difference when you have the boxes stacked on your shelf.
Once you open the flap though and reveal the figure, the distinction is absolutely clear. On the flap itself is a bit of backstory, telling us about Who-Man and his place in this brutal world. Evidently, his moniker came from the lizard people who captured him, making a mocking attempt at calling him “human.” Nice touch and a fun bit of lore, but I still don’t love the name, if I am being honest. What I do like however is the prominent placement of lore and a great clear view of both the figures and the accessories.
THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:
Out of the package, I was a tiny bit disappointed at what I had with Who-Man. The character has a simpler design in terms of the armor and paint applications than what we found with Nashorn. There is a good deal of bronze flesh on display, as one would expect from a barbarian type figure, and the armor has an almost Greek hoplite feel to it. However, with the armor being gold in color, the skin being a warm tan, the skirt piece being a brown leather, and the hair being a sandy blonde, the end result is a bit subdued and at first, looked a little bit muddled. There definitely was not the sheer imposing presence that immediately captured me with Nashorn.
The accessories seemed more basic as well. We get a great assortment of hands, which I am always grateful for, and a second head, with a fierce raging expression. A fantastic sword and shield complete the accessory complement. Now, each and every one of these by themselves is great, but they also felt a little bit simple.
However, as I started to shoot the photos for this review, and especially as I got the accessories on to the figure, something magical happened. In hand, that sword looks incredible. The shield has a handle that can be repositioned in multiple ways to change how it sits on the arm. The hands, especially the open, grasping hands, were incredibly expressive. And that second head, with its glowing eyes and expression of pure fury just captivated me. Everything just seemed to hit harder, look cooler, be better, than I had first thought. Yes, Who-Man comes across a little bit basic. But I’m now thinking that that is actually a design accomplishment rather than any sort of misstep.
Also, much like when we opened Nashorn, Harbinger Studios included a mystery weapon in a black bag at the bottom of the package. This one was an absolutely fantastic looking broadsword, reminiscent of the Atlantean sword from the Conan movies, one of the greatest blades in cinematic history. Like the sword included with Nashorn, this one also has the translucent flame-like effect on the blade. A fantastic addition. I love this little added bit of mystery fun that we get with these figures.
MOBILITY AND MANEUVERS:
With the articulation, the excitement continued to grow. As much as I cherish my beloved Mythic Legions figures, I have found Savage Crucible figures to have a bit more in articulation. I noticed this with Nashorn, and I expected the same with Who-Man. Once I got him in hand though, I swear I think Who-Man actually poses a little bit better than Nashorn did. This is likely a result of the less constrictive armor design that this character uses. The more I played with the figure though, the more I liked him.
Head and neck motion are expressive and smooth, however they are slightly limited by the figure’s longer hair, and the large pauldron on the left shoulder. The shoulders themselves continue to be one of my favorite parts of the Savage Crucible articulation suite. They have a fantastic butterfly joint that allows a great deal of movement at the shoulder to facilitate sword-wielding and powerful poses.
The arms have a great swivel cut both above and below the bicep. At first, I didn’t think this was actually a big deal, but the more I worked the figure, the more I realized how often these two cuts were putting in serious work. I don’t think enough people are talking about how good the articulation is on this Savage Crucible line.
The waist is a little bit limited, again due to the armor, but does provide a nice twist. The legs will move out wide enough to hit deep lunges. Finally, double-jointed pinless knees and smooth moving ankles allow great stances. While these have are standard on Savage Crucible figures, they are still definitely appreciated.
It does need to be mentioned though, that Who-Man’s armor and shield do have some spikes molded on them, and they are super-pointy. They look fantastic, but when you are moving the figure into poses, or especially when you are trying to swap heads or hands, it can be a little uncomfortable. A little pain is a small price to pay for beauty, but I did want to at least mention it.
RECOVERED EVIDENCE:
FINAL RECKONING:
At the end of the day, Who-Man is a figure that I found to be greater than the sum of its parts. While the figure design and the accessories do feel a little basic, when combined together, the end result is an action figure that is actually made for action. Opposite from some other figures I have reviewed here, this is a figure that may not be terribly impressive on the shelf, but he is a joy in the hand, and photographs really, really well. He is simple, clean, and above all, fun.
RELIC RATING: 4.5 out of 5
Filed by Mark Gelineau of Pulp Arcana Studios for Fanboy Planet
https://www.instagram.com/pulp_arcana_studios/
FIELD PHOTOS:
