Pulp Arcana Studios: Darkest of Dungeons

Darkest of Dungeons: Savage Crucible’s Deluxe Dungeon

Howdy Planeteers! We’ve got something a little different for you this week for your Pulp Arcana Studios review. Those mad geniuses at Harvinger Studios have brought something new to their Savage Crucible line that is absolutely cool.

When I was a kid, the primary scale of action figures in the 80’s was 3 ¾ inches. This is the size of your classic Star Wars figures, or GI JOE A Real American Hero toys. One of the benefits of this size of figure is that it allows a great opportunity for world building. Vehicles, accessory sets, even full playsets of castles or bases were all a huge part of the toy lines.

Now, as a modern collector, my scale of choice is 1/12 scale. The figures that I review for you here at Fanboy Planet have been almost exclusively 6 inch figures. I love this scale for the detail and the poseability. Since I am primarily a toy photographer, this scale works great for photographs. The one downside to the scale though is that you don’t quite get the same ease of world building that you do with smaller scales.

At the 6 inch scale, world building often moves beyond just an accessory set or a vehicle and pushes into full diorama territory. This gives some amazing results, but requires greater cost and effort.

And this is where Harvinger Studios comes in.

Harvinger has released their line of Savage Stands, small dungeon stone bases with modular ports for figure pegs and accessories. These will be available as individual tiles, or in their Deluxe Dungeon set, with four of the tiles and a ton of detailing accessories. I was able to get my hands on one of the early drops of the Deluxe Dungeon set, and i am excited to give you a glimpse of it here.

A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief:

Artifact Identified:

Deluxe Dungeon Set

Savage Crucible

Harvinger Studios

OUT OF THE CRATE:

Harvinger has absolutely nailed their packaging, and this box for the Deluxe Dungeon is a testament to that. The box is large, with a clear window displaying an assortment of the insane detailing pieces you get with the set. Beneath this primary layer, you can see the three dungeon tiles themselves. The impact is clear and immediate: you are getting a whole lot of bang for your buck here with this set.

The box has the Savage Crucible logo front and center beneath the window, with a blasted, barren world under the logo. The rest of the box is in dark black with a distinct icon for the dungeon stands on the top. This iconography features skulls and rats, a nice bit of foreshadowing for what we will find within.

While I don’t think anyone is going to keep the Deluxe Dungeon in the box for their collection, the packaging completely signals that Savage Crucible and Harvinger Studios are not some small new players in the market. They are a serious contender for some of the best figures in the hobby right now.

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:

When you crack this box open, the sheer amount of stuff you get is almost overwhelming. This is a display system, and the more that I looked at it, the more impressed I became. Whether you intend to use this to spice up your shelf display or, like me, you are going to incorporate these pieces into dioramas and photography set-ups, there is so much to like here.

Obviously, the most important components offered here are the four triangular stands themselves. These are sculpted with textured stones to give the look and feel of dungeon floor. They look great on their own, and can fit together to form a larger square. One minor quibble I have is that it would have been nice if there was some sort of mechanism to secure each of these individual stands to make a single, large stage.

Each of the triangular stands has a number of holes in it, designed to accommodate two types of pegged accessories. The first are pegs with small pegs opposite to them. These are the mechanics for using these as actual stands for your figures. These smaller pegs fit into the holes on the bottom of a figure’s feet, which allows them to stand. I found that these pegs were good enough to hold a figure in a variety of poses, even with the weight shifted significantly off the single foot. The ability to move these to any of the holes on the stand gives a degree of flexibility and customization that is really excellent.

The other accessories that fit into these peg holes on the stands are where things get really fun. Included in this deluxe dungeon set are two large stones, eight medium stones, and six small stones. These go into the peg holes and add a bit of depth to the flat tiles. To add an air of grim menace, there are six skulls in two different sculpts. These peg into the holes and look absolutely fantastic. If you feel like a touch of wildlife in your dungeon, there are also four creepy rats that can be added to your stands.

And speaking of wildlife, one of my favorite pieces in this set is an absolutely delightful komodo dragon figure. This big, chunky lizard has articulation at the legs and neck, and looks incredible. It easily rivals the great animal figures we have been seeing with GI JOE Classified, and I totally hope that Harvinger gives us even more cool animals.

Besides the big lizard, there are a number of other set piece accessories here. A pool of blood made of flat, translucent plastic, looks great against the dark stone. A pile of rocks goes even further to add depth and levels to the stands. One of the coolest additions though is a huge pile of skulls and bones. This looks absolutely amazing, and has a slot at the top of the pile to fit the broken bladed sword that comes with the set.

My favorite accessory though are the metal chains for holding an unfortunate wretch prisoner. After all, what is a dungeon without a prisoner. These have a peg on one end of the chain and the other has a circular manacle that you can slip over the wrist of a figure if you remove the hands. Replace the hands after and they are bound by the chains. Surprisingly, these chains are not plastic, but actually metal, with a great weight that causes them to drape and fall beautifully.

All this together gives you a versatile and customizable set of tools for not just display, but world-building. I love this as a photographer and a collector both, and I sincerely hope that this product sells like gangbusters so that other companies can see how desired these world-building pieces are.

RECOVERED EVIDENCE:

FINAL RECKONING:

Harvinger Studios has become one of my favorite toys lines this year. Their figures look beautiful and move even better. But rather than being content with this, the company is pushing into new areas. This Deluxe Dungeon set provides so much life and ambiance to your figures. Whether you have a full collection of Savage Crucible figures or are just eyeing this for your other lines, this set is absolutely fantastic. Get one for sure. You may want to get even more.