I’m all caught up with the amazing NECA D&D line with Elkhorn, just in time for them to announce some new figures! Let’s take a look at the Dwarf fighter, Elkhorn!
The box sports some nicely atmospheric artwork on the front and the familiar velcro-secured opening flap that reveals a nice big photo and window showing off the figure.
Elkhorn comes with a ton of accessories including a pack, knife, shield, jug, crystal, two axes, two hammers, a sword with sheathe, a torch, two heads, seven hands, and a crystal heart. The hands are two sets of grips, one for smaller items and one for larger, a pair of fists, and a more open grip hand.
The pack is (ahem) packed with texture and pouch details. It attaches via a thin clip on the pack that loops onto a strap on the character’s back. It’s a pretty seamless way to attach in terms of sculpting, though a bit tricky at first. I found that it was way easier to slide the pack onto the back when the ponytail or entire head was off. There are a couple of loops on one side that I was able to squeeze the smaller axe into. I thought maybe the hammers could go on there, but I wasn’t really able to make that happen without heat since the pommels are pretty thick. The top flap of the pack can open and there is storage space in there, but I wasn’t able to get his stuff in there as it’s fairly thick and the flap is pretty stiff. I still appreciate the effort. The sword sheathe plugs into the side of the pack and holds the sword really tightly. A little frighteningly tight, like I’m afraid it might break. The sword has some interesting design flourishes on the hilt that are brought out nicely with a wash and metallic paints.
The weapons are all ornately detailed, complimented well with metallic paint and washes. Even the simpler, woodsman axe has great wood texture in the handle and hammered metal on the head. I think the knife might have picked up some paint from the sheathe when I tried to put it in backward by mistake.
The shield has nice hammered texture and some excellent battle damage. It’s got a strap and a handle inside which is a little tricky to get onto his grip hand. The details all pop because of the wash on the pieces.
The crystal, Heart Stone, torch, and jug are all fun campaign accessories that he can hold with his more open grip hand with a little finagling. I wish it was slightly more open to make that easier.
Finally, he has two excellent portraits, one more stoic and one more angry and both feature beautiful sculpting on that epic beard and oh so classic horned helm.
The sculpting on this guy is fantastic, capturing the feel of the original figure while adding so much in the way of costume detail and textures. He’s got perfectly squat proportions too. He reuses the legs of Zarak, which look fantastic, but don’t move as well as I’d like with the knees not quite hinging 90 degrees.
The articulation is otherwise decent with:
- Swivel/hinge shoulders, wrists, elbows, forearms, hips, knees, and ankles
- Ball and socket head, neck, and waist
- Swivel ponytail
He’s got an overlay on the torso that flows into a skirt and they do impede a lot of leg and mid-torso motion, but the arms are really nice and the head gets a surprising amount of movement considering the massive beard.
The paint is exquisite here with most pieces getting a wash or drybrushing. I especially like how the wash on the horns gets darker as they get close to the helmet.
I also love the stout thickness of the build and adds a nice variety to the collection and a natural enemy for the half orc assassin, not to mention backup for the poor, outnumbered, Strongheart.
Overall, this is another winner in this line and a solid, playable figure. Elkhorn is the perfect classic depiction of a dwarf in figure form and he’s one of my favorites so far this year. He is a stiffer poser than I’d like, but the beautiful sculpt and paints compensate for that. I cannot wait to see what’s next in this line and I’m crossing my fingers for Melf, Mercion, and Kelek!
Source: The Fwoosh
