Fans of the 4 Horsemen's creative talents cheer every time they announce a new figure to be released. And they have good reason to of course, their work is fantastic! Unfortunately, the meticulous detail they carve into every one of their designs doesn't always shine because of the rushed painting and haphazard assembly done at the factories. Queen Alluxandra is not a dud-toy by any means! But Redheads with dull, ugly hair really tick me off!

Name: Alluxandra of the Bluddmane Clan
Line: Seventh Kingdom
Manufacturer: Four Horsemen
Released: Summer 2009
Price: Retail: $20.00
Scale: 6.00 in. (figure is 6.00 in. tall)
Accessories: Staff, Sword, Knife

     I could go on and on about how great the sculpting is, but instead I'll focus on the negative... which is nothing, damn. And that's a rare thing to say, there is nothing wrong with the sculpting on this figu- no, wait, there it is! The one little fly that dared poop on the Mona Lisa; Her mouth isn't centered. This was bugging me for hours, my OCD couldn't pin-point what was wrong until now, the mouth is ever-so-slighty, like by a millimeter, off to the left. It may just be the expression she was given by Eric Treadaway, I've seen people with this expression, but their jaws are usually cocked a little too. I'm gonna chalk it up to a warped mold before any fanboys tear me apart, heh heh. Just kidding, we love you fanboys, and your wacky Nerdcore rappings about Teela's flat butt.
     Alluxandra is frowning, do you know why? Because Izzy keeps antagonizing her and the kingdom (queendom?) and her weapons are too brittle to cut Izzy's head off. I learned my lesson from last time, handle the weapons with care. They are finely sculpted though, the sword is razor-sharp. The interlacing pattern near the staff's head adds realism to the piece.
     The armor is even more detailed, the helmet has a home-made appearance, it's not a perfect piece of metal. It has flaws and dings and dents and irregularities among the patterned bands. Same with the knee-pads, while Izzy's look like thick black leather pads, 'Lux's look like stone with techno-metal embellishings. I'm not sure what effect the 4H wanted to achieve on the pads and arms. On the card-back's art, her armor is bright, the arms are smooth and silvery, nothing like the rocky result on this figure. The arms are even textured, like fine sandpaper, though I'm not sure if that's because of the paint or the sculpt. I love the effect, but it's worth noting that it's different than on the package.
     Back to the head, Lux has a deep and complicated expression, just like Izzy. It conveys authority, knowledge, frankness, tenacity, and even approachability despite being a warrior's facade. All qualities every successful leader has. She has a scar on the left side of her jaw? That's a question because it might just be a bristle from a paint-brush that got painted over! Har har... nah, it looks like a scar. So she has a cute scar and pig-tails like Cammy from Street Fighter, AND she's a badass, AND a Redhead. No wonder I love this character.
     The hair is sculpted well, but it could use a lot more flexibility. Maybe it was flexible to start with and the paint made it stiff? That means don't bend the hair too much or you might crack some paint! It's a bummer because I was looking forward to flinging around the moon-blades at the tips of the pigtails. Allux is a little shorter than Izzy, standing almost exactly 6-inches (taller with the helmet/hair).
     Oh, there's more! Lux carries around three knives at the belt, all pieces are meticulously detailed. I like the coins in front, they look like they're made of copper and silver and gold and stone, reflecting the different social statuses of the different tribes I guess? Hey, she has a fur cape doesn't she! Let's talk about that; It's really stiff. It does a good job of replicating that soft feathery look at a distance, thanks largely to the dry-brushing, but up close, it isn't pretty. It restricts a lot of the arm movement too, so I suggest heating the glue in the back and yanking it off to make it removeable.

Sculpt Score: 9 / 10

 

     The red pajamas look out of place, there, I said it! You see those people who shop at Wal-Mart early in the morning and don't even bother putting clothes on? That's what this paint-scheme is like, like she's wearing a onesie underneath and decided to drape a scarf around some wire, then wear it as a belt, decency be dammned! Man, that sounded cruel, eh? But seriously, it's not THAT bad, but the red on the body has got to go. It's even a little crusty at the stomach and distracts from her cool fiery hair anyway.
     But even the hair has some problems. While the area plugged into the helm has a nice wash of black to make the sculpting pop, the pigtails don't have the same treatment. They seem to be the same color, but the lack of shading creates a stark contrast between the two sections, and even makes the pigtails' sculpt look softer and ill-defined.
     The rest of the figure seems fine though. Pouches and leathers have washes and/or dry-brushing, overspill isn't that bad except at some of the tinier details, the coins and earrings are very pretty. I love, love, love the irridescent blue paint! It reminds me so much of the Chozo Artifacts from the Metroid Prime games. The blue on the arms and knee-pads is especially ethereal because they glow against the dead stony texture. Again, I'm not sure if those areas are supposed to be stone armor, but that's what it looks and feels like, and it's badass in every way.
     Oh, and by the way 4 Horsemen, please get in bed with Nintendo and make us some Samus Aran figures in all her suits! 

Paint Score: 8 / 10

 

    The shoulders on these figures are very stiff. It's from a combination of thick paint and tight-fitting, well-constructed joints. You could say that too much of a good thing is what's causing some of the shoulders to freeze-up! If they aren't completely locked on your figure, then it takes more force than I'm comfortable with to move the joint outwards. This puts a ton of strain on the swivel at the bicep and will actually stretch that joint, and loosen it, just to throw some more salt on your wounds. So, the solution is to heat it up and disassemble the shoulder-joint so you can unstick the paint or grind the disk down a little, or do whatever it is you need to to get that thing gliding normally. I had to do a combination of both.
    The rest of the joints were completely functional, with the ab-crunch and one ankle being too loose. The skirt restricts a lot of the leg-movement, it's more than annoying because a warrior needs to be posed dammit! Legs spread, arms flailing, hopping around the battlefield in a twirling motion! Twirling! Why can't they twirl!? Lol. Allux's legs move further than Izzy's because the skirt has a different design, but it's nothing to brag about.
    The articulation is almost invisible on this figure, a major credit. Ugly joints like the elbows are masked by the dark colors. Once you take the fur off, the head can face almost anywhere you want.

Articulation Score: 8 / 10

     At a glance, Alluxandra looks like an interesting character, like the hot chick in line at the post office. You want to talk to her but aren't sure what you'd talk about. Stamps? What she's mailing? The toys you're mailing to trade with your other man-child friends? Right, not gonna happen. It's always fun to see new character designs, there are tons of people out there with dazzling ideas, but too few have the resources to share their visions with the rest of us.
    The semi-brittle weapons are of course a drawback, but at this price-point, mostly adults will be buying these 7th Kingdom figures, the idea being that they're not as rambunctious as their weapon-snapping kids, hah. Still, not cool. The limited limbs are a major problem, 'Lux can't fight if she can't raise an arm or even take a step forward. 

Fun Score: 7 / 10

 

     Like someone recentlly mentioned, if you buy these figures then you're buying them out of your love of toys. This isn't some blind fanboy-thing where you have to buy every Wolverine figure out there. These characters are new, brand new adventures to be had, new people to ram through with a sword and cleave in half with an axe, endless possibilities. For $20.00, you're not just buying a toy, you're buying a new legacy in the making. You're buying history and carrying it boldly, proudly, into the future, where this line of figures should rightfully still be. 

Value Score: 8 / 10

9 / 10 - A never-before-made design, great attention to detail.

8 / 10 - Smooth apps for the most part, some crustiness at the abs, needs some refinement in the smaller details.

8 / 10 - All joints are functional but hips are limited.

7 / 10 - Delicate accessories and limited articulation are no fun, but the figure has an attractive design. 

8 / 10 - No structural problems with the figure, neat accessories, nifty sculpting.

88 / 100 - This is a Great Toy

Don't let wonky joints or the price scare you away, if you love toys, you'll love these action figures. 

-DrNightmare

[You can also find Isadorra's review right HERE!]