Sir Valgard

Does this figure look worth $180,000 to you? As a veteran warrior who once fought under Sir Gabriel Heavensbrand's leadership, Sir Valgard offers wisdom and guidance to Heavenbrand's son, Sir Gideon, in the newly enlightened age of The Order of Eathyron. Long ago, The Order was a shining star among the factions, and was both devout and righteous. But as time passed, the faction became corrupt, deteriorating into an institution afflicted by greed and discrimination, that seeks to serve the needs of only the wealthiest denizens of Mythoss. As the first in a new wave of non-human warriors to join the faction, Sir Valgard is an inspiration and a true symbol of The Order of Eathyron's return to greatness. That isn't the actual price of the figure we quoted above - that's just when he was unlocked in the Kickstarter. Sir Valgard was the Kickstarter-exclusive figure for the first Mythic Legions go-round, meaning there's no other way to get him. He was the third stretch goal, putting him somewhere between Vitus and the barbarian. And when there's a Kickstarter-exclusive figure in a project you're backing, you go ahead and get that figure. Sir Valgard doesn't use any unique pieces, or even unique combinations. We've seen all these pieces on other dwarves, and we've seen all these pieces together. Technically we haven't seen all these pieces together on a dwarf - for instance, we've seen the beardy mask on a dwarf, and we've seen the ear-wings on a dwarf, but we haven't seen the beardy mask and the ear-wings on a single dwarf, so that's something. It's not like Valgard is a simple repaint of some other figure (at least, no more than any other Mythic Legions release is a repaint of every other figure). But just because you're familiar with every mold used to make this guy, it doesn't mean it's not still a wonderful sculpt. The Mythic Legions aren't done in a real 6" scale - not even the inflated 6" scale favored by Hasbro and Mattel for their superhero figures. This is closer to the near-7" scale of MotU Classics. Call it 6¾", or a 1:10.6666 scale. Since this figure stands more than 5⅜" tall, we can work out that Sir Valgard (and all the dwarves) are about 4'10". And as long as we're measuring things, how big would that beard be? 20 inches. Human facial hair grows at a rate of about 15/1000ths of an inch per day, or 5½" per year; if pretend dwarves' hair grows at the same rate, Valgard could get from a clean shave to this point in less than four years! Of course, since they're a magical race, it might be even faster. Valgard's colorscheme is gold and purple, because even in the world of Mythoss, everybody loves Wario. His beard is gray, matching the silver outlines on his armor, while his wings are solid brown. Unusually, the paint is a little sloppy on my figure. The Four Horsemen typically spring for the absolute best paint on their figures, while this one is "only" as good as an average mass-market release. Oh no, the pain, whatever shall we do? It's just a question of a few edges not being perfectly crisp, nothing too distracting (especially since they're mostly covered by his beard). The Mythic Legions figures have a modular construction that allows you to pull them apart at the joints and recombine them however you like. Like all the others, Sir Valgard has a balljointed head, swivel neck, swivel/hinge shoulders and elbows, swivel forearms, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed torso, swivel/hinge hips, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge knees, and swivel/hinge/swivel ankles. It is kind of funny that when you move his head, the beard just becomes a big floating shell with nothing behind it. To supplement his armor, Sir Valgard gets the short shoulder pads, which look very nice on his short frame. He gets the usual brown leather strap, of course, but his only weapons are the short sword and the dagger, both of which have golden blades and purple hilts. His shield has a golden edge and a silver body, with a purple image of Eathyron in the center. Sir Valgard isn't my favorite Mythic Legions character, or even particularly flashy. He's not a standout figure in the line, but the line in its entirety is above average. And as an exclusive, he really is a nice choice: a sturdy, pleasing release that won't leave you feeling like you're missing something totally awesome if you don't get a chance at him. -- 04/15/17

Tweet