From the Pit: LoK Merchandise: Action figures#3 - NECA Kain

This is the first Player Select first stage NECA Kain action figure, made by National Entertainment Collectables Association.

 Standing 7" (18cm) tall, NECA Kain comes with a Soul Reaver blade and an exchangeable hand to represent an enhanced TK attack.

 The cloak, while looking dynamic is actually fixed in place. Notice the slightly different design of the Soul Reaver blade in comparison to the BBI (NECA on left); also note that the cloak symbol is now the actual Kain symbol (as opposed to a placeholder Raziel symbol on the BBI version) - unfortunately now it’s upside down.

 The NECA Kain figure is somewhat controversial because of it’s facial design which was based on concept art for Defiance, with the figure displaying the traits and expression from this art. While largely faithful to the artistic design, some feel it does not represent the appearance of Kain in the series adequately with the facial expression often criticised. The chest scar is however arguably much better than its rendition in the BBI figure.

For more information on the Legacy of Kain action figures see here. Raina Audron’s reviews of the figures can be found on her ‘Ancient’s Den’ site here

From the Pit: LoK Merchandise: Action figures#2 - BBI Raziel

 This is the first wave BBI Raziel action figure, made by Blue Box interactive.

 Standing 8" (20cm) tall, BBI Raziel comes with a Razielim staff, a torch, two souls and a stand representing the sculptures in the underworld.

 The cowl attaches in two halves, with the back attaching to a hole in Raziel’s neck and the front half attaching to the back half. The front section of the cowl leaves a gap where Raziel’s nose can fit at an angle, meaning that when they cowl is attached he must look over to his left, although his neck is free-moving without the cowl attached.

 The wings are made of a ‘floppy’ plastic material (the 'floppiest’ of the Raziel’s) which allows the wings to looks like tattered remains but also means they don’t stay in their holes particularly well. Two variants of the figure were created:

The first wave contains all the accessories in a box, while the second is carded and has only the staff but is otherwise identical. A variant of this figure is available as a limited edition Spectral version (see later entries)

For more information on the Legacy of Kain action figures see here. Raina Audron’s reviews of the figures can be found on her ‘Ancient’s Den’ site here

From the Pit: LoK Merchandise: Action figures#1 - BBI Kain

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I’ve just completed the set of these action figures, so I’m gonna go through a detailed look through each of these in turn before going for the last ones.

This is the first wave BBI Kain action figure, made by Blue Box interactive. Standing 8" (20cm) tall, BBI Kain comes with a Soul Reaver blade, two tk lightning blasts (from the SR1 Kain boss battles) and a stand representing the corrupted balance pillar throne.

 Notice the Raziel symbol on the cloak in place of Kain’s symbol - this is because it was based on an image from before Daniel Cabuco had not designed the Kain symbol, where Raziel’s banner had been used as a placeholder. Two variants of the figure were created:

The first wave contans all the accessories in a box (modelled above by the lovely Raina Audron), while the second is carded and has only the Soul Reaver blade but is otherwise identical.

At least one prototype of this figure was known to exist with slightly different details including a different colour name tag

 For more information on the Legacy of Kain action figures see here. Raina Audron’s reviews of the figures can be found on her ‘Ancient’s Den’ site here.

This post originally appeared here

From the Pit: LoK Merchandise - Statuesque

This is the limited edition Raziel statue produced by Oxmox for Eidos Germany in 1999 as promotion for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Without a doubt one of the rarest and most expensive pieces in the LoK merchandise collection. The figure stands 30cm tall, weighs in at 2kg, is cast in polyresin and comes with attachable wings and a wooden spear (and glue that has probably long since dried up).

The statue and its box have a number of interesting features: Raziel is seen standing upon a block from the Necropolis with an icon of the Soul Reaver carved into it - presumably representing one of the first ‘Reaver sealed doors’ seen in the series. The box contains several renders that are unique to the German market and not seen elsewhere. The spear held by Raziel is crafted from carved wood and is rather more fragile than the rest of the piece - it appears to be based upon the design of the ‘Spear’ weapons found at the entrance to the Sanctuary of the Clans and featured in promotional renders and the Soul Reaver comic.

The German strategy guide features a small section on the creation of this statue, including a picture of an early prototype holding the ‘Dart’ weapon which was frequently used in betas and demos but only made a single appearance in the Ruined City in the final game.

For more information on the statue check out The Lost Worlds page here and Raina Audron’s take of it on the Ancient’s Den here.

This post originally appeared here