They've announced some pretty unique licenses, at least for them, like Wallace and Grommitt or the Simpsons, and even in existing lines things have been perking up. And tonight's review covers one of their best ideas in recent history, even if it is not all that creative.

It's Dragons. Pretty obvious idea, eh? They're a huge collectible with the "Renaissance Faire" crowd, and have been for years. Just one walk around the usual gift shop will show you pewter, ceramic and glass versions in just about every style and size. So it wasn't any big stretch of the imagination to realize that plastic versions, at a reasonable price, were right up Mctoys alley.

But what the line lacks in creativity, it makes up for in great execution. Tonight I'm reviewing the entire first series of five dragons - Eternal Clan Dragon, Fire Clan Dragon, Komodo Clan Dragon, Sorcerer's Clan Dragon, Water Clan Dragon. They are hitting most brick and mortar stores like Toys R Us and Media Play right now, and I have my usual online suggestions for picking them up at the end of the review.

There's also a deluxe boxed set of a Berserker Clan Dragon versus a Knight, which I reviewed several weeks ago at MROTW. I also ran a great guest review last week on these that showed them with a variety of cool miniature knights and displays. Price on that bad boy is around $20, while the individual dragons sell for $10 - $12, depending on the retailer.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Dragons series 1"

Technically, this series is called Dragons: Quest for the Lost King. There's clearly any number of Elvis jokes just ripe for the picking. In reality, the 'king' they are referring to is the king of the dragons. The basic back story that McToys has developed is fairly simple - some major disaster has struck the dragon world, killing the ruling king. His son -- the lost king -- is, well, lost. The remaining dragons fled to the hills, and humanity rises up in the wake of all this to become the dominant culture.

They've actually put together some good text and back story for the various types of dragons, their interaction with humans, etc. Check out the company website for more details, including some nifty quicktime 360 views of the figures.

Packaging - ***1/2
Guess what! They've used clamshells! What a surprise! And also completely unsurprising, I love clamshells.

This time around they also do a decent job with the text and graphics, and the artwork will catch the eye and convince the buyer. The figures are show off well inside, so openers and MOCers should be happy.

Sculpting - ****
I could probably pick some nits on specific dragons in this set, but they'd be nits. Overall, the detail and design is simply amazing.

When I reviewed the boxed set, I had some issues - things lining up properly, and being able to get a perfect appearance on the figure. I had no such issues with any of the regular series though. The figures and bases hooked together perfectly, and the design of the poses are much better than I had anticipated.

That's fairly critical of course, since these are basic statues. You'll hear more about that in the articulation section, but don't expect to be putting these in your own pose. And if I can't alter the pose, the one you pick had better damn well look good. I think they managed to pull off something unique and interesting with every version.

That's not to say all five will appeal to everyone. I have my favorites, and you will as well. But you may have to wait to see them in person to really pick your favorites, because the materials they've used for some of them make them better (or worse) than the pictures can show.

For example, from the photos I've seen, I thought that the Sorcerer's Clan Dragon would be my least favorite. But once I had him out of the package, the translucent red wings, with their excellent sculpt, really won me over. He still needs a ballectomy (more on that later) to make him perfect, but he's much better than I had anticipated.

Each dragon has strengths and weaknesses to his pose and design. That's actually a very good thing though, because there really is something for everyone here, if the everyone is a dragon fan. You may only find that two or three of the five really trip your trigger due to their particular style, but it's unlikely that the whole series will turn you off.

Some folks have commented on the scale, and that is something that might be an issue for you. These are fairly small, comparatively speaking. They'll work great with knights figures from miniature games, like Mage Knight, but aren't intended to work with anything over a couple inches tall. That shouldn't really be a surprise though, since these are at the same price point as any 8" McFarlane figure, so they certainly couldn't be 18" figures and still be that price.

One of the strongest features of these figures are the display stands. I don't count them as accessories, since the figures have metal pegs in their feet to attach to the stands, and simply can't work without them. But each of the stands is very unique, and adds to the "personality" of the dragon standing on it. The sculpting on the stands is excellent, and the engineering of the feet, pegs, and center of gravity is such that everything works together to keep them standing straight.

Paint - ***1/2
Each of the Dragons has a unique paint scheme, which seems to match up with their purpose or clan pretty well. The choice of red for the Sorcerer, or the translucent aquamarine for the Water Clan dragon are perfect examples. It also means that this is one of the more colorful and distinctive lines McFarlane has done in awhile, avoiding the excessive use of brown washes.

The style of paint application between the bases and dragons is slightly different as well, making the bases distinct from both the dragons and from each other. My only real complaint across the line is that a few of the dragons have "tattoos," which while that fits in with McToys, seems a tad odd for dragons.

From a pure paint aspect, I think the Komodo Dragon is my favorite. The cool dark stripes on his translucent wings really add to his appearance.

Articulation - Komodo **; the rest *1/2
These are not action figures - they are little plastic statues. Know that going in, and you won't be disappointed.

The least articulated of the bunch is the Water Clan Dragon. He has a neck joint and a tall joint, and that's about it. You won't do much with them either, since there's really only one position they look right. He doesn't have a bendy tail either, unlike most of the rest.

The Sorcerer's Clan Dragon has two cuts on the neck, which does give you a couple options for posing the head that works. He also has a bendy tail, which works fairly well.

The Eternal Clan Dragon has cut joints at the shoulders, but the range of motion is very limited. He also has a cut neck, cut tail, and bendy tail. The bendy tail is really your only posing option.

The Fire Clan Dragon (so hot he's white!) has a cut neck and tail, cut right arm, and bendy tail. The sculpt is such that the neck won't do you much good, and you'll really only be able to pose with the tail.

Finally, the Komodo Clan Dragon is the most articulated, with two cuts on the neck, a cut and bendy tail, and a cut joint on both arms. Most of these joints are also more useful than any of the joints on the other dragons.

Accessories - Bupkis
As I mentioned earlier, I don't consider the stands accessories, but rather an integral part of each figure. There are no additional accessories, and of course, a knight or two would have been a nice touch.

While I don't consider the crystal ball that comes with the Sorcerer's Clan Dragon an accessory, it is something you really want to replace. The one that's glued into his hand on the peg looks an awful lot like a super ball, not a cool crystal. It's easy enough to do, and his hands can hold an actual crystal or large marble quite easily.

Fun Factor - **
These aren't really toys to be played with, but statues to be displayed. They'll look good with some of the miniature gaming figures, but smaller kids won't get much out of them. The lack of articulation and accessories means they're not great for play time.

Value - ***
At ten bucks, these are a very solid value. The size, detail and style match up with that price pretty well, and I don't think anyone will feel shorted with what they get.

Things to Watch Out For
Some of the tails can be tough to get to fit, but nothing impossible. You might want to be careful twisting them on though, and go slow to avoid any damage.

Overall - Water Clan Dragon, Komodo Clan Dragon ****; Eternal Clan Dragon, Fire Clan Dragon, Sorcerer's Clan Dragon ***1/2
In the overall score, I've given a slight edge to my two favorites, the Komodo Clan and Water Clan dragons. That's interesting, because I thought the Water Clan dragon would be might least favorite, but turned out to be one of the coolest designs of the bunch in person.

None of these are weak, although you might want to replace the Sorcerer's Clan Dragon's crystal ball with something a little better looking. It is simply glued onto a peg in his right hand, so you can either break the peg off, or try to soften up the glue with some hot water. Once you have the old ball out, a real crystal or perhaps a large size black marble will look ten times better in his bony paws.

It's always nice to be surprised, and I admit to being surprised by this series. I also think that the entire regular series are better than the deluxe boxed set, and I had none of the issues with these that I had there.

Where to Buy -
Some bricks and mortar stores are getting these in, like Media Play, Sam Goody, and Toys R Us. On-line options include: 

- Clark Toys has a great price on these at $10 each, but they are running out quick. They also have a pre-order up for series 2, for the full set of six for just $60. They also carry a wide range of other McFarlane Toys, including the Sports Picks.