REVIEW: Kridana's Epic Ramayana Figures - RAMA and HANUMAN

New toy company brings the epic Indian poem to life...

Enter for your chance to win one of three prize packages which include these amazing figures HERE!

To purchase both Rama and Hanuman action figures, comics and posters, visit www.Kridana.com.

Kridana (Sanskrit for toy) is a new toy company with a lofty goal: to make learning about the great Indian epics fun and to create high-quality toys at the same time. Similar approaches have been taken before, with varying degrees of success. Too often a toy line will succeed in one aspect to the detriment of another. Kridana, however, has found a perfect equilibrium and should go far in the toy industry with their remarkable figures!

Kridana's Series 1, the Epic Ramayana Series, is comprised of two figures: Rama and Hanuman. Rama is the hero of the great Indian epic, a man of piety and strength. One of his faithful companions on his adventures is the monkey god Hanuman. Together these two comprise Kridana's Ramayana Action Set!

Both Rama and Hanuman come in the same basic packaging, both of which complement the other. The tall window boxes are very attractive and sturdy, matching in quality at least the best you'll see in the toy aisle or in a specialty/comic shop. While the back of the boxes is flat, the front is faceted. Through the large plastic window the figures are clearly visible, along with their accessories. While both boxes are mainly black, Rama's has details in purple and Hanuman's in gold. Behind each figure is visible the included comic book. While these unfortunately obscure the background insert, they have the added benefit of showing off the figures' names behind their heads.

The backs of the boxes continue the respective colors, purple for Rama and gold for Hanuman. Each has a brief description of the Ramayana and a bio of the figure. Not only do they describe the exploits of the characters, but Kridana also emphasizes their positive qualities and personalities that you can emulate at home. At the bottom of each bio is an image of the character from the comic book series and the Kridana website (www.Kridana.com).

Opening a Kridana package reveals the figure snugly held in a plastic tray along with his accessories. Behind that is the included mini comic book, and finally a decorated cardboard background insert. Each figure is held in place by one (and only one!) twisty tie, the accessories by tape.

When the demon-king Ravana becomes too powerful, the God Vishnu imparts a portion of his essence into a mortal form: Rama. The eldest son of a king, Rama has many adventures throughout the Ramayana. During his fourteen year long exile in the forest, Rama?s wife Sita is kidnapped by Ravana. After tirelessly searching and encountering new friends, Rama confronts the wicked demon, defeating him and rescuing Sita.

Rama is a dynamic action figure, standing seven inches tall at the highest tip of his hair. With his blue skin, stylized clothing, and ethnic features he doesn't resemble any other toy on the market. Rama wears a mix of clothing and armor, with orange pants, a flexible green skirt trimmed in gold, a breastplate, and some small pieces of armor on his arms. The hero's feet and midriff are bare, as are most of his arms. A red symbol adorns his forehead, and a golden band holds up Rama's topknot.

The sculpt on Rama is quite good. As noted above, the figure has a definite ethnicity, something that sets it apart from the sea of white faces on most toys. Rama has large, dark eyes, thick eyebrows, and a high forehead. In addition, for an "action hero" Rama is refreshingly proportioned like a real human being. Not ridiculously muscle-bound, he is relatively slender in the midsection with powerful arms befitting an archer. Both hands are sculpted in open fists, with the first two fingers of the right one extended.

The Rama action figure has lots of different textures, from the smooth polished look of the golden armor to the intricately pitted surface of the pants to the striated "cloth" of the skirt and lower shirt. Veins and musculature can be seen on the arms and abdomen, and the hair is deeply lined. The decoration on the armor and skirt is highly detailed.

Paint on Rama is crisp and clean. The colors are all very bright, and there is little bleeding between lines. Rama has matte orange pants, slightly baggy. The green of the skirt, shirt, and forearm armor is glossy and slightly metallic, while the gold parts are bright and shiny. Rama's blue skin is uniform, and his hair a dark glossy black.

Rama's articulation is very good, with the following joints: knees, hips, waist, ball-jointed torso, ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, rotating wrists, and ball-jointed neck. The joints are all tight and smooth, with a good range of motion. While the hips are somewhat impeded by the skirt, it is quite flexible. Rama can achieve a wide range of poses, and looks great in action or on display.

The heroic Rama comes with three accessories, two bows and one arrow. The long silver bow is the Bow of Shiva. To win the hand of Sita, a potential suitor had to string the magical Bow of Shiva, a theoretically near-impossible task. Rama prepares to string the bow, but in his zeal breaks the weapon in two. The accessory is solid silver, with a jagged black line in the middle representing the break. Rama's other bow is his customary weapon, the Kodanda. The accessory is a highly detailed shortbow in gold and red. As a small added bonus, the bow is actually stringed! The final accessory is an arrow. On its own it's relatively plain, but you can pose Rama with it to recreate any number of Rama's legendary battles. Both bows can fit well in Rama's left hand, and with the right posing he can hold the arrow in his right.

Also included with Rama is the comic book Rama #0. While the awesome cover is in color, the short comic is black and white. It is done in a relatively minimal style, but the character designs are striking. Rama's comic tells the story of the trap by which Ravana tricks the hero into following a demon into the forest while he kidnaps his wife Sita. Ending with the words "To be continued..." this comic book points to more excellent offerings from Kridana.