SDCC08 REVIEW: Four Horsemen’s Time Keepers - PART 2

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives...

Articulation on the little devils is quite good. They have eight joints: ball-jointed neck, limited ball-jointed shoulders, wrists (removable), torso “ab-crunch” (forward and back), waist, and the all-important jaw. The figures are limited in articulation due to their extremely thin limbs, which explains the lack of leg joints. As they are, the Time Keepers can be posed in an excellent array of positions, and are pretty stable on their tiny feet. Some poses (especially with the incredibly heavy Chrono-Hammer) are difficult to achieve, and others will be plain impossible. Try removing some of the clothing accessories to free up joints even more. Finally, opening and closing the mouths really helps to give change the figures’ look.

The color schemes of the Keepers are both varied and dynamic. Each has its own palette, which really serves to differentiate the critters. Aestorath literally shines with his unique metallic gold skin, washed with black. His enormous jet black horns seem to cast a shadow over the whole figure, making him even darker. Beady yellow eyes peer out from his skull face, flat against the metallic bone. Aestorath’s clothing is black, gold, and a deep red that offsets his “skin” color. Baraeth is a deep, devilish red all over, with black accents. His eyes too are molten yellow, even more striking than Aestorath’s. His clothing is a deep brown with accents in gold, black, and green. The most visually distinctive is probably Nybbaz. Shedding the darkness of his fellows, this demon is a bright, almost gaudy, blue that’s pretty solid over his entire body. His eyes are also yellow, a color that doesn’t necessarily pop with this color scheme. Nybbaz’s unique ears are a mix of off-white, blue, and silver, while his clothing is fashionable in tan, beige, gray, and red.

The Time Keepers have one main accessory, their wicked Chrono-Hammers. Defining the “Time” part of their names, the enormous weapons consist of a giant hourglass attached to a long staff. The hourglass is an awesome piece, with an intricately sculpted frame and great colors. Four posts of bone attach the two endplates, each decorated with a huge scarab. The glass itself is a solid piece of semi-translucent plastic. Each Time Keeper’s hammer is unique with respect to hourglass color, while the frames are bronze and hafts gray. Aestorath’s “glass” is a dark purple, Baraeth’s green, and Nybbaz’s red.

Each Time Keeper also has removable clothing. Aestorath and Baraeth both have the same pieces: a wide collar and skirt. Both are black with gold button details. The skirt sort of squeezes and holds on to the waist, while the one-piece round collar can be removed only if the head is taken off. Nybbaz, ever the rebel, has just a unique neckpiece that resembles a feathered Native American accessory.

Several parts of the Time Keepers are removable, and so are swappable between them. The heads are on standard ball joints, and the hands are removable. In fact, as far holding and posing with the Chrono-Hammer, it’s often better to position the hands on the weapon, then attach them to the figures’ arms. There are also unique ankle parts on each figure (based on their horn/ear design) that slide in and out, and so can be switched out as well. Aestorath has mini horns, Baraeth bat winglets, and Nybbaz feathered winglets.

The Time Keepers were available at the Four Horsemen booth for $10 apiece, or $25 for all three. $10 is about usual for a high quality toy these days, and $25 for all three is awesome! The Keepers are unique and have a great design. These three are listed as available for order “soon” on the Four Horsemen store site www.storehorsemen.com. The Horsemen let slip that more of the little guys might be showing up as pack-ins with future Gothitropolis releases. We can hope!

Hit the link below for more images of the Time Keepers!

Review and Photos by Scott Rubin

Time Keeper Photo Gallery