REVIEW: Symbiote Studios Warframe RHINO Statue

**JeffSaylor** · 04-08-2015, 01:30 PM

Tenno Warrior Packs Awesome Sci-Fi Design...

CLICK HERE FOR OVER 100 NEW PHOTOS OF THE WARFRAME RHINO STATUE!

One thing you might not realize is the fact that I do a lot of research before diving into a toy review. Heck, I do it with any toy property I'm not familiar with (or I don't fully remember). All the recent Snake Plissken product? I watched Escape From New York again (for like the millionth time). The Walking Dead? I watch the television series religiously (like who doesn't?). The same can be said about Symbiote Studios' sci-fi Warframe statue license: I hunkered down and played the game. It took me awhile to get around to it, as I'm not a PC gamer anymore and this game was originally built for that platform. But when I discovered that it had recently been ported to the Xbox One, I jumped at the opportunity. Not only was I excited to see where these cool-looking statue designs came from, but I was pretty stoked to play the game.

First off, Digital Extreme's Warframe is free-to-play. That means there's no crazy $60 price tag attached to it and is totally risk free to try out. The catch is that yes, players may purchase in-game currency called "Platinum" to quickly acquire more powerful upgrades, weapons and armor. But it is not required. If you play long enough and work hard enough, most all these upgrades are possible to achieve in-game. Warframe is not like those app games on Facebook that reel you in, then pigeonhole you into dropping real money to continue playing it. The title that most reminds me of Warframe is Destiny, only Warframe is so much better on so many levels, one of course being the price. Warframe also has so much more style. Symbiote Studios' first Warframe statue - the Excaliber (see our story HERE) - is just one of numerous wild Tenno warrior "Warframes" you can play as; it's actually one of three models you can start the game with. The new statue up for review today, the Rhino, is on the opposite end of the Warframe spectrum; it's an extremely powerful and far more advanced Warframe model. I haven't played the game nearly long enough to acquire the Rhino, but the video above gives you a good idea of it's devastating abilities. While only dedicated players have the Rhino (or those that choose to pay), it's a smart move on Symbiote Studios' part to release it as the next Warframe statue. It gives the series depth, showing off the many extreme character designs in the game. The Rhino also just happens to look totally awesome.

The Rhino statue comes housed in an eye-catching closed box with cool character artwork that wraps all around. And I literally mean wraps all around, not just some random images placed on each side of the box. It's a really neat effect, with the Tenno warrior facing forward on the front and then gradually turning around - even on the box corners - as the package is rotated. The slick Warframe logo is prominently placed on all sides of the box as well, and the responsible company specs - Symbiote Studios and Digital Extremes - can be found on the back and bottom.

The Rhino statue comes snugly sandwiched in between two Styrofoam trays that are taped together. When removing the foam trays, pay close attention to the sticker on the side that reads "This Side Up". That lets you know which direction to sit down the foam halves, cut the tape and safely remove one of the trays. Otherwise you may end up with Rhino statue parts tumbling out, not a good thing. Inside you'll find the Rhino statue, a display base that it plugs into, and two weapons that you need to attach to the figure.

Assembly is as easy as 1, 2, 3. The steps to build the Rhino statue are simply plug and play, each part utilizing a sturdy metal rod and a pre-drilled hole to place it in. First you'll want to insert the Fragor Hammer into its designated spot on the base. Next, carefully slide the Rhino figure on, making sure that it's left foot peg is aligned with the hole on the base and the figure's outstretched hand is properly positioned over the handle of the hammer. Slide her gently down until everything meshes and locks into place.

Lastly, pop the Boar Shotgun onto the Rhino's back. Lock 'n load.

Once put together, the Rhino statue measures 8 inches tall. It's not a massive sculpture by any means, but its the ideal height for purchasing more than one character and putting them all together on display. That reminds me that I still need to get that awesome Excaliber! Detail on the statue is a dead ringer for the Rhino Warframe, a chunky "tank class" Tenno warrior. The Warframe designs are all very insectoid and bio-mechanical in appearance, reminding me greatly of the Japanese anime Guyver. Just really unique, cool-looking sci-fi designs. As the Rhino's name implies, there is a bit of a protruding horn on the warrior's head, though ironically not as pronounced as the one on Excaliber. It appears the name Rhino refers more to the character's strength and armor. The head also sports multiple "eyes" for an even more bug-like look. Love it.

The base, while a little hard to decipher, is that of a chopped up and defeated Hyena - a four-legged robot enemy. I haven't encountered them yet, as I'm still facing off with hordes of Grineer, but I hope that when I do I'll have the firepower - like a Rhino Warframe - to deal with them. The base, which also resembles the Warframe logo symbol, features felt pads on the bottom along with the edition size. This is hand-numbered, a nice personal touch, mine being 4959 out of 5000 statues produced.

Warframe may not be as widely known or hyped as Destiny, but it should be. The game play is extremely rewarding and addictive and the art design is out of this world. If you enjoy sci-fi third-person shooters with tons of looting and just oodles of upgradeable armor and weapons options, then I highly suggest giving Warframe a try. Best of all it's free, so you really have nothing to loose. After playing and loving it, I dare you not to dig these new Warframe statues from Symbiote Studios. Heck, I loved the look of them before I played the game, but now? An absolute must-have. A game as awesomely designed as Warframe deserves all the cool collectibles it can get.

The Warframe Rhino statue was just released and can be purchased now through store.warframe.com priced at $79.99. That's a little on the high end for a statue of this size, but understandable given the lesser known nature of the license and the relatively small toy company behind it. Kudos to Symbiote Studios for taking on Warframe. I can't wait to see what Tenno warrior they roll out next!

CLICK HERE FOR OVER 100 NEW PHOTOS OF THE WARFRAME RHINO STATUE!

Review and Photos by Jeff Saylor

Review Sample Courtesy of Symbiote Studios

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