From the very beginning of Mythic Legions, the studio knew that there would be some monstrous races terrorizing the Realm. The biggest of these races, so far at least, are the massive trolls!
The Stone Troll was one of the first of these monsters to make its ways into the line. This “Figure in Focus” article will take a look at this incredible figure, including some looks at his early development.
Early Development
The troll figures were developed near the start of the Mythic Legions line. This was a period where we were still sculpting our figures using traditional methods and materials, as opposed to the 3D sculpting that we exclusively do today. As such, these early trolls, of which the Stone Troll was the first, began life as a (large) lump of clay on the desk of Eric Treadaway.
The photos below show a very early “scale comparison” study we did to determine the size of these figures, along with some shots showing the initial Stone Troll sculpture and his intended articulation. You will notice that the arms were initially designed as cut joints. Those were later updated to provide a greater range of motion for the figure. You should also notice that this work was before the belt pieces were created for the trolls, although in the third photo here you can see we were planning for some soft goods additions to the figure even at this stage.
The Troll Hits the Show Circuit
The first time our troll figures were shown outside of our studio was at San Diego Comic Con 2015. This show was during the period where our first Kickstarter campaign had ended, but the final figures had yet to be completed and shipped out to fans. We had unpainted test shots of some of the 1.0 figures on display at SDCC that year, and we also brought an unpainted Stone Troll along as well. To say he was the hit of our display is an understatement! The first photo below shows the troll on display at that event. We even placed a normal-sized Mythic Legions knight in his hand to truly show the scale of this toy!
The next time the Trolls would rumble out into the world would be at the New York Toy Fair in 2016. Leading up to that event, we began to tease the full reveal for the Trolls, showing some photos on our Instagram page of the massive leg and foot of a troll, along with a detail shot showing actual fingerprints which we had sculpted onto these figures!
As Toy Fair 2016 opened, our booth was home to the first two fully painted trolls – the Forest Troll and the Stone Troll. The studio used the excitement of Toy Fair to launch the second series of Mythic Legions, which was commonly dubbed “Mythic Legions 1.5”. Both of these trolls would be available in this wave, which has the full lineup shown below.
The Popularity of the Trolls
The Troll figures have become some of our most popular and sought-after releases. They have also proven to be wonderful subjects for the incredible photographers that have chosen to use our toys in their art! This popularity has sometimes made it challenging for new fans of Mythic Legions who are looking to add a troll to their growing collection. The aftermarket prices on the trolls, especially the Stone Troll and his green-skinning cousin from that 1.5 wave, have long been some of the pricier Mythic Legions figures on the secondary market. To help fans get one of these beasts in their hands, we decided to add the Stone Troll to our “All Stars 3” wave in early 2020, but rather just a straight re-release, we added a little something extra for our second run of Stone Troll figures.
The Stone Troll Returns
When our “All Stars” version of the Stone Troll was revealed, fans were surprised to discover that it was actually a new take on the figure, complete with a repainted version of the head initially found on the Forest Troll figure. Dubbed “Stone Troll 2”, this new version gave longtime fans of the line who may already have a Stone Troll in their collection something new to display. The studio added to the surprise of the Stone Troll 2 when the sale began and a second head was shown to be included – the original Stone Troll head! With this All Star Troll, fans would be able to display him in the configuration of the original or with his new head. To make this “head swapping” possible, the studio had to re-engineer the head a bit and how it attaches to the body. Does this mean we will see more trolls in the future with alternate heads? Nothing has been decided or revealed yet, but rest assured that when new trolls do make their way into Mythoss, eager Mythic Legions fan are sure to greet them with open arms!
Get Your Own Stone Troll
The “Stone Troll 2” is available for pre-order NOW as part of our All-Stars 3 wave. Head over to StoreHorsemen.com to pre-order yours today!
Published on 02.18.20