Review: Joe Ledbetter's Terror & Magnus

3:00 PM on 12.19.2009   |   Call Niero

Joe Ledbetter's Unicornasaurus was the piece that really got me into vinyl, and ever since I got one I have avidly collected (almost) every piece that he has put out. When I saw Terror & Magnus back in October, I knew they would be mine. This lovely duo is perhaps my favorite of all of his designs, so when the alternate colorways began to pop up I ordered each and every one of them aside from Death Metal, which is only available in Singapore. Although some people have a problem with Ledbetter's penchant for multiple colorways, it is actually one of my favorite things about his work. Each color is different and distinctive, especially with Terror & Magnus. The OG brown is soft and natural looking, the European is crisp and bright, and the Lava is straight up badass. Not to mention that the balance created by huge, hulking Terror and cute, tiny Magnus is just perfect!

Hit the jump to see why I have fallen in love with this adorable pair! 

Terror & Magnus's boxes are covered in Ledbetter's art, like most of his other pieces. This is one of the things that make his figures really special. The time and care put in to every aspect of their packaging is really quite astounding. The art, as usual, is fanciful and detailed. The OG and European colors have the same box, but the Lava comes in all-black packaging. Both boxes are signed on the bottom, but since that is not particularly exciting to look at, I'll leave it up to your imagination.

The art on the side is particularly awesome. Of the two figures, Magnus is my favorite, so it is nice to see him get a full panel of art. His goofy grin is spot-on. I have to say, these two remind me of a team in an RPG. Terror is the tank, and Magnus is the mage. After all, he does have a staff!

Right out of the box, these two are ready for action! Terror is a huge beast--about 7" tall with a 10" wingspan. Magnus, on the other hand, is petite at only 3", not including the staff. The lines on both are exceptional. Quality control on these guys is, for the most part, very well done. This has been a problem with Ledbeter's work in the past, especially when he collaborates with Kidrobot. But The Loyal Subjects did a very good job with the coloring and lines. Everything from the x's on Terror's knees to the face on Magnus's staff is perfectly detailed. 

The back of Terror is nowhere near as detailed as the front--although it is not a problem when they are displayed, I wish there were a few feathers or other details on his wings, especially because I love the tail so much. Magnus, because he is so small, does not really have this problem. He looks quite detailed from the back, especially around his head and feet. 

Magnus looks so serious! One of my favorite details is the tufts on his head--they add a touch of whimsy to an otherwise serious figure. The color of the beak really pops against all of the browns. As you can see, the lines here are perfectly drawn, no scuffs or overlapping colors. There is a small scratch near his arm, but this is one of the only problems on the OG. I do have one small complaint about this colorway, though. He was listed as being red when he is obviously brown. This is a minor issue, although it is misleading when item descriptions are not accurate. 

Magnus is just painfully cute. His staff comes out of his hand, so if you want to display him without it you can. Quality control was a little worse on Magnus than Terror, perhaps because he is so small. The inside of his mouth is a little funny-looking, but the rest of his lines are fine. His eyes have to be my favorite part--they are so cheerful and lively, which is hard to pull off with just black and white. His crooked beak is pretty awesome, and gives him a very stylized look.

Of all the little details on these two, the tail is probably my favorite. I love how curly it is, and the fat little bump at the end. The outlining on the Lava is probably the best, as the orangey-pink really stands out against the black. It does not lay entirely flush with the ground, but this is because the Lava Terror's tail broke off when I opened the box.  It was an easy fix, but it is always frustrating when a  piece you just got breaks. This did not happen with the others, so it might have been just this one figure. 

The tufts inside the wings are actually raised up, which is a new addition to Ledbetter's figures. I really like how this looks, as it makes the already-shadowed parts pop even more and adds a bit of depth to his rather flat style. The wing tufts on Magnus are raised as well, but it is harder to tell because he is so small. 

I must say that I like Magnus a little better than Terror! Probably because I am a sucker for all things cute, but he is also a bit more detailed and lively looking. I mean, just look at that face! The colorways really go well together, but the European is my favorite. The icy blues just work so well in harmony. 

The Terrors look quite formidable when grouped together. Their wings are just so big! As you can see, the colorways really are quite different looking. The Lava has to be the most striking (and he also looks a little angrier!), but the European and OG also really stand out when displayed with other figures. 

Because they remind me so much of RPG characters, I decided to stage a battle!  Terror & Magnus vs Kid Dragon, battle of the century! Personally, I'd bet on Terror & Magnus--who knows what that little guy can do with his staff.

If you want to get these guys they are sold out pretty much everywhere, so eBay and the Kidrobot boards are your best bet. Myplasticheart just got in a shipment of the OG, but for the EU and Lava you'll have to hunt around!