The LJN Dungeons & Dragons line of action figures spanned two waves through 1983 and 1984. There were plans for many other toys — photos, concept art and prototypes abound — but when the line was discontinued, those planned toys were lost to history. Mostly.

In 2022, NECA released a “Lost Wave” of D&D toys as a convention exclusive at San Diego Comic Con that brings some of the most complete prototype LJN toys into the world at last. This was a surprise at the time and remains one of the most magical toy things I’ve ever been privy to? Never in a million years did I think we’d get these, let alone have them be so true to the originals.

Of the four, Valkeer the Barbarian is the only genuine vintage design. It’s cast from an original prototype (you might recall that I have a replica of that prototype, which is extra wild) and it is great. The other three — Skylla the Sorceress, Pulvereye the Cyclops and the variant Kelek — are recreations: modern sculpts based on extant photos, but not exact replicas. They feel slightly more modern, in a way, but the colors are prefect and blend seamlessly into the vintage line. I’m ambivalent about the Kelek, but Skylla is long overdue. Just judging from the concept art that exists in the D&D modules, she was always going to make a great figure. Pulvereye is a perfect invocation of the original line’s goofy heart, and was also clearly inspired by Jeff Dee’s illustration for Gruumsh, from Deities & Demigods. 

The whole line is a real gift to nerds like me.