I've finally come around to finishing up my review of the
Mattel's
DC Universe Classics series 1 action figures. I've already reviewed
Batman,
Penguin,
Red Tornado and
Etrigan. Only 2 more to go so today I'll go over Orion. Check out the "Blog Archive" for reviews on figures from wave 2, 3 and 4.
This is not the variant of Orion that comes in the 2 pack and has a removable helmet. It is from the first
DCUC wave. Packaging is your typical cardboard back with cool graphics and plastic bubble.
Orion's body sculpt is very similar to some other DCUC characters we've seen. There are some differences like the design of his boots, his belt and the collar around his neck and cuff around his wrists. There really isn't much texture in his costume. As far as height goes, Orion stands just over the 6 inch mark and fits in fine with other DC Superheroes as well as DCUC figures.
Orion's head sculpt is decent. The helmet has a red design on the front but for the most part its just a big silver bucket with ears. Its not bad but it certainly doesn't blow me away. It does look very much like the character which is what counts.
There are some very noticeable areas of painting over the lines on this figure. Like around from Orion's boots to his uniform. Same thing around the wrists and neck. The body has some shading in the middle of the chest, abdominal, back, biceps and thighs which sort of makes up for the lake of detail in the costume. The head is reasonable well done. There is no red overlapping on to the silver and the outline of the eyes on the helmet are clean.
Orion comes with Metamorpho's right leg and his harness. Where the costume lacks in detail, the harness certainly makes up for it. There is some great sculpting work here and its painted very well.
There are no surprises with the articulation. Orion has joints in the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. The helmet does not interfere with the neck joint at all which is a plus. Once you place Orion in his harness however, his movement is much more limited and I also found it a little more difficult to make him stand. Out of the box, the joints were not overly tight but good enough that he wasn't flopping over.
Overall, DCUC Orion is a good toy. He looks his best in the harness which shows off the most detailed parts of this action figure. Standing him up while in his harness may be a bit tricky at times however. He looks good next to Big Daddy Darkseid too.
Sculpt/Design - 7.5, Paint - 7.5, Accessories - 8, Articulation 9, Fun 7.5
Orion's Overal Score - 7.5/10
Orion is quite easy to find and you may even find a good deal for him (depending on shipping costs). I was able to pick Orion up on ebay for less a fairly cheap cost. I think the seller was just trying to get rid of him from their inventory.
If you're looking to purchase Orion, the question is, which one do you buy. The series 1 version or the 2 pack version with the removable helmet. If you want Lightray as well, buy the 2 pack when it comes out (Nov/Dec 2008). The removable helmet is a nice idea.
You can always find the Rex Mason piece by itself on eBay if you want to complete Rex too but you'll probably end up paying $10.00 it on its own. Also expect the 2 pack to cost $25 US in stores...more online as it is a Toys R Us exclusive. If you don't care about Lightray then you can find the series 1 version of Orion at a very reasonable cost. Check out my
DCUC 2 pack preview post which i wrote just yesterday if you haven't already seen it.
To search for Mattel's DC Universe Orion on
eBay,
click here
Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review where I am currently focusing on Mattel's DC Universe Classics toy line as well as Mattel's previous DC Superheroes action figures. If you're a DC comics toy collector, you should really check these figures out.
