Masters of the Universe Classics Orko and his Man-Toy Accessory!

Call him cowardly, call him a layabout, but what Prince Adam really is, is a tool!  An accessory.  A smiling, skiving, I'll-take-a-break-now-and-do-it-later sonofagun.

What?  You thought this review was going to be about Orko?  Hah!  You're wrong!  And maybe a bit right...because of it half is.  Well, less than half because he's so small compared to the muscle-bound man-child Adam!

I originally really wanted to pick "Orko" up really bad, but realized that I didn't really have to have Adam that much, especially if he was and exclusive and would cost a ton after shipping from Mattycollector.com.  But lo and behold, Orko appears magically in the midst of the "flea" markets of the Eternian-influenced areas at China Square Central in Singapore.  And for what it would ordinarily cost a new figure here (after shipping and what-have-you)--S$58 (US$41.40).

Here I was thinking that he'd cost twice the price since he was a "2-pack."  Well, I didn't hesitate.  So thanks to Dave from the toilet...er, I mean "Davestoylet," I'm now the proud owner of Eternia's most legendary layabout.

On a side note, I sorta went on a mini-spree and picked up Keldor and Count Marzo as well from Toyrealm in the very same building.  They were having a buy-one-get-a-second 50% off sale, you see.  So the good Count and the even gooder Keldor cost only S$41.50 (US$30) each.  (Actually their both evil) Those guys are also really good people...The Toyrealm owners, I mean!!!  :)

So how did the the most purple-pink color combo characters from the Masters of the Universe...uh...universe turn out?  Well let's take a look...

Like: The packaging.  Prince Adam is doing what he does best even before you remove him from the specially enlarged package--hiding, lounging, having a lie-down!  He's also hiding the one thing that will lead to his secret being revealed--his Power Sword (and it's halved counterpart).  Well, okay, it's the package insert that hides those (see how lazy Adam is?), as well as the alternate but standard He-Man head.  They're all placed behind the "Orko" bubble insert at the bottom of the package.

Like: That Adam is a tool.  I know, many of you will say it's rude to call people such things and that the proper term is "accessory" but a tool's a tool.  He's Orkos's tool!  And Adam's a great one at that because he definitely helps Mattel sell Orko, both with the whole "he's an accessory!" marketing gimmick and the fact that he always acts cowardly and lazy, just to show Teela how cool he is, especially in the face of danger...it's a strategy that's never quite seemed to work out right...

Like: His smiling face.  Would 'ja look at that?  While everyone in Eternia looks like they are either seriously defending Castle Grayskull or the royal palace, this wanker's smiling!  The nerve of some people!  But, hey, we all gotta chillax sometime, don't we?  And I guess he does come with an "oh, oh I'm so serious I look like He-Man face," so we'll cut him some slack.

Like: Accessories for both figures!  Three for Adam, and four for Orko.  Adam's got the Power Sword, the half Power Sword, and the alternate head.  Orko's got his hover stand, wand, spell book and Adam!  And since Adam has 4 accessories, that means Orko has seven!  Hooray for my  math genius!  If I lived on Eternia, the would call me Math-At Arms.

Like: Orko's arms are fully articulated.  This is pretty impressive for a guy that's supposed to be an accessory.  Five points of articulation in each wing.  What?  Whaddaya mean he's the main guy in this pack?  His name's on the package insert?  Er...AH HA!  He's got no leg articulation!  So there.  Orko's the accessory.  I win this argument.  With, uh, myself...

Like: They way his head rotates behind the scarf.  It really looks like his head is not a solid plastic ball, but a mass of darkness floating behind the scarf.  And it not only swivels, but can rotate upwards and at an angle too.  It almost looks like real magic.  Genius!

Like: Orko's "flight" stand.  Ok so he doesn't fly so much as hover and float around.  Still, the ball joint at the end of the stand is simple, yet remarkable because it let's Orko tilt this way and that in mid-"flight".  My only complaint is that the base is a wee built too small so that when Orko's a little too tilted, he falls over.  But that's easily fixed by Supergluing a larger base to the bottom of his small one.  I guess you just need a nicer, bigger piece of plastic and some mad Supergluing skillz.

Dislike: Adam's his original design, not the 200X version.  Can't fault Mattel here, since they've said from Day One that they were always gonna go with the "classic" feel to the line.  It is the name of the line after all.  But 200X design was far superior in that he was really a kid/teenager, and that he had similar looking but cooler duds (especially the vest), hair, and sword.

Dislike: He has no where to sheathe the power sword.  I guess it would be impossible to do so with his sexy figure hugging rubber vest.  Mattel made the call to go with aesthetics over playability here, and I have to grudgingly concede that they made the right choice.  Ultimately, I'd like Adam to not look like he was walking around all day with a coat hanger in his shirt.  Doh!

Like: Rubber vest! Perfectly sculpted, right color, and keeps the impediment to his articulation at a minimum.

Dislike: The paint on Orko's ears. (Sorta).  It wouldn't be a big deal on a mass market release toy, but for a Mattycollector high-end adult collector series, it needs to be better and painted all they way, crisply and sharp.  Kudos to Mattel though, who've asked Orko owners to post picks of their sloppy Orko ear paint so that they can take the paint vendors to task. Heh.

What's unsatisfactory about my figure is the poorly painted eyes--messy borders are really uncool!

However I have this to say about all the mis-painted Orkos: the fact that no one (or a lot less people) has a problem with Adam's paint shows that the real tool in this pack is....wait for it...Orko!

(Yes, give it to me now, all you Orkos lovers... :P)

Like:  The pearl-painted bracers.  Love the matching racers in general.  Same as MOTUC vs DCUC He-Man!  Same sculpt even!  Compared to to the one short and one long bracers of the original He-Man release.

Like:  Displaced hair on the alternate He-Man head.  I know many don't like this, but I think it provides a different look to He-Man without even changing the paint or the sculpt.  So rather than having an extra He-Man head, I have a slightly different alternate head! :)


RATINGS

Aesthetics: - Never really liked Prince Adam's colour scheme.  At least the 200X design made him more palatable and less garish.  What can I say? Purple on pink just ain't my bag, baby.  And those mispainted ears on Orko?  Those I can forgive.  They're not major.  But the eyes.  Oh, my eyes.  What a shame there.

Still, Adam and Orko do have their good points, namely Adam's smiley face and pearly white bracers coupled with a neat rubber vest, and Orko's nicely sculpted hat with its creases.  Orko's hands are also sculpted in a very bumbly-happy, Orko-like manner.  His scarf and the way his head turns within it on the simple ball joint is also a brilliant design.

Adam: 7.5/10

Orko: 7/10

(Prince Adam with the 200X version of the Power Sword.)

Poseability: - Adam's vest is a really nice addition to the basic He-Man sculpt and doesn't even hinder articulation that much--but it hinders it just enough to bother me.  It's not that big of a deal if you aren't into playing around with the poses as much as I am, but for me it's just a slight bummer his shoulder rotating is a tiny bit limited, as is his ab crunch.

I like me my ab crunch.  It adds character to the figures.  Sometimes they're slouching in defeat or puffing their chests in victory.  If that's missing, a lot of body language goes missing. (Sheah right!  Like action figures have body language!  Well, at least those that don't come alive at night don't...)

 

Adam: 8.5/10

Orko: 8/10

Fun: - These two characters, especially Orko, are really the comic relief of the whole MOTU universe.  Between Orko bungling up all the time, and Adam deliberately trying to screw up to throw the Masters off the scent (of his true identity), no one can get anything done.  Not fighting off the bad guys, not rebuilding Eternia, not planning the palace defenses, not even having a regular royal dinner party.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zip.

But all I have do is look at Adam's smiley face, and Orko's permanent wide-eyed look of surprise and a dozen funny scenarios will pop into my head.  Strangely, Adam's smile makes me wanna smile. :D  And Orko?  he flies around with no pants!  'Nuff said.

Adam: 10/10

Orko: 10/10

Value: - One full sword, a half-sword, an extra He-Man head, Orko's wand and his spell book.  That's a pretty decent list that come along with the figures.  Never mind that Orko can't hold the book--he'd drop it anyway when he flies into a wall.

Adam's two swords are the"standard issue" we've come to expect of any figure from the line but the head is a nice extra touch.  I also don't mind that the hair on the head looks like it's glued a little too far back.  All it means it that there's another look He-Man can have.  In fact, Mattel may have done it deliberately just for some variation fun. Hmm...

Adam: 7/10

Orko: 7/10

Overall: - These guys are not must-haves unless you're a completist or a a big Orko/Adam fan (and I mean bigger than He-Man.)  But holding them in my hand takes me way back to when I was 5 or 6, and playing MOTU meant that He-Man had to at least undergo one transformation, just like in the cartoon series.

And if Prince Adam transformed twice that week (Oh man!) that would be the bestest ever episode and talked about in school for the next seven days, until the following episode at least.

Playing with these guys , I realize they're not all that brilliant when it comes to just the physical plastic.  One's a complete repaint with a vest, while the other is just, well small (and hence a lot less plastic.)

What makes these guys awesome are their characters.  When Adam comes on-screen you're just waiting for him to transform or you're hoping no one finds out his secret.  When it's Orko's turn you're just waiting for him to foul up and annoy that stiffy moustached Man-at-Arms, or bungle his way into saving Adam so he can turn into He-Man.

Either way, both these figures capture the essence of their onscreen counterparts.  And both these figures rock the purple and pink like no other on Eternia can. :)

Adam: 8.25/10

Orko: 8/10