Background
Onell Design released the Armorvor figure to the clamor and approval of Glyos and Battle Beast fans. The concept began with discussions between Matt Doughty and Marty Hansen (The God Beast) about their shared passion for the 1980's toy line – Battle Beasts.
Wanting to produce a character inspired by that line, they were joined by with master sculptor Jason Frailey. Jason added his own spin to Matt's original design, and the trio worked hand-in-hand (not literally) to produce the Armorvor figure.
While there have been several Armorvors released, we'll be taking a look at four of them in this review: Stealth, Verexxan, Spectre, and Neo Nebula.
The Facts
Armorvor
Series: Glyos System Series
Manufacturer: Onell Design
Artist: Matt Doughty
Sculpted by: Jason Frailey
Material: Injection Molded PVC Plastic
Dimensions: 2.25" tall
Points of Articulation: 14 points
Designs: Stealth (clear); Verexxan (grey); Spectre (GID); Neo Nebula (purple)
Pricing: $8.00 each
Packaging
The Armorvor figures I received were not packaged in their traditional bag and header card format. Apparently, Nathan Newell from the Dork Dimension did the artwork for the header cards.
Our Opinion
Back in 1986, Takara released the BeastFormers. A year later, Hasbro released the Battle Beats to those outside of Japan. Each mini figure was shaped like an animal and had a heat sensitive sticker on its chest. You could rub that sticker to find the figure's strength (fire, wood, or water). It was basically like a game of rock, paper, scissors. Onell has payed homage to that sticker with the black square on the front of Armorvor's chest.
The Armorvor is made up of 17 pieces. That includes three different head options. Actually, the large robotic head can be swung around, letting you get two unique looks out of one head. And these are Glyos joints, so all of the parts are interchangeable with the rest of that enormous universe. If you like, you could throw a Pheyden head on the body.
The sculpt is a little chunkier than your average Glyos piece. But the Armorvor is just as playable as anything else in their universe. There's a ton of articulation, plus the ability to change things up with some pretty unique heads. Personally, I like the painted wolf head the best. But the floppy eared robotic head is a close second.
What's not apparent from photos is their playability. They're simply fun to play with. I've had an Armorvor sitting on my end table for a few weeks now, and when my sons aren't stealing them to “play robots”...I'm just twisting it around and messing with its joints. And the best part is that they're only $8.00 each.
Being a fan of 80's nostalgia, I love seeing artists and companies paying homage to toys of that era. Whether it's the plethora of M.U.S.C.L.E. inspired collectibles or Onell's nod to Battle Beasts, others must also have the same affinity for yesteryear. Now if someone could just release M.A.S.K. inspired toys, I'd be set. (Mobile Armed Strike Command, not Eric Stoltz as Rocky Dennis. That would freak me out.)
You can pick one up at the following:
Onell Design Store: $8.00 each (they restock with new colorways often)
