Review of Thundercats Lion-O - 1/4 scale action figure

Introduction

A couple weeks ago I reviewed a sixth scale Thundercats Mumm-Ra from Mezco. Somehow I'd managed to miss the info on that guy, and was completely clueless that they had released a Lion-O earlier. I liked the Mumm-Ra so much, I snapped up a Lion-O right away, and thought I'd complete the pair tonight.

Mezco has also announced a Panthro in this scale and style (yep, classic stuff, not the new show), and I have my fingers crossed that we'll get more info on additional releases later in the year.

This guy costs around $30 or so, just like Mumm-Ra, but your best bet is an online retailer. I have heard that some FYE stores have him, but I haven't confirmed that personally.

Packaging - ***
The box works pretty well, and if you don't mind twisties (there's about 8) you could even call it collector friendly. You can take him and the accessories out and put them back without any real damage, but you will have to re-tie the twisties to get it all to stay in place.

Sculpting - ***1/2
If you put a gun to my head and make me pick either this Lion-O or the accompanying Mumm-Ra, I'd pick Mumms. But this Lion-O is still pretty sweet.

I love the wry expression, and the flowing hair manages a dynamic look without being ridiculous. There's not a ton of lower body articulation, so the stance is pretty much WYSIWYG, but the detail work on the skin and clothing is appropriate for the cartoon design.

These are sixth scale figures, and Lion-O is a big boy even in that scale, coming in at about 14" tall.

The hand sculpts work pretty well with the accessories, although the right hand works best with the sword either straight up or straight down.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is fairly broad and sweeping, but there's a few really nice details.

The eyes are well done, with a nice sheen. The dark lines around the eyes are clean and sharp as well. 

I'm not really loving the airbrushing on the musculature, and some of the skin color varies between different parts. No, I'm not talking about the hands - they are supposed to be a distinctly different color. I'm referring to some of the other areas of skin and fur, where there is a bit too much inconsistency.

On the plus side, I really do like the subtle color change on the face, which is more realistic than an extreme variation.

Articulation - **1/2
There's not a ton of articulation here, but for a roto-cast figure, it's decent.

The neck joint is clearly the best aspect, with plenty of tilt, twist and turn action. It allows you to give some real attitude to even basic stances.

The ball jointed shoulders work pretty well, with cut joints at the top of the 'gloves', as well as the top of the boots. Finally, there's the ball waist that doesn't just turn, but tilts side to side and back and forth as well.

The sculpt helps make this lack of articulation a bit more palatable, but you will only have a few really decent looking poses.

Accessories - ***
There are three extras - two versions of the Sword of Omens, full length and short, as well as the claw 'shield' extra left hand.

The hand swaps easily - just pop off one, pop on the other. Both swords fit in the appropriately sculpted right hand, but there's no way to place the short version into the claw shield, which is a bit of a bummer.

Fun Factor - ***
Put this guy up against Mumm-Ra, and you have a classic battle! He's sturdy enough to hold up to some serious play - I wish I had toys this solid when I was a kid.

Value - ***
Thirty bucks isn't cheap, but with such a large scale figure, it's a decent, solid deal. Add in the probably lower production run on these figures (with no major mass market retailer behind them), and it's definitely a decent price.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!

Overall - ***
Lion-O is a solid figure, with good paint and sculpting at a very reasonable price. If you're a big classics Thundercats fan, I think this figure (along with Mumm-Ra) is your best bet. You'll need some serious room to display them, but it's worth the real estate.

I assume we'll get Panthro - hopefully demand will be strong enough for a Tygra, Cheetara or others as well.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I recently checked out the Mumm-Ra that goes with this guy, and other Thundercats reviews include the 6" Classic Lion-O, the smaller classic Mumm-ra, as well as the large 8" classic Lion-0, modern 6" Lion-O, and modern 6" Tygra.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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