Arms Microns Orion Pax

Review von Laserwave13:

Prelude: The character of Orion Pax should be well known from the series and despite appearing in a mere three episodes, we actually get a toy of him. Sadly not as a First Edition Voyager redeco, but rather in his Deluxe incarnation. This is the third use of this toy, even though it is its first release over in Japan. So just a look at the differences. For a full review I recommend the SDCC or Entertainment Pack First Edition.

Packaging: Everyone that has seen or already owns a figure from the Arms Micron line knows what to expect here. Only difference is that Orion Pax abandons the serial numbering for a simple AM-EX, being somewhat exclusive. A beautiful and elaborate box including instructions, sticker sheet, and of course the Micron that needs to be assembled. You may notice that his Micron is a little special, fully covered in golden chrome. And he does not come with a second one, but instead he keeps the non-Micron gun from Hasbro.

Orion Pax: First you need to decide for yourself whether you want Orion to be an Autobot or a Decepticon. You get stickers to do both. Otherwise the changes are minor, only the plastic itself is a lighter colour. Looks a little washed out or pale and faded. But it looks worse on the pictures than it really is. The nice yet small little truck looks closer to the SDCC version in terms of colour, sporting less coloured highlights than the Entertainment Pack version. But he a gets a chromed bumper for compensation. Robot mode looks almost exactly the same as the others when it comes to detailing. Some stickers even go on an already silver painted surface and therefore do not really add anything. Only with Decepticon symbols on he looks nice and a little different. But you can achieve that simply by applying some Reprolabels to a Voyager Optimus Prime figure, be it the RID or First Edition one. They could have at least given him a new head without the faceplate, but oh well. All in all, still a good figure and character representation for a Deluxe scale toy. I can not find much to complain about.

R.A. Gold Version: A short take on his Micron. He is a redeco of the Micron that came with AM-04 Ratchet and is covered completely in golden chrome. No idea what the point is, because it has nothing to do with the main figure itself, but it looks nice. Also, one of the better Micron designs and everyone who likes bling does not go wrong in getting him. Not a reason to buy the whole set, but a nice addition like with Thundercracker.

Conclusion: Is it really necessary to buy a Deluxe-scale Orion Pax that you can easily make yourself with a Voyager class figure? And not only at import prices, but also with the extra added money needed for an exclusive toy? By all means no, not really. You just need an Optimus Toy, maybe the recently re-released First Edition, and slap some Reprolabels on him, then you have the same effect. Only if you are absolutely crazy about First Editions (like me) or Japanese exclusives, then you may want to get what is at least a cool Deluxe scale Figure. Otherwise, you are better off buying something else.

Rating: B