Lexor
In the ’80s cartoons were better. Sorry 90`s kids (cough, cough, Jmann) but its true.
But all 80`s shows and toys had gimmicks, for the Visionaries it was holograms.
Each figure had an animal totem holographed on their chest representing their personalities, and in the show they could transform into that animal for a short time.
The Visionaries followed on from Transformers and GI Joe, created by Hasbro and brought to the screen by Sunbow Productions, sadly Visionaries only lasted 13 episodes when Sunbow`s contract was not renewed.
I intend on reviewing the entire Visionaries line, 12 figures, 4 vehicles.
First up is Lexor, the cowardly Darkling Lord.
Lexor was given the totem of the armadillo due to his “turning cowardice into a defensive art” in the words of Merklyn.
He also has a staff with the power of Invulnerability, summoned by the spell – “The arrows turn, the swords rebel; let nothing pierce this mortal shell!”
This set includes the figure, his chest totem, a helmet, an axe like weapon and his power staff.
The chest totem can be removed from the figure and clicks in securely, the axe and staff can be difficult to have the figure hold and the helmet fits a little too snuggly over his head but it reminds me of the M.A.S.K. helmets.
Articulation is quite good for a toy from 1987, it has similar joints to a GI Joe figure, so you can move the arms forward, back and out, and they have a single elbow joint.
The head is on a simple ball joint, the waist has that GI Joe rubber band joint system, so you can get a good range of motion from it.
The legs are similar to the arms, the hips can move forward, back and to the side, but like the arms they`re limited by the toy design.
I found it very difficult to get these figure’s to stand on a flat surface, which is why most of them are leaning forward with the legs bent as it’s the only really stable position.
The design is quite close to how the character looks in the show, the face is a little dodgy but this was the 80`s and the toys did cost a lot to make.
The armor is nicely molded all over, you can see the techno-knight influence.
Lexor has a face even a mother wouldn’t love.
An angry scowl, gritted teeth, massive eyebrows, and a big ginger beard.
It`s funny how Hasbro tried to make him look menacing when he`s such a chicken.
I had great difficulty taking pictures of the holograms so that they would show up on camera.
I`m mostly winging it, so bare with me as i go through this line.
The staff is unique in that it has two holographic pictures, the standard Darkling Lord Dragon symbol and the Invulnerability totem.
Some of these figures and vehicles are cheap to find on ebay, but they`re mostly incomplete, so you`ll have to look around.
A lot of them have damage to the holograms due to being played with or exposed to the sun.
The show itself was only released here in the UK on region 2 DVD, containing all 13 episodes, so you`ll need a region 2 or region free DVD player to watch.
Here`s some previews of reviews to come.
