Orion Vikings

Orion, the same company that brought you their 18^th Century English Pirates have now brought out another in their Sea Warriors range...

(All from sprue 1...scanned @ aprox. 200%...)

Sprue 1

• 1. Berserk of Bear Clan
• 2. Valkyria
• 3. Rich yarl of Fox Clan
• 4. Viking with longhammer
• 5. Viking defending with sword
• 6. Viking with warhammer, plundering the golden cross
• 7. Monk
• 8. Viking with Rocket Launcher
  (Joker figure, will be included in the first 1000 sets only
• 9. Viking attacking with sword
• 10. Konung
• 11. Rich yarl of Dragon Clan
• 12. Berserk of Volf Clan

(...and all of these fellas are from sprue 2.)

Sprue 2

• 13. Viking attacking with two-bladed sword
• 14. Viking standing with sword
• 15. Viking walking with spear
• 16. Viking standing
• 17. Viking attacking with axe
• 18. Viking attacking with sword
• 19. Viking with club
• 20. Viking with axe
• 21. Viking with horn
• 22. Viking with bow
• 23. Viking attacking with sword and club
• 24. Viking attacking with club

You get 4 sprues in each box (@ $NZ 19.95 ea.!), two of each of the above sprues. Nice, many and varied poses.

These figures are much nicer than I was expecting. Nice detail, some fanciful helmet accessories, but they can be easily removed if you so wish. Cool "theme" figures too - the monk begging for mercy and...the Rocket Launcer guy (!).

This joker figure only came out with the first 1000 sets and I was only able to get hold of one of those boxes - which promptly got sold the same day it turned up! I only had time to scan it before it was on it's way...  All subsequent sets are now coming out in a different coloured plastic (orange) and without the joker.

Aparently some of these figures aren't quite as new as I first thought...

Orion has modified them more than I remembered - rotating some shields, changing hats and weapons, etc.

Here is a link with a picture of recasts of the 60mm Marx Vikings - http://www.michtoy.com/MTSCnewSite/newplastic_folder/PL_marx/marx60plastic_folder/60Vikings.html

They did the same with their Pirates, BTW - http://www.angelfire.com/biz/toysoldierhq/Marxpir.html.

Luis

Further to my comments about the historical accuracy of their head gear, Dave P. sent me this...

But as nicely detailed as the Orion Vikings are these same details are pretty wrong. As you suggested, "some fanciful helmet accessories, but they can be easily removed" unfortunately there are errors that will require more work.

By the beginning of the Viking period (790 AD ish) Germanic tribes men had almost a thousand years of contact with the Roman Empire and it various successors. They had a keen knowledge of Roman material culture. Vikings wore very simple togas or T ¨C tunic which went just over the knee and to the to the wrist (tightly.) The Vikings thought the wearing of skins and road kill fur to be well, ­barbaric.

The early part of the period would have almost all Vikings equipped with a sword and round shield. Toward the end of the period many rank and file could have mail, helmets axes and even kite shields. (Everything that I've just mentioned can be found in the various Osprey books).

On a positive note I think these figures would make excellent generic barbarians for HOTT.

Dave P.

...which is perfectly fair enough! They would indeed make a nice HOTT army. 'Hyborian Barbarian' perhaps? 'Cinematic Viking'?

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