ALL72003

We don't know much about orcs, or any fantasy creature, but these figures came as a surprise as they mostly do not match our image of them. That image is based on films like the Lord of the Rings series, and products such as those from Games Workshop, where they tend to be squat, stocky and very thick set. The figures in this set are rather more human in their proportions, with thinner limbs and less bulky bodies. Even the faces are in some cases quite human, and the kneeling archer could easily pass as human (though he is barefoot, which looks odd). This is nowhere more apparent than with the final, female figure. We didn't even know that there were female orcs, although basic biology would suggest that there must be, but if this specimen is typical then the female of the species is by a very long way more appealing to the eye than the male. In fact this figure looks entirely human, and as she wears very little we can say that her proportions are pretty good. Given her skimpy costume we must assume that, unlike many females, she does not feel the cold, or maybe she was interrupted before starting to get dressed? However she clearly did have time to put on the essentials - a pair of vambraces that reach to the elbows - and also to grab some over-sized swords, which match the over-sized weapons many of these orcs seem to prefer.

Maybe it is because the proportions are less chunky, but these look like much nicer sculpts than the first two sets in this series. While the stocky build of the first two is likely to be deliberate, we thought the detail on these figures is a little better done. Unlike the first two, this collection has some creatures moving quite rapidly, and where a shield is being carried, it is in a position where it might actually offer some protection. Our eye was caught by the 'mask' shield in the middle of the top row, not particularly practical of course but looks great and adds to the look of one of the more ferocious of the sculpts here. The second figure in the top row holds his axe in a pretty ridiculous way; how exactly could he use it while holding it like that? Generally there are fewer flat poses here, and on our example at least we found very little flash, with many seams being completely clean. This all adds up to making this set seem a lot less thuggish than the first two, with some figures that are positively elegant, at least by orc standards.