My first two articles were designed to introduce Ori-Toy Limited and explore the construction and articulation of their Ori-Fig body style.  Today is day three of my Ori coverage and I’ll be doing a review of the figures for Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Fei.

Xiahou Yuan was one of Cao Cao’s oldest friends, and in adulthood became one of his most trusted generals.  Xiahou was in charge of securing and providing provisions to Cao Cao’s armies and is given major credit for the recovery of these forces after their devastating defeat at the battle of Red Cliffs.  Without Xiahou’s hasty delivery of supplies, Cao’s army might have been destroyed entirely.

Years later, Xiahou took quick and decisive action to repel Ma Chao’s invading army, while most of Cao Cao’s other generals waited for permission from Cao before acting.  By the time Cao had finally arrived, Xiahou had already won and was now preparing an attack on Ma Chao’s ally, Han Sui.  Throughout his career Xiahou used fast and brutal offensives to successfully devastate his enemies.  It was only after a year long siege that Liu Bei’s forces, led by Huang Zhong, were finally able to defeat Xiahou, killing him in battle.

The Ori-Fig of Xiahou Yuan is the most colorful figure in the line and is my favorite costume design so far.  The eye catching red of his cape and helmet plume only offer a slight distraction amidst all the shiny yellow of his outfit.  Even his sword is bright yellow, which is kind of badass and arrogant at the same time.  All this yellow comes together perfectly over the dark green of his helmet and shirt.

Xiahou is also set apart from the other figures because he’s the first to not have any sort of beard piece.  Instead of facial hair, the ends and clasp of his cape hang down in front, while the cape itself is a separate piece and drapes off the back of his shoulders.  His newly sculpted helmet, cape, and even the small scabbard to his side really allow Xiahou to stand out from the other figures.

But that’s not all that makes him different.  Not only did they give Xiahou a sword instead of a staff weapon, but he also comes with a very nifty bow and arrow.  The bow doesn’t have a string, which I don’t mind since I’m not really planning on shooting it.  It does break apart at the handle though so it can be easily inserted into his hands.  The arrow was design with a small sphere at the back which is large enough for the hole in the hands to grasp onto.

To go along with the new bow and arrow, Xiahou also gets a brand new right hand in addition to the two alternate closed and open sets.  This new hand is closed, with the index finger extended.  Not only is it perfect for holding the arrow like he’s about to shoot, but he can also point at people too.  It’s really nice to see newer pieces get developed as the line progresses.

Xiahou also comes with the standard four alternate face plates.  This time you have the two normal ones and one funny one, but there’s also a fourth with a new design element.  In his eyes the Chinese character for “speedy” was printed.  This makes for an interesting face and is a great allusion to one of the traits he was best known for in life.

Zhang Fei is the third oath-sworn brother of Liu Bei and Guan Yu, and accompanied Liu Bei on most of his exploits.  Zhang Fei had a widely known temper and a problem when it came to alcohol, both of which caused him many problems in life.  But even with these difficulties, Zhang was an incredibly fierce warrior.  Continue to page 2…