Sunday, December 22, 2013

Deluxe Lion-O's Sword of Omens!

12.22.2013 –The Sword of Omens is the primary weapon of Lion-O who would be Lord of the Thundercats. Back then toy manufacturer LJN was the original maker of the action figures and role playing toys which include the Sword of Omens.

The vintage version didn’t appear to be accurate to the one Lion-O wields in the show every Saturday mornings. Back in the day it looked cool enough to own that every neighborhood kid would want to wield but it was too small and very short.



Fast forward to 2011 when Warner Bros Animation announced that they will be reviving the classic cartoon for the new generation of kids who haven’t heard about the show.

The ones who grew up seeing the series was anticipating it and when it came the rest was history. The reception appeared to be promising, but the longer the series progressed it wasn’t the Thundercats of old but something darker.









Bandai got a hold of the licensing rights to manufacture the latest line of action figure3s, vehicles and playsets. They even released a couple of the classic characters that’s updated with better designs that would be considered for those who grew up with the original show. Then there’s the role playing toys that included the Sword of Omens, Panthro’s Nunchuks and two versions of the Claw Shield.

The updated version of the Sword of Omens looked almost to scale and just like its vintage version it featured lights & sounds. This one also has the voice of Lion-O chanting of the sword to make it longer but not exactly what you think.

Among the role playing toys only the sword and the claw shield was available in the Philippine market. This leaves Panthro’s Nunchucks and the Deluxe Claw Shield making it only as a display piece during an exhibit by Toy Kingdom last year. Then a year later after the demise of the series in 2012 the merchandise slowly was put up on clearance which includes the other line of Thundercats products.











Lion-O’s sword looked accurate from a far, but once you have removed it from the carded packaging you’ll find out that it’s more of a long dagger than a weapon that has the eye of Thundera.

The sword is short upon expanding its blade but the downside stops there. The rest of its nifty gimmick and how it functions was better compared to the vintage version by LJN that was released when the classic cartoon first came out. There two buttons which can be found in the handle and near the eye of Thundera.

The first button at the handle allows you to expand the sword at the same time Lion-O does his “Thundercats Ho!” call and there are blade sounds. While the second button near the eye of Thundera when you press it unlocks both claws with sounds.

There are two sides of the eye which have the Thundercats logo and the eye being closed when not in use. The off/on button can be located beneath the handle where the speaker can be found. At the handle you can also find the battery compartment which has three button cell batteries.

Besides the chant to call upon the Thundercats it also have the audio clip “Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight!” upon pressing the button near the eye of Thundera.

Overall the Sword of Omens is one of the better looking role playing toys out there that was crafted with quality. The only downside is that it too short but enough fun factors for having all the bells and whistles that would remind you about the short lived show.

Besides all the nostalgia that’s related it’s also on clearance being sold now for PhP 300.00 pesos more than half the retail price when it first showed up in toy shelves.

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