By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii
Variable Action Hi-Spec Orguss by Mega House (Available From HobbyLink Japan – HLJ.com)
Along with the original Macross, Studio Nue worked on a few series during the 80s. One of these was Super Dimension Century Orguss. Like Macross it featured transformable mecha and the titular Orguss was quite the machine, as it transformed across four modes. This new Variable Action Hi-Spec Orguss from Mega House is one of the few major toy releases of the design and it definitely has its work cut out for it.
The premise for Orguss is actually a fascinating one. Set in the future, humanity is warring over an orbital elevator. In order to destroy it one side uses a new type of dimensional bomb but it all goes horribly wrong. The resultant explosion merges the multiverse and various possible cultures collide across multiple timelines. Out of this pops Kei Katsuragi, one of the individuals responsible for the dimensional bomb misfiring and now trying to negotiate with a now very alien Earth.
His Bronco II plane is also damaged not long after arriving and is upgraded into the mighty Orguss.
That some of the team on Orguss had already worked on Macross had a big effect with fans at the time. So it gained a fairly loyal, though small, following. It even received some great toys and kits, with the former being handled by Takatoku and being really quite decent and even bulky.
In the years since, Orguss has partly dropped off the radar, though this all changed when it was included in Another Century’s Episode R and Super Robot Wars Z, with it actually being integral to the narrative of the latter.
To be honest, the Orguss multiverse narrative was arguably one of the founding influences for the Super Robot Wars games, as disparate anime series crossed timelines and tried to help each other out.
As the final part to Super Robot Wars Z was released recently, Mega House managed to time the release of their new Orguss toy along with it. This isn’t a simple nor cheap effort on their part, either. If anything, this is the most faithful recreation of the design we have yet seen.
For those unaware, the new box is actually a stylistic nod to the original Takatoku toys from the 80s. I thought that was a really nice touch. It also comes with a booklet covering the original design and how the toy was made.
Anyway, keep an eye out for the full review which will follow fairly soon!
