This is a model of the lensman Worsel of Velentia as depicted in the 1984 anime Galactic Patrol Lensman. This was an early animated work from the still excellent Madhouse Inc (Paranoia Agent, Deathnote, Frieren, etc...).
Activation Tag: worsel
Helpful Tag: green skin, horns, red eyes
Worsel's wings are wrapped around his arms when not in use, so the weird twisting pattern is canon. The lens is hard to get to consistently appear, so I've been using inpainting to get the lens on his hand.
The anime was based on E.E. Smith's Lensman series that dates back to the 1930s. Worsel is introduced in the third book titled "Galactic Patrol". He is also the main character in a later derivative work "The Dragon Lensman" written by David Kyle in 1980. It's kind of Star Wars meets Green Lantern Corps. A very interesting property. I've seen the anime and I'm working my way through the novels now.
The original anime is a pretty good series, but it was never officially released in English. The only English release it saw was a movie adaptation that edited the series down to just 100 minutes. It's beautifully animated but really suffers from the abridged movie format.
I'd love to see an official remaster of the anime, but it's been in IP hell for decades. I'm happy to show it some love here, and I hope it might inspire more people to check it out.
The collected short stories and novels have passed into public domain and are available as free e-books on Project Gutenberg HERE.
