I didn’t have Fisto as a kid. BUT, the character has always resonated with me. A guy with a huge prosthetic fist. That is a cool power! And that it is a metal tank of a weapon.
Back to the FOMO. When they released the Masters of the Universe Classics version, he was one of the first that you had to order online only, and like no one got him. Matty Collector crashed, and just like that. Bots or something snatched them all up when the site came back online, and just like that, all of them were sold.
The MOTUC version was REALLY COOL. He looked awesome, with some 200x flare, which was unusual for the time in the life of the MOTUC line, and also he came with this huge Final Fantasy VII kind of sword….Just an extra incredible detail. And I think that sword was designed for 200x but didn’t ship or something?
And so after-market MOTUC Fisto is a very high priced toy. Then they came out with a kind of lame version for Masterverse Revelation. What a letdown.
When they showed off this new Fisto, I was shocked and completely knew I would be getting it. No regrets this time.
Or are there? Keep reading, Hub City Geeks!
PACKAGING
Fisto comes in this awesome package, this time showing off some cartoon baddies not often seen. These are the orcs from the mini comic “Masks of Power,” where these little monster guys put on the masks and turn into big monsters. This mini comic was the pack-in with Fisto, and so it is a nice homage on the box. It would be TOTALLY AWESOME if they gave us these orcs sometime in the future. And why not? They are doing Skelcons.
The sides also show some of this action, with one panel featuring He-Man throwing one of the bad guys. There are also some notable flying enemies.
The back of course features a photoshop of the toy.
It is a cool addition to the story that he has bonded with the “mystical Iron Fist” in his bio. The three images on the cross sell art…I am passing on Flying Fists He-Man. Never been a fan. And this is the same bad face treatment as Thunder Punch He-Man had. Big Bad Toy Store has charged me for Evil-Lyn, but she hasn’t shipped yet. I expect she might be here before the end of the week. (What is it with me and Evil-Lyn? This will be number 3.)
One more thing. Inside the package is a little bag for his accessories, and I think this is the first time we have this specific style of baggie.
It features the modern font for Masters of the Universe in black over blue.
FISTO FIGURE REVIEW
Here’s what you get in the box
Fisto figure
Alternate vintage-style head
Alternate left hand (fist)
Curved sword (cutless?)
Battle hammer
The head that comes on him out of the box is an older, more wizened portrait with gray details on his beard, especially coming down from the “soul patch” to the goatee. There is also a mask that reminds me of something from She-Ra. That mask is not removable. He also has a top-knot ponytail.
The second head is the classic Fisto portrait. Younger and what you expect.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress, New Eternia Fisto, and their daughter Teela (this is a mash-up Teela) I am following the 200x story here, where Fisto and Sorceress are deadbeat parents and Man-At-Arms has to raise her.PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto rides on Mythic Legions Boreus. It just seems right to have Fisto ride on a horse. This is because he is often pictured riding Stridor, who we don’t have a proper MASTERVERSE version of yet.
This arm is also what is different. Fisto not only has a metal fist, but now for New Eternia has a whole robotic arm. This reminds me of the whole “techno-virus” story angle from the pre-ternia mini comics and more recently from the Revolution cartoon. In other words, watch out. Perhaps Fisto can be easily controlled by the likes of Motherboard and Skeletek.
ACCESSORIES
This is a character where the accessories and the figure kind of run together. The battle hammer has modular business ends. That spike looks like it could do some damage, or at least bust up some ice. The other “dome” end is similar to Man-At-Arms weapon. Now these two pieces can be swapped out. You could just have half a hammer, or you could remove Fisto’s metal fist and swap it with one of the hammer heads.
The other accessory is the purple “cutless.” Not a giant buster sword. BOO! This was a missed opportunity, Mattel! As a weapon on its own without that context, it is just fine. I think it might be a copy of the one that comes with New Eternia Jitsu, (which I don’t have…Maybe I should get?)
SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF NEW ETERNIA FISTO
The sculpt looks good. The paint looks great, with two heads for different looks taking that piece beyond the expected. I DO think the fist might be just a little bit too small (Beast Man, Snout Spout, and Ram Man have similar sized hands.) The accessories are fine even though I wish it came with an anime sword…but this can’t figure in to the rating. It is novel that you can swap the hammer heads with the fist, and as a bonus, Trap Jaw’s parts (and Roboto’s?) can also go with Fisto. And already the pirate hook looks cool, if just a little bit rustier of a finish.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto and Trap Jaw
And also importantly, he represents another good guy to go with the inferior force that the SpartanNerd has. (Still missing, Stratos, Buzz-Off, Extendar, Rio Blast, Roboto, Moss Man, Prince Adam, King Randor, and Queen Marlena. Yes, some of these exist but not in a proper form. OK, Zoar also.) As a contrast, I have every important bad guy represented except for Modulok and Cobra Kahn. OK, Screech. The Snake Men should be coming out soon in MASTERVERSE, at least there have been hints.
So with great sculpt, paint, accessories, no problems along the QC area or with articulation, and that he represents something special to the SpartanNerd, he gets a 5/5. We start the new year off with a bang of a punch.
After taking off the red and white costume, and putting it in the terrific packaging for storage until Thanksgiving or Christmas In July…(or maybe some other reason, who knows?) you have a generic elf knight body that you can continue to use all year. YAY!
This thing is just great! Amazing sculpt and green paint. He fits the MOTU need for Whiplash very well. It is just too bad that neither head that he came with really looks like Whiplash. I can find a customized version out there, or maybe eventually something will come out that will work.
I could have put any of my Conan action figures here. I chose the king because he is really different…one of the most “clothed” versions of the character. I could have thrown Thulsa Doom in here easily, though. I have him holding the axe (in the video) from the Battle of the Mounds Conan, just because I like my Conan figures to hold an axe 75% of the time!
I almost passed on this. He was available for so long, and I kept waffling. Then I finally pulled the trigger on the Mattel Creations purchase and I am glad I did. He is HUGE. And that sculpt doesn’t look anything like a “sad Dumbo.” I had the chance over the weekend to pick up the 200x Staction version, but this version is better simply because it is an action figure. It’s true the Four Horsemen sculpt is better, but this MASTERVERSE version takes design cues from that and is superior in articulation and accessories.
You can see that my Mekaneck has more neck than he came with stock. I’ll get to the reason why later…
Mekaneck is just great. That we got all of those neck joints…great! His paint is flashy and his armor is just right. And how they are presenting him story wise is also different, with him now taking on underwater responsibilities, getting him away from just “reconnaissance,” as if that wasn’t important. (reconnaissance is VERY IMPORTANT, Hub City Geeks). And that he fills the essential role of Mekaneck in the lineup of heroes is also very nice.
Cosmic Legions Wal-Torr the Mad and T.U.5.C.C. Pilot (review link)
Hey. My list and my rules. I am including Carolina and Clemson on this one! Both have terrific sculpt, paint, and accessories. AND if I was rich I might army build these guys.
MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor’s Throne (review link)
I could have considered Conan’s throne or Boreus (the horse at the top with Santa) as Diorama pieces, but Skeletor’s Throne is the best. It generally sits in the middle of the bad guys, and any of the many versions of Skeletor that I have can fit well on it.
WHO ELSE SHOULD I HAVE INCLUDED IN MY VIDEO? Probably Snake Sorceress Teela, (who I call the Green Goddess.) (review link)
Remember when I had more necks for Mekaneck? That’s because Mattel Q.C. Sent me another copy of him to atone for the missing mask on Sy-Clone. Mattel didn’t bring us a product that matched past versions…no lenticular sticker on the chest like the vintage one, no ring on his back like the 200x and Classics version. What was supposed to be new and different was that mask. They included these fire effects that can fit on the shield or on his wrists, and they are cool, but they should be IN ADDITION not in place of. He just feels uninspired to me, and with the missing mask, I feel this figure is one of the lowest of the year.
He looks like the salesman for beef jerky or the Geico caveman. He doesn’t look like the movie representation. They should have gone with rooted hair and more of a Grizzlor approach to have done him right. Now we probably won’t get another version of this in the next 15 or 20 years. And that makes this an extra bummer. The design choices of making those hair-mats out of plastic armor pieces…I hope we don’t see those again. And that armor is kind of crappy. And the face sculpt is off. I hate to be negative, but WHY? Probably has to do with rights, etc.
SO DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE, HUB CITY GEEKS? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS! Also, please support the new YouTube video formats coming for 2025.
I have been eyeing getting a Mythic Legions horse for awhile. I’ve seen them in stores and conventions for around $80, and they are a large item seemingly worth all that. You start to get into issues of “do I have enough room?” Etc. And there are a few different ones. I’ve seen a brown one, for instance, and the Headless Horseman comes with a scary black horse with red eyes. There’s an undead one, and one with batwing ears. There are a few other animals, one a moose, and a bear coming out next year, There’s a centaur, and also a skeletal horse next year.
But at his heart, the SpartanNerd wants to be economical. And on Cyber Monday this year (2024) Boreus was on sale at Storehorsemen for $55.
I was purchasing the Figura Obscura Father Christmas and started to look around for what else I might want,,,I considered the Ghost of Christmas Past, but at $60 and a buy-in to the Scrooge ecosystem, (‘cause you know I couldn’t only have one, Jacob Marley, the other two ghost, probably eventually Scrooge), I decided to skip that for now anyway, even though she is exceptional.
I started looking at other offerings, and there were other things that seemed like a good opportunity to buy. But seeing Boreus at $55, a gray horse that could be used by anyone, This was too good to pass up. On top of that, I received a Cosmic Legions ashcan comic for my double order.
This is the ashcan Cosmic Legions comic on top of the Father Christmas packaging. Not much story-wise here, but a cool item with sketch drawings and panels without dialogue.
So how is Boreus? Keep reading!
PACKAGING
Boreus comes in a large box with a large window, where you can see everything inside, which includes the horse with saddle, bridle, etc already on, and an extra “flowing” mane for added action.
Unfortunately in box there is unsightly plastic around straps holding him in. This is to protect the paint, but for a MIB collector this is unfortunate. That doesn’t describe me, but I thought it important to point out.
Here are the sides of the box
One side shows the aforementioned horse with bat ears, but has Boreus bio. It turns out that Mythic Legions horses are spiritual beings (think Torrent from Elden Ring). This is a cool thing, and this bio gives even more life to this horse. The other side shows the aforementioned moose. All this terrific art is by Nate Baertsch,
Here is the back…
The top cross sell is Duban the Ranger…this is the supposed owner of Boreus. A figure I haven’t seen except in a promo photo.
A big epic image, showing the shiva-like main villain, some demon guy, and a couple of other evil characters. I actually own the Xylernian guard, and so that is something rare for the SpartanNerd in reference to Mythic Legions. That other text is general Mythic Legions story, which itself is vague.
There is a very nice backdrop that I actually have used already in the nerd closet.
BOREUS FIGURE REVIEW
It’s a horse, sculpted and designed by The Four Horsemen. As such, it is very similar to MOTUC Battle Cat. In fact, I think it has exactly the same articulation besides the articulated jaw on the tiger.
So it has a neck that goes up and down, and a head that has up and down, side to side motion. The front legs havc a shoulder and knee joint…these are back and forward. The hooves are rockers.
The back legs have some spread on the hips. The legs are jointed the same as in real life, and once again the hooves are rockers.
The tail is on a ball joint and is fully articulated.
Unfortunately, Boreus can’t lower his head low enough to drink.
I’ll point out that my Battle cat is secondary market and over ten years old. So his joints are loose, especially the head and neck. Boreus joints are nice and tight, and the hooves have a ratchet, which makes it easy to have him rear up for a pose.
ACCESSORIES
The saddle and bridle are nice pieces of work, with plastic stirrups and also loops to store weapons. (The same loops that Battle Cat’s saddle has).
The reign is liberal, and feels to be real leather. It fits in gripping hands with no problems.
This saddle is removable, but I don’t have a reason to remove it. It doesn’t have a strap belt across his belly that undoes…instead you would have to make the legs straight and the move the head down with hairpieces removed, and then slide it over the head. I haven’t done this and have no pics of it, but it can be done if they ever release more saddles. Also notable, the bedroll on the back of the saddle is swappable with another bedroll, if you ever somehow get one. (Maybe a different horse has a different color one.)
The only other accessory is the mane, which is easily removed and swapped. Now the unexpected nuance of this is that the horse also has a “toupee” that is removable, and allows the hair to layer over the bridle how you would like.
Boreus is great. He is just so fun to photograph. He is this generic gray or flat black color, so he could be anyone’s horse. He is billed as “Duban the Ranger’s” horse, itself a cool figure, but above you can see that Gold Knight Legion Builder really pops.
PICTURED: Figura Obscura Father Christmas, leading Mythic Legions Boreus.
A Mythic Legions horse is just…it is the most useful item. And this sculpt…
Earlier I mentioned that I had thought about getting one for awhile. Some of my hangup is that there are toy horses out there for much cheaper. Like…at the dollar store kind of thing. Even Barbie horses are cheaper.
But you want to get the scale right, and you want a quality product. Boreus is a CHUNK of plastic, and there just is none better that the Four Horsemen sculpting any toys out there. I did see a McFarlane Gunslinger Spawn on a horse at GameStop for around $50 sometime in the past year. The workers advised me that it would probably go on clearance soon, and I haven’t seen it since. Now I am curious to compare the two…maybe I will.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MYTHIC LEGIONS BOREUS
I don’t have any complaints. So let’s look for something to complain about…
Crickets….
OK. So he can’t lower his head low enough to drink. There’s one. If you look at him from above and the back legs are kicked out to the side, there is a lot of daylight around the joints and tail.
Really. That’s it. I had to dig deep for that last one. OK…the plastic around his neck in package was unsightly. Boreus doesn’t lose any points for these!
SCULPT: Superior
ARTICULATION: Superior
POSABILITY: Superior
USABILITY: Superior
SPARTANNERD HAPPINESS: Superior!
I award Mythic Legions Boreus 5/5, and he is going to be celebrated as one of the best of the year for me. Furthermore, I am CONVINCED to get the Headless Horseman.
Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
I remember when I first heard the words “Figura Obscura.” This was two years ago in 2022 when they announced this product. I thought it was great, but if you have been following the SpartanNerd Blog for awhile you know my interest was more in the now extinct MEGA Masters of the Universe.
Since then I have bought in heavily to MASTERVERSE figures and Mythic Legions. As the years (really only two years) have waxed on, they released a Headless Horseman, which I think I might actually get now. But the specific reason I haven’t (besides price) is that … when will you use a Headless Horseman outside of the Halloween season?
This isn’t a problem with Father Christmas. Read on to find out why!
PACKAGING
Really. No question. Of all of the packaging I have ever opened or reviewed on the SpartanNerd.com blog, this is the greatest I have ever seen. And I’ve seen some great stuff. This stands like five heads taller. Seriously…let’s go ahead and drop a 5/5 rating on this whole product just based on the packaging.
Father Christmas comes in a Saran wrapped windowless box. I don’t have any idea what sad person would leave that plastic on it. I took it off to minimize the glare for the photo.
Some reader out there is crying “foul!” SpartanNerd, you hate windowless packaging. Hang on, o cynic.
What you have is an outside “cap”. It removes from the box…it is actually an encasing booklet! It works magnetically, making this an optimum collector friendly package! You get a description of Father Christmas on the back…(did you really need that?). But I am glad they did it!
We have some Nate Baertsch artwork depicting Father Christmas, an owl flying overhead, and a caribou behind him. The words Father Christmas are in beautiful Christmas card font, with the four horsemen studios symbol beneath. On the “spine” there is Figura Obscura with a key symbol.
And if all of this wasn’t enough, let’s flip this capper around.
The other side is another beautiful illustration, this time providing a backdrop for your Father Christmas figure! Absolutely over-the-top.
So now onto the box. Yep. We haven’t even seen Father Christmas in package yet!
Here he is, in box. You can see everything clearly. They have him in package with a longer beard than most American versions have…that is because the Four Horsmen went with the widest interpretation of Father Christmas that they could. This isn’t a modern-pop “fat Santa”… this Father Christmas recalls the SpartanPapaDavid (he’ll have to read this blog from heaven) and the stories that he told of the rough life growing up in rural Pennsylvania. Santa Claus would bring the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve, and “Mr. Take-back” would come and get it on “Old Christmas.” He also would take back your presents if you were being bad. As an adult I understand all of this to be Father Christmas, Epiphany, and Krampus, interpreted in the country ways of the past.
You can see that he comes with a ton of accessories. Notably a drum, a doll, a trumpet, a lantern, an alternate shorter beard head, and a Christmas Tree. This is a double blister…It has the shepherd’s crook, two identical wreath crowns, a plastic-sculpted toy sack, soft goods hood, and a soft goods sack with presents inside on the bottom.
Now there are two versions of this product…I have seen the green Father Christmas at a store before. I was very pleased to see the red version released on Storehorsemen again for this 2024 season in red. That version has the same illustrations but with green on Father Christmas’s robe. And if you get that version, you will have the same opening experience as me with that main difference only.
One more thing about the packaging. If we didn’t have enough diorama with this, we also get an inside illustration that you can use for an “in the house” photo.
AND ONE MORE THING STILL…A Christmas card of the artwork. These are not expensive if you wanted more from the StoreHorsemen.
FIGURE: HERE’S WHAT YOU GET IN THE PACKAGE
Father Christmas comes with: (I’m going to photograph in pieces.
Father Christmas figure
Soft-goods robe, hood, and inner robe.
Rubber belt
Two heads, one with a long wizards beard and the other traditional (pictured above)
Two wreath crowns
Toy drum
Toy trumpet
Doll
Rubber duck
Dog…it is up to your interpretation on these three. Are they cartoons…toys…characters…is that dog a live dog? That duck one to annoy you when fishing or one to put in your jeep?…that doll an elf worker, or a child stowaway?
Shepherd’s crook
Lantern
Christmas Tree, which is a wire tree, plastic trunk, and white stand
Additional sack of items.
SO…the duck and dog came in that sack. And because it is 2024, I assume I am not spoiling the “surprise” items in the sack. So if you are sensitive, time to go look at a different blog entry…try the SpartanNerd.Com home page for starters. Where you can see recent reviews of New Eternia Mer-Man and Mythic Legions Boreus.
….
Turn back now if you don’t want to be spoiled
…
OK.
Here
Is
The
Spoiler!
Knight’s head with pointed faceplate
Knight’s head with back neck protector
These are the two heads. One is on Sir Godfrey, and the other on Father Christmas, sans robes, with added armor. This is Father Christmas’ surprises for Mythic Legions collectors!
Impressive amount of accessories, really.
HOW DOES FATHER CHRISTMAS WORK
Essentially, the robes are doll clothes. They are very well made. The hood and the outer robe are different pieces, both having a clasp on the front. The purple underdress is basically the same thing that MASTERVERSE Revelation Tri-Clops came with, only in purple. That has Velcro down the back.
The good thing is that when you take off the robes you don’t have a naked Santa. What you have is a really skinny knight. After looking into it, this is actually a Mythic Legions elf body. I don’t have any of those (yet…)
But because Mythic Legions have entirely modular parts, you can put any head on there. So this body can be on display all year, while the Christmas items can go back into that terrific package for storage! YAY! VALUE!
BUT what they have done with the neck is out of proportion to the body. Essentially Father Christmas has kind of a “giraffe” neck if you put his head on the neckpiece and armor. This makes the knight heads look strange on this body without some additional bulk. This is a non-complaint because Mythic Legions neck pieces are also modular. I DID have to use the hairdryer to loosen up Father Christmas’ neck joint enough to pop off.
Still, the utility of having an extra Mythic Legions for the rest of the year makes this Figura Obscura mean so much more.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revelation Evil Lyn alternate head and hands on Figura Obscura Father Christmas body. She is feeding Boreus.
I find that female heads in the same scale work very well with this body. It’s true that Evil Lyn here has no neck, but can you tell? The hands were a perfect swap for this photo.
You can see above that Father Christmas is actually very articulated. He can sit on a knee and give out presents to the good little boys here. (He-Man might be the bad one…he is holding a sword after all.)
The toy sack is very detailed. These toys are not removable…but you get the drum sticks, teddy bear, nutcracker, toy lion, toy bugle, three balls, and a book that Reverend SpartanNerd has to assume is a bible.
I am showing Father Christmas holding that trumpet. Be very careful, Hub City Geeks. This is one delicate item. It fits very well in the robe pocket, and probably should stay in there or in the sack. Father Christmas didn’t come with any additional hands, so he can’t finger the valves or anything like that. He can hold it, but be careful getting it into the hands. With the robes on, he can’t have two hands on it as if to play it, and if he can I was too afraid to try, not willing to bend the instrument. Incidentally, the doll also can fit in the robe pockets well. AND, the drum has a chain with a hook on it so that it can clip to his belt.
Ah. SpartanPapaDavid’s story, kind of.
The Shepherd’s Crook and Lantern…Father Christmas doesn’t need a weapon, does he? Of all the Mythic Legions figures made, I bet this is only one of a handful that didn’t have some means of attack. BUT, the shepherd’s crook could be a weapon that someone else might use all year long.
I have only one singular, true gripe with this whole product. And that is that when you have the lantern on the crook, the heaviness of it causes the wrists to buckle, knocking him off balance. He doesn’t really have a counterweight. If ever a figure could probably have come with a stand, it is Father Christmas. Just think, someone might only ever own this product from the Four Horsemen Studios. He is a fine Santa Claus. Maybe the best I have ever seen anywhere. But if he has trouble standing as a long-term display that is kind of a problem. For me, he has face-planted several times while holding the hook, usually with the lantern. And that lantern comes right off and goes who knows where. I wasn’t there when he fell over! And as I type this, one of those wreath crowns is missing. I believe he fell over, his crown landed in the floor, and a SpartanPet got it. Or it went down in the AC vent. Or something else. All I am saying is it is good that it came with two of them. (Dork Lair seems to think this was an accident, all of them coming with two wreath crowns.)
PICTURED: Mythic Legions Boreus and Figura Obscura Father Christmas. Boreus seems to be the perfect match with Father Christmas.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF FIGURA OBSCURA FATHER CHRISTMAS
Are you kidding me? Seriously?
If I could award 6 points I would. This thing is incredible. If you are a Mythic Legions fan and also like Christmas, this is for you. If you do Christmas and want a nice Santa decoration, this is a great choice. He could also sit on top of a tree…he’s about the same size as one of those angels. (Rev. SpartanNerd wouldn’t do it, but you could…)
And the value here…just take all those Christmas pieces off and put them in the collector friendly package for storage, and you have another Mythic Legions that you can use all year.
Which brings me back to the Headless Horseman. I have punted on that for two main reasons. Price and functionality. But I got to thinking about it. His body can be used all year. Just put a different head on it. That horse is ghostly, so who could ride it all year…OH YEAH…Skeletor. Scare Glo. Blah blah blah. Why was the SpartanNerd so unimaginative?
So not only has Figura Obscura Father Christmas delivered so much awesomeness, he has convinced me to move on the Headless Horseman, and also…The Monkey KING! Figura Obscura is where it is at, people! I won’t ever get the Egyptian Gods on religious grounds, but I might actually go for Greek Gods if they make them.
So the SpartanNerd rates Figura Obscura Father Christmas a solid 5/5. The packaging is superior. The sculpt, paint, and soft goods superior, and the accessories varied and awesome. He delivers the Christmas joy and so much more!
Please post your agreeing comments, Hub City Geeks. (How could you complain?)
It’s Rivalry Week, and in South Carolina, this means CAROLINA vs clemson (not a typo). The Gamecocks are poised to take out the Tigers this year, by a great margin. And oh satisfying will that be! But this blog is a review of toys, so…
I picked up Wal-Torr the Mad on a special sale (the same sale I got the Ogre Scale Accessory Pack). This was an item I had my eye on but waffled…There is a traditional fantasy Mythic Legions version, and then there is this Cosmic Legions space version. So space toy vs. fantasy toy.
Ultimately, after looking at the photos awhile on the internet, I decided the space version was the best, even if it was hideous orange.
But the presentation was adorable…the skull headed spaceman looking at a flower in a setting reminiscent of Mars. It looked like some kind of familiar scene somehow.
And I already have some of the parts in the Mythic Legions version, while the only Cosmic Legion I have is the SSKUR’GE ogre scale figure. So I jumped in…and glad I did.
BUT…that isn’t all of this story, is it? I went to the Toy Federation in Greer, SC one day just for some spontaneous shopping. And behold…they had a copy of this same figure but in a glorious Garnet color scheme. The T.U.5.C.C. Pilot (that is an annoying name to type) is the same basic idea, but instead of being a named character he is an army builder. Army builders are a tad cheaper than “legendary” creatures, so I paid the same price for both of these figures (just from different sources.)
Let’s examine the packages first.
PACKAGING FACE-OFF
Both packages have a nice window box. Wal-Torr’s is more orange nebula, and Pilot’s is more space purple. (So unfortunate colors to have together.)
Both have faction symbols in the top corner, but I don’t know anything about what they mean. You can see the alternate headsculpts easily. One of the big mysteries for me when I first got Wal-Torr was…what really is going on? He has this helmeted alien head, but then he has this human skull. So many questions! But those questions were answered when I saw the alternate head sculpt of the Pilot. Wal-Torr is supposed to be an homage to a real human, and the other is what kind of alien he is. I get it (I guess). I don’t know much about it, but perhaps Walter Hagen is big into skeletons…seems like an awesome guy then! (Walter Hagen is the leader of the Mythic Legions Cabal fan group.)
Wal-Torr’s box features a nice illustration of”hologram” on the bottom. Important that it shows the collar option.The back of Wal-Tor’s package. Perhaps this is the planet he is on or from.
The back of both boxes feature cross-sell images from the rest of their respective Cosmic Legions wave.
Both have nice art on the side, both with a bit of a Bio.
Wal-Torr’s bioI really like this graphic.Can anyone decipher this?The front of T.U.5.C.C. Pilot’s package. His hologram importantly shows the hoses.I don’t know what kind of ship he pilots. Is this it in the corner right of the package back?T.U.5.C.C. Pilot BioOutpost Zaxxius information
I actually appreciate some of the vagueness of the bios and packaging. Maybe that’s Wal-Torr’s home planet? Maybe this is the T.U.5.C.C. Pilot’s ship? Who knows. Maybe this is all artistic technobabble. I’m good with that.
There is one new backdrop. Wal-Torr comes with a background that I haven’t had, while T.U.5.C.C. Pilot comes with a smaller version of what SSKUR’GE came with.
This is the backdrop. A space scene. I am showing you a photoshop work screen. It is stretched and there is some “spot healing.” I’ll make it super-usable yet.
One more thing about the packaging. Both contained this message, and also a little tray of pegs. At first I thought “What is this? Ammo?” They CAN stand in for ammo. But the intention is that they be mounting pegs. That they are translucent is a nice bonus…translucent works great in science fiction, right?
Somehow I didn’t get a photo of T.U.S.C.C. Pilot in his blister. But I assure you readers, it was comparable to Wal-Torr’s.
WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE PACKAGING?
Let’s start with Wal-Torr
Wal-Torr figure in terrible urrnje coloring.
Two options for a head (alien helmet and skull)
Astronaut Space-Suit helmet, which is a collar and bubble
Backpack
Sci-Fi rifle
Sci-Fi pistol
Another piece of gear (can be a couple of different things)
Map hologram
Translucent pegs (that can be ammo)
Back adapters
Shield
Hose
Seven (!) pairs of hands. Notably human hands…
So much here, it takes a few photos to capture it all.
This shield comes apart…you could trade pieces if you had more than one.
What about the T.U.5.C.C. Pilot? (GO GAMECOCKS!)
You get…
T.U.S.C.C. Pilot figure in glorious Garnet.
Two head sculpt options, both aliens, one helmeted and the other weird and blue unhelmeted.
Space collar
Armor pieces
Backpack parts (you can see that I assembled these together.
Sci-Fi Rifle
Sci-Fi Pistol
Multi-purpose weapons part
Map hologram
Translucent pegs (that can be ammo)
pair of alternate hands, (notably three fingered alien hands)
Two hoses
As above, it takes more photos to show it all off.
You can remove the bubble from the helmet to get a better look at the “face” on both figures.
There are a lot of similarities here. They have the same exact guns. Wal-Torr wins the accessory battle because he comes with a shield and all those hands. WOW. I figure that they included all of these because they won’t ever issue them in this color again probably. While the pilot’s hands could go on anyone (being black gloved alien fingers).
BUT…You get a lot of options with T.U.5.C.C. Pilot also. Perhaps making the shoulder wings into a backpack was an unintended use…but it’s my toys…I get to play with them! (Thank you, Rob Base!)
Both have the same sculpt in some ways, but different in others. Pilot has sculpted slacks and upper sleeves, while Wal-Torr’s body is fully armored. Both have the same torso with a fan sculpted on the chest. Pilot’s cover’s his up when wearing that collar. Wal-Torr’s backpack was actually one of the intriguing sculpted elements that caught my attention in pictures. I didn’t realize it was a backpack until I had the figure in hand, however.
The hose with Wal-Torr creates questions. Where is it supposed to go? The two hoses with Pilot seem very purposeful. In the photo above, I only realized right before taking it that there were holes in the collar for it.
Their guns are the same with different colors. And there is that other little piece. Is it a scope sight? Is it a laser for the wrists? Is it a magazine or power supply? I guess it’s up to your imaginination…it can be all of those things.
The hologram is the same for both figures, only Wal-Torr’s is a more pleasing blue shade and Pilot’s is grayish. (If you read enough, you know this must be the five rings of the cosmerium or something like that.)
A big problem with the Wal-Torr figure…that space helmet doesn’t snap on. The collar sits loosely. The bubble snaps on to the collar just fine, but the collar is the problem.
The space helmet fits on Man-At-Arms exactly as good as it does on Wal-Torr. Not great. It looks good on him, though.
BUT…that skull head is a great thing. It is missing a tooth, providing options for me to display other skeleton warriors. And it has an articulated jaw.
This is what the New Eternia Skeletor looks like with the skull swapped out. I prefer Skeletor to have some color in his face, rather than being a boring normal skull. Notice that this head is loose on the MASTERVERSE peg.Perhaps Black Falcon is telling his carrier pigeon to go poop on Demistros‘ limo!
SHOWDOWN…WHO WILL WIN?!
First of all, you all know I am going to be unbiased…(totally)
T.U.5.C.C. Pilot drops in, ready to spray down Wal-Tor with his awesome garnet ammunition. Wal-Torr makes good use of his shield but can’t rightly aim with his pistol in the face of heavy fire.Quickly thinking about his high school varsity level sled training, Wal-Torr bucks up with that shield and knocks T.U.5.C.C. PilotLaNorris Sellers back.Far outclassing his opponent in physicality and skill, our glorious garnet Gamecock is able to chin-kick the hideously colored Clemson opponent.The Tigers are done for as Wal-Torr is unable to recover from his nimble opponent’s reverse!
Yep. I say I believe the Cosmic Legions T.U.5.C.C. Pilot is the winner here based on his paint job. Now…It is true I don’t like that Clemson orange, but the details on the Pilot really pop with shiny metallic details. I believe mostly Wal-Torr is molded in orange plastic and then washed with a darker shade, while the Pilot has attention to detail that out does him. Now I believe Wal-Torr has better accessories and more adaptability with that skull head. But the amount of variation you can get from T.U.5.C.C. Pilot is greater. The skull head is kind of puzzling, but the blue alien head is a new sculpt that resolves some of the mystery about who these aliens are. And besides. GO GAMECOCKS.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF COSMIC LEGIONS WAL-TORR THE MAD AND T.U.5.C.C. PILOT
I give both figures a 5/5. Great fun! Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!
NOTE: On November 30, 2024, the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Clemson Tigers 17-14. My prediction came true!
Looks like the SpartanNerd is playing with his dolls again…
At this point I have several female action figures. I really value my girls. But I was on the fence about this one because of the preview photos, but also…I mean you can see what threw me off of getting her. She is beautifully painted and sculpted, but that upper thigh cut and the execution of the leg joints makes her look awkward right away. And not just me…I asked a few others and they felt the same way.
I get that MASTERVERSE figures have advanced articulation, but Mattel…KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS. Who are we? Middle-aged adults who are more into displaying or photographing our figures. To that end, anything that makes the figure look worse…at least give it second thoughts. This has been a thing since the MOTUC She-Ra had the hole in her head…since the MOTUC Sorceress had big drums on her back to execute wing articulation.
Now depending on your feelings…maybe you LIKE the way this looks. It doesn’t work for me, and is why I almost punted on this purchase.
PACKAGING
You can see the window box at the top of the post how she looks on the shelf. It is a big MASTERVERSE-style window box, showing a great illustration of the character surrounded by magical snakes. I am going to say that it is notable that she is called “Sorceress Teela.” This is one of the Revolution designs from the Netflix show. In the past she has been known as “The Goddess” or sometimes “The Green Goddess” and also “The Sorceress of Serpos.” But they are going to stick with “Sorceress Teela” which is fine. I kind of like the idea of her being a different character, and maybe someday there will be a “New Eternia” release, maybe even with translucent plastic like they did with MOTUC. (I’ve only seen that one in box…it has notorious crumbly plastic). Readers should know…there is ANOTHER figure out there with the same name, with a more traditional “sorceress of Zoar” design. Maybe I’ll pick it up one day, but I am salty still about the MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorcerss’ problems.
They absolutely cheated on the back of this box…that is a picture of the toy…notice that they photoshopped out that seam at the upper thigh articulation. The cross-sell on the bottom features Man-Of-War, Sorceress Teela, New Eternia Mer-Man, and New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor. I really want Battle Armor Skeletor, but it looks like I might have missed it.
I generally like what is on the back and sides. One of the sides shows Sorceress Teela holding the Staff of Ka and the other shows all three staves (Havoc Staff, Staff of Ka in a neutral pose, and Staff of Zoar). In the cartoon, she had to master all three kinds of magic to become the “Tri-Sorceress.”
Just a side note…I’m completely into the design of husband-and-wife He-Man and Teela the Tri-Sorceress at the end of the show. AND I think they could sell those two as a set and I would totally buy it. In fact…don’t tell anyone…I would buy this as a BARBIE set! (Also…when will we get the completely awesome Sorceress of Havoc?!)
WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE BOX
Contents:
Sorceress Teela figure
Staff of Ka
Snake magic effect
Alternate hands (she has gripping and open hands)
Not many accessories…
FIGURE REVIEW
PICTURED: Sorceress Teela using the Snake Men backdrop that came with New Eternia Snout Spout. This photo makes her look a bit like an Egyptian goddess. Egyptian has already proven to be OK for the Sorceress back in the 200x days.
As a figure, the paint is really good. This is green plastic all over, but such a pleasing shade! They painted the toenails black and the fingernails red. The armor is non-removable (painted on). That she has long sleeves painted on and naked legs makes her more reptilian. They also gave her painted anklets.
I don’t know if it is the bare feet or not, but I have had a hard time getting her to stand.
PICTURED: Sorceress Teela with Savage He-Man. Savage has 40th anniversary He-Man’s head, and she is presenting him with the armor and weapons similar to the first “mini-comic.”
You can see in the storybook homage photo above that Savage He-Man doesn’t have trouble with his bare feet. But he has big boats while she has dainty green princess feet, and maybe it’s the giant hood that causes the balance issues.
PICTURED: MASTERSE Force Captain Teela and Sorceress Teela, both with their heads swapped. Notice Force Captain’s headdress is the MOTUC weapons pack version, as well as the Staff of Ka. I only did this head swap for the review…why would you ever do this for a main display?
Speaking of the hood, I wish you could remove it from her head. That this is glued on takes away from what could have been an amazing feature of the toy.
The tail is soft goods…effectively making this a “dress.” I know you are wondering out there, so here you go…(pictured below)
PICTURED: Sorcerss Teela and Conan Battle of the Mounds Valeria (Spirit)
If you have Sorceress Teela “half-cheek” it you get an unsightly view of those upper leg joints. Similar to Super7 Ultimates! Conan Battle of the Mounds Valeria. And if you zoom in you will see that the black stripe visible in this picture is a shadow, not paint. (That’s how bad it is…Cringy)
Ultimately, though, the tail isn’t meant to do this…it is meant to always cover her backside. And it doesn’t look bad. I wish it had print on both sides of the dress, but one sided works just fine.
ACCESSORIES
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor Throne and MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela. She is showing off the Staff of Ka that she came with, as well as the one that came with the throne.
The Staff of Ka is really what pushed me over the edge to go ahead and purchase this. This is the best painted snake staff we have had in Mattel Masters of the Universe ever. You can see how lacking the Skeletor one is by comparison in the picture above. In fact, I plan on painting Skeletor’s now (maybe one day when it snows).
PICTURED: Sorceress Teela with Mythic Legions magic effects.
The snake magic effect is cool…I just wish there were more of it. BUT…you can use Mythic Legions Magic Effects with her just great!
SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF MASTERVERSE REVOLUTION SORCERESS TEELA.
Why does The Sorceress always get messed up in action figure form? Below is a picture of four versions of Teela and Sorceress Mattel has given us.
Each of these have had some kind of issue except for MASTERVERSE Force Captain Teela. MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress (Teela-Na) has those stupid soft-goods wings. Masters of the Universe Classics Battleground Teela has the strange “table” effect on the waist when you turn the body. And now the Green Goddess has the strange thigh-cuts that make her pelvic region awkward for Reverend SpartanNerd to talk about. And notice I “kit-bashed” Battleground Teela and Force Captain Teela. I still think the legs on the MOTUC version are the better female legs. That double jointed knee looks like cellulite. And the MOTUC version also just didn’t have a thigh-cut. It wasn’t needed and the Four Horsemen knew it.
As it is, Force Captain Teela with the MOTUC gear is still the best. But as much griping as I have done about Snake Sorceress (Green Goddess and Snake Sorceress are the names I usually use), as an action figure she is great. She really “feels” like a different character, actually in the show as well. And she is very enjoyable to play with…not displeasing to the eye. I think the thigh cut problem looks its worse while the figure is standing in the box, which is too bad for MOC collectors. As you are posing her around, you can minimize her un-sexiness actually much better than you can Super7 Valeria (Spirit).
So positives…Terrific paint, on both the figure and also the Staff of Ka. She is very articulated and is currently the most “free” to pose female figure because her armor is painted on. Negatives…the articulation seams are unsightly visible and especially distracting from what would be a great female body sculpt. She didn’t come with many accessories, and that the hood is non-removable is a missed opportunity.
I am going to rate this figure a 2/5. She’s a lot of fun but has her problems…problems that are poor design choices that could have been handled differently. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
spartannerd 