Category Archives: Spartannerd Micro Reviews

New Eternia Mosquitor- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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See the video review of New Eternia Mosquitor here! I wrote this blog entry about two weeks after I unboxed it.

I know a guy has the market cornered on Mosquitor (Pixel Dan), but I also have fond memories of the mosquito member of the Horde. Mosquitor was one of the final MOTU figures I ever had. The last few I had were Rio Blast, Extendar, Evil-Lyn, Tyrantisaurus, and Mosquitor.

I am CONVINCED I saw Laser Power He-Man and Laser Light Skeletor on some clearance sale at a discount store, but didn’t get them. Maybe this is a Mandela effect thing? (The SpartanNerd is from Spartanburg SC, not Sparta, Greece. Not from Europe…)

I remember getting Mosquitor as an Easter present of all things. I loved the blood sucking gore effect, unique to this figure in the whole of Vintage Masters of the Universe. So how did he turn out for Masterverse?

PACKAGING

Mosquitor comes in the usual MASTERVERSE packaging. There is nice art on the front showing him with wings up and a long curly nosepiece. You can see the figure clearly in the window, which unfortunately for MOC collectors (not me) doesn’t have a full nose piece on. So it looks like his nose is sawed off.

As you look around the side you can see Imp, Hordak’s pet, sitting on the top of a cannon. This is definitely not safe for the little guy! Of note and interest…this figure is labeled “New Eternia” not “New Etheria.” The pet that came with the NE Hordak was not Imp. So it is odd that they used Imp in the art on Mosquitor’s packaging.

The other side shows the library image for easy storing, sorting, or otherwise alphabetizing your figures. (Just joking.). It is nice to have this as a feature, and showing off additional looks for the figure.

The back of the figure features a photoshop of Mosquitor with an animated style background featuring a large skull. We are given windows into how the “action features” of the figure works.

There are cross sell images on the bottom that show us Anti-Eternia He-Man, Mosquitor, and Hordak. I don’t know if I will get get Anti-Eternia He-Man or not. I don’t have a strong connection to him, and I have some other problems with the figure. For instance, we already have Faker. He-Man doesn’t need another doppelgänger. Especially not one more frightening. I have more rant about this offering, but this is a review of Mosquitor, so I will keep it at that. However, if someone gifts me Anti-Eternia He-Man, then…

FIGURE REVIEW

Mosquitor comes with everything you see here in the package.

  • MASTERVERSE Mosquitor Figure
  • Three alternate nose pieces
  • An alternate chest plate “dripping blood”
  • A laser gun
  • A hose
  • Should I count the wings as accessories?

The hose is the same hose that came with New Eternia Snout Spout. It plugs into the back of his head and connects to his armor. What would have been cool would have been the “blood tanks” on Emiliano Santalucia’s design…and then this hose would have been more logical and epic.

The paint. Well, there isn’t much. He is molded in the colors he is supposed to be. There are paint hits on his boots, and he has these red spikes on his shoulder armor which are one of the best details of the new design. After spending some time with the figure, I have noticed some paint slop.

There are two options for displaying Mosquitor. You can have a full tank on his chest, or a partially bloody “dripping” chest. This isn’t a pumping action feature, but instead a chest plate similar to what Battle Armor Skeletor has. The bat shape just pops off and can be replaced. Some of the paint slop mentioned above is on the full tank chest piece. At the same time, I wonder if in that case it was purposeful? It adds to the effect of “blood tank.” But I suspect this was accidental, by the same factory worker who did the other red paint on the figure.

Mosquitor has the same eye effect that some other recent MASTERVERSE figures have had (NE Panthor’s is the best). A 3-d effect where it is like a translucent cover that gives the illusion of a real eye. Except that in the case of Mosquitor, his eye doesn’t look realistic because it looks like the vintage toy’s eye.

All of his articulation is what you would expect from a MASTERVERSE figure, “30 points of articulation.” But it brings up a tired complaint. These figures are lanky, and yeah, they have good articulation, but the net effect is that they are not that posable. Most of them are standing on the shelf in a similar pose. Balancing well on their feet with their arms forward holding something. Maybe this is me not being creative? Don’t get me wrong…I prefer the option to pose as opposed to a statue. I just think it a little bit ironic.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mosquitor attacks New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man. NE Snout Spout takes on New Etheria Hordak. And Panthor is just there.

ACCESSORIES

The wings attach to the back of the armor, and are interchangeable with Hordak’s wings. These wings are opaque muted pink, the same size as Hordak’s, and are just as posable. It is important that they remove or are easily hidden because some collectors might prefer to display him without this.

The gun…this is NOT a Horde crossbow. Instead it looks a little bit like the gun on Emiliano Santalucia’s 200x He-Man.org Christmas wallpaper artwork from like 20 years ago. (Once again, I wish this figure had those bloody tanks for his back more than I like the wings.)

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mosquitor takes on Four Horsemen Studios Figura Obscura Monkey King. In the background you can see McFarlane Mortal Kombat Khotal Khan and Masters of the Universe Classics Sir Lazer Lot

The nose pieces can go on either the end of his nose or on the end of the gun…in fact on both ends of the gun. (This gives you the option of fashioning the gun into a melee weapon. One looks like the vintage mosquito nose. One looks like a curved dagger, and the other is a tentacle, which anatomically is a “proboscis” I believe.

RATING

I awarded MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mosquitor a 5/5 when I filmed the video two weeks ago, and I am going to stick to that notwithstanding the paint slop I began to notice. ***He has an asterisk :)***. I feel like he fits right in with NE Hordak and Mantenna.

He is one of my “need to have” figures, and he does it well. My “need to have list of” members of the Horde now only has Grizzlor, Modulok, and Multibot left to go. I didn’t have that many of them around when I was a kid. (I know there is a Grizzlor, but that molded plastic hair sucks.)

Do you agree or disagree with my 5/5* rating? Let me know in the comments!

GI Joe Classified Gnawgahyde, Porkbelly, and Yobbo

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Watch the video review HERE.

I was shopping after Christmas, and saw this GI Joe Classified…the coolest one I’ve ever seen!

Before this I had two GI Joe Classified figures. One Cobra Commander, and the other Sgt. Slaughter. Both of those are characters I have a connection with. But Gnawgahyde as a specific character I do not. But you knew immediately what he was about. A Dreadnok.

On the old cartoon, Dreadnoks were a group of criminals operating for Cobra under Zartan. I thought they were cool as a child…every one of them had the air of Crocodile Dundee. And they lived in the Everglades or somewhere similar. None seemed as smart as other Cobra characters, but now as an old teacher, I believe their smarts were just from a different place. Cobra troops for instance blindly follow orders. These guys were apt do do whatever they wanted in spite of orders. I didn’t get it as a kid, but as an adult they I understand them to be a group of mercenaries.

So why did I think this was the coolest GI Joe Classified I have ever seen? Keep reading!

PACKAGING

You can see clearly in the box what is here, and now you know why it caught my eye!

In most of these, you see the figure first…it is usually the most central idea…but in this product a warthog takes that real estate. The SpartanNerd has TWO pet pigs. (There’s a photo of one on this blog entry.)

Here’s a little “stream of thought”

My eye saw the pig, then I looked clockwise as one does, and saw the monkey, then the bow…my eyes jerked over and saw the man.

This window box shows everything you need to see. I guess they used more blister bubble packaging because of what they saved back when they tried the windowless packaging. This box is all black. All business.

The back gives us a photoshop of the figures and some details. Gnawgahyde stands in the rain with his pets. (I wonder if his mother took this photo)? Details pointed out are the snake tattoo on the side of his head, the nose ring on Porkbelly, and Gnawgahyde’s vest and two necklaces. Also his stats are over on the left side. (Those red triangle things). We aren’t given any other bio, however. No traditional “file card”

The side features the same stats images.

The other side gives us a nice image of all three characters. That number 125 is the character number in this series. Gnawgahyde probably won’t get one, but someone like Snake Eyes likely has five versions. Each version will have the same number.

So there is a QR code. My thought was…this will lead me to some content, probably the file card or at least some bio information. NOPE…It was a dead page.

Behind the figure is Cobra graphics, that make a nice backdrop.

FIGURE REVIEW

I used the backdrop that came with this set, and also Cobra Commander’s as the floor.

What do you get in the package?

  • Gnawgahyde figure
  • Porkbelly figure
  • Yobbo figure
  • Compound Bow
  • Quiver with one removable arrow
  • Hat
  • Sniper Rifle with case
  • Pair of daggers
  • Wearable machete

So this GI Joe classified comes with a TON of stuff!

As mentioned, the vest is removable, and he also has a removable animal tooth necklace and some dog tags.

Gnawgahyde is a tall boy compared to Cobra Commander. But…I mentioned before that maybe Cobra Commander has a Napoleon complex. (Joepedia says that Gnawgahyde is Cobra Commander’s most trusted Dreadnok).

PICTURED GI Joe Classified Series Cobra Commander and Gnawgahyde.

So much to talk about.

Gnawgahyde has a few tattoos. The aforementioned snake on the side of his head is joined by the obligatory “anarchy” symbol on one shoulder, and on the other a skull with a snake and a knife. (I like to joke with my chorus students I am going to put this image on our t-shirt. And then I saw this)! If you don’t have Gnawgahyde’s hat on his head, and you don’t look closely to know better, you might think he has scraggly remnants of hair combed over all pathetically. (I say this in jest…I am voluntarily bald because I hate my bald spot).

The two necklaces. One is something like Kraven the Hunter might wear, and could honestly go on any barbarian figure. The dog tags don’t have any paint.

The arm machete. What an impractical weapon. I guess it is more believable than the “chain sword” that Buzzer traditionally sports. (The only other Dreadnok name I can recall). If you use this to chop trees, it is just going to flop around and be less effective than a traditional machete.

PICTURED: GI Joe Classified Series Sgt. Slaughter and Gnawgahyde.

The daggers can be stored in his belt sheath behind him or on the one in his boot.

The bow is surprisingly rubbery, and joins the hosts of bows I have that can’t have a knocked arrow. It’s too floppy. This one has a plastic string molded, necessary for it to appear correctly. But pretty much Gnawgahyde has to be posed with it before or after a shot. The bow and removable arrow do have some paint. There is a removable “ballast” on the bow. ( I looked this up and still don’t know the real word. Stabilizer? Rod damper?)

The quiver is a backpack with a peg. It is molded with a curve to fit his back. It has an oversized clip to store the bow or gun case. The little loop is for that “ballast.”

The big surprise for the SpartanNerd was the details of the sniper rifle. It came with a case that has molded spots for the weapon. And the gun has four parts…the main gun, the bipod, the scope, and the noise suppressor. And each part has a spot in the case.

I don’t personally have a lot of knowledge about guns, especially of this type. But my son certainly does, and when he saw this he was completely shocked. His words…”I didn’t know they were making GI Joes now with real weapons!” He told me that this was the general sniper rifle used in the army. And immediately we found the model: Remington M2010 ESR (Enhanced Sniper Rifle).

This inspired him to go out and buy some GI Joe Classified figures of his own, and you can see those in the video I posted.

THE PETS

Are they pets? Do you really think Gnawgahyde puts out a food bowl for these guys?

Porkbelly is very nice, and is fully articulated. He is in fact more articulated than Super7 Ultmates! Snake Eye’s “Timber” wolf. (A figure that costs a lot more). Porkbelly has a torso bend on a ball joint, legs that splay out, joints on each knee and ankle, and articulated tail, two joints on his neck, and a jaw that can open!

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes pet wolf Timber, and GI Joe Classified Series Gnawgahyde’s pet Porkbelly.

Yobbo is the exact opposite, but nicely painted anyway. He is the kind of toy you might get out of a teacher’s prize bucket. But his tail is very rubbery and can be posed any way you want just be careful not to stress it. He can sit nicely on top of Gnawgahyde’s hat or on Porkbelly’s back.

PICTURED: McFarlane’s Raw-10 Cy-Gor, Figura Obscura Sun Wu Kong The Monkey King, and GI Joe Classified Yobbo.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF GI JOE CLASSIFIED SERIES GNAWGAHYDE, PORKBELLY, AND YOBBO

Is there really a question? 5/5.

Great sculpt in line with other GI Joe Classified figures, and also great paint with what are probably tempo graphic tattoos.

A great set of accessories, including two animal companions.

No stupid problems. Great articulation. Looks great to pose and photograph.

The package is ok if a little bland. But you can see everything in it. It isn’t the product’s fault that the QR code didn’t work.

He adds a lot to the SpartanNerd’s collection. Especially with Porkbelly and Yobbo. They can go anywhere, with any other figure I have. It might be a little odd to have a warthog with a nose ring in the wild or a monkey with an eyepatch. But why not?

Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Do you have any GI Joe classified series? Should I review more? I have to say the allure of them as compared to Super7 Ultimates, for instance is pretty strong. They are easier to get and you get more value for your money.

SSKUR’GE (Cosmic Legions Whiplash Tribute figure)

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Whiplash is the only villain in modern form for Masters of the Universe that I feel I am really missing, besides maybe Modulok and Screech. That MASTERVERSE figures are very affordable and generally excellent, and plentiful unlike the superior Masters of the Universe Classics figures has allowed me to have a goal and complete that goal. Reclaim all of the figures I had as a kid. So to me Webstor isn’t important. Jitsu and Ninjor, not important. I didn’t have these. I like the Evil Horde, and will get some of them, but I don’t have the same connection to them as I do Skeletor’s friends. I’m ready for them to release some MASTERVERSE Snake Men. There are also a lot of holes to fill in the Heroic slot for me.

The MASTERVERSE Whiplash figure Mattel has put out just isn’t that great. I haven’t seen it in person, but the pictures I have seen of it just don’t do it for me. Like most MASTERVERSE figures he is too lanky, and I believe Whiplash should be bulkier if anything. The head seems too small and kind of wrong. And the weapons and stuff seem off too. The secondary market price is around $40, and I just figure eventually they will come out with a better one. (I have seen a sealed Classics Whiplash for $200. PASS!)

But then there is this…I saw it at Toy Federation in Greer, SC. (Maybe that is more like Taylors or Simpsonville?). (Excellent store. I can spend hours in there and would if I lived closer!)

So this is SSKUR’GE. A Cosmic Legions figure (and my first one!). In case you didn’t figure out from the context clues, Cosmic Legions is the science fiction version of Mythic Legions. You can see a cross sell from the back of the packaging below.

You can see that there are some other Masters of the Universe tributes in this line. Slush Head and Man-E-Faces.
Because this is my first Cosmic Legions figure, I wanted to show off the packaging a little more. Check out the font of SSKUR’GE’s name below.

This little story lets us know that SSKUR’GE is a bounty hunter, and as I read this and the story online about him, I get the feeling that he is kind of like The Skuxxoid from The Transformers.

Outpost Zaxxius is apparently the name of the set that SSKUR’GE was released in.

So what the Four Horsemen studios are doing is kind of one-upping Mattel. They have their own IP, but are doing their figures in tribute colors to the Masters of the Universe. Case in point, I ordered Anthophilees immediately when I saw him. (Maybe get him by Christmas next year. (Sigh.). Anthophilees is the strongest example of them all (Buzz-Off tribute), but here SSKUR’GE is very strong in the Whiplash hole. He really only has one weakness…neither head looks like Whiplash.

(If you want to see another example I have of the Four Horsemen tributing a figure, check out my review of Demistros, the Skeletor tribute.)

When you get him out of the box, this is what you get. You have to attach the tail…

So to accomplish this, you have to take your brand new $75 giant figure and separate the torso from the waist. This was not easy. And then you have some soft goods for furry shorts (not furry shorts), which complicates getting it back together correctly. I am never removing this tail again, or swapping the parts of this figure, so at least I won’t have to do it again. (In case you don’t know, Mythic Legions and Cosmic Legions are entirely parts swappable in their own scale. The scale of this figure is Ogre scale.) I made good use of the hair dryer.

If you watch these little turntable clips, you can hear my birds chirping in the background!

Here I am showing you the figure assembled and everything you get in the box, and also including the inside of the box as the diorama. (He is standing on the box for Skeletor’s Throne)

In the box, you get

  • SSKUR’GE figure, who is “ogre scale” and of the apparently new “dragon” buck.
  • Two heads, one dragon “default” and the other alien.
  • Four alternate hands, two of which are fists
  • A large spear with a mace head
  • A scythe and trident intended to combine into one weapon.

THE SCULPT

The Four Horsemen are just the gold standard. That’s it. They have built these lines on this quality pop-art form. Think about it, did you need Mythic Legions or Cosmic Legions in your life until you saw them? There is no cartoon or comic book. No video game. Just the toys. They have created a line of generic fantasy that is positively KILLING IT. They made it for the Elden Ring fans and Dungeons and Dragons crowd. They made it so it goes with Masters of the Universe, or in this case also Star Wars or Transformers.

We have seen elements of this sculpt before in MOTUC Draego Man. I don’t have that figure any more, but I went back and looked at some pictures. They have truly advanced their ideas. Draego Man as a figure appears to be much stiffer and have less character. You don’t see the joints right off like you did in the old MOTUC days, and that has something to do with it.Here SSKUR’GE (I really like typing that name) has similar scales and toothy, horned elements. (This exact same sculpt with different paint is available as Mythic Legions Araccagor.)

I don’t know if you can tell, but I don’t care too much for that alien head. To me it looks like some kind of sad duck. The reason I almost punted on this figure is that neither head really looks like Whiplash…But…

PICTURED: Mythic Legions Balthor the Tower Ogre, armed with Animal Warriors of the Kingdom’s gold axe. And SSKUR’GE armed with the scythe and trident spear.
PICTURED: Same as above, but this time Balthor is throwing a Skeleton Legion Builder figure at SSKUR’GE, who is ready to to use the Whiplash tail. Notice the plugs on the back of the harness…I haven’t removed it, but likely one day we will get some wings.

PAINT

(Continued from …But…). The green and blue paint apps on this just overrides the weakness of the head sculpt when you put him with the other MASTERVERSE villains.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Two-Bad and Cosmic Legions SSKUR’GE. Don’t these two just “seem” to go together?

The green is intentially two-tone Whiplash colored. The lighter green highlights his face and underside parts like hands, and the darker represents armor on his back. Not only do I get Whiplash vibes, but also Killer Croc vibes.

The armor pieces like the bracers and the waist pieces have a metallic sheen that I really like. That soft goods loin cloth is a kind of felt with fancy stripes. I can’t tell if the metal ring on his back is actually metal or plastic, but it is painted in the same color as the shiny parts of green on the harness. There is a pop of gold on his belt.

ACCESSORIES

Oh boy. Here is a weak part.

So the long pole mace that he comes with has the same handle as the weapon that came with my other ogre scale figure. Can’t the Horsemen give us something different? This time it is painted in gold or brass. And what even is a mace like this?

The other two weapons are designed to fit together in tribute to what Whiplash came with in the 200x line. The problem is, the handles are for a different scale of a figure.

PICTURED: Comparison Time! I don’t’ have a vintage Whiplash, but I picked up a loose 200x Whiplash the day before I decided to go back to Toy Federation. To me, everything is similar except the head sculpt.
PICTURED: SSKUR’GE fights against a Legion Builder gold knight (review coming soon) and also Mythic Legions Sir Godfrey (I think I have the name correct.) My point is that the trident and scythe don’t fit on the other pole.

But wait…there’s more…(facepalm)

These weapon pieces would be better if they could fit together on the pole pieces that came with the mace. But they don’t. I tried jamming them together…it just wasn’t really meant to happen. And it would be far cooler if it would work.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF COSMIC LEGIONS SSKUR’GE

I’ve said it before and want to re-iterate. As an adult collector, I have a job. Sometimes I have two. I have real life responsibilities, and this side hobby is pure escapism. It is escapism from the constant bad news. The constant political news. The constant culture wars. Getting this was an alternative to buying new Magic the Gathering cards, or a new video game, or going out to eat somewhere, or going to the movies. The nostalgia factor here is a key part of it. But also, like I said above, the Four Horsemen have created things that you didn’t know you wanted until you saw it. Kind of like Steve Jobs/Apple did with the iPad I am typing on right now. I happened to be going through the area where the Toy Federation is two days in a row. I walked around with the box on the first day, but then bought the 200x version instead. When I went home, it was nagging at me. So the next day when I was in town I went ahead and grabbed it.

SSKUR’GE here checks every box. Can I chalk up the head sculpt not being like Whiplash as a weakness? Not for this product. Both head sculpt options are sculpted and painted terrifically, just neither looks like Whiplash, which at a certain point the Horsemen probably aren’t allowed to do anyway.

I do think the accessories are the weakest point, and believe the Horsemen could have given us a proper scaled trident but cut the corners here. On the other hand, both parts of the weapon have good paint. Still not sure how practical a mace on a long pole would be. But it does look cool, and will be modular with other weapons in ogre scale for the line. And it isn’t like he can’t hold the trident…it is very loose. But this weapon is in scale for the other Mythic Legions that I have so it has additional use.

I couldn’t be happier with this figure. It is one of the best that I purchased over the summer. 5/5. I MIGHT look into getting a proper Whiplash head sculpt on the customizers market. Or maybe I will wait and see if Mattel comes out with a better MASTERVERSE Whiplash. But if they do, it won’t be as awesome as SSKUR’GE. And when assembled with all the bad guys, he really completes the picture.

My “bad guy” collection. Everyone’s here (Except Modulok and Screech). One Day I might update this to be a better pic with a proper diorama backdrop.

So SpartanNerd’s rating of Cosmic Legions SSKUR’GE Whiplash is 5/5. Do you agree or disagree, oh Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!