It’s that time of year again…and I received my very first Christmas present from a student. General Mills Count Chocula Action Figure by Jada toys.
Now I have eaten this cereal, and if you read the SpartanNerd blog, you also probably have also. It is WAY too chocolate…more like a dessert really. Chocolate cereal pieces with marshmallows. So much nutrition! And if you haven’t eaten it (plenty of international readers it seems,) check out this article, that when I read I learned a lot myself.
I am going to review this figure, but not offer a rating as it is a Christmas gift, and I am very appreciative! (Check out my review of the San Diego Comic Con Ninja Turtles from last year)
PACKAGING
The packaging looks like a more squat and fat version of the cereal box.
You have an image Count Chocula and the General Mills branding featured prominently.
As you turn it around, you can find the nutrition labels, which aren’t that at all, are they? Instead more like a contents list.
On the back you have some Jim Lee DC Comics featuring the Monster Cereal characters up to the point of the early 2020’s. (Carmella Creeper has been added to the family in the past couple of years.). But there is Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Berry Boo, Frute Brute, and Yummy Mummy all featured in this comic, which actually doesn’t seem to pull together a coherent story. But it does kind of show off the personality of each character.
There is a flap that you open to see the figure on the inside. And a large “groovy” image of Count Chocula on the back of the flap. (It turns out that this was a mask to cut out on vintage cereal boxes. I didn’t know! Keep reading!)
You can see Count Chocula inside the window, stuck in his blister card. He has an alternate head with a more surprised expression, and a box of Count Chocula cereal.
FIGURE REVIEW
Normally I would give a photo about what is in the package, but this time the above items are it.
Jada toys made this, and as far as I know the only thing I have with Jada toys is a carded set of micro-machine style GI Joe vehicles.
If Jada would make more of these, I would buy them.
But I know that Jada has been putting out high-level Street Fighter figures for awhile. This action figure is supposedly 1/12 scale, so in scale with vintage Masters of the Universe figures for a small comparison, but kind of in scale with Mythic Legions for a large comparison.
PICTURED: Masters of the Universe Origins TMNT Stealth Ninja He-Man, Jada Toys General Mills Count Chocula action figure, and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian. Showing off the 1/12 scale of Count Chocula with the variance of sizes in that scale.
The box says 21 points of articulation on the nutrition panel. So here they are…
Rotating head on a ball joint that can also look up
shoulders that can swivel up and down and out
swivel-hinged elbows
Rotating wrists
waist twist
Upper-thigh joints
thigh cuts
double-jointed knees
Vertical up-and-down ankle
Rocker feet on a swivel at the ankle
So I only count 20 points. BUT, they could be counting the cape. By the way, it is a removable cape and probably should count as an accessory. You could put it on almost any other figure.
ACCESSORIES
Count Chocula came with an alternate head that shows an expression that he seems to make a lot in animation. It is a google-eyed surprise face…the same face a kid is making when served this food of course.
What is happening here?
There is a miniature box of cereal with images on the front and back but no side labels or nutrition facts. One side basically is the same image from vintage boxes. The back is the same mask from the inside of the package, but this time with the instructions “Cut out mask! Fool your friends! Play monsters!” And that is how I knew this mask was a feature.
PICTURED: Figura Obscura Father Christmas brings joy to the orphanage, while MASTERVERSE Revelation Orko babysits. Looks like Count Chocula is donating some cereal! (Last year’s gift, Loyal Subjects San Diego Comic Con TMNT set is shown here)
PLAYING WITH COUNT CHOCULA
You just don’t get more 1980’s than this.DC Comics literally did the comic panels on the back of the box. It is funny…this is a different kind of Batman Off-World. Count Chocula fits right over Batman.
SPARTANNERD RATING
I am going to rate this…FUN/FUN. That’s right! Thanks for the gift! I love it, and Count Chocula isn’t anything but fun. Spending time with this action figure made me think of how actually goofy this character. Is. I mean…a vampire with no fangs…instead buck teeth. He kind of looks like a 1950’s host of a show or something, but then you see all the chocolate coloring all over him. he has an instant appeal as a cartoon character. So many vampires instantly look threatening. No fear is possible when looking at this guy. And now I am getting too philosophical!
So let me know in the comments Hub City Geeks if you eat this cereal. Do you have other action figures in this line? Let me know in the comments! Merry Christmas!
In toys, companies push the limit. There are dozens…maybe hundreds of Transformers KO figures that outclass anything Hasbro is doing. How do they get away with it? One thing is change the name of the thing. Megatron becomes “Makkron.” Optimus becomes “Ray of Light” or something like that. AND, these KOs (knockoffs) get a snappy brand name that resembles “Masterpiece” somehow.
The Four Horsemen Studios have had a special relationship with Mattel…they sculpted the 200x line of Masters of the Universe toys, and kept pushing to create “stactions” to kind of complete the basic lineup of characters. Then they sculpted a prototype Classics He-Man when “Teh Lien” was officially dead, and put it in a display case for fans to begin demanding it get made. This scored them the Masters of the Universe Classics designs for what became the greatest action figure line of all time. AND helped galvanize the fanbase so that Masters of the Universe has become a reliable brand again for Mattel, even if it is mostly for adults.
Only to get dropped, evidently. After Neitlich left, the line changed hands, and then the brand was liscenced out to Super7, who also apparently purchased all of the tools to kickstart their own Ultmates! line. The Horsemen kept doing some work, however with their final Masters of the Universe contribution being Super7’s massive Classics Snake Mountain. (Which I don’t have!)
Now the Four Horsemen Studios makes a competing fantasy toyline for adults, “Mythic Legions,” which stands on faith from their fans pretty much alone. The characters feel generic enough for anyone to like, but they fit right along with 6-7 inch scale figures designed for adult collectors. And while they obviously can’t make straight up copies of existing figures they don’t have a license for, they CAN recolor what they already have. (My Whiplash figure is actually Sskur’ge from Cosmic Legions.)
“The Legendary Barbarian” is one such figure. Keep reading to see how it works!
PACKAGING
The package is exactly what you would expect. It is a nice collector-friendly blister card, but has that D&D style of art behind the figure that we have seen so many times. You can see the figure inside and most of what he comes with. Conspicuously, the helmet has empty holes where horns are supposed to attach. The back however has the chrome foil Four Horsemen Studios brand symbol and a bio for the character that essentially references all the different barbarians that this could be. There is a bio on the side, and on the other side a map of Mythos. (Mythic Legions fantasy setting.)
The Map of Mythos
It is all around average packaging for Mythic Legions, but the foil details are welcome as we don’t see those that often. Earlier this year I unboxed and reviewed the “Red Leather Knight” Legions Builder figure, and it had these details. Speaking of that specific figure, this figure also has the “pee plastic” smell when you opened it up. (It goes away after a few minutes).
FIGURE REVIEW
What do we get in the package?
The Legendary Barbarian figure. (Actually, the “The” is only on the website.)
A pair of horns.
An alternate head
A blonde hairpiece
A black hairpiece
A brown hairpiece
Lots of extra hands with varying grips
Two wrist shackles
One larger shackle
A weapons strap
Two shoulder pauldrons
A sword
A shield with two handle options
A battle axe
So alot here!
First of all, the head that is on the figure in the package is their way of flying under the copyright radar. This is a bearded Viking head with reddish brown braids on the beard. No one would ever believe this was He-Man or Conan. You can swap this head with the alternate, which has slots in the top so that the hairpieces can be changed. This head looks tough and weathered. It isn’t the kind face of He-Man, but more the grizzled face of Conan from especially the Dark Horse comics. Basically the hairpieces serve as different wigs to make him a different character. AND they included a brownish red piece also, just letting everyone know that it is up to the fans to use whichever option they would like.
The complexion is one of the most striking things about the figure. Typically He-Man is caucasian and tan, and Conan the Barbarian is either the same or just of a darker complexion. Somehow I didn’t expect this…but even more than this there is a black wash of paint over all of the hair and skin that makes him appear dirty. And this is perfect and what the Horsemen were going for.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE 40 Anniversary He-Man and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian. Furry boots>cuffed boots for barbarians in my opinion.
My only complaint about the design of the figure is the boots. I would prefer the figure to have furry boots rather than cuffs. These cuffed boots are the same from the “Warrior Beasts Head Hunter” and other figures. These boots look way too civilized. I would have especially liked to see strapped sandals in this case instead of any boots at all.
Of course the figure is entirely modular. You can pop-and-swap with other Mythic Legions, Cosmic Legions, or Figura Obscura figures easily, though you probably need to use a hairdryer or hot water on some parts like the hands and feet.
ACCESSORIES
I am just going to go over these one at a time, as usual.
First of all, the shackles and chains. I don’t believe these can be opened. It took me a few days to realize that I could take the wrist bracers off and then slide these on. I STILL don’t know what the large cuff is for. At first I thought if was for his feet, but it doesn’t fit over the end of the ankle when you remove the foot. You CAN slide it over the wrist bracer, and maybe that is the intention, so you can have a quick wrist chain without removing the hand.
PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Thulsa Doom, Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian, Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry army builders, and Mythic Legions kitbash Gamecocks Knight. This fight in the woods is a good way to see the chains on Legendary Barbarian’s wrists.
The weapon strap is the same that comes with most Mythic Legions figures, but this time it has painted buckles on it. You can criss-cross it over his default strap, and make this appear more like the X-shaped armor that He-Man has. You of course can also just swap them out, or even make this into a belt piece.
PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! King Conan and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian. You can see how you can cross the weapon strap over the default. Also note the shoulder pauldrons and the sword.
The shoulder pauldrons work the same way as most Mythic Legions work, pegging into holes on the back of his shoulders. There is also a useless slot on his back. The pauldrons DO hinder his arm articulation, and they don’t fit tightly. But some Mythic Legions pauldrons like this are such a tight fit they don’t even work well. They look great, with sculpted cloth details underneath the metal details.
The sword…this sword doesn’t look anything like He-Man OR Conan’s sword. It looks like a sword from Zelda Breath of the Wild, or maybe a Transformers sword. It doesn’t look bad, though. But it isn’t quite as barbaric as I would like. It is oversized and more anime.
The battle axe resembles the one from Masters of the Universe Classics Vykron, and a few other viking axes I have seen. This is a cool piece that is analogous to the size of He-Man’s axes.
PICTURED: Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian both in an iconic He-Man pose. The battle axe is reminiscent of several other barbarian battle axes, and is analogous in size to most of He-Man’s.
The shield is the same that we got with the Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell figure, only in a different color. This time we have two options for attaching it to the figure. The typical way of attaching a handle that fits in the gripping hand like a weapon. But this time we also have a clip that is reminiscent of vintage Masters of the Universe figures. Unfortunately, it fits loosely.
IT’S COMPARISON TIME…(Pixel Dan reference)
Only one of you is an actual soldier! Notice that I swapped Gamecock Knight’s horns with legendary Barbarian’s. This makes Gamecock Knight look like Shovel Knight. Oh Yeah. PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Ram Man, Mythic Legions Kitbash Gamecocks Knight, Mythic Legions Gold Knight Legion Builder, and another kitbash gamecock. Legendary Barbarian is about to supervise some training. You can find reviews of all of these figures at SpartanNerd.com.
My favorite barbarian figure has been Masters of the Universe Classics Vykor. At this point, that is a ten-year or older figure. I have acquired MASTERVERSE Vykron, King Grayskull, Mythic Legions Balthor the Tower Ogre, Super7 Ultimates Conan the Barbarian figures, etc. But Vykor has remained my favorite. Vykor was my favorite Classics figure, and I made a point to keep him when I sold off my collection. Yes…I let go He-Man, Skeletor, Battle Cat, Panthor…everyone that I had. Even the Sky Sled and Battle Ram. Vykor stayed with me. But like I said, he is kind of dated. He was the first MOTUC figure with hidden ankle joints. But you can see the pins on his knees and his elbows. The plastic cape that he came with is heavy and weighs him down, and so I have replaced it with the one from the Undead of Vikenfell. (It fits Vykor better anyway). His sword, axe, and shield remain great, but the plastic loin cloth is also a problem. Vykor has never been able to ride Battle Cat, for instance.
PICTURED: Masters of the Universe Classics Vykor and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian.
The Legendary Barbarian doesn’t have the weaknesses of Vykor, as it is a modern figure. But his accessories aren’t quite as good. On the other hand, the ability to swap out the heads is incredible. Someone out there with deeper pockets than the SpartanNerd has bought several of these to display each one. I don’t kneed to do that, as I think changing the head/hair is great and also genius. AND he can sit on Battle Cat.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MYTHIC LEGIONS LEGENDARY BARBARIAN
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Faker on Panthor using the Cosmic Legions snake head, MASTERVERSE Movie He-Man, MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man (retail version) armed with Mythic Legions battle axe, MASTERVERSE Kitbash Battle Armor He-Man on Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat, and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man. Each has their own strengths in their way. But Legendary Barbarian is better than the average of the others.
I mean…he is better than any of the MASTERVERSE He-Man figures except for the 40th Anniversary figure. His sculpt, paint, articulation, and accessories are really good. You have so many options for displaying this figure…I venture to say for the value you have basically four options for heads. I’ve come to think about the default head as the extra head actually.
Do I even have to mention the “feels point?” Of course this figure gets the SpartanNerd’s point for that. It is coming to the end of 2025, and I am thinking about what I think might be the best figure of the year. Legendary Barbarian is certainly a candidate!
So this figure is a 5/5! Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
See YouTube versions of this and other reviews HERE
I grew up with two younger brothers. Being the big brother and general winner, I usually had the good guys when it came to Masters of the Universe. One brother had Skeletor’s guys, and another Hordak’s guys. But near the end, neither of them were getting Masters figures. There were a lot more GI Joes, Ninja Turtles, and other stuff happening. So I got a few baddies of my own, and Mantenna was one of them.
I’m unsure of when I realized the character had four legs. The figure only had two…but if you look closely you can see that they are actually skinny legs sculpted together. Kind of genius. I probably realized it after watching She-Ra, but maybe from the mini-comic. But all around…one of the weirdest looking dudes. And he had a lever on his back to make his eyes pop up. So very cool to a 10-11ish year old.
So how did the MASTERVERSE version come out?
PACKAGING
You can see above that this is the same kind of packaging as we have gotten now for around three years. Why isn’t he from the “New Etheria” line? The recent Hordak was.
The wraparound image shows the Evil Horde attacking Eternia. The Horde mothership flies above the palace with a fleet of Klingon Birds of Prey (not). Isn’t that the Temple of Shakoti in the background?
The other side has the library image, with the alternate eyeballs extended on their stalks.
The back shows a photoshop of the toy, with what might be the Whispering Woods in the background. Mantenna is searching for pieces of Castle Greyskull. Interesting!
You have some action feature images…it shows off the weapon he has, which isn’t a crossbow (BOO) and his alternate looks with different eyes.
The cross sell features Anti-Eternia He-Man and Mosquitor (Review coming soon.)
I probably won’t get Anti-Eternia He-Man. Just…Why? I’ll accept it as a gift from someone, though!
FIGURE REVIEW
What do we get in the package?
Mantenna Figure
Eyeball Ray Gun
Two eye stalks
One alternate eye.
He was $23. So I’m saying this up front. He is a good hunk of plastic. But not much paint. Most of the resources here went to the four legs and the swapping eye feature.
I am actually showing you the closest you can get the figure to appearing like the vintage member of the Horde. You can’t pose the legs parallel to one another. Otherwise all of his articulation is good. I do wish you could close his mouth instead of him having this static toothy round cavity.
The good thing is, though, this may be a hint of how we will get Modulok and Multi-Bot. Both guys had four legs in their default mode. But here is a question…these legs have single jointed knees, and furthermore the knee area looks quite a bit like the Origins figures. So … are these legs swappable? I am not going to risk it, but if they are, then that is another hint about those two lego-type characters.
All around, the blue plastic…it is too dark and just needs paint. This was a cost-cutting measure I’m sure. I’m not a fan of Webstor or Zodac. Why? BORING colors. Mantenna wasn’t in that category for me, but they managed to do it wrong. Maybe the plastic is too dark…or maybe it needs a “wash” of some lighter color blue. I can’t really tell…photos and such that Mattel provides have super good lighting and it kind of offsets the effect. But if you don’t have it under that perfect jewelry store condition, you have overpowering dark blue.
ACCESSORIES
Is it really that hard to give us a crossbow instead of this dumb weapon?
You’ll have to make up your own story for this one. BUT…Snout spout can easily win by spraying water in his eyes. Thunder Punch He-Man can use that sword and … chop… the stalks… Same with Battle Armor Skeletor and the axe. If Mantenna shoots eyeballs with that gun, couldn’t Panthor just pounce on it? I’m just saying…PICTURED- MASTERVERSE New Eternia figures, Battle Armor Skeletor, Panthor, Two-Bad, Snout Spout, Thunder-Punch He-Man, and Mantenna. I DO appreciate that he is as big as Snout Spout, but at a lower price point.
I really wish they were giving us crossbows. Maybe updated ones. I wouldn’t mind this eyeball gun so much if they also included a crossbow. Or maybe if the gun was an eyeball-crossbow arrow or bolt.
The eye-swapping feature…to do it, you have to remove the upper face of the figure. THEN the eyeballs are in the socket pretty good. I had to use a guitar pick to wedge them out.
They alternate eyeballs they give us feel like a down-grade from the main eyes he is packed using. I don’t much see the point, these may be a reflection of the She-Ra cartoon. I haven’t watched it enough and don’t have much memory about it.
SPARTANNERD RATING
It’s a shame, but I just don’t have that much more to say. The blue darkness overpowers the positives. Mattel has opted to cut the paint and promote the plastic…something we see more and more. Kobra Khan was bland for this exact reason. That shiny green was OK on a snake, but not spectacular when seen through the larger lens of other available figures. GI Joe Classified…same price point, always better paint than this. Mythic Legions cost more, but face it…MASTERVERSE is competing against that brand, and all of the figures from plain skeletons to royalty have exceptional details in the sculpt and the paint.
It’s like Mantenna hits the big point from the 1980’s. He has bug eyes and a bizzarre head. Mattel hit these points, and everything else was an afterthought. I remember hearing the Four Horsemen talk about laboring to design figures. To make them epic. I’m afraid Mantenna doesn’t feel epic. It feels like a chore to take pictures of him…and that is a definite bad thing.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mantenna and Mer-Man. Do you see what I mean about Mantenna’s paint? Some of the same design elements are present in Mer-Man, but somehow it works better. Obviously more care was put into it. I feel like I have to add paint to Mantenna so that it will be right.Mantenna decided to crash the office party. And you see what I mean. PICTURED: MASTERVERSE 40 Anniversary He-Man (retail), MASTERVERSE New Eternia Teela, Man-At-Arms, and Fisto. MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress Teela, King Greyskull, and Captain of the Guard Teela alternate head on MOTUC Battleground Teela body, and Super7 ULTIMATES! Battle of the Mounds Valeria.
You can see in the above picture different lines and even companies. And the colors on Mantenna seem to be more plain than anyone else. He’s big, blue and red. But that doesn’t make him epic.
Even if he is worse than these two, he does feel like he belongs with them.
I am awarding MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mantenna 3/5. He just doesn’t do it for me. The lack of accessories and the boring colors make someone who should be amazing rather bland. He gets a feels points because I NEEDED Mantenna on my quest to recollect the toys I once had. He doesn’t have stupid problems, but if a kid gets this they might have a hard time swapping those eyes. His sculpt is OK. Points subtracted because of accessory count and paint apps.
3/5…Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!
MASTERVERSE New Eternia Kobra Khan- So easy to misspell! So forgive me if I mess up, Hub City Geeks! I remember Kobra Khan seemed to come out before the rest of the Snake Men. Growing up there was Kobra Khan in the SpartanNerd household, as well as Tongue Lasher and King Hiss. So we didn’t have an army of Snake Men. The SpartanMom is deathly afraid of snakes. I kind of lumped him in with Skeletor’s crew, rather than seeing the Snake Men as a different faction. He had a water squirting action, and there were a few other toys in He-Man that had this…Dragon Blaster Skeletor and Snout Spout. Water action was a cool thing then in the 1980s and continues to be a feature in toys today.
Of course, the MASTERVERSE figure doesn’t have a water feature. So how did they deal with that? Keep reading!
PACKAGING
This package is just as great as any of them. But let me say something here…I have had a rush of reviews lately…So Belualyth, New Eternia Moss Man, Cold Slither,New Eternia Teela, and New Etheria Hordak. And this character just feels…less epic. How much of that is my bias, I don’t know. But this is the reason I waited to do this one last. Apparently, like Battle Armor Skeletor and Blade, he has pretty much sold out everywhere. (I’m still feeling burned about Blade…just saying. That is the SpartanNerd failure of the year.)
So I need to keep it focused…I like that we have an image of Tongue Lasher, who is my favorite Snake Man. Hopefully he will come out soon.
The wraparound image features Rattlor.
Yeah…So Rattlor wasn’t on my radar as a kid. I think I must have been aware of him, but I never saw him and didn’t have him. So there’s that. Also, I didn’t even know about Blast Attack until I was an adult. AND…why is he considered a Snake Man? I did have a cousin or someone who had Snake Face, but I pretty much hated it. So Kobra Khan, King Hiss, and Tongue Lasher were MY Snake Men growing up. I did eventually own SSQUEEZE in Masters of the Universe Classics. (Tangents, Tangents)
The other side features the library image that also shows the alternate way of displaying the character…more vintage style or with the hood. Also, notice the Snake Men logo. This is either Classics or 200x. Good that they are keeping that.
The back is once again what you expect. A Photoshop image of the toy on an illustrated background. The bio reinforces the 200x story that it was Kobra Khan who released King Hiss and the other Snake Men from the pit in Snake Mountain. I like how they made this story track with the way the figure was released practically as one of Skeletor’s guys but then double-crossing Skeletor.
The cross-sell art might help confirm the first statement I made about why I was less excited about this one. (He looks dorky in between Hordak and Teela)
FIGURE REVIEW
What do you get in the box?
Kobra Khan figure
Cobra Snake Hood
Blaster Gun
Mace
Alternate chest piece
Alternate claw hands
purple “venom” spray effect
after messing with it for awhile, I swapped the hands for the claws for a more vintage feel…thinking maybe this would help me out with my problem here. Not really.
Kobra Khan is sculpted in pearlescent green plastic. Or is that metallic? He has the same lanky build as the other MASTERVERSE figures. There are bronze and brass painted details on the figure…his hands and the claws have a darker color than the main figure. (The hands make it feel like he is wearing gloves.)
Kobra Khan has the same eye effect that Panthor and Mer-Man have. A very realistic looking eye, that in this case kind of feels like it is something different quality than the rest of the figure.
Here is a little comparison with the Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry. I gave him Savage He-Man’s spear to make things even. And you can see that the Mythic Legions is easily a better sculpt. Kobra Khan should have more scales all over.
I guess the paint is alright. I mean, he is a green guy. But the big elephant in the room for me is the head sculpt. He looks “Rabbity” with those teeth. It is good that he has an articulated jaw…I was in fact worried that this was a static piece just from looking at the box.
ACCESSORIES
So kind of…the accessories and the figure run together a little bit. The hood and the breastplate…are these accessories? Similar to the wrist bracers…I guess they are technically accessories.
The hood just isn’t epic enough. So…weak head sculpt with a rabbity look, combined with a less-than-epic hood, means that Kobra Khan has kind of a “muppety” thing going on. BOO! (Serpentor hood? Cobra symbol? Mattel could have done better to compete with Hasbro here.)
Retreat! Wascawy Wabbit. For real, notice Cobra Commander’s snake on the hilt of his sword. Better hood than Kobra Khan. And those Cobra symbols from the GI JOE Classified Series packaging also look more epic. If there is a Serpentor, I will probably get it and compare, but I bet…
The venom spray effect is how they handle the water feature. This is purple, and not until taking the final photos did I start to realize that it looks kind of barfy. (I already did a video, and didn’t even have this thought then…)
She is the Snake Goddess. Shouldn’t he be more respectful?
Luckily, you can attach it to the end of the gun. Unfortunately, Snout Spout’s spray effect isn’t interchangeable with this one. Another missed opportunity by Mattel to do something cool that couldn’t have been that hard to accomplish.
I think it is great that you can swap out the chest plate. I prefer the one with the Snake Men logo, but the plain one is just fine and feels more vintage.
The gun has a snake sculpt to it. At first I thought it was the same as Zodac’s gun, but it is different and more flavorful. (I don’t own a MASTERVERSE Zodac…I am referring to my memory.)
And that mace. This is the weapon that came with the vintage figure, and is in fact the same that Clawful has. Which is stupid because those claws don’t hold it well.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA KOBRA KHAN
Originally I rated this figure as a 4/5. But it has been a few more days with it, and I have changed my mind. The gun and the mace need paint apps. The hands are a strange color. The head sculpt looks rabbity and even worse when the hood is on. The sculpt doesn’t stack up to other Snake Men figures on the market. (Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry, for instance). The purple venom effect reminds me of the purple vomit scene in the movie The Sandlot.
Aww look…they are dancing. Kidding aside, even MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela (a different sub-line based on Kevin Smith’s cartoon,) her hood looks more epic. In general New Eternia figures look better than the cartoon figures.
No. He isn’t anywhere close to a perfect five. I am awarding MASTERVERSE New Eternia Kobra Khan a 3/5. I am giving him the feels point because I needed him for my collection. He doesn’t have stupid problems…he stands well and has good articulation. And he came with a lot of accessories. But the paint and sculpt are just too bad.
I hope Tongue Lasher and King Hiss turn out better. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!
The SpartanNerd has a ton of action figures…so much so that I no longer can comfortably display them all. And I have a lot of lady action figures also, with several Teela and Evil-Lyn figures among them. But until now I have had no Mythic Legions or Cosmic Legions ladies. Belualyth is my first one. So how did she turn out? Keep reading!
PACKAGING
Belualyth comes in the typical Mythic Legions box, but she is a deluxe figure, so this box is larger than the general standard figures. Think the same size as the box that the Ogre Scale Accessories came in. It is a large window that you can see the figure in very well.
On the side we get a little bio. Evidently Belualyth is big daddy evil skeleton god guy’s daughter. It also mentions the Turpiculi, a figure that I know I will get before the end of the year very likely. (Maybe more than one?)
On the back you can see that Turpiculi as well as other figures in this “wave.” You also see the big bads on the back. I don’t know enough about Mythic Legions Lore to tell you much more about them other than the skeleton god is “Necronominus,” who this wave is named after.
Don’t know who all these characters are. The guy with wings is definitely Poxxus…I saw his figure in a store. Necronominus is the flying skeleton god. I don’t know the other two. The cross sell is Necronominus, Belualyth, Turpiculi, and Undead Legion Builder.
WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE BOX?
Rather than take her out, I decided to get the top blister off. First of all, a little baggie came off of the backing card (that features the sort of generic D&D artwork that includes a dragon, some flames, and a demon). That baggie contained the additional hairpiece)
So going around the box clockwise
Birdcage with snake skeleton inside
Bird skeleton, probably a vulture
Alternate undead head with rotten nose
Belualyth figure
Shoulder pauldron with strap
Cage hanger
Bone saw
Alternate hands…gloved fist and ungloved fist for the other hands
Chimera skeleton pet
Witchy alternate hands
And also, alternate hairpiece
So Belualyth comes with a lot of pieces, and this was one of the big draws for me to get her. I have a ton of SpartanPets, and so I can relate well with her. If she is a good pet owner, then she is good people. (Maybe…)
Stop and think about all this. She didn’t cost that much! So WOW!
FIGURE REVIEW
Fully loaded!
Her sculpt and paint…we are talking about the Four Horsemen Studios. You know it is among the best in the business! There is a cloth skirt piece, and that belt hangs loosely there. Speaking of, that belt is one of the best pieces, featuring different animal skulls and a skelly hand. There is also a chain and a whip, and a pouch on the back for us to wonder what is in it. (The Four Horsemen are known to add these as details).
She is what is termed a “Mythic Legions 2.0” build, meaning she consists of smaller skinnier parts than say, Demistros, or the Gold Knight Legion Builder. The SpartanNerd has two such other figures…Undead of Vikenfell and Father Christmas. The addition to my collection then is the upper torso, which is obvious female.
She has very good articulation, with no real stupid problems. She stands well, even overnight on what I term to be a difficult surface to accomplish that on (Magic the Gathering playmat). Everything moves like you would expect, and the pieces are also modular like basically all mythic legions. (You can swap them with parts from other figures…be careful though. Use a hairdryer to soften the plastic).
I have never successfully removed the “normal” head from the neck to use the noseless head. Just saying…my example is on tight! I could do it if I really wanted to, but I don’t like that head. I prefer my ladies to have a nose, thank you! There are two hair pieces if you want to give her a different look. And I haven’t done it, but I can’t wait to try using the alternate wig on other action figures. (Maybe in October)
ACCESSORIES
It seems the pets are such an ingrained piece of the character I almost reviewed them in the above section!
Let’s start with the bird. It is stuck on the arm guard. If you have ever witnessed a falconer, then you know they have to use a tough piece of leather on their arm to protect themselves from razor sharp talons. It appears that Belualyth is worried about that, but unfortunately the bird doesn’t come off of that arm guard. You can’t have it stand any other way except by precariously balancing it on something like the tree in the snake cage. (We’ll get to that in a minute).
To get that bird on her arm, you don’t have to remove the forearm. At first I thought you had to, but I’m glad I came to my senses after looking at some photos of her online. Just remove the hand and slide it over the forearm bracer.
And now the snake in a birdcage. The cage comes apart, letting you get a better view of the skeletal snake and the tree perch inside. The snake is bendy, but I wouldn’t stress it too much. It seems to be a delicate piece and I would hate to break it. But you can wrap it around things or characters arms or whatever.
The pet tree can be used to prop the vulture, but it is a delicate and precarious process. It looks good in pictures though!
You can’t put the bird in the cage. And this is kind of a shame. The Four Horsemen missed an opportunity here if they had just designed the cage or the bird a little bit differently.
So about propping it on Belualyth’s back. I totally get why she would want to carry all these pets with her everywhere she goes!
PearlLoveToby
The SpartanNerd has lots of pets, and he loves them so! AND his wife has a sticker on her Jeep…”There’s like a lot of dogs in here!” She takes her pets everywhere, and so why wouldn’t Belualyth do the same? I think this is why the character appealed so much to me.
So to get the birdcage on her back, you have to use this hanger that I discussed in the above section. And it snapped right in the spot on her back like it was supposed to twice, but then it was too loose. The Horsemen thought of this, and that is why the shoulder pauldron is different for this than what we usually get with say the knight characters. The strap is necessary to hold the piece to her back.
(I couldn’t tell what the shoulder pauldron even was until looking at photos on the store horsemen. It looked like it might go with the pets or something).
This strap is a tight fit, but totally necessary. And the pauldron keeps her from having the “cold shoulder.” Remember that talk about how good her balance is? This is crucial to having the character be displayed properly.
Now onto the biggest most obvious pet. The Chimera…originally I thought it was a Cerberus. But it actually only has two heads, but also the tail of a snake. It is about the size of a German Shepherd in comparison to Belualyth. The heads are some kind of tiger skull and antelope or cow skull. Both are on ball joints and could be used on other figures. AND that’s a double neckpiece that is removable and could go on another figure.
There is a leash that is permanently attached. Its four legs are articulated only at the shoulders and hips, and there is a slight splay on the back legs, but not much. The tail is a snake head. It seems to be a little bendy, but I wouldn’t push it too hard. It does have a swivel joint so you can move it some, but if you do it looks a little awkward at the joint where it breaks up the vertebrae sculpt. And I guess I need to mention this one other thing. When I reviewed Maxillius the Harvester, you can see that they have sculpted and painted blood wings and organs, etc into that figure. They didn’t do that here…for reasons of cost I’m sure. I’m just saying that for a customizer, there are some opportunities to improve the details between the ribs and around the joints. But the paint isn’t bad at all! I’m actually comparing a full price figure to what is an accessory!
I could complain a little bit about the articulation and such on these pets in light of some other better articulated pets in competing lines, but she is an absolute Michael Jordan slam dunk of a figure. Where say the GI Joe Classified pets might be more articulated, the paint and sculpt on those isn’t as great.
OH yeah! Almost forgot about the weapon. She comes with a bone saw, which is highly detailed. It is a bone saw made of bone…not creepy at all, right?! There is a razor end and a serrated piece. There are spikes on the backside of the hilt. In other words, Belualyth could really mess somebody up with this if they got past those pets.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MYTHIC LEGIONS BELUALYTH
I just mentioned complaints. I really don’t have any except writing the name Belualyth is hard to spell and harder to type! Let’s break these points down
Sculpt- Awesome!
Paint- No slop here. she is a drab figure, and is painted wonderfully so in sickening hues of blue and with bronze patina. Her nails are black. Her eyes stare vacant.
Articulation- Terrific! The only hindrance comes when she is wearing the hairpiece and the cage. But you can work around these problems easily for display purposes. And no real stupid problems.
Accessories- Are you kidding me? Maxillius came with a lot of accessories…the Undead of Vikenfell came with a lot. The undead builder pack basically IS accessories. But Belualyth has managed to just about outdo them because she came with three pets and a weapon.
The feels point- Well she adds a female Mythic Legions to my collection…that counts for something. But look how great she looks in my diorama of skeletons and undead guys. Yeah…she adds a lot.
THE SPARTANNERD AWARDS THE MYTHIC LEGIONS BELUALYTH 5/5.
You might think I am going easy on her, considering that my recent review of MASTERVERSE New Eternia Teela was also a 5/5. But there really isn’t a comparison of the two. The MASTERVERSE figure was way cheaper and still hits the same sort of boxes that a 5/5 hits. This Mythic Legions among other Mythic Legions absolutely is a solid 5/5, compared to say Warrior Beasts Head Hunter.
Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
Way back. WAY back….WAY BACK in February (2025) there was this magical event called “The SCMEA Conference.” (Happens every year.)
I took this couple of days of staying in Columbia South Carolina to do a bevy of figure reviews. I reviewed MASTERVERSE New Eternia Evil-Lyn, the Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry snake warrior guys, and the MASTERVERSE Skelcon. But I alsobegan this project, that I eventually named “Kitbash Bros.” I wanted to wait until football season to release the review, so here we are on this season opening Labor Day weekend of 2025.
The Four Horsemen Studios had just released their wave of Legion Builder knights figures. These were a lot of the same knight over and over in different colorways. Most of them. (These are still on sale on their store…you should go take a look). Truly most of them are the same figure. There seems to be an “evil” and a “heroic” type, with some varying helmets. But the striking thing is the different colors. But then there was the Red Leather knight. He was different. And when I saw him, I knew it was time to get crafty.
I had been collecting knights, along with skeletons, barbarians, and apparently non-mythic legions females. (It’s true. My uncles should make fun of me for all of the Evil-lyn, Teela, Sorceress figures, etc). So I had Sir Godfrey and also a Gold Knight. And also the Xylernian Guard, more of an archer but still similar. When I got Sir Godfrey, with his “Knight Templar” motif, I noticed a dark version…”the Dark Knight Templar.” What’s more, he was far cheaper than Godfrey. But I decided to hold off.
But Red Leather Knight…Dark Knight Templar…SCMEA Convention in COLUMBIA South Carolina, home of the Fighting Gamecocks…FOREVER TO THEE. See where I was heading? I could in theory combine the pieces of the two knights and make an ultimate “Gamecocks Knight!” (There was a proper “Gothitropolis Ravens” rooster kind of in Gamecocks color. But who has that? A true mascot figure.)
(The Gothitropolis Ravens are dream figures…I felt priced out and this was one of the reasons why it took me so long to get into Mythic Legions)
I said “began” at the beginning of this post. Keep reading to see how this turned out.
(Post Structure: Dark Knight Templar review first, Red Leather Legion Builder next, then Kitbash Bros)
DARK TEMPLAR PACKAGING
The Dark Knight Templar came in the usually collector-friendly packaging. You can see the figure inside very well. (I am in a hotel room, where I have made a photography table out of the end table and a book light that was attached to the bed…I did the same thing with Evil-Lyn and others that I reviewed in this room). Perhaps notable is I don’t think sourcehorsemen is a website anymore, showing the age of this figure. (I believe this was among the first figures labeled “Mythic Legions,” so Gen 2 knight after the ravens)
The back has this image. And I don’t think I have seen this image before. It shows all the guys who came out in the wave kind of lined up in a battle formation. And there were eight figures in that wave…impressive. The only one I think I have seen is the goblin guy. Maybe the bearded guy on the bottom. The ones I have seen are probably re-issues (All Stars waves)
Here is everything you get.
Black Knight Templar figure
Halberd weapon in two parts (pole and axe)
Shield with the Templar Cross in black and white
Shoulder pauldrons of a smaller variety than usual
A regular knight’s sword, with a scabbard
a leather weapons strap.
Also notable…those “wings” on the helmet are removable.
So this figure works exactly like Sir Godfrey. But he has those wings on the helmet. (fins? horns?)
This was my first time with the halberd…a weapon that I would see again. This time it was in chrome. The pauldrons snapped right into place with little effort. So that’s unexpected.
BUT…the scabbard. Such a rare accessory. I was excited to see this! But sadly, the connector on the back of it came off with the tiniest of effort to get it on the weapons strap. BOO! But this would prove to be the only real problem with the figure.
Sculpt and paint. Great! (1 point)
Accessories. Great! (1 point)
Articulation. Very nice (1 point)
Stupid problems– easily broken scabbard. (no point. BOO!)
The Feels. I am going hold this point until the project is over. The purpose after all is to make a Gamecocks Knight! (? Point). But as a standalone figure he seems like he would work well in Elden Ring.
RED LEATHER KNIGHT PACKAGING
Once again, classic Mythic Legions packaging. BUT…this time we have foil lettering. NICE!
The back notably doesn’t have a cross-sell on it. Instead we get what I think is the same image that came with the Heroic Magic Effects, but with a foil Four Horsemen Studios mascot on there. There is a bio on the back. And basically “choose your armor and select your weapons”…is the cross-sell. They want you to go buy a whole mess of these guys. (You can buy the whole set for $450 or individuals for around $45)
I have installed the pauldrons, the belt, and the weapons strap already.
Here is everything you get
Red Leather Knight Legion Builder
A pair of pauldrons
A weapon strap (the usual)
A belt with leather strips
A shield
A mace that has two options for a head
A sword with scabbard
An epic sword
a pair of fists.
So let’s characterize this figure as the newest knights build, maybe gen 3, as opposed to the dark Knight Templar which seems to be pretty old. These pauldrons went in easier than any other mythic legions I have, including the Ninian Infantry. Right away, this was noticeable. The sculpt and paint on this are remarkable, especially since the price was fairly low. Every rivet has a gold paint hit. He is a little more glossy than I expected…I consider this to be ok, but maybe it takes away from the idea of “leather” a little bit. The head is the same knight’s head that came with Father Christmas, and I think this is the first figure to use it. I mean…look how awesome he looks. And this is without discussing the accessories.
The shield…Let’s just say this shield puts the MASTERVERSE shields to shame. It is the same shield that came with the Undead of Vikenfell, only in gold and gray. Why are there two swords? One normal knight sword, and the other epic “greatsword?” The weapons strap has a gold buckle paired on it (yay!) and the leather belt has more leather bits hanging down. If you played Skyrim you know you can use leather bits like this to improve your armor. The mace has the same head that came with the mace the Ninian Infantry had, but this time with gray and silver “enamel (wrong word?)”. The alternate is a classic iron ball with studs. So there are paint hits on every stud on the figure, and studs on the weapon. So is this guy a … stud… (Don’t ask me!)
Sculpt and paint. Great! (1 point)
Accessories. Great! (1 point)
Articulation. Very nice (1 point)
Stupid problems– Well, I was extra careful with that scabbard. But it is the exact same piece I assure you and has the same stupid problem. BUT. I am aware of it and had no breakage. So I won’t mark down on this one.
The Feels. I am going hold this point until the project is over. The purpose after all is to make a Gamecocks Knight! (? Point). Same comment as above…he seems like he would belong in Elden Ring.
THE PROCESS OF CUSTOMIZING
After I took the photos above, I got to work customizing. And I went ahead and got out the hotel hair dryer. (I didn’t want any incidents like happened with The Monkey King.)
I sat in the floor of the hotel room with all of the pieces disassembled. Right away it is obvious that the Red Leather Knight is more easily modular than the Dark Knight Templar. I don’t know how many years separate these two guys, but the Legion Builder seems to want you to take him apart and re-arrange him, while the other more legendary figure seems to fight you. I didn’t need the hairdryer on the Red Leather Knight, but I had to use it over and over on the dark knight templar. And then…as I began to re-assemble them how I wanted, Dark Knight Templar did NOT want to play well. I had to use the hairdryer again and again. And I was starting to get tired. So I put it in a box and took it home to work on over the next weekend.
…ONE WEEK LATER…(I hoped to do this quickly. Oh well!)
I got them together how I wanted, but they still weren’t “Gamecocky” enough. So I went to the store and got some magnets (no sports stickers at Dollar General Market?) and adapted one for the blank shield that came with the gold knight. Some time during the COVID crisis, I built a Master Grade Epyon Ver Ka model, and used glossy reddish-purplish paint. I used some of this. And so I now present (you probably already saw it as the lead image to this post)
TWO GAMECOCKS KNIGHTS!
I hit the Dark Knight Templar helmet with some … let’s call it “garnet” highlights on the wings and on the cross of the helmet. (Sir Godfrey has a gold cross in the same way). I’ve swapped legs pieces, shoes pieces, and arms pieces to even it out, and they both appear now to play for the Fighting Gamecocks!
And so, in memory of when Carolina defeated Clemson on November 30, 2024, with a score of 17-14, and also in honor of todays (August 31, 2025) win over Virginia Tech at the 2025 season opener, (24-11)…
Is it fair to rate my own project? No, what I am rating are the two action figures, and including whatever my project accomplishments were to “the feels” score.
Dark Knight Templar– This one gets 4/5, losing a point because of the broken scabbard. A scabbard is kind of a rare piece, and I was excited to see it, but so disappointed that it broke when I was just using it normally. The sculpt is great. The paint is dark and moody and great. Who doesn’t love the black knight? An iconic character re-imagined as Batman and also as Darth Vader. He did give me some problems with being a modular figure…all Mythic Legions are modular with swappable parts. But he fought against me. Just the same, I was able to get TWO Gamecocks Knights, so 4/5.
Red Leather Knight– This one gets all 5/5. Awesome paint for a Legion Builder…a figure meant to be bought as an army. Great accessories, though two swords is a head scratcher. I especially like the shield, and he looks very “football” really without even doing anything to him. Easy 5/5. And it was his parts that made the TWO Gamecocks Knights that are the KITBASH BROS.
Do you agree or disagree, Oh Hub City geeks? Let me know in the comments! Like and subscribe also the SpartanNerd YouTube Channel!
(Sorry for not many reviews lately…Summer Vacation is over an all that, but I have several things coming soon)
spartannerd 