Conan Battle of the Mounds

September 30, 2024 by SpartanNerd

Another one of those orders that took SO LONG. I ordered the Super7 Ultimates! Conan Battle of the Mounds set in March of 2023. And I received it right at the beginning of August 2024

And now it is the last day of September. It has taken me so long because so much drama in life. And we can cap that off with a Hurricane Helene. Regardless I am blessed. Read my review to escape the gloom and doom. (But not the Thulsa Doom.)

There are four figures in all: Conan, Subotai, Valeria (Spirit), and Thulsa Doom.

PACKAGING

You can see a review of the packaging if you click this link.

The front packaging is a nice window box where you can see every figure. There is no slip cover with these, which is different from the others that I have. There is a little bio on the back.

So we didn’t get more torches as a background…instead this bonfire behind each figure. At first glance I thought this was strictly worse. Imagine lining up those torches in a row to create a “hallway.” But actually this bonfire can be pretty useful…I have already found some creative ways to use it. So … Cool!

PICTURED: Mythic Legions Gold Knight Legion Builder (Review coming soon,) Sir Godfrey, and Cosmic Legions SSKUR’GE. This little scene is made of different packaging pieces…the fire adds some chaos. I’ll use these figures again later in the review.

I have taken some spicy pics, but for this review I am using very basic props, so you can have a fair look. In some of my prettier pictures, I am using the alternate “bloody” weapons from the exclusive super pack that you received when you ordered all of these as a set.

CONAN

First, Conan. Here is the figure with all you get in the box.

Conan comes with:

Conan figure
Scabbard for Atlantean Sword
Atlantean Sword
Battle Axe, as seen in the movie
Alternate, unhelmeted, neutral head sculpt.
Alternate hands..gripping and open.
Eye of the Serpent necklace

I have King Conan to compare him to. This is a classic, less costumed design as it was of the 20-something year old Arnold Schwarzenegger with his natural face. And it does indeed capture the likeness. As presented, they are two different characters. Obviously the king is old, wise, grizzled, and wizened. This is youthful arena champion-turned adventurer Conan. He is out for revenge against the cult of Set.

PICTURED: Super7 Ulimates! King Conan with Throne of Acquilonia, Super7 Ultimates! Battle of the Mounds Conan, and Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor with the alternate Battle of the Mounds head. All three are armed with a different version of The Atlantean Sword.

There is a little problem with the armor…See that button on the right shoulder? That is a rubber plug that connects the shoulder pauldron to the tunic. It might have supposed to have been glued…unsure. But it comes out, and it is difficult to get it to stay in. I’ve had to use the hairdryer.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates Battle of the Mounds Conan with bloodied axe, and Super7 Ultimates! “Timber” from Snake Eyes. You can see that berserker Conan here has a hole in his armor where that pauldron plugs in. In the movie, a pack of wolves attack him. Next scene, he has fur all over his armor…

The berserker/maurauder head is insane, but I prefer the more relaxed unhelmeted head.

All of the articulation is what you would expect, and furthermore if you could remove the armor, I am certain you would just have Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor’s torso buck underneath. The hair does hinder the head movement some.

Though the Atlantean Sword is huge in the movie, I believe this rendition with all of these figures is just too big to be an accurate recreation. You can see that there is better paint on this version than the version that came with the king. I haven’t had any paint chip off of the hilts in this set (yet)

THULSA DOOM

I am writing this just one week after James Earl Jones passed away. Sad stuff. He was a great actor…he contributed so much to everything he did, from Thulsa Doom to Mufasa to Darth Vader to The Sandlot. And in this movie he was a very terrifying villain if you like Conan the Barbarian at all. All of these worshippers…he had them completely hypnotized. And that he could change into a snake was a cool power. I know it was the 1980’s, but this was an underused power in the movie.

Here is what you get with Thulsa Doom:

Thulsa Doom figure with removable cape.
Alternate head sculpt capturing Thulsa’s awesome battle helmet
Twin daggers
The ceremonial snake “Fangs of the Serpent” Dagger
A bow with a snake arrow.
Alternate hands…fists and praying hands.

This sculpt looks just like James Earl Jones. Really, the likeness to the look of the character in the movie is remarkable. Just like Conan, you have identical articulation that is restricted by the head sculpt only. Very likely also Vikor’s buck with some armor sculped and glued over. This cape is an improvement on what we saw on King Conan. It has Velcro straps that reach around.

I think the helmeted head is over-the-top. I wish we had a curly snake. In the movie he takes the normal snake and stretches it into this arrow with the instructions “seek.” It becomes a homing arrow. Unfortunately, you can’t get him into a proper archery pose. Like most figures nowadays that have bows and arrows, he can’t properly “knock” the arrow. Check out the back of the cape.

The Fangs of the Serpent knife is very detailed and welcome, though I am uncertain he ever actually uses it in the movie. If I remember right, it is the king who hires them to save his daughter that has it.

SUBOTAI

If you ever read any Conan the Barbarian comics, he is usually paired with someone weaker but smarter. In this movie that is Subotai.

Here’s what Subotai comes with:

Subotai figure
Alternate head with a different expression
Spear
Short sword with a scabbard
Bow with arrow
Alternate hands with…wait for it…separations in the fingers so you can “attempt” a proper arrow pose.

This buck is different, and I looked to see who I have that might share it. I believe Ultimates! Snake Eyes from GI Joe has this same torso. It is smaller, skinnier as to be expected with no ab crunch.

Once again, this head sculpt looks like the actor and the character. (Gerry Lopez-he is also a professional surfer!)

Perhaps of the four, this is my least favorite. But it is good variety, and I wish I had the monk guy, and also Thorgrim, (this figure costs a ton at this point). And now an admission from the SpartanNerd. I got so frustrated trying to get Subotai into an arrow pose, I didn’t even try with Thulsa Doom. 😦

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Battle of the Mouinds Conan and Subotai with MASTERVERSE New Eternia Snout Spout. There is a classic Robert E. Howard story, the Tower of the Elephant, or something like that. So here is a remix of that.

VALERIA (Spirit)

Valeria isn’t even named in the movie, only the credits. But she is truly the driver of this story about a slave who finds freedom. She has her own type of slavery to be free of.

This is the perfect portrait of Sandahl Bergman. I’m sure Arnold and the estate of James Earl Jones don’t need this NIL money so much, but I hope this figure bankrolls Sandahl and Gerry. Especially Sandahl, who was such an underused actress after this terrific performance. Enough glowing…get to it SpartanNerd! Of these four figures, Valeria is my favorite to photograph!

But we don’t get much with this figure. And readers of the blog know that this really bothers the SpartanNerd.

With Valeria we get…

A slender, curved sword, like she wields in her final scene.
Alternate hands. There are gripping and fists. (She came with princess wave hands displayed).

And that’s it. 😦

We could have got The Eye of the Serpent necklace that she and Conan stole. (But Conan from this same set came with that…)

We could have got…really all kinds of accessories. But we got just the basics. To be fair, this is what she used in the scene where she returns as a Valkyrie to save Conan, and this is what she was wearing.

So…some sort-of uncomfortable things to talk about…

To preserve her side hip profile, which is obviously a panty-less lady barbarian, there is a ”split” in the skirt piece on her leotard. This is left unpainted, but you can see the joint seams, and that isn’t very flattering.

(OK…she has silver-painted under there. I know someone was wondering. Reverend SpartanNerd condemns thee!) But on the side profile, what could be the most attractive curve on the figure…the way this breaks up the sculpt doesn’t do it for me.

The articulation is very good, and she can turn her head but you have to move her locks over. These shoulder pauldrons are glued on, and her straps are painted details. That she is chrome silver is very nice.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates Valeria (Spirit) and Mythic Legions Sir Godfrey. Both have brilliant chrome paint.

I think Sandahl is actually taller than this figure portrays. Probably to accommodate those ridiculous wings on top of the helmet (AWESOME!), they made the figure just a tad shorter. Below I am showing off the Masters of the Universe Classics Battleground Teela along with Valeria (Spirit,) and I think they have made her shorter. Wouldn’t this figure technically be the 5.0 MOTUC figure?

The Snake Dagger is perfect with the Teela, Warrior Goddess outfit.

Actually, I think they are the same basic body. So maybe not. Maybe just the MOTUC scale is actually too small to properly capture Sandahl’s height. (I am using the MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela’s alternate hair’s-down head, as I usually do. No, it doesn’t fit snugly)

BATTLE OF THE MOUNDS BLOODY WEAPONS SUPER PACK

Here’s what you get with this exclusive pack:

Conan Broken Father Sword
Conan Atlantean Sword (Bloody)
Subotai Spear (Bloody)
Subotai Arrow (Bloody)
Thulsa Doom Fangs of the Serpent Dagger (Bloody)
Subotai Sword (Bloody)
Valeria Sword (bloody)
Conan Axe (Bloody)
Conan Father Sword

Don’t these guys just look better armed with these weapons!

Conan’s father’s sword, along with the father’s half-sword he uses when he defeats Thulsa Doom at the end of the movie… I believe this is the only way to get these two weapons. Conan’s father’s sword is even bigger than the Atlantean sword.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Thulsa Doom armed with Conan’s Father Sword. he is on the MASTERVERSE New Eternia Bone Throne. If someone besides Skeletor would sit there, it would be Thulsa Doom or King Hiss.

SPOILER ALERT. This is how the movie ends.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF THE BATTLE OF THE MOUNDS SET

How should I even do this? As a set, it is a perfect 5/5…it leaves me wanting more, like Thorgrim and the monk guy. Isn’t there another barbarian thug on Thulsa’s team? I think so. I want those guys. As a set, 5/5.

Here is my rating of each part of the set.

Conan– 4/5. The armor strap button is a problem. You can see how loose it is even in these pictures.

Thulsa Doom– 5/5. James Earl Jones is honored very well with this figure.

Subotai– 4/5. even though he has that notched finger, it is still pretty hard to get him to pull off an archers pose.

Valeria (Spirit)– The sculpt and the paint carries this one. 5/5…my favorite to photograph. Though there are some unsightly seams on the hips and not many accessories.

Bloodied Weapons Super Pack– 5/5. How useful are these?! See above…the snake witches knife goes perfect with Teela in her cobra snake armor. As far as I know, we never had Conan’s father’s sword. The other weapons are the same that came with the other figures, but with blood. How can that be worse than plain?

So do you agree, or disagree, Hub City Geeks? This time Super7 didn’t ask me to apply for their affiliate program. Either way, these figures are excellent, and I highly recommend them if you like Conan the Barbarian or just barbarians in general.

SSKUR’GE (Cosmic Legions Whiplash Tribute figure)

September 14, 2024 by SpartanNerd

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!

MASTERVERSE Vykron- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

July 3, 2024 by SpartanNerd

For unboxing and initial review of the packaging for Vykron and Snout Spout, click here.

INITIAL THOUGHTS ON VYKRON

Vykron is a character that Mattel wants to keep shoving at us. I mean…who ever asked for Vykron in the first place? That he is a prototype He-Man concept is cool to a point, but the main idea for Mattel should be “keep it interesting for most people.” Offering someone like Vykron out there really appeals to maybe especially Classics fans. A certain crowd of people like the SpartanNerd. Middle aged Filmation, minicomics, vintage line types.

What I am saying, they would pull more mass appeal with a proper Moss Man, or Rio Blast, or Mosquitor, or … really…just about any A-list character. (Are Rio Blast and Mosquitor A-listers? Maybe B-listers). My point- everyone wants a proper Faker with orange armor. Everyone wants vintage style Roboto. Everyone wants King Randor, or the Sorceress to be done right. But they throw Vykron out there, and he is someone that most people won’t recognize, and now a product that I have seen on toy store shelves in boxes for $75 is being placed on sale at MattelCreations for $15. YEP. $15. This couldn’t be good for the brand OR MASTERVERSE. (This price was low enough for me to finally make the purchase.)

Then there is the whole Mark Taylor/Roger Sweet controversy. In my heart, I believe who is now called Vykor was the first He-Man. This was based on the barbarian concept by Mark Taylor. Roger Sweet INDEED contributed alot to He-Man and to his identity. But the very beginning has to be Mark Taylor. You can read about this if you haven’t heard of it you can read an article on Vykron at the Battleram Blog.

So all of this rant…what do I actually think about the MASTERVERSE figure?

MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress- SpartanNerd Review.

June 16, 2024 by SpartanNerd

I’ve been putting this review off for a while now…which isn’t good news. Keep reading for details.

The blue stuff in there with her is the lighting in the room playing tricks. Sorry!

I don’t like giving bad reviews….I had never seen the Sorceress in a store, and on places like Big Bad Toy Store, she was sold out. The “Teela” version is out there still. I suppose it is the rarity of this figure that warrants $30 for a price tag.

Before I go any further, let me qualify a few things. I really like the Sorceress as a character. AND I don’t feel like she has ever had a great action figure. I have only seen the vintage version as an adult…I never saw it on a shelf and never knew anyone to own her. It looks like her wings are static…if it is an action feature I don’t know how it works. I didn’t feel like the 200x version was a great representation of the character. On the show, she was cold…no motherly warmth. I thought the “Egyptian” flavor to her redesign was cool, however. I’m pretty sure she only received a “staction” figure.

Then there was huge controversy about the MOTUC version. It was decided that to make her wings look right from the front end, they would install “drums” on the back of her shoulders and the wings can fan out. But this messed up the back of the figure, and I have seen the regular and the “Temple of Darkness” variants, and both look stupid from behind, and people had a right to complain…especially considering the fine work the Four Horsemen do. (I think they said it was Mattel’s decision and design, not theirs. )

I mean…do I need to say more. The pictures tell the story. This soft-goods treatment of the wings is poor, poor execution.

I kept being tempted to get the totally cute “bat sorceress” Evil-lyn variant. But I am glad I didn’t.

There are two loops for each arm…one for the wrist and one for the elbow. No matter how you pose her, the “feathers,” which are actually jagged cloth, look floppy and wrong.

Image of Flimation Sorceress from Wiki Grayskull.

So there are some differences in portrayal. This figure has blue wings on the inside, and a long skirt. Yes, we are reflecting the Revelation cartoon appearance…but guess what? That version had blue outer feathers and orange inner feathers. It even shows her this way on the package art! (Beautiful illustration!)

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress and Evil-lyn. Also, Evil-lyn has half of the power-sword that came with King Grayskull. .

ACCESSORIES: She came with some other hands, and also the “Staff of Ka.”

CUSTOMIZING

I saw out there where there are customizers “correcting” the skirt with a hobby knife. I just don’t feel up to it. I’d hate to make it look bad. It doesn’t look bad as it is…only I like the short skirt better and really most people do. But the long dress thing is OK. BUT…it will make it harder to sit on a possible future throne set.

Let me show you how to use this body for customization. Swap the head to Teela’s “hair down” head. Put Tri-klops’ robe on over most of the body. Put Evil-lyn’s pocketbook on there. Prop a spear up next to her. BAM. Eternian winch. (I would have used a broom or rake if I had one.)

THE FUTURE OF THE SORCERESS.

Mattel gotta do better by this character. And the future is bright if they put care into it. More and more this seems to be the case. ~~I’m not ordering it, but Snout Spout is pretty sweet!~~ I ordered it today!

We have a few sorceress figures to go. Maybe they’ll make a box set or something.

“Teela” Sorceress (of Zoar) is already out there. But she looks too much like this and has the cloth wings.
Sorceress of Ka- “The Green Goddess” version. The Revolution version looks to have a tail.
Sorceress of Havoc- We only saw her for like, ten seconds in Revolution. But she was AWESOME! Barbarian fur. Ram hor ns. Gothic make-up. BOOM! PLEASE!
Sorceress of Eternia- This would be the “queen Sorceress,” or “Tri-Sorceress” who no doubt we will eventually have paired with a He-Man super-powered up by her, probably as a two-pack.

Really, all of these would be beautiful figures. But they have to have more vision than this floppy cloth for wings. And already, Motherboard’s wings are hard plastic and look better. (That’s on sale… Maybe I should consider it?)

I can’t rate MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress highly at all. Something about the head is out of proportion. The paint is flat and drab. The long skirt restricts articulation. The wings are a floppy mess of cloth. She only has one true accessory. FAIL. That’s what grade it gets. 1/5. Please feel free to agree with me, Hub City Geeks, in the comments!

Super7 Ultimates! King Conan- A review 18 months in the making.

May 24, 2024 by SpartanNerd

Why do I like Conan the Barbarian so much? Basically he is the “anti-SpartanNerd.” Whatever I would do, Conan would do the opposite. For instance, if he gets mad…chop! Accompanied with “splish!” and then “Thud, thud, thump” head rolling down the steps. If I get mad, I might look at you funny…

I have anticipated this product for a LONG TIME. So long, in fact that I am not pre-ordering these Ultimates anymore. Yes…they cost more on the shelf. But I haven’t seen many rare ones. I have seen some Conan the Barbarian Ultimates! on the shelf at different stores, ranging in price from $55 (asking price) to $100 (Collectors market price). And for massive fans of the 1982 movie, this is great. I am a more casual fan of barbarians in general. But at this point I have seen the movie three times over the past 18 months, counting just last night so I could catch up for accuracy as I blog. I give the movie a solid B-Minus, that is if The Empire Strikes Back gets an A+ for reference. (Mattel wasn’t exaggerating when they passed on making Conan the Barbarian toys on account of a movie with gratuitous sex and violence…but the movie DOES capture what the comics and literature are about far better than its sequel, Conan the Destroyer). But I have a MASSIVE collection of Conan the Barbarian comics. I especially enjoyed the Dark Horse books. What they are doing now is OK, and they are going to drop a “Howardverse” on us all in the fall time. I don’t know if I will be all into that, but it might be cool! (Robert E. Howard, for anyone who doesn’t know. He is perhaps the inventor of “sword and sorcery” literature, and Conan’s creator).

Click the link here for a review of the packaging.

KING CONAN PACKAGING VIDEO LINK.

Let me go ahead and say some things for the haters:

I have been doing the SpartanNerd blog for years now. I have rarely done a video! Camera shy. I cringe as I hem and haw. But I am honest.
The lighting in the room isn’t great, and my glasses weren’t helping me read off of the package. I assure you…I CAN READ. My synopsis of the movie was purposely not detailed. I wasn’t even trying to do a movie synopsis!
A couple of errors. After watching the movie last night another time, I realize the villain was Thulsa Doom, not Thoth-Amon. This is really unforgivable. Sorry! I guess my nerves got the best of me. And then the other is that it wasn’t the Sword of Aquilonia that was broken in half…it was his father’s sword that we saw forged at the beginning of the movie.

REVIEW OF THE KING CONAN.

He is just SO EPIC!

Now this is just me geeking out. Some reference…my worst action figure is Marvel Legends Thor (classic comics appearance). I say this is the worst because he is not very posable. He has kneepads that break off and have to be glued. He doesn’t stand well with the heavy plastic cape. He came with Mjonir, that doesn’t fit in his hand well. That hand is a weapon holding hand where the thumb is attached to the fingers (creating a circle,) so that the weapon has to be slid in from the top. More like “forced” in. He came with a plastic rock to stand on, and I have gotten more use out of that rock than Thor!

Why this commercial about a different toy? King Conan soundly defeats that and is in the same collectors category, that’s why. We have multiple, swappable hands to be sure he can hold his weapons. (Just that sentence has TWO strictly better cards.). He has an alternate head. (It’s not THAT different). He is super articulated, and stands very sturdy. The sculpt is brilliant, and some of this toy WAS sculpted by the Four Horsemen…there are reused parts from Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor. (Vikor has so far been my favorite action figure, along with Battleground Teela. I kept them after selling off most of my MOTUC collection).

Pictured: Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor and Super7 Ultimates! King Conan. Both are flexing for the camera. Vikor has been my favorite action figure. Pretty much hands down. And if you read the SpartanNerd Blog enough, you know I have lots of pictures of him.

It is apparent when you look at that ab-crunch joint. And I haven’t tried to take off the belt (probably shouldn’t) but you can also see the belly button. Super7 solved one problem with that wrestler-style belt in that twisting his waist doesn’t give us that awkward “table shelf” apparent on the MOTUC figure. You can see from this shirtless flex that Vikor has unsightly pins in his elbow and knee joints. You can’t see a single joint on King Conan except for the torso. All of the cuts in the arms are very well concealed by the sculpt, and the knees and ankles have armor pieces that cover the joints.

Pictured: Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor and Super7 Ultimates! King Conan, with head swaps. It works very well…another clue that this is part re-use. Also, the figure on the left is holding the flail from Four Horsemen Studios Demistros.

Let’s talk about the “portrait.” He does look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and this is what is important, isn’t it! I was tempted on the last time I went to Wal-Mart to pick up a NECA Terminator 2 action figure of The Govenator…just to compare. (I’m also a fan of that movie, of course. Almost anything Arnold. Even Mr. Freeze). No need for all of that. My only issue is that one of the head sculpts doesn’t have pupils. This is kind of un-nerving to me. There is alot of “fog” in the cinematography, and they didn’t record in high-definition either, but you can still see the pupils anyway. If anything, his eyes are darker. Just white spheres doesn’t do it for me. Now my child can probably remedy this with painting skills…I know I can’t do it!

Pictured: Super7 Ultimates King Conan and The Worst Black Falcon.

The accessories that came with King Conan are the Sword of Aquilonia and another short sword pictured above. (It is good that it comes with a scabbard). I am uncertain where the design of this sword came from. Is it something extra that Super7 came up with, or is it a part of the costume that we can’t really see in the image from the movie? (Like…is it from production notes or something?) Someone out there knows this answer!

The Sword of Aquilonia…it does have a drab paint-job. But after watching the movie last night, I realize that this is accurate to what came with the toy. King Conan isn’t specifically pictured with it in the movie, so this can actually be considered an extra piece. Unfortunately, I have to report that the brown paint on the handle has flaked off. It’s no wonder, Conan’s gripping hands are so tight you can’t arm him with weapons without using a hair dryer.

Pictured: I call this one *The Coup D’etat-Back to the Wheel of Pain*. Super7 Ultimates! King Conan is being led away a prisoner by Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor and MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man. Notice the handle on the Sword of Aquilonia (Vikor has it.)

The other accessories are things that go with the clothes…this is a chest harness with built-in paldrons, a mink stole sculpted from plastic, and a soft-goods cape.

Pictured: MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man wearing Super7 Ultimates! King Conan Armor and cape. He is armed with the jeweled sword from Animal Warriors of the Kingdom Gold Loot Box, and is holding Mythic Legions Sir Godfrey’s helmet. Also standing on King Conan’s rug.

You can see in the above picture that the armor and cape work pretty good even for a figure that is an inch taller.

Pictured: I call this one *Revenge- After the Wheel of Pain*. This is MASTERVERSE He-Man’s body armed with Super7 Ultimates! King Conan’s cape and armor, and King Conan’s head swapped in. He is holding the golden axe from The Animal Warriors of the Kingdom Gold Loot Box, and Mythic Legions Xylernian Guard’s shield. Also standing on King Conan’s rug. And this is about the most awesome-non photoshop picture of a barbarian action figure you can get at this price point.

THE THRONE OF AQUILONIA

Somewhere up above in this same review blog entry I mentioned Marvel Select’s Thor coming with a plastic rock for him to stand on. King Conan’s throne is just another way that Super7’s offering is so much more. But to be fair, you had to pay for it separate. I personally think they should have made this all one box. You don’t get one without the other kind of thing. I don’t own it, but maybe I will…The Figura Obscura Headless Horseman comes with a horse. This is inseparable from the character. It should have been the same here. Who is displaying a King Conan without the throne? Now early on when I was deciding whether or not to purchase King Conan, I watched video commentary about the reveals, and people were torn on if this was worth $45 or not. They have released a couple of other thrones, and they are all a similar price. (Mon-Star from SilverHawks is one I can think of). I am happy with King Conan’s throne, but it could have been a smidge cheaper on shipping, etc if it was bundled together. Or maybe they didn’t think they could sell it at a higher price. I don’t know…I just collect.

As I mentioned in the video, I felt a little burned about the rug not being removable. (Actually I kind of down-played my feelings as “an observation”). Somehow, for 18 months, I thought this would be a cloth rug. Is this communication on their part or me just being a dum-dum? It is well painted. Beautifully painted actually. But we have soft goods for the cape. Something different could have been done here.

So with the throne, you get a plastic base sculpted to be concrete, with a rug sculpted on and painted, the throne itself which is more like a bench and less like a chair, and this ornamental spear. I mentioned in the video that I was glad it wasn’t a scepter. King Conan is an unhappy king in the comics. Sitting around ruling everyone is boring for the guy. He would rather be out there busting snake cult people. That it is a spear was a way that the movie writers could express this to us without giving us a story. It is said that Netflix is wanting to make some media for King Conan, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is very much behind the project.

Pictured: Super7 Ultimates! King Conan Throne of Aquilonia, which is occupied by MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull.

The above photo tackles one of the questions I had. Does it look good with other characters. I find that King Grayskull doesn’t sit so well, which has me concerned because I have ordered MASTERVERSE Skeletor with throne.

Pictured: Super7 Ultimates! King Conan Throne of Aquilonia, which is occupied by GI Joe Classified Cobra Commander.

The throne works very well for Cobra Commander.

One thing…the box that King Conan came with has a terrific diorama featuring a nice shadow behind the throne and two torch-sconces. This is just too terrific. It adds a whole lot to the whole set. The floor I used for these photos is from MASTERVERSE packaging.

How else can you use such an item?

Pictured: I call this one *Over the Top Icons.* Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor, MASTERVERSE Evil Lyn from the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie, and SUPER7 Ultimates King Conan and Throne of Aquilonia. Anyone out there get what I meant by *Over the Top*?

A very out-of-character photo. But you can see the other hands well.

Pictured: Super7 Ultimates King Conan and Throne of Aquilonia, who is defending his throne from Four Horsemen Studios Demistros. Demistros is armed with McFarlane’s Redeemer sword. The concrete slab almost disappears in this lighting and filter.

After watching the movie last night, I notice a large disparity in the throne we are given and what was in the film. The concrete slab was three times as large! We only have a straight-ahead shot, but it is clear that the rug is sitting on concrete that is symmetrical on both sides. Super7 could have given us this…it would have been two more pieces of plastic, and then no one would have anything to say about the price point of the throne. Now that this is the SpartanNerd’s summer vacation, I have time to customize this.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF SUPER7 ULTIMATES! KING CONAN AND THE THRONE OF AQUILONIA

I’ve had this for about two-weeks now, and have had a couple of photo sessions with it. It delivers for the price you paid for it if you collect action figures or if you are a fan of the movie. Movie fans might be casual like me or serious. Probably a serious movie fan would go for something by Hot Toys or Sideshow or someone, where you pay more like $200. But as what is basically a Masters of the Universe Classics 5.0 figure…(Original wave 1.0, Subscription 2.0, Filmation 3.0, Ultimates! releases 4.0, and now non-MOTU is 5.0 by my counting)…$55 for the king and $45 for the throne isn’t too bad considering the current economy. Considering that this was done at what is on Mythic Legions, non-retail price scale. This is my interest. I am certainly glad I ordered the Battle of the Mounds figures that will be coming maybe in July. It checks all the boxes with little complaint. I am going to list things down below and offer two ratings…one for the king and the other for the throne.

King Conan PROS- Outstanding sculpt. Looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Comes with two weapons and removable armor. Excellent paint details. Plenty of hands to swap and also an alternate head with different hair.
King Conan CONS- Pupils on one of the head sculpts not there. Gripping hands are so tight they have to be heated up to work. Paint on Sword of Aquilonia is flaking off with very minimal use.
Throne of Aquilonia PROS- Great sculpt. Terrific Vac Metal paint job. Spear accessory makes all of the other accessories with the figure look sad. The platform has pegs for helping stand action figures that have holes in their feet.
Throne of Aquilonia CONS- The “concrete” slab isn’t the correct size to depict the movie scene accurately. The “rug” is a sculpted and painted detail…not a separate piece.

All of the excellent things I list add lots to the product, and has been more fun for me with time. The pupils issue and the paint flaking are both QC issues that Super7 should address, but they don’t take away from the toys much. I haven’t been displaying the head that doesn’t have pupils…I almost forget that I have it, and the two sculpts are so similar. Look at all that the Throne of Aquilonia has added to King Grayskull, Cobra Commander, and really almost anyone else who might fancy themselves to sit on a throne. Look at how useful that platform is…it has pegs that fit Mythic Legions feet, MASTERVERSE feet, and Ultimates! feet. AND a bonus…the diorama that came as part of King Conan’s package looks too great with all of these fantasy figures to throw away. I can only give a 5/5 when I take everything into account. Maybe not a perfect 5/5, but fairly close.

Pictured: Super7 Ultimates! King Conan and Ultimates! GI Joe Cobra B.A.T. The platform has pegs that made the balance required for this action possible.

Like I said…if you are a different kind of collector, you might disagree. Out there is a larger scale figure, perhaps in 1:6 scale, that you can dress in all manner of looks. Out there is a hyper-detailed statue to sit on a shelf. A large full-scale statue for your yard. That’s not what this product is meant for. It’s meant for the plastic adult collector semi-play with action figure market. The 1:12 MOTUC scale collector. And it does that terrifically.

Will he supplant Vikor? It seems like maybe Battle of the Mounds Conan might be able to when he arrives. Having this makes me wish I had the “iconic pose” version. Watching the movie last night also makes me want the camouflage version. I feel like this figure adds much to all of the barbarian things I have already. We’ll have to see if over time King Conan moves into that favorite slot!

Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks. Let me know in the comments!

Also, Super7. I did what you said. I made a video. I posted to Instagram. Both things I never do. I also answered your summons to apply for the affiliate links program…and WAS DENIED. I am not Pixel Dan or Action Figure BBQ or Dorklair. Don’t claim to be. (I am very inspired by all three, and also by Poe Ghostal …great news I just found out he’s back!)

I am a real consumer who runs this blog as a hobby. It is Summer vacation. I will work on it. But Super7, you guys should reconsider! I give honest opinions and reviews. Readers, send me some advice in the comments!

Mythic Legions Mysteries of Mythos box- SpartanNerd Action Figure Showdown

May 19, 2024 by SpartanNerd

I am going to wait until the next post to talk about King Conan…in the meantime, let’s talk about what I pulled from the Four Horsemen “Mysteries of Mythos” blind box!

As you can see, I got two figures. The deal with these was purchase the Myteries of Mythos box, and you received a newer figure and an older “out of production” figure that they had in stock at the storehorsemen. The cost was $70 per box, and there was $10 shipping on all orders (flat rate shipping). This still seemed agreeable to me, and I made my order on the final day. Wouldn’t it be great to get “Eagalus?” Here was my chance! I wasn’t allergic to any of the potential older figures, and the hope of picking up that American Eagle Mythic Legion made this worth it. Furthermore, if I purchased either one at a store, I would pay more than $40. I figure this was a new type of “clearance” sale for Four Horsemen Studios.

You can see above that I got “Sir Godfrey” and “Xylernian Guard” Legion Builder. Eagalus was definitely too much of a long shot!

I thought I might do a little comparison…a showdown if you will, sort of like I did with Black Falcon and Demistros. Which figure will win?

OPENING THE XYLERNIAN GUARD LEGION BUILDER

Nothing special here, but I haven’t seen this cardback. It features a Shiva-type of figure. Here is the front and the side with description

I know there is a description, and I read it, but I don’t care one bit. Where can I find this story to read? Maybe I would care more? I am aware of a big “moose” steed that is out of production…I can assume this guy is on his team.

But for me, I see a toy soldier. We have a green “elf” look, and a caucasian look.

Here is everything in the box. Notice that the face shield on the different heads has a different design. One has a cross, while the other is plain. (You are going to see alot of pictures with the parts of “The Throne of Aquilonia.” This is the platform he is standing on and the torches in the background.

So what do we get? Two heads as mentioned above with interchangable facemasks, but non-removable helmets. Two pauldrons, a nice ornamented sword. A huge shield. A belt. A bow. A quiver. And an arrow. This shield features a three-part design. The handle comes off, and the deer figure can separate from the standard piece of the shield. However, I don’t have anything else that can replace the deer, so this is a useless idea for me until my collection gets bigger I guess.

Here is a more “archer” look, fitting for the green elf face.

The sculpt is incredible as always…this is the work of the Four Horsemen after all! There is a soft goods front skirt piece, which is backed by a plastic one. It makes it look busier, but I wonder why they did this? It looks good though. Once again, just like with the skeleton legion builder that I have which came with this same bow and arrow, it is not easy to get a good bow and arrow pose. The skeleton’s arrows were only one color…Xylernian Guard has green on the feathers and the quiver is painted brown. The arrow shafts are silver. So more went into the deco, but there needs to be a way to “knock” the arrow.

Pictured: Super7 Ultimates Black Falcon and Mythic Legions Xylernian Guard figures. Black Falcon is armed with Animal Warriors of the Kingdom gold weapons pack axe. This is a more “heavy duty” build of the legions builder figure.

In the above assassination attempt, you can see that the Super7 Black Falcon looks much more “cartoony” than the Mythic Legions figure.

Pictured: Mythic Legions Xylernian Guard legions builder with un-helmeted MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms head. Note that this head is just sitting there…it doesn’t peg in.

So besides these guys, Demistros, the two ML skeletons I have, and the Tower Ogre, I don’t have many alternate heads. But I found that the unhelmeted Duncan head works very well with this green color scheme.

OPENING SIR GODFREY

Crickets…(I lost the photos of the box!) Trust me. This box was exactly the same as the Skeleton Legions Builder. But it DID have a bio for Sir Godfrey. I suppose it is a shame, as this IS a named character and not really a legion builder. Or is he?

Here is everything you get in the box. Two pauldrons. A sharp mace. A sword. a large shield. A belt. and some pieces that I eventually figured out were back adapters so you can add wings. Also notable, the plume is removable from the helmet.

So Sir Godfrey is obviously a Knight Templar, and I have seen this figure on a peg at Toy Federation in Greer, South Carolina. But I never bought it, being more interested in skeletons. I have also seen a black version with white accents, but don’t know if that is the same character name or a rival or something. Notable, the head of the mace is removable for parts swapping if you have them, and also the front skirt piece is removable if you want to sit him on a ride.

The most striking thing about Sir Godfrey is this silver paint job. WOW! No photo I make could do this justice. It is almost Chrome!

Pictured: Mythic Legions Sir Godfrew and Masters of the Universe Classics Battleground Teela with MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela alternate head. Teela is armed with Sir Godfrey’s sword and her own sword for comparison.

So basically Teela has a new sword! I prefer this to the one she came with. The gold on the hilt matches her armor very well as opposed to that drab brown on her personal sword. Also Godfrey’s sword is thinner, and I appreciate that for such a character as Teela.

Pictured: Mythic Legions Xylernian Guard, Mythic Legions Sir Godfrey, and MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man.

I find there to be beautiful congruence in this photo. The crosses on the shields and armor. The swords. That they all stand with the same pose.

Yes, they would probably be on the same team. Maybe they are training here?

ACTION FIGURE SHOWDOWN. WHO WILL WIN?

While Sir Godfrey has striking paint, he is basically a walking suit of armor. He swings down hard on the guard’s parrying sword.

Xylernian Guard has so many options for display. He is basically four characters in one! (Caucasion archer, Caucasian heavy armor, Green Face archer, Green Face heavy armor). So yeah. He knocks down Sir Godfrey and then uses that sword for what it’s for! Hope it is sharp enough to get through that armor, though.

SPARTANNERD’S RATINGS

The SpartanWife said “Well if you get characters you don’t like in this mystery box, you could just sell them.” And she was correct. I could sell these and at least recoup my losses. What losses? I don’t want to! They are terrific additions to my collection. Sir Godfrey’s head makes a great helmet for anyone to hold. All the display options of really both characters.

Scultping is equally good. Paint is wonderfully done. Xylernian Guard is more colorful, but Sir Godfrey is a heavy armored Knight Templar, and should look like this charicature of medieval knights armor. I don’t have any wings for the figures, but those back adapters will come in handy one day no doubt, and can be used on any of my Mythic Legions. They are both nicely articulated.

The only weakness in Xylernian Guard is the difficulty of posing the figure with the bow. The weakness of Sir Godfrey is that he only came with one head, and you don’t know what his face looks like. (I just saw on the internet that versions of him do have an alternate head where you can see his face). Xylernian Guard gets 5/5 AND Sir Godfrey gets 5/5. But the winner of this competition is Xylernian Guard.

Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

spartannerd

A blog about everything "nerdtainment!"

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