Tag Archives: Magic the Gathering

Mythic Legions Undead Builder Pack

by

1

(See the video unboxing and review on the SpartanNerd YouTube channel!)

I went with my Apple Cash to the Toy Federation, hoping to find Beaulythe to be my first Mythic Legions lady. (I know I didn’t spell that right!) They had a few Mythics there, but not who I came for. So then I started looking around at other stuff. Eventually I came to something I actually never heard of…”The Undead Builder Pack.” Seemed like a winner for a guy with a big collection of skeletons. Keep reading to see how it turned out!

PACKAGING

This is the same Mythic Legions package, with the same “classic” kind of art. BUT. This time it is a full oversized image in the background, meaning I can now throw away the older small ones I have around.

The card image behind the blisters

You have a double blister inside that you can see the figure very well. And all the accessories. And that is what this figure is REALLY about. The back features the art from the Necronominus wave, but zoomed out.

The big skeleton god is appears smaller in this exposed version of the image. And let’s take a second to talk about him. I have been critical of this image…that the figure looks goofy. Blah Blah Blah. But I saw it in person…Like I almost bought it instead of the undead builder pack. That headdress can’t look right in a 2d image…too goofy. In full on person, it looks amazing. It is kind of like Maxillius the Harvester, with all these intricate bone details all over the armor, etc. The cross sell also features the other figures released in this wave, including the one I came to get but they didn’t have, but also the Turpiculi, which I suppose I will eventually get. I was just really shocked at how cool Necronomius (I can’t say it or spell it) came out. And so this means…the Undead Builder Pack must have been cool enough to come away with instead of those guys! Also of interest to the readers, the skeletal horse, Conabus (spelling?) also has far more details in person than I had detected from images.

We do have a brief bio…it says something like “the dead do not rest in peace on Mythos.” But it says it in a verbose and over-the-top way.

WHAT DO WE GET IN THE PACKAGE?

Rather than get the figure out and put him together in some way, I figured it would better serve us all to show a picture of the items in the two blisters. There is so much here!

  • Undead figure, with translucent ghostly jaw-less skull, arms, hands, and thighs, and feet.
  • two different “smoke” effects
  • Three alternate head sculpts
  • Opaque rotten arms
  • Opaque Rotten thighs
  • translucent and opaque angle joints
  • Opaque Feet
  • Mace
  • short handle axe (halberd head)
  • curved sword (khopesh?)
  • belt
  • shoulder armor
  • Back adapter set
  • small smoke effects
  • handcuffs with metal chain
  • alternate collar piece
  • Six ghostly hands
  • eight opaque rotten hands

And this is the WINNER! I have no other action figure with this many parts. Not even Black Falcon!

BUT…

FIGURE REVIEW

As a figure with all of this, like if this was the only one you had, that would be incredible. But I think the Four Horsemen were thinking people like me would be adding the parts of this as accessories to our other existing figures.

As a figure, vanilla out of the blister, he is pretty good. These translucent ghostly parts have a “gumminess” to them that is very welcome, and makes this figure extremely versatile.

It wouldn’t have been my choice to market him with the translucent half skull as the main look. It is OK, but that screams “ghost” to me and not “zombie.” They should have put the head with the open mouth on there. But this is me nit-picking about their choice. This doesn’t have any bearing on how great this set is!

The half skull head with ectoplasm effects really improves Warrior Beast Head Hunter. Also, add extra arms to Skeleton Legion Builder II!

He comes apart easily and is very modular, and also highly articulated as a positive consequence. The opaque undead parts are masterfully sculpted. These feel like the classic Mythic Legions, and you might need a hair dryer. (I didn’t). And the details. Wow! We could have had two symetrical thighs, but no the Horsemen went the extra mile and gave us different decayed details on each one. And this is so throughout the character.

Wal-Torr the Mad showing off those spectacular thighs!

ACCESSORIES

Yes. This can be a standalone action figure for a fan of zombies I guess. But the real magic is what it brings to everyone else. As such, I am giving you lots of examples in Mythic Legions as well as other figures.

The three weapons…we already have the axe head. The other weapons were new to the SpartanNerd.

All of those heads and hands!

And so here is my only one complaint. And the Horsemen did this on purpose I’m sure. We are a torso/waist, set of wrists and lower legs from having a second figure. In fact, I wish they had done this. Gave us TWO full figures in the package. One fully ghosted and the other fully zombified. I mean. We are literally six parts away from that.

But the nature of this set is that we will customize our other figures.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF THE MYTHIC LEGIONS UNDEAD BUILDER PACK

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Evil-Lyn energizes her staff while holding the spectral skull of an evil master.
Thulsa Doom, a figure that woefully lacked snake themed items, can hold the little smoke effect as a magic serpent.
In honor of Mattel giving us all kinds of cool origins figures in the $10 CLUB GRAYSKULL membership, I put the decayed head on Masters of the Universe Classics Despara. See the irony. The sarcasm! Why no MASTERVERSE in the Club Grayskull? They didn’t make this clear!

It can’t give anything but a 5/5.

  • Sculpt- The Four Horsemen bring us another incredible piece of art
  • Paint- The opaque parts are sickening gray, and the armor and weapons have very nice paint. The head sculpts are also painted very well. The translucent parts don’t have paint and don’t need it. (There is a dab on the face sculpts)
  • Articulation- The ghostly parts are very modular, and I didn’t need a hair dryer for the parts in this set.
  • Accessories- This figure is almost ONLY accessories, if you like to count alternate hands and feet as accessories. Otherwise the smokey energy effects and the three weapons are very nice.
  • Significance- I bought this so that it could add to my skeleton collection. And it does that very well!

And we are moving into the “Mega Bloks” kind of aspect of Mythic Legions. Masters of the Universe Modulok. This kind of figure. And I actually have the blue knight builder on order, so there is more like this to come eventually to the SpartanNerd. AND…Back to the Tupiculi. That guy is firmly one of my future buys.

I award the Mythic Legions Undead Builder Pack 5/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

The Warrior Beasts Head Hunter

by

3

(NOTE: Some photos were taken from the YouTube review).

I think a big part of me hanging on to Masters of the Universe so long as a child was the figures were cheaper, and we were able to amass a sizable collection among me and my two younger brothers. When Mattel came out with Snake Men and the Evil Horde, this was like treasure. The SpartanBrothers could each have and collect and play a different team. (We kind of put the Snake Men in with Skeletor).

I bring this history lesson to come to another idea. What if…you have all of the figures available at the store. What if you see something else that looks cool. It always bothered me that GI Joes were smaller than He-Man. Eventually the ninja turtles were close, but didn’t quite fit. But wrestlers? These guys usually went right with He-Man. And then there were the KOs. The bootlegs. The knockoffs. The cash-grabs. You could typically get one of these “generic” figures somewhere like Dollar Tree or some other discount mart for even less than a Mattel MOTU figure. (See the review of Demistros and Black Falcon)

Which brings us to Warrior Beasts Head Hunter. Who is this guy, and why should we care? Well as soon as I saw him during the Four Horsemen’s special Spring sale, I knew I would need to get him. I’ve been collecting skeletons. He would probably sell out immediately. (Nope. He’s still available). So this was kind of a knee-jerk buy. Was he worth my $40? Keep reading!

(Extra detail- I believe this to be the among the first of “Infinite Legions”… IP licensed to the Four Horsemen to make Mythic Legions/Cosmic Legions style toys).

PACKAGING

This packaging isn’t anything great. But it is exactly what it calls out to. Head Hunter was a KO Scareglo or Skeletor variant. The Warrior Beasts line was evidently the enemies of the Remco “Lost World of the Warlord” line of toys. (A quick question of Siri tells me that Remco Toys was purchased by Jakk’s Pacific when Remco went bankrupt in 1997). Both toylines, (it’s easy to look them up on the internet) were meant to be playable alongside He-Man and Skeletor. So this packaging, it looks like the original packaging. And I can’t fault that. Otherwise, it is the same style as other Mythic Legions, with a collector friendly card back and re-usable blister. The front has an orange sign of The Warrior Beasts, just like the originals had, and then there is some “spray” colors behind the figure. The back has a photoshop of the character in action, showing an articulated jaw. One of the sides has a bio that says something like, “The Head Hunter waits around in the swamp to collect your head!”

FIGURE REVIEW

Here’s what you get in the package

  • Head Hunter figure
  • Alternate head with articulated jaw
  • Halberd weapon (this is in two pieces, the pole and the axe head)
  • Two alternate, more open hands
  • A wired cape.
Doesn’t he say “Scare Glow” to you?

This is it. A Scareglo knockoff with a big axe and swappable heads and hands. Those heads are identical, by the way. AND, we have both heads for other figures. AND, those are the same legs…maybe the same lower body…as the Headless Horseman. The top is the Mythic Legions barbarian. So what we have is a 100% re-used parts figure with a different paint job. And that is SO in the spirit of Masters of the Universe and knockoff versions, isn’t it!

As such, we know what we have. He stands well, very stable. He is as posable as a Masters of the Universe Classics or MASTERVERSE figure. His sculpting is the work of the best in the toy business, the Four Horsemen Studios.

His (I should say “it’s” to go with the bio) entire paint is white over a black body. I mean…the plastic is molded in shadow black. And then the white bones are painted on. The only other pop of color on the figure is the green eyes. So very effective paint, and it’s what caught my attention. That said, the way Scareglo is presented nowadays is reversed from the 1980’s.

ACTION…

The Halberd…we already have it in Chrome. It came with Mythic Legions Dark Knight Templar. But this is a different color. Be careful not to scratch the paint off of it getting it in Head Hunter’s hand. I haven’t had this accident, but it seems like it could happen.

Does he glow….NO. (Sadness)

That said, the white coloration really takes to colored lights. He looks best under pinkish, purple-ish light.

COMPARISON

First, let’s put him with Scare Glow. MASTERVERSE Scare Glow does glow in the dark. It is also more reactive to the blue light…that light energizes the glow in the dark paint on his ribs. But we could say that Headhunter is stronger as a figure as his whole body reflects that light, it just isn’t a phosphorescent effect. (Good job SpartanNerd. “Phosphoresent…”). And just like Scare Glow, I don’t see how people can confuse him and Skeletor. I get it…some kids only had “generic” or “off-brand” Skeletor. This is what they had to get because they couldn’t get the real thing. But other than a skull head, they don’t look alike.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Bone Throne, MASTERVERSE New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor, Four Horsemen Studios Warrior Beasts Head Hunter, and MASTERVERSE Revelation Scare Glow.

What about other Grim Reapers?

He has an alternate head that goes perfectly with Mythic Legions, so try putting that other head on Maxillius the Harvester…but set Maxillius to classic mode by removing the awesome blood wings, and check out how you have kitbashed a “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey” Grim Reaper!

Heh Heh. Black Falcon lost his lunch again!

Here he is with most of my other skeleton figures

Funko Magic the Gathering Liliana commands her undead army. PICTURED: Demistros, MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor, MASTERVERSE Revelation Scare Glow, Mythic Legions Skeleton Legion Builder, Mythic Legions Skeleton Legion Builder II, Death (From Marvel Legends Thanos), Mythic Legions Maxillius the Harvester, Four Horsemen Studios Warrior Beasts Head Hunter, Super7 Ultimates Black Falcon. You can find reviews for all of these at SpartanNerd.com, except for Liliana.

As with all good action figures, you can do some cool stuff with Photoshop. This took like, no effort, but terrific effect! I used ToyPixx’s recent “graveyard” backdrop, and green screened Head Hunter, layered him on the graveyard and made him a little bit transparent.

I just moved into a new house, and I kind of walk around in my yard in this same way.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF FOUR HORSEMEN STUDIOS WARRIOR BEASTS HEAD HUNTER

At the beginning of my review, I asked the question, was this worth my $40? Kind of yes. But also…kind of no.

He’s cool and scratches a kind of nostalgic itch even for a guy who never owned this as a kid. A color variant of Scare Glow is a nice thing to have. And if you go back and look at old pictures of the original, the Four Horsemen have updated him perfectly. “The feels”… he gets this point because I felt like I saw something I just knew I needed when I saw it.

I’m not a “parts collector,” but someone who is might be upset that there is nothing new here. On the other hand, maybe someone wants those white boots and that white cape could definitely be used on other figures. The accessory count here is just sad. I’m always joking about Super Seven Ultimates! Black Falcon, but that figure came with more accessories than any other just about, and he hit that same generic “feels.”

Lost your lunch? Let’s eat the SpartanNerd’s food. PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Black Falcon and Four Horsemen Studios Warrior Beasts Head Hunter. Also Mythic Legions Evil Magic Effects on the halberd. And a frozen turkey sausage English muffin.

I am awarding Four Horsemen Studios Warrior Beasts Head Hunter a 4/5. He is a nice update on a generic figure from the 1980’s, but he needs more accessories. It is a great thing to add another skeleton to my collection, even if he has that “Karate Kid” skeleton costume vibe. Sculpting, paint, articulation, all this is good. But he just needs more accessories, and this is where he loses a point.

Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments! Did you own this as a kid? Let me and the world that reads the SpartanNerd blog know!

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Roboto

by

2

This blog entry has been a long time coming…I have had Roboto for about two weeks. But I have been moving. So moving, plus a real paying job, means that the SpartanNerd side-hobby has to take a back seat. But it will all pay off. I am retiring the Nerd Closet and will be updating to a Nerd Studio, with dedicated space for collecting and doing YouTube videos!

I took this photo on a blue bucket with stuff getting moved!

Roboto came in the standard MASTERVERSE Transformers style package. And this time, with Roboto, it doesn’t even feel weird typing those words. (ROBOT-OH, for the slowbees). You can see the figure very well in his window box with a purple mask and what would have been an axe on the vintage figure, now is a buzz saw thing. The artwork, by contrast shows Roboto wearing the alternate red mask, and using a cannon on his left hand and that whirly blade on the right hand. And this is a point. This version of Roboto will let you change either hand into an attachment.

He is firing on some rock warriors…not of the species of Rockon and Stonedar, but of the generic guys from the Filmation show. If you look close, you can see part of a Roton. Earl Norem gave us perhaps the most iconic Roboto picture, where he is firing on a flotilla of Rotons

Like the other MASTERVERSE figures from the past few years, you kind of turn the box to the right and you get more of the image.

Around here on the side, we see where the rock men are coming from…Skeletor of course. Now this appears to be “the Vintage Collection” Skeletor…a figure I don’t own. But he looks that way I think because the Havoc Staff has the more vintage inspired shape. And those abs also seem to be more 1982.

The other side panel has the reference section material for MOC collectors or people who store the boxes. (I save the boxes for a future project…don’t know what.). A picture of Roboto with his portrait at the top. As usual we see both looks you can give him.

And then the back.

So this is one of those photoshop pictures. HOLY COW. I have this diorama! It looks to be Extreme Sets “compound display pack,” and so I am going to photograph Roboto using that very thing! (some of my photos are the final shots from The Nerd Closet). Seriously…”The Compound” has always given me Technodrome vibes, or Decepticon Base vibes. But look how this purple and colorful computer scene works with Roboto.

As usual, this is just a photoshop picture of the toy. But this is the first time on the package we have seen the claw. The little instructional panels show the gun and the buzz saw. Roboto has a wheel on his back that makes the gears in his torso move.

The small portrait on the bottom tells us his New Eternia bio. He is controlled by Skeletor in this story. But not in my story!

There is cross sell at the bottom. When I ordered Roboto, I actually ordered King Randor also. But I canceled that. Maybe I will still get it. But I am moving and need to pull back a little unless I just NEED a figure…And as for Beast Man…this is the ugliest beast man I have ever seen. Already there was a terrific New Eternia Beast man. What does this one do for me? Nothing. (but I bet it is better than the movie Beast Man!)

FIGURE REVIEW

I set up Roboto a little “room” using the Extreme Sets “Compound”

Here is Roboto with all of his stuff. Mind you…I prefer the red mask, and have replaced it here after playing with the figure for a few hours.

Here’s what you get in the package.

  • Roboto figure
  • Removable face masks in purple and red.
  • Extra right hand
  • Claw attachment
  • Buzz saw attachment
  • Lazer gun attachment.
A back view of the above photo. Notice this wheel has a peg hole for one of the more recent shields, but he didn’t come with a shield.

There’s a lot here to consider. The first thing I looked for when I took him out of the package was the heart in his chest. I had the vintage toy, and to me this was a main feature of the character. Indeed how he is often portrayed. A machine with a courageous heart. The promise of a living robot. Not just a cold calculator. BUT…no heart here…so…

This doesn’t make the figure stink for me or anything. I just prefer my Roboto have a heart. Now I could go with that New Eternia story…Skeletor has it. Yeah…that must be it.

(That heart was the backup unit. See the Futurama episode “Lethal Inspection.” And once again I out-nerded you readers!)

So as mentioned on the package, you turn the wheel on his back and the gears move. In the vintage figure, you twisted the waist. And this made the gears move BUT only very limited. This mechanism is an improvement. EXCEPT in the 1980s, Roboto’s mask would also open and close as if he was talking when you moved the waist. That functionality isn’t here. I will argue that this is still a better design, and what they did with the face masks is much better.

You can remove the face mask and see … mechanical skull teeth underneath. OH YEAH!

Totally Terminator!

As I mentioned, you can swap between a more modern purple mask reminiscent of a villain’s color or a more vintage red mask. But that MECHANICAL SKULL IS AWESOME! And I didn’t expect this. You see…this is why New Eternia is the best current Masters of the Universe line. I feel a little jealous about the Origins line having more characters…they look cool and would be cool to collect. But the New Eternia segment of MASTERVERSE absolutely is killing it when it comes to hardcore fans.

And the more I look at this figure, the more I wish I had another one to take apart. Like…after you remove the mask, it seems like the remaining translucent plastic over the cranium should be removable. You can see the robotic “brain” in there, that actually resembles a hard drive! It also looks like he has sculpted eyes that are covered by the blue visor. Absolutely…I am thinking about getting another one to take apart! I also like that I can see the “t-joint” that holds the arms in place. It makes me wonder if this is how all MASTERVERSE figures are put together.

All of this is pretty great, but from the waist down…he is the exact same as Trap Jaw and Man-E-Faces. Boots with knee pads and all.

“We rode the bus together and got off at the same Goodwill store to shop for pants. It is part of the work uniform.” Notice Roboto has two normal hands.

ACCESSORIES

Speaking of Trap Jaw, Roboto and Trap Jaw can share accessories. This was a feature I REALLY WANTED in the 1980s. Why the toy designers didn’t let us do that I guess we won’t know.

These guys are probably arguing over who looks better in the pants. Because their pants are the exact same with different colors. Complete with “Made in China” stamped on the behungus.

The three accessories that came with Roboto…the claw is huge and has closing motion. The buzz saw has windmill spinning action. But the lazer gun…that looks like a paint sprayer or something. And all of the accessories, especially the gun, need some paint.

We also have the option to display Roboto with two normal hands. Which I think is a first time. (I don’t know about MOTUC…unlikely.)

Clawful: “I use mine to attract mates.” Roboto: “I use mine to crack shellfish”
Roboto can clamp someone’s leg AND get the buzz-saw ready! PICTURED: all New Eternia toys. Roboto, Man-At-Arms, Battle Armor Skeletor, the Havoc Throne, and Panthor.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA ROBOTO

This is once again one of those 5/5 ratings. Just WOW!

The sculpt…while these are the same legs as some other people, I should say…the design of the mechanism and the delivery. Absolutely awesome.

It’s true that the accessories need some paint, but the paint of the figure is great on the legs and arms. The translucent plastic design looks spectacular.

And he came with a lot of accessories. And he has a peg hole on his back to store a shield. AND he can use Trap Jaw’s accessories and vice versa.

And no stupid problems. He can stand just fine. Hands swap out no problem. Mask swaps no problem. If anything, the stupid problem is that I can’t take his body apart easily. (Not a real problem!). But wouldn’t that be cool functionality.

And what does he add to the SpartanNerd’s collection? I complained that I didn’t have enough “good guys.” So this is what Roboto adds. I needed him. Notice that is the second time I used that phrase in reference to a MASTERVERSE figure. I needed the ones I had as a child. And while King Randor does look cool, I kicked the can on that one because I didn’t have it as a kid and didn’t want it really either. As an adult, I think it would be great offered with Queen Marlena as a two pack.

If someone was going to get iced by a Mythic Legion, it probably should have been Sy-Clone. But Roboto is ready to avenge him anyway. PICTURED: Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat, New Eternia figures Roboto, Fisto, Man-At-Arms, Mekanek, Man-E-Faces, Snout Spout, and Sy-Clone. And you can see the pistol from Mythic Legions T.U.5.C.C. Pilot right in front of Snout Spout. See all these reviews at my YouTube or at SpartanNerd.com. Kind of lazy to cross link all of those.

My point is, Roboto adds to the good guys. The only bad guys I need are Screech and Modulok. I could use some snake men, and they are coming apparently. But of heroic characters, I still don’t have Stratos, Prince Adam, Zoar, Buzz Off, Moss Man, or Zodak. And I could get some of these now, for instance Zodak continues to be on sale but I prefer to wait on the more more modern “Zodaq” design. I have ordered Androphilees from Mythic Legions. etc. Of other good guys I would like to have Rio Blast, Extendar, Movie accurate Gwildor, a proper New Eternia Orko, and a New Eternia Moss Man. See what I mean…lots of holes to fill in the heroic characters set.

So the SpartanNerd rates MASTERVERSE New Eternia Roboto a 5/5. Do you agree or disagree, oh Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell

by

4

Watch the YouTube video HERE

This flu sickness just keeps on. I went back to work for two days, but now I am sitting here just shivering. And today is the warmest it’s been in weeks. I got Battle Armor Skeletor’s blog review up, and now and getting up this Undead of Vikenfell. You can see the YouTube version of the unboxing here. And I want to do one more post of which figure is greater. It’s kind of philosophical. So many of the toys I review I give high marks to…but does that mean anything? On the other hand, this project is getting long in the tooth, and I want to get to other reviews soon.

Well let’s get into what Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell is actually about, then we can theorize later.

PACKAGING

The box is your typical Mythic Legions box. It has a large window bubble on the front, and a cardboard back, making it collector friendly packaging. (Little tabs let you remove and replace the cardboard.

There is a little blurb on the side about what this character is…essentially a skeleton Viking. A strong warrior in life, the character has found this undeath to be what passes for Valhalla because of the intervention of “Skalla of Necronominus”. (I know I messed that all up). But THEY messed something up also…the word “unsatiable” should be “insatiable”)

The back features the image that goes with this wave that is impossible to pronounce.

These figures on the side…I believe I saw the blue-skinned lady. The others I have never seen as they are a part of the upcoming wave. The thing on the bottom is a skeleton beast. Third from the top in Maxillius, who should be shipping soon. But I have been saying that for three months, so…

FIGURE REVIEW

What do you get in the package…

  • Undead of Vikenfell Figure
  • Two alternate heads (I have my favorite on for this photo)
  • A shield
  • A sophisticated curved sword
  • A Viking axe
  • A cloth-goods cape
  • Alternate “open” hands
  • Shoulder pauldrons
  • Weapon strap

This is a lot of stuff, even for Mythic Legions. This figure feels like a Legion Builder, but has so many more pieces. I am told that it is a “retailer exclusive,” meaning the Four Horsemen Studios made this specifically to draw people to toy stores. Giving the figure so many accessories and deluxe paint apps helps with that.

Yes. I regard this as deluxe paint. When I made my video, I didn’t even realize…this is the same body as the one that came with Father Christmas! The paint here is so pronounced it felt totally different, and we are talking about something I was messing with everyday. (Back in December…)

PICTURED: Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell and Figura Obscura Father Christmas. This is a “kitbash” with MASTERVERSE Revelation Evil-Lyn’s alternate heads and other Mythic Legions weapons.
PICTURED: Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell and Legion Builder Skeleton. Legion Builder is wearing Masters of the Universe Classic Vikor’s plastic molded cape, and it just “feels right.” He is a chunky figure in scale with those. The new Undead of Vikenfell has a lighter and daintier feel.

This body, which I understand is actually an elf knight’s body, has a smaller frame to it than the other skeleton warriors I have from Mythic Legions. In both cases, the joints feel very loose. I don’t know how I feel about that with the new figure. At least the older one has an excuse.

But all of these Mythic Legions are modular and designed to come apart. So it should turn out OK. I didn’t have any trouble getting them to stand for photography late at night on a Saturday, so that’s good.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Valeria (Spirit) and Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell. They fight over who has the best wings on their helmet.

The winged helmet is the signature piece of this figure, though it isn’t my favorite head. These wings, which are removable and feel like they need a bird-body, are painted with awesome action. And there is a tassel that attaches to the back of the helmet. That makes him feel a little bit like “The Predator.”

I don’t believe these wings will be a liability (unless I somehow lose one!) BUT I have a Marvel Legends Thor figure that I keep around in my classroom, and the tip ends of the wings on his helmet are cracking off. Yes…that is one of the worst figures I have ever bought. Just the same, it is something I will always be thinking about when I have characters with tall horns or something.

PICTURED: Mythic Legions Demistros, Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor, Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell, and Super7 Ultimates! Valeria (Spirit). These guys are arguing about who’s property is who’s property. Undead of Vikenfell’s cape looks great on Vikor.

ACCESSORIES

The cape. It is big…maybe a little bit too big for the Undead of Vikenfell. It goes very nice on Vikor. (this Vikor is a kitbash of Super7 Ultimates! Conan the Barbarian Battle of the Mounds neutral head and MOTUC Vikor). I have put the necklace that came with GI Joe Classified Gnawgahyde on him. You can see the comparison of the capes below.

Below you can see a comparison of Undead of Vikenfell’s cape and Demistros’ cape. Demistros cape is more premium, BUT the trade off is that it is so difficult to get on and off of the character.

Undead of Vikenfell’s cape is asymmetrical, and I don’t know if it was on purpose or not, but when I first used it I noticed one side was stitched together with a single small thread. I looped it around an arm and got the head on (you need to remove the head and place the hole over the peg). But after just a couple of reconfigurations, that little thread broke. I actually don’t even know if that was done on purpose or not. It just made it look bunchy up around his neck, and I don’t count this as a malfunction.

The sword is quite savage. This is a cross between a broadsword, a scimitar, and a saw. Gruesome! The axe is one of the few Mythic Legions battle axes (the only?) that is not modular. This is all one sculpted piece with marvelous wood grain in the handle and designs on the axe head. The shield is gold with silver paint apps, and is honestly one of the prettiest shields I have for an action figure now.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MYTHIC LEGIONS UNDEAD OF VIKENFELL

Five points- One point for each metric

Sculpt is very good…the bones in the feet and hands feel so human. Each head has nice character, and I especially like the etched skull and wooden axe handle. So here is a point!

The paint is very good. Every inch of this figure has paint apps. Maybe the sword could have some more paint, but honestly it doesn’t need it. I like how savage and rustic it is.

Articulation…don’t all Mythic Legions excel in this area? Having entirely modular parts makes for unlimited possibilities.

Accessories- Almost like, what didn’t we get? This skeleton has everything you would want in an undead Viking. Except for the boat.

Meaningfulness- I didn’t have a skeleton of this type of elf knight build. The shoulder pauldrons are something that will add to future smaller figures…I tried the larger more traditional one on Father Christmas, and they didn’t really work so well. But these are perfect for that. And this is another “generic” skeleton. I do like barbarians fighting skeletons. And Skeletor needs minions.

So of course I rate this at a 5/5. I don’t have a single complaint.

So now I have to decide between MASTERVERSE New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor and Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell…which of them is the top figure. Stay tuned to the SpartanNerd blog for the verdict!

New Eternia Mer-Man-SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

by

5

So, I already reviewed a modern Mer-Man, didn’t I? (Yes. HERE)

My complaints about that figure were the sculpt and the accessories…It was based on the Revelations cartoon rather than vintage sources. Well as you can see, New Eternia Mer-Man solves some of that.

PACKAGING

The top picture shows the typical recent MASTERVERSE packaging. I love this art, and it also features a giant pink octopus. That octopus is very typical of Mer-Man, but I can’t help but think about Aquaman. (The SpartanNerd is a longtime Aquaman fan…from the Superfriends to Jason Mamoa. I always wanted the MOTUC/DC collaboration. I missed it though 😦 )

The back also shows more of that octopus. Once again, I am complaining that this is a photoshopped image of the toy and not more illustration. Furthermore, this specific picture makes him appear too “muppet” ish. It is because this must have been a prototype with a more closed mouth. So Fozzy. We get some action shots of the weapons and also a little profile picture with “MER-MAN: Ocean Warlord|With New Eternia shattered into thousands of islands, Met-Man terrorizes everyone foolish enough to travel the oceans in search of Castle Grayskull.”

Flavor text. Magic the Gathering Cards and descriptions of items in Elden Ring. Mattel has caught on.

The cross-sell images. I have Masters of the Universe Revolution Sorceress Teela (review), but have passed on the Man-Of-War. Battle Armor Skeletor is a bag of hurt. I missed it. I currently have a pre-order at Entertainment Earth for it…maybe January sometime. The truth is I pre-ordered this whole wave on “Backorder” with them. Then got frustrated. So I went ahead and picked up Mer-Man at Target and got Sorceress from Amazon.

This side illustration shows how ugly he is. YES!
I like this extra illustration showing Man-E-Faces doing something useful.Throwing Beast Man into the water.

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE PACKAGE

Contents:

  • New Eternia Mer-Man figure
  • Ocean Warlord spear
  • Coral sword
  • Pair of swimming hands

What do I wish it came with? A TRIDENT. A fish monster friend. An alternate head.

NEW ETERNIA MER-MAN IN ACTION

Here is New Eternia Man-E-Faces throwing NE Beastman into the water on top of NE Mer-Man. This was a really hard picture to get. Everything kept falling.

Notice the “bump” on the coral sword. (Most of us call this the corn-cob sword.). That stupid bump is so you can mount the sword on a hole in the back of the armor. Which would be fine if it didn’t look stupid.

Comparing the older and the newer. Really, not fair. Revelations Mer-Man has that “play-doh” color scheme when compared the paint on NE Mer-Man. He was based on the cartoon, so he has those scars and stuff which is fine. But compared to NE Mer-Man that one now appears to be generic side henchman. NE Mer-Man also has a much glossier finish. The head sculpt is far better. And don’t think these two share parts…Maybe the feet and hands are the same sculpt?

We don’t see a lot of combos between these two. I wonder why? (Also notice Mekanek is using his new underwater scouting role)

This trident came with Cosmic Legions SSKUR’GE. A weapon befitting the ocean warlord.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF NEW ETERNIA MER-MAN

I need to consider this product objectively, separate from the version that came before. If you read my previous review, you saw I awarded a 3/5. In that context, this is a strict 5/5 improvement. If you are ever given the choice of the two to have, unless you are just a huge fan of Masters of the Universe Revelations I don’t know why you would choose the earlier offering.

So let’s ignore that. New Eternia Mer-Man has a monstrous green paint scheme, with nice paint details, and the grading between the green and yellow on the arms is one of the elements that brings the whole thing together. The armor is meticulously sculpted, bringing that “corn-cob” of scales feeling into it all. The spikes around his collar make him fit with other NE villains like Beast Man. The actual face of the actual toy is an evil look with nice fins on the face. His articulation is pretty much exactly like every other MASTERVERSE figure. He does have single hinge elbows, however.

The accessories…That spear is very savage. Like I said…I prefer a trident for this character. The coral sword looks good on the front, but that stupid bump can’t pass as anything but poor design. If they had done something like paint it red or made it somehow a power gem…that would have been very cool. But it’s just an ugly peg. And that’s where this figure loses a point. I would have preferred a scabbard, or a loop on the armor, or nothing at all…this bump was a conscious and irresponsible design choice.

So SpartanNerd’s rating of New Eternia Mer-Man is 4/5. A strict upgrade over the Revelation Mer-Man. He could use an alternate head, some other accessory like a sea critter, and some other way of mounting that sword on his back that doesn’t compromise the sculpt of the toy.

4/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

SSKUR’GE (Cosmic Legions Whiplash Tribute figure)

by

7

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!