Tag Archives: Sgt. Slaughter

The Warrior Beasts Head Hunter

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(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!

GI Joe Classified Gnawgahyde, Porkbelly, and Yobbo

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Watch the video review HERE.

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

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

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

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

PACKAGING

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

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

Here’s a little “stream of thought”

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

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

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

The side features the same stats images.

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

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

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

FIGURE REVIEW

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

What do you get in the package?

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

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

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

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

PICTURED GI Joe Classified Series Cobra Commander and Gnawgahyde.

So much to talk about.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE PETS

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is there really a question? 5/5.

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

A great set of accessories, including two animal companions.

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

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

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

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

Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes (Cartoon Appearance)

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NOTE: Before reading this, you should read this….

SpartanNerd review of GI Joe Classified Cobra Commander and Sgt. Slaughter.

OK….the problem with getting so much stuff at once….

I lost my photos of Super7 Snake Eyes packaging! ARGGHH!

And just yesterday (October 20) I threw away the box, thinking I wouldn’t need it. (Yes..the most first-world of problems. Don’t be a hater.)

So I’m telling no lie. I purchased Snake Eyes in Columbia SC for $40 at the end of July. Here was my go-around with this figure…I had seen it at Walmart marked $25. When I took it to the cashier, it rang up $55 (the normal price for an Ultimates! Figure,) but I didn’t want it that bad. Then I saw it for $40 and was like “why not?” And that is the true story.

A $25 Snake Eyes isn’t that far fetched…after all a bevy of Super7 Ultimates! Were put on sale for $25 during Cyber Week last year. Some of them, like the TMNT Slash were an unbelievable deal for that price. (I didn’t buy that, but I admired from a distance…)

So this time, no package photos. You could go back and look at my review of the Cobra B.A.T. and see what the packaging was like, however. Mine didn’t come with a sleeve, and maybe that’s why it was marked down. Snake Eyes had green metallic box on theme with GI Joe instead of Cobra, with some images from the A Real American Hero show, and some information that mostly didn’t tell us anything. Otherwise it was the same. It also had a double blister to display the contents, however if I remember correctly the back blister was smaller.

WHAT DO YOU GET?

Here’s what you get.

  • Snake Eyes figure
  • Timber figure (that’s the wolf.)
  • Jetpack
  • Laser Rifle
  • Laser pistol
  • Walkie Talkie
  • “Radioactive canister”
  • Fist hands, trigger hands, gripping hands, and open palm hands.

At first, I thought the Jetpack was a scuba tank! I used to watch GI Joe as a kid, but I have to admit I don’t remember many of the episodes. I did watch the movie many times on BETA Max…it was a blurry thing we recorded from the TV. But I loved it! I remember the “we combed the tombs…etc” and Cobra making Serpentor. And I remember an episode where there was a gigantic amoeba. That’s about it.

We had a small army of GI Joes and the generic “C.O.R.P.S.” Figures and vehicles. Because GI Joe was more expensive than He-Man or Ninja Turtles…

I suppose that was a tangent. My point is, the jetpack and the “radioactive canister” mean a little more to people who remember the episodes. That canister can’t be comfortably held by Snake Eyes, and it doesn’t attach to Timber in any way.

I think it is funny that he has a Walkie Talkie. Snake Eyes never spoke in the show!

Timber was a big draw for me in getting this figure. All of those hands…I wish there was a gloved option. But I went back and saw some YouTube clips of the old show, and Snake Eyes never wore gloves back then. So that explains it. But I suppose we live in a post 1989 Batman world, where awesome gloves help make the look complete.

ARTICULATION

Well here I have two figures to discuss. First of all, Snake Eyes moves all the ways you would expect a Super7 Ultimates figure to move. Supposedly there is a famous scene where Snake Eyes break dances. So here’s my take on that. (I looked it up. It’s cool, but short.)

Maybe someone should tell him….

You can see, there is no hindrance to the figure’s articulation.

Now Timber on the other hand. (Face palm)

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates Snake Eyes with Timber and GI Joe Classified Sgt Slaughter. These guys are exactly the same size. Yes…the sarge depicts his real human self. But in scale, they are the same.

Timber can move his head side to side. But it breaks up the sculpt and the paint badly. His forelegs can splay out and his feet are on ball joints, but this articulation is limited. His back legs have no spread, so they are always too close together in my opinion.

SUPER7 VS HASBRO

So which is better?

Timber is about to change the odds….He better watch out though, Cobra Commander is known to kick puppies. PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes with Timber and GI Joe Classified Cobra Commander.

I don’t know if you can tell from the photos, but Snake Eyes is exactly the same size as GI Joe Classified Cobra Commander. He seems a little chunkier, and yes he represents his cartoon appearance. But Cobra Commander has so much more detail. And the articulation is EXACTLY THE SAME. But one big difference…Cobra Commander was less than $25 if I remember correctly.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes and Timber vs. Super7 Ultimates! Cobra B.A.T. And this is a real Karate move…I witnessed my brother’s black belt test for Shotokahn style. The instructor taught him how to take out a guy with a gun, and this was the move. This lesson came with a heavy dose of “It probably isn’t worth it.”

You can see that he is a little smaller than the Cobra B.A.T. And if you read my review from way back when I did it, I am of the opinion that the Battle Android Trooper is a big boy compared to your average guy. Maybe Cobra Commander has a Napoleon complex. But when I put Snake Eyes with Sgt. Slaughter, they are the same size.

My point is, I don’t think I will get any more Super7 Ultimates! GI Joes. The Hasbro GI Joe Classified series is cheaper, features the same articulation, practically the same accessories, better details and sculpts. Just better value.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF SUPER7 ULTIMATES! SNAKE EYES (AND TIMBER)

The paint and sculpt are good, depicting the way they look on the cartoon.

The accessories would be kind of bland if it wasn’t for Timber. It is a bummer than no one can hold the canister.

The package was pretty, and if you wanted to keep them in box it is collector friendly.

The value is here…there is just better value in Hasbro’s offerings. Yes…this is a Masters of the Universe Classics Snake Eyes figure….like a distant cousin to MOTUC at this point. He feels chunky in your hand. Timber on the other hand seems like he could be a cheap dollar store toy.

Right now I have Snake Eyes stored with the Cobra B.A.T., and Timber, being a generic wolf is on display with my barbarians. So he adds a lot to other property.

So I rate Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes 4/5. He’s OK. Not bad. But there could be some improvement.

MASTERVERSE Vykron- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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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?

MORE ON THE PACKAGING

When you open the box, you are greeted with some more artwork. This piece of cardboard is double-sided. The art you see depicts Vykron fighting skeleton warriors (Yes!), while the back of that is a mini diorama of Eternia, featuring the alien landscape with Eternos Palace in the distance, and a planetary backdrop.

You could hang the poster side of the battle, and photograph the Diorama (I will be doing that here!)

When you remove the art, Vykron is revealed dressed in his barbarian look. You can also see the helmet and gun from the military look, the jetpack from the spaceman look, and the battle axe. There is notably no blister bubble in this box. Oddly, I appreciate that. The box is such a display delight that we don’t have to see the figure on display. Someone who wants to collect everything with blister bubbles will be disapointed. But here, they didn’t even use bread ties, opting for those “paper” ties. (Is that stuff called “Jute?”

The figure stand opens up like the GI Joe Classified toys, revealing other parts..

I didn’t photograph it, but you can totally use the backdrop, stand Vykron on the stand in a pose, and keep him on display as a “staction” figure. This is a bonus 200x kind of idea that Mattel is tapping…much appreciated!

Overall, this package is very nice and I am reluctant to discard it. I will eventually, but nobody out there who makes toys needs to neglect how important the boxes are for “the feels.” This box won’t be valuable ever probably, but if you look at vintage toys, the packaging is unbelievably in demand. (Vinatage GI Joe and Transformers boxes especially). But I saw a complete vintage He-Man loose for $25, sitting in front of a MOC He-Man for $250 at a toy store (with yellowed bubble no less!). That is what nostalgia has done to people. Amping up the packaging of modern toys can at least let everyone today share the experience.

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE BOX

Oh Boy! What a list!

  • Vykron figure- wearing gear (listed below)
    • Brown battle harness featuring blue Iron Cross
    • Soft-goods feathery cape
    • Shin guards featuring Iron Crosses
    • Wrist bracers
    • I armed him with the battle axe for the pic.
    • The helmet is NOT removable!
  • Space Armor Items
    • Space battle harness with ..
      • space helmeted head. This has a hose that can disconnect to use somewhere else.
    • Orange Lazer gun
    • White bracers
    • Backpack with removable wings.
  • Military Armor Items
    • Military battle harness with removable pauldrons
    • Army tank helmet
    • Green armor bracers
    • Green shin armor
    • Very large gun. (Is this a rocket launcher?)

Also included…a pair of fist hands.

Notably, you can use the space backpack with the military armor.

FIGURE REVIEW

I guess we will start with the barbarian

…less work, right? I say this because I can see the hair dryer being needed a mile away! The straps on the back of the shins look to require some dexterity.

I get to do a little bit of “comparison time” first. I actually picked up the Vykron barbarian armor from Masters of the Universe Classics at the Greenville Retro Toy con a few years back for something like $10. Then I modded Battleground Teela so she could wear the helmet. So here is the first big difference. MOTUC Vykron (which I never owned) had a slot on his head so you could change helmets. This helmet would slide right on, apparently. I realize that Vykron is made of earlier MASTERVERSE parts, but in the past year they released New Eternia Man-At-Arms, who features a removable helmet. I’m just saying…it could have been done.

The MOTUC axe is better than the MASTERVERSE axe. I’ve always felt that it was a little bit skinny, but look how nice a female character can hold it! These harnesses are almost identical, but the MOTUC one was designed for chunkier torsos. (Yes. I went there. Would you have for YOUR toy review?). Do I prefer the sculpted cape to the soft-goods cape? On one hand, the sculpted cape does look good. On the other, the soft-goods cape is adaptable to fit on the shoulders however you like. You can see that the MOTUC shin guards clip on the boots and are held on by tension, while the modern MASTERVERSE ones have armor straps.

So there is some improvement, but some steps back.

Vykron looks awesome, but did you notice that this is the only He-Man figure maybe ever that didn’t COME WITH A SWORD! (I thought I had a picture, but I guess not. There IS a loop under the soft goods to hold a sword. The axe fits fine in there, but you have to bunch the cape.)

Military Vykron

Apparently, he can be called “Tank Top.”

I had to get the hair dryer as predicted to get the shin guards off. These go on easier, with a “button strap” instead of belts. You have to remove the hands and bracers to put on the green bracers. The helmet has a large hole underneath the chin so you can just pop it over Vykron’s barbarian head. And here is a missed opportunity. We could have gotten a bald head, or a crew-cut head, or some other military look of a head sculpt. Making the helmet removable from barbarian Vykron’s head would have worked nicely. The guns on the side of the helmet move up and down like the sides of the Attak Trak. This gun seems to be a missile launcher, but it doesn’t have a removable rocket.

You can mount the space jetpack on the back of the harness to add something else of interest. The mystery is…what are those slots on the back of the helmet meant to be? None of these accessories go with that, including the “wings” that slot on the jetpack.

This helmet has it’s own positive qualities, though.

It could totally be a vehicle for a World’s Smallest micro He-Man, or go well with GI Joe Classified Seargeant Slaughter’s included micro-fig. Viewed in this way as a vehicle, it is reminiscent of “The Collector” that Skeletor used in FILMATION. (There is an Origins Collector vehicle for sale out there. So tempting. But I don’t collect Origins.). It kind of has the look of the beak on the Talon Fighter, the guns of the Attack Track, the rear-end of the Road Ripper, the mouth of Land Shark. Clearly the design department was going for all of this when they decided to make something that didn’t look so much like an American military tank.

These micro-figures are so small, once again they are a hazzard. I literally lost the shield breaking He-Man back out of the box. I found it after I packed everything up. Go figure.

Space Armor

Apparently this version of Vykron can be called “Space Ace.” I wonder if they bounced that one off of KISS, or at least Ace Frehley.

Maybe you can tell, but I find this version of Vykron to be the least interesting. He reminds me of Zodac somewhat. Why aren’t there any shin guards to cover up those Roman Soldier/ Arctic boots? This is meant to be a helmet, but they just made it an alternate head sculpt. It is said that this resembles the space suit that was cardboard in the vintage Castle Grayskull. Roger Sweet’s design was just Boba Fett armor applied to either Big Jim or GI Joe.

You can un-attach the hose and use the helmet somewhere else. I don’t know where, but you could… The hose is not removable from the helmet, however. The wings on the jetpack are removable, and you can see that pictured on the Military version’s back if you want.

WHAT IS THE REAL VALUE OF VYKRON

Well…check out the pics below.

Pictured: Clockwise from the left- MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull, Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor, Super7 Ultimates! King Conan, MASTERVERSE Revelation Savage He-Man, Mythic Legions Balthor the Tower Ogre, Masters of the Universe Classics Battleground Teela (with Revelation Teela head), Mattel Creations MASTERVERSE Vykron, and MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man. There is all kinds of weapons and accessories pictured…can you identify them?

Vykron is just another barbarian for my growing collection. That by itself would have been worth $15.

PICTURED:- MASTERVERSE Revelation Tri-Klops wearing Tank Top armor and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms wearing Space Ace armor.

But, here is Man-At-Arms and Tri-Klops. The space armor really works well with Man-At-Arms, and seems like something he would use if anyone would. And that helmet fits better on Tri-Klops than it does on Vykron by a long way, plus with that round eye selected, it is like you are staring down the throat of a monster. This is how I plan on using the accessories…Vykron can remain a barbarian. This stuff is a nice arsenal.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF MATTEL CREATIONS MASTERVERSE VYKRON

At $75 (Toy Collector store price), no way. NEVER. Not even at $65 (the price of Motherboard at Mattel Creations right now) or $33 (the price of Snout Spout. Review coming soon) Give me a Mythic Legions for that price.

But having gotten this on what is apparently clearance on Mattel Creations for $15, it is a no brainer 5/5. Philosophically I might have a little bit of a problem with Mattel pushing Vykron out there. But as a figure, especially at that low, low price…especially with all of the accessories and a nice diorama. No question.

Super7 Ultimates B.A.T. SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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Deck the Halls will Boughs of Cobra. Cobra La la laa, la lah la laaa.

Beautifully done, chorus teacher SpartanNerd. I ordered this as a part of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales on Super7.com. It had been a long time since I ordered one of the Ultimates. Back when they did the Masters of the Universe Classics, I got Ram Man, and if I reviewed him, the post has been deleted because it got NO VIEWS. Come on, Hub City Geeks. Send some love! Ram Man was nice, but I don’t have him anymore. He was given up with the great purge that got me into the Mega Bloks/Construx/MEGA figures.

But I saw this figure earlier in the year and wanted it immediately. I didn’t bite then, though. Same problem as before. Where is the room? My sad little shelf is way overstuffed now. And I surely can’t go into collecting GI Joe’s. (I think if I did, I would go for collecting the vintage ones.)

But I bought it anyway. It was on sale. I figured to keep it in box beside Cobra Commander. (A similar thought pattern went into purchasing GI Joe Classified Series Sgt. Slaughter from GameStop.)

The Cobra B.A.T. came in a very nice package. I was totally floored at how nice this was! After opening Sgt. Slaughter, no comparison. This sleeve leaves me with a dilemma. I want the figure on display. But this part of the box, wow! It has this foil coloring, with Cobra blue camouflage designs, and silver outlines. Just this much did it for me. This puts Mattel’s MOTUC packaging to shame, and definitely puts the Hasbro windowless box to shame! When you remove the sleeve, you can see the figure still in a nice box, and you can read the details on the back. The back has this cartoonish robot feature with a screen that gives us what serves as a bio card for the Cobra B.A.T. Not a single person who purchased this would not know what the B.A.T… is about. But I paid $36 for this figure, and felt right away upon opening it that I was receiving a premium treatment. (Recently, the MEGA Snake Mountain box has underwhelmed me.)

As we continue, it becomes apparent that this is a collector-friendly package. You just slide out what turns out to be TWO LAYERS of blisters. This guy has alternate hands, a pistol, a machine gun, two backpacks (one traditional and another a barrel-shaped container), an alternate damaged head, and a spark damage effect.

He stands tall with no problem. He is tall and posable. In fact, it is just about exactly like the Masters of the Universe Classics figures. The pistol pic below was no problem to pose him into. His damage effects are also really cool…On the cartoons Cobra’s disposable army were really easy to beat up. I will say that I had trouble removing the clear chest piece in order to plug in the spark damage effect. Turns out there is a tiny little tab for your fingernail hiding behind the grenade strap. (Those grenades are not removable as far as I can tell.). The traditional backpack has holes that you can use to store his arm attachments or extra hands. The barrel has room for stuff, but contains some purple spark things. There is a silver feature on his right thigh that I am unsure of the function. It isn’t a holster. (He has a holster for the pistol on his right thigh.). I think this must be from the vintage designs or something. Nothing seems to peg into that, and I haven’t found any pics on the internet showing it used for something. I like to think it is a communicator or a charging station or battery or something.

His arm attachments are a futuristic gun, a claw hand, and a drill. He comes with open hands, trigger fingers, and fists, and these are in a detailed style as well as in a more plain cartoon accurate style. These are alot of hands! I will say the peg joint in the neck is slightly loose, while everything else is very tight. The pegs on the arm attachments and hands might be too tight….

The backpacks attach by pegs that resemble straps. They peg in to the shoulders. I always feel that I have to force them just the tiniest bit.

The plastic on this guy feels pretty good. Maybe a little soft, which is surprising because the joints are so tight.

Here I have him posed with the GI Joe classified figures. You would think the scale discrepancy would be jarring, but in this case it really isn’t. Maybe Cobra Commander is a Napoleon type? Maybe Battle Android Troopers should be on the taller and bigger side. Sgt. Slaughter’s beefy sculpt offsets the tallness of the B.A.T. (What are the sparks in the barrel backpack? They are like sharp “devil-heads” and can be removed). The photos don’t show it much, but the Super7 figure does have larger feet and legs. I used the box background card (also removable!) to take the classic pic that looks like a vintage cardback. By the way. Why don’t GI Joe Classified figures contain this feature?

Below shows two more comparisons. Here with the few MOTUC figures I have left, you can see he really does fit right in as far as size is concerned. Of course he would fall to the barbaric awesomeness of Vikor and Despara. Check out how close he fits with Sir Lazer Lot.

Just for fun, I put him with the Snow Cat and Frostbite, and you can see how big he is compared to the vintage stuff. You get a “frost giant” kind of story.

I was having so much fun posing him and swapping the parts and taking pictures. And then it was time to put him back in the box. I thought to put the hands back the way they were when I opened it. And then…SNAP.

Just like that. I had another childhood memory. How many GI Joes, Corps figures, and others suffered such a fate? This really stung. After all that positivity, something had to go south. Maybe I wasn’t careful enough? Maybe it’s something more problematic, like cheap soft plastic. These pegs are really tight. But the hands are supposed to be swappable as a feature of the toy, and I can’t say for certain, but I bet they swap with other ultimate figures or MOTUC figures like Trap Jaw and Roboto who have a similar gimmick. (Edit: probably not). I was able to soften it with a hair dryer and dig out the peg with a tiny screwdriver. But man. This really burns. He came with other hands, so it isn’t the end of the world. Only a little sad. And sadness should not go with this hobby.

I had my eye on an Ultimate King Conan the Barbarian with the Throne of Aquilonia. I mean, this made me think twice. (I caved and ordered it just before typing all this even though this tragedy is in my mind.)

So, it is time to grade.

My chorus teacher self wants to give this figure an A-. A 91. I wanted him earlier in the year. Waiting paid off as I got him much cheaper. His packaging was stellar. He went right back in the box and that sleeve went right over for future fancy feeling. He has tons of accessories and posing options. The joints feel good. He looks good.

The only negative would be the breakable nature of the peg on the forearm. Still, I am giving him a 5/5. It would have to be like 4.8/5, though. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Have you had similar issues with Super7’s ultimates figures? Do you think my issue should sully the experience of this guy too badly? Should I cancel my order for Conan? Let me know in the comments.

GI Joe Classified Sgt. Slaughter…SpartanNerd unboxing and review

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Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!

The SpartanNerd got some new goodies!

First up is a “second”…that is, a second GI Joe Classified figure. (I already had Cobra Commander.). And now, I have Sgt. Slaughter, a figure of a person I actually met in person at the Retro Toy Con in Greenville last year. (Sgt. Slaughter is a real-life character.)

My history with the Sarge. Well, as a child I used to watch GI Joe. But we didn’t have many of the figures. Like Transformers, they were on the more expensive side. Which wasn’t to say we had none. Me and my brothers eventually accrued a small army, but we usually didn’t remember the names of the characters, and some of ours were of the more generic but WAY CHEAPER “Corps” variety. As the older brother, I always gravitated towards Cobra and the Decepticons in these rare but cherished acquisitions. The other issue…my mother didn’t want us to go into the army. I have an uncle who was eventually a colonel. And he of course encouraged us to join up. (Just a note. The character of Sgt. Slaughter would be a Marine before becoming a GI Joe.)

Anyway, Sgt. Slaughter was one of the few official Joes that we had. I remember specifically that he had a removable hat, that I remember specifically getting lost. So most of the time he didn’t have this. Some light research on YoJoe.com tells me that we must have had the version that came with the Warthog AIFV.

But this isn’t all, is it? Sgt. Slaughter was a WWF wrestler. I remember watching him. I didn’t watch wrestling that much. It was what came on after the cartoons on Saturday morning, so…BUT, (Confusingly, the sarge seemed to switch to our enemy Iraq sometime in the 1990’s for his wrestling kayfabe. Nobody’s perfect…). Sgt. Slaughter also appeared as a Saturday morning cartoon host and in commercials for GI Joe toys. And finally, the most memorable thing about Sgt. Slaughter for me was the 1980’s movie appearance. In this version, which I got to see dozens of times because we had it on BETA tapes hooked to our Nintendo TV, Sgt. Slaughter shines most of all. Without using a curse word (unlike Beach Head), he let us know what a drill sergeant is all about. “The only way your going home is in a ditty bag. An itty, bitty, ditty bag.” !!!!!!!!!!

(I asked the Sarge what this meant when I met him at the Retro Toy Con last year. The “ditty bag” is a small cosmetics bag that a soldier stores his razor in. At the con I was SO TEMPTED to get an autographed poster of Sgt. Slaughter saying this to hang in my classroom!)

On to the toy review!

WHAT? SERIOUSLY? I ordered my figure from GameStop…I got an e-mail blasting a sale. And so when I clicked, I saw it at a reasonable price of <$25, and ordered it. Having a Cobra Commander already, I knew this would be a pretty cool toy to display beside him.

BUT NOPE. REALLY!!

I had heard of “windowless” packaging for Hasbro’s toys. I might have seen a Star Wars black series Battle Droid hanging on a tab when I visited the store. I didn’t put it together that THIS WAS WHAT I WOULD GET. No window showing us the figure. I did not and still do not appreciate this. OK so there is virtually no plastic in this package. I guess that’s a win for the environment. But the environment has to take second place. We are talking about serious business here, Hub City Geeks.

What we get is a nice picture of Sgt. Slaughter in different situations. The top left is the GI Joe TV host (I think,), the top right is the comic book appearance. Next on the left is a person holding the action figure who is holding a micro action figure which is an included accessory. The right is the image of the Sarge from the movie. The bottom left is a picture of the toy posed holding the machine gun. And in the center, nice and tall, is a modern illustration of the character. If he seems less muscular in this depiction, this is what he really looks like in real life today, only an illustrated version. When GamesStop advertised that this figure would be Six-In-One, what they meant was the six versions that surround the illustration. And they are counting the micro figure.

The back shows us another picture of the machine gun pose, and also a picture of everything in the box along with a ruler showing us how big everything is in scale. Those symbols…

I didn’t pay that much attention to them on Cobra Commander’s box. I guess I just thought it part of the design. But with Sgt. Slaughter’s box next to it, I see that there is more going on here. Something deeper. These are the character’s stats! You can see a whole page about that here. Finally, it makes sense. Cobra Commander has strong leadership, light weapons, “psyops” (psychological warfare), and a mastered skillset for coercion. Sgt. Slaughter has strong leadership, great hand to hand skills, great strength, and a mastered skillset that is too secret to reveal!

The other side has nice art, comparable to Cobra Commander’s.

BUT…Trying to save the environment by removing the blister is a poor excuse for not getting to see the figure we are getting. AND…it looks dumb next to Cobra Commander who has a windowed package. Hasbro. You deal in plastic. Do it right.

Let’s open this up.

This is what you open. The figure is strapped to the open box with paper rope. The other box contains the accessories.

We get what my son in the army says is an AK-47, but you have to assemble it. The magazine and the flashlight were not attached. A pair of sunglasses. A “baton” (is this the right word?), a whistle, a micro action figure on card WITH BLISTER. Three alternate left and right hands, and that hat I remember so fondly.

I think the only couple of things I would add here are a figure stand and a pistol or grenades. But I don’t miss these that much.

Here I have Sgt. Slaughter posed as best as I could to his comic appearance.

I tried to do the pose of the big image on the box…the problem is that the baton will not stay securely in his armpit. Another one you can’t do is the arms folded. His plastic muscles are just too much!

He looks like an 80’s action star holding his AK-47.

In a future post, I will open this micro figure. Why did they include this? Do the recent GI Joe Classified figures all come with this? I really enjoy it, though!

The sergeant must be taller than Cobra Commander. With another upcoming review, you will see that it must be that Cobra Commander is supposed to be on the shorter side. More research needed, I guess. But I kind of like it if he has a Napoleon complex. Seems fitting. The Sarge looks like he could roll up Old Snake and throw him at some BAT bowling pins.

So what do I rate this GI Joe Classified Sgt. Slaughter? No question. That package is a disappointment. I was underwhelmed when I opened the shipper box. And that isn’t what you want in a hobby that is supposed to be about awesome fun. As a teacher that box gets a D+. The contents are clear and the pictures are nice. Blah blah blah. Less plastic. Blah blah blah. I. Want. To. See. What. I. Have. In. The. Box. for display purposes. I am a grown up. Are kids buying these figures? I don’t think so. They have no connection to them.

As far as the figure, it is excellent. 5/5. Hooray! It is a great representation of the classic GI Joe. He looks cool, is highly posable. Looks good with Cobra Commander. No issues with sloppy paint or anything like that. The joints feel right. The swappable hands kind of worry me, but they work just fine…just be careful.

If the figure gets a 5/5, and the package gets a 2/5, I guess I am giving this a 4/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!